Chapter 21 (1/2)
Vivian preparing dinner in the kitchen was a shock to Hao Ren as she was 100% vampire. Look at the life of a vampire shown in TV shows: dressed in a black gown and red cape, living in a 20,000 square meter castle by the sea with plenty of slaves and treasure, a vampire sleeps from 6.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m. A vampire drinks a bottle of 1982 vintage blood once awake and invites other creatures to party in the castle till midnight (this was called a ball); standing on the porch with a glass of red wine, the vampire will enjoy the sight of the moon until its time for bed. This is supposed to be the life of a vampire―exciting and grand but low profile. Apparently, broke Vivian was not part of that list: not only did she not need to drink fresh blood to survive, she could eat the noodles crudely made by Hao Ren. Plus, she was cooking using a stove…
Just thinking about all this was enough to make a person’s jaw drop.
As Vivian served the dishes that she prepared, Hao Ren realized that there were more surprises ahead!
Vivian’s cooking was not bad in general. However, the menu was peculiar: it consisted of stir-fried eggplant with garlic, green beans with minced garlic and noodles tossed with garlic paste―all prepared with the perfect combination of color, aroma and taste. The entire living room was filled with the pungent smell of garlic that Hao Ren felt like he was swimming in a sea of garlic. The so-called vampire was at a corner of the dining table, eating cloves of raw garlic… Even normal humans could not have coped with so much garlic!
Seeing this, Hao Ren and Lily were stunned. Both looked at Vivian from head to toe and simultaneously asked, “Are you really a vampire?”
Vivian’s expression immediately turned serious. “Please refer to me as a member of the Blood Clan. This is a very serious issue…”
“Stop being contentious!” Hao Ren shouted, unable to take in what he just saw. “So vamp….. the Blood Clan is not afraid of garlic? You’re eating garlic like rice!”
Looking at the dishes, Vivian came to understand the situation. “Oh, you meant this? Normal Blood Clan members are not fond of this and lowly vampires can get ill just by the scent of garlic. I’ve no idea why I’m like this… I just know that I’m unafraid of garlic. When life was hard, even getting a meal was an issue. Who would still be picky about the taste of their food?”
Hao Ren was tongue tied; touching his nose he asked, “I’ve been wanting to ask you this. Since you’re a vamp…. Blood Clan member, why are you so broke?”
“I’ve no idea. Ever since I can remember, I haven’t been lucky with money. When currency did not exist I lost things, when shells were used as currency I would lose the shells, when coins were used I’ll would lose the coins. Now, I always lose cash… It’s difficult looking for a job now or run a business. I was determined to rob someone last year but in the end, I took pity on her and gave her six British pounds of my own money instead…” Vivian threw her arms up as if accepting her bad luck which followed her from the past millennium. Whilst talking, a sense of delight flashed across Vivian’s face. Upon searching herself, she found a silver armlet. “I still have some valuable things with me. Look at this armlet. I didn’t have the heart to exchange it for money even when I was at my poorest. I found this armlet, which was made from pure silver in a village in Egypt a few hundred years ago. It even protects one from evil spirits.”
Upon hearing this, Hao Ren was speechless.
Vivian then continued, taking out a necklace from her collar; a cross was dangling from the chain. “I got this near the Vatican when I was living in Europe for some time. I had my purse stolen, I lost my job and the place that I was living in caught fire. I could only work odd jobs in a church as I was penniless. The church priest gave me this as a gift since I was hardworking. He even said he blessed this necklace himself. It can also ward off evil spirits!”
“Then there’s this piece of wood I found near Mount Wutai. It was a gift from an old Taoist priest. It can also ward off evil spirits!”
“Also, I got this amulet from the Vikings a few hundred years ago after I did them a favor. It really works! It wards off evil spirits!”
“I’ve concluded that there’s a pattern: I’ll lose the money that’s with me. However, ever since humans used paper and coins as currency, I’ve never lost any of my other possessions…”
Hao Ren quietly put down his cutlery and pinched himself as hard as possible. Once he confirmed that he was not in a dream, he stared at Vivian and asked, “Please tell me again, are you really a vampire?!”