Nangong Wudi invited Hessiana and her two sidekicks into the restaurant before he left a piece of rune card on the door. It was a repellent rune card. Under the repellent magic, the remaining few patrons in the restaurant quickly paid and left. Hao Ren looked at the leaving diners. “Is your shop an elderly community centre?” he asked.
“I can’t help it. This town has a large elderly population.” Nangong Wudi laughed. “That’s okay; I run the restaurant just to pass the time anyway.” Then he said to the visitors, “Do you want anything to eat?”
Turcan and Kassandra replied in unison, “Is there blood type A?”
Nangong Wudi froze for a second before he replied, “I’m sorry we don’t have it.”
“Then I’d like two baskets of steamed pork bun with leeks,” Turcan said.
“I’d like a bowl of vegetarian fried cakes, extra bean sprouts, please,” Kassandra also said.
Hao Ren was stupefied looking at the two higher Blood Clans. When in Rome, do as the Romans do, and they really did when they came to Southern Suburb. But this was expected of the vampires that Hessiana brought; they were versatile.
Nangong Wudi’s face twitched slightly, and turned to shout the orders into the kitchen. Then he turned to Hessiana and asked, “What about you?”
Hessiana lowered her head, studied the menu carefully for a long while, and then threw it the table and said, “Garlic stir-fried meat!”
Hao Ren gestured to Nangong Wudi. “Don’t be surprised, she was of Vivian’s bloodline, garlic to her is nothing, she has the nerves of steel. But before that, let first call them out of the kitchen to say hello. Hessiana has been our comrade-in-arms after all.”
Hessiana slid Hao Ren a sideways glance. Apparently she could not care less about this ‘comrade-in-arms’ bullsh*t. Nangong Wudi turned and went into the kitchen, and before long, he came back out with Ayesha and the Nangong siblings who came by today to help. Everyone except Nangong Wuyue almost mistook Hessiana as Vivian. Nangong Wuyue recognised Hessiana instantly as she went up and placed her arm around Hessiana. “Long time no see, how’s thing in Athens?”
“Everything is fine,” Hessiana said, laughing while her eyes scanning Nangong Wudi and Ayesha. “Congratulations, you finally found your parents. There’s nothing like home with family,” she said to Nangong Wuyue.
“Thanks to Mr. Landlord.” Nangong Sanba wiped the oil off his hand on the apron, and then patted on Hao Ren’s shoulder. “He even went as far as other planet to help us find my parents.”
Hao Ren quickly flinched to avoid Nangong Sanba’s greasy hand. “Wash your hands! What are you doing in the kitchen with all the apron and sleeve on? Learn to cook from your mother?”
Nangong Sanba laughed heartily as he drew out a pair of silver dagger from under the apron. “Chopping stuff! I found that I’m better at doing this than exorcising. It’s the first time my daggers see blood though.”
Nangong Wuyue buried her face in her hand. “Oh, come on, Sanba, save it! Don’t you feel ashamed of yourself?”
Nangong Sanba had opened a completely new world for himself ever since he helped in his parents’ restaurant, he had modified his pair of silver dagger into chopping tools. Though it did not sound very kind, Hao Ren really felt that Nangong Sanba’s decision was a great contribution to the worlds of chef and the demon hunters.
“Then what about you?” Hao Ren could not help looking at Nangong Wuyue. He was suddenly curious in the daily life of Nangong siblings.
“Me? What else a siren could do? I wash dishes and vegetables,” Wuyue said as she swung her body; a clinking sound came from inside her stomach. Hao Ren’s eyes almost popped out. “Wait a minute! What’s in your stomach?”
Leisurely, Wuyue took out a plate that was as clean as it could get from her belly. “Yeah, this is how I do it. And, it’s fast. ”
Everyone was shocked, except the Nangongs. Hao Ren’s sharp vision had noticed under the semi-transparent belly skin of Nangong Wuyue, some pointed objects that looked like bowls and chopsticks were floating around inside. There was new thing to learn every day, he thought. “I thought you meant water sphere or running water? But inside your body?”
Wuyue nodded matter-of-coursely. “Why not? Siren is amorphous but it takes considerable more energy to make water sphere outside the body. So I’d just do mundane job like washing the dishes in my stomach. Yeah, mom taught me that.”
“Well, that’s the illogic of God’s creation, what an eye-opener. Oh wait, are you saying that you usually do that at home too?”
He suddenly realised Nangong Wuyue was the house-chore in-chief back home, just as Vivian was for the air conditioning, Lily was for supplying a dog-hair scarf, and Y’zaks was the emergency backup when the house running out of gas; everyone had a role to play in the family. Hao Ren had almost taken thing for granted as he had been enjoying the convenience without asking how. Mind you, he had never set foot in the kitchen since a year ago.
Nangong Wuyue just nodded matter-of-coursely. “So you know what, Mr. Landlord, that’s the reason why you have to wash your own socks. It’s disgusting,” she reminded.
“I didn’t ask you to do that!”
Hessiana looked on as the two talked. She eventually could not hold back laughing. “Wow, you guys are really interesting! I didn’t know siren and demon hunter could live together. And, this is how funny your family look like every day?”
Hessiana’s voice had Hao Ren’s attention again. He sized up the three vampires. “What brings you here?” he asked.
Hessiana’s arms akimbo. “Why should I tell you?”
Before her voice trailed off, Turcan blurted, “We have found some clues about the magic book…”
“Turcan!” Hessiana snapped. “Can you not be a busybody?”
Turcan quickly shut up and nodded apologetically at Hao Ren. Despite being chided like a child, Turcan still maintained his composure like a rich, blond spoilt lad. It seemed Blood Clan had a special characteristic, they were snobbish, it did not matter if they were just squatting in the wet market eating baked bread, they always appeared as if they were having pancake in Vienna. And, yet at the same time, they never felt a bit out of place.
The biggest difference between the Hessiana vampire family and other vampires was that they were really good at eating baked bread in the wet market.
That was all because they all had the same eccentric patriarch.
“So you are saying that you have already found out who wrote the magic book?” Hao Ren asked with an eager look. “Have you already found other similar magic books or items?”
Hessiana’s arms still akimbo. “Why should I—”
Not waiting for her master to finish, Kassandra nodded to Hao Ren and said in a soft and graceful voice, “No other magical items, but found the source of the magic book and some—”
“Kassandra! You also want to join in the fun?” Hessiana glared at her.
Kassandra bowed slightly in an apologetic manner. “Master, I know you didn’t want to appear compromising with Mr. Hao Ren, so just let me do this.”
Hessiana was a little startled and looked embarrassed too. “I know. You don’t have to say the obvious…”
But Kassandra continued. “And, since I have bigger breasts, let me say it.”
Everyone’s jaw dropped to the ground.
Hao Ren looked at Hessiana with a strange look. “Where did you get your two funny assistants?”
Hessiana grabbed and laid her head on the table. “Please don’t ask, they are enough annoying and it’s not that you don’t already know that. Where is your house? I have been searching for your house.”
“Just on the other street,” Hao Ren pointed to a direction then frowned. “By the way, does Vivian know you are coming?”
Hessiana looked away. “She doesn’t know I’m coming. I want to give her a surprise.”
Hao Ren smiled wryly. “You’re actually afraid that she’ll run away.”
“None of your business!”