Immortal Takeout - Chapter 29

Early the next morning, while it was still dark and drizzling, Ta Nuo arrived at Liu Family Village practically sleepwalking. Luo Xiang was already up, sitting under the eaves of the courtyard, holding a transparent glass jar and leisurely eating the pepper-salt small dried fish from it.

The aroma of the small dried fish finally woke Ta Nuo up. He widened his eyes forcefully, trying to appear more alert.

“Good morning…” Ta Nuo greeted, accidentally letting out a trace of a yawn. He hurriedly covered his mouth.

Luo Xiang continued unhurriedly savoring the small dried fish in the jar, ignoring Ta Nuo.

Ta Nuo flared his nostrils, swallowing his saliva. He had left early today and hadn’t eaten breakfast yet. He cautiously approached Luo Xiang and asked, “Are the small dried fish tasty?”

Luo Xiang swallowed a whole small dried fish, rubbed the pepper-salt powder from his fingers, frowned, and said disdainfully, “Not tasty.”

‘But you look very engrossed in eating them’, Ta Nuo thought. He tilted his head, mentally weighing the probability of success if he asked the Little Boss for one small dried fish. He sadly realized it was almost impossible. So he turned his head away, looked at the dense curtain of rain falling from the sky, and tried hard to think of something else to suppress the rumbling “song of mealtime” in his belly.

‘I really hope I can eat the thick omelet today.’

It had rained all night, and the temperature, which had just started to rise, dropped again quickly. Ta Nuo wasn’t wearing much. After being blown by the cold wind for a while, and without the warmth from food, he soon started to feel cold. He couldn’t help but let out a big sneeze and wrapped his thin jacket tighter around himself.

Luo Xiang took off his own scarf and used it to roughly rub Ta Nuo’s face. “So dirty,” he said, his tone unfriendly. “Wipe your nose.”

‘There’s no snot’, Ta Nuo protested quietly. Besides, who uses a scarf to wipe their nose? Even as he thought this, Ta Nuo accepted the Little Boss’s scarf. The scarf was gray cashmere, just taken from Luo Xiang’s neck, warm and soft, carrying a faint scent. Ta Nuo asked, “Are you giving me the scarf now?”

“Who said I’m giving it to you?”

“But it has my snot on it.”

Luo Xiang frowned deeply, got up, and went back into the house holding the glass jar.

Happy, Ta Nuo wrapped the scarf around his own neck, even tying a crooked butterfly knot. This way, it was much warmer. Ta Nuo sighed contentedly. No wonder Mother Otter always said humans have an old saying: ‘A scarf is worth a piece of clothing. Better to wear one less layer than let your neck feel the wind.’ It really makes sense.

Luo Xiang didn’t need much preparation. Grabbing Luo Pangpang, he soon followed Ta Nuo out. They boarded a bus heading to the main urban area. The morning rush hour was over, and the bus wasn’t crowded. Most people sat alone, leaving large empty spaces between themselves and others.

Luo Xiang stepped onto the bus floor. The mix of rainwater and dirt made the ground damp and filthy, with thin streams of muddy water sloshing back and forth with the bus’s motion. Luo Xiang’s expression was very unpleasant.

Ta Nuo had traveled this route many times. After boarding, he skillfully paid the fare for two people. He found two consecutive empty seats in the last row and gestured for Luo Xiang to sit with him.

Luo Xiang seemed reluctant. He elegantly rested the umbrella handle on his arm, frowning as he looked over this row of simple and not very clean seats. Ta Nuo had already conscientiously climbed into the inner window seat. The space in the last row of the bus was limited. Once Ta Nuo sat down, his legs couldn’t stretch out fully. He kept his knees together, shrinking into a proper little ball, trying to make as much space as possible for Luo Xiang.

Luo Xiang hesitated and didn’t sit down. There was an empty plastic water bottle on the vacant seat, probably trash left behind.

The bus started moving again. Luo Xiang wasn’t holding onto a rail, but he stood perfectly steady. His gaze lowered, submerged in the dimness of the bus cabin.

Seeing Luo Xiang didn’t plan to sit, Ta Nuo looked at him curiously, glanced at the empty seat beside him, and without a second thought reached out to remove the empty bottle.

“Disgusting,” Luo Xiang turned to leave.

Ta Nuo quickly grabbed him with his free hand. “I’ll wipe my hands after throwing the trash away. Don’t go. It’s so boring riding the bus alone. We have to ride for an hour.”

This was the first time he had company on a bus ride, and Ta Nuo didn’t want to miss such a good chance to chat.

Under Ta Nuo’s expectant gaze, Luo Xiang struggled internally for a long time before reluctantly sitting down beside him. His legs simply couldn’t fit, so he had to sit sideways, placing his legs in the aisle.

As soon as Luo Xiang settled, Ta Nuo got up, struggling to go throw the empty bottle in the trash bin at the front of the bus. Luo Xiang extremely unwillingly leaned sideways to let Ta Nuo pass. Ta Nuo walked quickly and returned soon after, squeezing back with difficulty through the gap between Luo Xiang and the seat in front. He grabbed the top handrail, his movements somewhat clumsy. As he lifted his waist, his rear end bumped directly into Luo Xiang.

Luo Xiang’s face stiffened. He reached out, pressed firmly against Ta Nuo’s butt, and shoved him entirely into the inner seat. “So fat,” he said, glaring at Ta Nuo who was about to retort.

Ta Nuo closed his mouth, wriggled to adjust into a comfortable sitting position. After being quiet for a short while, he spoke softly, trying to talk to the Little Boss. Luo Xiang held Luo Pangpang with one hand, the other arm crossed over his chest, and soon closed his eyes, clearly unwilling to chat with Ta Nuo.

Ta Nuo talked to himself for a bit, received no response, turned his head, saw Luo Xiang resting with his eyes closed, and so shut his mouth. He placed both hands on the back of the seat in front, rested his chin on them, turned to look out the window, and quietly began to daydream.

The glass window was damp from the rain. Strings of droplets traced watery paths on the glass, turning it frosted. The scenery outside became illusory. Multicolored spots of light shattered and reassembled the fleeting landscape, transforming it into a brand new fairytale world. Ta Nuo quietly cracked the window open a sliver. The vibrant breath of the human world leaked through the gap—the sounds of car horns, falling rain, the smell of gasoline, the scent of earth.

A few fine raindrops drifted in, landing on his cheek, cool and silky. Ta Nuo gently twitched his nose, intently sniffing the scent of spring.

Spring rain is as precious as oil. He hoped this rain would last a little longer. After the rain, the plants would grow even more lush, and everyone would have food. Flowers would bloom, bees would bustle about, carrying seeds to all corners of the world. By autumn, they would have sweet fruits to taste.

Ta Nuo smacked his lips, feeling the emptiness in his belly again.

“So noisy,” Luo Xiang, who had been motionless as if asleep, suddenly spoke.

Ta Nuo was startled. “I wasn’t talking.”

Luo Xiang slowly opened his eyes, looked sideways at Ta Nuo, and said, “The noise from your stomach is deafening.”

Ta Nuo’s cheeks flushed red. He withdrew his hands from the seatback, placed them on his thighs, clasped together, and lowered his head in embarrassment. “I got up too early this morning and didn’t eat breakfast,” he explained.

“Open your mouth,” Luo Xiang commanded.

Ta Nuo instinctively obeyed. Something hard landed on the tip of his tongue. Ta Nuo rolled it with his tongue, carefully tasting it. It was candy! The candy quickly softened, becoming sweet and fragrant. It was an unfamiliar flavor, but delicious.

“What is this?” Ta Nuo asked, surprised and delighted.

“Lard candy.” ①

The lard added a smooth, rich, and fragrant texture to the candy. Ta Nuo liked it very much. After two or three pieces of lard candy, he felt less hungry.

The two rode in silence until their stop. Luo Xiang got off the bus first, striding purposefully towards the “Cat’s Teishoku” shop. The rain was still falling. Strangely, he didn’t use an umbrella, just carried Luo Pangpang in his hand, seemingly unconcerned about the sky-full of rain. Ta Nuo, holding a round umbrella, jogged to keep up.

Mr. Song Shi was already waiting at the spot where they talked yesterday. He held a grid-patterned straight umbrella and carried a thermal lunchbox. Seeing Ta Nuo, he smiled and greeted him. Compared to yesterday, Mr. Song Shi looked much better; perhaps after a night’s sleep, he had come to terms with things. Whether successful or not, he still had to keep working hard, hoping to realize his dream one day, and wishing for that day to come sooner.

“Good morning!” Ta Nuo tilted his umbrella back, revealing a smiling face. He tugged at Luo Xiang’s sleeve and introduced, “This is my friend. He’s here to help today.”

Mr. Song Shi misunderstood. “Is this that friend of yours?” He seemed somewhat surprised, clearly not expecting the story that sounded made-up to actually have a real protagonist. He lifted the thermal lunchbox in his hand and said, “Perfect timing. I made the tomato thick omelet in advance. Your friend can take it back to give to someone today. Wishing you all the best.”

When Ta Nuo shared the story with Luo Xiang yesterday, he had specifically omitted the part about his lie, so Luo Xiang didn’t understand the story behind Mr. Song Shi’s words. He stared at the lunchbox being offered, frowning.

Ta Nuo quickly took the lunchbox for him, flusteredly smoothing things over. “No, no, this is another friend of mine. He’s just here to help today, that’s all.”

Hearing the word “friend,” Luo Xiang raised an eyebrow but didn’t speak. He lifted his nose, closed his eyes, sniffed lightly, quickly determined a direction, and without any hesitation, strode off towards Wutong Street.

Ta Nuo hurriedly followed, clutching the lunchbox.

Mr. Song Shi was taken aback. He stood stunned for a moment, then called out from behind, “I haven’t told you where the crows are yet!”

“No need, we can find them—” Ta Nuo turned back, panting as he shouted, “Wait for our good news!” He waved, saying goodbye to Mr. Song Shi.

Mr. Song Shi could only wave back in response.

Luo Xiang’s strides were long; just a few steps and he could leave Ta Nuo behind. Ta Nuo wasn’t walking very steadily. Holding items with both hands made holding the umbrella extremely awkward. He tried to clamp the umbrella handle under his neck, but the umbrella slid down uncontrollably. The canopy hit his head, forming a bulging arc.

They didn’t encounter any other humans along the way. Ta Nuo found it a bit strange because Wutong Street appeared, from the outside, to be a quiet and beautiful street. It was a century-old street, lined with tall, beautiful plane trees on both sides. Walking on such a street on a rainy spring day was truly refreshing. Even if it was a weekday, it shouldn’t be this deserted.

But soon, Ta Nuo found out the reason.

The moment he and Luo Xiang stepped onto the main thoroughfare of Wutong Street, they were greeted by deafening, hoarse caws and the flapping of wings.

Ta Nuo looked up.

It was a flock of jackdaws.

The jackdaws had already found their way to survive in Maochun City. They occupied the skies above the city, roosting on the high branches of the plane trees, often foraging collectively, blending into the city’s nightscape. The phenomenon of crow congregations was especially severe in winter when food was scarce. Humans often looked up to see swathes of crows sweeping across the sky like a massive shadow.

Not all birds possessed a voice as moving as the skylark’s. In fact, the calls of most birds couldn’t even be considered songs. And jackdaws were among the most clamorous. Ta Nuo believed their cries could drive countless humans insane, making even the most composed human reveal an extremely irritated expression.

And what was perhaps even harder to bear than the jackdaws’ cries were their “air-dropped bombs.” Jackdaws usually appeared in groups, choosing tall buildings or ornamental trees as their roosts because high places helped them hide and avoid human attacks.

More importantly, high places helped them escape the pursuit of stray cats. After all, this city was famously a city of cats. Avoiding these greedy, agile, and cruel predators was a mandatory survival skill for all urban birds.

Clearly, this flock of jackdaws favored Wutong Street in Maochun City’s main urban area the most. In winter, when the plane tree leaves fell, the jackdaws gathered in small groups, landing on the branches, replacing the original leaves. On clear days, they would stand on the branches, sing at the top of their lungs, and freely empty their bowels. Dripping, dropping white feces fell rapidly, accurately hitting the road surface like small bombs.

Wutong Street was quickly submerged by white feces. Once dried, these droppings would be covered by another layer, cycling over and over, forming a thick layer of paste. Passersby who weren’t careful would get hit. Moist droppings landing on heavy winter coats were never a pleasant sight. Therefore, although Wutong Street had unique scenery in winter, with the stark plane trees possessing a certain charm, it still became one of the least liked streets by humans.

And the spring rain was too light; its arrival couldn’t wash away the filth on the ground. Instead, it made the already solidified feces soft and sloppy again, forming flowing pools of sludge. An indescribable stench rose, permeating the air, condensing in the water vapor, lingering and shifting.

When Ta Nuo realized what the soft, wet “mud” under his feet actually was, all his hair stood on end, and he couldn’t help but shudder. If he felt like this, Luo Xiang, who seemed extremely cleanliness-conscious, must be feeling unimaginably worse.

Ta Nuo couldn’t help but glance at the Little Boss.

Luo Xiang seemed to have no reaction, only his face was darker than usual, like a piece of charcoal about to burst into flames. He stopped walking, gently placed the tip of the little white umbrella on the ground, and rotated the handle.

Ta Nuo only heard a vague ‘cheng cheng’ sound, as if from far away, yet also close to his ears. Ta Nuo felt momentarily dazed.

When he regained his senses, he suddenly noticed that somehow, it had stopped raining. Ta Nuo stretched out his palm, facing up; it was dry. Puzzled, he closed his umbrella and looked up at the sky above. Myriad silver threads surged downwards but vanished into thin air halfway, not a single drop able to reach them. It was as if they were enveloped by an invisible barrier.

Ta Nuo looked confusedly at the Little Boss.

Luo Xiang remained in his umbrella-holding posture, motionless.

Soon, a great commotion of flapping wings came from above. Countless birds suddenly emerged from somewhere. The sky was covered by black feathers, the light swallowed, quickly disappearing. Within the expanse of black, countless white eyes lit up, sharp as needles.

Jackdaws!

They shouted with their harsh cries, beating the war drums. The sound of flapping wings grew closer, seeming about to press against Ta Nuo’s face. Terrified, Ta Nuo hurriedly covered his ears.

Just then, the little white umbrella in Luo Xiang’s hand suddenly began to glow. It shone all over with a soft white radiance, seemingly faint, but like a lamp-cutting knife, it instantly pierced through the night.

The jackdaws instantly scattered. The sky brightened again.

Ta Nuo cried out “Aiya!”, quickly lowered his head, covered his eyes, and rubbed them vigorously. He had never seen such a scene before and felt somewhat afraid, secretly moving closer to the Little Boss.

Luo Xiang didn’t mind Ta Nuo’s small action; his attention was completely on the flock of crows above them.

The jackdaws’ formation broke, but they didn’t leave. Most returned to their roosts in the plane trees, while a minority of the stronger fighters still circled in the air above Ta Nuo and Luo Xiang.

The two sides faced off, the atmosphere tense as a drawn bow.

Luo Xiang didn’t utter a word.

The leading jackdaw was very large, almost twice the size of the others. He flew at the forefront of the black troop, with eyes like a falcon’s. He cawed loudly, his voice echoing through the firmament, seemingly taunting, but the opponent’s consistently silent and calm posture seemed to frustrate him.

After a quarter of an hour, the leading jackdaw spoke first, breaking the silence.

“Might I ask who you are, sir? Why are you making things difficult for us jackdaws?” His words were polite, but they sounded completely different in meaning. He was clearly very angry, straining to teach these two bold intruders who dared to trespass on their territory a lesson.

In comparison, Luo Xiang was much more composed. His words were brief, instantly clarifying their purpose for coming. “One minute. Either admit defeat, or I’ll beat you until you do.”

Ta Nuo’s eyes widened. ‘Is that why we came?’ he thought.

The response was a burst of furious cawing. The jackdaw leader flapped his powerful wings, and the jackdaws gathered again, descending from above like a large black net. Ta Nuo could even feel the wind from the black wings. He couldn’t help but cover his head and squeeze his eyes shut.

But nothing happened. The anticipated pain of being pecked and torn by bird beaks didn’t materialize.

It seemed like just a gentle breeze passed, and all sounds ceased.

It took a good while before Ta Nuo dared to straighten his neck. He cautiously opened his eyes and glanced at the Little Boss. Luo Xiang still looked composed and confident. His back was straight as a tree. Ta Nuo felt slightly reassured, looked down, and saw the ground covered in feathers, many with bright red blood on their bases.

Ta Nuo hoped in his heart that Luo Xiang still had some sense left. He vaguely remembered Mr. Song Shi saying that crows were creatures that held grudges, and what they liked most was…

White bomb bombardment!

No sooner said than done, the crows’ feces fell like huge raindrops. Instinctively, Ta Nuo threw himself onto Luo Xiang’s back, trying to pull him aside to dodge.

—

Translator’s Note:

① Lard candy (猪油糖 zhūyóu táng):A traditional Chinese candy made with lard, sugar, and flour, known for its unique rich and smooth texture. It’s a nostalgic treat for many.)