One hundred and forty-third page Li Family Members (Part One)
Since the message had to go through such a roundabout way, it’s likely that Sister Qiūluó and Senior Jiànlián have been waiting for some time at the underground parking lot.
I asked, “Does the shopkeeper know what they want with me?”
“Even I don’t know. Xiaoqing told me all this. Sister Qiūluó specifically requested that you go down alone.”
“Just me alone?”
I looked towards Senior Lóngkuí, who nodded slightly in affirmation.
“Yes, Sister Qiūluó made it very clear.”
Judging from this, Cherry Sauce’s guess is likely correct. It’s probably because Senior Jiànlián’s sacred mark has run out, and I need to go down and replenish it so he can participate in the competition as Senior Chāngpú.
“I understand. Then I’ll go down first.”
As I turned to leave, Shopkeeper Shēnyáng stopped me again.
“Hold on, do you know where the parking spots are? Are you just going down like this?”
This was indeed a problem.
Finding someone in such a large parking lot is no easy task.
“I’m not sure.”
I shook my head and asked back, “Did Sister Qiūluó tell you?”
“I didn’t even get her call. I know nothing about it.”
Although he and Old Man Tuōhǎi are brothers, their personalities are quite different. No wonder they rarely interact despite running shops in the same underground street…
“It’s fine if you don’t know. I recognize Sister Qiūluó’s car, I’ll just check one by one. If I can’t find it, I’ll call her directly.”
“This is a shared parking lot for several malls. It’s much larger than the Balance Night Market. Can you find it just by remembering the car model?”
“What should I do then?”
The bald shopkeeper pulled his sunglasses down and stared directly into my eyes.
“Sister Qiūluó likes to park near the exit. Although the parking lot is large, there is only one exit.”
Thinking it was a good idea, I realized I was just making things harder for myself.
“Why don’t I call and ask for the parking spot number?”
——————
B1==》B2
——————
Sister Qiūluó only asked me to come alone.
Though I didn’t know why, I went to the underground parking lot alone.
“Wow, it’s huge! Did they dig out the whole underground here?”
— “Didn’t the shopkeeper say? This connects to the underground levels of several malls. It’s definitely large.”
I’ve been to the central parking lot of the commercial area before. The Balance Food Company is an older area. I thought the old parking lots would be smaller than those of new shopping centers. But when I got down here, I found it was actually much larger.
Not only large but also complex.
Like the underground commercial street connecting multiple malls, this parking lot consists of several interconnected underground spaces. Although spacious, the roads are very intricate.
— “It was built earlier. Back then, parking lots were just part of the mall facilities, and no one recognized their commercial value. So these malls merged their underground spaces. Who knew today the parking lot would become a major source of income? New shopping centers have independent parking lots to keep profits within the family.”
Following Master Turtle’s advice, I should head to the parking lot exit now. But in the vast underground space, I lost my sense of direction. I couldn’t tell east from west, and I couldn’t read the confusing signs. Everywhere looked the same, like a reused dungeon in a Japanese RPG.
In a blink, I couldn’t even find the elevator to go back up.
Maybe I should call Sister Qiūluó.
— “What phone call? Even with your directionally challenged nature, you wouldn’t find the spot even if you had the number. Let me handle it!”
Cherry Sauce took control of the body and confidently headed in a specific direction.
My consciousness retreated, enjoying the convenience of intelligent navigation and self-driving.
— “You’re quite self-aware. Being able to merge with me, an excellent semi-soul, is a great honor for you!”
Cherry Sauce never misses a chance to mock me.
This state of “dual consciousness” could continue for a while. At least I’d always have someone to chat with.
— “I thought so too, but it’s impossible. I can only fully merge or disappear. There’s no option to maintain the status quo… Found it.”
It wasn’t the exit, but Cherry Sauce found Sister Qiūluó’s MPV right away.
As the shopkeeper said, the car was parked right at the exit spot.
— “Navigation complete.”
Cherry Sauce returned control of the body to me.
Knock knock—
I knocked on the driver’s door. The window slid down a bit, and Sister Qiūluó’s bright, alert eyes stared at me.
“You’re slow. Get in… hurry up!”
Click, the rear door unlocked.
But I wasn’t going to accept this baseless accusation. I immediately replied, “I came down as soon as I got the message. You didn’t call or tell me the spot, so I managed to find it…”
But when I opened the rear door, I froze.
Besides Senior Jiànlián, there was a clean but somewhat aged middle-aged man in the passenger seat. In the back, there were five little girls around ten years old…
No, wait.
Four little girls and one young boy. The boy was quite cute, maybe giving him a small dress would be a good idea.
It’s easy to guess that they are the mother and the remaining five siblings. No wonder Sister Qiūluó wanted me to come alone; if more people came, there wouldn’t be enough space.
Adjusting the seats, they made room for me to get in. Senior Jiànlián formally greeted me, “Long time no see, Junior Cháng Kǎi. You look relaxed. Have you finished this month’s targets?”
He held a tiny, about four or five-year-old girl in his arms.
“Yes, everything went smoothly. Thank you for your concern.”
Under the watchful eyes of five pairs of little eyes, I climbed into the car. The first little girl in the backseat said, “You’re so pretty, Sister!”
“You’re cute too! But I’m actually a brother!”
“Brother?”
Correcting the mistake, she widened her surprised little eyes and looked at my prosthetic breast… The other siblings didn’t speak, but their reactions were similar.
“Hey! Don’t mess with my younger brother and sister’s worldview!”
Sister Qiūluó turned around and scolded, “How many sisters have you been? Why can’t you be a sister to me?”
“It’s wrong to force a boy to be a sister!”
“You yourself are quite a worldview destroyer.”
“Can’t you be a bit nicer to me?”
Not long ago, she mentioned repaying me for saving her father. Now, she’s back to being sarcastic.
The little girl in Senior Jiànlián’s arms poked my insensitive prosthetic breast and then put her finger in her mouth.
“Senior, your sister is kind of cute!”
I patted her hair and asked, “So, are you all going on a picnic?”
The second little girl in the backseat answered, “We’re having a picnic in the park!”
“In winter… having a picnic?”
No wonder the car smelled smoky. They probably ate barbecue at noon.
Sister Qiūluó said loudly, “Winter parks have barbecue areas too. Prices are cheaper. Today the sun is nice, not too cold, and we save money while having fun. What’s wrong with that?”
“If any of the kids get sick from this, it’s your responsibility.”
“Hmph, our Li family kids aren’t that delicate.”
I bet she herself came up with this terrible idea.
Although there are no expensive medical bills, raising seven children and supporting their education is still a significant expense. Relying solely on the mother and the eldest sister’s income barely covers the costs, leaving little for family activities…
Compared to my pessimism about the Li family’s situation, Cherry Sauce is optimistic.
— “Next year, when Li Jiànlián gets into college, she can continue working part-time to ease the family’s burden. If she goes to a local university, she can work as a maid at the Kamehameha, solving both tuition fees and household expenses… You don’t need to waste your sympathy on them. The darkest times for the Li family are over, and things will surely improve.”
Saying I can’t help is a bit harsh, isn’t it?
“Oh, I haven’t introduced everyone yet.”
Sister Qiūluó pointed to the woman in the passenger seat.
“I think you already guessed. This is our mother, Hán Xiāngxuě. Just call her Auntie Xue.”
I nervously looked at the silent woman.
“Auntie Xue, I’m…”
But she spoke first.
“You must be Miss Cháng Kǎi, right?”
Wow! She used polite language with me?
“Everyone has told me about you. Thank you for saving Old Li… and our whole family.”
“There’s no need to be so formal! I told Sister Qiūluó and the others the same thing. It wasn’t a big deal for me.”
“You’re the one who doesn’t need to be formal. I’ve long wanted to express my gratitude in person. Without your help, I would have lost my husband, and the children would have lost their father…”
“…In the end, I lost him anyway.”
Now she’s a daughter, a sister, or a younger sister…
Huh, do I feel like someone else is in the same situation? Who is it?
“But he remains with us in another way. That alone is enough for us to be grateful to you forever.”
Facing Snow Auntie’s endless gratitude, I didn’t know how to respond. I understood her feelings, but this was exactly the situation I was uncomfortable with.
— “Hey! I can take your insults, but why does being respectful make you uncomfortable? You’re really something!”
I’m used to your nagging, but I’ve never been treated respectfully. It’s normal for me to feel uncomfortable, isn’t it?
“Big sister.”
The little girls in the backseat called out, “Thank you for saving our dad.”
“Stop thanking me…”
I waved my hand and looked at Senior Jiànlián.
“Senior, shouldn’t you introduce me to your siblings?”
“Our names are a bit complicated. I’m afraid you won’t remember them.”
“Then let’s do it by order. I know Sister Qiūluó is the eldest, and you’re the second. Who’s the third?”
Looking at the four little faces in the back, only the chubby little boy seemed a bit older…
“It’s me!”
At the moment our eyes met, he suddenly stood up.
