Chapter 266 - Na San, Again (1/2)
At first, I could not recognize who the stranger was. It was only when my eyes fell upon that dirty and crumpled shirt that used to be mine, then I knew who he was: Na San!
He looked just as soiled and haggard as a farmer, with that shirt of mine that looked as if it could do with a washing that it has been owed since I gave it to him last time we met. Nevertheless, Na San seemed to love it very much. Despite the many stain marks, there were two parts where he had patched it up meticulously. His hands caught some oil when he grabbed the chair and when he was about to just flippantly wipe his hands on his shirt, he paused, only to reach further down and wipe the oil of his pants instead.
I was rather surprised at his unbidden arrival and he noticed my puzzled expression. With an abashed smile, he croaked sheepishly. “Urm… Greetings, Young Lordling.” His voice was just as raspy as ever like a broken tin gong.
Edelweiss and Lin Feng began to notice him too, and they looked just as surprised as I was to see him. But knowing what happened to him the last time he came to my home, they were neither afraid nor apprehensive of him. The race between Big Sister and Chongxi was still ongoing with a white-hot intensity that they did not even realize that we had a guest.
The owner of the restaurant came back out of the kitchens, carrying some ribs, chicken wings, and sausages. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Na San and quietly, he asked, “A friend, Shiyan?” I saw Na San blushing with embarrassment and answered, “Yep. A friend. He’s in construction, so he doesn’t really care much about appearances. I hope you won’t mind.” The proprietor smiled at Na San apologetically. “Oh, apologies, young man. Apologies. I did not know you are a friend of Shiyan’s.” Na San could only manage a weak smile, saying nothing.
As the restaurateur turned to leave, I fished up some barbecue skewers and stuffed them into Na San’s hand. “Something wrong between you and him?” I asked, nudging my chin at the leaving figure of the restaurant owner. Na San gulped hard and clenched the sticks of meat in his hand and began gnawing them hungrily. After finishing them, he wiped the grease off his mouth and said, “To be truthful, Dear Lordling, it has been days since I last had a meal.” I nodded, gesturing him to dig in. He must be so starving that he looked just as voracious as Chongxi and Big Sister.
Chewing his food, Na San told us what happened, “Well, when I came just now, the owner mistook me as a beggar and he refused to let me in. So instead of coming in here to wait for you, I could only wait outside.” “Wait for me?” I uttered and Lin Feng tensed at once, growling warily, “How did you know we’re coming here?” Na San smiled benignly. “Shamans like me can still communicate with the kin of the Wudaxians even if we’re within the China Proper. The mice told me you’d be here, Young Lordling.” I nodded again with an “Oh” and asked, “So, what brings you here? How’s your prince?”
Na San was just finishing the last barbecue skewer in his hand when I popped the question and he stood to his feet abruptly, his face sullen and gloomy. Then, without a word, he fell to his knees before me, surprising everyone in the restaurant especially me since every pair of eyes in the restaurant immediately trained upon us. None of us knew what was going on and even Chongxi and Big Sister paused from their race, staring bewilderedly at Na San.
The rambunctious clamor in the restaurant immediately died down. “What’s with this dirty beggar?” A voice asked, “Wait, isn’t that Murong Shiyan, the famous medium from that paranormal agency? Is the beggar begging him for forgiveness?” “Come on, don’t tell me you don’t know about that open secret? They say Murong Shiyan has supernatural abilities… That beggar must be possessed and now is apprehended by him!”
The hushed buzzing around me was enough to make my face flushed completely red. This is the price of being famous, I suppose… Some of the other customers were already taking out their phones to record videos or take photos. I rushed forward and took Na San’s arm to help him up, but he flung my arm away and knocked his head on the floor, the dull thud sounding extraordinarily ringing and clear in the silence backdrop inside the restaurant, eliciting suppressed waves of wows and oohs from everyone around us.
“God!” Lin Feng slapped his forehead and said, “And that’s another one for the headlines tomorrow!” Xiao Yu and Yuanyuan were utterly flabbergasted, still hardly grasping what was going on since this was the first time they saw Na San. To them, he looked no more than a pitifully demented tramp. The soft-hearted Xiao Yu poked Chongxi in the ribs. “Help him up please! He looks so awful!” Yuanyuan, however, sounded more cavalier. “Leave him be,” she said, “Look, none of Shiyan and Edelweiss are doing anything yet! Relax!”