Chapter 7: Welcome to Trafford’s Trading Club
Editor: TheSloth
The inconceivable scenes Cao Ziqian witnessed left him in extreme shock.
But he was worried about his child. He didn’t want to court the same fate as Jin Zifu. What should he do?
"Don’t worry." Luo Qiu said slowly: "The deal was with your father-in-law, it has nothing to do with you."
Cao Ziqian collected himself, and looked at Jin Zifu who was lying on the ground. He didn’t know anything about the transaction, yet he was dragged into something ridiculous.
"My father…Jin Zifu, died?" Cao Ziqian asked nervously.
You Ye answered for him: "No, he’s sleeping now."
"Sleeping…"
You Ye nodded and smiled: "Yes, except that his sleep will last 33 years, one month and 15 days. When he wakes up, he can continue living."
"How come…"
Cao Ziqian didn’t want to believe it, but everything that happened told him what You Ye said was absolutely true.
There was a brief silence, Cao Ziqian looked at Luo Qiu suddenly: "I don’t know you…why did you help me?"
Though Jin Zifu got back the documents, during his 30 years sleep, Cao Ziqian could easily regain it.
Preventing him from making a serious mistake and also solving Jin Zifu’s problem. From another perspective, Cao Ziqian could be said to have obtained the most this time..
Luo Qiu looked at Jin Zifu and said: "I’ve met with the property developer cooperating with you this afternoon. They plan to build two apartment blocks for those senior workers of the factory."
Then he smiled: "You can have a good life with your child. The money obtained by selling the land and the liquidation of the factory will be enough to repay your bank debt."
Cao Ziqian suddenly felt touched.
He stared at this mysterious young man, choking back sobs.
"Thank you."
"No problem."
Luo Qiu walked to Cao Ziqian and waved the black card.
At this moment, the vanished stamps on both sides of the card once again floated into it. Then Luo Qiu stuffed the black card back into Cao Ziqian’s pocket.
He said softly: "You can find us through this card if needed. With that, you are now a member of the Trafford’s Trading Club."
"We can provide you with whatever you want. Dreams, treasures, intelligence, a spouse, health… even life, but only if you can name a satisfactory price. In addition, we don’t accept any sort of currency as the transaction fee."
"Then, we look forward to your visit."
With those words, Luo Qiu and You Ye stepped back, then vanished little by little, disappearing out of Cao Ziqian’s sight.
"Wait! What’s your name?" Cao Ziqian persuaded him to stay subconsciously, "Why do you know about my child’s birthday?"
But Luo Qiu and You Ye had already disappeared.
Cao Ziqian felt his strength leaving him and sat down. Then he realized his back was soaked in sweat due to the nervousness and fright.
Just then, a wind rose in front of Cao Ziqian, then Luo Qiu appeared into his sight once more.
It gave him a fright.
Luo Qiu didn’t say nothing, instead he merely turned the desk calendar to face Cao Ziqian. With a faint smile, he left again.
This time he really left.
On the calendar, a date was circled, labeled "The Present" by the side.
Upon seeing this, Cao Ziqian couldn’t help crying.
...
...
According to You Ye’s instructions, Luo Qiu went down to the altar on the third floor of the basement in the club.
He opened his hands, a lump of grey fog appeared, then floated into the altar slowly.
At this time, a voice was heard in his mind.
"The tribute has been completed, and your lifespan has increased by 30 days."
Perhaps it wasn't a sound…but more like information flowing into his mind.
As for the hourglass which he brought down, the sand at the top seemed to increase a little, while the speed of its descent became slower.
Because of the club’s rule, he wouldn’t die of illness, or from being shot, he even wouldn’t age.
Nothing could hurt him except when all the sand flowed down.
After waiting for a moment, there was still no change from the alter. Luo Qiu mumbled: "It’s not fair to barter 33 years’ life of Jin Zifu in exchange of 30 days’ lifespan of mine."
"That’s because what you took wasn’t his lifespan to be exact, but his time to live by forcing him to sleep for 30 years. In addition, each of the former bosses would reserve part of the transaction fee, instead of giving them all to the altar as tribute." You Ye said.
"..."
"Things are getting better."
Luo Qiu breathed deeply and said: "That explains why there’re so many strange items. Are those the items that the former bosses obtained?"
You Ye nodded.
Luo Qiu no longer wanted to stay at the gloomy altar, so he took You Ye back to the hall. Then he stretched himself and asked: "You Ye, do you know how to cook stewed meatballs with brown sauce? I’m hungry."
You Ye nodded: "Yes, I do. I’ve learned how to cook various dishes. Just give me a minute."
"Let me help you." Luo Qiu laughed: "And from now onwards, please continue to advise me."
You Ye nodded, her dark blue eyes blinked, shining like beautiful gems.
...
...
Late at night, the bustling shopping district became quiet.
Only tramps and drunkards were sleeping or stumbling outside. However, they didn’t noticed that there was an old European style lamp shining its light on the words "OPEN", which were hanging on the wooden door, in the dark street.
Legend has it that only people in need could see it.
Then, if you saw the European lamp lighting up that doorway, would you...have any requests to make?
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
AlfredoPoutineSoup
AlfredoPoutineSoup Our releasing schedule: 5 chapters/week on every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Thanks for your attention!
Chapter 8: The 29-year-old Good Mother
Editor: TheSloth
Luo Qiu went back home using the club’s teleportation method.
The familiar items in his bedroom made him feel like he was in another world.
The boss of the club could live for a long time unless he or she decided to wait for their death. Through the passage of time, the boss would lose everything, except the club.
But those were too far away now for Luo Qiu to comprehend. Though the precious incense in the club allowed people to feel relaxed and happy, it still couldn’t be compared to the feeling of sunshine brightening his small room.
Luo Qiu turned on his old CD player, feeling the cozy melody surrounding his room.
He laid on his bed and recalled all the events that happened these two days.
Despite finishing his first deal and adding 30 days to his remaining lifespan, he couldn’t afford to make light of his situation. The reason he returned home this time was just to calm himself down and plan his next move.
He was planning the path he would be walking—according to the rules, he could neither die nor age. However, due to his permanent youth, the secret couldn’t be kept after 10 or 20 years.
That led to a problem. He couldn’t stay in one place or be with his family for too long, because he would have to leave his family during their happiest moments and cause them to suffer due to separation.
Luo Qiu suddenly realized why the former boss was so excited and was extremely anxious to get away from his isolation.
He guessed that the former boss had witnessed his relatives, spouse, even later generations die a natural death…
In accordance with You Ye, he knew that the former boss was a taciturn guy.
The former boss only appeared when customers came, otherwise, he just stayed in his room, listening to the music for days.
You Ye had experienced 300 years’ loneliness with him.
As so, Luo Qiu might become the same as the former boss someday.
"So first, act as an ordinary person during the first ten years."
Luo Qiu might become alone in the end, but at his current age, what he felt more was the amazement and mysteriousness from the club.
He fell asleep while he was listening to the English song titled <Amazing Grace>.
Just as he was about to asleep, Luo Qiu thought that if he longed for isolation, then everything he was experiencing was God’s grace.
...
...
It was evening, when he was awakened by sounds from the kitchen.
Luo Qiu walked out of his bedroom. From the smell, he could tell that someone was cooking his favourite meal.
The woman was dressed simply, a common blue blouse and jeans with hair tied up casually, and she was busy cooking in the kitchen in an apron. However, she was young and beautiful. 29 years old was when women are in their prime.
She should be wooed by many successful men, but instead she spent all her spare time taking care of that child.
She was Ren Ziling, now working in a newspaper office as a journalist. She seemed to have been promoted to subeditor recently.
She met Luo Qiu’s father, who was a widower then, and they fell in love at first sight when she was interviewing him in concerning a murder case.
Maybe something unbeknown occurred that touched the widower and the young lady, which Luo Qiu didn’t know. After that, Ren Ziling became a member of this common apartment.
Three years later… the man left.
But she was still there.
"Luo Qiu, you woke up? I was about to wake you up after cooking." Ren Ziling turned around when she heard sounds.
Presumably due to the high cooking heat, Ren Ziling’s bangs stuck close to her forehead, looking like silk threads.
Luo Qiu gazed at her without a word. Ren Ziling touched her face subconsciously: "Is there anything on my face?"
Luo Qiu shook his head, as he walked to the living room to watch TV, he reminded her: "You didn’t turn on the exhaust hood."
"Oh no!!"
She tried to turn on the exhaust hood quickly but fumbled about nervously, yet she didn’t forget to say, "The meals will be ready soon. Go wash your hands."
No response was heard from Luo Qiu, but Ren Ziling was accustomed to it and continued her cooking.
Luo Qiu turned on TV and watched the news—this had been his habit for years.
It was 9 o’clock, at the dining table.
Ren Ziling was confident in her cooking skills, and wanted Luo Qiu to eat more.
Luo Qiu suddenly said: "If you’re busy these days, then it’s not necessary to come back to cook for me."
The club was still open…Luo Qiu’s timing might be much more unpredictable than this current subeditor.
Ren Ziling knocked her chopsticks on Luo Qiu’s bowl, keeping a straight face: "Luo Qiu, I didn’t question you about your so-called ‘spontaneous trip’, so can you at least respect my rights as your mother?"
"Sure…"
Luo Qiu just ate the stewed meatballs with brown sauce, without a word.
As expected…she still couldn’t cook this dish well even after years of practice.
...
...
Probably because she was too tired, after dinner and showering, she went into the bedroom and fell asleep quickly.
Luo Qiu washed all the dishes, then just as he was about to enjoy the wind at the balcony, You Ye’s voice was suddenly heard, informing him that there was a new customer in the club.
New customers were those that didn’t have passes and entered the club for the first time.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS
AlfredoPoutineSoup
AlfredoPoutineSoup
Our releasing schedule: 5 chapters/week on every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Thanks for your attention!
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