Chapter 49: The Old Lady with a Sharp Tongue and a Soft Heart

Du Yun, who had just flashed back to Blue Water Star, had no idea of the dangers that had unfolded after her departure. At this moment, she was standing in the very alley where she had fought before, watching the two small-time thugs stumble and stagger, wailing and desperate to flee, but their legs had gone weak and they collapsed on the ground.

“Hey, if you can’t win, then so be it. What’s with all the crying?” Du Yun looked at the two ruffians, noting how all their previous arrogance had vanished. Now, they looked more like frightened, defenseless women than swaggering bullies.

“Oh heavens, save us! Immortal, spare us!” The two thugs, seeing Du Yun strolling leisurely towards them from behind, realized they were too weak to run and gave up all hope of escape. They turned and began kowtowing to her, muttering desperate pleas.

“What immortal? I’m not some weasel spirit!” Du Yun snapped, irritated. Even though her current circumstances were difficult to describe, she was certain it was all thanks to modern technology.

“Not an immortal, not an immortal! Merciful goddess, spare us!” The two ruffians continued to bow and tremble, their thin bodies shaking pitifully on the ground.

“That’s enough. Get lost. If I catch you doing evil again, I won’t let you off so easily!” Du Yun was eager to go home and had no patience for the pair, nor did she bother to correct their delusions.

“Thank you, goddess! Thank you!” The two ruffians scrambled away, tumbling over themselves as they fled.

Left alone in the alley, Du Yun glanced around to make sure no one else was there. Relieved, she noted that the afternoon was already well underway and hurried home without delay.

With a deft movement, she produced a bolt of indigo cotton cloth from her storage, measuring out enough for a little more than three sets of clothes. She tore the fabric and stuffed the remainder back into the storage compartment.

Thankfully, the storage space was large enough to hold everything from the warehouse. Perishables like meat stayed just as fresh coming out as when they went in; otherwise, after a few days, the pork would have spoiled long ago.

Carrying pork and cotton cloth in her hands, and the money she’d earned from selling pastries tucked in her pocket, Du Yun quickened her pace toward home. The road from town to the village was not short, but after enduring the rigors of a world overrun by zombies, this distance was nothing to her. She made it to the edge of the village before nightfall.

From a distance, she noticed a slightly stooped figure standing at the village entrance. The silhouette struck her as familiar. Squinting, she realized it was her grandmother. Picking up her pace, Du Yun’s heart warmed.

“Is that Grandma? Did she come all this way just to meet me? Was she worried because it was my first time going to town to sell things?” A rush of warmth flooded Du Yun’s heart. She had rarely enjoyed the feeling of having family worry about her while she was away and waiting for her return at home. Now, suddenly experiencing it, her nose tingled with emotion.

She hurried forward, but to her surprise, as she neared the village entrance, her grandmother abruptly turned around and headed back at such speed that Du Yun, even as she jogged, found herself left behind, only able to chase after the receding figure.

“Grandma! Grandma!” Du Yun called out, breathless. Despite her grandmother’s age, she walked with such vigor that Du Yun, a young girl, could barely keep up.

“What’s the fuss? Trying to summon spirits? If you’re back, then hurry home for dinner! You’ve been gone half the day!” her grandmother replied gruffly, not bothering to turn her head.

“Grandma, I earned some money and bought some pork. Look!” Du Yun, eager for approval, ran ahead and blocked her grandmother’s path, holding up the pork like a treasure.

“I see it, you little rascal. Earn a bit of money and you can’t wait to spend it. Don’t you know how to save?” Her grandmother’s eyes were filled with both pride and worry as she glanced at the large cut of pork, scolding her with a mixture of affection and frustration.

Du Yun had been expecting praise and was momentarily stunned by this reaction. Still, her resilience, honed in the world of the undead, allowed her to recover quickly. “There’s plenty of money left,” she added.

“That’s more like it. What are you standing around for? Hurry home!” her grandmother called, walking briskly ahead. Seeing there was still some distance to go and noticing the sweat on Du Yun’s brow, she turned back, took the large piece of pork from Du Yun, and carried it herself, picking up the pace even more.

“Yun, don’t mind your grandmother. She’s all bark and no bite,” came a voice from behind. Du Yun turned to see her grandfather.

Her great-grandfather had left behind a mountain of debt, and with his own reserved nature, Du Yun’s grandfather always seemed diminished in his wife’s presence. He spoke little, preferring to spend his days in the fields, only coming home for meals, and when indoors, he mostly busied himself with his pipe, rarely speaking to the children.

For Du Yun, these moments when her grandfather addressed her were rare, making her feel oddly cherished.

“I know, Grandpa,” Du Yun replied with a smile, glancing at her grandmother’s fast-retreating figure. “Let’s hurry, or she’ll leave us both behind.”

“Haha, all right!” Her grandfather tapped his blackened pipe and strolled on at a leisurely pace. Seeing this, Du Yun slowed her own steps to match.

“Your grandmother is strong-willed. The burdens of the family have weighed on her for years, and it’s made her temper sharp. Don’t take it to heart,” her grandfather said, walking with his hands behind his back. “She finished work early today just to wait for you at the village entrance.”

Du Yun had sensed as much when she first saw her grandmother, and now the small grievance she’d felt over her grandmother’s sharp words melted away completely.

“Grandpa, let’s hurry home! There’s pork for dinner!” Du Yun grinned, waving the cloth in her hand. “And new clothes too!”

“Good! Good! Good!” Her grandfather was momentarily stunned at the prospect of meat for dinner. Seeing the thick stack of cotton cloth in her hands, he rubbed his pipe again and again, his face breaking into a broad smile, his back straightening with pride.

After half a lifetime weighed down by debt, the family could finally breathe easy at last.