I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 46
The trip to the comic convention this time was different from yesterday’s visit to the Mingzhu Building for “rights and wages.”
The area around Mingzhu Square falls under the category of a “tourist attraction” or a “popular selfie spot,” and apart from slightly higher prices, you can pretty much go anywhere directly. There are many shops around, offering a wide range of options, from food and drinks to entertainment, accommodation, and clothing. As long as your phone is fully charged and you can make payments, you hardly need to prepare anything.
However, the comic convention in Dadong District is at least fifty kilometers away from this area and spans two districts, equivalent to the distance between the starting and ending bus stops. The basic facilities in the vicinity are not as comprehensive as those around Mingzhu Square.
As is well-known, the more a place “follows the rules,” the less “vibrant” it is.
Just like my apartment, even though it is surrounded by urban villages and doesn’t look beautiful from a distance due to self-built houses and old residential areas one after another, it still affects the city’s appearance. But paradoxically, this is the most down-to-earth area in the central district of Shenzhen City.
In other bustling areas, when it’s late at night, shops close and street vendors pack up, but in this kind of “hands-off” place, there are barbecue stalls, stir-fry stalls, and street food everywhere at night. After the midnight barbecue stalls, there are mobile breakfast food carts. Here, one family sells Jianbing Guozi (a Chinese street food), another family sells roasted sweet potatoes and corn. By noon, there will be snack carts selling green bean porridge, cold rice noodles, tofu pudding, or small household items or potted plants.
The breakfast shop I went to just now is located in front of a self-built house owned by a couple. They sell breakfast without the need for rent, transport costs, or middlemen’s markups. Not far behind, there is an affordable vegetable market. They go to the market every evening to buy ingredients and wake up at three or four in the morning to make buns and fried dough sticks. They open at five-thirty in the morning. Whether it’s buns or soy milk and fried dough sticks, the prices are much cheaper than the specialty stores outside.
In contrast, the large supermarket I visited a couple of days ago, which is located in a proper commercial street across from the urban village, becomes particularly quiet at night.
The convention center, as the name suggests, is a large stage for connecting the international community.
This place receives special attention and regulation from the Shenzhen City government, especially in the area around the convention center. Within a one-kilometer radius, no itinerant vendors are allowed, and places with “bad influences” such as internet cafes, karaoke bars, and regular bars are also prohibited. Even if there are stores, they must sell high-end products.
During my college years, I once visited a comic convention at the convention center, and I have a vivid impression of the environment there.
It’s undeniably beautiful, but often very inconvenient, especially when it comes to buying things. I had to bring things like water and tissue paper myself.
“…”
After boiling water in the kitchen and letting it cool down a bit, I added some salt to a thermos and prepared an oral rehydration solution, placing it on the table.
Then, there’s tissue paper… two packs should be enough.
For someone like me, who used to work away from home, tissue paper is a necessary consumable. To save money, I usually collect various coupons and look for discounts on online shopping platforms, then buy a large quantity at once. I still have quite a bit of stock.
My phone, water, tissue paper, and…
I retrieved a small portable charger and a data cable from the drawer.
I should bring this too.
I vaguely remember that when I had just graduated from college, I applied for a job at an animal husbandry company. The company’s owner required me to go to a very remote farm in another province and coordinate work with the local staff. When I arrived at the location, my phone’s battery was running low, and the surroundings were all trees and mountains. I couldn’t see a single person. The scorching heat of 36 degrees Celsius at the time left me unprepared, and I ended up suffering from heatstroke. I felt dizzy, my vision blurred, and my throat was burning. If it weren’t for my stroke of luck in finding a small river just before collapsing, I might have succumbed to the searing sun on that farm.
It was from that time on that I began to prepare thoroughly every time I traveled far from home, and I would never forget to bring water, at the very least.
“I remember my old backpack was in…”
After preparing most of the things I needed to take with me, I returned to the bedroom, crouched down, and rummaged through the pile of miscellaneous items under the bed.
That’s when I made an astonishing discovery – the width under the bed now allowed me to directly crawl into it!
Even though I couldn’t do that back when I was heavier…
“Found it…”
With nimbleness, I searched under the bed for a while and retrieved a somewhat dirty backpack.
This was the backpack I used during my college days, and I occasionally used it in the early days of my work. Later on, when my life became more stable, it was left unused here.
Should I use this backpack to carry my things?
Thinking about it, I turned the bag over and immediately noticed several large holes.
These holes were so big that it was unlikely I could use the bag to carry anything. They were scattered here and there, with clear signs of them being gnawed by some small animals at the edges.
Rats…
The memory of all the snacks I bought and forgot to store in boxes flashed through my mind.
One thing you can never avoid in rental houses and apartments in urban villages is rats.
The big gray rats in the south can practically do it all, they can climb walls and enter buildings effortlessly. It doesn’t matter if it’s the third floor or even the twentieth floor; they can climb up and steal anything edible or chew on anything chewable.
My computer’s power cords and network cables have been bitten through by rats more than once.
Well, when it’s bitten up like this… there’s no point in trying to fix it.
I sighed in frustration and took the torn backpack to the living room, tossing it into the trash can.
Then, my gaze fell on the small rabbit backpack I had received from the bald editor-in-chief at Mingzhu Building the night before.
Similar to the rabbit nightgown dress that I had hand-washed and hung outside, this backpack also featured primarily pink and white colors. It had a cute style, looking round with two bunny ears at the back.
As a manly uncle, I never intended to use such a backpack, but considering the current situation… I had quite a few things to carry, and it wouldn’t be cost-effective to go out and buy a new bag just for this trip.
I tried lifting the small backpack and slung it over my back, then walked over to the full-length mirror.
Hmm… it’s undeniably cute, but…
I saw a hint of blush on the face of the little girl in the mirror.
Did I go overboard with the cuteness?
Slightly turning my body to face the mirror with my back and the backpack in view, I maintained a twisted posture and scrutinized my current appearance for quite a while.
I was wearing lively, strappy jeans and had long hair, carrying a pink rabbit backpack…
Why did I, a middle-aged man, have to use a little girl’s things? Should I just spend money to buy a new one?
But the truth was, I really didn’t have any money left.
Considering the current cost of living, buying a new bag would mean spending at least two or three days’ worth of food money. It just didn’t seem like a good deal, especially when I already had a bag.
Oh well, cute is cute. There’s nothing wrong with using things meant for little girls, especially when I currently look like one.
With a touch of frustration, I returned to the table.
The rabbit backpack was quite small, but it had no trouble accommodating a water bottle, a packet of napkins, and a small portable charger.
I wasn’t using this bag because I found it cute, it was about making the most of what I had at my disposal—a rational, pragmatic approach. Yes, that’s it.
In any case, as long as the bag serves its purpose, that’s all that matters, just like my QQ profile picture.
Once I had resolved that issue, I quickly packed the items on the table into the bag, then slung the rabbit backpack over my shoulder and gave myself one last look in the mirror, taking a deep breath.
“You can do it, Nuo’er… Cough cough.”
Why am I calling myself Nuo’er now?
Despite the feverish flush on my face, I pushed the door open and walked out.
“Oh?”
Coincidentally, the building manager from Building Three had just walked up from downstairs and seemed surprised to see me. “Little sister, up so early? Going out to have fun?”
“Yeah,” I quickly put on a smiling face, “I’m going to a comic convention. I made plans with some friends.”
“The one at the convention center?”
The building manager seemed contemplative. “Where’s your brother?”
“He hasn’t woken up yet. He was playing games all night yesterday.”
I closed the door and grumbled in an imitation of a little girl’s tone, “I don’t understand what’s so fun about games.”
“Haha, men are all like that. Your brother is actually quite good. That guy in 502, I suspect he’s on his way to becoming an immortal. He never sleeps or goes to work, just drinks every day. He had a fight with his girlfriend again last night, and he’s been quiet since then. I need to check on him.”
The building manager walked upstairs and waved to me. “Be careful on the way. Don’t talk too much to strangers, they might try to abduct you.”
Do I really look like someone who can be easily abducted?
Although I felt a bit frustrated, I maintained a face of gratitude for the well-intentioned advice. “Sure! Thank you, uncle. Goodbye!”
“Call me ‘big brother’, I’m only 27 this year!”
“Alright, goodbye, 27 years old uncle!”
“……”
……