Hidden Dead Ends-Chapter 60

"Yes, Old Wu Kan’s. I remember them. They sold a bit of everything—snacks, all kinds of things. I used to go there all the time as a kid," he reminisced, a spark of recognition in his eyes.

"Are you looking for Old Wu Kan’s place?"

"Yes, yes! Do you know where it is now?" Zhong Ying’s face lit up. With the same last name, it was surely the right place.

"No idea," the old man shook his head again.

"Do you remember if your grandfather, Bai Feipeng, ever mentioned playing a slot machine at Old Wu Kan’s Grocery when he was a child?" Zhong Ying quickly asked, hoping to jog his memory.

"When he was a child? What are you talking about?" The old man shot her a puzzled look. "My grandfather didn’t have any grocery store nearby when he was a kid. The only place to buy things was the Little Grape Supermarket. There wasn’t even a grocery store back then."

The group was stunned.

There hadn’t been a grocery store in Bai Feipeng’s childhood?

So how could Bai Feipeng, in Li Chengyi's memory flash, claim to know about Wu Ji Convenience Store?

"And what about Zhou Family Bakery?" Li Chengyi couldn’t hold back any longer. "Did your grandfather ever mention stealing from Zhou Family Bakery when he was a kid?"

His question was blunt—almost rude. The others looked away, trying to hide their discomfort.

"What kind of question is that?” The old man gave him an annoyed look. “Zhou Family Bakery? There wasn’t a single bakery on all of Zhonglu Street back then! We’d have to get sweets delivered or go to another neighborhood five kilometers away. And stealing? You must be dreaming."

The old man was visibly irritated.

But his answer left everyone baffled.

If the old man’s words were true, then in Bai Feipeng’s childhood neighborhood, there hadn’t been any grocery stores or bakeries.

So how had he appeared before Li Chengyi?

Moreover, how had the chubby kid even seen Li Chengyi, heard him running through the streets, and understood what he was saying?

"But… Wu Ji Convenience Store… Zhou Family Bakery?" the old man murmured, rubbing his forehead as if trying to remember. "Something about those names feels familiar."

This change sparked a glimmer of hope in the group.

They dared not interrupt, not wanting to break the old man’s train of thought.

"Hey, shopkeeper! I need to buy the latest edition of *Dynamic Sound Collection*! Three copies!"

At that moment, a bespectacled boy with a backpack burst through the door.

"*Dynamic Sound Collection*, huh? Just arrived today—you’ve got good timing." The old man smiled and reached under the counter, pulling out a colorful magazine.

"But if you want three copies, I’ll have to check the stock in the back. Just wait a moment."

This brief distraction broke the old man’s concentration. He stood up, prepared to go to the back of the store.

Suddenly, Sindra reached out, slapping his hand down heavily on the glass counter at the entrance.

"Sir, please help us out first! The boy doesn’t need three copies!"

"But…” The boy started to protest, but then Sindra flashed a red banknote in front of him.

The boy’s eyes widened. He glanced up, noticing Sindra’s subtle nod.

Understanding the signal, the boy quickly pocketed the money and bolted for the door.

"One copy will do!" he shouted, disappearing around the corner.

"Now, please," Zhong Ying leaned forward, her voice soft and coaxing. "Could you try to remember where you might’ve heard of Wu Ji Convenience Store or Zhou Family Bakery?"

The old man stared at them for a moment, clearly puzzled by their odd behavior.

"Think carefully." Sindra placed another stack of bills on the counter, his voice calm but compelling. "Trust yourself."

"Oh… oh, I remember now!" The old man’s eyes lit up at the sight of the money, and he quickly scooped it up.

"Follow me!"

He turned and headed swiftly toward the back of the store.

The group followed, eventually reaching the innermost section of the bookstore.

There, instead of shelves filled with books, hung several paintings with rich colors and somewhat distorted lines.

"Here!" The old man stopped before a dark-toned painting in the corner, extending a finger to a specific part.

"Look closely—this should be the Wu Ji Convenience Store and Zhou Family Bakery you’re looking for."

Following his gesture, the group examined the painting and saw, clear as day, two shops depicted in one corner of the artwork.

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On the left was Wu Ji Convenience Store, and a few storefronts away on the right was Zhou Family Bakery.

What was going on here?

"Wait, what’s that?" Zhong Ying pointed at a specific spot in the painting.

Everyone’s eyes followed her finger.

They were just coming to grips with the strange sight of the two stores depicted in the painting when they noticed something else. Right in front of Wu Ji Convenience Store was the colorful fruit slot machine.

The mysterious slot machine they had been searching for was right there in the painting.

"...Where is this location supposed to be?" Sindra was the first to regain his composure and ask in a low voice.

“Location?” The old man chuckled, an amused gleam in his eyes. “This is a scene from one of my grandfather’s favorite comic books. After he taught himself to paint, he recreated this scene from memory. That’s why I felt like I’d heard the names Wu Ji Convenience Store and Zhou Family Bakery before. Look.”

He pointed to the lower corner of the painting.

There, in front of Zhou Family Bakery, was a softly lit doorway with two employees inside, busying themselves as they organized something. Outside, several wooden drawers displayed a variety of fresh pastries.

It was exactly the same as what Li Chengyi had seen earlier.

He even saw the chubby kid, with eyes and mouth reduced to three thin slits, standing in front of the bakery, looking slightly off to the side, as though staring out of the painting.

The kid’s skin was pale, his plump cheeks even whiter than the foggy streets around him. His small eyes, though hard to notice, gave Li Chengyi the unsettling impression that the kid was looking right at him.

The boy wore a mischievous grin, yet his eyes were cold, emotionless.

Cold and lifeless.

"Don’t look directly into his eyes," the old man said suddenly, covering the chubby kid’s face with his hand as he looked sternly at Li Chengyi.

"Many people who’ve seen this painting felt something was off about that kid. Staring at his eyes for too long can give you nightmares."

"Isn’t that your grandfather himself?" Li Chengyi asked, feeling relieved as the old man’s hand blocked his view of the kid, releasing the tension in his chest.

"It is… and it isn’t," the old man replied, shaking his head. “When my grandfather painted this, he was already in his fifties. At first, we didn’t even notice the kid. One day, we saw he’d appeared in the painting. So we asked my grandfather if he’d added him, since the kid’s style didn’t match the rest of the scene at all.”

The old man paused, looking around to make sure he had everyone’s attention, then continued with a smile.

"My grandfather said, ‘Yes, and no.’”

“What does that mean?” Zhong Ying couldn’t help but ask. “If he painted it, then how could he say that?”

"Exactly what I asked him back then. I was young and blunt," the old man laughed, “but his answer left us all stunned.”

He trailed off, lost in thought as he seemed to drift back into the memory.

The group waited, eager for the rest of the story, but the old man seemed to have forgotten about them, remaining silent.

"And then?" Sima Gui prompted impatiently.

“Then… *cough*… I can’t remember…” The old man coughed a few times, seeming to lose his train of thought.

Sindra placed another bundle of cash on the wooden rack beside him.

“Oh, right, now I remember.” The old man’s face lit up as he slapped his forehead.

“My grandfather said that originally, there

was nothing there. But one day, while moving the painting, he accidentally spilled a drop of white ink on that spot.”

"So, to cover it up, he drew the kid there. He said the chubby kid was how he looked as a child, but after he painted it, he kept feeling that it didn’t look quite right. He never knew why…”

A comic scene, an unintentional addition of a chubby kid... the situation was becoming stranger by the minute.

"So, what comic is this from? And where is this street in the painting located?" Li Chengyi asked, still hoping to trace the scene’s origin.

"I haven’t a clue. But as for the street…" the old man laughed. “The artist made it up! You’re looking for the real location? That’s a joke!”

"I remember reading that comic. It was about a street with a strange fruit machine that could grant wishes, but every wish came with a price. Eventually, the street was destroyed in a fire, taking the grocery store and the machine with it. And that’s how the story ended,” the old man recounted, his tone slow and calm.

A fire!?

Everyone froze, immediately recalling the fire that had once devastated Zhonglu Street.

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TL NOTE: Please don't skimp on the stars and likes of the translation - it inspires me and gives me the strength to write more. Thank you~!