Chapter 6: Full Stomach, Warm Bed, Safe and Sound (1)
Xiao Mei drove an old pickup truck out of the farm, with Pao Pei sitting next to her on the passenger seat. It was nibbling on a rib bone of stewed pork that Grandma had made for them since the morning."At first, you said you didn't want to eat, but now your mouth's full of grease," Xiao Mei tried to pull the bone from its small mouth, but Pao Pei growled "Hmmmm" in protest.Xiao Mei drove along the main road, heading into the city towards the destination Grandma had told her. There weren't many cars on the road, probably because Zhengzhou wasn't a densely populated city, with only around 7-8 million people. It wasn't considered a crowded city, and her farm was located on the outskirts, so it took almost an hour to get into the city.Bored of chewing on the bone, Pao Pei started licking its fur to clean itself, then turned to ask Xiao Mei,"How much farther, boss?" Since it had chosen to take the form of a tiger after emerging from the egg, it now had the instincts of a big cat. It didn't like having dirty fur, was curious, and enjoyed napping. Now that it was full, it was feeling sleepy!Pao Pei climbed up to Xiao Mei's lap. It loved having her gently pet its fur."About an hour. You're full and sleepy, aren't you? Go ahead and nap."Xiao Mei drove for almost an hour before finally arriving in downtown Zhengzhou. She drove to the address Grandma had given her. It didn't take long for her to find a construction company. The building was a three-story white office with a sign in front that read 'Ma Hui Construction'.By now, Pao Pei had transformed into a giant bee and was clinging to the steering wheel, curiously looking around."A bee the size of a fist. If anyone sees you, they'll probably squish you," Xiao Mei tried to stuff Pao Pei into the pocket of her overalls, but when she did, it made her look like she had a lump in her stomach, which wasn't exactly flattering."How about this? You stay in the backpack, and I'll carry it with me.""I promise Pao Pei won't come out and let anyone see me! Don't worry, boss," Pao Pei raised a wing and saluted like a soldier. Lately, it had been studying how soldiers protect their country.Xiao Mei slung the backpack over her shoulder, then got out of the truck and entered the building. She looked like an ordinary farm girl, wearing black sneakers, denim overalls, and a white shirt, with a black mask covering half of her face. Only her sharp, alluring eyes, resembling those of a phoenix, could be seen. Xiao Mei walked into the building, looking for someone to talk to."Hello, Grandma Li Ju sent me to find Uncle Ma."She looked around and saw that none of the people sitting in the office matched the description Grandma had given.Just as Xiao Mei finished speaking, a man opened the door and entered. He was wearing an old shirt and oversized safety boots typically used in fieldwork, his body covered in cement dust."It's me. What do you need from me, young lady?"Uncle Ma was a tall man, about 195 centimeters, with tan skin and slightly curly hair. Grandma had told her that she had to speak to Uncle Ma to avoid being overcharged."Grandma Li Ju sent me to discuss some business," Xiao Mei gave him what she thought was her most sincere and endearing smile."Li Ju, the owner of the farm outside the city who grows everything?" Uncle Ma raised an eyebrow, looking at Xiao Mei with interest, then smiled widely at her."Haha, so you're Xiao Mei," he said, walking over to open a small office door and called her in."Come in and let's talk."Xiao Mei followed him into the office, which had a desk cluttered with paperwork and only two chairs. Uncle Ma pulled one chair out for her, then poured her a hot cup of tea and handed it to her."Good thing about wooden furniture is that it doesn't rust, and if it gets scratched, you can buff it out. Wood doesn't conduct electricity, and if you want to dispose of it, you can use it for firewood, so it's not a waste," Uncle Ma said, referring to the chair she was sitting on."I want to build a strong wall around the farm, the strongest you can make," Xiao Mei took a sip of tea after finishing her sentence.Uncle Ma raised an eyebrow in surprise. He had guessed that Grandma Li Ju might have sent her granddaughter to negotiate something, but he didn't expect it to be a whole wall around the farm."The farm's more than ten acres. You want to enclose all of it?""Yes, enclose all of it. Make it tall enough so people can't climb over, strong enough that even a car crash won't destroy it. Can you do that?""To make it that strong, you'll need a metal wall," he was genuinely curious about what the two women were afraid of to go to such lengths for protection.Xiao Mei thought for a moment. A metal wall might attract attention. It would stand out too much, which might not be good."How about a brick wall instead, but one that's high and strong?"Uncle Ma sipped his tea and thought for a while, then leaned forward to speak to her in a low voice."Last month, I just built a wall for a rich family. They had a metal wall around their house and asked me to install solar panels too."Xiao Mei was a bit surprised to hear that, but it wasn't uncommon for rich people who were afraid of disasters to build bunkers. Some even believed in the apocalypse. Now, they were just people who were preparing ahead of others."The two of us are a bit scared. I'll be staying with Grandma, so when can you start?""Next week. I need to finish up another house first."Xiao Mei stood up in front of Uncle Ma, handing him a piece of paper with her phone number on it."When you're ready, give me a call."After leaving Ma Hui Construction, Xiao Mei drove straight to the local market in the city. She took out her list of essential items. Some of it had already been ordered online, so she was just waiting for it to be delivered. But for fresh meat, vegetables, and fruits, she preferred to pick them out at the market."Pao Pei, are you uncomfortable in there? Do you want to wait in the car while I go shopping? I won't be long." Xiao Mei spoke to Pao Pei in her bag before getting out of the truck, worried it might be too cramped for it."I'm not uncomfortable, boss. There's a sweet pear in here," it was already halfway through eating a big pear in the bag. Its mouth was both sweet and fragrant, and it didn't want to go anywhere."Then stay in here. Don't start complaining about wanting to come out later."Xiao Mei walked into the market, heading first to the vegetable section. The vegetable list she had written not only included the ones she liked but also the ones Grandma had written down as necessary.She walked to the nearest vegetable stall and handed the list to the vendor."Could you gather everything on this list for me? And have someone bring it to the pickup truck parked over there?" If she had to pick everything herself, she'd be there all day. It was faster for the vendor to choose.A chubby vendor came over, took the list, and called over a quick-moving male worker to gather the items."Sit down and wait, dear. I'll have someone bring it to you." Seeing that Xiao Mei was a big spender, the vendor treated her extra well, smiling warmly at her and even bringing a chair for her to sit on."Are you hosting a big event? Buying this much, it must be a large gathering." This customer didn't fuss and bought in bulk, so she must be preparing for a big party. It was a good idea to make friends with her.Xiao Mei saw the vendor was friendly and, since she didn't often go to markets, decided to take the opportunity to claim she was buying supplies for a big event."The company's hosting a staff party. I'm in charge of sourcing ingredients. There's still a lot more to buy, can you help?" she fibbed, saying she was only driving the truck and would probably need to make multiple trips."Oh, of course, dear! I know every shop in the market. Just tell me what you need.""Please help me gather everything on this list," Xiao Mei handed her the shopping list, which included meat, fish, eggs, fruits, nuts, grains, seasonings, pickled vegetables, flour, rice—everything she needed. But walking around the market would be a hassle, so it was easiest to let a local handle it for her. A little extra payment for convenience was worth it."All of this? How will you carry it all?" With so many items, it would take at least four or five trips with the pickup truck to haul it all."Just have the workers load it onto my truck, and when I get to the company, people will help me unload." The people she was referring to were the little spirit servants, of course. Once the truck was full, she'd drive far enough to be out of sight, then use her dimensional space to store everything and have the little spirit handle it.