Upside Down Grocery Shop - Chapter 22

Watching Li Xiaotong leave, Su Ran felt even more perplexed.

The female Su Ran—whether it was that fake “Upside Down Grocery Shop” she opened or the things she said at the end—was clearly connected to him in some way. Or perhaps, she was after him specifically.

But what did her words, “birds of a feather,” and her look of intense hatred even mean? He’d never met this female Su Ran before, nor did they have any connection. Logically, there was no reason for her to go after him like that, ready to stake her life on it.

And now there was a new problem: the sword spirit.

Sword spirits don’t just accidentally wander away from Shushan.

At that moment, a burly man stepped into the doorway, blocking out most of the sunlight.

Su Ran glanced over. “Oh, it’s you.”

“I’ve got something for you,” the man said, eyeing the shabby store and the monkey-like, scrawny Su Ran before handing him a letter.

People still write letters these days?

“Come on in and take a seat,” Su Ran said as he took the letter.

“No thanks,” the big man shook his head but stepped in anyway, taking a good look around the Upside Down Grocery Shop.

It was as if he wanted to see how this place differed from the one he knew.

Maybe what he meant was not that he wouldn’t come in, but just that he didn’t need to sit.

He grabbed a can of pear syrup, downing both the syrup and pears in one go before sighing in contentment, “This place sure was hard to find. So out of the way.”

Su Ran opened the letter; surprisingly, it was written by the female Su Ran, saying that if there ever came a day she couldn’t return, this letter was meant for the owner of another Upside Down Grocery Shop named Su Ran.

She’d probably written this ahead of time, maybe never imagining he’d pay her a visit that very night.

Su Ran couldn’t discern much from the letter for now and put it away. Looking at the big guy, he thought—now that the female Su Ran was gone, that other Upside Down Grocery Shop was probably gone too, and this man would be out of work.

“Big guy, I’m actually short a helper here. Why don’t you stay? I’ll pay you three thousand a month.”

The big man chuckled and handed Su Ran five bucks.

“No, thanks. I may be a bit simple, but I’m not stupid. I don’t have solid proof, but I know my boss didn’t come back, and it’s gotta be related to you. But I can’t betray her.”

The big man left, leaving Su Ran with a bit more respect for him.

Back at school, Li Xiaotong felt exhausted but, lying in bed, found she couldn’t sleep. Her mind was full of thoughts of Su Ran. This guy was like a painting made of pure mystery—one glance and you’re captivated, a few more, and you’re totally hooked.

Before she knew it, night had fallen, and even after a whole day without sleep, Li Xiaotong began to drift off.

But in the middle of the night, she was woken by a commotion.

Half-awake, she heard her roommates talking about Qian Qian, saying she hadn’t come back all night—a first for her.

Li Xiaotong struggled to wake up, her head feeling as heavy as a ton of bricks—nothing like anything she’d felt even with a hangover.

Sleepily, she asked, “Qian Qian hasn’t come back yet?”

“Xiaotong, you’re finally awake. You could really sleep!”

“Yeah, if we hadn’t seen you still breathing, we would’ve called 120 by now.”

Her roommates started teasing her.

“I’m fine, just a bit tired. Has Qian Qian not come back yet?”

Li Xiaotong asked again.

“Nope, never happened before.”

“Maybe she’s caught up with work.”

Qian Qian had been the first in their dorm to get a part-time job—not because her family wasn’t well-off but, as she put it, because she wanted to cultivate her independence early.

Her roommates had always supported her in this.

Though part-time work was tough, Qian Qian always came back on time every night.

Never once had she stayed out.

Tonight, though, it was already quite late, and she still wasn’t back.

Their guess was that Qian Qian’s work kept her—after all, it’s hard to control time when you’re working. “Did anyone try calling her?”

“Yes, but no answer.”

“Let’s go look for her, then.”

Li Xiaotong immediately decided to go look for Qian Qian. That nightmare she’d had didn’t sit right with her.

“Let’s go, then. Yesterday it was looking for Xiaotong; today it’s Qian Qian. Who knows who it’ll be tomorrow?”

“Haha, at this rate, our room is gonna be famous.”

They went off to search for Qian Qian, but the whole night turned up nothing.

Her workplace said she’d already left and didn’t know where she went afterward.

The fruitless night left Li Xiaotong anxious, unsettled, but with no choice but to go back, hoping that maybe Qian Qian had already returned.

Back at school, they heard that Qian Qian had taken leave, saying there was an emergency at home. She hadn’t told anyone and just went straight back.

Hearing this, everyone was finally relieved.

Still, they couldn’t help but grumble—if she had an emergency, she could’ve at least picked up her phone or left a message, instead of worrying them all for nothing.

But even so, Li Xiaotong couldn’t shake a strange feeling inside, though she didn’t know how to put it.

A few days later, some terrible news arrived.

On her way home, Qian Qian had gotten into a traffic accident and passed away.

When she heard, Li Xiaotong could hardly believe it—how could this be?

Qian Qian’s death left Li Xiaotong in a daze for a long time. Just days ago, they’d been studying and eating together. She was the one Qian Qian had looked for when she stayed out all night, and now, only a few days later, Qian Qian was gone forever.

She couldn’t help but feel the fragility of life and the preciousness of time. When you have it, you shouldn’t waste it or take it for granted.

Lying in bed, soaking her feet, Li Xiaotong felt like something was stuck in her heart—a picture, an event—she didn’t know what it was or how to clear it out.

“Xiaotong, do you have any cash?”

Her friend beside her had asked several times before Xiaotong finally heard.

“Oh, I do, here you go.”

“What’s wrong with you, Xiaotong?”

“It’s nothing, just thinking about something.”

But after searching for a while, she still couldn’t find it. “That’s weird. I could’ve sworn I had fifty bucks in cash.”

Suddenly, a vivid memory emerged: Upside Down Grocery Shop, Su Ran, and fifty bucks!

It wasn’t a dream!

Li Xiaotong’s face shifted as her thoughts became sharper, clarity breaking through the confusion in her mind.

Thinking back carefully, everything from that night couldn’t have been a dream. It was way too vivid for that—no dream could be that detailed.

And the missing money was proof.

If that wasn’t a dream, if the Upside Down Grocery Shop and female Su Ran were real, then…

Qian Qian using the flying sword to kill her that night was real too!

Then—

Su Ran, the Upside Down Grocery Shop, Lin Xiu—they were all real!

Li Xiaotong kicked over the foot basin, threw on her shoes, and bolted. “I’m going out for a bit.”

The others were dumbfounded. What on earth was going on?

By now, the sun was setting, almost disappearing below the horizon.

The Upside Down Grocery Shop was about to close.

Su Ran stood at the door, gazing outside. Who knows if he was daydreaming or waiting for something.

Seeing Su Ran, Li Xiaotong stormed up to him, blurting, “Su Ran, I know everything!”

Su Ran chuckled. “Oh? What do you know?”

“Everything that night wasn’t a dream—it was real! You, Lin Xiu, me, the female Su Ran, the Upside Down Grocery Shop, and Qian Qian. All of it—real!”