Chapter 122

Chapter 122: Hei Dan's New Look

Just like last time, the car stopped at a distance from Ji Huan's house. The alley leading to his home was too narrow for such a vehicle to enter.

Perhaps because he was a returning customer, the golden-haired monster driver even helped Ji Huan unload his luggage from the car.

"Is everything taken care of?" Placing Ji Huan's belongings on the ground, the golden-haired monster suddenly spoke to him.

Although surprised, Ji Huan didn't show it on his face. Nodding, he replied, "Yes, everything is done."

Then, Ji Huan began to search for money. He himself had none, but the old monster had given him sufficient fare beforehand. Adan had categorized this trip as a business assignment, and as the boss, despite the significant losses incurred during this outing, Adan had steadfastly covered all expenses.

As Ji Huan reached into his pocket, a train ticket fell out.

On these trains, conductors checked tickets at every station, stamping them with unique seals specific to each location. The more places one passed through, the more stamps their ticket would bear.

Ji Huan's ticket, which had fallen, displayed five such stamps.

With lightning speed, the golden-haired monster reached out and swiftly picked up the ticket.

Ji Huan instinctively expressed his gratitude but found, as he reached for the ticket, that the other person's fingers were gripping the thin paper tightly. Despite his efforts, he couldn't pry it loose.

Looking up at the golden-haired creature, Ji Huan was startled by its terrifying expression. For a moment, he thought he was being mugged.

Just as he was considering calling out for Grandfather Abu, the golden-haired monster suddenly spoke. His voice was unusually soft and hesitant, taking Ji Huan quite some time to piece together a complete sentence:

"Um... this... the ticket... can you... give it to me?"

Ji Huan: =-=

"Sure, go ahead and take it." With no particular inclination for collecting, Ji Huan nodded in agreement.

The creature across from him appeared initially bewildered, then a glimmer of excitement lit up its eyes.

"Really? You're really giving me this ticket?" The creases on its face smoothed out, instantly removing it from the realm of horror.

Eyes sparkling, it now looked like an adolescent in a sudden burst of youthful energy.

Considering Abu's mature appearance and physique, Ji Huan wondered if the creature might genuinely be quite young.

"Wonderful! I love collecting tickets! Someday, I'll visit all these places!" The blond creature said with great enthusiasm, his eyes fixated on the tiny ticket in his hand.

Seeing Ji Huan about to pay, he waved his hand dismissively. "This time it's on me."

It was a decisive demon who promptly stashed the ticket into the breast pocket of his vest before dashing back to the car and swiftly driving away.

From afar, Ji Huan could still hear his voice:

"Next time, you get a 50% discount on rides! If you need anything, find me in Lifestyle Sector Seven. My name is Harun."

Leaving Ji Huan standing there in a daze.

He was no longer the person who had only a vague understanding of Ye Falar's junk zones. After chatting with Abu and the others during the ride, he now knew that the so-called lifestyle sectors were how the residents referred to their own garbage areas.

Well, it seemed this demon was also a local?

Ji Huan carried the two suitcases forward.

Looking at the fourth house on the right side ahead, the corners of Ji Huan's lips couldn't help but curl up slightly. When the familiar black door came into view, he put down his luggage and retrieved the key from around his neck.

The key to his home had been hung around his neck on a string ever since he left, for fear of losing it amidst all the chaos.

The door creaked open.

Ji Huan stood there, stunned by the pitch-black house before him.

He opened his mouth, ready to call out "Grandpa," but before the word could escape his lips, a dark figure suddenly appeared at the empty window.

In the darkness, the figure's eyes shimmered faintly, exuding an eerie and inexplicable aura.

It was a scene straight out of a horror movie.

Yet, Ji Huan couldn't help but reflexively smile upon catching sight of the small silhouette.

"Black Egg."

Despite the house remaining shrouded in darkness, with not a single glimmer of light, Ji Huan's heart lit up the moment he saw Black Egg.

Closing the door behind him, he hastily left his luggage outside and hurried into the dimly lit abode.

###

In the brightly lit living room, Ji Huan held Hei Dan in his arms while facing a demonic creature towering three heads above him. The creature had grayish-black scales, wings on its back, a tail at its hips, and an enormous mouth with razor-sharp teeth protruding menacingly.

This was an extremely ferocious monster.

However, at this moment, the creature's massive head hung low as it sat on a chair beside the dining table, obediently listening to its scolding.

"Saving electricity is one thing, but we can afford it now. I have a salary, and Grandpa, you hunt every day. Our family can still manage the electricity bills."

After speaking for a while, Ji Huan fell silent. Gazing at his grandfather, whose large head was hanging down but occasionally sneaking peeks at him, Ji Huan pursed his lips, indicating that he had finished his speech.

Seated on the chair, the horned demon instantly understood the signal from his grandson; now, it was his turn to speak.

Leaping down from the chair, the demonic creature lifted his grandson up, examining him thoroughly before letting out a dissatisfied roar.

He was complaining about Little Hua's weight.

Just a few days out, and the grandson had lost weight! The grandpa began to lecture his grandson.

"Roar~" You should carry more money when you go out. Why didn't you take all the money Grandpa gave you? Children need to eat well to grow tall. Now that you have a salary, and Grandpa hunts, you can save on many things, but not on meals!

Well, the roles of the teacher and the taught had reversed.

In Ji Huan's household, Ji Huan was now the de facto head. However, as the patriarch, Grandpa still held the right to lecture Ji Huan after he had been scolded.

Ever since Jiujiu entered, Hei Dan's white-ringed eyes had been fixed on Jiujiu's face, watching eagerly. He found it rather amusing that Jiujiu was being reprimanded, even though he couldn't understand the conversation himself.

While the adults were speaking, he remained quiet. But when Grandpa and Uncle fell silent, Hei Dan wriggled in Uncle's arms, reminding him to refocus his attention on him.

Sure enough, Ji Huan shifted his attention as wished.

This shift in focus startled Ji Huan:

On Hei Dan's head... there were two tiny tufts of hair!

Due to their thinness and Hei Dan's big head constantly tilted up to look at Ji Huan, he hadn't noticed them at first. But upon closer inspection, it was clear: There were two slender little...

Should these be called pigtails?

This hairstyle... wasn't this the legendary ram's horn braid? No... the amount of hair was too sparse to call them braids. At best, they could be considered two small clumps of hair...

"Recently, Aximu came over and gave another hair tie and a comb," Grandfather had already transformed into his human form, looking at his grandson and great-grandson with affectionate eyes.

Ji Huan glanced at Hei Dan's braid... let's call it a braid for now. He noticed that at the base of the braid were indeed two small green hair ties. Though the amount of hair in the two braids was pitifully small, they were combed neatly, clearly done with a comb.

Ji Huan, on the other hand, didn't have a comb. He simply ran his hands through his hair in the morning before heading out. He was never too concerned about his appearance.

However, Hei Dan seemed to be entirely different from his uncle in this aspect. With his large, white-ringed eyes fixated on his uncle, he would occasionally tilt his head, showing off his little braids from various angles.

"This..." Ji Huan was at a loss, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "Grandfather, Hei Dan is a boy. How can you braid his hair like that?"

In Ji Huan's opinion, braids were a feminine style, while boys should have their heads shaved!

"Oh dear! This was what Hei Dan asked for himself..." Grandfather touched his own head.

Turned out, during the days Ji Huan was away, Grandfather spent most of his time in his beast form. Concerned that his great-grandson might lose his way in places he couldn't see, he carried him on top of his head every day. Grandfather's mane was lush and dense, with two strong horns that provided a secure spot for Hei Dan.

Being so close to Grandfather's horns every day, Hei Dan, for some reason, began to believe that he should also have horns. Touching his own scalp, the little monster felt a bit sad.

Until Grandfather braided a pair of beginner-level ram horns for him.

Hei Dan was finally satisfied.

Adorned with golden bangles (designed for women), wearing a green floral shorts-dress (modified from a girl's dress), and now with two little braids on his head—

Staring at the adorable little monster, Ji Huan suddenly felt a bit worried.

Right, Ajin also gave Hei Dan a ring… a ring…

It had a large gemstone on it, seemingly designed for a woman.

Ji Huan: =-=

It seemed that after today, he needed to reinforce gender identity education for Hei Dan.

Seeing his grandson's suddenly serious expression as he pondered something, and then looking at his handsome great-grandson, the ram-horned demon was delighted. Tying the apron around his grandson, he went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Leaving Hei Dan, who, after showing off his beautiful braids to his uncle, began to showcase his "talents."

"Jiujiu!" This was the word Hei Dan used the most proficiently.

"Grandpa!" This was the first word Hei Dan learned while teaching Ah Ye.

"Flowers!" It became his second word, as Hei Dan adored all kinds of colorful flowers, especially the pumpkin blossoms in the pigsty of the Big Bai pigs.

"Aunt!" This was a term that Ah Ye remembered vividly, for his grandson would eventually have a family, and an aunt would naturally come into the picture. It was wise for Hei Dan to learn it early!

Ji Huan: =-=

Hei Dan's pronunciation wasn't entirely accurate, but for a baby who could only crawl and stand, he was doing quite well.

Lastly, Hei Dan proudly showed off his newly grown teeth to his uncle.

This time, two sharp, pearly-white teeth with hooks had emerged.

Hei Dan could now eat meat – Ji Huan thought, gently touching those two teeth.

That night, Ji Huan tore off a small strip of meat from his own bowl and placed it into Hei Dan's tiny mouth.

With a furrowed brow, Hei Dan grumbled for a while before finally swallowing the small piece of meat.

After dinner, Ji Huan visited the pigsty to see Big Bai and his family. The three Miss Pigs were no longer monopolizing the largest space in the pen, much to Big Bai's comfort.

Upon seeing Ji Huan, Big Bai let out a gentle grunt. Behind him, the three ladies followed suit.

Ji Huan smiled. Then, he went on to feed the chickens.

"Little Hua, Hei Dan has prepared the hot spring; come quickly!" Just as Ji Huan was inspecting the vegetable garden, Grandpa's voice echoed from not far away.

Grandpa was summoning him for a bath.

Wrapped in a towel, Ji Huan soaked in the vegetable garden's hot spring alongside Grandpa, with Hei Dan snuggled warmly against his chest, like a portable heating pad.

Closing his eyes, Ji Huan sighed contentedly.

There's no place like home.