13 Mink Street

Chapter 73: The Hour

Karon sat on the sofa in Eunice’s living room, black tea and delicate pastries set before him, while Eunice sat very close, diagonally across from him. Today, she wore a long dress with a pattern of blue plums printed on it. Her hair cascade over her shoulders, giving her a gentle, natural beauty. Thinking back to the first time they met, when she had worn a long black dress, and comparing it to now, it was clear that each day’s outfit was intentionally selected, calibrated according to the distance between them. The atmosphere was easing, becoming more natural, more relaxed.

“You’re dressed so formally today. Mom saw you arrive and hurried back to her room to change,” Eunice said, holding a hand over her mouth as she laughed. She was, in fact, somewhat asking a question.

“It’s because today is an elder’s Day of Passing. I attended his service, but then couldn’t be bothered to go back home and change before coming over here.” What Karon meant was that showing up with such formal clothes on was, in actuality, being casual.

Just then, Ms. Jenny came out, and she had actually put on a formal dress. “Karon, we’ve already booked the tickets for the ship.”

“Thank you for the trouble, madam.” Karon rose to express his thanks.

“No need to be so polite; It’s what we should do. The family also knew you would be visiting, so preparations are already underway.”

“Thank you for the kindness you and your family have shown me, but there’s one thing; I may need a few more tickets, as I have several friends who need to come with me to Veyn.”

“That’s not a problem; There are enough tickets, as I booked a suite on the ship’s third deck. There are a total of ten rooms, so there’s plenty of space. Uh... that is enough, right?”

“It’s enough, madam. It’s just two servants, a cat, and a dog.”

“Oh, Karon, you really are a kind child. I keep telling Eunice, anyone who cares for pets is kind at heart, isn’t that right?”

Karon smiled and went along with things. It was not that he liked pets. The cat was the Allen family’s own ancestor, while the dog had a heretical god who had just been sealed inside of it. He wondered if Ms. Jenny happened to learn the truth about his two “pets,” if she would still be able to say, ”Oh, you’re so kind.”

Karon did not ask much about the Allen family, nor did about details regarding his future living arrangements. Ms. Jenny made several attempts to explain things, just to show how meticulous and thoughtful her family was being, but each time, because Karon did not pick up the conversational thread with any sort of enthusiasm, the woman found it difficult to continue. This was because for Karon, the trip to Veyn was the main purpose. Matters such as if he would live comfortably with the Allen family or how long he could stay were nothing he clung to. He was not some fallen heir with no other path, approaching the Allen family with a marriage contract in hand and demanding that they honor it. He could not accept such a humiliation for himself. Of course, Tiz would never allow his grandson to suffer such embarrassment either, or else he would not have prepared so much in advance. Most importantly, Karon was not some rootless pieces of driftwood, but someone with a home.

When it was time for him to leave, Ms. Jenny stayed inside while Eunice walked Karon to the gate. He opened his arms, and she leaned forward a slight. With just the right tacit understanding and rhythm, the two embraced. Eunice’s hair held a faint lavender scent. Karon could not help inhaling a slightly deeper breath, and he even brushed his nose lightly against her neck.

“That tickles...”

“Heh.”

“I’ll come pick you up tomorrow.”

“Mm. I’ll wait for you.”

Karon got into the car. Eunice stood in the front yard, watching him drive away. What she did not know was that after driving away, Karon stopped again just a short ways down the street in front of a man’s home.

Piaget made a habit of never securing his door. Karon pushed it open and walked in. The living room was a mess, strewn with leftovers and dirty plates. No one had cleaned anything up. Piaget himself was sprawled across a sofa, in a deep sleep. His head rested on a thick stack of rupi, forty or fifty thousand, at a glance. He wore a blazer on top and riding breeches below. His hair was a tangled disaster, wild and unkempt. It was obvious he was exhausted. The excitement present when he had called Karon in the morning had been an abnormal state brought on by being exhausted to the body’s limit. Piaget’s body and mind had already been overdrawn.

Silently, Karon bagged all the trash. He gathered up all of the plates and cutlery, carrying them to the kitchen sink, and turning on the tap. He then took a broom and swept the living room. After that, he mopped it once. Piaget slept through everything, completely unaware.

Karon returned to the kitchen and washed all the plates and utensils. As he set them aside, he noticed a pot of coffee by the stove. He touched it, finding it was still slightly warm. He poured himself a cup, took one sip, and his expression instantly pickled. “Hm?”

With some confusion and surprise, Karon leaned out of the kitchen and looked at Piaget, still asleep on the sofa, and then back at the coffee in his hand. After finishing the cup, Karon found some paper and a pen to leave Piaget a note: “I really can’t bear to wake you when you’re sleeping so soundly, and I also cleaned up your pigsty for you. Maybe you should consider hiring two maids to take care of your daily life.”

He hesitated. In the end, he added one more line. “Thank you for the coffee you prepared for me. It was very good.”

****

Afternoon the next day.

“Aunt, you really don’t need to prepare such a feast.” Karon leaned against the wall outside of the kitchen, watching Aunt Mary and Aunt Winnie bustle about inside. Today, the “head chef” of the household had been stripped of his kitchen rights. Aunt Mary and Aunt Winnie insisted on handling dinner themselves.

“This is Miss Eunice’s birthday, so how could we not prepare properly?” Aunt Mary said.

“Even so, it shouldn’t be grander than your birthday, Aunt. She’s a junior.”

Hearing that, Aunt Mary reached over and flicked Karon on the nose, smiling as she said, “Why would we elders compete with you juniors? Of course the best things should go to the young.”

The truth was that during her own recent birthday celebration, the fact that Tiz had personally raised a cup to toast Aunt Mary had already been the best gift she could have received. That was because Tiz was the person she revered most. In the Immers household, the man was their spiritual pillar.

“Karon, instead of standing here, you’d be better off changing your clothes, and then going to fetch Miss Eunice,” Aunt Winnie said.

“Yes, Aunt. I’ll do that.” Karon first went upstairs to his bedroom. As he picked out clothes, his eyes happened to sweep over two cards that had been wedged in a gap on his desk. They were gifts that Lent had given him. One was Moonlight Purification, which could dispel all negative attribute magic effects, and the other was Shadow Guard, which could summon a black silhouette to accompany and protect you. Karon put both cards away, slipping them inside the book The Light of Order.

He changed into something more casual, and went downstairs with two keys in hand. Ultimately, with the choice of going in the family hearse or Alfred’s Santelan, Karon chose the hearse. He had already come this far, there was no need to use some eccentric method to draw a girl’s attention. He simply felt that, in the future, he would not have many more chances to drive the hearse, or ride in one, so while he still could, he wanted to savor it a little more.

And so, twenty minutes later, Karon drove the hearse up to Eunice’s home and, under Ms. Jenny’s wide-eyed stare, picked Eunice up with the hearse. This time, Ms. Jenny chose not to tag along.

On the drive back, Karon apologized, “I’m sorry I drove this.”

“It’s fine. I understand. This car carries your feelings for home. You drove it here because you don’t treat me as an outsider.”

“Thank you.”

***

When they returned home, Karon found another car parked in front of the gate: Piaget’s. When Karon led Eunice by the hand into the parlor, he saw Piaget sitting on the sofa, completely absorbed in browsing a coffin catalog. Mason sat at the man’s side, offering explanations of the various products.

“Karon, you’re back,” Mason said when he saw him. “Mr. Adams has been waiting for you a long time.”

“Hi, Karon.” Piaget greeted him warmly, and then pointed at the catalog. “Mr. Mason, please help me order this one, the elegant, restrained, steady, wise, bright, calm, light-breeze coffin.”

“Truly, Mr. Adams?” Uncle Mason was utterly shocked. There were two coffins which were always placed at the very front of the catalog in the most prominent position, but they were essentially just illustrations, meant to elevate the atmosphere of the funeral home. In fact, they were very difficult to sell. No, more accurately, they were basically impossible to sell.

“Yes, I want it. Though I’ll have to trouble you to send it directly to my home.”

“Alright. We have a discount here, I’ll calculate it for you...”

“Just run the numbers and when it’s time, tell me the final price. I’ll mail you a check.”

“Alright, Mr. Adams. So you plan to use this coffin...”

“Oh, I plan to use it for my afternoon naps, as I believe it will be more comfortable than sleeping on my sofa.”

“Uh... alright.”

Piaget walked over to Karon, but then his gaze fell upon Eunice. “Congratulations, miss. You’ve chosen an exceptionally outstanding partner. I believe that in your life ahead, you will again and again feel that your choice today was fortunate and wise.”

Eunice offered a polite smile. “I will.”

Piaget turned back to Karon, stepped forward, and gave him a hug, firmly patting his back with both hands. “I’m really sorry; After I got back yesterday, I went straight to sleep.”

“I understand. It’s fine.”

“Mhmm. So, are we holding a party today?”

“It’s Eunice’s birthday.”

“Oh, alright.” Piaget adjusted his tie, then pointed at himself with both hands. “So, I...”

Karon said nothing. Piaget blinked once, then again. Karon still said nothing.

Eunice spoke up. “Mr. Adams, may I have the honor of inviting you to my birthday party?”

“Oh, of course, of course! I’d be honored.”

Piaget then pointedly rolled his eyes at Karon.

“This is my uncle, Mason,” Karon said, formally introducing the man to Eunice.

“I’m very sorry, Miss Eunice. Last time you and your mother came to visit, we happened to be out having fun. I’m truly sorry.”

“It’s alright. You’re too polite.”

“I’ll take you to meet my two aunts.”

Karon led Eunice upstairs. When they arrived on the second floor, Aunt Mary and Aunt Winnie had already taken off their aprons and cleaned their hands. They were both standing there, waiting with smiles.

“This is Aunt Mary.”

“Hello, Aunt Mary.”

“Hello.”

“This is Aunt Winnie.”

“Hello, Aunt Winnie.”

“Hello.”

Aunt Mary hurriedly said, “Dinner will be ready soon. We can start the meal in just a bit.”

“Thank you for your hard work, Aunt Mary and Aunt Winnie.”

“Of course. It’s only right.”

Perhaps because of certain reasons of his own, Karon did not feel it. Eunice also did not act like this when teaching, but when placed in a social setting, she naturally revealed habits that had developed from attending various social occasions back home. It was not that she was deliberately keeping her distance, but simply how she had always been. Furthermore, she was a bit nervous at the moment.

While Pu’er looked down on her own family for having fallen so low that they needed to accompany some royal old woman for afternoon tea, that same noble etiquette that had steeped into their bones made Aunt Mary and Aunt Winnie instinctively tense and constrained. In Aunt Mary’s view, Miss Eunice had a much stronger presence than any of the minor celebrities she had met before.

Karon said to Eunice, “Let’s go up first.”

“Okay.”

“Yes, go on up. Mina and the others are upstairs,” Aunt Mary hurriedly added.

Karon led Eunice up to the third floor, where Mina, Lent, and Clarice were already waiting. They were currently on winter break and did not need to go to school. When Eunice came up, Mina stepped forward first. “Hello, Big Sis.”

Lent also stepped forward. “Hello, Miss Eunice.”

Clarice stepped forward. “Hello, Big Sis.”

“Karon, the gifts I brought are still in the car. I prepared some gifts for everyone. Mother helped me choose them,” Eunice said.

“It’s fine. We’ll have Lent go get them.” Karon patted his pocket. Hm? It seems the hearse key was also left downstairs.

Just then, the golden retriever came up with a ring of keys in its mouth. It braced its hind legs to stand upright, and held its mouth open. Seeing that Karon did not reach out to take the keys, it ran over to Lent instead, and spit the keys out right in front of Lent. The dog then trotted back and sat down in front of Eunice in an obedient manner, its tongue lolling out.

“It’s so well-behaved and so smart!” Eunice could not help reaching out to stroke the golden retriever’s head.

The golden retriever smiled very happily. On the windowsill beside them, the cat’s face remained grim. Should we push this dog into the sea on the way to Veyn? Or, tonight, put some poison in its dog food? Or maybe steal Mina and Clarice’s underwear and put it in its doghouse?

Karon led Eunice to the door of Tiz’s study.

Knock... knock...

“Come in.” Tiz sat inside his study. Today, he wore the sweater Aunt Winnie had knitted for him.

“Grandpa.” Eunice stepped forward and greeted Tiz.

“Mhmm. Hello.”

Karon led Eunice over to sit down in front of the desk. Tiz looked at her and said, “I wish you both a lifetime of happiness together.”

“Thank you, Grandpa.”

“I also believe in my grandson. He is a man with a strong sense of responsibility. To be exact, the men of the Immers family all have a strong sense of family responsibility. He is someone you can entrust yourself to.”

“I think so too, Grandpa.”

“I hope you will always think so.” A gentle warmth appeared at the corner of Tiz’s mouth. “And I also hope you will always be willing to rest your head on his shoulder.”

He lifted his teacup. “Alright, that’s all I’ll say. Give my regards to your grandfather and your father. Tell them, Tiz Immers will always keep them in mind.”

“Alright, Grandpa. I’ll pass it on for you. My grandfather and father have always kept the friendship with the Immers family in mind.”

Karon led Eunice out of the study. The moment the door closed, the smile at the corner of Tiz’s mouth faded. “In fact, even if they forget, it doesn’t matter.”

***

Dinner began. Aunt Mary and Aunt Winnie had prepared a full table of Chinese dishes they had learned from Karon. It had to be said, they had learned quite well. The first theme of the dinner was, of course, celebrating Eunice’s birthday. After she blew out the candles on her cake, everyone cheered, and the atmosphere at the table grew even more lively after that. After Tiz left the table, Alfred kept tuning the radio to different music stations, and everyone started dancing and mingling as they pleased. What no one noticed was that at the top of the stairs on the third floor, listening to the clamor below, stood Tiz, observing for a long, long time.

***

When the music ended and people began to disperse, Karon went up to the third floor. Pu’er was sprawled on the windowsill, gazing out at the night sky with a lonely air. Karon reached out and patted her on the back, the spot that feels best to a cat, where the flesh is thicker and the fur denser. Pu’er did not move, and simply let Karon stroke her.

“Aren’t you supposed to be taking Eunice home?”

“I told her to wait a bit longer.”

“What’s there to wait for?”

“Because there’s still one person who hasn’t had any birthday cake.”

Karon set an entire small cake down in front of Pu’er. A single candle was stuck in it. He lit the candle with a lighter and hummed softly, “Happy birthday to you...”

Looking at the birthday cake in front of her and hearing the birthday song in her ear, a thick mist rose in Pu’er’s amber eyes. “Thank you, not-heretical-god heretical god, my lord.”

***

That night, everyone in the house celebrated late. The mess in the dining room and kitchen did not get cleaned until the next day. In the morning, Tiz, dressed in his priest’s robes, walked downstairs. At the front door of the house, he saw Karon, who had moved the sofa there and was sleeping on it. Tiz walked over and reached to shake Karon awake, but the young man opened his eyes and sat up.

“You slept here last night?”

“Yes. After bringing Miss Eunice back, I was too tired and couldn’t make it upstairs, so I fell asleep here.”

“Don’t sleep here. You’ll catch a chill.”

“Alright, Grandpa. I understand.”

“When you hear the twelve o’clock bells ring, go to my study and read.”

“Alright. I understand.”

“Mhmm. Then I’m going to church. The believers should already be waiting.”

Tiz opened the parlor door and walked out. Karon stood up, moved to the doorway, and called out. “Grandpa, do you remember what you promised me?”

Tiz stopped, turned back, and looked at Karon. “From what I saw yesterday, your aunts’ cooking is still some distance from yours, so I’ll come back and call you out of the study to make dinner. Most importantly, how could a grandpa be willing to break his word to his grandson?”

***

Dong... dong... dong... The church bells rang. At the same time, the pendulum clock on the third floor of the Immers home rang as well.

“May the merciful Lord be with you all. Praise the Lord.”

“Praise the Lord.”

“Praise the Lord.”

The believers followed Father Tiz’s prayer, and then filed out in order, concluding the day’s service. Tiz remained on the platform, packing his things.

At that moment, as the believers withdrew, a crowd of clergy in black robes began pouring in from all directions. At the outer perimeter, another group of clergy in red robes stood on top of various buildings, their arms spread wide. The rhythm of the ritual array began to ripple, gradually aligning as it achieved resonance. That was only what could be seen. In places that could not be seen, there were even more.

Rasma walked up the steps, entered the church, and proceeded down the center aisle. He was the High Priest of the Church of Order, holding immense authority within its secular hierarchy. Behind Rasma, three figures had already appeared.

Rasma spread his arms. Behind him, the three Temple elders crossed their hands over their chests. Outside, the black-robed clergy, the red-robed clergy on distant high-rises, and at the same time, in shadows, in the marketplace, and in many places that could not even be imagined, all of them crossed their hands over their chests.

Rasma chanted, “Praise Order.”

“Praise Order.”

“Praise Order.”

The praises to Order circled above Roja City, and it seemed as if the day’s somewhat gloomy sky brightened noticeably at that moment.

Tiz continued tidying up his things on the table, completely unhurried. He then stepped out the back of the church to stand at the very center of the front of the platform. He crossed his hands over his chest as well, and spoke, “Praise the God of Order, raised by a whore.”