After two cups of tea, Zhu Futing felt much more relaxed. His head no longer felt dizzy, and the alcohol taste was gone.
Zhu Futing had drunk quite a bit for this kind of matter.
"One cup to ask, two cups to help, three cups to stay in their house, four cups to give up their life."
Since he could drink two cups, he had no choice but to accompany them.
"I'll take this matter," Yu Daochen agreed.
Zhu Futing watched as Yu Daochen took out a thick envelope and placed it on the table. "Master Yu, rest assured, this is just a referral fee. I'll give it to the person who can handle this matter when they arrive."
Yu Daochen waved his hand and began counting on his fingers.
As his thumb landed on a knuckle, Yu Daochen frowned. "There's one hundred and twenty thousand in this envelope?"
As soon as Yu Daochen said this, Zhu Futing's face showed surprise. He had personally put the money into the envelope, and there was no way anyone could know.
Yu Daochen inwardly smiled bitterly. Seeing such a large sum of money, it looked like he was being paid for his own coffin.
"I'll accept this money. Come to the shop at six this afternoon, and I'll have someone who can handle this matter ready."
Zhu Futing nodded repeatedly. "Alright, I'll take my leave then."
Yu Daochen nodded. Zhu Futing walked out of the shop, got into his car, and drove away.
"Master, I don't quite understand," Zhou Fu asked.
Yu Daochen looked at Zhou Fu beside him. "There are no rules here. Ask whatever you want."
Zhou Fu thought for a moment and said, "According to him, it's very likely the work of a water ghost. If it's about catching ghosts and demons, Master, you can do it. If you lure it ashore and kill it, wouldn't that be easy?"
Yu Daochen sighed and shook his head. "There are rules in every profession. Fortune tellers tell fortunes, feng shui masters practice feng shui; that's their livelihood. The Midnight Spirit Shop doesn't belong to any of these professions. If we were to do everything, wouldn't that be taking away from others? Besides, I'm not skilled in corpse retrieval."
Yu Daochen picked up the envelope of money from the table, took out ten red bills, and handed them to Zhou Fu. "Take this and get yourself some decent attire. You'll accompany me on a job tonight."
Yu Daochen saw that Zhou Fu's clothes looked like they had been worn for over three years and had become too big.
Zhou Fu quickly waved his hands. "Master, your disciple has money. I'll go buy clothes now."
Yu Daochen commanded with the authority of a master. "This is the master's order."
Zhou Fu then shyly accepted it. "Thank you, Master."
Yu Daochen nodded with satisfaction. "Find a good hotel and rest for a while. Be at the shop at three in the morning to prepare for departure."
Zhou Fu nodded. He intended to carry his bulky backpack, but Yu Daochen stopped him. Carrying a backpack that was twice his height while shopping would be embarrassing.
Zhou Fu nodded. Since the master said so, he would just follow his instructions.
Zhou Fu left the shop. Yu Daochen looked at the sky, which had completely brightened. They had been chatting until past six o'clock.
Yu Daochen pondered for a while, then took out his phone, found a number, and dialed it.
The person on the other end of the line was clearly not awake and took a while to answer. "Master Yu, what's the matter? Why are you contacting me so suddenly?"
"Brother Su, I have a job. Are you in?" Yu Daochen said with a grin.
The man on the other end of the phone yawned. "I was busy until four in the morning yesterday."
Yu Daochen rolled his eyes and said grumpily, "Oh, come on. Did you lose money playing mahjong again yesterday?"
The man on the other end of the phone coughed dryly. "Master Yu, it's better to see without saying."
Yu Daochen felt a bit helpless. This guy was still the same. If he said he didn't sleep until a few hours before dawn, it was probably because he had lost all his money. Otherwise, he could still hear the sound of mahjong.
"You're the closest corpse retriever around here, and it's a big client. If you're in, come to the shop at six this afternoon and give me a definite answer, or I'll find someone else." Yu Daochen got straight to the point. This guy definitely didn't have more than ten yuan on him, so he would come.
As expected, when the man on the other end heard about the big client, he agreed without thinking. "Actually, money is not important. Since Master Yu has spoken, even if I didn't want to, I have to give you face."
Yu Daochen saw the guy trying to act cool and teased him. "Stop, stop, stop. I'll find someone else."
"Don't do that, Master Yu. I was just kidding. My pockets are cleaner than my face right now. Why don't you give me this job?" the man on the other end of the phone said anxiously.
Yu Daochen found it amusing. Ever since he met this guy, he had never seen him with any money, nor had he ever won at mahjong. He was the type who was bad at playing but loved to play.
"Alright, Brother Su, I won't waste any more time. We'll meet at the shop at six tonight." Yu Daochen's teasing tone subsided.
The man on the other end of the phone readily agreed. "I'll be there at four in the afternoon. Prepare some food first; I don't even have money for food right now."
Yu Daochen was speechless. How had this guy not been beaten to death with the way he gambled? But then he thought, this guy was a corpse retriever after all, and ordinary people couldn't defeat him.
Yu Daochen reluctantly agreed. "Alright, I'll prepare food for you."
"It's a deal. I'll be there right away," the man on the other end of the phone said with a grin.
"Then I'll hang up now." Yu Daochen was about to hang up when the man on the other end of the phone said somewhat sheepishly, "But can you lend me some money for the bus fare first?"
Yu Daochen was utterly speechless. This guy was truly broke: "Brother, do you really not even have ten yuan?"