Jiang Ming ultimately declined Uncle Li’s invitation. Uncle Li was dumbfounded:
“You kid, I’ve already cooked. Didn’t you always love my braised pork the most before?”
Jiang Ming put on a helpless expression, ignoring his rumbling stomach, and said:
“Thank you for your kindness, Uncle Li, but I ate at home before coming. I really can’t eat another bite.”
Seeing this, Uncle Li could only eat alone. Jiang Ming secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He’d managed to bluff his way through.
Listening to the gradually diminishing pounding on the door outside, Jiang Ming secretly rejoiced.
Perfect! Now I just need to wait for Uncle Li to finish eating, and that monster outside should be about to leave. Then I can go straight home. Absolutely perfect!
Just as Jiang Ming was immersed in this pleasant fantasy, he saw Uncle Li pick up the bowl of braised pork. His mouth split open from the corners, extending all the way to his earlobes.
Then, three tongues coiled and began swallowing downwards. His throat swelled frantically, and with a sudden forceful effort, a large amount of braised pork slid down his esophagus.
After repeating this two or three times, the entire steaming bowl of braised pork was gone. Jiang Ming stared, dumbfounded.
After finishing the meat, Uncle Li’s mouth returned to normal. He glanced at Jiang Ming and said, somewhat embarrassed:
“Hahaha, you know me, kid. Uncle Li’s table manners have never been that great.”
“Not at all, I think your, um, eating style is very… robust,” Jiang Ming forced out the awkward praise.
“Hahaha, you always know what to say, Xiao Ming. But you’ve been here so long, your mother must be worried. You should head back!”
Uncle Li issued the dismissal, but listening to the noises outside, Jiang Ming remained thick-skinned:
“No, Uncle Li, I’d like to stay a bit longer. I just… really missed you.”
Jiang Ming thought this might get him through, but unexpectedly, Uncle Li’s expression suddenly changed, becoming stiff and wooden as he asked:
“Are you asking for my help?”
Jiang Ming continued playing dumb: “What? Uncle Li, I just wanted to spend some time with you.”
The room suddenly dimmed. A chill swept in. Uncle Li, still wooden, asked again:
“Are you asking for my help?”
Sensing the change in atmosphere, Jiang Ming sighed. So a price still had to be paid.
Rule Four, second part: You may ask your neighbor for help, but afterwards, you cannot refuse your neighbor’s request.
Last time, just asking the other Uncle Li to help find a clock landed him a debt of one human heart.
But now, if he doesn’t ask for help, he’ll probably be kicked out and killed by that tentacle monster.
So he had no choice but to speak helplessly: “That’s right, Uncle Li. I’m asking for your help. Please let me stay a while longer.”
As the words fell, the room instantly brightened. The warm atmosphere returned. Uncle Li beamed:
“What are you talking about? We’re neighbors! Stay as long as you like.”
“But, Xiao Ming, Uncle Li has a small favor to ask. You must promise me.”
Jiang Ming steeled himself, prepared to shoulder another heart debt, and nodded slightly: “Alright, Uncle Li. What is it?”
Uncle Li chuckled: “Uncle Li’s been feeling a bit peckish lately. I’d like some dog meat.”
Jiang Ming was taken aback. The rules said the real neighbor liked dog meat. So was this Uncle Li the real one?
Was the difference between the real and fake neighbors that one liked dog meat and the other liked human meat?
And the dog meat this Uncle Li wanted… was it the monster outside, or that Labrador?
Full of questions, Jiang Ming looked at Uncle Li and tentatively asked:
“Uncle Li, what kind of dog meat do you prefer? Or… from which dog?”
Uncle Li waved his hand dismissively: “Any dog meat is fine. Remember to bring it to me tomorrow. Otherwise, the consequences will be severe.”
“Of course, of course. But Uncle Li, I haven’t been back in a while. I’d like to chat about the neighbors.” Jiang Ming readily agreed, hoping to fish for more information.
But who would have thought this simple sentence would immediately arouse Uncle Li’s suspicion:
“Neighbors? What neighbors? Aren’t you and your family my only neighbors?”
After saying this, Uncle Li looked at Jiang Ming suspiciously, his gaze gradually turning dangerous:
“You haven’t been away at school that long. How could you forget there are only our two families on this floor? That’s strange!”
Jiang Ming’s heart skipped a beat. Only two families!
That meant, from its perspective, the other Uncle Li didn’t exist!
But he had just interacted with that heart-loving Uncle Li moments ago. He definitely existed.
And the two Uncle Lis looked exactly alike. There had to be a connection!
Besides, another conjecture was confirmed. Uncle Li’s strange questioning earlier was to get his acknowledgment, to make him admit there was a dog at home!
If he had admitted it, who knows what might have happened. Maybe Uncle Li would have suddenly rushed into his home and killed the dog?
It was entirely possible.
Fortunately, he had realized in time.
Soon, Jiang Ming remembered the mechanical voice saying he must play his role well. He collected his thoughts and began fabricating a reason.
Quickly, he had an idea and said with a grin:
“Ah, Uncle Li, you know how it is. Schools always assign weird homework.”
“This time, the assignment is to write an essay titled ‘You in Your Neighbor’s Eyes.’ I was just trying to hear your perspective.”
The excuse was flimsy, but Uncle Li seemed to buy it. He nodded as if suddenly understanding and began talking enthusiastically:
“In Uncle Li’s eyes, you’re a well-behaved, sensible child who respects his mother and elders, and usually follows the rules very carefully…”
Jiang Ming listened carefully and noticed Uncle Li’s words were all about him, not involving his mother.
Wanting more information, he steered the conversation towards his mother:
“What do you think of my mom?”
“Your mom? She’s a very capable person. And you’ve always been very filial towards her…”
Uncle Li seemed reluctant to talk much about his mother. After briefly mentioning her, he steered the topic back to Jiang Ming.
Jiang Ming tried several times, but the result was always the same. He finally had to give up on getting information about his mother from Uncle Li.
After over half an hour, Uncle Li finally stopped talking, yawned, and said with some sleepiness:
“You woke me up from my nap earlier, kid. Now I’m getting sleepy again. I’m going to take a nap. You can stay as long as you like.”
“Of course, of course. Go get some rest, Uncle Li. Don’t overexert yourself.”
Uncle Li nodded, stood up, stretched, and headed towards the bedroom.
Jiang Ming watched Uncle Li return to his room, only withdrawing his gaze after the door closed.
He glanced at his left hand hidden in his pocket. Not bad, the bleeding had stopped. Jiang Ming secretly sighed in relief.
But this wasn’t a long-term solution. He had to get home quickly to treat the wound. Infection would be dangerous.
However, listening to the roars at the door, Jiang Ming decided to wait a little longer.
How long? Two hours? Hmm, make it three!
…
Three hours passed in a flash. Looking at the door panel, now restored to its original state, Jiang Ming couldn’t help but marvel at its exceptional quality. He leaned in to check the peephole. Nothing unusual outside.
Jiang Ming was extremely cautious. The monster’s pounding and roaring had stopped an hour ago, but he had waited a full extra hour before preparing to leave.
“Creak~”
Opening the door, the hallway was calm. Eerie mist drifted slowly. The dim pendant light still flickered. No sign of any monster.
Strangely, even the fragments from the vending machine fight earlier had disappeared, as if something had cleaned them up, or… the hallway had eaten them!
Feeling a faint, almost imperceptible sense of being watched from the darkness, Jiang Ming didn’t want to linger.
He quickly ran to his own door, took out his key, opened the door, entered, and closed it—all in one smooth motion. This time, he encountered no obstruction.
Once inside, Jiang Ming finally relaxed completely, slumping to the floor.