Chapter 151 Is Being Sad Helpful?
The moonlight was a bit brighter than before, shining on the messy ground. Wisps of black mist could be seen escaping from the cracks in the soil, quickly dissipating into the air.
Watching Lao Zheng being carried away on a stretcher by the logistics staff, Chen Mo took out his pocket watch and checked the time: 9:05.
It has only been a little over an hour since they entered the ghost market.
"Chen Mo is gone."
Fang Yingxia waved to him, her voice weak, "Let Ruyan take us back."
Her face was slightly pale, and she had clearly not recovered yet.
Liu Ruyan stood to the side, clearly not in a good mood, her eyes lowered, lost in thought.
No one expected that the first mission for the three teams would end with one dead and one wounded.
On the way back, the atmosphere was somewhat silent, and none of them were in the mood to talk.
Fang Yingxia was looking down, seemingly lost in thought. She glanced at Chen Mo's bulging pockets out of the corner of her eye before curiously raising her head.
"What's in your pocket?"
"It's nothing, just a paper doll for self-defense."
Under the moonlight, Chen Mo's profile revealed no expression; he simply raised his hand and patted his pocket.
Fang Yingxia said "Oh" and didn't ask any more questions.
Back in the car, the two women sat in the front, while Chen Mo sat alone in the back.
The car slowly drove out of the west of the city, and the desolate dirt road was gradually replaced by a gravel road, with scattered low houses beginning to appear along the roadside.
Further on, the lights gradually became denser, with pedestrians hurrying by on their way home at night, and rickshaw pullers dozing off against their handlebars.
Liu Ruyan gripped the steering wheel, her gaze sweeping over Chen Mo in the back seat in the rearview mirror.
He leaned back in the seat, his profile hidden in the shadows, making his expression impossible to discern.
Fang Yingxia glanced back, then looked away.
As the car turned into the southern part of the city, the noise of people suddenly increased.
The roadside night stalls set up their tents, and the kerosene lamps formed a dim, starry sky. The aroma of jianbing guozi (Chinese savory crepes) mingled with the steam of mutton soup and wafted into the car window.
Groups of diners sat on benches, engrossed in their food and drinks, with occasional bursts of laughter and snickers.
Fang Yingxia suddenly spoke up: "Stop the car."
Liu Ruyan turned her head to look at her.
Fang Yingxia gestured towards the window, her voice regaining some strength, "Are you hungry? I'll treat you to a late-night snack."
"The mutton soup at Uncle Zhao's stall over there is the best."
Liu Ruyan didn't speak, but glanced at the back row in the rearview mirror.
Before Chen Mo could speak, his stomach let out a muffled groan.
The sound was exceptionally clear in the quiet carriage. The two women in the front row were both stunned for a moment, then Fang Yingxia covered her mouth and laughed, and even Liu Ruyan's lips curled up slightly.
"It seems someone agreed on your behalf," Fang Yingxia said with a smile.
"Boss Fang is treating, so why not take advantage of it?" He curled the corners of his mouth into a smile.
Liu Ruyan chuckled, turned the steering wheel, and parked the car at the alley entrance.
The three of them got out of the car.
The alleyway was even more bustling with life than the street. The mutton soup pot was bubbling and steaming, the pancake griddle was sizzling, and the old man selling candied hawthorns was sticking freshly boiled hawthorns into a bundle of straw.
Fang Yingxia walked at the front, her steps becoming lighter.
Liu Ruyan followed beside her, her gaze sweeping over the night stalls, as if picking out one that caught her eye.
Chen Mo lagged two steps behind, his hands in his pockets, his fingertips pointing at a few cicada wings.
"Right here." Fang Yingxia stopped in front of a stall and turned back to wave to them.
Uncle Zhao was ladling mutton soup into a bowl when he saw her and grinned, "Miss Fang, it's been a while since you've been here. And these two are...."
"Friend," Fang Yingxia said, having already chosen a table further inside and sat down.
Uncle Zhao came over to wipe the table. Fang Yingxia ordered three bowls of mutton soup, two sets of jianbing guozi (Chinese crepes), and a plate of braised beef.
"Do you want it white or hot?" she asked.
Liu Ruyan raised an eyebrow: "Do you have white ones?"
Fang Yingxia gestured with her chin toward Uncle Zhao: "Uncle Zhao, give me two ounces of strong liquor."
Uncle Zhao pulled out a white porcelain wine pot from under the chopping board and poured half a cup into each of the three coarse porcelain cups.
The liquor was clear, with a spicy aroma that mingled with the fragrance of mutton soup, filling the air with its aroma.
The mutton soup was served quickly.
The soup, served in a coarse blue-and-white porcelain bowl, is milky white, with finely chopped lamb offal sprinkled with cilantro and scallions.
Uncle Zhao took another small bowl, which contained chili oil and pepper powder.
Drink it while it's hot.
Fang Yingxia picked up the bowl, took a sip, and squinted her eyes in satisfaction.
Chen Mo also picked up his glass and took a sip.
The soup was fresh without any gamey smell. With the addition of pepper, the slight spiciness went down my throat, and the warmth went all the way to my stomach.
After finishing the soup, Fang Yingxia looked much better than before, with a rare sense of relaxation.
Liu Ruyan didn't rush to drink; instead, she raised her wine glass and gestured to the two of them.
"My first mission." Her voice was somewhat somber. "A tribute to those who are alive."
Fang Yingxia paused for a second, then picked up her wine glass as well.
Chen Mo glanced at them, said nothing, picked up his cup and drank it all in one gulp.
The strong liquor made him frown slightly, but he didn't say anything.
After a few rounds of drinks, the jianbing guozi (Chinese crepe) arrived.
The mung bean pancakes are spread very thinly, wrapped around crispy fried dough sticks, cut in half, and arranged on a plate.
The braised beef is sliced thinly and dipped in garlic soy sauce; the more you chew, the more fragrant it becomes.
Not far away, a peddler selling medicinal candies rang his bell and called out, "Medicinal candy, medicinal candy, mint rock candy, eat it and your throat will be clear..."
A few teenagers chased each other as they ran past, their laughter echoing all the way.
Fang Yingxia put down her chopsticks and looked up at the sky.
The red moon still hung in the sky, its light brighter than usual, making the lights in the alleyway appear even warmer.
"The moon is really strange tonight."
Chen Mo followed her gaze.
The crimson moon, like a wheel, hangs quietly above the neon lights of Quanyechang, like an open eye above the city.
He looked away, picked up his glass, and took another sip.
"Eat up, then go back and get some sleep, and that'll be the end of it."
Fang Yingxia put down her chopsticks and looked at his face.
After looking at him for a while, he finally spoke: "Chen Mo, why do I feel like you're acting like nothing happened?"
Chen Mo picked up a slice of braised beef without looking up: "What do you mean?"
"Wu Gan died tonight, and Captain Zheng is injured too. We've lost two people on our first mission, how come you're not sad at all?"
Liu Ruyan also looked up at him.
When they first met, she thought Chen Mo was just like Fatty Li, a spoiled brat who got a job in the town's strange department through connections.
It was only later that I learned from Li Siqing that he was just the son of a paper maker in Linhe County, with no background whatsoever, and at most, he was just a bit handsome.
Later, she heard on the playground that he had personally broken the leg of the second son of the Wang family.
Given her cautious nature, she wouldn't have gone with Wu Gan tonight without first finding out the details.
Seeing Chen Mo there, she inexplicably felt at ease.
Why do I feel a sense of security when I see him?
She couldn't explain it.
While Liu Ruyan was lost in thought, Chen Mo was also pondering how to answer Fang Yingxia.
You can't exactly say that you just fed four teammates to the top lane, can you?
"Does being sad help?"
"In our line of work, everyone's got their head on the line. You'll get used to it after you've seen it all."