No. 19 Qingxi Road
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“I heard you’re still trying to create something original~”
“No matter how much you try, it’s always the same~”
A sweet, gentle female voice drifted faintly from the leaking headphones, soon drowned out by the relentless clatter of keyboards in the office cubicles.
In the fast-paced world of a major corporation’s office building, everyone’s mental state seemed as though they were burdened with blood feuds like characters in a melodrama—either quietly losing their minds or wildly energized as if injected with adrenaline.
“Ctrl c + Ctrl v, working for me is a huge loss…”
Ning Zhixia took a deep breath, dark circles under his eyes, glancing tremblingly at his phone screen—a barrage of nearly ten sixty-second voice messages from his manager. Without hesitation, he submitted his resignation through the office app.
A few sharp-eyed heads popped up in the cubicles, whispering as they watched the young man cleaning out his computer.
“Every year, so many graduates would kill for a shot to get in here. Young people today just don’t know how to cherish opportunity.”
“Quitting a perfectly good job—must have a mountain of gold at home to fall back on.”
Ning Zhixia said nothing. Truth be told, he actually did.
It was the dead of winter. The city streets bustled with traffic, red lanterns hung from the roadside trees swayed their bright yellow tassels in the chilly wind.
After leaving the company, Ning Zhixia took a seat at the bar by the convenience store window, brooding as he opened up various job-hunting apps.
He’d studied media design at the Academy of Fine Arts, maintained a top GPA, and smoothly entered a major company as an intern…
Yet, in only a few months, hope had given way to disillusionment. He felt as if he’d become nothing more than cast-off compost for this city.
Staring blankly at his phone, Ning Zhixia’s head drooped in defeat. He slumped over the tabletop, drained.
The store clerk, after watching him for a while, brought over a complimentary cup of hot water. “Don’t be too upset, sir. Good jobs really are hard to come by these days.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
Ning Zhixia nodded in agreement, gazed thoughtfully across the street, then sat up and dialed his… father’s number.
*
Three months later, in Yucheng.
At 19 Qingxi Road, the door to a small standalone house stood wide open. A wooden sign displayed elegant, flowing script.
“Monster Nail Salon? I thought you were joking—turns out you were serious!”
His childhood friend’s amazed voice floated through the speakerphone.
Ning Zhixia rummaged blindly through the cluttered table for a craft knife, replying as he searched, “Of course! I’ve spent three months setting this up!”
His friend asked, “Capable as always—how does it feel?”
The blade slid out with a click. Ning Zhixia, full of righteous indignation, declared, “The agony of renovation is carved into my soul!”
His friend choked up. “…Sorry I couldn’t share your suffering.”
After his parents’ amicable divorce and subsequent remarriages, they’d moved abroad two years ago. Ning Zhixia was used to independence and didn’t want to leave the country. Fortunately, his parents understood him well, telling him that his grandfather’s inheritance included a small standalone house back in their hometown of Yucheng, left specifically for him.
Yucheng was picturesque, life moved at a gentle pace—a perfect place to live. But with his family gone, Ning Zhixia hadn’t returned since leaving for university.
The government had recently redeveloped the surrounding neighborhood. Qingxi Road, though not a main street, connected the business district and several residential areas. Twin rows of camphor trees formed a lush, shady canopy; many people strolled leisurely along the path.
The street was lined with small, row-style shops—plenty of cafes and bakeries.
Number 19, Ning Zhixia’s place, looked as pristine as if time had stopped: white walls, a green door, blue-black tiles, and even the trailing golden-edged spider plants over the doorway matched his childhood memories exactly.
His friend couldn’t help laughing at his description. “You’re basically living the Stardew Valley dream!”
“Hmm, I suppose I am.”
After a week in business, the profits were modest, but he’d already heard an abundance of neighborhood gossip—him and her, her and her, her and him and her.
“How long do you plan to stay in Yucheng?”
“Not sure. Maybe I’ll just never leave.”
“Wow! Really? I want to come visit you!”
“Absolutely, you’re always welcome.”
With parental help funding the renovation and frequent transfers, Ning Zhixia still had about two hundred thousand in savings after all the work—enough for a laidback, ambition-free type like him to coast for quite a while.
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They chatted idly for half an hour until a new package arrived. Only then did Ning Zhixia reluctantly end the call.
Dappled shadows played across his face as he looked up. The window was mostly obscured by the trailing spider plants.
He reached up and lifted a vine; the green tendril pressed against his warm, soft fingertip, its golden-edged leaves trembling non-stop.
“Is there a breeze?”
Ning Zhixia glanced curiously outside, let go of the vine, muttering, “Maybe it’s too long—I should trim it.”
The leaves instantly stopped shaking.
He turned away to fetch the pruning shears; behind him, the faint rustling resumed.
When Ning Zhixia returned, the vine, which had just been shaking like it was electrified, now seemed to have swung upward in the wind, hanging quietly from the eaves.
Sunlight poured through the window. He stared at the plant for a few seconds, puzzled, then put down the shears and continued tidying up.
He’d gotten into nail art back in school, learning from some senior classmates, so he ordered gel polish sets with ease—both domestic and imported brands. Some of the luxury brands were pricey but had stunning colors; he limited himself to the most practical ones.
This delivery was a complete set, and the seller had included a color swatch. Satisfied, Ning Zhixia placed it on the walnut display rack by the door.
After all this effort, he was startled by a rustling in the plants and a shadow at his feet.
“Meow—”
At some point, a large orange cat had perched on the windowsill, backlit by the afternoon sun, rubbing its head against the wooden corner. It sprawled out lazily, tucked its front paws under, and watched him work in idle comfort.
Turning around, Ning Zhixia saw the golden loaf.
He slowly curled his lips in amusement, giving a mock appraisal, “Round head, thick neck—you’re not a kitten, you’re a little pig.”
The fat orange cat puffed its whiskers at him. Ning Zhixia grinned mischievously and scampered off.
“Phew.”
The orange cat flicked its tail and prepared to doze again.
From behind the screen, the young man poked his head out. “Hey, little pig!”
The orange cat: “…”
After playing with his regular stray visitor, Ning Zhixia broke down the packaging boxes and stacked them up.
The small house was about 160 square meters. The entrance was lush with greenery; old benches were piled with potted plants, and fallen petals landed right on the soft bellies of the kittens.
The first-floor workspace and small living room were divided by a folding screen. Next to the storage room was the kitchen and bathroom. Every appliance had been carefully chosen by his mother, who’d reminded him to keep all the warranties.
Upstairs were two bedrooms; the common area featured a fabric sofa and a bookshelf crammed with comics and rice grains.
Ning Zhixia was fond of this house. As a child, he’d come with his grandfather a few times. Usually, his grandfather would tidy up and leave, while he and his friend would eat popsicles and play with pebbles outside. Sometimes, when they got too playful and pulled a few leaves from the vines, they’d inevitably get a swat on the backside.
The recycling man hadn’t arrived yet, and not wanting the living room to be messy, Ning Zhixia picked up the cardboard, opened the storage room door, and was immediately met by a faintly damp smell.
This room was shaded, and even the humidity was higher than elsewhere, though oddly the walls showed no peeling.
The workers hadn’t found a cause. To be safe, apart from the original rosewood cabinet, nothing else had been placed here.
Ning Zhixia stacked the cardboard and clutter near the cabinet, then hopped up to sit on it, pressing down with his feet on the thick cardboard.
“Creak—”
The dark red cabinet door swung open with the motion, and inside, the space gaped like a black mouth, spitting out a brick-like book.
Had that always been there?
He picked up the book. It had clearly been pressed under something heavy; the pages were stuck together, the cover indistinct, with only the faintest trace of the word “Monster.”
When he flipped it open, however, the pages turned smoothly, as if newly rebound, and the first few sheets were crisp and white, printed in red warning letters—
“First: Carefully distinguish the lies of the mermaid.”
“Second: Never let a mermaid become curious about you.”
“Third: No matter how cold a mermaid may seem, their lustful instincts will never change.”
“Hm? Hm? Hm?”
Ning Zhixia’s gaze locked onto a particular word. Suddenly, his shoulders shook and a strange laughter filled the empty room.
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Mermaid?
Just hearing that made his back ache—weren’t they supposed to have endless stamina?
Ning Zhixia’s cheeks went a flushed yellow: ^v^
He flipped a few more pages. The yellowed, worn paper was so faded that only weirdly-shaped creatures could be vaguely made out.
“Ew, some kind of risqué Classic of Mountains and Seas…”
The older generations really had their fun. After flipping through, he lost interest and tossed the book back into the cabinet with a bang.
That afternoon, he had two customers in for simple polish. After seeing them off, his stomach rumbled. He wolfed down a bowl of fried dumplings from delivery and opened his latest parcel.
Inside were two neat rows of small white boxes, each filled with sparkling Swarovski crystals.
“Oh my goodness…”
Beautiful things always lifted his spirits. Ning Zhixia touched each one reverently, taking a sample from each box to make a display board.
The round wall clock ticked steadily as dusk fell outside. The gathering darkness, like drifting mist, muffled the bustling street. The second hand clicked once, then fell still.
A chill wind swept over his hand. Caught off guard, Ning Zhixia shivered and glanced up at the clock—it was almost 7:30.
It seemed there would be no more customers. He closed the shop, turned to tidy the table, when suddenly he heard a strange rustling, like fabric scraping over gravel.
Sensing something, he glanced toward the crack of the side window—catching a fleeting glimpse of a red paper umbrella.
Knock, knock.
Knock, knock.
Moments later, someone rapped at the door.
Ning Zhixia opened it to find a stunning woman.
White hair, fox ears, golden hairpins swaying, clad in the elegance of ancient robes. Her beautiful eyes sparkled. “May I come in?”
Ning Zhixia blinked in a daze.
Wow, even the cosplayers coming for commissions are so polite these days!
Not sure which character she was playing, but delighted, he opened the door wider. “Please, come in!”
Some subtle enchantment seemed to dissipate at his words. The woman’s expression flickered with surprise but quickly recovered. She closed her umbrella and entered with ease.
Ning Zhixia sat back down, waving her over. “Here, this way!”
The fox-eared woman sat slowly, her nine large tails fanned behind her like blossoms. She shifted a little awkwardly, catching the young man’s furtive glances from the corner of her eye. Narrowing her eyes, she reached toward his chest—
“Whoa!”
Ning Zhixia caught her cool, pale wrist in one swift motion, lowering his head.
He looked like a shy novice, yet his actions were bold and unflinching, almost roguish.
The fox spirit thought she had misjudged him, but then heard him exclaim, “Miss, your hands are beautiful!”
“Ah? Ah…”
Such frank praise left her momentarily stunned. “Are they…?”
“Your fingers are long and slender, with perfectly shaped nail beds—though your nails are a bit too long. Still, with nails like these, you don’t even need extensions…” Ning Zhixia nodded with conviction. “This is the first time I’ve seen such beautiful hands!”
His sincere tone made the fox spirit’s heart flutter, even though she reminded herself it was only her outer appearance. Behind her, her nine tails squirmed enthusiastically, wishing he’d say more.
“But…”
Just as she was beginning to float on his compliments, Ning Zhixia pointed at her bright red nails, all business: “Removal is an extra charge, you know!”
The fox spirit was taken aback, then quickly agreed, “O-okay.”