Chapter Volume 2, Legend of a Hero 4: Under the Wailing, the Hated Hero (2/2)

The young master nodded his head. Thus, after helping pour both the young master and Briar a glass of milk, I went out to buy groceries. Though I could not serve the young master, my worries were much lighter than before I had gone to sleep. Briar seemed much more mature than her actual age, and the young master seemed to be very fond of her too. With her around, the young master should not have any problems.

The moment I stepped out of the door, the cell phone on my body started ringing. The name shown on the display was “Bodyguard Captain.” I answered the call, and immediately Mr. Bramble’s voice came through. “Young Master… No! How’s Briar?”

I told him the truth, “Bri is currently chatting with the young master while doing her homework.”

“Then… how is it? Happy?”

I smiled, and intentionally inquired, “Are you asking about Bri? Yes, she looks very happy.”

“Then is the young master happy… Cough! The young master doesn’t dislike Bri, right?”

“Nothing of the sort. The young master seems to like Bri very much.”

“That’s good. That’s all I wanted to ask. You can go and be busy with your own stuff!”

After hearing Bramble murmur, “I just knew that Bri, that child, wouldn’t let me down,” the connection was cut. At this point, my mood suddenly turned extremely good.

Only the young master’s subordinates?

Mr. Bramble, your words are really not convincing at all.

The most troublesome aspect of curry is the spices used for seasoning.

That is because everybody has different likes, and hence different spices would be used for seasoning. Therefore, my honorable father only taught me the most basic ingredients at that time. Then, he told me that I have to mix the seasoning according to the master’s tastes.

The young master likes food that is heavy and leaning towards sweet, and Briar is also still a child. Therefore, I intended to make honey apple curry. Both of them should like it.

After buying the various spices around the supermarket, I walked to the market.

Among the people coming and going, some looked at me with wide eyes. These were mostly people who caught sight of me for the first time. There were also people who smiled and nodded at me, and I naturally returned a smile to them. Following that were the various vendors that I was extremely familiar with.

Ever since I had become the young master’s butler, I had always bought from this market. When I had first started, everyone had looked at me with strange looks. Probably it was because of the fact that I was wearing splendid clothes. However, after I had bought five catties of pork from the pork stall, everyone became completely relaxed.

It was even at the point where, after I had come here to buy ingredients several times, several stall-keepers came to chat with me out of curiosity.

I walked to the stall selling chicken and asked with a smile, “May I ask if there is any good chicken today?”

The chicken vendor was a tall and strong young man who had just taken over his father’s stall not long ago. However, he had a good eye for chicken, and he was outspoken and honest while doing business—a very decent young man. While he was chopping the chicken, he raised his head up and exclaimed, “Oh! Charles, you’re here! You’re pretty late today!”

“Yes, I was delayed for a bit.”

“Today’s chickens are not big, and seeing that huge appetite of your family, you’ll probably need five chickens or there won’t be enough.” His eyes narrowed, and then he whispered to me, “If you introduce your family’s little sister to me, then these five chickens can be treated as a welcome gift!”

“That would not do. My older brother would scold me to no end.” I rejected his offer naturally. That is because at home, I absolutely did not have any sisters to introduce to him.

For a man to go to the market often and buy so much food at once while always wearing splendid clothes, it is inevitable that it would attract a lot of attention. Thus, under everyone’s endless, curious inquiries, I too spun a lot of stories to answer them. For example, there were twelve children at home, and due to our mother’s early demise, as the second brother, I had to cook for the children at home when my father and older brother were out working.

Ever since I had offhandedly fabricated the lies of having a younger fifth sister who is currently twenty years old and looks very cute, having an eighteen years old younger brother who looks very much like me, and having an older brother who had just obtained his civil service qualification and is much better looking than me, I could always get an extremely cheap price.

The reason being that every stall vendor would want me to introduce my older brother, my younger brother, or my younger sister to them. As to which one the chicken vendor wanted to get the most acquainted with, that was the “twenty years old, cute younger fifth sister” of mine.

“Please give me five chickens.” After saying that, I added on, “My little sister likes to eat chicken the most. She loves fresh and tender chicken meat, so…”

“No problem!” The chicken vendor straightforwardly said, “I’ll definitely give you the best and most tender chicken! When you have time, introduce your younger sister to me!”

“Thank you.” I avoided as the topic by saying, “Today I am making curry, so please help me cut—“

“You there, don’t move!”

There came a shout from behind me. I stilled. Originally, I did not think the shout was directed at me. However, the shocked expression on the chicken vendor told me… that it was indeed directed at me. Moreover, it probably was not anything good.

“Put down everything in your hands! Then slowly turn around.”

I did as he said and put all of the plastic bags in my hands onto the stall of the chicken vendor. Following that, I turned around. What appeared in front of me was a man wearing a police uniform and who was pointing his gun at me. Moreover, his face… He was the policeman who had appeared on today’s morning news, scolding Dark Sun!

“May I ask—” I was extremely puzzled as I opened my mouth.

“Shut up!” The policeman roared, “You vampire, there is no place for you to speak here!”

I was startled. How did he know that I am a vampire?

The policeman glanced at the stall selling chicken and was full of confidence as he said, “You’re buying chicken so that you can go back and suck on its blood?”

“It is for making curry rice.” I gave a forced smile as I said, “Mr. Policeman, to kill a chicken, you have to bleed it first. Whether I am a vampire or not, it is impossible for the chickens being sold here to have any blood for me to suck.”

Hearing that, the policeman looked dumbfounded. The surrounding vendors and spectators started laughing under their breath one-by-one.

“Mr. Policeman, I am not a vampire.” I tried saying, “You can ask the vendors around here. I come here every day to buy ingredients. If I am a vampire, then it is not quite possible that I would do that, right? What I am saying is, do not vampires drink blood for survival? But, there is no blood being sold in the market.”

The surrounding vendors started clamoring.

“Charles has been coming here to buy groceries for a long time already!”

“You gave me such a fright. What vampire, it’s still broad daylight right now!”

“Mr. Policeman, don’t malign the wrong person!”

Hearing that, the policeman’s confidence seemed to waver, but he still put up a bold face as he said, “Who said there isn’t? Isn’t there still chicken’s blood, duck’s blood, and pig’s blood cake?”

I started laughing, and all of the surrounding vendors started roaring in laughter too. If vampires could eat their fill on chicken’s blood, duck’s blood, and pig’s blood cake, then probably humans would not be that afraid of us anymore, would they?

The policeman’s face flushed red, and he growled, “Why are you all laughing? Y-You, take off your hat and your coat. Wearing such thick layers, you definitely have to be a vampire who is scared of the light.”

Before I even had the chance to speak up, the chicken vendor behind me had already shouted in a loud voice, “Mr. Policeman, you can’t do that! Charles is allergic to light. If he removes them, he will die!”

As for being allergic to light, of course it was also one of the lies that I had fabricated. However, the truth was that quite a long time ago, patients who were allergic to light had really been thought of and treated as vampires. Of course, in this age where medical technology is so advanced, there is no such matter anymore.

I looked at the policeman with an apologetic look.

Actually, it would be fine even if I took off my hat and my clothes. The sunlight would indeed make me feel uncomfortable. However, not showing any peculiar symptoms for a short period of time is not hard at all, especially since it was evening at the moment and the sunlight was not strong. However, due to the lie that I fabricated about being “allergic to light,” I could not obey the policeman’s orders.

The policeman frowned, and then his left hand, which was not holding the gun, dug into his chest pockets, taking out an antique cross.

“Don’t move!”

“As you wish.” I raised both of my hands up, expressing that I had no evil intentions.

He walked over cautiously, the gun in his hands still pointing at me. When he was about a step’s distance away from me, he stuck the cross onto my face, and he had even used quite a bit of strength to press it onto my face. I could only give a forced smile at him.

Thankfully, this policeman only had a superficial knowledge of vampires. The cross that he held was made of silver, and vampires were indeed afraid of silver. However, he did not seem to know that silver has to come into contact with a vampire’s blood for it to have any effect.

Moreover, we are actually not afraid of the cross.

The cross was just like a police’s badge. It does not have any practical use. If a vampire really were afraid of the cross, he would be afraid of the “Church” that the cross represents and not the cross itself.

“Are you really not a vampire?” The policeman hesitated for a moment, and then put away both the cross and the gun. He muttered, “It doesn’t make sense. What you’re wearing is obviously the same as what the vampire wore last night.”

So the source of the problem was the clothes. I had a sudden glimpse of realization, and felt that I was simply too careless.

The policeman looked at me with suspicion, sizing me up. He asked, “What is your name?”

“Charles, Charles Endelis.”

“Charles, is it? Take me to your house!” The policeman looked immensely pleased with himself as he concluded, “As long as I go to your house, I would definitely know whether or not you are a vampire!”

Follow a vampire back home?

This was simply not a good idea. If I were not a butler and was merely a vampire, I would perhaps consider bringing this policeman back home and biting him to death. This way, not only would I be able to get rid of someone who was suspicious of me, I could also eat my fill as well.

It is a pity that I am a butler, and I do not want to dirty the young master’s home either; thus, I cannot execute this plan that is so attractive to vampires.

“Then, may I inquire if I may pick up these groceries and also buy some chicken?” I gave a wry smile as I said, “My younger siblings at home are still waiting for me to go home and cook!”

The policeman waved his hand impatiently. “Hurry up!”

I helplessly told the chicken vendor, “Please help me chop the chicken, and please be quick.”

“Cooking curry rice, right? I got it!” The chicken vendor found it funny as he chopped the chicken while speaking, and he even joked, “Do you want to conveniently buy some chicken blood to take home to drink, Mr. Vampire?” I could only smile wryly at him.

Not too long later, I carried a few bags of vegetables and two bags of chopped chicken and started to walk back home alongside the policeman.

“A grown man, yet you’re buying groceries?” The policeman said to me in disapproval and then snatched the two bags of chicken from my hands.

“Thank you, Mr. Policeman.” I was a little surprised, for I did not think that he would help me carry my items.

“Sigh! What Mr. Policeman. I’m called Yue Gang. Hey! You still haven’t answered me!”

“About what?”

Yue Gang glanced at the plastic bags in my hands, and then asked me in doubt, “Why is a grown man like you buying so many groceries?”

“It is like this.”

I could only talk once again about my mother’s early demise, my father and big brother who are out at work, along with my younger siblings who are waiting to be fed with cries of hunger…

Once Yue Gang finished listening to my story, he immediately scratched his head furiously, and with a face that implied “what a pity,” he said, “Tch! The eldest girl is only twenty years old. That’s a bit too young. I’m already twenty eight.”

I broke into a smile. This policeman called Yue Gang might unexpectedly be someone who the young master would say is “interesting.”

When I returned home, though I had the key, I intentionally rang the doorbell.

After waiting for a moment, the door was pulled open and the young master poked his head out. He looked at me, a little confused, and started to say, “Char—”

I immediately interrupted the young master’s words and smiled as I said, “I am back. Ah Ye, did you obediently help me look after the place? Did you look after your sister without letting her run around wildly? Has both Father and Dàgē not returned yet?”

The young master paused for only an extremely short moment before he switched his tone, and his voice became slightly child-like as he said, “Charles-gē, you’re back! I’m so hungry. Hurry and cook curry rice for me!”

Briar had also walked over. I was just worrying whether she would be unable to coordinate with us, or if she would let this whole ruse fall apart, when her set of large eyes darted around to look at the situation. Then, she threw herself at me, shouting, “Gēge! Bri is also really hungry. Curry! Curry!”

I turned around, and with a faint smile, said, “Mr. Yue Gang, please come in and have a seat?”

“No!” Yue Gang was a little embarrassed as he said, “There’s no need. I misunderstood! However…”

He suddenly lowered his voice to a whisper, “Is your younger fifth sister home?”

It seems that everyone is extremely interested in that cute ”younger fifth sister” of mine… I gave a forced smile as I said, “She is in university at the moment and will only be back on the weekends.”

“Is that so… Then I’m heading off!”

He looked extremely disappointed. Once he finished speaking, he instantly turned around to leave. However, following that, he stopped in his tracks and looked behind me with a skeptical look… When I turned my head, I saw that Mr. Bramble, Dell, and May were walking over. The three of them were looking at Yue Gang with a bewildered and alert look.

“Father, you sure got off work today early. Did you climb up the stairs again?” I quickly called to Mr. Bramble in a loud voice and then turned around to introduce to Yue Gang, “That is my father, my younger third brother, and my younger fourth brother.”

Yue Gang gave a sigh, “What a big family! It’s really rare to see one nowadays.”

“Yes, it is very rare indeed.”

He looked suspiciously at Dell and May, and then looked at me again. He asked, “But, why do your two younger brothers look older than you?”

I was speechless. I had completely forgotten that though Dell’s and May’s ages are much younger than mine, appearance-wise, they perhaps might look older than me. However, I was not able to confirm this for I rarely had any chance to see my own appearance.

Since the lie had already been spoken, I could only forcefully say, “They just happen to look a bit more mature.”

The young master and Briar started laughing quietly.

“Is there a guest?” Mr. Bramble walked over, not batting an eyelid as he asked, “Why didn’t you invite him in to sit down? What a lack of manners!”

“Yes, my humble apologies.”

“You lad, did you get addicted to being a waiter?!” Bramble knocked my head, and then reprimanded, “Do you speak to your father like this?”

“Ah… I am sorry, my honorable fathe—Father!” I hurriedly changed my words, for I had nearly made another mistake.

Mr. Bramble looked at Yue Gang, and then courteously said, “Are you Charles’s friend? Please come in and take a seat.”

“No, no!” Yue Gang hurriedly waved his hand and shouted, “I really have to go! My apologies for mistaking you as a vampire! Goodbye!”

“It is okay.” I answered with a smile, and at the same time felt the gaze of everyone looking at me through the corner of their eyes… as though they were asking me, “Mistaking?”

Yue Gang walked over to the elevator. I was about to heave a sigh of relief, thinking that this whole farce was finally ending, when the elevator doors opened. Another person walked out from the elevator… It was Head Butler Kyle!

As always, Mr. Kyle carried his computer case. He walked out of the elevator, and just happened to brush past Yue Gang as he walked by. Yue Gang did not step into the elevator, but instead turned around and gazed at Mr. Kyle in doubt.

Mr. Kyle looked straight at the young master and started to say, “Yo—”

Once his words were out, everyone’s faces changed. Other than Mr. Bramble, all of the others shouted together, “Dàgē! You’re finally back!”

Mr. Kyle froze.

“Dàgē.” The young master dashed up to him and snatched Mr. Kyle’s computer case, even trying to curry favor with him as he said, “You have worked hard today!”

Mr. Kyle looked at everyone and pushed his glasses. Then, his tone became gentler as he asked, “What’s wrong? Why is everyone gathered at the door? Oh, Father, you have gotten off work too? That’s early. Also, Charles, have you started cooking yet?”

He had looked at Mr. Bramble and me while saying the last few lines. What a powerful person, to be able to understand the situation in such a short period of time, and even the “family relations?” No wonder he is the head butler.

“Y-Yes! There wasn’t overtime today.” Mr. Bramble’s answer was a little forced. I assume that it was obviously not an easy task for him to treat this “higher-higher-higher-higher-up” as a son.

At this moment, Yue Gang stepped into the elevator and shouted loudly, “I’ll be leaving first! If I have time, I’ll come and find you to drink some tea together! Charles-xiǎodì!”

Little brother? I waved goodbye to him while giving a forced smile. First, it was youngster. Now, it is little brother, but my age is obviously much older than everyone else at the scene by a hundred years and more. This really makes me not know whether to correct them or to accept it silently.

Once the elevator doors shut completely, I immediately bowed and apologized to Mr. Kyle. “My sincere apologies, Head Butler Kyle.”

Mr. Kyle returned to his expressionless face, and in a formal and flat tone, replied, “I’m a secretary, not a butler. Please remember this, ‘Charles-dìdi.‘”

I froze and then put on an expression as though I had received good advice as I answered, “Yes, Secretary Kyle. My apologies for making you lie along with us.”

“Hahaha!”

A sudden burst of laughter was heard, and this laugh was…the young master’s voice. Following that was a burst of laughter that sounded like silver bells. Among all the people at the scene, only Briar would have a laugh like that. My waist was still bent, and hence I could only use the corner of my eyes to look. I saw both the young master and Briar currently hugging each other, and they were laughing very hard and loudly.

In the end, both Dell, May, and even Mr. Bramble started laughing.

Within the sound of everyone’s laughter, Mr. Kyle too showed a faint smile. He pushed his glasses up his nose, and then naturally said, “It’s no problem, as long as the young master is happy.”

Hearing that, I straightened my back, and looked at the young master.

The young master was really laughing very happily. He was giggling with Briar and looked just like an overgrown child. The oppressive atmosphere from this morning was already completely gone.

The young master roared in laughter, clutching his stomach. When his laughter ceased for a moment, he looked at me, and promptly burst into an even bigger laughing fit. As he laughed, he said, “C-Charles, you really are very interesting! Dell, May, why aren’t you all calling your Charles-gē?”

May glanced at Mr. Kyle and then obediently called me “Charles-gē.” Dell did not look at Mr. Kyle at all but immediately said in a wheedling tone, “Charles-gēge! There’s only half an hour to dinner time, are you still not going to cook?”

Though I felt very helpless about always being addressed as youngster and little brother, to be truly addressed as big brother made me feel even more helpless.

The young master abruptly said, “Bramble-shū, you have to call him too!”

“What?” Mr. Bramble received a huge shock and said in disbelief, “I have to call him brother too?”

This really was something that made me feel extremely horrified too, even though my age was enough for me to be Mr. Bramble’s grandfather or the like.

“Of course not!” The young master replied as though it was to be expected, “You should call him son!”

Mr. Bramble was speechless for a while. After Mr. Kyle coughed twice, he stroked my head and said sincerely, “My good son, hurry and go cook.”

“… Yes.”

The young master gave a “Pffft” and then started laughing again. He and Briar took turns to laugh and call each other “Gēge” and “Mèimei.”

At this moment, I saw the same message appear on everyone’s faces:

As long as the young master is happy.