Blood Queen - Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Fief Knight

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May 24, Friday, another day for working people to enjoy simple pleasures.

As the lights came on, “Lingzui’er Cold Snacks” at the old street corner officially opened for business.

Besides the four tables inside the small shop, an additional seven or eight sets of orange tables and chairs were scattered across half of the street corner’s sidewalk.

Without the need for deliberate hawking or flaunting, the pedestrians of all ages passing through this street naturally accepted the changes of each store.

Without any grand opening ceremony, when night took over the summer sky, Lingzui’er Cold Snacks naturally welcomed its first wave of customers, as if it had always been a part of the local flavor of this bustling neighborhood.

Shirtless men no longer concerned with their image, cursing and laughing workers, flamboyant young women, carefree and sunny college students, various customers gradually filled every table at Lingzui’er.

Spicy stir-fried river snails, oily braised pigs’ feet, savory marinated duck slices, foaming beer, bright green boiled edamame… The rich aroma of various cold and hot foods, mixed with the smell of cigarettes, sweat, perfume, and cooking fumes, combined with the high-powered lighting, added another layer of greasy sheen to the already old and mottled street.

“Brother, oh, sister, one order of spicy river snails, medium spicy, no Sichuan peppercorns!”

“One order of braised pigs’ feet, two orders of boiled edamame!”

“We’re almost out of beer, I’ll call the distributor to send ten more cases!”

Wearing dark brown T-shirts with blue jeans, topped with single-sided aprons, and sporting ponytails, Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao, dressed in completely uniform styles, had already plunged into a busyness different from their military life.

Among the tables, the figure of a pale golden-haired girl darted left and right, constantly responding to customers’ needs, taking orders, settling bills, greeting and sending off patrons.

In the deliberately open kitchen preparation area, amidst rising steam and smoke, the black-haired girl’s ladle danced gracefully, or her knife quickly sliced various cold dishes on the cutting board.

Time flew by rapidly, and soon, the wall clock in the store showed 2 AM.

As the last table of customers finally paid and left, looking around, empty beer bottles and various food scraps arrogantly filled every crevice between the tables and chairs, messy and disorderly, but extremely satisfying.

All the busyness came to an abrupt halt at this moment. Jiang Yao, with a silly smile, quietly sat on the chair closest to the shop door, flipping through a large stack of accounting bills.

In the kitchen, Jiang Yan wiped the sweat from her forehead, tidying up the mess before her. The single-sided apron, covered in grease, had long been abandoned in the sweltering environment. The girl’s chest and back were soaked through, vaguely revealing some graceful curves and contours.

“Hey, Brother, guess how much we made today?”

Jiang Yao quickly walked into the store, facing Jiang Yan who was washing dishes, with a happy face.

In a good mood, not bothering to correct the other’s habitual form of address, Jiang Yan also smiled, thought for a moment, and held up three fingers.

“Hey, 3,500 yuan and change!”

Jiang Yao lowered her voice, quite proud.

Not intending to debate the actual cost calculation method at this time, Jiang Yan nodded, even stretching her body slightly, extending her tired limbs. Looking at the night sky outside the store, she had a pleased expression.

Let’s start like this, our life.

……

……

Lingzui’er Cold Snacks deliberately chose to open on Friday, taking advantage of the unique weekend traffic at the old street corner, easily achieving a successful opening, and Saturday’s turnover broke new highs again, naturally giving Jiang Yao the illusion of booming business.

With the return of weekdays, even with the addition of several special dishes like crayfish and takeout services, Lingzui’er’s daily turnover averaged just over 2,000 yuan. Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao were constantly summarizing various problems that arose during operations.

Before they knew it, time entered June, and the weather in C City became increasingly hot. The number of returning customers gradually increased, and the turnover was slowly improving.

On June 8, a sudden gale and rainstorm not only washed away the city’s prolonged heat but also caused the usually busy weekend business at Lingzui’er to suddenly cool down.

Estimating that people were unlikely to come to the store to eat and drink in this stormy weather, Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao tidied up the outdoor tables and chairs early, and the store’s rolling shutter door was half-closed.

Today’s business was likely a wash, but the two seemed a bit happy, sitting inside the store scrolling on their phones, enjoying a rare moment of relaxation.

“Sister, I’ve set up a new food delivery platform!”

Sitting by the door, Jiang Yao suddenly raised her phone and shouted, then quickly walked towards Jiang Yan.

When the girl bounced over in a few steps, that light and delicate gait made Jiang Yan feel a bit dazed.

It had been half a month since they opened the store, and Jiang Yao spent most of her time bustling between tables. Unconsciously, the inherent characteristics of female skeletal joints were quietly updating Jiang Yao’s actions and muscle memory, far more natural and coordinated than her previous deliberate imitation training.

Looking at the other’s smiling face, Jiang Yan suddenly felt she might have overthought things before.

“Great, thank you for your hard work. I calculated that in this half month, after deducting all costs, the net profit is 11,700 yuan and change. Now that we’ve fully expanded into takeout, I estimate the monthly net profit will be at least 20,000.”

Jiang Yan smiled faintly, casually handing over a freshly opened can of chilled soda.

Jiang Yao naturally extended her right hand to take the can, bringing it to her small mouth. As the soda poured into her mouth, the pale golden-haired girl’s little finger holding the can quietly curled upwards.

“Xiao Yao…”

Looking away, perhaps afraid that her next words would break the busy and fulfilling atmosphere of these days, Jiang Yan hesitated, her voice very soft.

“Hm?”

Jiang Yao tossed aside the can, the carbonation rising in her stomach making her burp, a puzzled look on her face.

“In two more days, it will be the 10th, the time to go to Sister Wan’s place to purchase blood. I plan to close the business for one day on the 10th of every month from now on.”

As Jiang Yan spoke, she untied her apron and gently put it aside. Jiang Yao froze, the smile on her face gradually fading, replaced by an indescribable dejected expression.

“I understand, I’ll go too.”

Yes, this kind of life is actually just a desperate disguise, we are vampires after all… Jiang Yao felt a strange discomfort lodged in her heart, as if all the life of these days was intensely fake.

The scene fell into silence, while outside the door, the dark night’s wind and rain grew stronger, large raindrops wrapped in gales struck the rolling shutter door, producing crisp sounds of varying pitch.

Suddenly, half of the rolling shutter door was lifted from the outside.

A middle-aged woman dressed as an ordinary housewife, with a nice figure, holding an umbrella, entered the store with a mysterious faint smile on her pretty face, slightly bending to duck in.

The housewife looked around at the store’s decor, then focused her gaze on the two girls: “The rain is really heavy tonight… Not planning to do business? Turn on the stove now, give me an order of stir-fried river snails and an order of crayfish, extra spicy with lots of cilantro, to go.”

Almost simultaneously, Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao sensed a faint but powerful pheromone fluctuation appearing in the store. It was the second time they had encountered the unfamiliar vampire knight aura since that night a month ago when they had fought with a Black Blood Clan member who had lost control due to blood thirst.

The two girls’ expressions changed dramatically, and they both unconsciously took two steps back.

Jiang Yan’s hand had already moved to her lower back, slipping under her T-shirt. Jiang Yao kept glancing at the cash register, her face showing obvious regret because her dagger was not on her person.

“What? Not planning to take my order? Or would you prefer to challenge an upper-rank knight?”

The housewife smiled and casually found a place to sit down, tidying her umbrella while looking with interest at the two girls with abnormal expressions, seemingly having anticipated their reactions.

Not sensing any hostility in the deliberately leaked pheromones, after the initial stress response, Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao slowly relaxed their bodies.

“I’ve been watching you two for over half a month now, this one… should be the older sister, right? Often wandering around before opening the store…”

The housewife’s words were casual, but her expression gradually became serious: “I’m the fief knight here, you can call me Sister Tan. It looks like you’re planning to stay here long-term, so do I need to explain some vampire rules to you?”

“Sister Tan, we know that within your sphere of influence, we can’t feed on ordinary people, otherwise it would be deliberate provocation.”

Jiang Yan slowly lowered her hand from behind her back, her expression returning to composure. It seemed that she and Jiang Yao were still lucky, encountering a local bigwig of the orthodox vampires, and one who, like Huang Gu, was relatively friendly to their own kind.

“Mm, it seems the person who guided you here was quite reliable, otherwise you’d be dead already. Alright, quickly start cooking, my husband is waiting for me to bring back some late-night snacks! Heh, he says I don’t cook as well as you do, men are really hard to please!”

The housewife laughed with a very down-to-earth air. After retracting her pheromone release, she returned to being an ordinary middle-aged beauty, unremarkable in temperament.

The stove fire rose, and smoke filled the small store again. Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao, one in charge of the main cooking, the other assisting and preparing ingredients. Soon, two portions of fragrant spicy late-night snacks were placed in front of Sister Tan, then the two girls looked at each other, seeming to have something to say.

“It’s 90 yuan in total, right? Sigh, prices are really high nowadays. 10 years ago, this much would cost at most 30 yuan!”

The housewife casually counted out money and placed it on the table while pointing to the chair beside her: “Seeing you these days, it seems like you’re really planning to settle down here. If you have any questions, sit down and let’s talk.”

“Hey! Um, sister, you’re an orthodox vampire, right?”

Before Jiang Yan could speak, the already curious Jiang Yao rushed over first, treating the other like an ordinary customer as she offered a small plate of sunflower seeds, and even boldly moved her small stool next to the housewife.

“What, you’re interested? However, if you’re wandering vampires wanting to join an orthodox family, the lowest rank is at least servant level. Your sister might qualify, but you wouldn’t.”

The housewife cracked sunflower seeds as she chatted with Jiang Yao.

“I’m sorry, she’s too curious… Um, Sister Tan, do you… have family here? Ordinary people? How do you usually manage…”

Sending Jiang Yao away to clean up the stove in the kitchen, Jiang Yan took her place sitting beside the housewife.

“You little girl, you’re quite curious too, and your words have hidden meanings, huh?”

The housewife spat out sunflower seed shells, with a casual smile: “I’m not afraid to tell you, I’ve been in this ghostly form for almost 40 years now, I’ve almost forgotten what my previous home looked like. I’ve only settled here for 7 or 8 years. The one at home now is my second husband since I became a vampire, he’s very good to me.”

“Don’t beat around the bush trying to probe, I’ll be straightforward. I never feed on ordinary people within my fief. Although not activating boiling blood won’t cause blood invasion in ordinary people, I don’t like doing that either. I don’t treat them like lambs, I just treat the fief as my own quiet home.”

The housewife said this with a bitter smile: “The family provides me with a free blood quota every month. If I want to drink more, I just feed on my husband’s blood. He doesn’t know when I do it at night, and I keep him well-fed and nourished during the day. Occasionally when his son and daughter-in-law come to stay, I can secretly change flavors.”

“Over the years, I’ve lost the desire to continue growing and advancing. It’s too tiring. I just maintain this way, as long as I don’t get blood-thirsty, it’s fine.”

The housewife’s face was full of a kind of plain happiness, and a hint of barely perceptible loneliness.

“Then… which family did you join? How can you get a fief, and what do you usually manage?”

Jiang Yan gradually steered the topic towards what she really wanted to know, but the moment she spoke, she regretted it a little, because the housewife’s expression had already started to change.

Fief knights enjoy laid-back benefits, but are also responsible for protecting the family’s properties and security order within the fief. This is the most basic vassal obligation of a fief knight.

A seemingly ordinary store might be an immovable property of a major orthodox vampire family. This is top-secret information for every family, and even fief knights within the same family may not be clear about each other’s situations, let alone dare to inquire about them.

“Little girl, trying to get information out of me? In the eyes of high-ranking vampires, not to mention servants like you, even knights like me are little better than trash. As for your sister, she doesn’t even count as trash.”

The housewife stood up, took the late-night snacks, and walked towards the rolling shutter door. Her tone was very different from when she had entered, colder.

“By the way, since you’re making a living in my fief, you need to understand the rules. From now on, pay 10,000 yuan every month. If you can’t do it for three consecutive months, either pack up and leave, or force me to take action…”

Leaving these words behind, the housewife went out the door, disappearing into the rainy night.

Not feeling that Sister Tan’s appearance was unexpected, looking in the direction she had disappeared, Jiang Yan was lost in thought.

It seemed as if there was a huge mirror in the world, with the normal human world and the vampire world being the inside and outside of this mirror, reflecting and imitating each other, both similar and opposite.

Sister Tan strived to maintain the facade of a normal person, as someone else’s wife, immersed in the mundane details of daily life and neighborhood gossip, enjoying a false sense of tranquil happiness.

But the cruel and irreversible other side also gave her a lofty status ruling over an area, breeding a coldness and ruthlessness unknown to others.