Who knows if it's the mischievous night wind or a lingering soul's unfinished business...
...
Come the fifth watch, Xu Qing remained spirited, holding a finely sharpened kitchen knife, scraping the tiny hairs off his cheek in front of a copper mirror.
These were corpse hairs, and if not properly managed, no matter how well he masked his presence, someone would notice the anomaly.
After cleaning the hairs, he took several jars from the miscellaneous shelf used for preparing burial makeup, testing each one as if he were a maiden applying makeup in front of a mirror.
By the time the dawn light broke, a thin-faced 'debilitated young master' appeared in the copper mirror.
Xu Qing scrutinized himself and found that, aside from a sickly pallor, there were no other abnormalities.
Outside the window, morning birds chirped, and street vendors' calls grew increasingly frequent.
A new day had already dawned in Linhe District.
Xu Qing, clad in a thick, blue long robe, peeked through the crack in the door to observe the occasional passersby on the street before opening the shop door.
After watching for about half a tea's worth of time, he straightened up, patted the non-existent dust off his sleeves, and adjusted his collar.
Finally, he pinched his throat, coughed lightly a few times, testing his voice.
Once satisfied, Xu Qing removed a door plank and, for the first time, stepped out of the shop openly.
It was still early, and the pedestrians on the street were sparse. The neighboring shroud shop's door was not yet open, but across the way, the gray stone shop had already opened early, with workers loading and unloading lime bags onto a donkey cart.
Xu Qing had already rehearsed his story, ready to handle any inquiries about his background smoothly.
But, alas, things rarely go as planned.
He lingered at the entrance for quite some time without encountering a single person, let alone anyone greeting him.
Though things didn't go as expected, he felt at ease.
No one to bother him, so be it!
With these thoughts, Xu Qing's tension eased.
Walking along the flagstone-paved street, watching the endless flow of vendors and pedestrians, this feeling of returning to human civilization gave him immense pleasure.
Passing through Underground Street to the busier Vegetable Market, he watched the old men, old women, and young wives squatting to pick out vegetables early in the morning. Savoring the rich essence of everyday life, Xu Qing inhaled deeply.
Linhe District, adjacent to Baisha River Path, was a crucial water and land hub outside Jinmen Prefecture City, with flourishing trade and transportation.
So, even though Linhe District was just a market district, it was not necessarily inferior to Jinmen Prefecture City!
Passing by an egg vendor's stall, Xu Qing suddenly felt hungry. He took out a few copper coins, bought some raw eggs, cracked them slightly, and suckled on them while continuing to wander.
A butcher was handling pig offal on a washed flagstone, with a whole basin of pig's blood still steaming nearby!
"Hiss—" Xu Qing took a sharp breath, and the egg in his hand instantly lost its appeal!
"Young man, what are you looking for? Everything here is freshly slaughtered and very fresh!"
The butcher picked up an oily rag, wiped his hands, and looked at the pale-faced young man lingering at the stall.
"How much for the pork?"
"Lean pork is eighteen coins per pound, pork belly is twenty-two coins per pound."
In these times, people were all short of fat, so pork belly was pricier than lean pork. If someone came for pork belly and you cut too much lean meat, you'd get scolded!
"What about the hock?"
"The hock was ordered by the shopkeeper of Chunfeng Building. It will be sent over later. If you want, you can come back tomorrow."
"Alright! Then give me a few pounds of pig's blood. I've heard that steamed pig's blood is quite tasty..."
The butcher didn't think much, quickly pulling out an oiled cloth and packaging four to five pounds of pre-salted pig's blood.
"This is all miscellaneous, no need to weigh it. I'll charge you eight coins!"
Xu Qing handed over eight copper coins and exited the Vegetable Market with the pig's blood.
He used not to eat steamed or fried pig's blood, but today he just craved it.
As for raw blood, he largely avoided it, even though the temptation was great. His residual humanity still desired to maintain some semblance of normalcy.
Passing by a rouge shop, Xu Qing bought many skincare products, which were now essential strategic items for him.
Even as a zombie, proper daily skin care was necessary to blend seamlessly among the living.
Any excess skincare products could be placed on the shelf, to be used for cosmetic preparation for the dead when needed in the shop.
After wandering around and buying a lot of things, Xu Qing's hands were full by the time he decided to head back.
"Tsk, if I continue to splurge like this, I'll soon spend all of Liu Youdao's savings!"
After all, the old man had invested most of it in real estate and shop property, leaving little cash behind!
Returning to Underground Street, Xu Qing headed towards the Funeral Shop. Halfway there, he saw someone standing by the shop door in the distance, hunched over and stomping to keep warm.
"Could this person want to enter my shop?"
With this question in mind, Xu Qing approached.
"Hey, who are you? Where's Master Liu?"
Seeing Xu Qing take out the key to open the door, the stomping person immediately started questioning.
Xu Qing smiled. He had rehearsed all night for this moment!
He raised his dejected face and, with a hoarse and low voice, said, "Are you looking for my master?"
"You're his apprentice?"
Xu Qing nodded.
"Great, go get your master. It's the day to fulfill the task promised to the Liu Mansion a few days ago. It mustn't be delayed!"