Love On The Turquoise Land[ 枭起青壤_尾鱼 ]

Chapter 30

As Nie Jiuluo left the braised meat restaurant, she deliberately glanced up at the signboard.

Little Soldier of Braised Dishes.

The name was quite appealing, it suited her taste. Little Soldier exuded a simple and diligent flavor, much more approachable than names like King of Braised Delicacies or Supreme Master of Braised Dishes.

She didn't hurry to hail a taxi; after all, the cold air hadn't descended yet, and the temperature was suitable for walking. She also needed some time to walk, to step out of the story about Di Xiao and back into her ordinary yet vibrant life.

Now, her only concern was Gouya.

Whether it would take three months or half a year, Gouya would definitely wake up. Once he did, she wouldn't be able to remain in her safety anymore.

But then again, there was Yan Tuo in the middle of it all. If Gouya spoke the truth, it would mean directly accusing Yan Tuo of lying, and Yan Tuo would surely do something about it.

She didn't know why, but Yan Tuo's final appearance and his last question made her feel a bit sorry for him. Behind his facade, there might be another story.

But her heart quickly hardened again. What pity? Whether there were hidden motives behind his actions or not, a henchghost was still a henchghost. If someone stole something, they were a thief. The police were only responsible for catching them. Whether the thief deserved sympathy or had a tragic backstory was the concern of judges and journalists.

She hailed a taxi.

***

Back at home, Aunt Lu had just gone to bed. She heard some noise and put on her clothes to come out, asking if Nie Jiuluo wanted something to eat.

Nie Jiuluo waved her hand, signaling Aunt Lu to go back to sleep. Then she walked straight through the courtyard, pushed open the door, and after a few steps, she felt that her high heels were really tiring, so she kicked them off and went upstairs barefoot.

The studio was spacious, although there were many things inside. Sometimes, in the dead of night, when she looked around, there would still be a sense of emptiness.

Now was no exception; she felt truly empty.

Nie Jiuluo sat down at the workbench, took out a piece of pale gold-colored paper, and wrote down today's events.

1. Met with Yan Tuo, settled things.
2. Little Soldier of Braised Dishes is quite delicious, might go there again.
3. ...

There was no third item; she couldn't think of one.

She tossed the pen aside, folded the paper into a star, and walked over to an old-fashioned double-door cabinet against the wall.

On the doors of the cabinet were carved images of Shen Tu and Yu Lei, the oldest door gods in China, both with slightly open mouths, forming hollows.

Nie Jiuluo placed the paper star into Yu Lei's mouth, paused for a moment, then bent down and opened the cabinet doors.

Inside were two large glass jars, custom-made, split into left and right sections. The label on the left one read "20022012," and the right one read "2013." The left one was almost full, while the right one was only half full. The stars in the left jar were dimmer, and the paper was older and more worn, while those in the right jar were much brighter.

Nie Jiuluo took a deep breath, reached into the left jar, and stirred around like drawing a lottery. She pulled out two small stars.

Unwrapping the stars should have a sense of ceremony. She turned off the main light, switched on the floor lamp, then sat on the sofa under the lamp, carefully opening one of the stars.