Chapter 5 Patrick Visits Liu Yonglu wanted to run, but for some reason his eyes drifted unconsciously to the stone tablet. He could not understand the symbols and the distorted giant biological patterns on it, but he just inexplicably wanted to look at it and think about it. Forcing his gaze back, Liu Yonglu discovered that those deformed, half-naked monsters had crawled to a position seven or eight meters away from him. Run! His heart was urging him to run, but for some reason, an inexplicable voice in his head would always whisper in his ear. He couldn't figure out the meaning of the whisper, but he couldn't resist it mentally. After struggling for a few seconds, he moved towards the stone tablet again. The monsters seemed to have no vision, and all their actions were affected by the stone tablet. Every time Liu Yonglu cast his eyes on the stone tablet, they would scramble to crawl towards him, but when Liu Yonglu looked away, the monsters would stop moving and continue their rituals. "I don't want to watch it, but I can't move my eyes away! I'm watching a movie now, no, or the beautiful frog will jump on me and put me in the hot pot!" Liu Yonglu was anxious and used all his strength to turn around, but the whisper in his ear still did not disappear, and kept tempting him to turn around and see and understand the ancient stone tablet. His knees went weak and he fell heavily to his knees, curled up on the ground, holding his head in his hands. A dozen half-human monsters had come to him and surrounded him, waiting for him to look at the stone tablet again so as to capture him and assimilate him. But at this moment, a series of clear and melodious recitations sounded from the "frog group", and it was Liu Yonglu who was crawling on the ground. "Then let me ask you, have you ever seen a toad? Why do you think such a small animal can make such a loud cry?" It is exactly the lyrics of the crosstalk "Toad Drum".
It turned out that he was still unable to resist the temptation of the whispers in his ears, so he made up his mind and started to "slip". The so-called "slip" means rehearsal in crosstalk. Every day when Liu Yonglu arrived at the Quyi Troupe, he would find a place where no one was around to rehearse a few paragraphs. At this time, his brain had already lost control under the influence of the whispers, and Liu Yonglu had to find something to fill his brain and regain control of his thoughts. The strange voice in his head still did not disappear, but under the influence of "Toad Drum", Liu Yonglu gradually got into the state. Although he held his head, his every frown and smile seemed as if he was performing in front of the audience. On a wild island, dozens of twisted half-human monsters stood on the hillside surrounding a man with his hands on his head. The monsters' incomprehensible monologues echoed in the valley. "I'll treat you to steamed lamb, steamed bear paws, steamed deer shadows, roast duck, roast chicken, roast goose..." "Go to Qinghe, Shahe, Changping County, Nankou, Qinglong Bridge, Kangzhuangzi, Huailai County..." "There are the road-clearing ghost, the road-beating ghost, the heroic fighting spirit of the Hundred Cranes, Fang Bi, Fang Xiang, and the two generals Heng Ha..." After finishing practicing the Guankou work, Liu Yonglu started practicing the Liuhuo. It was not that he did not want to stop, but as soon as he stopped, the ubiquitous ancient whispers would occupy his mind and make him look at the stone slab unconsciously. Fortunately, his crosstalk reserves were almost endless. After performing just a dozen of the hundreds of crosstalk pieces, he woke up in the hotel room. It was already dawn, and Liu Yonglu stared at the ceiling, feeling confused. Hi, it turned out to be a dream. If I had known it was a dream, I wouldn’t have put so much effort into it. If I had been caught by the frog, the most I would have been able to do would have been to have hotpot. But it doesn't matter. I've been here for a long time and have no time to slack off. I can't neglect the basic skills. If I could have this dream every day, my professional level would improve by leaps and bounds. After washing and changing his clothes, Liu Yonglu went out. It wasn't that he had anything urgent to do, but he was afraid that he would receive another call if he stayed in the hotel, and then the woman would urge him to work again. Hey, let's not meet! He has always had plenty of such lazy and cunning tricks. Walking on the streets of Pormouth, Liu Yonglu looked around and found that there were both horse-drawn carriages and antique old-fashioned steam cars on the streets. Many workers had already put on their gray factory uniforms and went out to work. Some of the workers still had childish looks on their faces and might not even be adults yet. Liu Yonglu was a good student of history in school. After some comparison, he felt that the technological level of this world was roughly equivalent to that of Earth in the mid-nineteenth century. After wandering around and trying several restaurants without having any good breakfast, Liu Yonglu wandered to the downstairs of Isaac's house. From a distance he saw a large black carriage parked at the door, and a dozen neighbors gathered together, talking about something. "Sister, something happened to Isaac's family?" "Old Jenny passed away. I heard she had a sudden illness last night." "Ah... the old man is gone!?"
The donut in my hand almost fell to the ground. I went to visit their house yesterday and the old lady was still fine. How could she die after having a meal? Liu Yonglu quickly turned around and walked back to the hotel. He felt a little guilty and kept thinking about what happened yesterday, from the time he entered the house to steal the black stone to the opera, and then to when he finished his meal and went out. I don't feel anything is wrong... Back in his room, Liu Yonglu leaned on the bed and thought about how to deal with the unit's accountability. He was asked to investigate a family conflict, but as soon as he got there, the old lady was killed. No matter how you look at it, it was a bit unacceptable. If my family members go to the company to make trouble, I will most likely be pushed out as a scapegoat, and then I will have to find a job. I have just arrived in this world and I am unfamiliar with the place. What should I do... Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Liu Yonglu got up nervously and opened the door. He saw a short and fat man wearing a painter's hat standing at the door and calling for a waiter. "Master, who are you looking for?" Liu Yonglu was wondering, this man was so impatient that he called for waiter after just knocking twice. When the other person saw Liu Yonglu, there was obvious surprise on his face, as if it was very strange that someone opened the door. "Hello, Mr. Richie, my name is Patrick Whitman. I have something to talk to you about. Is it convenient for me to come in and talk?" The short fat man took off his hat and said. "Oh...then come in and tell me." Liu Yonglu explored the original owner's memories. He didn't recognize the person in front of him, but the other party could say his name. It seemed that he had found the right person. Was he from the unit coming to question him? After entering the room, Liu Yonglu found a chair and put it away. He sat directly on the bed and waited for the other party to speak. When Patrick entered the room, his eyes fell on the black stone on the table. He took out a handkerchief from his coat pocket, wiped the glasses on his nose, and stared at it carefully again. Liu Yonglu saw all this. Oh? Coming for Black Stone? "Mr. Ricky, I'm Patrick, the director of the Resting Wind Sanatorium. Isaac's mother, Ms. Jenny, received rehabilitation treatment in our hospital for a year and a half." "Oh, go on." Liu Yonglu's heart skipped a beat. He thought this guy was here to help with the funeral. Was he here to make trouble for me? Or did he want me to contribute to the funeral? "It's like this. Ms. Jenny and I have developed a close personal friendship in addition to our relationship as patient and dean." The old man's second wife! Liu Yonglu had already defined the person in front of him. "I had planned to visit her home today, but I suddenly heard the sad news that Ms. Jenny had passed away in the early hours of yesterday morning." "Ah? The old lady is gone!" Liu Yonglu said in surprise. "Yes, it is my loss to lose a friend who is worthy of respect, and I am deeply saddened now." "Well, please accept my condolences. The old lady is old, and this is considered a happy funeral. You should take it easy." Patrick didn't know what Lao Xisang was, but he felt that Ricky in front of him was a little different in both accent and wording. "When I was in the sanatorium, I gave Ms. Jenny a fossil specimen of an ancient plant. I saw one in your room just now. I wonder if it is the one in Ms. Jenny's hand." Patrick pointed to the Black Stone. The fake antique that my wife gave me before, now wants to take it back? No, this short and fat guy is wearing very expensive clothes, he shouldn't be so stingy. Did I make a mistake? Is it a real treasure? Liu Yonglu laughed as he thought: "Well, it is indeed that piece, but it was given to me by my ally Isaac. He said his mother didn't want him anymore, so he gave it to me." On the one hand, he was suspicious of the value of the stone, and on the other hand, he was afraid that it would be difficult for him and Isaac to explain to his wife after the stone left. Patrick said that he gave it to me, so it must be a gift from him? What if he was lying to me? If Isaac came to ask for it again, where would I go to chase him? Liu Yonglu is a very smart person. With just one sentence, he confirmed the legitimacy of having the stone in his hands. "Brothers? It means that you and Isaac have a deep friendship. Am I understanding correctly, Mr. Richie?"
"It's a friendship that's worth knocking your head on the ground, what do you think? Anyway, the stone belongs to me now. If you want to claim that it was yours before and want it back, we have to go to Isaac and talk it out face to face." Patrick was silent. He obviously didn't want to make a big deal out of it. He thought for a few seconds before continuing to speak and changing the subject. "Mr. Rich, you touched this black stone with your own hands yesterday, right?" "Not only did I touch it, I licked it!" Patrick's pupils trembled, and the polite smile on his face disappeared instantly. He looked at the young man in front of him in disbelief. Hehe, that's awesome, I licked it, if you don't find it disgusting then you can go back. Liu Yonglu picked his nose with a smug look on his face. He didn't know that Patrick was surprised not because he had licked it, but because he was still alive after touching and licking it, as if nothing had happened. After a while, Patrick looked Ricky up and down again. There didn't seem to be anything special about the young man in front of him, but the smile on his face had an indescribable unique attraction, which he had never seen in his life. Thinking of this, Patrick stood up, leaned slightly, took out a small silver box from his arms, took out a cigar and handed it over. Old BK (an insulting name) is quite good at handling things! Liu Yonglu acted like a big-tailed (yi three times) eagle, took it over without hesitation, waited for the other party to light the fire for him, and took a deep sip. "How about this? High-quality cigars bought from the Havatu Islands. Each one is made by a Havatu girl on her thigh." "Ahem, not so good, not as good as Xiao Jiangshan." "Mr. Richie, I haven't asked you about your job title yet? Of course, it's a bit presumptuous, but you don't have to tell me if it's inconvenient to do so." There is absolutely no way Liu Yonglu would tell him about his work unit. If something really happened, wouldn’t that be one more person to complain to? But if I don't say anything, I'll seem guilty and my momentum will be weak, and it will be difficult to maintain my style. Thinking of this, Liu Yonglu patted his chest, pointed at Patrick who was sitting opposite him, and waved his hand. There was no specific meaning, but it seemed profound and unfathomable, allowing the other party to understand it himself. After completing this set of movements, Patrick on the opposite side suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. Please comment and read, who can comment on this new book to give me the special features (End of this chapter)