Chapter 482

Li Xuewu wanted to avoid certain things, so naturally, he wasn't willing to go down to welcome Yang Fengshan, and he was even less willing to accompany him to see Huang Ping.

Furthermore, he had his own persistence and his own principles; political choices could not be generalized and affect his attitude toward work.

But he also didn't need Yang Fengshan to... on this matter...

"I am a failure; I barely notice whether the sun is shining or not because I have no time."

"My parents couldn't provide me with support, my education isn't high, and I am alone in the city searching for a future."

"I looked for many jobs but couldn't get hired. Perhaps no one likes someone who isn't good at speaking, doesn't like to communicate, and hasn't shown enough ability."

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"I went three whole days eating only two loaves of bread; hunger kept me from sleeping at night. Fortunately, I had paid a month's rent in advance, so I could continue living in that dark basement without having to go outside and endure the abnormally cold winter wind."

"Finally, I found a job: working the night shift at the hospital, guarding the morgue."

"The hospital at night is even colder than I imagined. The wall lamps in the corridor aren't lit, and it's dim everywhere; I can only rely on the faint light seeping out from the rooms to see my feet."

"The smell there is terrible. From time to time, the deceased are sent over stuffed in body bags, and we cooperate to help move them into the morgue."

"It's not a very good job, but at least it allows me to afford bread. The free time at night can also be used for studying; after all, no one wants to come to the morgue unless there are bodies that need to be delivered or transported for cremation. Of course, I don't have enough money to buy books yet, and I don't see any hope of saving money for now."

"I have to thank my predecessor; if he hadn't suddenly quit, I might not have even been able to get a job like this."

"I dream of being able to rotate to the day shift. Now I always sleep when the sun comes out and wake up after night falls, which has made my body a bit weak, and my head occasionally throbs with pain."

"One day, the movers brought in a new body."

"I heard from others that this was my former colleague who had suddenly quit."

"I was a bit curious about him. After everyone left, I pulled out the cabinet and quietly opened the body bag."

"He was an old man, his face blue and white, covered in wrinkles; he looked very frightening in the very dim light."

"He didn't have much hair, most of it was white, and all his clothes had been stripped off, not leaving him even a scrap of fabric."

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"I saw a strange mark on his chest, blue-black in color; I can't describe the exact shape, as the light at the time was truly too dim."

"I reached out and touched that mark, but there was nothing special."

"Looking at this former colleague, I wondered, if I keep going like this, when I get old, will I end up like him..."

"I told him that tomorrow I would accompany him to the crematorium and personally take his ashes to the nearest free cemetery, so that those responsible for these things wouldn't find it troublesome and just throw them in some river or wasteland."

"This will cost me a morning of sleep, but fortunately, it's almost Sunday, so I can make it up."

"After saying that, I fixed the body bag and pushed it back into the cabinet."

"The light in the room seemed even dimmer..."

"Since that day, every time I sleep, I always dream of a thick fog."

"I have a premonition that something will happen soon, a premonition that sooner or later something that I don't know if it can be called human will come looking for me. But no one is willing to believe me; they think that in such an environment and such a job, my mind has become abnormal and I need to see a doctor..."

A male guest sitting at the bar looked toward the storyteller who had suddenly stopped:

"And then?"

This male guest was in his thirties, wearing a brown tweed jacket and light yellow trousers, his hair pressed very flat, with a simple dark round top hat by his side.

He looked ordinary, just like most people in the tavern: black hair, light blue eyes, neither good-looking nor ugly, lacking any obvious features.

And the storyteller in his eyes was a young man of eighteen or nineteen, with a tall, straight figure and slender limbs, also with short black hair and light blue eyes, but with deep facial features that could make one's eyes light up.

The young man looked at the empty wine glass in front of him and sighed:

"And then?

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"Then I quit my job and went back to the countryside to come here and brag to you."

As he spoke, a smile appeared on his face, a smile with a hint of mischief.

That male guest was stunned for a moment:

"Was what you just told bragging?"

"Haha." A burst of laughter erupted around the bar.

As the laughter subsided slightly, a thin, middle-aged man looked at the slightly embarrassed guest and said:

"Outsider, you actually believed Lu Mian's story? What he tells every day is different. Yesterday he was a poor wretch whose engagement was broken off by his fiancée, and today he's become a morgue guard!"

"Right, saying things like 'thirty years east of the Selenzo River, thirty years west of the Selenzo River'—he only knows how to babble nonsense!" another tavern regular followed up.

They were all farmers from this large village of Cordu, wearing short jackets that were black, gray, or brown.

The black-haired young man called Lu Mian propped himself up on the bar with both hands, stood up slowly, and said with a smile:

"You know, this isn't a story I made up; it was all written by my sister. She loves writing stories the most and is even a columnist for some 'Novel Weekly'."

After finishing, he turned his body to the side, spread his hands toward the outsider, and smiled brilliantly:

"It seems she writes really well.

"I'm sorry for misleading you."

The man in the brown tweed jacket with the ordinary appearance didn't get angry; he stood up as well and responded with a smile:

"A very interesting story.

"What should I call you?"

"Isn't it common sense to introduce yourself before asking others?" Lu Mian laughed.

The guest from out of town nodded:

"My name is Ryan Cos.

"These two are my companions, Valentine and Leah."

The latter sentence referred to the man and woman sitting right next to him.

The man was twenty-seven or twenty-eight, with yellow hair dusted with powder, eyes that weren't very large but had a color slightly deeper than lake blue, wearing a white vest, a blue tweed coat, and black trousers; he had clearly dressed up carefully before going out.

He had a rather indifferent expression and didn't look much at the surrounding farmers and herdsmen.

The woman looked younger than the two men, with long light gray hair tied into a complex bun, wrapped in a white veil that served as a hat.

Her eyes were the same color as her hair, and her gaze toward Lu Mian carried undisguised amusement; she seemed to find what had just happened merely interesting.

Under the light of the tavern's gas wall lamp, this woman named Leah revealed a pretty nose and beautifully curved lips; in a countryside village like Cordu, she could definitely be called a beauty.

She wore a white pleated cashmere tight-fitting dress, paired with a beige little jacket and a pair of Marsil boots. The veil and boots were each tied with two small silver bells. When she walked into the tavern just now, she jingled all the way, which was very eye-catching, making many men stare blankly.

In their eyes, this must be the kind of fashionable attire only found in big cities like the provincial capital of Bigor or the capital, Trier.

Lu Mian nodded to the three outsiders:

"My name is Lu Mian Lee; you can just call me Lu Mian."

"Lee?" Leah blurted out.

"What's wrong? Is there a problem with my surname?" Lu Mian asked curiously.

Ryan Cos helped Leah explain:

"This surname of yours is terrifying; I almost couldn't control my voice just now."

Seeing the surrounding farmers and herdsmen looking puzzled, he explained further:

"Anyone who has had contact with sailors or sea merchants knows that there is a saying circulating on the Five Seas:

"Better to encounter those pirate generals or even kings than to run into someone named Frank Lee.

"That person's surname is also Lee."

"Is he very scary?" Lu Mian asked.

Ryan shook his head:

"I don't know, but since there is such a legend, it certainly won't be bad."

He ended this topic and said to Lu Mian:

"Thank you for your story; it's worth a drink. What would you like?"

"A 'Green Fairy'." Lu Mian wasn't polite at all and sat back down.

Ryan Cos frowned slightly and said:

"'Green Fairy'... Absinthe?

"I think I need to remind you that absinthe is harmful to the human body; this kind of liquor can lead to mental confusion and cause you to have hallucinations."

"I didn't expect the fashion trends of Trier to have spread here already," Leah added with a smile.

Lu Mian said "Oh":

"So people in Trier also like to drink 'Green Fairy'...

"For us, life is already hard enough; there's no need to care about a little more harm. This kind of liquor can help our spirits achieve greater relaxation."

"Alright." Ryan sat back in his seat and looked at the bartender, "A 'Green Fairy', and add a 'Spicy Heart' for me."

"Spicy Heart" is a famous fruit brandy.

"Why not get me a 'Green Fairy' too? I was the one who told you the truth just now, and I can even tell you the whole situation about this kid!" the thin middle-aged man who first exposed Lu Mian for telling stories every day shouted with dissatisfaction. "Outsider, I can tell that you still have doubts about the truth of that story!"

"Pierre, you really would do anything for a free drink!" Lu Mian responded loudly.

Without waiting for Ryan to make a decision, Lu Mian added:

"Why can't I tell it myself? That way I could have another 'Green Fairy'!"

"Because they don't know whether to believe the situation you're talking about," the middle-aged man called Pierre laughed triumphantly. "The story your sister loves to tell children most is 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf'; those who always lie will inevitably lose their credibility."

"Alright." Lu Mian shrugged his shoulders, watching the bartender push a glass of pale green liquor in front of him.

Ryan looked at him and asked for confirmation:

"Is this okay?"

"No problem, as long as your wallet is enough to cover the cost of these drinks." Lu Mian didn't care at all.

"Then another 'Green Fairy'." Ryan nodded.

Pierre was suddenly all smiles:

"Generous outsider, this kid is the biggest prankster in the village; you must stay away from him.

"Five years ago, he was brought back to the village by his sister Aurore and hasn't left since. Think about it, before that, he was only thirteen; how could he possibly have gone to a hospital to work as a morgue guard? Hmm, the nearest hospital to us is in Daliege at the foot of the mountain, which takes a whole afternoon to walk to."

"Brought back to the village?" Leah asked keenly.

She tilted her head slightly, producing a jingling sound.

Pierre nodded:

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"Then, he followed Aurore and took the surname 'Lee', and even the name 'Lu Mian' was chosen by Aurore."

"I've forgotten what I was originally called." Lu Mian took a sip of absinthe and said with a grin.

It seemed that he wasn't at all inferior or ashamed that his past had been exposed like this.