I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 272
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- Chapter 272 - Welcome to Shenzhen City Yangtze River Bridge
Chapter 272: Welcome to Shenzhen City Yangtze River Bridge
The Dadong District of Shenzhen City, like the Central District, is one of the more “lively” areas in Shenzhen City.
Although it started relatively late due to being located on the eastern edge of the city, with many public facilities not being very well-developed, it is indeed a very suitable place for ordinary people to live.
The housing prices here are relatively cheap, the environment is good, and there are many tourist attractions, attracting many migrant workers and college students from outside.
At the same time, this area has the most urban villages and roadside stalls in the entire city. As soon as night falls, you can see various shops filling the streets, which is very popular among the people.
Simply put, Dadong District is an “upgraded version” of the Central District. There are more people here, the environment is better, and prices are lower, but the overall level of urbanization is not as good as the Central District.
When I was very young, the Mid-Autumn Festival was a very grand holiday. Unlike now, when everyone just goes home for a simple meal, back then, our welfare institution would hold many activities, and schools would really give everyone three days off to go home for the festival. At that time, the welfare institution held the Mid-Autumn Festival activities at “Moonlight Park” in Dadong District.
At that time, the Mid-Autumn Festival really had a strong festive atmosphere. All the children in the courtyard would make their own “lanterns”. Some used the money they earned from part-time jobs to directly buy lanterns with batteries, some sewed them together piece by piece using pomelo peel, lit a candle inside, some would find a small pumpkin in the field, hollow out the middle to make it into the shape of a pumpkin head, then put something that could glow inside, and make a handle to carry it by hand, and their handmade lanterns were completed.
After it got dark, a group of us children climbed onto the shaky train in the courtyard, squeaking and creaking all the way from the medicinal botanical garden, which wasn’t yet part of the Honor District, along the city’s largest road, bathed in the bright moonlight overhead. We chatted with our little companions about the interesting things that had happened since we started school, heading towards the city center.
I still remember the chubby uncle who was responsible for taking us children to Dadong District for the festival. He always used to sing Beyond’s “Glorious Years” before entering the city, as if he were the whole world at that time.
Now, Xiao Mo and I set out from the Honor District, heading east along this main road towards Dadong District.
“Nuo’er’s elf form smells sweet, like a fruity sweetness, making people want to take a bite.”
Because there were still bears on the train, Xiao Mo didn’t strip off my clothes and devour me as before. Instead, after pushing me onto the soft seat at the back of the car, she grabbed my hands, making me lie on a small pillow under the window with a look that seemed to say, “I’m going to bully the little kitten.”
“It seems Nuo’er is already adapting to this mode!”
The warm sunlight streamed in through the window, falling on Xiao Mo’s head as she lay on my stomach, on her clean little face, and on my chest. I slightly lifted my head and met the gaze of the young girl on top of me.
Those were a pair of beautiful eyes filled with gentle colors, appearing somewhat dreamlike in the sunlight.
The vehicle beneath us was driving steadily.
Through Xiao Mo’s clean and clear eyes, I saw the blue sky outside the car.
Xiongxiong was driving the car swiftly on the bustling road.
I could see many street lights standing by the roadside. Whenever we passed these street lights, they would partially block the sunlight from above, causing our window to flicker slightly, then it would be enveloped by sunlight again.
Twinkling, Xiao Mo’s beautiful eyes were like clouds constantly swaying in the sky.
In a trance, scenes from my childhood with my welfare institution friends going to Moonlight Park in Dadong District seemed to appear before my eyes.
The dilapidated truck swayed as we, the children, sat in the cargo box at the back of the truck. Trees lined both sides of the road, and the Mid-Autumn Festival moon was round and large.
Whenever the truck passed through the gaps between the trees, moonlight would instantly pour onto us children. Each of us held a simple lantern and a small mooncake in our hands, dreaming sweet dreams on the car.
For some reason, at this moment, I remembered the words Lan Jiajia said to herself under the moonlight at night—
?The moon is like a mascot, only able to shine at night with the help of the sun’s radiance. But you can’t say that the moon in this world only has the identity of a ‘mascot’. The world is so big, at least I quite like the moon, even if it only illuminates everything with the light borrowed from the sun.?
The truck swayed as the number of children on board decreased every year, and the number of mooncakes we could hold in our hands increased each year.
Although moonlight still poured onto the faces of us children every year through the gaps in the trees.
Twinkling, just like the sun now.
“What’s wrong?”
Perhaps sensing my gaze, the girl holding me asked with some concern, “Are you thinking about something from your childhood again?”
“Yeah…”
I stared into the girl’s eyes. “I just suddenly thought that your eyes, Xiao Mo, are very beautiful.”
“Beautiful?”
She probably didn’t quite understand what I meant for a moment, and Yin Xiamo hesitated, “Is Nuo’er having some naughty thoughts?”
“It’s not like that!”
I struggled a bit and sat up, then turned to look out the window.
Coincidentally, at this moment, we happened to be driving along the Ring Road that runs through the Honor District, Central District, and Craftsman District, and we entered the area of the Central District of Shenzhen City, arriving at the “Shenzhen Bridge”.
For Shenzhen City, there are three major rivers that directly “meet” the southern sea of Shenzhen City. Therefore, Shenzhen City also has three “Shenzhen Rivers” and three “Shenzhen Bridges”. However, when people mention the “Shenzhen Bridge”, almost everyone defaults to the one in front of us right now.
This Shenzhen River is the largest and longest river in Shenzhen City, starting from the eastern part of Nanqi District, heading north along Nanqi District, passing through the Craftsman District and the Central District, and finally reaching the Canjing District. Moreover, it also extends a “Y”-shaped river in the Craftsman District, forming the “Shenzhen Lake” in Dadong District, which runs through the entire Dadong District.
At the entrance of this Shenzhen Bridge, there is a huge plaque that reads: ?Welcome to Shenzhen Yangtze River Bridge”.?
However, this plaque was not like this more than ten years ago.
More than ten years ago, every time the truck from the welfare institution went to Moonlight Park in Dadong District for the Mid-Autumn Festival, it would pass by this bridge, and every year we children would look at this plaque, so I am very familiar with the words on it.
At the beginning, the plaque read “Welcome to Shenzhen City Yangtze River Bridge”, but later, the character “City” was removed, and a new plaque was put up.
Because it was said that some foreigners with not very good Mandarin came to Shenzhen City to visit, and when they saw this plaque, they would always say, “Is your mayor called Jiang Daqiao? He has such a big face. Every time I go on the bridge, I can see his name.” [1]
Unbeknownst to us, the rumor about the “Mayor of Shenzhen City being called Jiang Daqiao” spread, and when the real mayor heard about it, his face turned green. He ordered the plaque to be changed overnight.
“Once we pass here, we’ll be in Dadong District.”
As we crossed the bridge, Xiongxiong ahead sighed, “I really want to sunbathe by Shenzhen Lake again. It was so comfortable sunbathing there before, and there were many mobile vendors selling snacks by the shore. That’s what I appreciate most about this country.”
“Huh?”
I asked curiously, “Don’t you have mobile vendors over there, Xiongxiong?”
“We do, but very few.”
Xiongxiong chuckled wryly, “In our country, there are very few people. Even in the city, you won’t see people setting up stalls like that.”
Indeed, it’s a developed Western country, with even the urban style being identical.
“I used to come here often when I was a kid.”
I turned to look out the window, gazing at the streets and scenery that were starting to feel unfamiliar.
“And mostly at night. We used to celebrate festivals there in Moonlight Park during Mid-Autumn Festival. It’s a pity that the park has now turned into a zoo and charges admission.”
Back then, festivals were still very pure.
Back then, during holidays, schools wouldn’t assign a pile of extra homework, bosses wouldn’t pile up a bunch of work, and there wouldn’t be any “make-up days” afterwards. It was a completely thorough “rest day”.
So, after returning home, everyone could enjoy the holiday without any worries. During Mid-Autumn Festival, children could leave school early, then go home to help their parents prepare mooncakes, grapes, pomelos, and could go outside to buy lanterns, cotton candy, and candied haws.
Even during the most grandiose festival of the year, the Spring Festival, children could freely buy firecrackers and fireworks after returning home, setting them off as they pleased.
During meal times, elders wouldn’t ask about your homework, your class ranking, when you’re going to find a girlfriend, when you’re going to have children, or how much money you’ve earned from work. At night, you could watch TV shows that would make people laugh. The whole holiday wouldn’t bring any unpleasant memories, so everyone looked forward to the arrival of the next holiday.
“Nuo’er, do you want to go to that zoo?”
Perhaps misunderstanding my meaning, Xiao Mo next to me leaned over and said, “Let me guess… Nuo’er’s favorite animal? Groundhog? Jaguar? Giant panda?”
I couldn’t help but laugh, “Why would you think of a groundhog first…”
“Xiao Mo really spoils Nuo’er.”
Xiongxiong ahead chimed in, “Just like spoiling a delicate wife, as we say in our place… when raccoons fight, the wife wins.”
What a strange metaphor!
“Nuo’er, don’t move.”
The girl in front suddenly reached out her hand towards me, indicating the debris on my forehead.
“There’s some debris, seems like from that crispy shark just now… Let me get rid of it for you.”
With that, Xiao Mo pinched something on my head. Before I could react, this person suddenly cupped my face and planted a kiss on me.
“Mmm! Nuo’er really tastes like fruit, so sweet!”
“You!”
I turned away in anger. “I’m angry, the kind that can’t be easily coaxed!”
“Ah… sorry sorry sorry, I was wrong, I was wrong. As compensation, how about Nuo’er kisses me back?”
“I don’t want to.”
“Then let me lick Nuo’er’s ear?”
“You’re not reflecting at all!”
“……”
In the swaying sunlight, Xiongxiong drove the car to the open space near the Shenzhen Lake, not far from the entrance of the Shenzhen Science Museum in Dadong District.
From this angle, we could see the sparkling Shenzhen Lake not far away, as well as the sandy beach surrounding the lake.
There weren’t many people playing in the water early in the morning, but there were still quite a few vendors pushing their carts to set up stalls near the intersection near Shenzhen Lake.
At the entrance of the science museum, a huge sign read ?Shenzhen Tongmeng Exhibition (Please go upstairs)?, standing right at the staircase.
Many girls wearing sailor suits, Lolita dresses, and hanfu were holding hands and walking towards the main entrance stairs.
Many boys dressed as famous anime characters like Naruto, L, Bleach, and Zoro were walking arm in arm, teasing each other, and discussing the girls around them as they went upstairs.
This year wasn’t a year of classic anime works, so there were people cosplaying as various characters here.
Among these crowds, I also noticed characters from lesser-known anime – the rabbit from “A Dark Rabbit has Seven Lives,” the female lead from “C3 – Cube x Cursed x Curious,” and Kazumi from “Brynhildr in the Darkness.”
Especially the girl cosplaying as Kazumi, because the outfit itself was a female summer casual outfit, if you didn’t know the anime, you wouldn’t even realize she was cosplaying. However, having watched the anime, I knew her portrayal was very classic.
In the beginning, there was a popular meme in various QQ groups, featuring a pink-haired girl pointing behind her to “Akihabara” and saying to the camera, “I mean, are all the guys over there virgins?” This line comes from that anime. Moreover, the opening song of this anime is one of the few completely instrumental pieces, which many people have heard but don’t know where it’s from.
“You two wait here for a moment, I’ll park the car and come back.”
Xiongxiong instructed as he stopped the car at the entrance of the science museum. He then restarted the car and drove towards the parking area ahead.
“Xiao Mo.”
Watching the QQ car driven by Xiongxiong leave, I turned to the girl beside me and asked, “If I wanted to, how could I learn to switch between human and elf modes?”
My current “elf mode” was only activated with Xiao Mo’s help. According to her, if I were to have this intention on my own, considering my current rate of magical growth, it would take at least hundreds of years of learning to achieve the ability to switch autonomously without relying on her power. Before then, I wouldn’t be able to switch independently.
“Hmm?”
Seemingly surprised by my question, Xiao Mo paused for a moment before responding, “Why, do you like this state?”
“I guess so.”
I touched my pointed ears. “Or rather, if I want to make a little effort, Xiao Mo has given me this talent. So, in the future, I will definitely need to learn this skill, right?”
As Xiao Mo explained, my current body possesses four attributes simultaneously: “human,” “succubus,” “elf,” and “catgirl.” It’s similar to Fei Luo, who has the attribute of “dragon.” Normally, I maintain the human mode, while the other modes of “elf,” “catgirl,” and “demon” will be temporarily activated under specific conditions.
For example, in places with many cats, I release certain pheromones, making the cats around me think I’m the “big cat,” and I may have a reaction when exposed to “catnip.”
Or, in the forest, surrounded by trees and breathing the air of nature, my “elf” talent will also be activated, making me feel the world is so beautiful.
Or like that night when Fei Luo flew me over the Honor District, looking down at the hustle and bustle below, my body would also inexplicably surge with some kind of impulse.
Although I’m not quite sure why Xiao Mo arranged it like this, but… I choose to believe her.
Xiao Mo’s suggestion is to follow the rules of the Earth, to let me live an ordinary life first, and as for magic, that can be put aside for now. But I don’t know if it’s because of the curiosity of the novelist, I always unconsciously become interested in these things.
“Nuo’er…”
For some reason, as she looked at my determined expression, Yin Xiamo showed a slightly moved expression. “Can you tell me why?”
“It’s never harmful to learn more.”
I looked into the girl’s eyes. “I also want to know everything about myself and Xiao Mo. Is that okay?”
“Um…”
Under the warm sunlight, Yin Xiamo gave a small smile at my words.
“Curiosity deserves praise.”
She patted my head and took my hand. “I’ll tell you how to do it after the exhibition ends today.”
“Hey…”
At this moment, Xiongxiong, who had already parked the car, ran over from a distance carrying a small black backpack. Because she was wearing a black bear mascot costume, she didn’t run fast and took nearly three minutes to reach us.
“It’s… so hot.”
She panted heavily in front of Xiao Mo and me, wiping the sweat from her forehead.
“Let’s go, there must be air conditioning inside the exhibition.”
“You’re really going all out.”
I chuckled, covering my mouth. “You could have brought some clothes to change into.”
“I just wanted to see if I could do everyday activities in this outfit, but now… it seems a bit too much.”
Taking a bottle of water from her backpack, Xiongxiong took a big gulp. “Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go play!”
“……”
I’m not sure if it’s because the organizer of this exhibition is Tongmeng Net, but the style here at the museum is different from all the other venues I’ve been to before. As soon as I walked in, several giant advertisements greeted me:
?Shenzhen’s Cutest Maid, Catgirl Yin Nuo’er, June Work Schedule!?
?Preview: Cyberpunk 2022! An E-sports and Leisure Club Hidden Underground in the Café!?
?The Age of Aquarius is Coming! The Tianqi 3000 Graphics Card is Coming Strong, Pre-order now with a 50 yuan deposit to get a 500 yuan voucher on the day of release!?
?The Age of Aquarius Big Movie is Coming Soon!?
Various advertisements, from the entrance of the museum, to the sides of the stairs, and the entrance to the second-floor venue, were all over the place, overwhelming and dazzling. Especially when I saw the one about “Shenzhen’s Cutest Maid,” showing myself wearing white stockings and a maid outfit, being cute in front of the camera, my face flushed with embarrassment.
They really went all out to promote the café…
I have to go back and ask Su Yunjin for the advertising fee for this image rights!
“So big!”
Upon reaching the second floor and entering the exhibition hall, seeing many young men and women still setting up their booths, Xiongxiong turned to me and Yin Xiamo behind her.
“Wasn’t Nuo’er supposed to change clothes?”
“Yeah, her outfit is a bit special, with magical effects,” Yin Xiamo said jokingly.
“Miss Sikong Yue, why don’t you take a stroll around first? I’ll take her to the dressing room.”
Then, Yin Xiamo grabbed my hand.
“Come on, my cute little elf, it’s time to change clothes!”
“……”
……
TL Note:
The placement of the words is very ambiguous. So this joke was created.
Simple explanation:
“Jiang Daqiao is welcoming you.”
It sounds like someone’s name, isn’t it? But it’s not actually a name.
? (ji?ng): river
? (dà): big, great, large
? (qiáo): bridge