Upside Down Grocery Shop - Chapter 1

A new grocery store just opened up on the corner, nothing fancy, no eye-catching display or anything. They only did a simple setup and called it a day. The only thing that makes people look twice is the store’s name: “Upside Down Grocery Store”.

The shop owner, Su Ran, is a young guy who looks kind of lazy. Although he has a clean and decent face, he gives off an unreliable vibe, nothing like a serious businessman. His favorite thing to do is sit at the door and watch the pretty ladies walk by. He opens whenever he feels like it, but he always closes right on time at sunset.

It was night—a rainy night.

Because of the rain, the streets were empty, especially since it was already twelve fifteen in the middle of the night. By now, even the night owls had long gone home.

A girl, looking around ten years old, was walking alone under a pitch-black umbrella. Her shoes were soaked from the muddy puddles.

The girl stopped in front of “Upside Down Grocery Store”, glanced at the door, and knocked.

Inside, there was no response. Guessing the owner must be asleep at this hour, she continued knocking. Her quiet knocks sounded eerily somber on the rainy night.

“Who is it?” Su Ran’s impatient voice came from inside. “Can’t you see we’re closed? If you want something, come early tomorrow.”

The girl said nothing, just kept knocking.

“Alright, alright, stop knocking already! You’ll wake up the ghosts at this hour!” Su Ran’s familiar lazy voice drifted out, his footsteps sounding just as unhurried. When he opened the door, he looked at the girl, and especially at her pitch-black umbrella, muttering, “What bad luck.”

He let her in.

The girl walked in, closed her umbrella, and set it by the door. She glanced around the store, which looked like any other grocery store, just with fewer things. She looked at Su Ran and got straight to the point. “Boss, I want to buy a candle.”

“For where?”

“For down there.”

“When?”

“Today.”

Su Ran nodded. “Alright, did you bring the payment?”

The girl took out a jade pendant, looking freshly carved, almost new. “Is this enough?”

Su Ran glanced at it. “Not pure enough—not enough.”

The girl gritted her teeth and hesitated. “This is all I have. If it’s not enough, what else can I offer?”

Su Ran smiled. “You look young. How about… twenty years of your life?”

The girl looked into Su Ran’s eyes with determination, barely hesitating. “Deal!”

Su Ran grinned, took the jade pendant, and grabbed a short white candle, just a finger-length, from the shelf. “Exchange is fair—payment in one hand, goods in the other.”

The girl raised her hand, and Su Ran held it briefly. Moments later, she left with the candle, but now, she looked like a woman in her thirties.

Su Ran watched her leave. He didn’t need to know her name or how she found this place. All he knew was he’d just gained twenty years of prime lifespan, along with a fine “Qinghun Jade”.

The candle he gave her was actually a token that could guide the way to the underworld—a kind of pass, to put it simply. With the candle, she’d be able to go to the underworld and see her loved ones one last time. Any words unsaid in life, unfinished matters, unwritten wills, or regrets—she’d get a final moment for peace.

That’s what “down there” really meant.

And Su Ran’s “Upside Down Grocery Store” was, in reality, a place bridging the human world and the spirit world. His customers weren’t just people, but also ghosts, demons, and spirits. However, there was one rule to truly get what you wanted from him:

A black umbrella!

Only those who came to the store under a black umbrella would get a real deal. Otherwise, all they’d get were snacks and drinks.

Tonight, the girl had come for a candle. To Su Ran, whether it was the lifespan or Qinghun Jade, it was just routine. He turned off the lights, yawned, and went to bed.

Early the next morning, still asleep, Su Ran was woken by noisy commotion outside. His grumpy mood made him want to throw punches—who could sleep with all this racket? He got up, went outside, and saw a crowd gathering a short distance away, with a police line around it. It seemed something had happened.

Where there was a scene, Su Ran was there to join it. He walked over and saw blood on the street and a body covered by a white sheet, with a blood-soaked arm peeking out. His face turned grim.

“What happened here? A death so early in the morning?”

“Who knows? They say a woman was walking alone at night and got mauled to death by stray dogs.”

“No way! We haven’t seen stray dogs here in years! Any animals that stray here get rounded up right away, don’t they?”

“I heard it was a robbery that ended in murder.”

“Such a shame, she was such a beauty, too. How could this happen to her?”

…

Su Ran looked at the bloody arm, covered in bite marks, the bones even visible in some places. He glanced around and thought of leaving.

A police car roared up, and a strikingly confident female officer got out. The people around started calling out, “Captain!”

A female captain?

The officer walked over to the body, her gaze serious. She turned to the forensic expert. “What have you found?”

“Preliminary results suggest the victim was killed by a large dog breed, with severe injuries to vital areas,” the expert shook his head, “I’ve rarely seen anything so gruesome. If I didn’t know a large dog caused this, I’d find it hard to believe anyone could do something like this.”

The female captain nodded.

“This is just the initial finding. We’ll need a full autopsy to confirm anything more. Conditions here are limited, and there are too many people around.”

“Thank you,” the captain stood up, surveying the crowd. “Xiao Liu.”

“Captain,” Xiao Liu hurried over.

“Did you find anything? Can you identify the victim?”

Xiao Liu shook his head. “It could very well be a large dog. Besides the victim’s blood, we found some animal fur around. As for what breed, we’ll need further tests.” He paused. “As for the victim’s identity, she didn’t have any ID, no bag, no phone—whether they were stolen or she just didn’t have them, we don’t know.”

The captain frowned. “So, no clues at all. Our little town hasn’t had a murder case in years. Spread out, check all surveillance cameras and shops nearby. Let’s see if there’s any lead.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Their voices were low, too soft for the surrounding crowd to hear. But Su Ran heard every word.

Once he saw the body taken away, he turned and headed back to the grocery store. “Really bold, causing trouble in my territory.”

Just then, the female captain walked into his shop. “Excuse me, boss,” she said, eyeing the shelves and decor.

Su Ran greeted her with a smile, “Ah, Officer! Please, have a seat.”

The captain glanced around. “Is this a new store?”

“Yep, it just opened less than a month ago,” Su Ran smiled. “Is there anything I can help you with, Officer?”

“I suppose you saw what happened outside. I just wanted to know if you heard anything unusual last night.”

“Nope, I’m a heavy sleeper,” Su Ran said, “Everyone knows I always close up early. After that, I just stayed in the shop playing on my phone, gaming, and then went to bed.”

The captain nodded, gesturing around. “Even if you’re new here, I think you’d better set up surveillance soon. It’ll protect you from petty thieves and keep you and the area safe.”

“Thank you for the advice, Officer! I’ll set it up once I make some money.”

She smiled. “Alright, I won’t bother you further.” She tore a sticky note, “My name’s Xiao Ling. Here’s my number. Call me anytime if you remember anything.”

“Of course, we’re all in this together.”

After seeing her out, Su Ran glanced at the sticky note. People still use these? Xiao Ling sure is old-fashioned. He chuckled and put it away.