Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Tang Qiu waited until late at night. She couldn't stay at the barbecue stall for too long, as that would attract unnecessary attention.

Tang Qiu timed her stay to about an hour, then paid in cash and changed locations.

She moved to the corner of an alley not far from the barbecue stall, where there was a very large dumpster. It was not only in a blind spot of the surveillance cameras, but also had a clear view of the main entrance of Huifang Mahjong Hall. Now that it was dark and not many lights were on, it was very convenient for Tang Qiu to lie in wait covertly.

Tang Qiu left the barbecue stall and walked forward slowly, observing the few remaining stall owners who hadn't packed up yet. After confirming that everyone was busy and not paying attention to her, she quickly slipped into the alley and concealed herself behind the dumpster.

Apart from the bad smell, the spot Tang Qiu had chosen had no other drawbacks.

As for the odor, for Tang Qiu, who had survived for thirteen years in the apocalypse, it was something she had long since grown accustomed to.

She put on her gloves slowly and methodically, just like every other time, patiently and cautiously waiting for her target to appear.

Tang Qiu waited for a long time until the remaining stall owners gradually packed up and left, leaving only the barbecue stall owner still making his final preparations to close.

Tang Qiu didn't know the exact time. She couldn't take out her phone in airplane mode, and without light, she couldn't read her mechanical watch. She could only judge by the decreasing number of passersby that even if it wasn't quite 1 a.m., it was close.

Sure enough, after a few more minutes, the target she had been waiting for finally appeared, looking a bit tired with a large backpack.

Just as she pushed open the door and stepped out, before the door was fully closed, another figure hurriedly followed her out.

It was a middle-aged woman wrapped in a blanket. She grabbed the target and stuffed something into her hand, admonishing, "This money is only for your meals tomorrow. If I find out you're skipping meals again to buy useless stuff, you'll get a beating when you come back tonight."

The target complained loudly, "Mom, that's not useless stuff! Those are my idol's merch! That's what keeps me motivated to study! I don't care, give me another ten bucks, or I'll have to study on an empty stomach tomorrow."

The middle-aged woman laughed in exasperation and poked the target's forehead. "You're exactly like your father. The more I tell you not to do something, the more you do it."

The target continued to shout, "Aren't you the same? Dad and I both told you not to lend money to Uncle, but you insisted. Now look, you can't get the money back, right? The hotpot restaurant went bankrupt after just one year, and cousin's wedding savings went down the drain too. If it were anyone else, they'd run a mile away, but you? You go ahead and lend him more money for his wedding? If you ask me, for a lazy, face-obsessed loser like Uncle, the best thing is for him to do nothing at all. The more he stirs things up, the poorer everyone gets."

The target rambled on, and the middle-aged woman got annoyed instead. She hurriedly pulled something out of her pocket and shoved it into the target's hand. "Alright, alright, save your breath. You're just like your father, nagging gives me a headache. Your uncle may be unreliable, but don't worry about your cousin. He wrote me an IOU for the money I lent him, with a monthly repayment schedule. He also wrote one for the money your uncle borrowed, saying he'll make sure our family doesn't suffer."

The target finally calmed down. After a few seconds, she said, "Well, that's more like it. So cousin is actually pretty decent. It's just a pity he has such a father. And aunt is a good person too. Even though she lives far away, she still comes over to cook for me sometimes. Aunt is so beautiful and cooks so well. I wonder how she ended up blind enough to marry my uncle. She's been wasted her whole life."

The middle-aged woman sighed. "What else could it be? Your uncle tricked her. He's gotten more and more unreliable over the years, but he was a pretty good guy when he was young. I don't know what happened. The older he gets, the more childish he becomes."

The target sighed a few times too, then turned and said, "Alright, I'm leaving, Mom. You and Dad should come back early too. Staying up until three or four every night, do you even value your lives?"

The middle-aged woman snorted and then warned, "Hurry up on the way. Don't wear those damn earphones again. It's not safe. Call me and your dad when you get home. And go to bed early tonight. Don't stay up. Even though tomorrow's the weekend, didn't you say a classmate invited you to the library? Buy yourself a book or something, don't always buy that 'wheat' or 'grain' stuff."

The target didn't reply. She just quickened her pace as if trying to shake off her mother's nagging. Only when the woman had returned to the mahjong hall did she greet the barbecue stall owner who was still tidying up chairs by the roadside. "Uncle Yu, you're closing up so late."

Tang Qiu couldn't see the owner, but she clearly heard a somewhat hoarse voice respond, "Yeah, it's been busy. Before I knew it, it's this late. You're heading home now too?"

The target hummed in agreement. "Tomorrow's Saturday, so I can sleep in. I stayed with my parents a bit longer."

The owner said, "It's a bit late, aren't you scared? In the dead of night?"

The target clicked her tongue. "What's there to be scared of? I've been doing this for years. Besides, there are still a few convenience stores open along the way. If something happens, I'll just shout and someone will come out to help. Don't worry, Uncle Yu."

The owner chuckled. "True. You've grown up around here. Anyone who's been running a shop for a long time knows you. Besides, your home isn't far, just over a kilometer. Walk quickly and you'll be there in ten minutes. Alright, you go on ahead. I need to finish up. Your aunt is waiting for me at home."

"Then hurry it up, Uncle Yu. I'm off." The target adjusted her backpack straps and walked out briskly from the intersection not far from Tang Qiu.

Tang Qiu waited for a minute, confirmed no one was around, then lowered her hat brim and walked out steadily.

Because there were so few pedestrians late at night, Tang Qiu didn't follow too closely. She used the clutter of miscellaneous items around her as cover, always keeping a moderate distance behind the target.

At first, Tang Qiu was a bit worried that her footsteps might alert the target. But when the target carelessly pulled a pair of over-ear headphones out of her backpack, Tang Qiu felt completely at ease and continued following.

Along the way, Tang Qiu could clearly tell that the target was very familiar with the area. Even though most of the streetlights were broken, and she was wearing headphones, humming a tune and swaying as she walked, she could precisely avoid every pothole in the uneven road. She even had the leisure to kick a small pebble along the way, making a clattering sound in the silent night.

When they passed a convenience store that was still open, the owner heard the noise and came out to greet her. "Yingying, you're walking home alone again? Didn't your mom or dad come to see you off?"

The target couldn't hear, but she saw the person, so she obediently took off her headphones and said, "Aunt Liu, you're working the night shift again? Uncle Song isn't with you? He didn't get drunk again, did he?"

Neither of them answered the other's question; they just asked their own. They chatted for a few minutes, then said their goodbyes and went about their business.

Because the target's home was close to the mahjong hall, the tailing didn't last long. Tang Qiu saw the side entrance of a residential community from across the street.

Just as Tang Qiu was speculating that the life-threatening crisis the target might face could happen in the residential community or even at home, another person came out of a store and stopped the target to talk.

It was another middle-aged man with a big head and a thick neck. The only difference from the barbecue stall owner was that his belly was even bigger, as if he had a ball stuffed under his clothes, making his legs look exceptionally thin.

He greeted the target, "Yingying, you're heading home?"

But unlike others, Tang Qiu saw the target pause for only a moment before pretending not to see him and continuing forward. She seemed to really dislike that middle-aged man. He followed her a few steps and stretched out his arm to block her way, forcing her to stop to avoid him.

The man said in a low, angry voice, "Hey, kid, what's wrong with you? I'm talking to you, and you just ignore me and walk off. The older you get, the more rude you become. I'll have to talk to your mom about how she's raising you. She doesn't even greet her own uncle!"

The target looked impatient as she took off her headphones and said sarcastically, "Sorry, Uncle, but I'm nearsighted. Without my glasses, I can't tell humans from animals beyond a meter. And with my headphones on, I couldn't hear you anyway."

The man got even angrier. He instinctively raised his hand as if to slap her, but he stopped himself and said through gritted teeth, "It's all your mother's fault. At such a young age and already talking back to your elders. Forget it, I won't bother teaching you a lesson for her. Come into the shop with me. Your cousin left something for your mom. Said it's some local specialty. He gave it to me to pass along. He's busy and doesn't want to make a trip. I don't want to either. You can take it to her."

The target didn't suspect anything, but she couldn't help being sarcastic again. "Something my cousin gave you actually has leftovers for my mom? It must be something really nasty, or maybe expired? You should keep it, Uncle. My mom doesn't need it. You're the one who needs to eat more."

The man was furious but held back. He just said in a low voice, "Enough. No more nonsense. Such a temper for someone so young. I really didn't want to give it to your mom, but your cousin said if I don't follow his orders, he won't let me attend his wedding. What kind of world is this? A son bossing around his own father."

The man muttered to himself and went into the shop first.

The target laughed out loud. Without much hesitation, she followed him into the store.

Tang Qiu observed from a corner for a long time. She didn't sense any danger, so she continued to hide patiently.

But to her surprise, after less than a minute, the middle-aged man came back out. First, he stuck his head out of the shop door to check left and right, as if to confirm something. Then he pulled his head back and yanked the rolling door down, cutting off the bright light from inside the shop.

Tang Qiu's brow furrowed. She sensed something was wrong.