"That crest, on the tie you were wearing before. You're that bastard son of the Wen household, aren't you?"
She's...sharp. A lot sharper than I thought. During the fight with those thieves, my clothes were definitely tattered and dirty, so the fact that she even noticed that small crest...
"..."
"Boy, a ceremonial blade adorned with plum blossoms ain't so easy to miss."
She then quietly stared at me, listening for my next words, but she wasn't just waiting; she was dissecting. And I had only just now realized it.
I didn't know what to say. I don't have a good grasp of her character at all. What I've thought up until this point had all been...wrong.
Everything is so real.
These people are unpredictable, and my game knowledge can't oversee everything, especially when the main game hasn't even started yet.
One wrong move.
And it's over for me.
"Boy?"
"...um-"
"When you're talking to someone, ya look at them. Right in the eyes. It's a sign of respect. Didn't yer parents teach ya that?"
I hadn't even realized I was looking down at the table.
"You're right, uh, my apologies."
"Yer damn right!"
"..."
"So, what's a big-shot like ya doing in the slums?"
This is a test.
I know it is.
And if I don't choose correctly, I may never have another opportunity like this.
Grandma Guanhuai can become one of my strongest cards even before the main game begins!
What should I do? Should I just be honest about my situation?...
My mind swirled as various answers and outcomes spiraled in my head.
Should I lie? But what lie would I even tell her? What use is there to lie anyway?
Maybe I should act pitiful, so she takes me in? But what if she sees me as too weak and ends up not asking me for help with her quest?
Then one thing came into my mind.
Honesty.
Why don't I just be honest? If I lie, I'll probably end up a stuttering mess. Telling the truth is my best option right now, and...Grandma Guanhuai gave me food. Even if the food's stale, it has to count for something...
Perhaps she'll value honesty more than my background.
After a while, I finally spoke, this time, looking right into her eyes.
It was uncomfortable, yet I stayed firm.
"I...I was kicked out. Out of my house. They didn't want me there anymore; I was a stain, so I packed my bags and left."
"And? Why did ya come to the slums?"
"...Not many people recognize me here as much as in the bigger cities. Food here is also much cheaper, even if there's an obvious quality drop. My family didn't provide me any money either, so..."
"Cheap pricing, uneducated civilians, this really was ya best option, huh?"
"...yes, Ma'am."
She looked over to my suitcase, clearly analyzing every bit of information.
"Heh, bet you were gonna sell all that rich boy stuff for a crap load of Jia."
I could feel sweat starting to dot my neck and back, yet I kept my eyes on her, awaiting her final verdict.
"I don't know if it's because ya've finally been humbled, or ya got the day-lights scared out of ya, but...ya don't seem like the same fella in the rumors. Ya sure are honest, well, a lot more honest than what they say you are."
My eyes widened a little before I was able to come up with something else to say.
"Ah, uh, thank you?"
"Tch, what was I thinkin' anyway? Rumors ain't to be trusted."
Her eyes softened a bit before turning stern again.
"And hey, I ain't like all that Ma'am callin, call me Grandma Guanhuai, but let me tell you, outside of this hut, I'm Guanhuai, Guanhuai the Witch!"
Her mouth then twisted into a wicked smile, showing off all of her crooked, yellow teeth, sending chills down my spine.
"Ah, alright, um, Grandma Guanhuai."
Her telling me to call her that...I took that as a positive sign.
"Attaboy! You learn fast!"
Grandma Guanhuai was crazy, alright, but...
It didn't matter so much to me anymore.
She seemed to have accepted me!
So I guess Grandma Guanhuai really does value honesty...I should keep that in mind.
Trailing off, I hadn't realized I was so deeply lost in my thoughts until Grandma Guanhuai slammed her fists against the table.
I jumped as the coffee table shook and creaked, making everything on it tumble, seemingly unable to handle the abuse, until...it just did?
All of a sudden, the coffee table just...stopped shaking. Items stood still, and things that should have fallen onto the floor didn't. But how? It was shaking so violently before, and Grandma Guanhuai's hands were still curled up in a fist on top of the coffee table...
My mind seemed to be blanking...something wasn't right.
I thought back to when Grandma Guanhuai saved me, just last night, when she first slammed open her door...there was fog and smoke everywhere, disappearing only when those thieves ran away...but how was that possible?
The weather couldn't have allowed for that; it wasn't a rainy day, or anything of the sort.
Special effect smoke doesn't just come out like that, then magically disappear at the perfect timing.
Now thinking about it with a clear mind, nothing made sense.
What the hell was going on here?
My brain was rapid-firing, ideas after ideas shot out until-
"I HAVE DECIDED, BOY!"
My train of thought was interrupted.
Ah, right, she probably slammed the table to make an announcement.
I told myself that I should focus on the present and that I would ponder upon this later, except I hadn't realized that that later would be extremely later.
"YOU! SHALL BE MY ASSISTANT!"
All my thoughts before were completely outshined by this news! This was amazing! I had successfully started the quest, and this was surprisingly the first thing that had gone my way!
Being her assistant, I won't have to rent a motel. I'll endure the moldy smell if that means saving more money! Not to mention the quest rewards.
My eyes sparkled at the thought of all these grand opportunities, and I unconsciously cracked a smile before immediately pulling myself back and covering my mouth.
Dammit, you can't just show everything, you dimwit!
But it was already too late, as Grandma Guanhuai laughed, talking about how that was the first genuine smile she had seen in a while, before going back to what she was saying.
"It's tiring having to gather ingredients on my own, making my potions, and selling them...my age is startin to affect my sales too."
Hm, is this what she also said in the game? I don't remember the exact dialogue, but I feel like it was a little...different.
"I don't look like I used to, and let me tell ya, boy, looks are pretty darn important in the business industry."
...What?
"Uh, Ma'am-sorry, I mean, Grandma Guanhuai, um, what are you trying to say?"
"Boy! I'm gettin' there, so be patient!"
The hairs on my back stood up as I slowly realized what she was setting up.
"Yer pretty darn good-looking, y'know that?"
"Sto-"
"I mean, tall, handsome face, fluffy hair, nice voice, ye are a bit skinny, but that's an easy fix, yeah?"
Why the hell is she talking about my looks?
"My point is, you. would. make. WONDERS. in. my. sales."
This Granny wasn't just determining my innocence, but also my looks!
"..."
"Help me sell my potions, yeah? I mean, that's the LEAST ye could do for me, after I saved yer life."
I...I need to think, fast!
I cannot, no, I will not, end up as a street hawker for this Granny!
"Wait! If you say I look so good, won't that give me unwanted attention?! After all, someone who looks as good as I will have a lot of eyes attracted to them, and people might figure out who I really am! I think that instead of giving me the job as a seller, I should just help you gather materials!"
"With that weak body? No, you are much suited for selling!"
"I-I, but I suck at selling! I stutter like crazy!"
I had started throwing random ideas at the wall, except absolutely nothing stuck.
Nothing at all.
"PEOPLE DON'T CARE ABOUT THAT! LOOKS ARE ALL THAT MATTERS!"
"But what if I'm figured out!?"
"THOSE THIEVES COULDN'T EVEN FIGURE YOU OUT, EVEN WHEN YOU WERE INCHES AWAY FROM THEIR EYES"
"But it was dark!"
"YOU SAID IT YOURSELF, THE PEOPLE IN THE SLUMS HAVE NO OUTSIDE KNOWLEDGE OF HOW YOU LOOK, AND I'LL JUST SAY I ADOPTED YOU OFF THE STREETS SOMEWHERE!"
"But I have a good grasp on high-quality ingredients! I can get some for you up in the higher-class cities!"
"I THOUGHT YOU DIDN'T WANT TO BE NOTICED!"
"But I'll-"
"NO! NO MORE BUTS!"
Her voice burst into the room, ricocheting off every piece of furniture, making my ears ring.
Her decision was final, and it was clear that I had no say in my job...
What...what the hell...this wasn't in the game! Not even close!
I've deviated so far from the game...
This...
This is...
There being nothing else I could do, I closed my eyes and accepted my fate.
...I hate this.