Chapter 5, The Work of Catching Mice

... ...

Yang Jia's smile grew even more pronounced, as if she had carefully scrutinized the vagrant before her, and then gently nodded

Kill him

Xiao Xiao then realized that he had been accompanying Yang Jia for a long time, but he had not seen the car she was supposed to be waiting for at the intersection; instead, she was walking towards a subway station.

However, Yang Jia merely raised his index finger to his lips and made a shushing sound, signaling him not to ask further, before turning his gaze to a certain direction

Xiao Xiao visited here during the day and lamented that even in the world after death, there are still so many people who need to squeeze into the subway for work, which is truly an exceptionally terrifying thing

They arrived beside a certain homeless man who was sound asleep and came to a halt.

Oh, is that looking for Xiao Xiao? The girl is truly beautiful

One has indeed presented oneself as an outsider

... ...

Mother pointed outside, with an expression that seemed to say she not only wanted me to go, but also hoped I wouldn't come back until the evening: "Take Xiao Yang home, it's not safe at night."

Xiao Xiao had not yet responded when Yang Jia had already brushed past him, smiling as he greeted, "Hello, Auntie, my name is Yang Jia, and I am Xiao Xiao's high school classmate"

Is this the home of Xiao Xiao?

Yes, the child's classmate has come over, so I will prepare some delicious food for them

Yang Jia smiled at Xiao Xiao and said: "And interacting with them is your first lesson to learn. We must learn to seek authenticity between each other, while also learning to adapt to the falsehoods of this world"

Go

This ... ...

So, in fact, not everything has returned to normal

Xiao Xiao recalled the scene of just now, standing alone at the gate facing "Mom", quietly gazing into Yang Jia's eyes at mhetushu.com

Yang Jia nodded gently, as if it were merely a trivial matter

Xiao Xiao did not understand why Yang Jia was asking these questions; he simply rubbed his face wearily and said, "What else can I do besides running away?"

So, what should I do now?

People who charge for their services

Xiao Xiao finds it absurd: "But ... ..."

Yang Jia had a somewhat mysterious smile on her face as she quietly sat on the sofa and softly said: "Especially, it seems that you don't have many friends?"

Yang Jia could only awkwardly respond: "Just call me Jiajia."

... ...

He said with a deliberate smile: "You see, your mother truly cares for you, and moreover, your family's circumstances are quite good; the houses in this area are very expensive"

The person under the quilt fell silent for a moment, and suddenly, he sat up abruptly, the dirty quilt sliding off his body. He stared blankly at Yang Jia and asked, "Who is the mouse?"

At first, there was some confusion, followed by a sense of surprise as I said to Xiao Xiao: "This child is ... ... "

The hatred and resentment on her face dissipated rapidly in a very short time, as if she had changed her face entirely

Yang Jia : `` ? ''

He asked in a low voice, his tone sharp, as if he were a child

... ...

After all, I haven't been out for a long time...

The surrounding crowd appeared dazed, each person exhibiting a zombie-like sense of lethargy and stupor

Oh?

Xiao Ma, are you going to buy groceries now

However, unexpectedly, this time she came over, and it truly felt like visiting an old classmate, as she stayed at home for a meal. My mother also prepared a lavish spread, which included braised pork and dry-fried fish, and mysteriously took out a bottle of red wine from her cabinet, which was said to be a high-end product. Yang Jia was also polite and gentle, engaging her in conversation and patiently responding to my mother's indirect inquiries about her family lineage spanning eighteen generations.

But just as this panic and unease were brewing, almost causing Xiao Xiao's panic to flare up again, a voice suddenly sounded from behind.

... ...

Indeed, regarding Xiao Xiao's high school classmates, this child does not even know to greet when female classmates come to the house, and I had no time to prepare at all

Yang Jia looked at him, frowning in deep thought, and couldn't help but smile. She patted him on the shoulder and said, "Having doubts about oneself instinctively is also a reasonable and common reaction"

She opened her handbag and took out a firearm that exuded an icy aura, casually placing it into Xiao Xiao's hand, saying: "Kill him"

Otherwise, you will live in great suffering

With an expression of disbelief still on his face, he suddenly raised the gun and aimed it at the homeless man's chest, repeatedly pulling the trigger.

Looking at the man who exuded a pungent odor, she smiled and said, "Hello"

At this moment, the mother displayed none of the characteristics one would expect from a demon. She warmly invited Yang Jia to sit down, then went inside to change out of her work clothes, as if she had also tidied her hair. After chatting for a while, she enthusiastically invited Yang Jia to stay for dinner. Xiao Xiao watched her as she happily pushed herself into the house to talk with Yang Jia while also going out to buy groceries, and felt that the contrast was so strong that it seemed unreal

Under the cold streetlight, Xiao Xiao instinctively pulled the hood over his head, casting long shadows alongside Yang Jia.

Still not waiting for Xiao Xiao, mhetushucomcom said something with lingering fear, just as she walked out of the courtyard, "Mom," her expression clearly showing some astonishment

I have said that they are just like normal people in their daily lives, always faithfully playing their roles before the malicious attacks come.

After a long while, he finally said in a low voice: "Of course, he turned around and ran away..."

Xiao Xiao suddenly raised his head: "Who is it?"

Xiao Xiao subconsciously followed closely behind Yang Jia, only to see her gaze sweeping over the various people inside, as if she were admiring some kind of scenery

From far outside the yard, the sound of my mother greeting the neighbors could be heard. Xiao Xiao sat on the sofa, feeling somewhat absurd.

... ...

Aunt, you need not be polite, I only need water

Xiao Xiao fell silent; he still could not comprehend these matters, but he noted down this sentence first

Ah, hello, hello

Yang Jia replied with a smile: "Previously, someone paid me to do a job catching mice"

Yang Jia suddenly seemed a bit curious, his gaze gently falling on Xiao Xiao: "I am actually quite interested to know, if I had not arrived just in time, what would you have done?"

Xiao Xiao felt somewhat helpless. After a long while, he finally said in a low voice: "I went out today and looked around for a whole day, wanting to verify whether this world is truly real..."

Xiao Xiao instinctively took a step back, filled with vigilance

It is said that having eaten for so many years, if there were any issues, they would have manifested long ago. The fact that I did not eat anything today is actually a residual effect of the shock from yesterday

Xiao Xiao turned around in surprise and saw Yang Jia, who was wearing a white shirt and jeans. She was wearing a white baseball cap and holding a box of bird's nest, smiling as she looked into the courtyard

Indeed, compared to this world going mad, it seems more reasonable that one is going mad oneself

Suddenly, my mood relaxed, as if I had seen the savior

Mother appeared to be somewhat flustered, hurriedly beckoning Yang Jia to come in: "Come and sit down, child. Look, Xiao Xiao didn't even say a word to me, and the house is in disarray..."

Yang Jia raised her eyebrows and said: "But she is about to become the monster that will devour you..."

Xiao Xiao was almost in a daze, watching Yang Jia and his mother walk into the house, like a true old classmate coming to visit.

It was not until this moment that he clearly saw the person beneath the blanket was not a monster, but merely a common homeless man. His body was emaciated, with only a slightly protruding belly, thin limbs, and skin that was a grayish-brown from years of malnutrition. Scattered around him were several bottles of alcohol, and it seemed that due to Yang Jia's sudden visit, he was trembling nervously, instinctively shrinking towards the corner of the wall.

The air was filled with a pungent smell of urine and an unpleasant odor of decay that seemed to come from nowhere

Xiao Xiao turned to look at the homeless man who seemed to have heard their conversation and was cowering in fear against the wall.

... ...

Xiao Xiao originally thought that when he saw Yang Jia again, he would be able to quickly ask all the questions that were on his mind

What is she doing

The heart, I do not know when it began, beats heavier and heavier, as blood surges into the brain in waves

In the subway station, no trains will stop here anymore, yet there are still many homeless individuals huddled in the corners

What time is it that you are still discussing housing prices with me

However, now following Yang Jia here, one discovers that the lighting is glaringly pale, and it flickers from time to time due to unstable voltage. Whenever a train from the library subway rushes past, the shadows reflected in the windows always give one the impression that their body is being distorted or elongated

Yet she does resemble her mother...

However, Xiao Xiao had not eaten anything all day and was indeed hungry. Seeing that Yang Jia could eat with peace of mind, he also began to eat without hesitation

As parents, who would not be concerned about their children's issues in finding a partner

Yang Jia laughed upon hearing this, her beautiful eyes looking at Xiao Xiao: "Are you still doubting whether the problem lies with yourself?"

"Bang" "Bang" "Bang" "Bang" "Bang"

But after I have introduced you to him, you will no longer think this way

After having dinner, Yang Jia chatted with his mother for a while before politely saying that he needed to go back, asking Xiao Xiao to see him off

... ...

As mother approached closer, the resentment in her eyes became palpable, and everything around began to subtly distort and lose its shape, resembling a nightmare.

Once there was one of us who, unable to endure such falsehood, chose self-destruction. I do not wish for you to follow in his footsteps

Feeling the cold touch of the firearm in his palm, Xiao Xiao was indeed taken aback.

He

Believe in yourself, young man

Additionally

Xiao Xiao remained silent

Who are you

He recalled what Yang Jia had told him before, that it was merely because he had killed Jiang Cheng earlier that this world granted him less than one day's worth of leniency, only to return to a state filled with malice again

After a while, the homeless man slowly lifted the blanket that obscured his head, revealing only a pair of eyes that stared blankly at Yang Jia's stunning face

How to do it

... ...

Yang Jia did not respond, but his expression seemed to have relaxed significantly