The case here was almost concluded, leaving little else to be done.
Xiao Yu’s tense nerves had finally begun to relax over the past few days. However, her curiosity about Guo Xuyang had only grown.
To be able to stand there for a moment and know there was a hidden passage under the bed seemed too miraculous.
Also, he hadn't spoken to the old man at all, so how did he know that all it took was to get the old man to talk for the truth of the case to surface?
She was right; she was indeed becoming more and more curious about this man, Guo Xuyang.
Curiosity killed the cat, and it wasn't necessarily a good thing for a woman to become curious about a man.
Recalling her promise to Guo Xuyang, she decided to keep this curiosity to herself.
Guo Xuyang, unaware that Xiao Yu was still pondering him, slept soundly in his hotel.
When he opened his eyes, it was already past eleven o'clock at night.
Even though he had woken up late, his body’s needs still had to be met.
He got up and ambled his way to Old Street.
Old Street was quite famous, and he had visited it frequently during the three months he was selling his house.
It was here that the city’s renowned snacks gathered: duck intestines, blood curd, grilled sausages, salt-baked duck, and more. His personal favorite was the rice noodles here. While not as famous as Yunnan’s Crossing the Bridge Noodles, their taste was indeed excellent.
He arrived at a particular eatery and called out to the owner.
“Boss, a large bowl of rice noodles, a portion of crispy tofu, a small bowl of wontons, and a bottle of beer. Hurry, I’m starving.”
“Coming right up. It’s been a while since I last saw you!” the owner greeted him and asked.
“I went to the provincial capital with friends to develop my career. Today, I returned specifically because I missed your rice noodles,” Guo Xuyang said with a casual smile.
“That’s great! The provincial capital offers more opportunities and is better than here,” the owner replied, serving the rice noodles and crispy tofu. He then opened the beer and handed it over.
“Yeah, it’s okay. Just making do for now,” Guo Xuyang said, his hands not stopping. He finished more than half of the crispy tofu quickly and slurped down all the rice noodles. Only then did he feel a little more comfortable.
Having supernatural abilities was good, but it was also very draining. After the ordeals of the past few days, he felt the need to strengthen his body.
He wondered if there were any abilities that enhanced physical strength. He would think about it after finishing his meal.
He chatted with the owner about this and that. It was late autumn, and the nights were getting colder. There weren’t many people around.
Just then, a drunken man staggered towards them from a distance.
He stumbled with every step, taking three steps forward and three steps back, holding a wine bottle in his hand.
He didn’t look too old. One wondered what had happened to make him drink to such an extent.
He reached the embankment of the moat, looking for a place to sit and rest. However, he lost his balance and tumbled down.
Guo Xuyang and the owner saw it clearly. They rushed over quickly, but in the blink of an eye, the man had disappeared.
The moat was pitch black in the early hours of the morning, and nothing could be seen. The man had vanished without a sound.
Guo Xuyang focused his gaze and saw that the drunk man had lost consciousness and was slowly sinking.
He called out to the owner of the rice noodle shop, asking him to quickly find a rope.
A rope was readily available, the one used for tying the sun umbrella. The owner brought it over.
Guo Xuyang tied one end of the rope around himself and asked the owner to hold the other end. He instructed the owner to pull hard when he called from below, as he might not be able to rescue the drunk man alone.
Stripped down to just his shorts, he plunged into the icy river water.
By this time, the drunk man had already sunk to the bottom of the moat, showing no signs of activity.
Guo Xuyang focused his gaze, searching carefully, avoiding weeds and debris, and pulled the drunk man to the surface.
Guo Xuyang shouted, “Boss, pull!”
Together, he and the owner rescued the drunk man.
The drunk man appeared to be asleep, his breathing shallow. He had likely fainted from the fall, thus not swallowing any water.
The two men worked together to carry the drunk man into the shop.
Guo Xuyang placed the drunk man face down on a table and gave his back a firm slap. The drunk man opened his mouth and vomited all the contents of his stomach.
Anyone who has ever been drunk knows that taste.
The drunk man slightly opened his eyes, turned his head, and then vomited again.
The owner placed an ash mat under the vomit, but the stench intermittently wafted into their noses, causing Guo Xuyang to also regurgitate the rice noodles he had just eaten.
Fortunately, it was night. Otherwise, the owner’s business for the day would have been forced to close.
After a bout of vomiting, the drunk man regained a little consciousness, but soaked all over, he began to shiver.
The owner decided to go all out. He stripped the man completely, tucked him into his own bed, and wrapped him tightly in a quilt.
Guo Xuyang couldn’t help but look at the owner with renewed respect. It was truly not easy to do something like this for a complete stranger.
“Brother, let me get you a cup of hot water. Warm yourself up,” the owner said, going to fetch a cup of hot water and handing it to Guo Xuyang along with a towel.
“Thank you, boss!” Guo Xuyang took the towel, wiped himself down, and then put on his clothes.
“Thanks to you, brother. Without you, this person would have been in grave danger today,” the owner said, giving him a thumbs-up.
“Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. It was the right thing to do. Boss, you are truly benevolent. Few people would act as you have.”
“I’m still far behind you, little brother.”
The two chatted idly, waiting for the drunk man to slowly wake up.
Anyone who has been drunk knows that regaining sobriety is not an immediate process.
“Boss, you’ve been working here for quite a few years, haven’t you?” Guo Xuyang asked.
“About twenty years, I suppose. Back then, this area wasn’t as bustling. It was mostly people from out of town and street vendors who came here to eat. With the development over the years, this Old Street has become increasingly prosperous, and various snacks have emerged. I still stick to my old recipes, and people generally recognize my small shop. Business is decent.”
“Where are your children working now?”
“Both are in the provincial capital. The elder one is my son. He’s married, graduated from university, and settled in the provincial capital. His wife is his college classmate. They just had a chubby grandson this year, and my wife went to help look after him. Now I’m the only one busy in the shop.”
“The younger one is my daughter. She also found a job in the provincial capital, I think at some real estate company. I’m not too clear on the specifics.
The siblings have been urging me to move to the provincial capital, asking me to sell this little shop and enjoy my retirement there.
I was born and raised here. This is my home, my roots, and I have no desire to leave.
But both my children are in the provincial capital, and they worry about me being here alone, so they want me to join them. I’m still undecided.”