Chapter 1 Going to Work in the City

Chapter 1: Going to Work in the City

Chi Luoxi had bags on his back, in his hands, and even hanging from his arms—all bulging and stuffed.

From Wushan to Jiangzhou, there was no direct bus. He transferred three times on long-distance coaches and squeezed onto two slow green trains, spending a full three days on the road.

During those three days, he was too exhausted to stay fully alert but didn’t dare sleep deeply, afraid of missing his stop or losing his belongings.

In the first half of the journey, there were a few fellow villagers also leaving the mountains to work in different places. Though they were strangers, hearing familiar accents gave him some comfort.

In the second half, he was surrounded by complete strangers. Speaking a clumsy Mandarin thick with a mountain accent, he stumbled through asking for directions the whole way, just barely managing not to take the wrong train or get off at the wrong stop.

Chi Luoxi came down from Wushan.

That mountain was high and steep, perpetually wrapped in mist and clouds. Villages were scattered sparsely along the mountainside, like bird nests that might blow away with the wind at any moment.

Half a year ago, his grandfather passed away.

His grandfather was his only family in the world, having raised him single-handedly. Once his grandfather was gone, he became truly alone in the mountains.

The only high school in the mountains had shut down the year before due to a lack of students and poor conditions. Chi Luoxi had only finished his first year of high school before dropping out.

He wasn’t old, but he had strength. Yet on that patch of barren land in the valley, growing potatoes and corn barely earned enough to scrape by all year.

The uncles and aunts in the village who had watched him grow up gathered to discuss things and finally decided: go to town for work, Xiao Xi.

There were more opportunities in the city. As long as he was willing to work hard, it was better than being stuck in this mountain gully, tending a few thin fields with nothing to look forward to.

Neighbor Aunt Chun had the warmest heart. Her son, Chun Sheng, had gone to work in Jiangzhou a few years ago. Word had it he was on a construction site—tough work, but earning several hundred yuan a day.

Aunt Chun called her son, earnestly imploring him to find a job for Chi Luoxi—preferably one that provided room and board. Even if the pay was low, it didn’t matter; the priority was to get him settled.

On this end of the phone, Chi Luoxi spoke into the receiver with a very serious tone: “Brother Chunsheng, I’m strong. I can do any kind of work. I’m not afraid of hardship.”

He had really thought it through.

Once he earned money, the first thing he would do was return to the mountains to properly repair the old house his grandfather had left him.

Fix the leaky roof, replace the rafters eaten by termites, replaster the peeling walls.

That was where he and his grandfather had lived for over a decade—it was home.

Even if he eventually settled in the city, this root in the mountains must not rot or be lost.

Before he left, Aunt Chun helped him pack his bags.

There wasn’t much to pack—just a few old clothes, two of which were blue-and-white school uniform pants. Chi Luoxi treasured them, folding them neatly.

Aunt Chun also stuffed a bulging woven bag with homemade cured meat, smoked fish, and some mountain dried goods for Chi Luoxi to take to Chun Sheng so they could share.

As she packed, Aunt Chun looked at the tall, thin young man with a still-timid look in his eyes, sighed, and patted his head: “Ah, you poor child. If your grandfather could’ve held on a few more years until you were older, maybe he could’ve found you a way out in the county. You wouldn’t have to go so far alone…”

She stopped herself midsentence and shook her head.

Life and death are fated, wealth and honor depend on heaven—people have little control over such things.

At the mention of his grandfather, Chi Luoxi’s face instantly shadowed with visible sadness and grief.

He lowered his head, looking at his worn gray canvas shoes.

In truth, he knew his grandfather had held on for a long time for his sake.

His grandfather’s health had long been failing, but he kept forcing himself. On the night he passed, Chi Luoxi held his hand and said, “Grandpa, rest easy. I’ll grow up well, live well, and not bring shame to you.”

His grandfather’s cloudy eyes looked at him for a long time, then nodded faintly. The corner of his mouth seemed to twitch upward, but in the end, he just let out his last breath—very, very softly.

And then there was no more movement.

His grandfather died peacefully, but with endless worry.

Chi Luoxi was young, just coming of age by human standards, and the funeral was handled with help from the villagers.

With trumpets and drums, they carried the old man up the mountain and buried him on the slope where he could see his home.

For those days, Chi Luoxi seemed soul-drained—silent, tearless, just kneeling silently before the altar. It wasn’t until the day of the funeral, watching the yellow earth slowly cover the thin coffin, that he seemed to snap back to reality. Tears burst forth like a dam breaking, and he cried heart-wrenchingly until Aunt Chun pulled him away.

“The next stop is Jiangzhou Station. Passengers getting off, please prepare and take all your belongings…”

The announcement in the carriage jolted Chi Luoxi awake. He looked up at the window, catching a vague view of steel-and-glass towers—a world completely different from the green mountains, clear waters, and curling kitchen smoke he had lived with for over a decade.

He began organizing his many bags, preparing to get off. Just then, the phone in his inner pocket rang.

The ringtone was that loud, crackling Moonlight Over the Fortress, instantly piercing the relatively quiet carriage. Several drowsy passengers nearby were startled awake and frowned at him in annoyance.

Chi Luoxi’s face flushed bright red as he fumbled to pull out the phone.

It was an old, worn-out brick phone his grandfather had left—black casing with white worn edges, a tiny screen, but earsplitting volume and long battery life. He’d already been glared at several times on the road for answering calls.

He quickly pressed the answer button, pressed the phone tight against his ear, and lowered his voice, afraid to disturb anyone else.

“Hello?” A strange, accented male voice came through the line, sounding a bit urgent. “Is this Chi Luoxi? Chunsheng asked me to pick you up! I’m at the exit, wearing a blue jacket. Come with me later, okay?”

Chi Luoxi quickly replied, “Okay, okay, big brother. Blue jacket, I remember. I’m about to get off the train.”

Since Brother Chunsheng was busy, he’d asked a friend in Jiangzhou to pick him up. Chi Luoxi felt a little more at ease—at least he wouldn’t be completely lost after getting off.

When the train finally came to a stop and the doors opened, the crowd surged instantly.

Chi Luoxi took a deep breath, as if about to go into battle, and swung the heaviest bag—the one with bedding and clothes—onto his back, fixing it in place with a hemp rope tied across his chest.

In his left hand, he carried a cloth bag of local specialties and odds and ends, and in his right, a plastic bucket. Like a little camel overwhelmed by its load, he staggered along with the crowd, jostled off the train.

His heavily armed and completely out-of-place appearance—so different from the passengers dragging sleek suitcases in fashionable clothes—drew sidelong glances the whole way.

The exit was the most crowded area, shoulder to shoulder, jam-packed. Someone pushed Chi Luoxi from behind, and another hurried passenger knocked his shoulder. He grunted, barely keeping his balance, almost dropping the plastic bucket.

In the chaos of shoving and crowding, he felt a slight scratch against his chest. He didn’t pay much attention, just instinctively reached a hand toward his inner pocket to check if his phone was still there.

Empty.

The phone… was gone.

Chi Luoxi wanted to turn around, push against the flood of people, and squeeze back to look for it. But his heavy, cumbersome luggage made it impossible to turn or stop.

The human tide carried him along, pushing and shoving. Chi Luoxi stumbled uncontrollably through the ticket gate and out into the open—but even more chaotic—train station square.

Like a rootless duckweed washed onto an unfamiliar shore, he stood bewildered, his mind holding only the last scrap of information.

—Blue jacket.

The person picking him up was wearing blue clothes.

Blue clothes.

He You, wearing a fairly well-ironed royal blue polyester jacket, was leaning irritably against a pillar plastered with small ads near the exit, an unlit cigarette dangling from his mouth. He felt today was just his unlucky day.

A few days ago, an intermediary he had some casual acquaintance with had mysteriously contacted him, saying there was a young guy, just arrived from out of town, green, never seen the world, and asked if he was interested.

Their club was pretty well-known in Jiangzhou, high-end and private, serving only the wealthy and powerful, so naturally they had high standards for their staff.

He You thought it sounded promising, vouched for it to the manager, and even put off other business to come pick the guy up himself, to show he took it seriously.

But what happened? He waited at the exit for nearly an hour, called countless times. First the phone was off, then it became a dead number.

He’d been stood up! Made a fool of!

The more He You thought about it, the angrier he got. He felt humiliated, and his temper flared.

Their place wasn't some lowlife joint forcing people into prostitution, but it sure as hell wasn't a shelter for any random stray either.

Playing him like this—did they really think He You was a pushover?

He spat angrily, pulled out his phone, ready to give that unreliable intermediary a thorough cussing-out, and also to ask the manager how to cover the loss from today’s no-show.

But just as he unlocked the screen, curse words still on the tip of his tongue, before he could dial, a figure suddenly appeared right in front of him.

“Brother,” the newcomer said, a bit out of breath, with a heavy rural accent, “I just lost my phone, so I couldn’t call you… Are you the one sent by Brother Chunsheng?”

He You was startled by the sudden close encounter. *Brother, my ass*, he thought, instinctively frowning as he looked up and met the face in front of him.

And then the half-said curse got stuck in his throat, lodged there, making him uncomfortable.

This kid… was really… backwoods.

From head to toe, every inch of him screamed “just crawled out of a mountain village.”

His hair had no style, probably from the cheapest barbershop around, with uneven sideburns.

He wore a faded old T-shirt with a worn collar, a similarly faded jacket over it, and a pair of blue-and-white track pants with two white stripes. The pants were too short, revealing faded gray socks, and his feet were in canvas shoes.

Chi Luoxi carried a bulging snake-sack on his back, clutched a torn cloth bag and a battered plastic bucket. He looked like an extra straight out of a 1980s documentary, totally out of place among the slick, fast-moving city people.

But… his face was really… beautiful.

Young, delicate, tight-skinned, just bursting with life.

His features were gorgeous—big, bright eyes with pure, spotless dark brown eyes, like two clear, bright pools. Now, because of nervousness and bewilderment, they were slightly wide, with long lashes.

A straight nose bridge, lips with a moist light pink hue, a smooth, clear jawline—unadorned, raw, stunningly beautiful.

He You had been around in Jiangzhou for years; he thought he'd seen plenty of beauties, male and female, all styles. But a face like this, combining pure innocence and stunning beauty in such a strange yet harmonious way—he couldn't find many.

He You stared at that face for a few seconds. The wheels in his head started turning after the initial shock.

He looked Chi Luoxi over, softening his tone: “…What do you do?”

Chi Luoxi answered earnestly: “Brother, I’m here for work. Brother Chunsheng—you know, Aunt Chun’s son—didn’t he tell you? He asked me to come to Jiangzhou to find a job.”

He You’s mind turned. Things had taken a turn for the better.

Lost a useless coward, and heaven sent him a prime catch instead?

What luck!

Anyway, the manager’s task today was to pick someone up. As long as the person had the right qualifications, who cared whether it was the originally planned cat or dog?

This kid was way better than the one the intermediary had been going on about.

That face, that figure—even hidden under those shabby clothes, the frame was there, and that innocent, timid look.

“Oh, Chunsheng,” He You instantly put on a look like he just remembered, his voice turning warm and familiar. “Yes, yes, that’s right. He asked me to pick you up. Come with me. Let’s get you settled first.”

Chi Luoxi finally breathed a sigh of relief. A shy smile spread across his face, like he’d finally found his tribe.

But then he remembered his phone, and his smile faded. “Brother, I lost my phone while shoving through the station. Can I try looking for it first? It might still be nearby.”

He You thought it was a pain. “What phone?”

Chi Luoxi pointed at an elderly man passing by with a senior phone, saying it was that kind.

A crappy old senior phone—so what if it's lost? How much was it worth?

He You waved his hand, brushing it off: “Find it? With this many people, who knows who’s already grabbed it? Just get a new one, will ya? Come on, don’t dawdle. Let’s go back first.”

Chi Luoxi figured he was right. The chances of finding it in the crowded station were too slim. But it had phone numbers of folks back home…

Still, being new to the place, he felt shy and didn’t want to be a bother, so he didn’t insist. He just glanced back one more time at the surging crowd—that phone had been his grandpa’s.

In a daze, Chi Luoxi carried his heavy bags and followed this new brother in blue he'd just met away from the train station, into a car parked by the roadside—a sedan that looked neither new nor old, way more advanced than the tractors back in the mountains.

The car traveled through bustling streets. Chi Luoxi pressed his face up against the window, curious but shy, watching the skyscrapers, the flashy storefronts, the endless stream of traffic zooming past.

The honest, straightforward country boy Chi Luoxi, under He You's seemingly casual but actually sly small talk, spilled his whole background without even trying.

No family left, grandpa just died, the mountain high school shut down, he had a high school education, came out to work, wanted to earn money to fix the house… He spoke simply and plainly.

As He You drove, he listened, the calculations in his head getting more detailed and more satisfying.

No background, no connections, no clue about the world—easy to handle.

The car twisted and turned, finally stopping in front of an apartment building that looked a bit old but was still fairly clean.

He You parked, led Chi Luoxi upstairs.

At the door, he pulled out keys and opened it. Chi Luoxi followed and entered, finding the place completely different from what he’d imagined—no construction site shacks or dormitories.

It was a small apartment, with several rooms. He You led him into one: it had a private bathroom, a comfortable-looking bed, a small desk, and a wardrobe.

The decoration was simple but clean—far better than his mountain home.

Even the entrance was an electronic lock with face recognition, so high-tech that Chi Luoxi felt a little lost.

He You saw him standing there dumbfounded, laughed, and patted his shoulder: “Don’t just stand there. Put your stuff down and get settled. You’ll stay here for now. By the way, my surname is He. Tomorrow I’ll have the manager come and sign the contract with you.”

Chi Luoxi snapped back to reality, quickly thanked him, called him Brother He, and began unloading his heavy baggage.

He carefully placed the woven plastic bag in the corner, put the cloth bundle and plastic bucket on the floor, and then reverently took out an object.

It was an ordinary, dusty terracotta flowerpot with some chipped paint.

It wasn't big, just a circle larger than an adult's palm.

Inside the pot, instead of a flower, there was more than half a pot of dark brown soil.

He You had been leaning against the doorframe smoking, watching him unpack. When he saw the flowerpot, he froze for a moment and thought it was pretty ridiculous: "Dude, you've traveled all the way from the mountains, and you brought a flowerpot? With soil in it? Are you planning to farm in the city or what?"

How did that even get through security?

Chi Luoxi set the flowerpot on the windowsill, in the spot with the best light, turned around at that, and explained earnestly: "This isn't ordinary soil. It's the soil from our mountains. When I miss home, I look at it and it feels like I'm still at home."

As he spoke, he gently poked the dry, hard lumps of soil in the pot with his finger.

He You trailed off, speechless.

He looked at Chi Luoxi's extremely earnest, almost reverent expression, and then at the unremarkable pot of soil, and for the first time a somewhat absurd thought crossed his mind?

Could he have been mistaken and brought back some kind of nutcase? The wealthy and powerful clients in the city had demanding tastes, but he'd never heard of any client who was into some dirt-nostalgic fool.

Of course, He You didn't know that Chi Luoxi was actually a white radish spirit.

One day he suddenly took human form and lived a simple, quiet life in the mountains with his grandfather.

Chi Luoxi actually didn't like maintaining human form all the time, especially when sleeping; it felt restrictive and uncomfortable. He preferred to turn into a radish and plant himself in the soil.

His grandfather told him that since he chose to live in the human world, he needed to learn to be human, to get used to human appearance, human routines, and human emotions.

That's why he worked hard at school and tried to live like a human teenager. This time he came out to work, not only to earn money but also because his grandfather, before passing away, told him to see more of the outside world and truly experience life in the human world.

And the soil in that flowerpot was the native soil from the mountain forest where Chi Luoxi's original form grew, which carried a faint spiritual energy.

For a plant spirit like him, when he missed home or felt tired, turning back to his original form and burying himself in the familiar soil that smelled of home was the most comfortable and restoring state.

It was more reassuring and pleasant than any human bed.

But his grandfather had instructed him never to tell this secret to anyone.

Naturally, He You didn't know any of this. He just felt that the boy in front of him, who was strikingly handsome and also downright countrified, behaved in a way that was hard to describe.

But then he thought, whatever, let's get him settled first.

As long as he had that face, He You didn't care if he liked looking at dirt or stars.

Author's Note:

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Story begins! Our little radish spirit Chi Luoxi and the big bad devil, the sharp-tongued He Angxiao.

Little Radish won't get the short end of the stick.

When writing, I felt Little Radish is a bit of a "denpa" type (meaning someone who seems out of sync with normal conversation), haha, commonly known as someone who doesn't quite understand human speech, so let those who bully him get their comeuppance.

Updated daily at 18:00. After going VIP, I'll figure out the exact time, but still daily.