Chapter 5 — Bought the wrong Bac Canh Vuong

It seemed Hac Da didn't expect me to answer like that. His tail slowly emerged from his back, his fur still tangled. I reached out my hand to help him. This time, he didn't avoid it. The next morning, I went to the bookstore. The boss is an old man with gray hair, surnamed Chu. He asked me to try copying a page from an old book. After looking at the handwriting, he immediately agreed to keep me. The wages are a little less than the bakery. Luckily, the bookstore is not too busy during the day. I can take advantage of the opportunity to write letters for others and earn a few extra coins. I'm very happy. On the way home, I also used my advance pay from the first day to buy two hot cakes. When he pushed the door open, Hac Da was squatting on the ground fixing the table. He took down the shaky table legs and then used smooth wooden bars to fix them. Next to it were two broken bowls. My steps stopped. Hac Da followed my eyes.

“It broke while washing the dishes.”

His face was expressionless, but his ears were pressed down a bit. I sat down and picked up the pieces. Although these two bowls are chipped, they can still be used for a long time. Perhaps Hac Da saw that I was sad, he turned around and pulled a wooden box from the corner of the room. In the trunk there was pre-split firewood and some boards used to repair the roof.

“I will pay.”

“Where do you get the money?”

“No money.”

He stopped for a moment.

“Do the work first.”

I raised my head. Hac Da's leg is still not healed, walking is still a bit unnatural. But he had patched the leaky roof from the inside, and the windows no longer creaked. I can't blame you anymore.

“Next time you wash dishes a little more gently.”

“Okay.”

I gave him a pie. Hac Da did not immediately accept it.

“Did you find a job?”

“Found it.”

I took a bite of cake and seriously told him:

“The bookstore owner said my handwriting is very beautiful.”

Hach Da received the remaining one.

“It is truly beautiful.”

I was stunned. He bowed his head to eat the cake, as if he was just saying a simple sentence.

06

I go to the bookstore during the day, and in the evening I still go to the restaurant to wash dishes. At night, I no longer have to copy as many books as before. After his wound got better, Hac Da also started going out. I asked him where he was going, he just said walking around. It wasn't until a few days later that the landlady called me back.

“Your beastman came to the dock to load goods, did you know?”

The water basin in my hand almost fell to the ground.

“His leg still hasn't healed.”

"I was advised, but I didn't listen."

The landlady pouted.

"When he came home today, his pants leg was stained with blood. But he didn't return empty-handed. He bought a bag of rice and also paid her half a month's rent."

I hadn't even had time to take off my apron before rushing upstairs. Hac Da was sitting by the bed changing medicine. Seeing me return, his movements stopped, hiding the bloody gauze behind his back. I stood at the door, panting and looking at him.

“Are you going to carry goods?”

“Yes.”

“The doctor said you shouldn't use force.”

“It's gone.”

I walked over and lifted up his pants leg. The stitched wound cracked a little. It's not too serious, but the blood stains look scary. My nose stung, I bowed my head to change the medicine for him. Hac Da looked down at me.

“The wages at the bookstore are not enough.”

“I still have a job at the restaurant.”

“Every day she comes home very late.”

“It was the same before.”

“There was no me before.”

The movement in my hand stopped. Hach's voice Da is very calm:

“Now there is one more person to eat.”

I said in a low voice:

“But I don't eat much either.”

Actually a lot. You can eat in one meal as much as I eat in two days. But he knows how to catch rabbits, fix tables, and even protect me from the rain. Can't just charge for food. Obviously Hac Da didn't believe it. I finished wrapping the bandage and raised my head to look at him.

"If you really want to work, you have to wait for your wound to heal. You can't spend more on medicine just to make money."

Hach Da understands this argument. The next day, he didn't go to the dock anymore. Neither did the third day. On Wednesday, when I returned from the bookstore, there was a packet of paper on the table. Inside is a pale apricot scarf. The material is very ordinary, thick to the touch. I was stunned for a long time.

“Where does this come from?”

Hach Da is sitting next to the wooden window.

“Buy.”

“Where did you get the money?”

“Wharf at the wharf.”

I lowered my head to look at the scarf. He only worked a few days, most of the money was used to pay rent and buy rice. The remaining amount is probably just enough to buy this scarf.

“Why buy it for me?”

Hach Da looked at my empty neck.

“You're cold.”

I instinctively touched my neck. The scarf my mother left behind was used by me to compensate the black market seller. These past few days, there has been a cold wind every morning and evening, so I always pull my collar up high. I thought no one noticed.

“But I don't have a towel either.”

“I have hair.”

The tail behind Hac Da's back swayed slightly. Very reasonable. I put on the scarf. The fabric also has the dry smell of wrapping paper, very warm.

“Isn't it beautiful?”

Hac Da took a look and then quickly looked away.

“It's okay.”

But his ears slowly raised up. I couldn't help but laugh. Then I discovered that he didn't just buy scarves. In the kitchen there is also a small jar of honey. It is hidden at the very bottom of the cabinet. I asked Hac Da, he refused to admit that he bought it. But there are only two of us in the house. Could it be that honey grows on its own? I couldn't bear to eat it, I just scooped a little water and mixed it with water each time. Hac Da saw that the jar of honey wasn't empty, thought I didn't like it, and the next day he picked it up to bring it back. I quickly hugged the jar.

“I like it.”

“So why don't you eat?”

“Want to eat longer.”

Hach Da was silent for a moment then put the jar of honey back in the cupboard. That night, he brought back half a jar from outside. I asked where it came from. He said the dock manager used it as compensation. I feel that the dockmaster cannot afford to use honey to pay his wages. But Hac Da did not say anything, nor did I expose it. Life really seems a little better than before. The roof no longer leaks. The table no longer wobbles. Every day when I return, I see bright lights in the window. Sometimes when I get off work too late, Hac Da still stands at the entrance of the alley waiting for me. He didn't say he came to pick me up, he just said he was passing by. But the old neighborhood has only one street. I don't know how random he must be every day to be able to pass by so many times. I started to get used to his presence. Until that day, I fainted in the bookstore. When I woke up, I was lying in bed at home. Hac Da sat next to me, his face even more ugly than mine. The doctor is packing up the medicine box.

"It's just that I'm too tired, and I've been exposed to the rain so I have a fever. I just need to lower the fever and I'll be fine."

He glanced at Hac Da.

“Don't grab people when you're impatient. I'm still there I thought you wanted to destroy my clinic.”

Hach Da did not explain. After the doctor left, I saw a bowl of porridge next to the bed. The rice grain was half raw and half cooked, with a piece of blackened vegetable still floating inside. Hac Da picked up the bowl.

“Eat.”

I tasted a piece. Very difficult to eat. But Hac Da looked too intently, so I slowly swallowed it.

“Is it delicious?”

I nodded heartily:

“Delicious.”

Hach Da frowned and took a bite. The next second, he picked up the bowl and was about to throw it away. I quickly held his hand.

“Don't waste it.”

“Difficult to eat.”

“Rice is very expensive.”

We looked at each other for a moment. Hac Da sat down again and picked up the blackened vegetable.

“Then I'll feed you.”

I was so feverish that I was in a daze and didn't object. After eating half a bowl of porridge and taking the medicine, I started to feel sleepy again. Hac Da pulled the blanket neatly for me. I was about to tell him to go rest, but as soon as I reached out my hand, I felt a soft tail. Warm, fuzzy. I instinctively hugged her. Hac Da's whole body stiffened.

“Tang Ninh.”

I didn't hear it. I just felt that this hand warmer was very easy to use, hugged it a little tighter and quickly fell asleep. The next morning when I woke up, Hac Da was still sitting next to the bed. There are light blue circles under the eyes. The tail was pressed against me all night, the hair tangled as if it had just been blown by the wind. I felt a bit guilty.

“Why don't you pull out?”

Hach Da looked cold:

“Cannot withdraw.”

I feel it's impossible. Even a wooden board can be cracked with a claw. Maybe he was afraid of waking me up. I didn't expose him, I just secretly stroked his tail feathers for a long time. After recovering, I returned to the restaurant. But the boss deducted three days of my salary. He said I voluntarily quit my job and broke two stacks of bowls.