Kisaragi's Long-Strange Collection Notes

This is the sixth day of the week.

Chen Meimei knows that the morning sun is golden, and by process of elimination, the evening moon must be frosty.

Golden Frost Moon Day.

This is the most difficult day for most people.

The sudden shift from the hottest to the coldest weather makes those who are unprepared more susceptible to catching a cold.

When Chen Meimei went downstairs, she encountered Madam Jin on the stairs.

This lady, who is usually flamboyant and dressed in luxurious clothes, is quite different today. She is wearing a simple dress made of cheap material and looks haggard.

Even when Chen Meimei greeted her, she only gave a low "hmm" and walked past her.

As soon as Chen Meimei stepped out of the building's unit door, she saw several familiar middle-aged women gathered in two groups, seemingly chatting about something.

There's going to be some excitement here.

Chen Meimei immediately perked up her ears and leaned closer.

"You've heard too? Old Jin's transport team encountered something strange and they all died."

"That's right. At this critical juncture, to still dare to engage in out-of-town logistics is surprising, but it was bound to happen sooner or later."

"Where's Lao Jin? He's the big boss, he doesn't drive with the team anymore, seems fine, right?"

"How could he be alright! He's still alive, but the loss of the entire fleet, including the people and the goods, is all his responsibility. I heard that the families of the employees who died yesterday have surrounded him at the company, demanding compensation for lost time and even asking him to pay with his life."

"You can't really blame him for this."

"Then who's to blame? Blame the strange ones? The families will definitely come after him, the person in charge."

"Yes, my husband has heard that the situation is very bad. The city officials have assigned Old Jin secondary responsibility, and even if they sell everything they own, it won't be enough to pay for it."

"Sigh, the Jin family of three is finished this time. I saw Mrs. Jin this morning, and she looked like she aged ten years. She's a completely different person."

"Old Jin was usually a nice guy, and Little Jin was smart too. It's such a pity that he only started school so early..."

An older woman made a different noise, starting to sway the building's direction.

"What's a pity? When Madam Jin was so arrogant, why didn't she think of this day? Don't say I'm kicking someone when they're down. When they were rich, they were arrogant and haughty. Now that they're in trouble, you're all pitying them. When they were eating delicacies, they didn't think of you at all."

"Exactly, I have no problem with Old Jin and Young Jin, but seeing Mrs. Jin like this, humph, serves her right!"

The conversation then turned into sarcastic remarks about Mrs. Jin.

Upon hearing this, Chen Meimei left the crowd.

He hadn't walked far when he received the latest news from Road Rage.

This message froze him in place for over ten seconds.

The words Road Rage had spoken kept echoing in his mind—

"The pineapple roasted chicken shop has already identified the person monitoring your movements downstairs; it's Old Li from the fruit stall."

Old Li.

When Chen Meimei went downstairs for the first time, she taught him how to use the watch and how to unlock it after receiving a cross-city message.

Before the graduation exam, with a beaming smile, I gave him a hook fruit as a blessing;

Every day when they came in and out, they would greet each other with a strong, energetic voice.

Chen Meimei was somewhat unwilling to believe that someone he had felt genuinely loved and never doubted was actually a spy sent by someone else to monitor him.

Carrying blue and white porcelain and pure water, and walking along the road, under the watchful eyes of the roast chicken shop across the street, Chen Meimei walked into Old Li's fruit stall.

"Hey, Chen Meimei, what would you like to order today?"

"Old Li, I heard you've been watching my movements." Chen Meimei didn't want to play games with him.

Old Li was taken aback for a moment, then answered very naturally, "Yes."

"Who sent you?"

"What do you mean, who sent me? I've been running this shop for over ten years, there's no way they've sent me."

"Old Li, you've brought me fruit twice before, and I remember it, which is why I came in to ask. If you insist on not telling me, it won't be me coming next time."

"What do you mean by 'insisting not to tell'? You want to know who asked me to observe you, right?"

"right."

"Hi, this is your relative, Old Chen, the sanitation worker who comes to collect spoiled fruit every day before closing time."

He said he was your second uncle and was worried you weren't doing well here, so he asked me to keep an eye on you and take care of you. He said he came every day to ask how you were doing and that you were too shy to tell him.

"Old Chen? He comes every afternoon?"

"Yes, that was true a while ago, but he hasn't come these past few days. A new person has taken over."

"From which specific day did you start missing?"

"Let me think... He last came three days ago, and then they replaced him."

"Uncle Li, you're amazing! You have such a good memory."

"You little rascal, one minute you're calling me Old Li, the next you're calling me Uncle Li, I can't be wrong."

Because that day happened to be the opening day of the pineapple roasted chicken shop across the street, the line was so long, and the entrance was packed with people. I even told Lao Chen that I envied the business across the street.

"What was his reaction?"

"Him? He didn't even go to the roast chicken shop across the street. He even joked that there were too many people and he'd get beaten up for cutting in line if he tried to squeeze through."

"You believe him just because he says he's my second uncle?"

"Otherwise, what would they want from you? Besides, they're church staff, would they lie?"

"Wait, aren't they sanitation workers? The sanitation department belongs to the municipal government, how did they become church clergy?"

"Where did all these recycled ingredients go?"

Let me tell you, it's all sent to the church, where it sorts it, picking out a small portion that's still edible, and then giving it directly to the homeless. Therefore, many sanitation workers at recycling stations are church members, eliminating the intermediate transfer process.

back home.

Chen Meimei leaned back on the sofa, with Qinghua and Huanxun sitting on either side of her.

"Meow, should we go to the sanitation department and look for that old Chen Yao?"

"Don't waste your time. If I'm not mistaken, this old Chen, like that Nurse Zhao, is nowhere to be found."