Yama Reborn
Chapter 76 - 74 [A Plate of Dumplings]
CHAPTER 76: CHAPTER 74 [A PLATE OF DUMPLINGS]
Chapter 74: A Plate of Dumplings
Chen Nuo was eating noodles.
It was a large bowl of braised beef ramen with extra meat and an extra egg. The noodles were hand-pulled to the thinness of a hair.
A few cloves of garlic had been peeled; he held two in his palm and pinched one between his fingers.
A bite of noodles, a slurp of soup, then a bite of garlic.
At this hour, past ten in the evening, only the small shop downstairs named Ramen Guo was still open.
The wind had begun to pick up outside, blowing in warm gusts that carried a hint of moisture.
This weather... it might rain again, he thought.
By the end of April, Jinling City was about to enter the plum rain season. The dampness in the air always made one’s nose itch.
Chen Nuo finished his noodles, drank half the soup, and let out a satisfied sigh.
"Boss, add more meat next time," Chen Nuo said with a smile as he paid.
"How about I put a whole cow in there for you?" the boss retorted, rolling his eyes in annoyance. "Don’t you know the price of beef keeps going up?"
Chen Nuo chuckled and offered a cigarette. The boss took it but didn’t light it, glancing at the brand. "Oh, a Zhonghua," he noted.
He tucked it behind his ear and waved his hand. "Off you go, off you go. I’m closing up."
Unlike most Hui people who came south to open ramen shops, this owner was a Han Chinese. He was a middle-aged man with a simple and honest appearance, rumored to have served as a soldier in the northwest when he was younger.
Chen Nuo left the noodle shop, hands in his pockets, and walked along the night road.
It had been two days since he had lent out his motorcycle.
Zhang Linsheng, that fellow, had strangely not appeared at school; he had skipped classes.
Chen Nuo didn’t think much of it. For a student like Brother Haonan to skip class, what could be more normal?
He had just returned from Teacher Jiang’s home this evening. His classmate Zhang Linsheng was still nowhere to be seen, and Chen Nuo felt a flicker of curiosity.
Hmm... He wouldn’t have actually taken off with my motorcycle, would he?
Just as this thought crossed his mind, Chen Nuo reached the entrance of his residential complex and saw a taxi pulling up.
A woman in flashy, gaudy attire staggered out of the cab, turning to wave at a man inside.
"Brother Zhang, thanks for the ride! See you next time!"
Even from three to five meters away, Chen Nuo could smell a pungent perfume—he had never liked perfume.
Ignoring her, he brushed past and walked into the complex.
After a few steps, he heard footsteps behind him. The woman was staggering, rummaging through her purse as she walked.
Chen Nuo actually recognized the woman; she lived right across the hall from him.
He had encountered her a few days after he had "returned" to this world.
Her attire, makeup, mannerisms, speech, and the subsequent times he’d seen her at the complex entrance—always being dropped off late at night by different men...
One could easily guess what line of work she was in.
Initially, the woman would occasionally nod or greet Chen Nuo. This was probably because Chen Yanluo’s appearance was pleasing; a young man with pearly teeth and rosy lips always tended to attract favorable attention.
But later, after Chen Nuo consistently responded with cold indifference, the woman stopped bothering.
Hmph, so what if he’s handsome! Thinks he’s all that! she probably thought.
The two of them went up the stairs, one after the other.
When they reached their floor, Chen Nuo took out his keys to open his door. Meanwhile, the woman, in her fumbling, dropped her purse. Cigarettes, a lighter, and a cell phone spilled out.
Chen Nuo clearly heard her mutter a curse under her breath.
Paying her no mind, Chen Nuo opened his door, stepped inside, and closed it behind him.
He went to the kitchen, filled a kettle with water, and put it on the stove. Then, he found a sweet-hearted Fuji apple, washed it, and, too lazy to peel it, took a bite.
Just as Chen Nuo was about to go to his room, he heard a knock on the door.
He went to open it. The flashy woman stood outside.
Her features were decent, and she didn’t look old, but her heavy, gaudy makeup was tacky.
Chen Nuo frowned. "Is there something you need?"
"Hey handsome, I live right across from you," the woman said. Her cheeks were flushed with a hint of drunkenness, but she seemed mostly sober.
"Is there something?" Chen Nuo repeated calmly.
"I’ve lost my keys, so I can’t get into my apartment. I’m really desperate for the toilet. Could I... could I use your bathroom?"
Chen Nuo’s gaze dropped, noticing her legs anxiously pressed together.
"...Come in."
He stepped aside.
The woman darted in, heading straight for the bathroom.
Chen Nuo sat in the living room and casually turned on the television.
After a few minutes, something felt off.
Does it usually take this long to use the bathroom?
Just as he was wondering, the woman came out.
Chen Nuo looked up. Hmm?
She had gone in heavily made up, but now she emerged barefaced, her makeup removed.
Her looks? Not beautiful, but not ugly either. Just an ordinary-looking girl.
Her eyes were somewhat pretty, but her cheekbones were a bit high.
She’d barely make a seventy out of a hundred, if that.
"Sorry about that, I just used your bathroom to take off my makeup." The woman—no, more accurately, the girl—looked much younger with her makeup gone. "My face has been a bit sensitive lately. If I don’t remove my makeup, I’m afraid I’ll get a rash tomorrow."
Chen Nuo nodded.
"Um, could you help me with one more thing?"
Chen Nuo said nothing, just looked at her quietly.
"I lost my keys, and my roommate isn’t back yet. Could I use your phone to call her?"
"You don’t have a cell phone?"
The girl helplessly held up a red Motorola. "The battery’s dead."
"...Go ahead." Chen Nuo gestured to the phone on the table beside the TV.
The girl giggled, walked over, picked up the phone, and dialed.
"Hey! Qu Xiaoling! When are you coming back?! I lost my keys! I think I left them in the locker room! Are you still at work? Hurry and help me look! What... How much longer will you be?! Damn it! Are those customers being that annoying? Just deal with them quickly and get back here! I can’t even get into my own apartment without my keys!"
After hanging up, the girl said sheepishly, "My roommate will be a while. Can I wait for her here?"
Chen Nuo remained silent.
"Help me out, handsome," the girl said, walking over with a smile. She sat on the sofa and offered him a cigarette. "We’re neighbors. No need to be so cold."
Chen Nuo glanced at the Seven Stars cigarette she offered and shook his head. "I don’t smoke blended types."
"Then I’ll have one," the girl said nonchalantly. She grabbed the ashtray from the table, placed it in front of her, lit up, and exhaled a cloud of smoke.
"Handsome, we’re neighbors, but we’ve never really talked."
"What do you want to talk about?"
"Lots of things!" The girl laughed exaggeratedly, waving her hand. "Let’s get to know each other. What’s your name?"
"Kimura Takuya."
Clearly, he had no intention of having a proper conversation.
The girl was taken aback for a moment but didn’t get annoyed. She giggled. "Kimura Takuya? Yeah, right! And I’m Cecilia Cheung."
Indeed, by 2001, Cecilia Cheung was a huge star, having been in *King of Comedy* and *Fly Me to Polaris*. She was the most popular "jade girl" celebrity of the era.
But this "jade girl"... Well, Teacher Chen must have started learning photography by then, Chen Nuo mused.
He looked at the girl. "No, you don’t compare. You’re not pretty enough."
"..."
The girl stared blankly for several seconds before she managed to process his words. "Do you always talk to people like this?"
"Not usually," Chen Nuo said flatly. "But it’s different if an uninvited guest disturbs my rest late at night."
As he spoke, Chen Nuo’s gaze shifted to his front door.
The meaning was clear: You can leave.
However, Chen Nuo had underestimated the girl’s thick skin.
She waved her hand. "Fine, fine. I won’t talk then, okay?"
Silence fell.
Chen Nuo sighed. He sat for a while. The water in the kettle boiled, and he went into the kitchen to fill the thermos.
When he came out, he found the girl slumped on the sofa, apparently asleep.
Frowning, Chen Nuo walked over, turned off the TV, then picked up a book and started reading on the other end of the sofa.
A short while later...
Sounds came from outside the door.
BANG, BANG, BANG. BANG, BANG, BANG.
It sounded like people talking, and someone was pounding on a door—not Chen Nuo’s, but the one across the hall.
Through his door, he could hear voices.
"Open up! Open the damn door! Stop fucking hiding! I know you’re home from work!"
"If you don’t open up, we’ll smash it down!"
"Damn it! Playing dead, are you?"
"Motherfucker, splash the paint! Shit!"
Chen Nuo frowned, stood up, and looked at the girl.
Her eyes were still closed, but her slightly trembling eyelashes betrayed her—she was awake.
"Aren’t you going to check? It sounds like they’re banging on your door."
The girl opened her eyes and looked at Chen Nuo with a pleading expression, whispering, "Shh! Let me hide here for a bit. They’ll leave soon, okay? Please!"
Chen Nuo frowned.
The commotion outside intensified.
"Splash it! Right here! Damn it, make it a big splash! Can’t you fucking write? Write bigger!"
Chen Nuo sighed, stood up, and, as the girl watched in terror, walked to his door and opened it.
Outside, several men who clearly looked like gangsters were crowded in the hallway, holding paint cans and brushes.
A few large characters had already been painted on the wall in crimson.
"Pay back your debt..."
The word "money" wasn’t finished yet.
The door of the apartment opposite his had been splashed with paint, as had the walls...
Some paint had even splattered onto the wall beside Chen Nuo’s door.
Chen Nuo quietly observed the men.
"What are you looking at!" The leader, a burly man, turned to Chen Nuo, his face fierce. "None of your business! Stop fucking staring!"
Chen Nuo looked at him.
Sighing, Chen Nuo raised the cell phone in his hand.
"What was the emergency number again? Oh, right... one... one..."
He muttered as he pretended to dial.
"What the fuck? Kid, what do you think you’re doing? Don’t look for trouble!" the man yelled, glaring.
Chen Nuo frowned. "I’m not looking for trouble. You guys are making such a racket late at night, people can’t sleep. Who’s really causing trouble here... Friend, even gangsters should follow some basic rules, right?"
"Rules, my ass!" one of the man’s companions snarled, about to rush forward, but the leader pulled him back.
The leader saw that Chen Nuo had already dialed two digits.
He sneered. "Fine, you want to be a busybody, huh? Kid, you’ll regret this."
Perhaps not wanting to complicate matters, the man waved his hand. "Let’s go, let’s go!"
As they left, he pointed at Chen Nuo and let out a few harsh, cold laughs.
After they had gone downstairs, Chen Nuo closed his door and turned to look at the girl, who was sitting on the sofa, trembling.
"Th-thank you..." she stammered, her body shaking.
Chen Nuo walked over, poured himself some water, and took a couple of sips.
The girl had already stood up and followed him.
"I... I owe them money."
"I’ve been short on cash lately, and someone in my family is sick."
"I really didn’t want to cause trouble, but I had no choice."
"I..."
The girl rambled on. Before she could continue, Chen Nuo put down his water glass and looked at her.
"I didn’t ask, and I don’t want to know."
The girl fell silent.
Chen Nuo went back to the sofa, picked up his book, and resumed reading.
The girl seemed at a loss but, having nowhere else to go and not daring to leave, she gritted her teeth and forced herself to sit back down on the sofa.
About half an hour later, a woman’s shriek came from outside.
"What the fuck!! What the hell happened here?!"
The moment the girl in Chen Nuo’s apartment heard the voice, she shot up from the sofa and ran to open the door.
Outside, Qu Xiaoling stood in the hallway, fuming as she stared at the paint on her door and walls.
"Qu Xiaoling, you’re finally back!"
"I’m back! But what happened to our place?! What kind of trouble did you get into this time?"
"Hey! Let’s talk inside, talk inside."
While pulling Qu Xiaoling towards their apartment, the girl looked back at Chen Nuo, who was standing in his doorway. "Thank you, handsome... ah, Kimura Takuya."
"..." Chen Nuo said nothing and closed his door.
He took a shower first, then, while drying his hair, he prepared to go to his room to sleep.
But there was another knock on his door.
Chen Nuo opened it to see the girl standing outside, holding a plate of steaming hot dumplings.
"Pork and Chinese cabbage filling... I didn’t make them, I bought them from the supermarket," the girl stammered. "Consider this a thank you for tonight. I saw you don’t have anyone else here, so you probably don’t have anything to eat if you get hungry late. Think of it as my treat, a late-night snack."
The girl lifted her face to look at Chen Nuo.
He had been about to refuse, but her expression was sincere, and her eyes held a faint trace of nervousness and a desire to please.
"...Thank you."
Taking the plate, Chen Nuo nodded slightly.
"My name is... My name is Zhang Lina. Can you tell me your real name?"
Chen Nuo thought for a moment.
"Wu Yanzu."
"......"
After closing the door, Chen Nuo placed the plate of dumplings on the dining table and stared at it for a couple of seconds.
He didn’t touch them. He turned and went into his bedroom.
At daybreak, Chen Nuo got up, washed, and left for school.
As he opened his door, he saw Zhang Lina crouched in the corner, holding a large brush, vigorously scrubbing the door and walls.
Beside her was a basin of water and some detergent.
"Morning," the girl said, looking up at Chen Nuo with an eager-to-please smile. Beads of sweat covered her forehead.
"Morning."
"Don’t worry, I’ll get it all clean! The paint that splattered on your door, I’ll clean that too!"
"Mm, thanks for your trouble." Chen Nuo nodded and headed downstairs.
"Hey! Wu Yanzu!"
Chen Nuo paused and looked up.
"Um... were the dumplings good?"
"...They were okay. But don’t bother next time. I don’t really like dumplings."
Chen Nuo started to walk away.
"Hey, Wu Yanzu."
"Is there something else?"
"...I know you look down on people like me. But last night... thank you. And I’m sorry." As she spoke, she clutched the brush tightly.
"...Mm, it’s in the past."
Chen Nuo nodded and quickly went downstairs.
The day passed without incident. Everything at school was normal.
Old Sun had returned from his business trip, and Sun Keke was secretly trying to get closer to Chen Nuo.
Li Yingwan was still on leave, taking care of Jiang Yingzi.
Zhang Linsheng... was still skipping class.
After school in the afternoon, Chen Nuo returned home. He planned to go out later to accompany Sun Keke to her cram school.
Teacher Jiang is probably still keeping Old Sun in the dark about that, he thought.
He had just washed his face when there was a knock on the door.
Chen Nuo went to open it. Two middle-aged men stood outside.
One of them flashed an ID badge bearing the national emblem. "Hello, young comrade. Could we have a word with you?"
Chen Nuo frowned.
"We’re police officers, here to verify some information. Don’t be nervous; it’s just a routine inquiry."
"Please come in."
He let the two officers into his living room.
The police officers habitually scanned the apartment’s furnishings before retracting their gazes.
"It’s like this... Do you know your neighbors across the hall?"
"Not really, but I’ve seen them a few times," Chen Nuo replied calmly.
"Can you elaborate? Don’t be nervous. Just tell us what you know." One officer took out a notebook and began writing.
"Um, I think it’s two young women living there. Not very old. I don’t know any specifics. We don’t usually interact."
One officer continued to write.
The other stood up and, as if casually, walked a few steps around the living room. Suddenly, he spotted the plate of cold dumplings on the dining table.
The officer stared at the plate for a moment. "This plate... the pattern looks like it’s from their apartment, doesn’t it..."
Chen Nuo immediately noticed the officer’s focus and said slowly, "Oh, that plate of dumplings was brought over by the girl from across the hall last night."
"Oh? Didn’t you say you don’t interact with them?"
Chen Nuo thought for a moment. "Last night, some men came looking for trouble..."
"Mm, tell me more."
"It wasn’t complicated. It seemed like they were debt collectors. They were shouting and making a scene, even splashing paint, like something out of a movie," Chen Nuo explained. "I went out to look, and my door even got some paint on it. Those guys threatened me. I told them I was going to call the police, and then they left. Later that evening, the girl from across the hall came to apologize. I guess she felt she had inconvenienced me, her neighbor, so she brought me this plate of dumplings."
"You didn’t eat them?" the officer asked, seemingly casually.
"Oh, I don’t like dumplings," Chen Nuo said, shaking his head.
After one of the officers finished writing, he handed the notebook to Chen Nuo. "Take a look. See if my record matches what you said. If there are no issues, please sign at the bottom. Also, could we see your identification?"
Chen Nuo nodded and produced his ID card and student ID.
"Can you tell us where you were during the day today?"
"I was at school, in class. I had just gotten home from school when you arrived."
"Ah, then there’s nothing else."
The officers’ demeanor immediately relaxed.
As he was seeing the two officers out, Chen Nuo suddenly asked, "May I ask, what happened to Zhang Lina?"
The two officers exchanged a glance. Then, one of them said slowly, "She’s dead."
Simultaneously, the other officer carefully observed Chen Nuo’s expression.
Chen Nuo froze.
"It’s related to an ongoing case, so we can’t disclose too much. However, since you knew the deceased, there’s no harm in telling you. Please refrain from spreading this information."
After these instructions, the two officers took their leave.
Chen Nuo closed the door and returned to the living room.
He looked at the plate of cold dumplings on the table.
Hm... dead... Dead.
Chen Nuo frowned.
[Author’s Note: Banging the drum for monthly votes and recommendation votes!]