Chapter 37: A Returning Customer

　　Lu Fei put down his chopsticks and said, "You want me to find out what that thing is?"

　　"Yes!" Tiger nodded emphatically, "Even though the boss doesn't treat me particularly well, if it weren't for him picking me out from the security team, I would still be stuck in that dump making two thousand yuan a month, living meal by meal."

　　"Getting to the bottom of this will be my way of repaying him!"

　　This guy is indeed loyal and righteous.

　　Lu Fei said with difficulty, "But I'm an outsider, and you're a buddy; we don't have the right to touch the things in Duobao Hall, do we?"

　　Huzi gritted his teeth and said, "It's already this late, we can't worry about so much. You just find it, and I'll take care of the rest!"

　　Lu Fei was still very hesitant.

　　He had already met the KPI left by his grandfather and wasn't in a rush to collect more evil objects, not wanting to get into such trouble.

　　If he could confirm that it was an evil object and get the owner's permission, he would be very willing to help.

　　But in this situation, it really wouldn't be right to mess with someone else's belongings.

　　Moreover, with solid evidence, it might not even be an evil object causing the problem.

　　"I'm sorry, Huzi, I really can't help with this." After thinking it over, Lu Fei clearly refused Huzi.

　　"No, I was too impulsive." Huzi hurriedly apologized, "I'm like this; sometimes when my emotions get the better of me, I don't think of the consequences."

　　After eating a bowl of noodles, the two returned to the pawnshop.

　　When they passed by Duobao轩, there was no one else on the street, and even the shops beside had closed their doors and windows early, as if they couldn't avoid something.

　　Huzi couldn't help but look up at it.

　　The house was pitch black, huddled in the night, emitting an eerie and ominous aura.

　　"Was the boss really harmed by an evil entity..."

　　Huzi sighed, about to look away, when he suddenly caught a glimpse of a figure standing by the second-floor window.

　　"Someone is there?"

　　His body tensed, but when he looked again, there was nothing there.

　　Lu Fei, noticing that Huzi wasn't following, turned back and asked, "Huzi, what's wrong?"

　　"I just saw a figure by the window."

　　Lu Fei's heart skipped a beat as he recalled the rumors of ghostly disturbances at Duobao Pavilion. He looked up but saw nothing.

　　"No, did you see something wrong?"

　　"Maybe I was just overthinking it."

　　Huzi waited for a while but still didn't see anything. He laughed at himself and followed Lu Fei.

　　They returned to the pawnshop.

　　Lu Fei had Huzi sleep in the guest room.

　　The night passed without any incident.

　　The next morning, after breakfast, Lu Fei accompanied Huzi back to Duobao Pavilion to collect his luggage.

　　Huzi had the keys.

　　He took a deep breath, tore off the seal, and used the key to open the door.

　　Even after several days, the lingering smell of blood still remained.

　　After the pungent odor had dissipated somewhat, he and Lu Fei stepped inside one after the other.

　　The shop was as it always had been, with a dazzling array of antiques displayed on the shelves.

　　Huzi knew that ninety percent of these items were fake, with the genuine ones hidden in the back.

　　There was no sign of the mysterious antique that the boss had acquired.

　　Without giving it much attention, Huzi walked to the small partition at the back, tidying up his things.

　　The entire Duobaoxuan was eerily quiet; Huzi was on tenterhooks, but nothing frightening happened.

　　Before leaving, Huzi mustered up his courage to take a look at the backyard.

　　There were still traces of blood on the ground, but apart from that, everything seemed normal.

　　"Brother Lu Fei, did you notice anything?" asked Huzi, unwilling to give up.

　　"No." Lu Fei shook his head.

　　The house was just especially eerie because someone had died there; apart from that, he didn't feel anything else.

　　"It seems I was overthinking it."

　　Hu Zi sighed, locked the door, and dragged his luggage as he gazed at the antique street where he had lived for two years, feeling very lost and unsure of where to go next.

　　"Hu Zi, what are your plans for the future?"

　　"I don't know either."

　　Hu Zi stared blankly for a while, then suddenly turned around and bowed deeply to Lu Fei.

　　"Brother Lu Fei, I may not have many skills, but I have strength and some fighting skills. If you don't mind, I'd like to work for you!"

　　"Ah?" Lu Fei was taken aback, "My pawnshop doesn't have much business, and I don't need more hands right now."

　　"I really don't want to go back to being a security guard. It's only two or three thousand a month, with no chance of getting ahead! I can tell you're a man who does big business! Please give me a chance!"

　　Huzi bent over and refused to get up.

　　"Huzi, don't be in such a hurry." Lu Fei scratched his head and thought of a compromise, "How about this, you can stay at my place for now, and once you find a new job, you can settle in slowly."

　　"I will prove with my actions that I am a useful person!"

　　Huzi immediately stood up respectfully behind Lu Fei, treating him as if he were his boss.

　　Lu Fei found it very uncomfortable.

　　The two returned to the pawnshop, Huzi put his luggage in the guest room, and rolled up his sleeves to start working.

　　"This, this, Huzi, it's not necessary,"

　　"Brother Lu Fei, no, Boss, even if you don't keep me, this is what I should do. I can't freeload here!"

　　Huzi was determined, and Lu Fei couldn't stop him, so he let him be.

　　Despite Huzi's rough appearance, he did not hesitate when it came to work and soon had the backyard spotlessly clean.

　　"Tiger, you're quite capable, aren't you?"

　　"This little bit of work is nothing. When I was young, not only did I have to do household chores, but also farm work. My family was poor, so I couldn't go to school. I started working when I was just a teenager, and I've done all kinds of dirty and tiring jobs."

　　Tiger wiped his sweat, a bitter smile crossing his face.

　　"Back then, I was tying rebar on construction sites. On hot days, my back would be scorching and painful from the sun."

　　"The foreman saw that I was young and took advantage of me, only giving me half the pay."

　　"I couldn't take it anymore and beat him up. He retaliated by getting a group of people to beat me up, and he made sure no other construction sites would hire me."

　　"I had to sleep in a bridge tunnel, living worse than a dog. At that moment, I swore that I, Tiger, would make something of myself!"

　　Lu Fei couldn't help but feel moved.

　　Compared to Tiger, his own life had been like living in an ivory tower.

　　Although his parents had passed away when he was very young, his grandfather had protected him well, allowing him to grow up without a care in the world.

　　Lu Fei made tea for Hu Zi and let him sit down to rest.

　　Anyway, the pawnshop had no business, so having someone around to chat and boast was also good.

　　"Hu Zi, what do you want to do when you become successful?"

　　"The first thing is to beat up that damn foreman again!"

　　"What next?"

　　"Make money! Make a lot of money! I'll build a big house for my parents, pave a road for our village, and build a school. Our place is so poor, we have to climb mountains just to go to school, and the village primary school's buildings are all in ruins. The toilets are just a few rotten wooden planks apart, and you can even see the girls' bottoms... Ahem, getting off track."

　　Hu Zi's old face turned red.

　　Lu Fei smiled and said, "My family's pawnshop deals with evil objects, and one careless move could cost your life. Aren't you scared?"

　　"To be honest, I'm still a bit scared," Hu Zi said, still feeling the lingering fear from the torment of the hungry ghost money. "But compared to being poor, what's the fear of this?"

　　Lu Fei thought Hu Zi was a pretty decent guy, able to endure hardships and very loyal.

　　But Sinisterium Pawnshop didn't have the habit of hiring outsiders. Was he going to break this precedent?

　　After thinking it over, he still decided not to rush into a decision.

　　In the following days, he continued to open the shop as usual. The store remained desolate, with no customers. Liu Fugui came by twice, each time leaving in disappointment.

　　Lu Fei thought the next business would take a long time to come.

　　Unexpectedly, a few days later, a returning customer arrived.

　　The strong scent of perfume filled the pawnshop. These two women were fully covered, wearing hats, masks, and sunglasses, as if they were afraid of being seen.