Chapter 38

Crimson Demon Stone 3, Longing and Yearning

Mofei and Anger walked back, stopping by a supermarket. After shopping for a while and buying quite a few things, Mofei, laden with bags, returned home and cooked a delicious bacon and cheese pasta for Anger. They also shared an omelet rice. After dinner, Anger enjoyed a slice of Mofei's homemade strawberry cake.

Es seemed uninterested in dog food. Before Anger and Mofei returned, Es had stayed home without causing any trouble, only eating half of the blueberry cake on the coffee table.

Anger asked Mofei, puzzled, "Why doesn't Es want to eat dog food?"

"Dogs don't seem to like dog food much," Mofei replied. "After all, it only has one flavor."

Anger picked up a piece of dog food from Es's bowl and sniffed it with dissatisfaction, "It smells like a dead pig!"

Mofei chuckled, "Well, dog food might be nutritionally balanced. I've heard that dogs who eat it tend to be slimmer, have less body odor, and have better fur quality."

Anger, crossing his legs, commented, "So it's like people eating those bland diet foods for no body odor and slimming down?"

"Something like that," Mofei laughed.

"Hmm..." Angler picked up a few strands of spaghetti from the plate and offered them to Ace.

Es sniffed them, ate them happily, and wagged his tail, seemingly enjoying the treat.

"Is there more?" Anger asked Mofei.

"Yes, there is," Mofei nodded.

"Hmm..." Anger stroked his chin, "Mofei, let's prepare a portion for Es too when we make something tasty. We'll just use the dog food as treats for him."

Mofei looked at Anger, "Aren't you worried about him getting a smell?"

Anger shrugged and said, "It doesn't matter. Unless Es himself decides to slim down and beautify his fur by eating that dead pig-smelling dog food, humans have no right to deprive animals of the food they enjoy." As he spoke, he reached out to pet Es, adding, "The importance of eating for animals far exceeds that of humans."

As he spoke, Es stood up, placed his front paws on Anger's knees, stretched his neck, and moved closer to the table to eat the food left in Anger's plate. Anger didn't stop him, just petted his head and asked, "Shall Mofei get you another portion?"

Es, chewing the pasta in his mouth, wagged his tail at Anger.

Mofei picked up Es's food bowl, discarded the dog food, and checked the pot. There wasn't much pasta left, not enough for Es to be full. He then took some rice from the fridge, warmed it, cooked some bacon and minced meat, and mixed it with rice for Es, serving a generous portion topped with spaghetti.

Attracted by the aroma, Es walked over and eagerly devoured the meal, tail wagging constantly.

Anger sat at the table, accepting the cup of tea Mofei handed him, and turned on the TV.

"Anger, how about we take Es for a walk after he finishes eating?" Mofei suggested. "I feel bloated after such a big dinner."

Anger, who firmly believed in the virtues of stillness, frowned slightly, seemingly reluctant to move.

Mofei, somewhat exasperated, said, "Aren't you worried about getting a belly if you eat so much and don't move?"

Anger raised an eyebrow and said, "Mental labor can consume a quarter of the body's calories. As someone frequently engaged in mental labor and with a high metabolism, I essentially have a naturally slim physique. Finding the right balance means I don't have to worry about gaining weight."

Mofei shook his head and went to wash the dishes. Meanwhile, Anger channel-surfed, finding the TV programs uninteresting.

"So boring," Anger muttered, slightly frowning.

"How about watching a movie?" Mofei, drying his hands, walked out of the kitchen and suggested.

"A movie?" Anger pondered and asked, "You mean going to the cinema? We don't have any DVDs at home."

"You can watch online," Mofei suggested, showing Anger some websites for streaming movies. "It might be a good way to pass the time. I don't think I've ever seen you watch movies online."

Anger, tilting his head, glanced at the movie list and remarked, "Why do all these titles seem so bizarre?"

Puzzled, Mofei sat down and asked, "What's the matter?"

Stroking his chin, Anger took a moment before responding, "My grandmother loved movies. I used to live with her, and she had me watch many with her. She had a fondness for foreign classics, mostly romantic themes, often tragic yet beautiful... I remember some of them. Their titles feel so different from what we see today."

Mofei furrowed his brows, puzzled, and asked, "Different in what way?"

"Hmm... If you think about it, the names of old movies were mostly about telling the audience what the movie was about. Nowadays, movie titles seem to give viewers a reason to watch them," mused Anghel, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Could it be that humanity is becoming less confident as it evolves, to the point where even art needs to provide a reason for appreciation?"

Mo Fei was somewhat speechless, as Anghel started to wander off in his thoughts again. Changing the subject, Mo Fei asked, "What kind of movies do you like to watch?"

Anghel looked at Mo Fei and replied, "Hmm... I have great admiration for many old movies. I have a particular fondness for films with female protagonists."

Mo Fei looked at Anghel with surprise and commented, "Don’t most men prefer movies with female characters?"

"Hmm..." Anghel disagreed slightly, extending his slender finger and gesturing gently, "It's different from what you think. The instinctual attraction between different genders, beyond the secretion of hormones and physical needs, is also a necessary means to compensate for our own inherent deficiencies."

Mo Fei, somewhat confused, said, "I don’t quite understand that."

Anghel picked up a strawberry from the cake with his fork and put it in his mouth, then continued, "Men can never truly understand women, just as women can never truly understand men. Hence, whether it's men who disdain women or women who disdain men, they always maintain a high level of curiosity about each other."

Mo Fei nodded, not quite grasping Anghel's point but at least understanding this statement.

Anghel looked at Mo Fei's expression and added, "So, my interest in films with female themes does not necessarily mean I have the same interest in women themselves."

After listening, Mo Fei remained silent for a long time before saying, "Anghel, I've heard many of your theories, but this is the only one where I can't find any logic."

Anghel, a bit embarrassed, took a sip of his black tea and changed the subject, "Ace seems to have eaten a lot, he was just burping."

Mo Fei felt helpless; Anghel was being evasive.

"You didn’t answer my earlier question about your favorite movie," Mo Fei pointed out.

"What about you?" asked Anghel, "Which movie is your favorite?"

"Hmm..." Mo Fei stroked his chin and said, "Well... Movies like 'Into the Wild' and 'Fight Club' are more realistic and impactful for me. I don't like romantic films."

"Oh..." Anghel touched his chin and nodded, "My grandmother always watched stories like 'La Vie En Rose', where the heroines are often very moving and respectable."

Mo Fei nodded, "Very feminine tastes, and what about you?"

"Hmm... I once saw a very interesting movie, one of the few that I managed to watch entirely and left a deep impression on me," Anghel said with a smile, "Its English title is 'Hard Candy.'"

Mo Fei, understanding the two straightforward English words, asked, "Hard Candy? What kind of movie is that?"

"I stumbled upon it while investigating a case," Anghel explained. "The killer was a pedophile who targeted cute children in their teens. His room was filled with various DVDs. This film seemed like a recent purchase, still unopened, just sitting atop the DVD player."

"So you watched it?" asked Mo Fei.

"Yes... I was drawn to the movie poster on the disc cover. It showed a pure white background with a little girl in a red hood standing in a metal bear trap. The bag she carried on her back made it look, at first glance, like she had a wolf's tail."

Mo Fei couldn't help but chuckle dryly, "That's a bizarre setting."

"Indeed," Anghel nodded, "I thought that if the murderer had seen this film a couple of years earlier, perhaps he wouldn't have embarked on a criminal path."

"What do you mean?" Mo Fei asked, puzzled.

"Well..." Anghel seemed to choose his words carefully, speaking as slowly as ever, "It means that the big bad wolf could easily swallow Little Red Riding Hood. To it, she's just a tasty candy... But among those countless Little Red Riding Hoods, there might be one that is a hard candy, perhaps hiding a lethal needle. Before it's swallowed whole... it can destroy everything, from the spirit to the flesh, in the most brutal but effective way."

Mo Fei looked at Anghel for a long time before saying, "Sounds like a pretty terrifying movie. I'll have to watch it sometime."

Anghel smiled in response.

"By the way," Mo Fei suddenly asked Anghel, "speaking of pedophilia, what's your view on sexual orientation?"

Anghel pondered for a moment and replied, "I can only accept heterosexuality and homosexuality. I abhor pedophilia and any relationships influenced by such tendencies."

"You don't dislike homosexuality?" Mo Fei asked.

Anghel blinked and shook his head, "Gender is a very straightforward matter. It's simply about loving men or women, which is incredibly fair. In the history of human development, this may be one of the few remaining forms of fairness."

At that moment, they heard Ace bark twice. Mo Fei and Anghel turned to look at it, seeing it standing at the doorway, looking back at them, barking twice, and wagging its tail.

"What does it want to do?" Anghel asked, puzzled.

"Probably wants to go for a walk," Mo Fei answered. "Dogs, after all, love to exercise, especially a Husky."

"Hmm..." Anghel seemed to be looking for an excuse to stay home. Mo Fei glanced at the cake on the table and said, "I'll put it in the fridge. We can eat it tomorrow."

Anghel looked at the cake and said, "I'd like a cheesecake tomorrow."

Mo Fei, feeling resigned, said, "What about these two? It'd be a waste not to finish them."

Angler thought for a moment and then said, "Mofei, pack the cake."

Puzzled, Mofei asked, "For what purpose?"

“You just mentioned movies, and it suddenly made me think of grandma," Angler stood up and continued, "Let's go visit her. She loves strawberry cake. Let's pack this half for her and keep the smaller half of the blueberry cake for Es as a late-night snack or for tomorrow's treat." Saying this, he stood up and excitedly said to Es at the door, "Let's go, Es. We're going to see grandma."

……

Resignedly, Mofei began to pack the cake in a cardboard box.

……

Since they had no car, Angler and Mofei ambled down the street. It was quite unrealistic to walk all the way to the nursing home, so they planned to walk a bit and then hail a taxi.

Es was not on a leash. The Husky, true to its lively nature, sometimes dashed ahead and at other times lagged behind. Interestingly, Es always stayed within ten steps of Angler and Mofei, sometimes even walking closely alongside them.

It was still light outside. Many people were walking their dogs after dinner. Some also had Huskies, who, in their frenzied state, pulled their owners forward, making it nearly impossible for them to control their dogs.

Many passersby looked at Es, whispering to each other, “How is their Husky so obedient?”

“They must have had him for four or five years now, I guess?”

Mofei looked at Es in surprise and remarked, “Es is really well-behaved. He’s quite unique among Huskies.”

Angler glanced at Mofei and said, “It’s not just because he’s obedient, but because he’s like you.”

Mofei opened his mouth, puzzled, and looked at Angler, “In what way?”

Angler smiled and explained, “Wanderers, although wild at heart, don’t necessarily roam because they enjoy a nomadic life. It's often because they haven't found a place where they belong.”

Mofei nodded, adding, “Seems like there’s some truth to that.”

“Those who are homeless or penniless can also possess nobility, confidence, and pride,” continued Angler. “To preserve a proud heart, one must understand and indulge its pride.”

Mofei pondered for a long while, then saw Angler pat Es’s head, saying, “Es could leave, but he doesn’t want to... because once he's more than ten steps away from us, he starts to miss us. We have made him yearn. So, a person wanders not because he lacks longing, but because he has nowhere that holds his affection. Once his heart is occupied by a certain longing and attachment, he will not want to leave. Departure would bring him profound sadness.”