𝔸𝕝𝕞𝕒𝕟𝕒𝕔 𝕄𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣(黄历师|The Chronologist)Unofficial English Translation

Chapter 9: 2027.2.14 - QiangRen (1)

(Draft) 

"So if you ever encounter those things that aren't human in the future, you must..."

"Kill."

As this somewhat gloomy word left Xiao Nanzhu's mouth, his movements hesitated. He seemed to smell the heavy scent of blood near his nose and hear the twisted screams in his ears. He momentarily lost his focus. Seeing that Xiao Nanzhu was silent and just staring at his hand, Twenty-Five, thinking that Xiao Nanzhu was unwilling to get his hands dirty, glanced aside, lowered his voice, and spoke with a serious expression,

"Calamities are lifeless; it's only when they come into contact with a human body that they have flesh and blood. These days, as the year-end approaches and calamities gather, you might have to deal with a few of them personally. The ones I just disposed of were all calamities that hadn't fully formed. There mustn't be a next time. Your grandmother used to record everything; you can check if she left any advice for you... As for that person who withheld the wages of migrant workers, Li Mao, and the one who squandered all his money on his lover, Zhao Tiansheng, you shouldn't help people like them in the future. They are filled with evil aura, and appearances full of misfortune. If you do too many bad things, everything will eventually go wrong. Those malevolent spirits only target people who have done wrong in the first place. They may think their luck is just bad now, but they should reflect on their past actions. So, don't help people like them in the future; otherwise, your grandmother will surely be furious."

Twenty-Five earnestly lectured Xiao Nanzhu, his brows furrowed tightly. He didn't even peel the peanuts in his hand, looking very concerned. Xiao Nanzhu understood that Twenty-Five had gone through all this trouble to convey this message. While it might not align with his own principles as clearly as Twenty-Five wanted, he knew he wouldn't go astray. At this moment, he realized that it was better to appease Twenty-Five's eccentric and serious nature. Although this felt somewhat like when his late grandmother told him not to skip school and go to the arcade.

"Alright, alright, I'll do my best."

Xiao Nanzhu's conciliatory words relieved Twenty-Five, who had been worried for quite a while. After that, he looked at the old clock hanging on the wall, realizing it was close to midnight. He had to hurry back to the calendar, or else he would miss the hour. So, without finishing his food, Twenty-Five left in a hurry. Before he left, he politely said, "See you next year." Upon hearing this, Xiao Nanzhu nodded and watched as Twenty-Five turned into a bright light, freezing on the date of the New Year on his calendar.

After he left, Xiao Nanzhu sat in the once again silent living room and fell into silence for a moment. Suddenly, he started to smile inexplicably.

"Ah, I've aged another day..."

He muttered to himself while leaning against the back of the sofa, taking a drag of his cigarette. He picked up his phone to check. Cao Chong, Zhao Tiansheng, and Li Mao had all sent him text messages. The content was all related to their own interests, nothing that required much guessing. Xiao Nanzhu glanced at them casually, took note, and put the phone aside, feeling quite good. After he stretched and stood up, he suddenly remembered the issue Twenty-Five had mentioned about his grandmother leaving behind work records. He had to search for them. After changing into slippers and walking around his relatively small room, he finally found a dusty yellow notebook on the bathroom rack.

His grandmother's habit of putting things in random places hadn't changed in all these years, so it wasn't too difficult for Xiao Nanzhu to find. After taking a shower, he lay down on the bed and casually flipped open the slightly moldy little book. The first thing he saw was a note from his grandmother, exclaiming how ethereal and graceful the old man Liu, who practiced Tai Chi sword in the park, was. She insisted that she should use a first-class fan dance to catch his attention, preventing him from chatting with Auntie Zhang who danced in the square.