Upside Down Grocery Shop - Chapter 10

Xiao Ling now understood what Su Ran meant when he said that some things are better left unknown. Every word from Zhang Haisheng was now etched clearly in her mind, yet she couldn’t speak a word of it to anyone.

How could she even explain it? Should she talk about Haiqing’s strange behavior, about how she supposedly returned after her death, about the little black dog turning into a huge bear, or about that eerie scene and the even more mysterious Upside Down Grocery Shop?

Perhaps the only one who could unravel this mystery now was Su Ran.

When she returned to the shop, Xiao Ling’s mood had changed. Looking at Su Ran, the resentment she once felt had vanished completely. She had so much she wanted to say, but somehow, she didn’t know where to start.

Su Ran looked at her. “So you found out.”

“Yes.”

“Do you still think Zhang Haisheng is that weak-willed man?”

Xiao Ling paused in silence, then replied, “If it were me, I’d probably have gone mad by now. Before, I thought Zhang Haisheng was a coward, just standing by and watching his wife and child die, unworthy of being called a man. But I was wrong. After enduring such trauma, he still worried about my safety, choosing not to tell me the truth. Zhang Haisheng deserves my respect!”

Su Ran chuckled. “So, what is it you’re hoping to find from me?”

“I want to know exactly what happened between Zhang Haisheng, Zhang Tingting, and you!” Xiao Ling didn’t hesitate with her answer. Even though she now knew Su Ran’s shop was anything but ordinary, perhaps even dangerous, the mystery only drew her in more. The more enigmatic, the more it captivated her.

Su Ran didn’t answer right away but instead looked at her. “Zhang Haisheng told you all that. Why don’t you tell anyone else?”

Xiao Ling knew Su Ran was intentionally changing the subject. But right now, the initiative was in Su Ran’s hands; if he didn’t want to talk, there was nothing she could do. So she replied, “I can’t say anything.”

“You’re not scared by what Zhang Haisheng told you?”

Xiao Ling thought for a moment and didn’t hide her fear. “Honestly, I am afraid. But my curiosity for the truth is what drives me to overcome that fear. It’s not that I’m no longer scared, but rather my obsession with those mysteries temporarily overpowers it.”

Su Ran laughed quietly, his voice barely audible. “You’re really a lot like him.”

“What? What did you say?” His voice was so soft that Xiao Ling didn’t quite catch it.

He looked at her and nodded. “Alright, since you already know from Zhang Haisheng, it’ll be hard for you to back out now. So why not go all the way?” He sat down. “Ask away. Anything I can tell you, I’ll tell you now.”

So he’s still holding back some things. Xiao Ling didn’t like it, but she knew this was already the best she could hope for. She couldn’t rush it. Su Ran wasn’t one to tell stories just for fun, so she had to ask bit by bit. “Su Ran, what is that cult you mentioned?”

“That…wait a moment. Someone else will explain it to you.”

Seriously? Dodging the first question already?

“Then, what about the huge black bear?”

“Wait, it’ll be answered along with the first question.”

Unbelievable! He’s dodging everything!

Xiao Ling swallowed her frustration. “Then, what about the black umbrella?”

Su Ran glanced at her, then casually gestured toward the umbrella by the door. “Try it out.”

Xiao Ling picked up the umbrella, suspicious. She felt like Su Ran was acting all mysterious, like some spy. She opened the umbrella, expecting something to happen—like in Johnny English when the umbrella launched rockets or something. But… nothing. It was just an ordinary umbrella. Although, the craftsmanship was pretty good, and it blocked the light quite well.

Su Ran chuckled. “Face the mirror.”

Xiao Ling moved in front of the mirror, and in the next instant, she nearly dropped the umbrella in shock. Was this thing haunted? She was standing right in front of the mirror, yet her reflection was completely gone!

“Am I seeing things?!” She was startled. This wasn’t some trick mirror. She’d looked at it when she first entered and saw her own reflection, thinking she looked good today.

“Put the umbrella down.”

Xiao Ling let go of the umbrella, and immediately, her reflection appeared in the mirror again.

So it’s the umbrella!

When she picked it up, she disappeared from sight!

“What is this umbrella?” This didn’t make any sense. Could it be some new technology?

“It’s a black umbrella,” Su Ran explained. “When it’s opened, the person holding it becomes invisible to others. Not only people, but cameras and photos won’t capture you either. That’s why you saw Zhang Haisheng appear out of nowhere.”

So that’s why!

She’d always wondered how Zhang Haisheng suddenly appeared that night and why the bear seemed to be attacking no one. Then Su Ran appeared out of nowhere and sliced off the bear’s paw—it was all because of this black umbrella.

“What’s the deal with this umbrella?”

“That’s a secret. Don’t ask any further, because I won’t tell you.”

Alright, knowing about the umbrella’s strangeness was already a big win.

Xiao Ling had countless questions, but she didn’t know where to start. Sitting across from her, Su Ran seemed like a mystery, as if every drop of him held some earth-shattering secret. Yet, she couldn’t get close, let alone unravel it.

“Su Ran, what exactly does your Upside Down Grocery Shop sell?”

Su Ran smiled. “It’s a grocery shop; it sells everything.”

“Everything, huh?” Xiao Ling scoffed. “What, do you sell people too?”

Su Ran just smiled.

“Then what does ‘Upside Down’ mean?”

“Just a random name.”

“Come on, random name, my foot! You really think I’m a three-year-old?” Xiao Ling felt like nine out of ten things Su Ran said were lies.

“Alright, enough of that. No need to make it so tense,” Su Ran stretched, “I’m not as uptight as you think. I told you to ask, so ask. But if you miss this chance, there won’t be another.”

Xiao Ling chuckled awkwardly. She wanted to get a bit closer to him since suddenly prying into someone’s secrets wasn’t exactly polite and could easily rub them the wrong way. But since he said it, she wouldn’t hold back.

“Su Ran, Zhang Haisheng said that Zhang Tingting came to you before he did and that she’s already dead. But we haven’t found Zhang Tingting’s body. Do you know what happened?” She was straightforward, maybe due to habit.

Su Ran was unfazed. “Zhang Tingting did come here first, but didn’t you all take her away already?”

“Take her away? When? How come I didn’t know?”

Su Ran looked at her, his gaze steady. “That corpse you found by the roadside—the first one—is Zhang Tingting.”

Xiao Ling’s eyes widened. No way!

“You’ve got to be kidding!” she cried out. “Zhang Tingting is just a ten-year-old girl, while the woman we brought back was fully developed, around thirty years old. How could they be the same person?!”

“Have you been able to identify that woman’s identity? No household records, no one who recognized her—she just appeared out of nowhere.”

“Yes.”

“That’s because that woman is Zhang Tingting, but as a thirty-year-old.”