Chapter 275: Choice

The brother with the Bái Yáng head didn't say a word. He just silently knocked on the table and said:

"It doesn't matter. Come and eat."

The three of them didn't speak. They just nodded and walked over respectfully, sitting around the table.

I felt a bit lost and rubbed my hands together. I was really hungry, but this was someone else's home, and Grandma had always said that when visiting, you shouldn't even drink water without permission.

"Come and eat." Bái Yáng gēge knocked on the table and said to me.

"Huh?" I swallowed hard. "C-can I eat too?"

"Don't waste time. If Yáng gē tells you to come, then come." Hǔ shūshu said.

I nodded happily and went over to the table.

I looked around and didn't see a spot for me, but Bái Yáng gēge reached out, pulled over a chair, and placed it next to him.

"Sit," he said.

"Thank you, gēge!" I said with a smile.

Having food to eat was great.

I reached out to take off my mask, but Bái Yáng gēge stopped me.

"Don't take it off," he said coldly. "Eat like this."

"Eat like this...?" I didn't understand. How was I supposed to eat with this smelly mask on?

"Remember, your mask can only come off when you're dead," Yáng gēge said again.

"Ah...?!"

I glanced around the table at the others. They were just picking up food and stuffing it straight into the mouths of their masks.

Could the mouth on this mask actually open?

I tried reaching up to touch my mask and found that the mouth wasn't sealed shut. It was perfect for eating.

Even though the mask was really smelly, it was still better than starving to death!

There was a ton of food on the table, so much that it could feed ten people. I reached for a potato, peeled it, and took a bite.

It was boiled, nice and fluffy, with a really fragrant potato flavor. It was delicious.

Grandma used to boil potatoes for me like this before.

"Silly kid..." Hǔ shūshu shook his head.

Then he reached over and took a chicken leg from Hēi Yáng shūshu's plate and handed it to me. "Eat this. Get some meat in you."

"Hey..." Hēi Yáng shūshu looked really unhappy. "That's going too far, isn't it?"

"You're a sheep. What are you eating meat for?"

"What's wrong with a sheep eating meat?"

"Don't argue, don't argue... Heh heh." Shé shūshu said with a laugh. "Keep arguing and you might get beaten to death."

I stared at the chicken leg on my plate, feeling unsure.

"Come on, come on..." Shé shūshu patted my head. "Don't mind those two fools. If they give it to you, just eat it."

I picked up the chicken leg and looked at it. I only ever got to eat chicken legs during the New Year.

"Can I really eat this...?"

"Of course!" Shé shūshu winked at me.

"Th-thank you, Shé shūshu..." I said, then glanced at the other two and added, "And thank you, Hǔ shūshu and Hēi Yáng shūshu..."

"Look how polite this kid is." Shé shūshu shook his head. "Go on, eat up."

I nodded and took a bite of the chicken leg.

It was absolutely delicious. It felt like it was the New Year today.

It wasn't long before Bái Yáng gēge spoke up.

I noticed that every time he said something, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at him respectfully.

"I said..." He knocked on the table. "Hand over today's take."

"I got thirteen." Shé shūshu was the first to pull out a small package from behind him. "Thanks for the idea, Yáng gē."

"Mm." Bái Yáng nodded. "After my improvements, your game is almost perfect. It won't be long before you sign a contract."

"I got nine." Hēi Yáng shūshu replied. "Yáng gē, you were right. Humans deceiving each other is just so ugly."

Bái Yáng gēge thought for a moment and said, "Rén Yáng, do your 'Cāi Shàn Miàn' two more times and then stop."

"What?" Hēi Yáng shūshu was startled. "Yáng gē, what do you mean...?"

"Shift your focus." Bái Yáng gēge said. "I've designed a new game for you. Take a look when you have time."

Bái Yáng gēge handed a small notebook to Hēi Yáng shūshu.

"A new game?" Hēi Yáng shūshu flipped through the notebook and quickly looked shocked. "'Bā Guà Shàn'... with a hundred people involved...?"

"It's just an initial idea." Bái Yáng gēge said. "If it's too hard, you can simplify it to 'Seven Emotions,' 'Six Desires,' 'Five Notes,' 'Four Seasons,' or even 'Three Powers.'"

Hēi Yáng shūshu was clearly excited after getting the notebook, and it took him a while to say, "But Yáng gē, isn't this a 'Dì Jí' game...? I'm just Rén Yáng right now..."

"It's just a matter of time." Bái Yáng gēge said. "Get ready in advance."

"Yáng gē... could it be that you...?"

Bái Yáng gēge waved his hand to cut him off, then turned to Hǔ shūshu.

The other two uncles looked at him too.

"Rén Hǔ, how many did you collect today?" Bái Yáng gēge asked.

"I... I actually..." Hǔ shūshu lowered his huge tiger head, looking a bit funny.

"Go on." Bái Yáng gēge said softly. "I can handle whatever it is."

Hǔ shūshu was silent for a long time before whispering, "Yáng gē, I lost six..."

"Pfft..." Shé shūshu spat out his food and muttered under his breath, "Money-losing tiger."

"What the hell did you say?" Hǔ shūshu yelled and jumped to his feet.

"Oh... getting worked up, are we...?" Shé shūshu put on a scared face, then winked at me. "Little mouse, when you grow up, don't be like him, okay?"

Even though everyone looked a bit scary, I felt strangely safe.

Hǔ shūshu saw that no one was paying attention to him and sat back down, grumbling, "I'll pay back my own debts on my own time. There's no way I'll let Yáng gē worry about it!"

"Would I worry over six Dào?" Bái Yáng gēge sighed. "Come to my place after dinner to get new ones."

Hǔ shūshu didn't seem happy about that.

"Yáng gē..." He lifted his head and adjusted his mask. "You don't have to go this far for us. If it weren't for us holding you back, you'd have ascended by now!"

"Don't talk nonsense." Bái Yáng gēge said coldly. "We're eating at the same table, so we're in this together."

Everyone lowered their heads slowly and fell silent.

I didn't know what to do, so I just kept my hands under the table and watched them carefully.

"Even though I treat you all like family..." Bái Yáng gēge suddenly looked at me. "But you're the exception, little girl. Finish this meal and go. Go wherever you want, just don't stay in my sight."

"Oh..." I was stunned, then I realized.

I must have been a bother, staying in someone else's home like this.

"S-sorry..." I stood up and said to Bái Yáng gēge, "Thank you for all the food, Bái Yáng gēge. I'll leave right now..."

Before I could turn to go, Hǔ shūshu grabbed my shoulder.

"You've only had one potato and one chicken leg. You're not going anywhere." He looked up at Bái Yáng gēge and said, "Yáng gē, if this kid goes out, she'll get killed."