Immortal Takeout - Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Little Boss

Ta Nuo was startled by the realization that he was being stared at by an umbrella. He instinctively took a step back and took a closer look.

 Hmm, it was just an umbrella.Umbrellas shouldn’t be alive, he silently corrected himself. But the umbrella’s position was strange. Half of it was inside the door, half outside, with the curved handle facing outward, as if it was leaning against the door panel, observing the visitor. Even more unsettling, atop the handle stood a spherical, wooden civet cat head. The carving was incredibly detailed, with each hair and beard clearly visible. The eyes were hollowed out and inlaid with two unknown green stones, shimmering and aura-filled, making the entire head look like a living creature.

Ta Nuo couldn’t help but bow to the white umbrella and politely introduce himself. “Hello, my name is Ta Nuo, I’m the owner of ImmortalTakeout, and I’m here to visit Mr. Xiao Luo.”

The umbrella remained motionless.

Ta Nuo thought to himself, I was really too nervous. How could an umbrella talk? He stood up straight and was about to step around the white umbrella to knock on the door again. The umbrella suddenly leaped into the air, twisting 180 degrees and rapidly changing its position. This time, the entire handle of the white umbrella was tilted, lying across the door frame, the top handle and the tip fitting perfectly, as if it had used its body to draw a cross, blocking the visitor from entering.

Was this an indirect refusal? He stopped moving, momentarily at a loss.

Just then, Mr. Pighead, who had been curled up on the ground, suddenly moved, breaking the awkward silence. He had rolled to Ta Nuo’s feet without knowing when.

“What a nice smell,” he murmured, his expression strange. “What kind of baby are you…ah, my baby…” He muttered something unintelligible, his saliva running down his dirty cheek, leaving a few muddy marks. He stretched out a trembling hand, covered in blood, and suddenly grabbed Ta Nuo’s ankle with force.

Mr. Pighead’s hand was so cold, like ice chips, that the moment it touched Ta Nuo’s skin, he shuddered all over and jumped up.

Before Ta Nuo could scream, the white umbrella suddenly flew into the air, rising halfway up, with its sharp metal tip pointing downward like a sword. It plunged through the air, piercing Pig Head Man’s waist with a vicious thrust.

With a scream, Mr. Pighead’s body was bent in half, like a dried shrimp, forming a strange arc, and he could no longer make a sound.

Ta Nuo swallowed his saliva subconsciously and swore to himself that he would not eat his mother’s dried shrimp for nearly three months.

After the white umbrella finished its attack, it opened with a bang and floated back to the yard like a small white cloud, as if nothing had happened. Ta Nuo hesitated for two seconds, decisively left Mr. Pighead behind, and followed the white umbrella into the door.

At this time, a tall man walked out of the main room.

It was Mr. Xiao Luo! Nuo’s eyes lit up.

Luo Xiang was shirtless, revealing his muscular build. Perhaps he’d just finished a workout or perhaps just had a hot shower, his naked body was slightly flushed, steam still rising in the cold air. A drop of water dripped from his forehead, running down his smooth cheek to his Adam’s apple, then sliding down between his collarbones, following the defined lines of muscle to his lower abdomen, and then down until it vanished.

He swallowed hard, feeling even colder. He realized his swallowing sound was too loud and felt embarrassed. Blushing , he introduced himself.

“Hello, my name is Ta Nuo. I am the owner of ImmortalTakeout.”

Luo Xiang ignored him, walked past Ta Nuo, and walked straight to the bamboo chair. He casually put on the coat draped over it, then slumped down into the chair. He draped his legs carelessly on the coffee table, fished a cigarette from his pocket, and held it to his lips, but didn’t light it.

Ta Nuo mustered his courage and tried to open the conversation again. “I’m here today to continue discussing the agreement I made with Mr. Luo. I wonder if you’ve heard of the strategic partnership agreement between Da Luo Grocery and Immortal Takeout?”

He was met with silence.

Ta Nuo scratched his head, feeling a bit awkward. He looked around uneasily and noticed that the strange white umbrella had been folded up and was now hanging upside down from the ceiling beam, its tip swaying leisurely back and forth.

Luo Xiang was staring blankly at the courtyard, his expression vacant, revealing nothing of his thoughts.

Ta Nuo looked down at his shoes, shifting his weight unconsciously from one foot to the other.” Are good-looking people all so unfriendly? “he wondered, scratching his head again before bravely attempting a third conversation.

“What a beautiful day!” He exclaimed. A gust of cold wind blew in his face, and he sneezed hard, his nose instantly covered with clear snot.

Hearing the noise, Luo Xiang finally averted his gaze, squinting his eyes and giving him a cold glance.

Ta Nuo blushed, lowered his head, wiped his nose vigorously, and muttered a muffled apology.

Luo Xiang suddenly opened his eyelids, slightly flaring his nostrils like a predator searching for prey. He turned his head and carefully discerned the scent in the air. His gaze toward Ta Nuo began to change, growing sharp and piercing.

It was the gaze of a predator. Ta Nuo instinctively took a step back, his body tensing.

“Do I smell something?” Ta Nuo raised his arm and sniffed in confusion, but smelled nothing. Although he was just a wild sea otter, he was very clean and shouldn’t bring any unpleasant smells to anger the young boss.

Luo Xiang continued to stare at him, his gaze unwavering.

The white umbrella drifted down from the rafters and circled around Ta Nuo. Ta Nuo examined it curiously. The white umbrella touched Ta Nuo’s chest, coming very close, and tapped him lightly with its tip.

Ding ding ding—

The glass jar in Ta Nuo’s arms made a crisp sound.

Luo Xiang stood up, his gaze fixed, still saying nothing.

Ta Nuo hurriedly took another step back, and hurriedly took out a glass jar from his arms, stammering to explain, “It’s for dried shrimps. I ate all the shrimp…” He lowered his head, feeling a little ashamed for some reason.

Luo Xiang quickly lost interest and sat down again, the rattan chair making an agonizing creaking sound. He no longer looked at Ta Nuo, but continued to stare at the winter jasmine in the yard in a daze.

“Next time, when the fresh seafood arrives, I will bring you a full jar of dried shrimps.” Ta Nuo promised. Although the young boss didn’t say anything, he was still eager to share his goodies. “My mother roasted the dried shrimps. They are so delicious. I can eat them with the shells!”

Luo Xiang remained motionless, as if he hadn’t heard a word.

Ta Nuo frowned in frustration, then suddenly an idea came to him.He reached into his hat and pulled out the rose. Yes, one should prepare a gift when visiting someone. Why is he so stupid? He hoped that the young boss would not be angry with him.

“I was inconsiderate today and didn’t prepare anything. I’ll give you this rose. It’s the most beautiful rose I’ve ever seen, with a sweet scent that’s absolutely delightful.”

Ta Nuo carefully placed the most beautiful rose on Luo Xiang’s coffee table. The rose was in full bloom, its petals still gleaming with dew from the shrubbery, making them translucent.

Luo Xiang had closed his eyes, seemingly asleep. The white umbrella drifted toward him, unfolding to shield him from the nonexistent sunlight.

Ta Nuo scratched his head, bowed slightly to Luo Xiang, and said a polite goodbye.

“Next time, I’ll bring the young boss the plumpest shrimp and the sweetest preserved fruit. He’ll surely be happy.” Ta Nuo made a secret resolution.

On the way home, Ta Nuo noticed that the magpies were beginning to build their nests, chirping busily. Although the weather was still a bit cold, spring seemed to be truly on its way. This was a good omen, and Ta Nuo was full of confidence. Perhaps the young boss would agree to his request tomorrow.

The next day, the sweet, plump shrimp were still in the otter mother’s oven, and Ta Nuo couldn’t visit the young boss again as planned. However, he did have a stroke of luck.

He finally received a new order!

This time, it wasn’t a family order from the otter family, but a genuine customer order.

The order came from a referral, and the referrer was none other than the golden squirrel, Rousong. It turned out that after Ta Nuo bought a rose from him yesterday, Rousong’s business gradually improved, and by evening, all his inventory was sold out. The last rose was purchased by Lin, the manager of the Cat’s Office. Rousong, in a good mood, chatted with Manager Lin for a while and learned that he wanted to order a special cat food can, so he immediately referred the business to Ta Nuo.

He had met Manager Lin before: a beautiful, long-haired cat with white fur and green eyes, but aloof and reserved. He had never spoken to him before, and he felt a bit apprehensive about the deal.

Before leaving at noon, Ta Nuo scrubbed his face diligently in the mirror, trying to cheer himself up. He was going to the cat’s office today, so it wasn’t appropriate to appear in human form. He transformed into a sea otter, donning a large straw hat woven from waterweed, a fresh golden forsythia pinned to the brim. The hat sat perfectly on his furry, round head. He also carried a small cloth bag embroidered with a small brown sea otter, which contained his beloved glass jar. Today, the jar contained seven-colored fruit candies, a small treat brought to Ta Nuo by his elder brother, the otter.

The weather was just as beautiful as yesterday, still a little chilly, but Ta Nuo felt warm. Magpies sang an unknown tune on the branches, and the flower buds in the forest held their breath, vying for attention.

Ta Nuo felt a surge of relief. If this deal went through, he would become a true takeout delivery boss, confident enough to negotiate a partnership with the small grocery store owner. The young boss is so handsome! I hope he’ll like the dried shrimp I brought… Tsk, tsk, dried shrimp are so delicious… Spring crabs are skinny, but cracking them open and making a crab sauce side dish is quite a unique flavor. I wonder if the young boss would like crab…

Ta Nuo smacked his lips, his stomach starting to feel empty. He stuffed a piece of fruit candy into his lonely mouth. The candy was green and lemony, so sour that it made Ta Nuo’s hair stand on end. Fortunately, the cat’s office was not far ahead. Thinking of his first important client, he swallowed his saliva, held his stomach, and ran swiftly.

“Small smack, small smack ..”

The muddy ground, soaked with grass juice, became soft and sticky, itchy, and very interesting.

The Cat’s Office was located at the southernmost end of the bamboo forest, the most well-equipped and fully staffed animal office within hundreds of miles of Maochun City. Though adjacent to a major human traffic route, it was well-hidden and difficult to spot from the outside. Ta Nuo had to put in some effort to find the office’s entrance.

Outside the cat’s office, several stray cats were waiting to do business and seek advice. They looked like they were lazily basking in the sun, but also like they were queuing up in a serious manner. A sea otter was very rare, and the moment he showed up, he attracted countless looks. The cats’ gazes were very blatant, staring at him unscrupulously.

Ta Nuo felt an odd sense of familiarity with being stared at by the cats. He hesitated for a moment, carefully stepping over the line of stray cats, and was about to ask where Manager Lin was when he was stopped by a black tabby cat at the office entrance.

The black tabby cat was big and strong, with a huge head and four powerful claws. It was sixty centimeters long and looked very fierce. “Queue up, queue up!” He shouted at Henuo impatiently, his voice low and deep, much like a toad in heat in the swamp.

Ta Nuo removed his large straw hat, held it to his chest, bowed politely, and said, “Hello, I’m not here to ask questions. I want to see Manager Lin from the office.”

The black tabby cat impatiently interrupted him, growling fiercely, “Didn’t you hear me? No matter who you are, no matter what you come for, if you want to step into the office, you have to queue up to get a number!” His roar was full of threats , and he was obviously very angry.

Ta Nuo thought to himself in astonishment: Are all cats so fierce?