Pixiu Restaurant, No Way Out

Wen Xi had been sitting by the window, gazing outside. The book on his lap remained open at the first page, untouched. The afternoon glow tinged Wen Xi’s face with a warm orange hue, causing his eyelashes to cast a light shadow across his cheeks. Although vehicles came and went in a steady stream, Wen Xi could see no trace of the figure of that old monster, Pi Xiu.

As Wen Xi held the book with one hand, he gently stroked the place where he had been stabbed earlier today with his other hand.

The moment the cold blade of the knife had pierced his body, Wen Xi felt a strange familiar sensation, on par with a fleeting pain. Although it was only for a moment, it was enough to instill a sense of fear and dread within him.

Wen Xi then lowered his head to look at his intact abdomen. The skin under his fingers lacked any warmth, and as a Ghost, he was unable to feel pain, since ordinary knives couldn’t hurt him. That painful sensation he felt almost imperceptibly was nothing more than a memory buried in the depths of his memory. That pain hadn’t been provoked by the knife that pierced his body today.

Faced with that knowledge, Wen Xi was unable to stop himself from wondering if his death was related to having been stabbed in the abdomen in the same way.

Wen Xi remained seated in the chair and tried to remember. By concentrating as hard as he could, Wen Xi tried to dig through his memory in search of the slightest clue. However, all he succeeded in doing was to give himself an excruciating headache.

Nothing came to mind. Frustration and pain intertwined in his core, accompanied by a strange sensation invading his heart.

Wen Xi had a frown on his face. He was incapable of basking in the sun for too long, since he needed to drink that bitter medicine to stabilize his soul every day. Until recently, Wen Xi had never felt that there was any difference between him and Humans. He had even convinced himself that someday he might have a chance to be reborn into the Human World.

However, after having been stabbed, his self-delusion that had kept him sane for so long had been completely shattered.

Wen Xi died, and in his death, he remained in a deep sleep while the time around him continued to flow. Those he once loved and hated had long since passed away. Even if he wanted to seek revenge or return the kindness and love once given to him, they wouldn’t be the same people he once knew. For they had already reincarnated who knows how many times.

Wen Xi clenched and loosened his grip on the book, lost in thought. Wen Xi was thinking that he should really listen to the old demon’s advice and wait for Autumn to reincarnate. By then, when earth returns to earth, and ashes return to ashes1, Wen Xi will forget everything just by drinking a bowl of soup2. In his next life, Wen Xi will be able to be an ordinary person, born into a happy and harmonious family, where he can live out his days in peace.

Still lost in thought, Wen Xi suddenly heard a voice ask in his ear: “What are you thinking about?”

Startled, Wen Xi turned around, only to find Pi Xiu standing behind him.

“How did you…..?”

Pi Xiu held Wen Xi’s hand, which was still covering his stomach, and frowned. Pi Xiu then asked: “Why are you covering this area? Does it feel uncomfortable?”

“N-no, it doesn’t.” Wen Xi held Pi Xiu’s warm hand and said: “It took you long enough to come back.”

Pi Xiu raised an eyebrow and replied: “I think it was quite fast actually.”

Pi Xiu lifted Wen Xi in his arms and let the Ghost sit on his lap, as he sat down on the chair Wen Xi had been sitting in until now. Pi Xiu turned his head to look out the window, and asked: “You’ve been sitting here all this time, waiting for me to come back?”

Wen Xi remained silent for a moment before answering affirmatively.

“Have you been staring out into the street the whole time?” Pi Xiu asked.

Wen Xi held the book in his hand and said: “Actually, I wasn’t watching the whole time. I was reading while waiting for you to come back.”

“Oh, really?” Pi Xiu took the book out of Wen Xi’s hand and threw it aside: “Then, next time, don’t read a book while waiting for me. Play with your phone, or do something else to pass the time. Then you won’t be so bored.”

Wen Xi hesitated for a moment, then said: “Actually, I’m good. I didn’t feel bored at all.”

“Really? I can see that you squeezed the first page of the book so hard that you left an imprint. I can see by this that you didn’t even turn to the second page. The book must have been really boring for you not to continue reading it.” Pi Xiu’s voice took on a certain amused tone as he watched Wen Xi’s reddening ears. Unable to resist much longer, Pi Xiu held Wen Xi a little tighter.

Wen Xi kept quiet for a long while, and Pi Xiu accompanied him in his silence.

However, after a brief period of being quiet, Pi Xiu couldn’t resist breaking the silence by asking: “Why did you rush to block the attack for me today?”

“How was I supposed to know whether or not your skin was thick enough to not end up getting hurt?” Wen Xi coughed, feigning calmness, and softly added: “Besides, if something were to happen to you, what would become of me? Without you there to take care of me, I wouldn’t be able to last even two days and my soul would end up vanishing.”

Pi Xiu chuckled upon hearing that, and rested his hand on Wen Xi’s stomach. The warm sensation made Wen Xi involuntarily retreat, but this only made him end up pressing even closer against the old demon’s body behind him.

“It won’t happen again next time.” Pi Xiu said in a low voice.

Wen Xi leaned against Pi Xiu and tilted his head to look up at his face: “Those people didn’t give you a hard time, did they?”

“Who could give me a hard time? Little one, you underestimate me too much.” Pi Xiu laughed and continued: “I have one more question, why did you want to go with me?”

“I just….” Wen Xi took a pause, and his voice became tinier: “When my grandfather was taken away, he also told me that he would be back soon.”

‘But he never came back.’ Wen Xi never thought that the brief farewell would become a permanent parting.

Wen Xi continued, somewhat dazed: “At that time, men came to ransack my house. He was reading in the study, and then….”

“Hush—” Pi Xiu covered his mouth. “Don’t talk about it, I don’t want to hear it. I don’t want you to compare me with your grandfather.”

Wen Xi spoke with his voice muffled from having his mouth covered: “For the age you are, you could even be my great-grandfather.”

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Pi Xiu said nothing, but his hand slowly moved up to cover Wen Xi’s eyes. The old demon’s hand applied a light amount of pressure, causing Wen Xi’s head to rest on his shoulder.

Wen Xi’s silky black hair brushed against Pi Xiu’s cheek, as he slightly lowered his head to look at Wen Xi’s white neck. Pi Xiu’s eyes glowed golden for a moment, but soon returned to normal.

“Don’t ever behave so recklessly again. If something were to happen to your soul body, it would be really troublesome.” Pi Xiu said. At the same moment, he released his grip on Wen Xi’s head. Thereupon, Pi Xiu lifted Wen Xi up and placed him on the sofa.

On the coffee table in front of the sofa, there was a slice of cake. Wen Xi curiously looked at the cake, when Pi Xiu took a piece and brought it close to Wen Xi’s mouth. Wen Xi asked: “Is this the ‘cake’ they talk about online?”

“Taste it.”

Wen Xi opened his mouth, and the sweet taste of the soft, light cream exploded on his tongue. Pi Xiu stared at Wen Xi, and seeing his reaction, Pi Xiu couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.

‘Actually, this little guy is pretty easy to take care of. He even has some conscience when it matters; he’s not a cold-hearted person. Keeping him around doesn’t cause too much loss, contrary to what I had imagined at first.’

Pi Xiu’s movements never stopped as he pondered over these thoughts, personally feeding the cake to Wen Xi. After finishing feeding him the cake, Pi Xiu gently wiped the cream off the corner of Wen Xi’s mouth.

At that instant, the beaded curtain was forcefully pushed aside and Lil Broom came rushing in, still with his school bag on, a dispirited look on his face.

“Dad!” Lil Broom shouted, only to voice his dislike for school once again: “I d-don’t w-want to g-go to s-school!”

Pi Xiu threw the cake box in the trash, wiped his hands, and asked: “What happened now? Did your classmates snatch your broom again? Or did you see someone throwing the trash on the ground all over again?”

“N-no!” Lil Broom’s face turned red. “Th-they l-laughed, t-they la-laughed at m-my n-name!”

Wen Xi asked, curious: “What’s your name?”

“I, I d-don’t ha-have a n-name!” Lil Broom stomped his feet, feeling annoyed.

Wen Xi: “……”

Pi Xiu: “……”

Pi Xiu slapped his forehead. After all, the issue with Lil Broom’s name was a long-standing problem from the past. When they found the child back then, everyone proposed a name according to what they saw. Even with a humble name, one can still make a living, so Pi Xiu didn’t think much of it back then. Thus, ‘Lil Broom’ became the little stutterer’s name.

Now that the little boy has grown up and become wise, they couldn’t fool him anymore.

Pi Xiu took out his phone and said: “Wait, I’ll look up a name for you online.”

Wen Xi grabbed his hand and interjected: “Are you really going to randomly look up a name for him online?”

“Why not?” Pi Xiu gazed at the screen and added: “There are hundreds of websites where you can generate names on the Internet. With one click, I can choose one with no problem.”

Lil Broom shouted: “N-no! D-don’t! It’s too, too c-casual!”

“Then, tell me what is it that you want to call yourself? I’ll call Feng Du and ask him to change your name in the registry.” Pi Xiu looked at the time and put the phone back in his pocket. “Do your homework first, and then carefully think about what you want to call yourself. I’ll go down to watch over Jia Suzhen to make sure she doesn’t deliver another giant bowl of food again.”

“I d-don’t w-want, I d-don’t w-want to th-think a-about it m-myself.” Lil Broom walked over to Wen Xi, held his backpack against his chest, and angrily glared at Pi Xiu’s back as he walked down the stairs.

Wen Xi gently patted Lil Broom’s head and said: “Don’t get angry. Finish your homework first.”

Lil Broom stared at Wen Xi, and called him ‘Mom’ out of the blue.

Wen Xi’s eyebrow trembled and his heart skipped a beat. He really didn’t want to answer. Even though he was a Ghost over six hundred years old, and was obviously much older than Lil Broom, he didn’t feel like he had reached the age to be called ‘Mom’.

“From now on, call me ‘Ge3‘. Don’t call me Mom.” Wen Xi took a pause before saying: “Your Father and I are not in a marital relationship.”

Lil Broom shook his head: “If Mom g-gives m-me a n-name, I’ll c-call y-you ‘Ge’.”

Wen Xi was stunned: “You want me to give you a name?”

“Dad is n-not edu-educated! I d-don’t w-want h-him to g-give me a n-name!”

…

Downstairs, the uneducated Father sneezed a couple of times, startling the entire Restaurant into complete silence for a couple of seconds. Su An immediately handed him some tissues and reminded his Boss to take care of his health.

Pi Xiu wiped his nose while thinking: ‘Which damn bastard has been cursing me behind my back again? He’d better watch out and hope that I don’t find him because I’ll rip his head off.’

After those brats under a Demon Spell came to generate a ruckus at the Restaurant, several tables and chairs ended up broken. Both Chief Pi Xiu and footman Su An were suffering as they calculated the losses. The Abacus Spirit grabbed the account book and sternly said: “Boss! We have been severely punished! Severely punished ah!”

Pi Xiu felt heartbroken, thinking that if he had known there would be such bold troublemakers, he wouldn’t have bothered to bring out the antique furniture to create a pleasant atmosphere.

Su An clicked the calculator and asked: “Boss, do we have to cover their medical expenses?”

“No fucking way! I won’t even pay for their funeral expenses!” Pi Xiu frowned, consoling himself with the thought that tonight he might have to let Jia Suzhen go on stage and let her sing a couple of songs. That way, he could raise the price of the meal by 25% for the show.

As that thought was forming in his mind, a dull rumble sound came. Jia Suzhen, holding the menu, stood expressionlessly in the aisle, staring at the entrance of the Restaurant. Suddenly, the menus in her hands fell to the floor.

“What’s going on?” Pi Xiu followed Jia Suzhen’s gaze to the door. He saw Wu Zu walking into the Restaurant with a girl, chatting and laughing. The two people sat side by side at Wu Zu’s usual table, and when they looked up, they turned their gazes on the stage. Expecting to see Jia Suzhen.

Pi Xiu’s heart skipped a beat. ‘Oh no, it seems that the plan to have Jia Suzhen go on stage and turn the tides4 will probably fall through today.’

“Don’t get exasperated yet.” Pi Xiu called one of the Monkey Spirits and said: “Go pour Suzhen-jie a glass of water. I’ll go get their order.”

Jia Suzhen blinked and forced a smile: “It’s okay. My hands just got weak for a moment.”

Pi Xiu took the menu, walked over to Wu Zu’s table, and with a smile, said: “Hey, you brought a friend today? Who is she?”

“She’s my classmate.” Wu Zu looked around the Restaurant, until finally he asked: “Is Suzhen-jie not here? My classmate also likes the Huangmei Opera. After I told her that Suzhen-jie sings the Opera, she has specially decided to accompany me today to listen to it.”

Pi Xiu shifted his gaze to the girl. Although she wasn’t particularly pretty, her eyes were bright and large. As if they could speak for themselves.

“She’s just your classmate? Is she not your girlfriend?” Pi Xiu raised an eyebrow.

The young girl blushed instantly, but Wu Zu replied firmly almost immediately, “No. She’s just my classmate.”

Pi Xiu smacked his lips and thought to himself: ‘This plot combines King Xiang’s unilateral affection for the Goddess5, combined with the unresolved love between a Human and a Ghost, as well as elements of a fairy tale. It truly embodies the spirit of this trendy and fashionable era. It’s quite captivating.’

After receiving the dish orders, Pi Xiu turned around and returned to the kitchen. There, Ren Jiao was busy cooking. Even Hou San’s tail, who was helping Ren Jiao, was swinging a spoon. Seeing his Boss come in, Hou San lamented: “Boss, when will Qiu-ge return? I’ve been so busy that even my tail muscles are exhausted and I’ve lost a section of fur! If I keep stirring, I won’t have any hair left and I won’t be able to find a girlfriend!”

“That’s fine, even if you’re left with no fur, at least you’ll have exercised your tail muscles. Today’s female monkeys prefer strong monkeys, as they come across as being more reliable.” Pi Xiu comforted Hou San with foul feelings, giving him some extra words of support before walking right by Jia Suzhen, who was sitting on the side, peeling garlic.

“She’s not his girlfriend. He has no such intentions with her.” Pi Xiu said.

Jia Suzhen’s hand stopped, and she softly murmured: “Sooner or later, he will find someone. I’ve always thought the day would come when he would come to listen to my opera with his wife. It’s expected. One day, sooner or later, it will happen.”

Jia Suzhen patted off the garlic skin leftovers on her hands, stood up, and said to Pi Xiu: “Boss, let me cook the dishes for Mr. Wu today. I learned to cook when I was alive, and Master Ren has been teaching me a little recently. I promise not to tarnish your reputation.”

Pi Xiu looked at Ren Jiao, and when he saw him nod, he sighed: “Fine. You can give it a try.”

Footnotes

From Genesis (3:19): “We therefore commit this body to the ground, earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in sure and certain hope of the Resurrection to eternal life.” The phrase emphasizes the transient nature of human existence and the inevitability of death. It signifies that in the end, all living beings return to the earth from which they were formed.This is a reference to (孟婆 mèng pó) Meng Po, the Goddess of Forgetfulness in Chinese mythology, who serves soup on the “Naihe Bridge”. This soup wipes the memory of the person, so they can reincarnate into the next life without the burdens of their previous life.哥 gē; Elder Brother (honorific) term of address for a male person of the same age or older.力挽狂澜 lì wǎn kuáng lán; A Chinese idiom. It means “to try to reverse an unfavorable situation”. It refers to taking decisive actions or making great efforts to change the course of events when faced with a dire or critical situation.This refers to 襄王有意神女无心 xiāng wáng yǒu yì shén nǚ wú xīn; Which basically means: “King Xiang having an affection for the Goddess, relentlessly pursuing her, while the Goddess remains indifferent to his advances”. It metaphorically represents unrequited love. The story originates from《神女赋》by (宋玉 sòng yù) Song Yu [298-222 BC] from the late periods of the Chu State in the Spring, Autumn and Warring States Periods [722-221 BC].