Chapter 5

Chapter 5

“Don’t hide in the kitchen.”

“I’m not hiding.”

“Then why are you clutching a pot lid?”

“To block them.”

I stood at the kitchen doorway, caught between wanting to laugh and wanting to scold him.

He Yutang’s social media post had been incredibly effective; far more people had shown up than I anticipated. Li Jichuan managed to keep his composure for the first half-hour, but during the second half, he visibly started to unravel. Finally, he retreated straight into the kitchen, holding a pot lid over his chest like a shield.

“They don’t mean any harm,” I said.

“I know.”

“Then what are you afraid of?”

He fell silent for two seconds, his voice dropping low.

“It’s not fear.”

He said, “It’s just… too many.”

It clicked for me instantly.

Too many wishes.

Everyone who stood at the door might not have been saying what they truly wanted, but the things weighing on their hearts were pouring out all at once. If I were him, I’d want to hug a pot lid too.

After a moment’s thought, I turned and went to the front yard, writing “Limit: 8 people today” at the bottom of the chalkboard.

When I returned, I grabbed a container of pudding from the fridge and shoved it toward him.

“Eat.”

Li Jichuan looked at the packaging as if he were facing a brand-new divine revelation. “What is this?”

“Pudding.”

“Do ordinary people eat pudding at times like this?”

“Ordinary people don’t clutch pot lids at times like this.”

He finally reached out and took it.

Watching him struggle with the plastic seal, I suddenly realized that this deity’s knowledge of human common sense was appallingly meager. Last night, I had asked him to help by picking up some salt from the convenience store; he ended up bringing back a bag of sugar, saying quite earnestly that they were both white, so they were basically the same.

I couldn’t help but ask, “How exactly did you survive before?”

“People provided offerings.”

“Others provided your food, clothes, and shelter, so you never had to learn anything?”

“More or less.”

I clicked my tongue. “Well, if you want to be an ordinary person now, you’re starting from zero.”

His hand paused as he scooped the pudding, and he suddenly looked up at me.

“Will you teach me?”

He asked so bluntly that I actually found myself at a loss for words.

“…Depends on the tuition.”

He nodded, very serious. “I’ll work for you.”

And so, after closing up for the day, I hauled him off to the supermarket.

The community supermarket was brightly lit in the night. Li Jichuan pushed the shopping cart beside me, his expression even more cautious than when he’d been struck by lightning yesterday.

“Lesson one.” I picked up a carton of eggs. “Life as an ordinary person starts with checking the expiration date.”

He lowered his head and stared at the label with extreme focus.

“Lesson two: learn to compare unit prices. Don’t be fooled by the promotion signs.”

“Lesson three: remember that salt and sugar look different.”

As I said that last part, I started laughing first.

When we reached the fresh produce section, a young couple nearby was having an argument. The girl said the boy was always dismissive, while the boy claimed he had been too busy lately. Their voices weren’t loud, but they were thick with emotion. I instinctively looked at Li Jichuan and saw that, sure enough, he was already frowning.

Without thinking, I reached out and grabbed his sleeve, pulling him toward the yogurt shelf.

“Don’t listen,” I said.

“I can hear them.”

“Then listen to this instead.”

I stuffed a carton of strawberry yogurt into his hand. “Seven-ninety, buy one get the second at half price. Much more interesting than their bickering.”

Li Jichuan looked down at the yogurt. After a long moment, he suddenly smiled.

It was subtle.

But it was a real smile.

When we stepped out of the supermarket, a light rain had just begun to fall. I hadn’t brought an umbrella and was about to bolt for it when Li Jichuan draped his jacket over my head. We ran back to the shrine side-by-side. I stole a glance at him and suddenly felt like he really did look like someone who had just come back from buying groceries.

My heart gave a tiny, soft flutter.

That night, I wrote in my ledger:

One carton of eggs, two cartons of strawberry yogurt, the deity’s first day of learning how to be human.

What I didn’t know then was that the truly difficult lessons were still to come.