Chapter 13: A Steel Pen

Just one glance, and I was certain she was the person I was looking for!

I was about to step forward to explain my purpose, but in the next instant she had already teleported to my front; she stretched out her hand, her slightly calloused fingers hooking the scale armor pendant from my neck.

Her almond eyes narrowed sharply as she demanded, "Why do you have Seventh Lord's tail scale here?"

Though her almond eyes were normally beautiful, they now flashed with a cold light like a blade, as if she were about to flay me alive in the next moment.

The sense of oppression was overwhelming.

"It's something he gave me for protection," I said, producing the token and handing it to her. "He also sent me to find you."

The woman took the token, turning it over and over several times, clearly agitated.

But her emotions flared up quickly and subsided even faster: "What is your relation to Seventh Lord?"

Um...

I pondered my reply: "He is my benefactor."

"I see," the woman said without further questions. "Leave your address; I'll come find you after I finish what I'm doing."

I gave the pawnshop's address and asked, "Then how should I address you?"

"Li Qingying," she replied, asking in turn, "And you?"

I extended my hand: "Just call me Xiao Jiu, Sister Qingying. The Wufu Town Pawnshop welcomes your joining."

Li Qingying gave an affirmative hum, raised her hand for a light shake, turned, grabbed a few items from the stall, and left straight away.

Leaving me standing alone, disheveled in the wind.

What a cool older sister.

I had originally wanted to say many things to her, but now I swallowed them all back.

However, having found her successfully, my mood improved; I rode my little electric scooter back to the pawnshop, humming a tune all the way.

Over the next few days, the pawnshop had no customers at all.

Whenever I had a moment free, I couldn't help thinking of school and my classmates.

But I also understood deep down that having set foot on this path, returning to continue my studies would be difficult.

I called the counselor, saying something had changed at home and I needed to take a temporary leave of absence.

The counselor carefully inquired about my situation; I gave a vague account, he comforted me and said he would help file the report upward, and I thanked him.

In the blink of an eye it was the tenth day, yet Sister Qingying still hadn't come to the pawnshop to find me.

The Fifteenth Ghost Market was about to open; I didn't know what to prepare and began to feel anxious.

I hesitated about whether to make another trip to the aquatic products market, thinking that Sister Qingying's stall was obviously not a legitimate business; she would probably stay there, perhaps also waiting all along for news of Liu Junyan.

What exactly was the past relationship between Sister Qingying and Liu Junyan?

I sat bored at the counter, propping my chin with one hand and letting my mind wander, when I noticed a girl about twelve or thirteen peeking from under the west steps of the pawnshop, continually looking at me.

This wasn't the first time I'd seen her; over the past two or three days she has come every day.

It seemed she had something to ask me, yet she was also hesitant.

When she peeked at me again, I waved and said, "Little sis, don't be afraid; if you have something to say, come in and tell Sister."

The little girl froze for a moment, bit her lip, gathered her courage, and walked in.

She was very thin, her complexion poor; despite her young age, her dark circles were heavier than those of an office worker.

She approached the counter, head lowered, twisting her fingers without speaking.

I sensed she might be facing some difficulty, so I patiently asked, "Little sis, what's your name? Do you have something you need from me?"

"My name is Sun Laiding," the girl said timidly. "Sis, do you… do you accept steel pens here?"

Sun Laiding?

Hearing that name, my heart skipped a beat, and I immediately felt even more empathy and pity for the little girl.

I continued, "What kind of steel pen is it? May I have a look, Sister?"

Sun Laiding pulled out a blue cloth bundle from her pocket, laid it on the counter and opened it; inside lay an ordinary-brand steel pen.

The pen was old and ordinary, but as soon as she took it out I saw a thick black aura coiling around it; my expression turned grave: "Little sis, where did you get this steel pen?"

"It belonged to my grandmother, but she's been dead for over a year."

As she said this, Sun Laiding's eyes were full of fright, her whole body trembling, tears dropping pattering down, she looked utterly helpless.

I quickly stood up, took her hand and brought her inside the counter, sitting beside her: "Dingding, don't cry, speak slowly; I need to figure out the origin of this steel pen before I decide whether to accept it."

I poured her a cup of hot tea.

Sun Laiding held the teacup with both hands, steadied her emotions, and then began to speak slowly.

"My grandfather died early; my grandmother raised five children single‑handedly, leading a hard life. In her old age, her mind isn't what it used to be."

Every spring and autumn, when the harvest came in, my uncles and father would send the allotted grain to her house as agreed, but as soon as the grain arrived she would contact the grain buyers and sell it all off.

After selling it, she would run all over the village claiming her five sons were unfilial, refusing to give her grain, trying to starve her to death, and that she would file a complaint at the village office to have the government back her.

Hearing this, I furrowed my brows; this grandmother really is a bit eccentric.

"In earlier years, Grandma somehow got hold of this steel pen, using money to bribe my uncles' older brothers into writing complaints for her. Later those brothers went to the city to study, Grandma went blind, and she stayed in the village living with me."

I wondered, "What do you mean by living together? What about your parents?"

"They work at a factory south of Wufu Town," Sun Laiding said sadly. "When my mother gave birth to me she hemorrhaged, damaging her body; she has never been able to conceive another child. They need to earn money for her treatment, so I study in the village while also looking after Grandma."

I couldn't help but sigh; a ten‑ or eleven‑year‑old child single‑handedly caring for a blind, deranged grandmother is truly a hardship.

"Grandma can't see, but each year after selling the grain she saves a little money and has me write complaints for her—one sheet for one dollar. She takes my written complaints everywhere to file suits, and I can earn a few dollars a month to buy paper and pens; that's how we've gotten by for over two years."

"If it weren't for my greed, things could have stayed fine this way; it's all my fault, my fault…"

Sun Laiding burst into tears again, her nails digging into her flesh, she sobbed: "Last year, right after New Year's, my parents went to the factory and forgot to leave me living expenses. I got my period, had no money for sanitary pads, and just then Grandma asked me to write another complaint for her. After I finished the sheet, she took out her wallet and told me to take a dollar from it."

"I thought she wouldn't notice, but soon she came asking whether I had taken her fifty dollars; if I had, I should return it, otherwise she would get someone to write a complaint to sue me."

"I… I was hot‑headed at the moment, acted foolishly, knowing Grandma couldn't see, I… I took a fifty‑dollar bill."

I flatly denied it, but Grandma was certain that I had taken that fifty-dollar bill; I don't know whether it was because she was too old, or because this matter had worn her out mentally; a month and a half later, she died in her sleep.

When she was buried, I personally saw my dad place this pen into the coffin, but just last month, this pen suddenly appeared in my school bag.