Chapter 383

Walking out from the back room of the "Guiyuzi" grocery store was a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties with graying hair and beard.

His figure was thin but not frail; instead, he gave people the impression of someone who had shed excess fat after years of wrestling with wind and waves. His skin was rough and dull, and his cheeks were full of wrinkles, especially visible at the corners of his eyes and mouth—a manifestation of the smiling face he had to present to others as a small merchant all year round.

He was dressed neatly and cleanly, wearing a dark blue woolen close-fitting jacket over a linen shirt. The gray-white stubble on his chin and upper lip was trimmed neatly, and his medium-long hair, mixed with silver, was combed back and fixed on top of his head with cheap, lightly scented hair oil, revealing a clear and sharp hairline.

Keen perception took effect silently.

Xia Nan's gaze swept over the man without a trace, organizing all the information he observed in his mind to form his first impression of this middle-aged man:

—A small merchant who was not wealthy but pursued decency, and was not very successful.

But it was only "not very successful"; it was far from the level of being down-and-out.

At least through the appearance and spirit the man displayed before him, he could judge that his economic situation was passable; at least there were no problems with having enough to eat and wear.

"Welcome, two guests!"

"I am Padi, the owner of the 'Guiyuzi' grocery store. Is there anything you need help with?"

The middle-aged man squeezed out an extremely standard business smile that had already formed muscle memory, took two steps forward to behind the counter, and greeted the two.

At the same time, those slightly blue eyes also carefully and meticulously observed these two new guests in a way that was as non-offensive as possible.

Being able to operate for many years in a place with extremely fierce competition like Shoal Bay, even if the business never had the chance to grow big, maintaining a living until now already proved Padi's ability.

Perhaps not outstanding, but at least above the average level.

And as a veteran merchant, the ability to read people and observe their expressions was of paramount importance.

Of the two guests, the black-haired youth who was slightly in front was clearly the leader.

He looked to be less than twenty years old, very young, yet his stature was very tall, close to one meter nine.

His temperament was cold and steady, far from the kind of flighty impetuousness that a youth of his age should have.

The equipment he was wearing...

Padi's expression suddenly paused.

Having been in the industry for many years, his experience could not be called anything but rich.

Almost at the very first glance, he saw the extraordinary nature of Xia Nan's equipment.

The two sheathed straight swords behind his back, with only the hilts visible, were difficult to distinguish in full.

But the silver-gray iron armor the youth wore on his upper body, and the exquisite leg armor that emitted a moist luster under the store's lights, he could see clearly.

Even without touching and observing at close range to judge the specific material used for forging, just by the exquisite workmanship of the equipment itself and the unique sense of toughness characteristic of metal finished products made from high-quality materials—

Padi could almost make a judgment.

Even if these two pieces were not enchanted equipment, they were definitely high-quality goods with excellent appearance and quality among conventional equipment!

Combined with the condensed aura emitted by the black-haired youth himself...

Without a doubt.

This was a veteran adventurer with outstanding strength who had even already obtained a professional level!

Thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant, and the smile on Padi's face couldn't help but become more natural, as if it came from the heart.

His gaze continued to move backward, falling on the clearly younger and greener youth behind the black-haired youth.

Compared to the youth in front who was suspected to be a professional, this young lad with a tender face was very much in line with Padi's stereotype of a child of that age.

Slouching slightly while walking, head lowered, gaze unconsciously downward, nervous and unconfident.

His dress and appearance also appeared exceptionally simple; the linen clothes on his body had no sense of design, and places that were often worn out, such as elbows and cuffs, were patched.

He should be an ordinary person from the countryside...

"Hmm?"

Padi looked at the simple youth before him, as if he had suddenly realized something.

He no longer concealed his gaze, but stared straight at the increasingly familiar face, seemingly comparing it with a certain figure in his memory.

Gradually overlapping.

"Are you... Kelin?"

With some probing, Padi rested his hands on the counter, leaned forward subconsciously, and asked cautiously.

Finally seeing a relative he hadn't met for many years, and hearing his own name called by someone else in a foreign land, Kelin appeared very excited.

He jerked his head up to look at the middle-aged man behind the counter.

"It's me! Uncle Padi, it's me!"

"Father, Mother, and Big Brother asked me to send you their regards!"

His tone fluctuated due to the emotions in his heart. Kelin took out the letter written by the village chief, who was entrusted by his family, from his backpack, took two steps forward, and handed the envelope to the other party.

Having not seen relatives from his hometown for a long time, Padi could no longer maintain his original business smile; the expression on his face turned into a kind of indescribable moving emotion.

His eyes sized up the youth before him who was almost as tall as himself, constantly comparing him with the much younger child in his memory.

Reaching out to take the envelope, while carefully opening it, he asked in a gentle tone:

"How is everything in the village lately? Has anything happened?"

"Uncle Jack encountered a crazed wild boar while picking firewood outside and had a leg gored; the village chief's youngest son caught a fever two months ago and hasn't recovered, he might not make it through this winter; and Aunt Lina, she said..."

Facing the questions of his relative, Kelin appeared exceptionally honest. Regardless of whether the subjects were close to their family or not, and regardless of whether they were big or small matters, as long as he had a slight impression, he poured it all out like beans from a pod.

To this, Padi did not show any impatience.

He just lowered his head to read the letter sent by Kelin's family, and only after the youth had finished telling everything he had in his belly did he speak again:

"How about our family? Have your parents and brother encountered any trouble lately?"

After receiving Kelin's negative answer, he breathed a sigh of relief.

The family members were all illiterate and had never received systematic education.

In this family letter, dictated by them and written by the village chief, there could naturally be no beautiful or flowery language. However, it used extremely simple yet genuine language to introduce the recent situation at home, and pointed out the helplessness regarding Kelin's persistence in going out to work hard, as well as an apology for potentially needing to trouble Padi.

Of course, the goblin tribe around the village that had already been completely wiped out, as well as the commission and promise with Xia Nan, were all mentioned in the letter.

Just standing behind the counter like that, he carefully read this letter from top to bottom twice in its entirety.