Chapter 13: The Bizarre Ride-on Car?

Mom, listen to me. Dad, listen to me...
Dad's father is called Grandpa, Mom's father...
Don't look at me as just a sheep...
Hey, handsome boy, come play...
The grass is more fragrant because of me...

At the entrance of a clothing shop in the Northeast Gate vegetable market, several children had gathered.
"Uncle, let us play for a while, please?"
"Monkey Uncle, hurry and let us play, or else I'll tell my mom to send you to the zoo."
"Uncle, you've played ten songs now."
"Uncle... you—"
A little child pointed at Li Changluo, who was sitting atop the rocking car, his face flushed red, finally mustering the courage to say in a timid voice, "Shameless."

Li Changluo remained unmoved.
He lounged comfortably in the rocking car, slumped, joyfully enjoying the children's songs.
Sometimes he clapped along, sometimes he exchanged knowing smiles with the children.

Heiwa, meanwhile, had no idea what Li Changluo was up to, but he had divided twenty-five coins between them, letting himself sit on this contraption and rock along with him.
Rocking back and forth...
He didn't have to worry at all about the owner's judgmental gaze.
The owner had originally wanted to drive out these two oddballs, stripping them of their right to play with the rocking car.
But after looking at the beautiful compass in his hand—his own grandfather had worked in this line, he understood—fifty coins was a steal. Let them sit, for the sake of money.
He happily snapped a photo with his phone and posted it online:
"Foreign black kid obsessed with rocking cars, rocking like crazy..."

Li Changluo never imagined Heiwa would be the center of attention everywhere; this early in the morning, he'd already been recommended twice by vegetable vendors and clothing shop owners.
Corn in hand one moment, riding the rocking car the next.
If Li Changluo knew how popular Heiwa was, he would probably drag him into becoming an internet celebrity, start a livestream, and hunt for lollipop monsters?

The group of children watching were finally forced home by the two adults monopolizing the rocking cars.
"Hmph, just wait till I've finished watching Wolf Comes Out, then I'll deal with you."
The children left in a huff.

"Li, I feel like I'm being punished by heaven..."
Heiwa looked utterly miserable.
"It's fine, bullying kids isn't that..."
Li Changluo hadn't finished speaking when he saw Heiwa lean over the rocking car and start vomiting.
He realized then that Heiwa must have meant the world was spinning.
A rocking car, so dizzy he vomited—damn.
As expected, foreigners can't recite our sutras.
"I say, you vomit..."

The owner worried for his rocking car, afraid Heiwa would dirty it, quickly reminded him.
"Yeah, don't throw up on the floor, the owner will have a hard time cleaning up."
Li Changluo also hastily told Heiwa to vomit in the car.
Heiwa agreed it made sense, not wanting to add to the owner's workload, and buried his head to vomit inside the rocking car.
The owner ground his teeth in frustration, but seeing his post get over a hundred likes online, he decided not to argue with these two idiots.

When Li Changluo and Heiwa had used up twenty coins, Heiwa was nearly faint from nausea.
However, the two rocking cars seemed to be running out of power, slowing down noticeably; even the music was sluggish, fading in and out.
The owner thought there was a problem with the power, and hurried to check the store's outlet.

"Bro, I really can't rock anymore."
The rocking car Li Changluo was sitting in actually spoke, its voice so quiet only he could hear.
"There's still five coins left, don't rush."
"Bro, how did you find us, can you sense demon energy?"
"Whose rocking car has a plug in its rear—insulting my intelligence."
"Bro..."
"I still have five coins..."
"Handsome young man, we have no grudge, why are you catching us?"
Li Changluo was pleased with the title and admired the rocking car demon's survival instincts—it was indeed strong.
"How should I know? I'm hunting fox spirits, why are you two running?"
"You're after fox spirits, then let us go, really..."
"I can't rock anymore!"
Li Changluo, with a breezy smile, patted the rocking car's head and said fiercely, "You made me buy fifty coins, are you going to compensate me?"
"I can't afford it."
"Then keep rocking, four coins to go."
Li Changluo quietly tossed another coin in.
...
"Handsome young man, I have a clue for you..." The rocking car demon could barely rock anymore.
Li Changluo was quite satisfied. "Speak."
"The fox spirit—there's a woman who comes to this market often to buy groceries. She acts very strangely, I think she's probably the fox spirit you're looking for."
Li Changluo asked, "How is she strange?"
"This woman comes every day to buy chicken..."
Li Changluo tapped the rocking car's head. "Can you say it all at once?"
In the rocking car demon's mind, an image drifted by—a furious, screaming marmot.
Try rocking twenty coins yourself.
If you aren't exhausted, I'll give you a year's supply of kidney tonic and a box of fertility pills.
"Are you cursing me in your heart?"
Li Changluo took out a coin.

"No, I can say it all at once. Handsome young man, listen: This woman comes to the market at the same time every day, wearing the same clothes, carrying the same basket, buying the same type of chicken from the same shop. Her expression is always the same, she doesn't haggle, just leaves the same amount of money and walks away."
The rocking car demon said it all in one breath.
Li Changluo thought, its survival instinct really is strong.
"You observe things closely."
"Handsome young man, that woman looks just like a fox spirit—what man or male demon isn't lustful?"
Li Changluo was satisfied, climbed down from the rocking car with a stretch, and woke up the dizzy Heiwa.
"Handsome young man, wait."
The rocking car demon called out to Li Changluo, who was about to leave.
"What is it?"
"Could you... push us away?"
"You aren't rocking anymore, but it's profitable?"
"We can't rock anymore. We can't just transform into human form here, we'd get arrested and sent to the station, so..."
Li Changluo felt he was too kind, helping others so easily.
He and Heiwa, each pushing a rocking car, headed for the parking lot beside the market, which was secluded, intending to leave the two there.

"Damn, even rocking cars get stolen..." The owner checked the power and found his rocking cars missing.
"Why don't you transform your own legs and walk?"
"Can't you move yourselves, hmm?"
"Can't your wheels be bigger, hmm?"
Li Changluo was getting tired from pushing, grumbling as he went.

After much effort, Li Changluo and Heiwa finally pushed the two rocking car demons to a deserted spot.
The two rocking car demons slowly transformed into human form—a middle-aged woman and an old man.
The woman's face was still smeared with Heiwa's vomit.
Li Changluo, curious, asked, "I'm really curious, how did you die?"
"Like him, died of dizziness in a rocking car?" Li Changluo pointed at Heiwa and burst out laughing.
"Of course, that's a private matter, you don't have to say. Dying of motion sickness is quite normal."
Li Changluo immediately became serious, because he saw the two before him...
Grinding their teeth, their anger nearly at its peak.
He had no reason to provoke someone about to unleash their rage.

"Smack!!"
But suddenly, the two rocking car demons were struck hard from behind by someone.