Chapter 569 (1/2)

When he was at home, Hao Ren had a habit of going out for a stroll. After breakfast, he would take the cat and mooch around town for an hour. Occasionally, he would meet his acquaintances and have a casual chat. For him, this was a blissful life. Although Lily occasionally teased that he was like a retired veteran, Hao Ren could care less because this was the life he enjoyed.

However, ever since Rollie transformed into a human, this daily affair had become less easy. When he took her out for a walk previously, he did not have to worry about the silly cat. He could just let her run loose, and as soon as she had played enough, she would come back up. But now, things were different: in the short distance between his house and Whitestone Road, Hao Ren had dragged the cat girl up from the ground three times in a row, and he even had to pull her head out of a trash bin once…

Hao Ren had been feeling pretty exhausted lately. He adjusted the wide-brim hat on the cat’s head (used to conceal her ears) and said, “When will you learn to live the human lifestyle?”

“I’ve learned it, so you should give me small dried fish. I didn’t get to eat at home!”

Y’zaks was walking in front with his daughter on his shoulder. He heard and smiled. “Didn’t you say you wanted to let Rollie go to Aerym in the future? Why are you still bringing her along?”

“Only if she can stay put at home first.” Hao Ren sighed helplessly. “She’ll follow whoever’s going out. If she doesn’t get her way, she’ll scratch the door, or gnaw at the curtains. So instead of letting her go out with Lily and getting herself into trouble, I’ll take care of her personally.”

The cat girl tilted her head, listening. She had actually been showing a little more understanding in recent days. At the very least, she already knew that her demeanor was causing trouble for her master. So, she tried to observe, albeit with the intelligence of a cat. She squatted next to Hao Ren and began to rub his leg. “Big Boss Cat, you’re happy, right? You guys are really troublesome…”

Hao Ren was speechless.

Mooching about near the south of Whitestone Road, there were more people coming out for their morning walk. That aside, the population of the Southern Suburbs had been declining. Whitestone Road and the back-alley business street were the only places with more crowds. Everyone sort of knew one another in this little town, so it was not a surprise that Hao Ren would bump into someone he knew. “Hao Ren, I heard that you were on a business trip two days ago?”

And there were also those who were braver, or just had a somewhat stronger taste. They would be the ones to greet Y’zaks. “Daquan, just got out of the slammer again?”

Basically, those in the second category were local old ladies.

Of course, they were just joking. Although Y’zaks had caused a lot of trouble in the Southern Suburbs when he first arrived, a year later he had become rather well-known by the locals on Whitestone Road. The elderlies in the neighborhood all knew the big guy with a vicious face but good nature. They had let down their guard after several cautious encounters with him. Y’zaks had been helpful to the neighbors by carrying their cooking gas cylinders, moving a truck-load of bricks, repairing their houses and things like that. He had successfully integrated into the social circle in the Southern Suburbs; considering his notorious face, it was an epic achievement for him.

Naturally, occasional misunderstandings were still inevitable. There were still people who would call the police when they saw a big guy like Y’zaks for the first time, but one could not blame them. When Hao Ren first brought Y’zaks out, calls to the police station spiked by at least 50 %, so after several misunderstandings like that, the first thing the old ladies on Whitestone Road uttered when they saw Y’zaks was always, “Just got out of the slammer again?”

Sitting on Y’zaks’ shoulders, Y’lisabet giggled. “My dad is so awe-inspiring wherever he goes!”

Y’zaks laughed and could not help but turn to look at Hao Ren. “Looks do matter, eh?”

At this time, the four of them arrived in front of the grocery store at the intersection. Hao Ren looked up and saw the chubby boss sweeping away the water on the road as the road was flooded and its drainage holes were submerged in water. Hao Ren greeted him from a distance. “Hi Boss, washed your car?”

“No, it’s the water pipe. It burst again!” Sweat ran down the chubby boss’ forehead as he waved at Hao Ren. “This has happened three times in two days. Something’s wrong with the pumping station. Sometimes there’s no water, sometimes the pressure becomes so high that it just overwhelms the valve.”

A diner who was having breakfast in a nearby stall looked up and said, “At least the pipes around here still flow. My house has gone without water for two days. The strange thing is, my neighbors are still getting water. So, I have no choice but to eat out.”

“Could it be that the water pipe in your house is clogged?” Hao Ren swiftly answered. “You’re all getting water from the same main pipe. It’s impossible that you’re the only one without water.”

“God knows what’s going on. It’s not even winter yet, so the pipeline wouldn’t be frozen. Anyway, things have been abnormal lately. When I turn on the tap, I can hear the water flowing in the pipe, but nothing comes out. My brother’s coming by to check it out tomorrow. He’s a plumber.”