togophonebook #305 - This girl is probably not a foxy girl (2 in 1 please order)
#305 - This girl is probably not a foxy girl (2 in 1 please order)
Perhaps because she hadn't been out for a long time, Tao Xueran kept looking around after leaving the apartment building.
"There's something in that alley over there. I'm curious."
"Ah? That's a dead end."
"Oh."
"You... are you looking for something?" Wang Fanqie asked tentatively.
"Huh? No, nothing."
Although she said that, the unnatural expression on her face screamed, "I'm lying."
Wang Fanqie: "Brothers, isn't she trying to recover that mechanical eyeball?"
The comments section retorted: "I think you should worry about yourself first."
As they passed the entrance of the residential area, Uncle Hua Xuehong, the cleaner, was sitting on a small chair outside the gatehouse, surrounded by a circle of NPC neighborhood uncles and aunties.
Wang Fanqie was stunned: "Damn, these old guys are just like my real-life neighbors, especially their mannerisms."
Uncle Hua took a sip of tea and smacked his lips a few times:
"Sigh, our neighborhood hasn't been peaceful lately. I heard people say that there's a strange giant octopus lurking around!"
The auntie next to him, who was picking vegetables, immediately chimed in:
"Oh my, that's terrible! Is some kind of evil spirit at work?"
Uncle Zhang from across the hall took a couple of puffs from his dry tobacco pipe.
"I wouldn't say that thing is doing bad things, not really.
The flower bed downstairs in my building was recently trimmed neatly. I thought some neighbor was being nice to me."
Another uncle joined in:
"My granddaughter and Xiao Bao from across the hall have been playing downstairs these past few days, and they said they made a new friend. I was wondering why there weren't any other kids from nearby buildings, but she said this friend isn't human..."
The old lady next to him said:
"I've also encountered strange things recently. The other day, I was hanging clothes on the balcony, and a shirt was blown downstairs. I was about to go out to pick it up, but when I turned around, the clothes had been hung back up. I guarantee I definitely didn't see it wrong!"
Everyone was talking at once, and they unexpectedly discovered that this strange thing had done quite a few good deeds in the neighborhood.
"Master Hua, can you check the surveillance cameras or ask the police to investigate?"
Hua Xuehong rolled his eyes:
"You think I didn't think of that? The neighborhood committee investigated for a long time and checked the surveillance cameras, but they didn't find anything. As for the police... let's forget about it. Do you think the police would believe the ramblings of us old folks?"
Just as they were chatting enthusiastically, Wang Fanqie and Tao Xueran happened to pass by.
Uncle Hua greeted them: "Little Wang, out playing with your girlfriend?"
"Yes."
Since they had to pretend to be a couple in front of outsiders, the two subconsciously moved closer.
But the moment their fingertips touched slightly, they recoiled as if electrocuted.
[Tao Xueran's killing intent decreased by 2 points, and her affection increased by 1 point]
The comments section: "Damn, the sour smell of love!"
The neighbors mistakenly thought they were being shy and coy, and the old ladies had knowing smiles on their faces:
"It's so good to be young."
"Envy, other people's sons are working hard to bring home a 'cabbage,' why doesn't my grandson have that luck?"
"Hey, when did Little Wang bring the girl home?"
Uncle Hua put down his enamel teacup and turned to pick up the security room's registration book.
"Probably around the 4th of this month..."
Uncle Zhang's face turned pale, and he whispered:
"Speaking of which, didn't those strange things in our neighborhood start around the 4th as well?"
Everyone thought about it carefully, and it was true!
"Hiss, did you see that? Isn't the jade bracelet that girl is wearing glowing?"
The bracelet on Tao Xueran's wrist happened to be emitting a dark green glow.
Auntie Li, who had been silent, joined the discussion:
"Ahem, I didn't want to say anything, but seeing you all chatting so enthusiastically, I'll tell you something too.
A few days ago, I wanted to take a walk in the neighborhood park as usual, and guess what I saw?"
She adjusted her reading glasses and paused dramatically.
"Oh, don't keep us in suspense, just tell us."
The wrinkles around her eyes were full of smugness:
"See that big locust tree in the distance? I saw that girl Tao Xueran, and she was actually climbing that tree!
Oh my, she climbed so fast, she went up in a flash and came down in a flash. It was like a monkey returning to Mount Huaguo."
Everyone was stunned.
The old locust tree in the neighborhood park was a full three stories high, and the city had to use a crane to trim it!
Auntie Li must be out of her mind.
"That's not all. Later, I saw her doing pull-ups on the horizontal bar in that area. Goodness, it was like watching a circus act. She was upside down one moment, and then she started spinning quickly, spinning faster than a top!"
Uncle Hua flicked the tea leaves from his enamel cup:
"You're exaggerating, are you making fun of us for never having seen monkeys or played with tops?"
"It's the absolute truth. We've been neighbors for so many years, when have I ever lied to you?"
Everyone looked at Tao Xueran with suspicion.
Hearing these words, the comments section was shocked:
"Even a fitness coach couldn't do those high-difficulty moves that the NPCs just described. How is this girl, who looks so slender, doing it?
Wang Fanqie asked her:
"Do you often come to this small park to exercise?"
"I've come a few times occasionally." The girl tucked her hair behind her ear,
"After all, as a special forces soldier of the 'Human Resistance,' I must maintain peak physical condition at all times. Melissa's puppet may have also come to this era to prevent me from influencing you. When that happens, I must ensure a one-hit kill."
"Melissa's puppet? Are you saying that besides you, this T-800, there's also a T-1000 here?"
"I'm not sure."
Tao Xueran casually picked a bamboo leaf from the bamboo beside her.
"When I traveled through time, the time machine's main control panel showed an abnormality. I suspect Melissa's mecha puppet hitched a ride."
The comments section: "Good heavens, is this really going to be a live-action 'Terminator'?"
But Wang Fanqie smiled disdainfully:
"Brothers, don't get caught up in this chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) girl's act. This is definitely fake!
The Peach Blossom Village official website said that this is just a pure romance simulation game, nothing so complicated!"
Just then, a wasp suddenly darted out of the flowerbed and began to rampage through the small garden.
It caused quite a commotion, many children were frightened and cried, and parents began to drive it away.
The wasp couldn't find any sweetness from the others, so it flew directly towards Tao Xueran.
"Damn, be careful, that thing's sting hurts a lot!"
Wang Fanqie took off his coat, ready to drive it away.
Tao Xueran didn't panic at all. She took out the bamboo leaf she had just picked and stood still as a mountain.
The moment the wasp approached, she narrowed her eyes slightly, swift as lightning, and used the bamboo leaf in her hand as a knife, slicing through the air—
Clang!
With a crisp sound, the wasp was cut in half vertically by the leaf, the cut surface was very smooth and even.
……
Wang Fanqie and the livestream audience fell silent.
The neighbors who saw this scene almost had their eyes pop out.
Uncle Zhang muttered:
"I knew it, this girl Xiao Tao is simply a legendary fox spirit...
When I was a child, I heard the older generation say that fox spirits usually hide among us ordinary people and use magical artifacts like bracelets to cast spells."
Seeing that everyone's appetite was piqued, the uncle became more and more enthusiastic:
"There are many sighting records of fox spirits in my hometown. They are beautiful, agile, and incredibly strong!
They also have a unique set of skills, such as climbing trees as easily as walking on the ground, and even using leaves to split insects. They also gather some low-level monsters as servants, such as octopuses..."
Everyone heard that this completely matched Xiao Tao's situation!
Auntie Zhao, who had been silently picking vegetables, couldn't suppress her gossiping soul:
"And... this girl is too beautiful. I've been a matchmaker for many years, and I've rarely seen such a radiant girl, she's like she came out of a print."
"Fox spirit is...?"
Tao Xueran tilted her head, her face a little confused,
"Emmm... are you saying I'm a monster?"
Wang Fanqie sighed in the livestream:
"Brothers, we can't let the rumors spread like this.
Many rumors, even if they start as jokes, will change as they spread."
The comments section started to stir:
"Yo yo yo, is the streamer really moved?"
"Your cyber-wife hasn't even married into the family yet, and you're already defending her?"
Wang Fanqie cleared his throat, deliberately raising his voice, and said to her:
"The neighbors are all very nice, we should help each other out, for example, keep cutting wasps like that. But your technique was still too slow just now, it seems you haven't mastered what I taught you."
"Huh? You taught me?"
She was about to retort when she saw Wang Fanqie winking at her, and she instantly changed her words:
"Oh... that's right."
"Actually, you've been training well lately, but your speed in spinning on the horizontal bar and climbing trees is still too slow, there's still a bit of a gap between us.
However, as a girl, it's not easy to train like this."
Everyone instantly focused their attention on Wang Fanqie:
"What? Is all of this girl's martial arts skills taught by Little Wang?"
"I didn't realize Little Wang had this ability all these years."
Then, Wang Fanqie took the opportunity to put his arm around the girl's shoulder and teased her in a doting tone:
"You fox spirit from Kirigakure (Hidden Mist Village) aren't good enough. Compared to this 'jackal' from Middle-earth, you're still far behind."
The neighbors instantly felt a little embarrassed.
Everyone could hear the subtle rebuke in his words.
That's right, anyone would be upset if people were gossiping about their girlfriend like that.
Uncle Hua laughed:
"Alright, alright, let's talk about something else, you're turning a perfectly good girl into a demon. Don't forget, becoming a demon is strictly prohibited after the founding of the country, don't speculate."
"Hey, we're just chatting casually, it's just that Xiao Tao is too good-looking, and we can't think of how else to praise her. It's just a pity that my grandson doesn't have the luck, if that little rascal could marry a girl like that, I'd burn incense every day."
The comments section was shocked:
"I'll be damned, these NPCs' reactions are so realistic and intelligent, they're just like the old men and women in our neighborhood."
"Indeed, the dialogue isn't awkward at all, it's very lifelike."
"No wonder Wang Fanqie is a little trapped, I'm afraid I'll be trapped too when the time comes."
……
Leaving the neighborhood, the two continued to walk side by side towards the outside, to the nearby market.
Besides being moved, she was also a little shy.
So... this is what it feels like to be protected by a boy?
[Tao Xueran's affection increased by 2 points, and her killing intent decreased by 3 points]
She said: "Thank you just now. You seem to be a socially awkward person, it must have been difficult for you to say those things, right?"
Wang Fanqie coughed twice, deliberately trying to look cool, and said nonchalantly:
"Cough, it's a piece of cake, I'm a social master."
The comments section laughed: "Streamer, watch your face."
Tao Xueran:
"In the 24th century, in an era where everyone lives in cocoons, this kind of daily interaction between neighbors has already become extinct, so it's very new to me, and also very confusing."
Wang Fanqie:
"It's okay, you'll slowly integrate into it here. When I first came to this city, I was also a reckless young man, and I slowly learned these things through hard work."
Halfway through his sentence, Wang Fanqie froze.
Strange, why is he subconsciously treating this virtual female character as a real-life friend?
"In short, if you exercise in the future... uh, how should I put it, restrain yourself a little?"
Actually, thinking about what the neighbors said just now, his mind is also a bit confused.
He wasn't sure if Auntie Li really saw Tao Xueran performing acrobatics in the park, or if she was seeing things, but the scene of her cutting the wasp with a leaf just now was real.
The comments section also started to discuss:
"Brothers, do you think Tao Xueran might really be a person from the future?"
"According to the information on the Peach Blossom Village official website, the game's plot will be adjusted according to each player's specific situation, maybe Teacher Wang Fanqie really developed the metaverse in this virtual world?"
"Indeed, it fits his introverted otaku (homebody) personality."
Wang Fanqie was also a little shaken by what the comments section said.
In short, the safest way at the moment is to determine Tao Xueran's identity as soon as possible.
He silently clenched the camera part in his pocket. As long as he finds someone who understands technology to ask, the truth will be revealed.
……
Since they rarely went out, Wang Fanqie took her to stroll around the snack street for the first time.
Various stalls lined both sides of the street, with barbecue, tofu pudding, fried rice, and skewers hot pot, all kinds of aromas filled the air.
Wang Fanqie saw a small stall in the corner, with the words "Xu's Family Handmade Rice Cakes" written on a faded wooden sign.
As Tao Xueran walked, she couldn't move her feet when she saw the rice cake stall, her eyes fixed on the cutting board.
The steaming white rice cakes looked as cute as big white rabbits.
"Do you want to eat rice cakes?"
"Mmm..."
She nodded obediently.
"It looks a bit expensive, I'll just have a little taste."
"Girl, don't worry, within a ten-mile radius, no rice cake is cheaper than mine."
The owner of the rice cake stall was a weathered middle-aged man, grinning cheerfully, revealing two big white teeth.
"Two servings of rice cakes."
After making the payment, Wang Tomato sighed, "Looks like I'll have to grind a bit on some 'job' quests these next few days, or I won't be able to afford to feed my gluttonous girlfriend."
The comments section erupted with laughter: "So true."
"Alright, just a moment!"
He put on white gloves and took out the cooked glutinous rice, placing it into a stone mortar.
Clang! Clang!
His wrist was as strong as iron as he vigorously swung the wooden mallet, the glutinous rice becoming as smooth as jade under the hammer.
Comments: "Someone who grew up in Jiangnan here, I also especially love watching my family pound rice cakes, it's very relaxing."
The owner placed them in a frying pan, frying them until golden brown on both sides, then took them out of the pan and cut them into pieces, evenly sprinkling them with soybean powder and black sesame seeds, and drizzling them with honey.
Wang Tomato handed a steaming portion of rice cake to the girl: "Try it."
She cautiously took a small bite, and instantly, her eyes lit up:
"Beneath the golden and crispy crust of the rice cake, it's glutinous but not greasy, the sweetness of the black sesame and honey blend together, leaving a lingering aftertaste!"
"Is it good?"
"Mm, so good..."
The girl was too busy eating to even talk, she tucked her hair behind her ear, chewing with her cheeks puffed out, the sunlight shining through the cracks in the shed, making her face as tempting as the rice cake, making Wang Tomato unable to resist the urge to take a bite.
Among the surrounding crowd, some were chatting and laughing, some were eating and drinking, and others were taking pictures of the scenery...
She ate halfway and murmured:
"How should I put it, at this moment, I have a strange sense of time and space blending, as if the world never ended, there was no Melissa, no rebel army,
I am just a girl living in this era, enjoying rice cake in the peaceful afternoon."
"It's supposed to be like this, as long as you get better!"
Wang Tomato said, taking the opportunity to touch her small hand again.
The rice cake stall owner laughed:
"Girl, if you want to eat it again in the future, have your boyfriend bring you here again.
Let me tell you, young man, being able to eat is a blessing. You should feed the girl you like until she's chubby, look at my wife, she was captured by my rice cakes when she was young, and she hasn't changed her mind for over thirty years."
The owner's wife next to him swung her arm and punched him in the back, a sweet smile appearing on her wrinkled face.
Wang Tomato was dumbfounded: "Good heavens, I'm getting a sudden dose of dog food just by eating rice cake, gotta go, gotta go!"
The comments section was buzzing with discussion:
"I feel like this game, compared to Peach Garden's previous games, although it lacks a bit of anime flavor, it has a lot of real-world charm!"
"Indeed, the characters seem like they are really living in this world."
...
While eating, Tao Xueran noticed that the back of the rice cake had the character "Five" printed on it with a mold.
"That stall is clearly Xu's Rice Cake, why is this character printed on it?"
"Look at what's written on the packaging bag, it's to commemorate Wu Zixu, the owner even bragged that his family is a collateral descendant of Wu Zixu."
Afterwards, he briefly told the girl the story of Wu Zixu and rice cake.
During the Spring and Autumn Period, Wu Zixu, a minister of the State of Wu, was forced to commit suicide by King Fuchai of Wu with a sword.
Before his death, Wu Zixu instructed his confidants that if the people lacked food after his death, they should dig three feet into the city wall of Xiangmen to obtain food.
King Goujian of Yue, upon hearing the news of Wu Zixu's death, attacked the State of Wu to avenge his shame.
Fuchai suffered repeated defeats, and the city of Gusu was besieged by the Yue army, the city was exhausted of food and reinforcements, and many people starved to death.
At this time, Wu Zixu's confidants went to Xiangmen and dug out "city bricks" made of glutinous rice flour.
From then on, every year during the New Year, local households steam glutinous rice cakes shaped like bricks to commemorate Wu Zixu's achievements.
Tao Xueran chewed on the rice cake, listening, lost in thought.
"In the 24th century, we rarely hear such stories."
"Ah, this, don't your schools teach it?"
"Basic science has stagnated, and education has been neglected for many years. In the metaverse created by Peach Garden, anything can be conjured out of thin air with code, and even learning itself has lost its meaning."
Tao Xueran looked at the century-old heritage story on the rice cake packaging paper bag, lost in thought.
"Moreover, emotions like Wu Zixu's are difficult to understand in our era, everyone believes more in the 'Dopamine School'."
Wang Tomato clicked his tongue: "Sounds like the name of a villain."
"The Dopamine School is a supporter of digital life, and they are the ones who proposed the slogan 'Flesh is weak, cybernetic ascension'.
The core theory of this school is that humans establish desires based on dopamine, and build all things such as emotions, motivations, and logic on top of desires... All human behavior is attributed to dopamine.
Since brain-computer interfaces can directly stimulate the brain to secrete dopamine, isn't it better to be immortal in Peach Garden? Why use the physical body to experience the suffering of the world."
Tao Xueran stared blankly at the half-eaten rice cake.
Wang Tomato smiled: "Although I don't know if this statement has any basis, I disagree, do you know why?"
Tao Xueran: "Because it cannot explain Wu Zixu's behavior, nor can it explain the rice cake owner's inheritance?"
Wang Tomato smiled: "Indeed, this theory cannot explain the country, the world, the mission and the inheritance... But the most important thing is that using simple biological hormones to explain the world is... not romantic."
"Not romantic..."
A slight tremor appeared in Tao Xueran's eyes.