Urban Oddities: Soul Contract

Chapter 12 Seventh Street

There is an old saying that "a gentleman does not have a reason, and jade does not go away".

Jade pendants have a special status in history. The ancient people loved jade because of its character, while the modern people love jade because they want to be blessed, safe and healthy.

Huo Minghai moved the mouse, clicked on a picture, and compared the jade color, he was almost sure that the jade pendant in his hand was the most precious suet white jade among the materials.

Unfortunately, the precious jade pendant carved into Guanyin was split in two.

Du Jiajun commented with a grape in his mouth: "It's broken, what a pity, I only brought it for one night."

"I was crushed by you, how should I compensate?" Huo Minghai teased.

The package just arrived yesterday, and after taking a nap with it, Yu Pei looked like this.

Du Jiajun stuffed the grapes into Huo Minghai's mouth sincerely, and said with a smile, "Are you satisfied?"

The jade pendant was finally put into the drawer by Huo Minghai. That night, Huo Minghai had a dream in which his mother asked him if he had received the jade pendant. Huo Minghai said he had, and opened the package to show his mother. The jade pendant inside was completely transparent. , when he hung the jade pendant around his neck, a hand suddenly stretched out beside him, holding a grape in his hand, Huo Minghai turned his head to look, the man's appearance seemed to be blurred through a layer of veil, but he could see When it comes to the battle armor on his body, Huo Minghai wonders if it came out of some costume drama?The man was muttering something, but Huo Minghai couldn't hear it clearly. The grape kept poking in front of Huo Minghai. Well, Huo Minghai thought so, and stretched out his hand to take it. The moment his finger touched the grape, there was a crisp sound in his chest, and when he looked down, the Guanyin jade pendant broke into two halves...

"Huo Huo, come quickly!" In the darkness, a child's voice sounded, holding him with a small hand, "Why are you in a daze?"

In a daze, Huo Minghai followed his friends down the stairs to a stone room.

They stopped in front of the mural, chattering and discussing it. There were big trees and many people painted in the mural, which seemed to be a scene of sacrifice. Huo Minghai stared blankly for a while, then walked into the depths of the stone chamber.

"Hey! With the brigade, don't walk around!" The little fat man stretched out his hand and grabbed him.

The phone rang suddenly, making Huo Minghai tremble all over. It took a few seconds to realize that it was an alarm. The quilt squirmed, and stretched out a hand to touch Du Jiajun's face. Huo Minghai continued to grope sleepily, and finally found the phone under the pillow, pressed the button to stop, and shrank back into the bed. It was a hot day, and the air conditioner in the apartment was whistling, making it very comfortable.Huo Minghai has a habit. In order to enjoy a few more minutes of sleep, the alarm is set to the lazy mode of "sleep for a while". After pressing the stop, it will ring again every few minutes. Press the stop, and it will ring again after a few minutes. This made Du Jiajun miserable, and while Huo Minghai was sleeping back into the cage, he secretly turned off the bell. Huo Minghai was sleeping soundly, and when Du Jiajun woke him up, he was still waiting for the alarm in a daze.

"Slacker, go back to sleep, we're going to be late." Seeing that he couldn't get up, Du Jiajun gently scratched his ears. Huo Minghai didn't even open his eyes, and directly grabbed Du Jiajun's hand and pressed it under his head.

Du Jiajun held his head up and shook it vigorously.

Huo Minghai opened his eyes in a daze.

Du Jiajun: "Don't you have a batch of goods to deliver today?"

After get off work yesterday, Su Mu approached Huo Minghai and told him that there were some important packages to be delivered, and told him to come early tomorrow.

When Huo Minghai rushed to the company, Su Mu was still busy. Huo Minghai walked up to him and watched for a while, curiously asked: "Is that all?"

Su Mu, who was sorting the package, raised his head and said with a smile, "It's all here."

Such a batch of goods was actually arranged by Su Mu himself. It seems that the company attaches great importance to it. Could it be another VIP customer?Huo Minghai leaned over to take a look, and couldn't help but laugh. The senders came from different provinces, all of them opened Taobao stores, but the receiving addresses were concentrated near Jinsha Avenue.

Just after leaving the company, the mobile phone rang. Online shopping is such a painful place. The courier information column will display the name and phone number of the courier. No, he just went to work not long ago, and the other party called and asked if the package had arrived. .

Huo Minghai politely explained that he called her to wait on the road, and only after hanging up the phone did he realize that he forgot to ask her name, and now he doesn't know her name, how can I find it?

"Let's send these first." The translucent Chu Gan patted the things under his buttocks. Among the packages to be delivered today, besides the pile of boxes, there were also a few loose parts.

Huo Minghai snorted twice: "How do you know who it is? Maybe it's those people from Jinsha Avenue!"

Just as he finished speaking, the phone rang, and it was that girl again.

"Ah, sorry, I forgot to mention just now, our company has moved from Building A to Building B, and the house number remains the same."

Huo Minghai kept an eye out this time, and asked her name, and then checked the list, it happened to be the bag that Chu Ganjiang had left on his ass.

"Fuck, you can buy lottery tickets!"

"How do you sell lottery tickets?"

"Two dollars a bet."

"Lottery tickets are too expensive, how about buying a cup of soy milk?"

"Huh?" Huo Minghai was in a daze for a while, and followed his hand to look over there. There was a freshly ground soy milk shop there. Huo Minghai was thirsty, and thought that a cup of soy milk would be good, so he agreed, and looked at General Chu expectantly.

Chu Gan pretended to turn over his pockets and spread his hands. Jian Ling was very poor and never had any money in his pockets...

"Phew, on a hot day, drinking a glass of frozen soy milk is the best!"

"Humph!"

General Chu: "Hey, there is one more cup."

Huo Minghai rolled his eyes: "I'm already full of soy milk!"

General Chu: "Cultural people are full of ink, and their mouths are full of ink. Our stomachs are full of soy milk, and the prime minister is punting inside."

Huo Minghai: "Shake it, bang bang bang bang."

General Chu: "The guy with half a bucket of water will bang. I'm full, so I won't make a sound."

The guy with half a bucket of water: "..."

General Chu Gan, who had cheated N cups of soy milk, was in a good mood, humming a ditty all the way, and the parts were quickly delivered. When he came to Jinsha Avenue, Huo Minghai encountered a big problem.

"Huh? The seventh street of Jinsha Avenue?" The old man scratched his forehead and pointed forward, "I don't know, you can ask the store over there."

"The seventh street of Jinsha Avenue? This..." The boss tilted his head, "I really haven't heard of it, brother, did you remember correctly? There are only six streets on Jinsha Avenue!"

Huo Minghai got on his bike and drove from the first street to the sixth street. After that, there was an elevated overpass full of traffic. With the overpass as the boundary, there was another section of road called Haitang New Street.

Asking for directions, it was almost noon before he knew it. Huo Minghai was so hungry that he wanted to go to a restaurant to have a meal first. All he could see were office buildings. When he was looking for a restaurant, he heard There was a soft voice.

"Brother, do you want to buy a newspaper?"

The little boy was holding a newspaper and looking at him with bright eyes.

The newspaper is the Southern Metropolis Daily, and it costs two yuan a piece. How old are the children? It is not easy to sell newspapers in hot weather. Although Huo Minghai is not in the habit of reading newspapers, he bought a copy anyway. He watched the little boy happily After leaving, Huo Minghai felt an inexplicable sense of accomplishment in his heart, but unexpectedly, the little boy took a newspaper from the newsstand and ran back bouncing back.

"Brother, do you want the Entertainment Express? One yuan per copy."

Huo Minghai silently turned his face away.

The little boy went around and ran up to him, holding up the newspaper, his eyes sparkling...

"Oh, this car accident is really serious!" General Chu sighed at a report, flipped through the newspaper, and read the small advertisement with relish. From the eyes of ancient sword spirits, things in modern society are really weird. Look at this Durex balloons are ultra-thin, and you can choose from various flavors!

Huo Minghai who was sitting opposite raised his head with a Chinese cabbage in his mouth, and the car accident news happened to be in his direction.

The truck transporting Wuliangye overturned over the viaduct, and the driver died on the spot. Fortunately, no pedestrians were injured in the accident. The picture is of a broken wine bottle, and there is a portrait of the driver next to it. Huo Minghai was about to take a closer look when he suddenly squeezed over Alone, the restaurant business is booming, and there is often a table sharing. Chu Gan takes up a seat, does not order food, just reads the newspaper, and the seat next to him is still vacant, and a guy with no eyesight just piles up the food. Next to Huo Minghai, he took out a Chinese cabbage from his plate. The Chinese cabbage was sweet and delicious, and the short-sighted guy ate it up in a few bites. As compensation, he scooped a spoonful of braised tofu into Huo Minghai's bowl.

"Yo, what a coincidence." General Chu Gan greeted.

"Well, coincidence." Du Jiajun put the braised tofu in front of Huo Minghai, and smiled, "All the tofu is for you, don't be angry."

"Who's angry?"

"Look at your blushing."

"..." Huo Minghai shook his hands and put down his chopsticks. There was half-eaten braised tofu in the bowl, but who could tell him why there was a thick layer of spicy chili powder on the braised tofu?

The food was too spicy, Huo Minghai drank two pots of tea, held on to finish the meal, put down the chopsticks, and ran to drain the water.

Two waiters go to the bathroom.

"The smell of alcohol is here again today."

"Yes, it smells so good, I really don't know which one is selling wine."

The two went to the compartment, and after hearing the rustling of fabrics, there was the sound of rushing water. They were discussing the smell of wine coming from nowhere. Obviously there is no wine shop nearby, but for some reason, there are always people on the street these days. It was such a seductive smell that seemed to be floating in the air. Huo Minghai usually didn't drink alcohol, and he didn't care much about their topics. He went out after washing his hands. Only General Chu was studying the newspaper at the dining table. Seeing him Come back, fold the newspaper, and call him to leave.

"Check out." Huo Minghai greeted the waiter.

The waiter smiled: "Sir, your friend has already paid."

Huo Minghai looked at General Chu.

Chu Gan will take out a few tickets from his pocket, which are the change that Du Jiajun got back after paying the bill. Finally, Jianling, who has the pocket money, is not stingy, and spends it all as soon as he makes a move. Looking at the bag full of soy milk, Huo Ming Hai felt that his brain was hurting a little, he walked towards the newsstand, and decided to solve another more headache first.

"Seventh Street, Jinsha Avenue? Well, this street..." The old man stroked his chin and looked at Huo Minghai thoughtfully.

"No?" Huo Minghai's heart sank, he asked many neighbors, they either didn't know, or they said no, the newsstand was almost the last hope.

Seeing Huo Minghai's nervous look, the old man grinned: "Young man, don't be nervous. I've lived here for more than ten years. I don't know which street? There's this street, you asked the right person, but well, this one The street is not easy to find!"

After writing down the route and thanking him, Huo Minghai got on his bike and passed by a flower shop. Unexpectedly, he ran into a little boy selling newspapers again. The little boy sat beside the flower shop with his head downcast. When he saw Huo Minghai passing by, his eyes immediately lit up.

"Big brother!"

"..." Huo Minghai looked away.

The little boy looked at the passing car, his mouth was flattened, as if he was about to cry.

Huo Minghai looked up to the sky and sighed, stopped the car, he just couldn't harden his heart, lo and behold, the little boy held up the newspaper again and looked at him with bright eyes.

"Entertainment Express..."

"One yuan per piece." Huo Minghai took out the entertainment bulletin and shook it at the little boy.

"Buy another one." The little boy blinked his big eyes, tugged at the hem of Huo Minghai's clothes, and yelled, "Big brother, I'm still one dollar short..."

"One dollar short?" Huo Minghai was confused.

"Well, it costs four yuan each, and it's still one yuan short."

"Buying flowers?" Huo Minghai thought it was funny, "Send it to your girlfriend?"

"No, it's Grandpa's birthday today..."

Huo Minghai thought of the old man in the newsstand. The little boy was going to get the newspaper. Wasn't it the newsstand? Could it be the grandson of the old man?Huo Minghai gave him a coin and accepted the second entertainment bulletin. Seeing the little boy happily entering the flower shop, Huo Minghai couldn't help showing a smile.

"What a good little boy." Chu Ganjiang propped his chin, "Just like me when I was a child."

Huo Minghai began to imagine a sword from short to long, from thin to thick...

General Chu: "Fuck, what are you thinking? Something changes from short to long, from thin to thick, right?"

After finishing speaking, Chu Ganjiang suddenly thought of something, and Huo Minghai, who is also a man, also thought of it.

Huo Minghai nodded: "When you say it, it's really similar."

General Chu: "...you are enough."

The breeze brought the aroma of wine, and as the car moved forward, the aroma of the wine became stronger and stronger. Huo Minghai was almost drunk just smelling it, but he didn't see any wine shop along the way, so he didn't know which store was selling it. According to the route given by the old man, cross a street, turn into an alley, turn left, and walk around a wall. There are lively and noisy sounds in your ears, like a market. There are various private stalls on both sides of the street. Selling cakes and tea, the shopkeepers greeted and bargained with customers, and then looked at the street signs, which read "Jinsha Avenue Seventh Street" in big characters.

Huo Minghai did not expect that there would be such a bustling market on Jinsha Avenue. The smell of wine was getting stronger and stronger, and a stall was crowded with people. The mud vat was placed on the ground with the mud cover sealed. On the red paper was written "Self-brewed, century-old wine", and the price was not too much, exactly [-].

The proprietress was distributing tasting drinks to the crowd, and handed Huo Minghai a small cup. Huo Minghai was thirsty, so he drank it in one gulp. He didn't know what kind of wine it was. There is also a hint of sweetness.

"Good wine!" Huo Minghai couldn't help but praise.

"Hey, this is sweet-scented osmanthus wine! It has been buried in the ground for hundreds of years!" The proprietress took the opportunity to sell it, "Would you like a vat?"

"Come on!" someone called out.

"Two cylinders!"

"Ten cylinders!"

It's so refreshing that there is no bargaining.

Huo Minghai rode away silently. He was just a wage earner, and 1000 yuan of wine was a bit expensive for him.

Today's parcels are all sent to the stall owners on this street. The stall owners who get the parcels put the goods on the stalls for sale. The price is more expensive than the other, but there are many buyers. Almost as soon as the goods are put out, no matter it is jewelry Or snacks, were quickly swept away.Huo Minghai delivered all the way, and came to a steamed bun shop. The owner of the steamed stuffed bun shop was an old man with a white beard and white eyebrows. Although he was old, he was in good spirits. The package was cash on delivery, and inside was a bag of bean paste. The old man dipped in the bean paste and tasted it. Eloquent paid and signed for receipt. What he gave was five hundred-yuan bills, while the goods cost four hundred and one yuan.

"Master... don't you have any change?" Huo Minghai rummaged through his pockets, only taking out some pitiful change and coins.

The old man took out banknotes and fanned them, all of which were hundred-yuan bills.

Huo Minghai thought, one yuan is fine, so he returned a bill and went back. Just as he was about to leave, the old man called to stop him and packed him a steaming steamed bun in a paper bag.

"Take it as buying a steamed stuffed bun." The old man smiled.

The steamed stuffed bun was white and fat, shaped into a peach, full of bean paste filling. Huo Minghai thought it tasted good. After delivering the last package, he thought about buying a few more for Du Jiajun to taste, but when he got it back, the old man had already It's closed.

"It's sold out." The old man spread his hands.

"so fast?"

"A total of two cages were steamed."

There were only two steamers, and they were all empty. The old man tidied up the booth, leaned on his crutches, and left with the steamer and red bean paste on his back.

Khan Huo Minghai, this old man is really free and easy to do business.

There was a truck parked in front of it, and boxes of Wuliangye were unloaded from the truck. The boss unpacked the boxes and put the wine on the stall for sale. The price was five to six thousand, and many people bought it.

Huo Minghai, who was pushing the cart, suddenly stopped and looked in that direction.

The driver wiped his sweat and was checking the cargo documents with the proprietress.

Beard and a small scar on his forehead.

Huo Minghai always felt as if he had seen him somewhere.

"Hey, little brother, do you want to take a picture?"

At the fortune-telling booth next to him, an old lady wearing a black scarf was smiling at him sinisterly. Seeing that Huo Minghai didn't mean to look at the fortune teller, the old lady said again: "Little brother, your life is too light, there are ghosts around you, It’s easy to be surprised.”

Huo Minghai looked at General Chu subconsciously. General Chu was helpless. When did he become a ghost, a majestic sword spirit?

The old woman picked up a jade pendant. The black and red jade was carved into the shape of a lock. This was the first time Huo Minghai saw this thing, so he couldn't help but take a few more glances. The old woman explained: "This is the Kunlun Blood Jade, buried in the At the bottom of the snow mountain, also known as blood-cold jade, it has the function of protecting the body, and it is carved into a lock, which means locking your life. Want one? I'll give you a [-]% discount."

It turned out to be a sales promotion!Huo Minghai turned his head and left, the old lady's voice sounded again unwilling to be lonely.

"Little brother, if you don't believe me, look at your palm, is there a lifeline?"

Huo Minghai was startled, and secretly tightened his grip on the handlebar.

There should be three main lines in a normal palm, forming a "small" character, but the old woman didn't know whether she was just guessing or she was really capable, but she actually got it right. There was one line missing on Huo Minghai's palm. To be precise, he had It's a lifeline, but the lifeline is too short, and it just popped out, as if it was broken, and there is no more.

When he was young, he didn't understand. The palm prints were discovered by the children. After comparing them, Huo Minghai realized that he was missing one. He asked his mother, and the mother said that this is a normal phenomenon. Some people's palm prints are even split. Of course it's not surprising at all, she has always asked her son to wear various things, including Buddhist beads, obsidian, and talisman paper, all of which are without exception to ward off evil spirits and ensure safety.

Huo Minghai has always believed in it, but as he grew up, he always felt that his mother seemed to be hiding something from him.

The old woman squinted her eyes and grinned, her hoarse voice pierced into Huo Minghai's heart word by word like a thorny vine.

"Little brother, I can't escape my life."

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