Chapter 69: 68 Lift the Lid!

68 Flip!

"Clang!"

Accompanied by a thunderous crash of an iron dinner tray striking the tabletop, a small half-piece of shaken-loose pudding leapt into the air, nimbly skimmed low over a little mountain of stewed beef, and with a plop landed in the soup bowl beside Hearing Li Ang's hand.???

Hearing Li Ang, who had been eating in high spirits, froze mid-bite and looked up in some surprise, only to find, in the empty seat across from him, a familiar face brimming with fury.

That spendthrift policewoman from this morning?

No… are you sick in the head? With so many empty seats, why sit across from me, your "nemesis"? What are you trying to prove? Are we that close?

"Miss Yisha."

Out of respect for her status as a secret police officer, Hearing Li Ang, who didn't want trouble, set down his fork, politely pointed at an empty seat not far away, and said as courteously as he could:

"I still prefer to eat lunch alone, so if it's not too much trouble, could you go sit over there…"

"No!"

Watching this bastard who had made a fool of her this morning and was now stealing her lunch, the policewoman couldn't help glaring at Hearing Li Ang as she unwound her scarf and laid it on the table, hissing through gritted teeth:

"I'm sitting right here today! If you don't like it, you can leave!"

"Very well, then I'll move somewhere else, and I hope you'll keep your word and stay right here without moving!"

Under the policewoman's somewhat stunned gaze, Hearing Li Ang forced a thin, humorless smile, then unhurriedly picked up his tray and moved to a nearby seat, casually spearing a piece of stewed-tender beef shoulder and stuffing it into his mouth with a look of pure bliss.

How wonderful — although certain people in the Security Bureau are truly annoying, the cafeteria's standards are absolutely top-notch! Especially this homestyle stewed beef. It may not be some luxurious grand dish, but the chef must have put in serious effort.

The beef had clearly been given a quick sear before going into the pot, preserving its tender texture beautifully, and the ratio of the broth had clearly been considered as well — at just the right level, neither so absorbed it overwhelmed the flavor, nor so scant that the taste failed to permeate.

And the moment Hearing Li Ang's teeth pressed down gently, the broth specially blended from white pepper, bay leaf, and clove was squeezed right out of the soft beef fibers. That liquid, laden with rich meaty fragrance and a faint spicy warmth, combined with the beef's tender, yielding texture, conquered his tongue almost instantly.

In late autumn, when fingers would go numb from the cold wind, to be ravenously hungry and have a mouthful of soft, slightly spicy veal slide down your belly — for a busy working stiff, that is truly an immense happiness.

I can't freaking stand it anymore!

She glanced up at Hearing Li Ang's enraptured expression and the delicious broth at the corner of his mouth; then glanced down at her own tray, where the breaded pork cutlet had gone cold from sitting too long. The policewoman, who'd had rotten luck all day, teared up.

I've never seen such an arrogant rebel in my life!

After worming your way into the Security Bureau on luck, not only do you not have the sense to keep a low profile, you brazenly mooch off our Security Bureau cafeteria — and right in front of me, you have the nerve to eat, with that enraptured look on your face, the stewed beef that was specifically saved for me! You are simply…

Ah! Damn you! You even smack your lips!

"Clang!"

The sound of an iron tray striking the table rang out again. After being utterly devastated by Hearing Li Ang's blissful eating face, the policewoman directly betrayed her "I'm sitting right here" promise from moments ago, picked up her tray, sat down across from Hearing Li Ang once more, and glared at him viciously.

That's it! She would definitely use the most evil expression of her life, and say to him in a sinister whisper:

You don't think what you did four days ago went unnoticed, do you?

Anyway, according to the Director, the Bureau can't arrest this bastard, nor do they intend to feed him false information — this lead has been completely scrapped. So she might as well use this intel to scare him!

It would both warn him to rein in his behavior and let him know that us secret police aren't freeloaders either! Best of all, once he realized he'd been exposed, he'd pack up and leave on his own!

……

"You…"

Just as the red-eyed policewoman slammed the table, ready to risk being fired for violating the Secret Investigation Bureau's discipline just to make this damned bastard's life miserable, she saw the bastard across from her glare back first, his face cold as he demanded:

"Why are you wasting food?"

"Huh?"

What do you mean, huh?

Looking at the rice pudding that had been shattered and scattered all over the table, Hearing Li Ang — who for the past three years had spent less than two copper wheels a day on meals, and in truly desperate times had even scavenged bread crusts from the trash with the ragpickers — instantly found his mood souring.

And as he frowned and raised his head, about to say something along the lines of don't waste food, the things you spilled on this table — at least half the people in the capital can't even get a bite to eat — he caught sight of the clothes the policewoman was wearing.

According to the Kingdom Security Bureau's regulations, aside from officers on duty or stationed at their posts, the Bureau did not normally require uniforms. The policewoman's plainclothes were simple in style, but a glance at the fine embroidery at the collar and the fabric that smoothed itself back without a single wrinkle no matter how she moved was enough to tell at a glance that they were worth a fortune.

So… what's the point of saying any of this to her?

After lowering his head again to look at his own old overcoat, checking the elbows worn paper-thin from polishing, and the cotton wadding showing through where the collar lining had been rubbed through, Hearing Li Ang couldn't help but laugh at himself bitterly. He gave up any plan of reasoning with her, cast her an indifferent glance, and lowered his head again.

"Forget it, pretend I didn't say anything."

"……"

Watching Hearing Li Ang lower his head and resume eating, unwilling to spare her another glance, the policewoman, who had been full of fury moments ago, now sat frozen in her seat, at a loss.

Because of long-term malnutrition, Hearing Li Ang's frame had always been on the thin side — he didn't even have much flesh on his cheeks — which made his eyes appear especially large, and especially bright.

Just as the red-haired Director had said, although Hearing Li Ang didn't talk much and his expressions were few, one glance was enough to tell that he was actually a person of rich inner feelings — you could read it all in those eyes that seemed to speak.

And now the policewoman was sharply jolted by the cold, thousand-mile-distant indifference that radiated from those eyes.

Not disgust, not contempt, not anger, not hatred — but a pure, unadulterated coldness, untainted by any other emotion.

Summer insects cannot discuss ice.

Although she could never possibly have heard that saying, the policewoman now read its equivalent meaning with startling clarity from that single glance Hearing Li Ang cast her — the ultimate coldness of someone who, having clearly recognized the vast gulf between them, couldn't even be bothered to communicate.

He was… he was…

Truly at a loss to describe that look, when she finally came back to herself from her bewildered daze, she felt the gazes turning toward her one by one, heard the whispers rising in the cafeteria, and looked at Hearing Li Ang still eating his stewed beef with that utterly indifferent expression — and the policewoman's face flushed bright red in an instant, as if by magic!

"You bastard!"

I'll make you eat!

Accompanied by the ear-piercing scrape of a chair sliding across the floor, the policewoman sprang up from her chair, then gripped one side of her tray with both hands and, with a clatter, dumped the entire contents onto Hearing Li Ang's tray. Under countless startled gazes, she bit her lip, hung her head, and ran out of the cafeteria.???

No… are you sick?!

Having no idea how great a psychological blow that single glance had dealt the proud policewoman, Hearing Li Ang looked at his now-ravaged tray and felt his own temper flare up in an instant.

But although that policewoman's brain wasn't much good, her physical conditioning was beyond reproach. By the time Hearing Li Ang recovered from his stupor, slammed the table, and rose to give chase, she had already taken off on those long legs of hers and vanished without a trace.

"……"

Phew… don't stoop to a fool's level! Don't stoop to a fool's level! Don't stoop to a fool's level!

After glancing at the food still left in his tray, Hearing Li Ang repeated the mantra silently several times in his heart, then sat back down with a dark expression, picked through the things that hadn't yet been mixed together, and ate them up — even picking up a piece of the rice pudding that had spilled onto the table and giving it a try.

I have to say, this dessert — extremely popular among the female officers — really did taste quite good, and clearly a lot of care had gone into making it: eggs, milk, white sugar, raisins, and so on had to be mixed into the rice, then steamed until the sugar melted and the grains softened into a pudding-like consistency before a proper rice pudding could be put together.

Even though it had gone a little cold now, the dish was still as silky-smooth in the mouth as ever, and that heart-perfuming sweetness of its fragrance slid down the esophagus all the way into the heart.

After tasting the fried pork cutlet and the apple pie and finding them equally excellent, Hearing Li Ang — his appetite now satisfied — finally managed to tamp down his anger for the moment and gave a satisfied nod.

Not bad. That female cop may be a few cards short of a deck, but her taste in food is actually decent — next time I could order the same thing myself.

What the happily-eating Hearing Li Ang failed to notice was that on the very table where the two of them had first faced off, there still lay a hand-knitted scarf embroidered with the name "Miss Yisha."

As for the female cop who had just flipped her tray and run off, she had by now returned to the cafeteria entrance and was now staring blankly at Hearing Li Ang picking up the pudding from the table, watching him lift the utensils with eyes full of cherishment and eat every last bit of the mess on the plate, one bite at a time.

……

"Burp…"

Carrying the cat food and pet toys he'd bought at the department store, Hearing Li Ang — hiccupping all the while — sprinted the whole way home and finally made it back before three in the afternoon.

As someone whose appetite wasn't all that large, Hearing Li Ang had first run into the cafeteria auntie's loving great-ladle, then into the brain-dead female cop's double portion, and in the end had only managed to finish that painful-yet-happy meal by sheer force of an extraordinary willpower.

He sat down clutching his aching, swollen belly and panted for a while; glancing up at the time and seeing there was still a bit to go before three-thirty, Hearing Li Ang couldn't help but let out a small breath of relief, then with difficulty hauled himself back up and began setting things up.

According to the information 【Materialism】 had given him, at three-thirty the witch's cat would come knocking; although it didn't look like there'd be any danger, considering it was still related to an Anomaly, Hearing Li Ang had come up with an excuse, coaxed his three younger siblings out early, and cleared the house.

A tin mouse, a scratching post, a salted-fish plush, a cat-teaser wand, a little ball with a bell inside…

After spreading the cat toys he'd bought all over the room and preparing two big bowls — one half-filled with fresh water, the other heaped with cat food — Hearing Li Ang couldn't help but nod in satisfaction; but just as he was about to sit down and rest a moment, he realized he'd forgotten to buy a litter box.

After searching the empty house once through and finding no suitable vessel, Hearing Li Ang had no choice but to take his own washbasin and go outside to fetch some sand in it.

All set!

As long as what's knocking on the door later really is a cat — and not some large feline — it'll surely be satisfied with my hospitality!

As Hearing Li Ang waited full of confidence, time quickly reached three-thirty, and Hearing Li Ang's door was knocked on right on the dot.

"Knock, knock-knock."

"Coming!"

Hearing the knock, Hearing Li Ang took a deep breath, walked over a little nervously and pulled the door open; luckily, what stood outside wasn't some large feline, but a small-bodied, short-pawed, fluffy long-haired dwarf cat.

"Meow~"

Along with a meow that carried a hint of milky tone, as if in greeting, the grey-and-white cat politely nodded at Hearing Li Ang, then reached a paw to scratch at the little bag on its back, fished out a card, and held it out to him.

【Hello, I am Mango, the witch who made the appointment with your Cleanup Bureau's pet】

After staring into Hearing Li Ang's eyes for a moment and confirming he could read and had finished reading what was on the card, the cat named Mango — getting in just before he could speak — fished out another card.

【Don't ask me why I'm not a black cat. Other witches keep black cats because they like wearing black clothes, and cat fur on black clothes isn't easy to spot】

"……"

Uh… although I was only planning to say hello, I actually did kind of want to ask that too…

After nodding to show he understood, Hearing Li Ang gave a friendly smile and said:

"So, your owner likes wearing grey or white clothes?"

"Meow~"

After shaking its head to indicate that wasn't right, the cat — cute-looking though it was, with the fur between its brows forming a little "川" character and a naturally grumpy little face — fished out a third card and held it out.

【My owner likes playing flying ball, and any fur that gets on her gets blown off, so she doesn't care】

"Oh-oh, so that's how it is…"

After a few awkward exchanges via cards, looking at the clearly not-low-IQ cat in the doorway and thinking over what he'd prepared, Hearing Li Ang couldn't help but scratch the back of his head in embarrassment.

Speaking of which… this thing doesn't seem like an ordinary cat — would it even look twice at the stuff I prepared?

After glancing back at the two big bowls on the table and the washbasin full of sand on the floor, Hearing Li Ang — a little unsure — swallowed, and tentatively asked:

"Um… may I ask first how I should entertain you?"

Hearing Hearing Li Ang's words, the cat first tugged at the cloth at its collar, unfurling a pink little scarf embroidered with a few rabbits, then turned its head and rummaged in the little bag on its back, producing a fourth card and holding it out.

【My demands aren't high — same as before is fine】

Oh-oh! Low demands are great!

After reading the card, Hearing Li Ang was immediately much relieved; but before he could usher the cat inside, a fifth card was held out to him.

【For food: for the appetizer, just some softened carrots and peas, followed by any old tuna salad; for the main course I'm not picky either — half a portion of herring sashimi and some thin cucumber rolls will do…】

"……"

【Also, I've traveled a long way to get here and need to relieve myself now — could you take me to the bathroom first?】

"……"

【Human? What's wrong with you? Is something the matter?】

"……"