Free Web NovelChapter 5: Chapter 5: A Battle of Wits with the Air
Qin Xiaoxia tucked the Gold Coins safely into his pocket and picked up his pace.
He abandoned his original plan to wait for the bus and decided to hail a cab instead.
You have to understand, very few taxis in the center of Kehua District were willing to go to Qingzhen because they rarely found a fare for the return trip.
So even the drivers who were willing to go usually refused to use the meter, charging a higher-than-normal price. This was an unspoken rule everyone accepted.
Normally, Qin Xiaoxia wouldn’t want to be such a sucker, but today was different. After seeing the surveillance footage, he was desperate to get home, as if he were afraid of letting some precious opportunity slip away.
While the bus ride usually took over an hour with all its detours, a taxi could get to Qingzhen in just ten minutes.
A little after two in the afternoon, Qin Xiaoxia was already standing at his front door.
On the way back, he had already come up with a plan.
First, Qin Xiaoxia checked the lock on his door. As expected, it looked completely untouched.
Then, as if he’d just remembered something, he slapped his forehead, turned around, and headed for the wet market.
When he returned half an hour later, he was carrying a roasted chicken, cooked meats, prepared dishes, and drinks.
With a nervous heart, he opened the door and walked in, pretending that nothing was out of the ordinary.
He put the food directly on the table, changed into his slippers as usual, and made a point of checking the doors and windows, putting on a satisfied expression.
"Looks like after I called the police, that thief really didn’t dare to come back."
Qin Xiaoxia said this out loud on purpose, but there was obviously no response.
Just like any other day, he went to his computer to check his "AFK earnings."
Sure enough, the mechanical keyboard for his desktop was gone.
"Oh my god! That goddamn thief came back! My keyboard! Aaaah!"
His tragic scream was performed with almost exaggerated flair.
He then started searching the entire house for his keyboard.
He checked every possible spot, every corner, paying special attention to the space under each chair, stool, and table before rummaging through his cabinets and drawers.
After working himself into a sweat, he finally "accidentally" tripped in the kitchen and "unintentionally" glimpsed the keyboard under the refrigerator.
"Holy shit! It was hidden here! How despicable!"
"You damned thief, you’ve got some nerve! You’re not even afraid of the police! Just you wait until I get my hands on you!"
After letting out a few more strange yells in his house as if to vent, Qin Xiaoxia "dejectedly" collapsed onto the kitchen floor.
A look of bewilderment mixed with a hint of panic was written all over his face.
Yes, from the perspective of "self-dramatization," Qin Xiaoxia was no ordinary person...
Although it felt like he was battling wits with thin air, he was certain the little guy could see him.
It was like a shouting match; if you yelled for ages and got no reaction, the one doing the yelling would end up more annoyed than the one being yelled at.
But in Qin Xiaoxia’s view, his series of performances just now should have perfectly met the little thief’s expectations for entertainment. In other words, it hit the little guy’s sweet spot.
When he was done with his act, Qin Xiaoxia got up, reconnected the keyboard to the computer, and then went to the kitchen to tidy up.
Another twenty minutes passed, and the living room was filled with the aroma of all sorts of food.
Roasted chicken, roasted squab, braised pork, cold-tossed vegetables, plus white rice and steamed buns.
Although it was all pre-cooked food, there was no denying that the aroma after opening the packages was much richer than a normal home-cooked meal. If the person happened to be hungry and had never eaten such things, the effect would be lethal.
Judging by how the little thief gobbled down the pizza in the video, well, at least it had a big appetite.
To be honest, after all that effort, Qin Xiaoxia was hungry too, so he ate with great relish.
Granny Xiao’s spring chicken deli at the market was an old shop that had been open for over a decade, and its cooked food had always been delicious.
Once he started eating, he almost couldn’t stop. Several boxes of food that should have been half-full were about to be devoured by Qin Xiaoxia alone.
By the time he realized it, there wasn’t much left.
It was a little awkward. Although there was less left than planned, it should be enough for a taste.
Qin Xiaoxia cleaned up and put the little bit of leftover food into the refrigerator.
Then he took out the empty pizza box and deliberately scratched his head in confusion.
"Weird, did I eat the whole pizza? I thought there was a little left."
The evening was basically a repeat of the past few days, except that before going to sleep, he made a point of cursing and muttering about the "theft incident."
He avoided any overly provocative swear words, but he perfectly conveyed his dissatisfaction and helplessness.
Then, as the clock ticked on, Qin Xiaoxia went to sleep, satisfied yet filled with nervous anticipation.
...
「The next day」 It was another bright and sunny day. The morning sun hadn’t even touched his face when Qin Xiaoxia sat up in bed.
First, he checked under his pillow.
Nothing.
He got out of bed and flipped over the comforter and sheets.
Still nothing.
’Stingy. And after I put on such a great performance yesterday, too. Not even a small fee for my acting!’
Feeling a bit dejected, he got dressed, washed up, and then opened the refrigerator to make breakfast.
"Damn it! Where are yesterday’s roasted chicken wings? The squab legs? The braised beef? How is it all gone!" free𝑤ebnovel.com
A loud roar echoed from the kitchen to the living room, the attic, and every corner of the house.
But contrary to the "anger" on his face, Qin Xiaoxia was secretly delighted.
’Heh, you little rascal. So what if you’re a supernatural thief? You’re still just a kid who can’t resist the temptation of food!’
Seeing that the cooked food had been eaten without a single crumb left, Qin Xiaoxia felt even more relieved. It was definitely not a ghost.
It seemed like not even the bones were left behind. Calling it a Demon might be closer to the truth...
People are strange sometimes. Logically speaking, ghosts were once human and should be more relatable, yet people are more afraid of ghosts. But when it came to Demons, especially a child Demon, curiosity tended to win out.
Besides, from the way the little thief had been scared of the refrigerator before, its intimidation factor had been greatly reduced.
’Hehehe, now that you’ve taken the bait, I’m not scared anymore. Tsk tsk, I’ll observe for a while longer!’
Qin Xiaoxia’s face was expressionless, but inwardly, he was already wearing a wicked grin.
This little thief didn’t seem to understand how appliances worked. It had probably only just figured out that food could be kept in the refrigerator. As for the surveillance camera, that went without saying.
...
For the next two days, Qin Xiaoxia brought back delicious food every day, and every day, the leftovers were stolen and eaten by the little thief.
And every day, some of his commonly used items would go missing, but by "cheating" with the surveillance camera, he could always find them.
The only disappointing thing was that no more Gold Coins appeared.
Through careful observation of the surveillance footage, Qin Xiaoxia discovered a few patterns. ƒreewebɳovel.com
This little guy could probably turn invisible, but it couldn’t pass through walls, and it didn’t seem to be very strong.
Because on the third day of surveillance, after it disappeared, it seemed to have accidentally knocked over a chair. Then, on camera, he saw the chair fall over, only to "stand up" by itself again.
The chair wobbled several times as it was "standing up," and the process looked quite arduous.
The chairs in Qin Xiaoxia’s house were left by Old Qin. They were made of good quality solid wood and were quite heavy, but their design was definitely flawed. If no one was sitting in them, a little force on the backrest could easily tip them over, but setting them upright again was rather difficult.
He had always despised these chairs, but today, this discovery made Qin Xiaoxia exceptionally excited.
