Chapter 139

Chapter 139: The Enchanting Little Monster

It's worth mentioning Ji Huan's five-drawer chest, yes, that's the one. Originally, it was empty, but after Ji Huan cleaned it up, he placed the clothes of both him and his nephew inside. However, neither of them had many clothes—despite Hei Dan being a fashionable little monster, his wardrobe was limited due to their family circumstances, mostly consisting of underwear.

On top of the chest, Ji Huan usually kept his phone, to prevent radiation exposure—although he wasn't sure if the phones here emitted radiation, he still habitually put it away there to restrict how long Hei Dan could play with it.

Aside from the phone, there was also a photo frame of Ajin. It was among the items Ajin had asked him to bring back, the picture of Ajin on the fighting stage. Above the chest hung an oil painting, a gift from Ajin. Apart from these, the rest were mainly photos of Hei Dan.

Hei Dan, being a selfie-loving baby, had taken countless pictures, and Ji Huan would print them out for him. Since there was no photo paper, he used ordinary white paper instead. Every day, looking at the wall in their bedroom filled with Hei Dan's photos, as well as Jiujiu surrounded by a cluster of Hei Dans (including one photo of Ji Huan and Hei Dan together), Hei Dan always felt his mood was just... beautiful!

As for Ji Huan, gazing at the ghostly Hei Dans covering the wall, -=-

he remained even more composed.

Ajin's blurry photo didn't bother Hei Dan much, but the clear image of the little monster in the newly posted missing person notice caught his attention. Even Hei Dan had to admit:

That little monster was utterly, utterly, ENCHANTING!

=-=

When it came to words related to "beauty," Hei Dan always picked them up quickly...

Thus, Ji Huan found Hei Dan pouting pitifully, clinging to his chest.

One of the braids had come loose, leaving only one hair tie barely holding onto the last two strands. Hei Dan's usual white ring eyes had transformed into two droopy, oval-shaped pools.

Ji Huan was startled. "What happened to you, Hei Dan? Your hair is all messed up!"

In their family, no one loved beauty more than Hei Dan, even surpassing Little Hei – though, of course, Little Hei was quite the tomboy. This state of Hei Dan might resemble his father...

Cough! That wasn't the point. The crucial thing was that Hei Dan was very conscious of his appearance. Without a mirror, he would use Jiujiu's phone camera as a reflection. Every morning, Hei Dan would check himself in the phone to ensure his braids were neat and his clothes tidy before leaving the house. Unlike other babies who feared having their nails trimmed, Hei Dan would actively grab Jiujiu or Grandpa's clothing if his nails grew too long, asking for a trim. He even requested teeth cleaning and moisturizing oil application. He cherished his clothes, and if they accidentally tore, he would specifically ask Jiujiu to mend them instead of Grandpa, as Jiujiu's sewing skills were superior...

Grandpa, who never felt like he was raising a granddaughter: Seemed to find the joy of raising a daughter in his great-grandson (￣▽￣)

Cough! Again, not the point. The main thing was that Hei Dan's braids were always meticulously arranged. Without Jiujiu's phone, he would occasionally reach out with his little paws to touch his head, or use Grandpa as a mirror to adjust his braid. If it became crooked, he'd ask Grandpa to re-tie it.

Such a meticulous Hei Dan had now returned with disheveled hair.

orz

Well, Ji Huan didn't want to use the term "disheveled," but Hei Dan's current appearance...

Ji Huan calmly patted Hei Dan's head and turned to face his grandfather and Naji. "What happened today?"

Hei Dan was intelligent, but not articulate. He still couldn't form sentences, so his grandfather had to recount the events.

"Today, we encountered bandits!" As expected, something serious had occurred, as confirmed by his grandfather's words.

"What happened?" With Grandfather, Naji, and Hei Dan present, Ji Huan had already checked Hei Dan over and found him unharmed. Knowing that his companion was safe, Ji Huan wasn't overly worried.

Grandfather then began to recount the day's events at a leisurely pace—

It turned out that their business had been thriving these past few days. After all, they had a food cart, which gave them an advantage over others with mere stalls. Moreover, their cart offered a wide variety of items. Initially, vegetables and pumpkins had been slow to sell, but once those monsters who had purchased them returned for more (having not only survived but also thrived), other creatures realized that pumpkins must be beneficial. With exclusive goods like these and the well-fed magic beasts that Naji hunted daily, their egg sales, though not daily, still ensured a steady income for both Naji and Grandfather.

Hei Dan diligently helped collect money for his grandfather and Naji each day, counting it in the hidden compartment. After counting, he would peek out from the slot, with Grandfather having installed a ventilated fence inside, resembling a cage, but one made for protection. Jiuji had lined the compartment with thick padding, with more on the walls, and even a frog companion. There was also a book, making the space a luxurious office for Hei Dan!

Grandfather said: Sitting in an office meant having a good job, and Hei Dan had entered an office just like Jiuji!

Hei Dan let out a delighted laugh.

The children of the poor mature early.

The young monster from the poor monster family was already capable of helping with chores.

For human infants of the same age, focusing on one task was an insurmountable challenge. However, for Hei Dan, it was a breeze.

Especially when he noticed Grandpa and Naji frequently miscalculating the shimmering stones, he would sigh and then "resignedly" recount them. At these moments, Grandpa would chuckle at Naji and say, "I've never been good at arithmetic, but Little Hua and Little Hei can count so quickly! Little Hua started helping me with the accounts since she was five! And great-grandson Hei Dan started even earlier~"

He took great pride in this.

Naji expressed his envy, "I, I want a… a Hei Dan-like… great-grandchild too…."

Grandpa replied, "Well, then you need to find a grandson first."

The human readers from the Imagination Zone: =-=

Hei Dan kept the accounts flawlessly, allowing Grandpa and Naji to simply reach into the secret compartment for change. Now, even if a customer requested an odd amount that wasn't a multiple of ten, all they had to do was loudly repeat the sum outside. Hei Dan would swiftly count out the correct number of shimmering stones with his tiny paws and raise them up.

However, Naji and Grandpa didn't confine Hei Dan to the secret compartment all the time. They would occasionally take him out for a stroll, buying him small trinkets. Each time, Hei Dan, worried about the family business, would voluntarily return to the compartment after a brief absence.

What an earnest cashier!

In the concealed compartment sat the cashier, Hei Dan, a secret known only to Naji and Grandfather. To the other creatures outside, they were unaware that a small creature hid within, as every time Naji and Grandfather received money, they would deposit it into that hidden space. Over time, observant creatures began to realize where their earnings were kept.

And then came today, when a monster finally dared to attempt a robbery.

While Naji was in the restroom, only Grandfather remained at the stall. He discreetly lifted the compartment slightly, allowing Hei Dan inside to glimpse Grandfather's face. Occasionally, Hei Dan would turn and smile at the hidden space while Grandfather energetically tended to customers.

The stall was bustling with patrons, overwhelming Grandfather. Suddenly, a muscular monster, cloaked in black, pushed through the crowd, forcefully making his way to the stall.

At first, the Horned Monster didn't give it much thought; he was accustomed to the hierarchy of strength here and frequent line-cutting. Just as he was about to ask the usual question of what the customer wanted, the monster reached into the hidden compartment.

It all happened in a blink of an eye. The creature grabbed something from within and vanished.

"Black Egg!!!” Grandfather screamed Hei Dan's name, abandoning the stall to chase after the thief.

But the culprit was swift, and the surrounding monsters numerous. By the time Naji caught up, all he saw was the Horned Monster, tail wagging wildly, running around like a headless chicken.

It was Naji who broke through the crowd with his fists, guiding them towards the direction pointed out by the other creatures. Along this trail, they eventually found Black Egg discarded on the side of the road.

The attacker must have grabbed the hidden compartment along with all the bags around Hei Dan while fleeing, and upon inspecting his loot, discovered the little monster Hei Dan. Deeming him worthless, he casually discarded him by the roadside.

The large backpack that Ji Huan had sewn for Hei Dan, containing the frog doll, was taken away by the perpetrator.

"Ribbit! Ribbit!" Pointing in a direction, Hei Dan called out his frog doll's name in a crisp voice.

"Hei Dan!!!” Flipping the little monster over and examining him thoroughly from head to toe, even checking his tiny private parts, the old monster finally hugged his great-grandson tightly, reassured that he was unharmed.

While the two monsters were in an embrace, Naji went to investigate the spot indicated by Hei Dan. However, he found no trace of the other monster. It seemed that Hei Dan's frog doll had been taken away.

"Ribb... it... gone." Naji fretfully scratched his tousled hair.

In the end, it was Hei Dan who reached out his little paw to stroke Naji's hair, soothing him.

"Shiny!" After calming Naji down, Hei Dan patted his own small chest.

Only then did everyone notice that Hei Dan's tiny shoulders were loaded with money pouches, each securely tied with not a single bone coin in sight. Hei Dan's meticulousness resembled his uncle!

These were their earnings for the day, which Hei Dan had taken the responsibility to carry on his body. The unfortunate robber had carelessly thrown away the money pouches, taking the beloved frog doll, Ribbit, instead.

Well... one could only wonder what was going through his mind.

By the time Naji's group returned to the stall, all the goods were indeed gone. However, the stall itself remained, minus the hidden compartment's bedding but with Hei Dan's book still intact.

In any case, as long as Hei Dan wasn't lost or injured, they couldn't consider themselves at a loss.

As for Hei Dan's pitiful appearance now...

"Hei Dan wouldn't let me fix him up, probably wanting you to see the harm he's suffered so you can comfort him." Rubbing his head, the ram-horned monster glanced at Hei Dan, who was still sobbing. He hadn't cried in the afternoon, but started once he saw Little Hua – this...

One had to admit that Ajin had a keen understanding of his child's psyche.

Ji Huan "deeply" consoled Hei Dan, washing his face, redoing his braids, and taking new pictures to print and hang beside Ajin's portrait. Only then was Hei Dan satisfied.

After calming Hei Dan down, Ji Huan joined Ajin and the others to repair the stall. Although it hadn't been taken away, the monsters had been rough when looting, causing some damage. To avoid disrupting their business tomorrow, Ji Huan needed to fix the stall, reinforcing Hei Dan's "luxurious office" – the hidden compartment – and replacing the bedding inside.

After a busy night, Ji Huan fell asleep almost instantly upon hitting the pillow.

Just a few minutes after Ji Huan dozed off, Hei Dan, who had already been asleep, suddenly woke up.

In the darkness, the little monster opened its eyes, twin rings of eerie white luminescence shining within.

"Kwak." It whispered a soft cry, then sat up.