Chapter 20: Bankruptcy

“Really?” Xu Si expressed doubt.

Nan Xian nodded vigorously. “Of course! If I were lying to you, I wouldn’t even be surnamed Xu!”

Xu Si was speechless. “...Is it possible that your real surname isn’t Xu at all?”

“That’s easy! You let me marry into your family, and then I can take your surname!”

Nan Xian felt like a genius for coming up with such a foolproof plan.

Watching the deity who clearly couldn’t hide his thoughts, Xu Si sighed deeply and said with determination, “I think we can’t just sit and wait for disaster. When it comes to making money, we need to take the initiative!”

“I think you’re right, little fierce ghost!”

Seeing Xu Si stand up, Nan Xian eagerly followed. “Right, little fierce ghost, what do you think of my proposal just now?”

“What proposal?”

“The one about marrying in!”

“Huh? What?”

Xu Si walked ahead, pretending not to hear. The evening breeze brushed past, and her lips involuntarily curved into a slight smile. She realized it had been a very long time since she felt so relaxed and at ease.

In her previous life, she was born the child with the most perfect genes in the tribe, the undisputed chief of the tribe.

Unfortunately, her tribe was too poor compared to the entire federation. So poor that almost every leader wanted to annex them. Once annexed, the tribe lost all rights. From the moment she could remember, Xu Si had been fighting endless wars, accumulating debts, and fighting to the death.

But now, she had her own house, her own life, and her first savings.

Though not much, she deserved to enjoy it, didn’t she?

Xu Si stopped beside a barbecue stall and licked her lips.

She suddenly pulled Nan Xian beside her, deliberately diverting the deity’s gaze from herself to the barbecue stall.

“Your Majesty, how about you eat a little less today?”

“I think that’s a good idea!”

“Let’s go, charge!”

“Boss, fifty skewers of barbecue, please!”

“Alright!” The middle-aged owner, around forty or fifty, hurried over. “Miss, you can’t eat that much by yourself. How about I start with fewer skewers?”

“No problem, boss, bring it all on.” Xu Si smiled gently, tilting her head.

“Okay!”

The owner cheerfully went to grill the skewers. He had just set up the stall. Due to the sixth ring lockdown, most people working downtown wouldn’t be back for some time.

So they usually opened late. Getting a big order today was a good omen.

When not rushed, the meat came out crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, even better than before.

“Munch, munch, munch. Little fierce ghost, I once read about a food called hot pot in a storybook!”

“Yeah, I saw that too.” Xu Si ate the meat while flipping through the original owner's memories for the taste. “Alright, once we make some money next time, we’ll go eat hot pot.”

“Mm-hmm!” Nan Xian nodded eagerly.

Seeing Xu Si enjoying the food, the barbecue boss, thinking about the busy night ahead, cheerfully approached.

“Miss, I’ll give you ten more skewers. I’ll nap a bit while you watch the stall, okay? Just call me when you leave.”

“But what if we want to order more later? This amount clearly isn’t enough.”

“Hey, that’s easy. All the meat is already marinated. If you’re not full, just grill some more yourself. I’ll cover the cost.”

The boss rubbed his shiny bald head, making it gleam even more.

He thought it was impressive for a little girl to finish sixty skewers. Even if she were a big eater, she’d only eat a bit more.

But if he could rest now, he could grill longer tonight and earn more. No matter how you looked at it, it was a good deal.

Pretending to hesitate, Xu Si said, “Alright, boss, you rest easy.”

“Thanks, kiddo!”

Hearing Xu Si’s willingness to help, the boss’s tone became more affectionate.

He set up his deck chair skillfully, placed his small stool, and after barely scrolling through a couple of videos on his phone, his head drooped, and he fell asleep.

Xu Si paused with a skewer in hand. Nan Xian immediately glanced around.

“Report, little fierce ghost, no one around!”

“But I don’t know how to—”

Xu Si eyed the barbecue stall hungrily.

Seeing this, Nan Xian waved his hand and stuffed all thirty skewers on his side into his mouth. “Hmm, a bit hot!”

“Little fierce ghost, wait, I’ll grill some more for you!”

“Mm-hmm.”

Xu Si carefully packed her own thirty skewers, not daring to eat anything grilled by Nan Xian. “Eat less, leave some for the boss!”

“No problem.” Nan Xian replied with absolute decisiveness.

But the moment he stood before the refrigerator, his composure broke instantly.

“Whoa, what’s this? I’ll have some of this, and this, and this one too!”

“Little fierce ghost, is there anything you want to eat?”

“Don’t mind me, just eat well yourself.”

“Okay!” Nan Xian sent out one tray after another. “Grill fast, eat fast. Meat and veggies, I love them all.”

“Huh? Can’t handle it? No worries.” New branches seemed to sprout within him. “Grill, grill, grill meat. Grill and eat at the same time. Life today is truly good, sitting here at the barbecue stall, eating as I please.”

“That’s awful, change the song, cough cough!”

No one knew how Nan Xian grilled, but when Xu Si finished eating and looked up, the entire barbecue stall was shrouded in thick smoke.

Off-key singing echoed all around, stinging their noses and ears uncomfortably.

Nan Xian, still in the thick of smoke, found moments to respond, “Munch, munch, munch, little fierce ghost, what else do you want to eat? I’ll grill it for you!”

“I’m full. Hurry up.” Xu Si rubbed her face, frustrated that he wasn’t catching on.

“Alright, munch, munch, munch.”

With her urging, Nan Xian’s movements accelerated. The smoke thickened, making even the boss on his deck chair sniffle and open his eyes.

“Huh? Heaven? The skewers are flying on their own? This must be a dream!”

Noticing the boss waking, Xu Si quickly appeared, shaking the chair.

“Sleep, sleep, sleep is the best gift. Go back to sleep, go back to sleep. Sleep well and the day will dawn!”

Seeing the boss fall back asleep, Xu Si stared at the billowing smoke, feeling uneasy.

She pressed her lips together, suddenly gripped by a bad premonition.

Striding forward, she looked at the empty refrigerator and was struck like a thunderbolt.

“Nan Xian!”

“Here.” Nan Xian shook his hand, dropping a quail egg onto the floor, which slowly rolled to Xu Si’s feet.

‘Don’t get angry, don’t get angry. Getting angry only makes things worse. Don’t get angry, don’t get angry.’

Calming herself, Xu Si cast a forced smile at Nan Xian’s soot-stained mouth.

“Weren’t you supposed to eat less?”

“I... ate very little.” Nan Xian grumbled, swallowing the quail egg. For his true form, an entire city’s worth of nourishment wouldn’t suffice. Feeling wronged, he quickly stuffed the last few skewers from the grill into his mouth when Xu Si closed her eyes.

“Nan Xian!”

“Last bit, can’t waste it!” Nan Xian defended himself boldly.

Xu Si gritted her teeth. “From now on, just gnaw on flour at home!”

After saying this, she resolutely woke the boss.

“Boss, boss, don’t sleep anymore. Go home to sleep.”

“No way, kiddo.” The boss yawned, eyes bloodshot. “If I don’t finish grilling this meat, tomorrow won’t be...”

“Hey, where’s my meat?” The boss’s eyes widened.

He dashed off faster than a rabbit. “Wait, where’s all the meat and veggies in my fridge? It’s all gone?”

Seeing the boss look over, Xu Si turned away and mumbled, “Mm, sold out.”

“But...” The boss pulled out his phone, not a single cent recorded in income.