Tianjin people will never lose SAN

Chapter 624 Disguised as a Man, Dividing the Force into Two Groups (4k+)

Someone's coming down!
Liu Yonglu stood in the kitchen, holding a snack in his hand, listening intently, momentarily at a loss.

At this time, two active investigators, two deities, and a retired occult scholar were living in Millie Tang's house. Liu Yonglu would never believe that anything unclean could get in at night.

But the unfortunate thing is... compared to those divine beings, Liu Yonglu is more afraid of Millie Tang's father at this moment.

What if they call me out in the middle of the night and beat me up? Should I fight back or not?

Fortunately, he could tell from the footsteps that the other party was not hiding. Half a minute later, Liu Yonglu saw an old man with gray hair, wearing dark brown pajamas and glasses, walking out of the darkness by the light of the oil lamp on the stove.

The other person clearly hadn't expected to find someone standing in their kitchen in the middle of the night, and both of them were a little stunned when they saw each other.

"You're Millie's fiancé, aren't you?"

The old man spoke first, a kind smile appearing on his gaunt face.

Just as Liu Yonglu was about to greet him, the old man swayed and almost fell, but luckily he managed to grab the wall next to him at the crucial moment.

"Sir, are you alright?"

Liu Yonglu had a pretty good idea by now. The old man was probably Millie Tang's grandfather, and he was calling out Millie's real name.

"It's nothing, the food was good tonight, and I had a couple more drinks."

Liu Yonglu was right; the old man was Millie Tang's maternal grandfather, Erwin. That evening, his son-in-law brought him dinner, which was also cooked by Liu Yonglu: braised pork tenderloin, stir-fried cabbage, and the like.

Liu Yonglu's cooking has a unique characteristic: it's heavily seasoned. The old man is quite happy while eating it, but only starts complaining of thirst when it's time to go to bed at night.

The old man had finished the whole pot of water in the room, but his throat still felt like it was on fire. With no other option, he went downstairs in the middle of the night to get some water, and there he ran into Liu Yonglu, who was having a late-night snack.

"My name is……"

“Rickie Baldwin, I know, Millie mentioned you in a letter home a year ago.”

"What did she say?"

Liu Yonglu scratched the back of his head.

"They said the investigation department assigned her a new partner who's a bit mentally unstable, um..."

She also said that although this person had mental problems, he did have some strange and unorthodox methods in the field of occultism, and she was going to observe him further. Anyway, she rambled on and on, saying quite a lot, but nothing good.

If you want to see it, go ask her yourself later. I've put all the letters in her room.

Ask Millie Tang for it? Liu Yonglu figured even if he asked, she wouldn't give it to him. Counting the time, a year ago should have been when he had just met Millie Tang, when the two of them had just returned to New Nuremberg.

"Back then, I knew that Ricky Baldwin would come to our house sooner or later, but a little later than I expected."

"Sir, I don't understand what you're saying. If you're not saying anything nice about me, why should I come to your house?"

"Oh, your brain..."

The old man's words reminded Liu Yonglu of Roselle's catchphrase.

“Millie isn’t new to the investigation department. She’s not old, but she’s handled a lot of cases.”

The old man was helped by Liu Yonglu to find a chair to sit down:
"Mentioning other people in the letter? That's never happened before. Not only in the letter, but she never mentions them at home either."

So you little brat... humph.

The old man pointed to the water jug, indicating that Liu Yonglu should quickly pour himself some water.

"Grandpa, I'm coming down for a late-night snack. Would you like to have a couple more bites?"

Millie Tang's grandfather gave Liu Yonglu a strange look, perhaps because he thought his accent was indeed strange, or perhaps because he thought his thought process was indeed unusual.

Liu Yonglu finally found someone he could talk to. He figured he might as well herd one sheep or two, so they might as well eat and chat together for a while.

"Can you drink?"

"Yes, I even brought some wine today, but I saw that my father-in-law was really hungry tonight, so I didn't want to keep him from eating."

Just kidding, Liu Yonglu wouldn't dare drink with Eberhardt. What if he did something wrong? His father-in-law's fist, as big as a sandbag, would come flying at him, and even a grain of rice wouldn't be able to stop it.

But this old man in front of me seems alright; he looks easy to talk to.

"Tsk, this wine is not bad, but the flavor is a bit weak."

The old man took a sip of Liu Yonglu's Imperial Jade Liquor and frowned.

"It's okay if it's mild at first, it'll have a strong kick later. You go ahead and drink, I'll cook up a couple of snacks to go with it, we can eat and drink at the same time."

Erwin nodded. His son-in-law had been deaf and mute ever since he brought him into the house, and getting him to drink a little wine was a real struggle.

Ricky is quite nice; at least he always has a smile on his face when he speaks and acts, and he's not annoying.
"Put less salt in the dish. It's alright, but it's too salty."

"Okay, thank you."

Liu Yonglu simply stir-fried some scallions and eggs, made a cucumber salad, found a chair, and sat down opposite the old man.

"Grandpa, don't you usually come downstairs to eat with us?"

"Oatmeal porridge every day, what else is there to eat?"

Erwin put a bite of scrambled eggs into his mouth with his fork:

"I heard you came back because you have a lead on Sandra's disappearance?"

Sandra was the name of Mili'er's mother. Liu Yonglu didn't dare to take credit, but simply took a sip of his drink and nodded.
"Grandpa, don't worry. Mili and I will leave tomorrow. The first step is to find her mother. If we can do that, maybe we can find Grandma too."

Millie Tang was confident she could find her mother because she remembered her mother leaving behind some clues about time travel.

The map on the stone slab points to countless intelligent civilizations, but searching for them one by one is unrealistic and too dangerous.

Millie Tang hopes to narrow down the search to five worlds. Finding one within those five worlds would be a matter of luck, but if not, there's no rush; they'll have to proceed slowly.

But her maternal grandmother was different. Millie Tang had never seen her maternal grandmother since she was born, and there was absolutely no clue about her.

Only if we find her mother first, and then find a remedy to get the medicine, can we discuss this matter.

Liu Yonglu didn't dare to make any rash promises, so he could only vaguely mention it. Unexpectedly, the old man sitting opposite him shook his head dismissively.
So many years have passed, it can't be found again.

By the way, the maternal grandmother you mentioned, is it Millie Tang's maternal grandmother?

Liu Yonglu grunted in agreement, and the old man waved his hand again:
“Witches all have their own destiny, and you can’t force these things. The same goes for you two. I don’t think the chances of finding Sandra are very high.”

In a few years, when Millie Tang disappears, you don't need to look for her, but you don't need to be like me, or like that blockhead Eberhardt.

"Go ahead and marry someone new, live your life as you normally would. If you find the children a burden later, just send them to us."

"Cough... Drink!"

Liu Yonglu never expected that Grandpa Millie Tang would say such a thing, so he could only raise his glass to urge him to drink.

The father and son drank for half an hour, and Liu Yonglu realized that... his alcohol tolerance was really not as good as Millie Tang's grandfather. He was indeed a professional drinker who had been training for a long time. Although he had drunk a lot during the day, he was still eloquent and had bright eyes.

On the contrary, my tongue went numb and my hands and feet became unresponsive.

As the two drank and chatted, Liu Yonglu finally understood why Mi Li'er and her father disliked her maternal grandfather.

This old man is great in every way, except he has a particular fondness for chanting! That is, chanting the Three Yin!

He always thinks the worst of everything, never says a kind word, and he doesn't even realize it himself.

"I heard that there are two other deities who have been following you all along?"

I've never been an investigator, nor am I a mystic. In your eyes, I might just be the kind of clueless fool who lives in society without understanding the true nature of the world.

But... as the witch's husband, I think I have some right to speak on this matter. Mystics and witches alike are no different in essence; we're all fools, all puppets.

The only difference might be that you fools can look up and see the threads on your heads, while I can't.

But the ending is the same: a life manipulated at will by fate or deities. Seeing the threads only adds to the troubles, while not seeing them brings peace of mind and a life of hedonism.

So those two gods, hehe, they'll get you one day.

"Hey! Grandpa, eat and drink well! Is there enough food? If not, I'll stir-fry some tomato chicken slices!"

Liu Yonglu was actually quite fond of Nianxu, but since Nianxu was Mili'er's maternal grandfather, Liu Yonglu couldn't argue back. He could only comfort himself in his heart.

That's no easy feat! Grandpa is much better than my father-in-law. I have no problem with him. When I eat and chat with Grandpa, I can at least have a couple of drinks.

"Go ahead and cook it. Your wine is really good. Although it's not very strong, it has a unique flavor. Send me some more later."

"Sigh, but I also know that this time when you and Millie went to see Sandra, it's probably a one-way trip!"

Liu Yonglu turned his head, pursed his lips, and went to stir-fry his tomato chicken slices.

"I heard you're going to the University of Michigan tomorrow?"

The old man forked a piece of chicken and put it in his mouth, then closed his eyes and savored it carefully.

"Ah, the last stop. I'll do some work for the investigation department, and at the same time, I hope to find the hidden magic array within the University of Michigan and activate the forbidden spell of time travel."

“University of Michigan, hehe, this place isn’t safe either.”

Liu Yonglu was basically the straight man in front of his grandfather. Anyway, the main comedian could say whatever he wanted, and Liu Yonglu couldn't possibly go against his grandfather's wishes!
"Hey, investigators are out in the wind and rain, there's never a safe moment."

“I used to be a professor at the University of Michigan, and back then I heard a lot of strange and unusual things.”

Liu Yonglu nodded. "No wonder you know Mi Li'er's maternal grandmother; it turns out you have connections at Mi University."

"I resigned because of this very thing."

There are many societies at the University of Michigan: poetry club, kayaking club, tennis club, and some other random clubs whose names give no clue what they do.

For example, the World Curtain Society. I had a good relationship with a student who invited me to be an advisor for the society.

The whole process…

The old man finished the bottle of wine, and without waiting for Liu Yonglu to touch it, he opened another one on his own initiative.
"The whole process was mysterious and strange. Later I found out that it was probably a club related to occultism."

"That's interesting."

What's the point?

At the time, I didn't think anything was strange, but five or six years later, I learned that one of the students who joined the society had disappeared, and then one after another... many strange things happened.

I think the student isn't missing, he's just dead.

At the time, I was filled with trepidation, and coincidentally, I met Quintina... oh, that is, Millie's... grandmother.

I resigned from the University of Michigan and moved here, which is how I've survived until now.

"You're really smart."

Liu Yonglu found it quite amusing to listen to the old man recite the poem, as long as he didn't take it to heart.

"You two went to the University of Michigan this time, sigh, even a little carelessness is useless, these kinds of things can't be avoided by being careful."

Hehe, the current president of the University of Michigan was once my student! Hey, I heard he's been in office for seven or eight years already. Seven or eight years and he's still alive? His days are numbered!

"It's time to retire gracefully."

Liu Yonglu felt his skills as a straight man were improving rapidly.

"Don't just talk, tell me, what are your plans for this trip to the University of Michigan?"

Liu Yonglu pointed to his nose, thinking to himself, "Is there a mother-son joke in this show? How come I get to speak?"

"Grandpa, you are very knowledgeable and experienced, so you can give me some advice."

Here's what I think, and I'm not bragging, but my reputation is pretty much known to everyone now.

"This is the last thing an investigator should do when on fieldwork. If I were to swagger into the school with Mili'er to investigate, I probably wouldn't find anything, and might even get harassed."

Old Erwin nodded and took a sip of his drink, seemingly agreeing wholeheartedly.

"I just came up with a specific plan, and I haven't discussed it with Mili'er yet."

Mili still went back to her professorial role and did what she was supposed to do, but I couldn't follow her. I had to pretend to be a student and enter the school discreetly.

Of course, Mili is a professor at the school, so she should be able to cover for me in this regard.

Then, working in the open and in the shadows, we uncovered the truth.

“You don’t look like a student from the University of Michigan. I’ve never seen a student like you when I was a professor.”

The old man continued chanting as usual.

"Don't worry about it now. We have a plan. You don't need to worry about it. Whether it looks like me or not, it'll at least be three-tenths similar."

Liu Yonglu dared not take out his fan to change his expression, for fear of frightening the old man in the middle of the night.

The drinking session lasted for over an hour, and that was only because Liu Yonglu stopped him. If he hadn't stopped him, Grandpa probably would have drunk until dawn.

Seeing that Liu Yonglu was no longer fully conscious, Erwin took the initiative to clean up the dishes for him, and Liu Yonglu then went upstairs in a daze.

Carrying an oil lamp, Liu Yonglu barely managed to control his body as he felt his way along the wall to his room. In the dim light, he heard a low thud as the door opened.

That's the only downside to Millie Tang's family; their house is too old, and it's easy to make noise wherever you go.

Hey, why aren't you sleeping in the middle of the night?
Liu Yonglu sobered up instantly. He craned his neck and carefully peered into the dimly lit corridor by the light of the oil lamp, afraid that his father-in-law might suddenly jump out from the darkness.

Fortunately... in the darkness, he only saw a pair of captivating eyes that shone like stars; it was Mi Li'er.

Although Millie Tang didn't share a room with him, their rooms were next to each other. At that moment, Millie Tang, wearing her pajamas, beckoned to him with her finger.

"Mili, are you still awake so late? Well... I was a little hungry tonight, so I went downstairs for a late-night snack and ran into Grandpa. We had a couple of drinks together."

Liu Yonglu said in a low voice, feeling like he was doing something wrong.

"Come in, you idiot."

Millie Tang grabbed Liu Yonglu by the collar.

"No, what if Dad finds out? I won't..."

Liu Yonglu sniffed.

"He doesn't know, he can't hear, don't worry."

During the day, Liu Yonglu had been wronged, and to be honest, Milie Tang felt a little sorry for her husband. In addition, she had recently gotten used to sleeping with him, so she tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep at night.

Lying in bed, she heard the sound of a door opening in the hallway, but after a few minutes, no one knocked, and after an hour, still no one opened the door.

Finally, Millie Tang simply sat up in bed, left the door slightly ajar, and waited. After waiting and waiting, Liu Yonglu finally returned to the room.

"Go to sleep, Ricky, we're going to the University of Michigan tomorrow."

After entering the house, Millie Tang reached behind her head with both hands, untied her hair tie, and smiled as she let her smooth black hair fall loose.

(End of this chapter)