Grandfather

Over the past few days, Watcher had not made much of a presence. If it had not said that, Zhao Danshi would have nearly forgotten he was bound to such a thing.

"What do you mean by that?" Zhao Danshi stopped on the road and frowned. "Didn't you say energy came from humans?"

"That is only part of it, not all of it. There are many sources of energy. Energy from nature is one of them—it depends on how you use it," Watcher said. "What I need is Bio-Energy. Whether it comes from humans or plants, as long as it is a living individual, it can provide me with this kind of energy."

Zhao Danshi grew wary. "Absorbing energy won't harm other living beings, will it?"

"Of course not. You need to give me this energy; I cannot independently absorb any kind of energy. We intelligences also have rules. We will not harm other living beings."

"Fine." Full of doubts, he lifted his foot and continued forward.

Zhao Danshi was not completely reassured, but there was no need to tell Watcher that.

People in the countryside had become wealthier too. Most people worked outside now, but once they earned money, they still came back to build houses. Many families had built two- or three-story homes, their exteriors covered in tiles, dotting the fields and looking quite nice.

There was plenty of land and few people in the countryside, and now a large number of people had moved away. There were not many households left in the village, and the houses were not built close together. Groups of two or three homes stood far apart.

The main reason for this was Hua Country's household registration policy.

Most of those who left were young people. If they were capable, they brought their children with them. But for children to attend school elsewhere, they needed local household registration. Otherwise, even if they managed to enroll temporarily, they would still have to return home for the middle school, high school, and college entrance examinations.

Under such circumstances, many parents chose to grit their teeth and buy a home in a big city, moving their household registration there to make schooling easier for their children.

Presumably, if not for this policy, many people would not be willing to move their household registration away from their hometowns, and the countryside would not have declined so badly.

Zhao Danshi took a deep breath. His grandfather's home was farther in, almost at the end of the main road.

He had not brought much, only a backpack with a few pairs of underwear and one set of clothes. In this weather, one set to wear and one set to bring was basically enough. Even if they got dirty, there was plenty of time to wash and change them.

The road was deserted. Zhao Danshi had walked for so long without seeing a single pedestrian. By the time he reached his grandfather's gate, he realized that not only the village, but even his grandfather's home, was vastly different from what he remembered.

Zhao Danshi always remembered his grandfather's home as spacious and bright, with a large courtyard where everything was kept neat and tidy.

But now that he looked at it, the courtyard was merely a small yard, and the house was nothing more than a simple tiled-roof dwelling, completely unlike the spacious, bright home in his memories.

He stepped closer when a sudden burst of barking rang out. A huge black wolfdog chained inside the gate sensed his approach and barked at him wildly.

The wolfdog was fierce, baring its teeth and snarling. If not for the thick iron chain, it probably would have lunged at him and bitten him immediately.

Hearing the commotion, the old man in the courtyard hurried out and shouted, "Dahei, shut up!"

The wolfdog barked twice more before licking its mouth with its long tongue, wagging its tail, and quietly lying back down beneath the tree.

When Zhao Danshi saw the old man, his eyes grew damp again. He hesitated. "Grandpa, it's me. I'm back."

Manzigong looked at his grandson, his cloudy eyes full of joy as the wrinkles on his face relaxed. He wanted to step forward and pat Zhao Danshi on the shoulder, but he seemed somewhat restrained. In the end, he could only keep nodding. "It's good you're back, good that you're back. Are you hungry? Dinner is almost ready. Go inside and sit down first, wash your face. We'll be eating soon."

The old man wore gloves and an apron, looking nothing like the sturdy, upright elder Zhao Danshi remembered.

Zhao Danshi found that his grandfather was much thinner and smaller than he had imagined. His body had completely hunched over, and his bent back made him look barely over five feet tall. His hair had turned entirely white, and he was not nearly as nimble on his feet as Zhao Danshi had imagined.

"Grandpa, are you cooking? Let me tend the fire for you."

The old man vigorously wiped his hands on the apron around his waist, then came over and gently pushed Zhao Danshi's shoulder, urging him, "No need. You've been on the road all day and must be tired. Hurry and rest in the living room."

Zhao Danshi could not argue with him, so he headed toward the living room.

The living room was small and dim as well. A table stood in the middle, with several chairs beside it. Under the table sat a bag of disposable cups and a packet of rough tea leaves, with an ashtray nearby.

The old man had probably specially bought fruit to welcome him home. Several bags of fruit—oranges, grapes, and more—were piled high on the table.

Zhao Danshi touched the table, his heart feeling bitter.

Everyone else had already built multi-story homes, yet his grandfather was still living his life in this old house.

After putting down his things and briefly tidying the table, he went outside to the old well from his memories and called loudly, "Grandpa, where's the washbasin? I want to wash my hands and face."

"It's by the wall. Is that gray towel on top yours? I just bought it for you. I already washed it and dried it in the sun."

Zhao Danshi took the towel and washbasin, pumped some water, and washed his face.

The groundwater in the countryside was cold, several degrees colder than tap water. Zhao Danshi hissed. After washing his face with that cool water, he felt completely awake, and the fatigue on his face vanished.

He washed the basin clean and put it back in the corner, then draped the towel over his hands to dry them before walking into the kitchen to see what the old man was doing.

The kitchen was filled with fragrance. The old man was highly capable. When he was young, he did all kinds of work, whether as a laborer or a kitchen helper, using the skills he had accumulated to raise two sons.

Unfortunately, his eldest son had died young, while his younger son was at odds with him. By the time he reached old age, he was left all alone.

The moment he saw Zhao Danshi, the old man smiled. "The dishes are almost ready. I just need to stir-fry some greens, then we can eat."

Zhao Danshi plopped down in front of the stove and helped tend the fire while they chatted.

The old man answered every question and was even somewhat talkative. It was clear that few people usually spoke with him, so once he started talking, he became especially eager to keep the conversation going.

Braised pork knuckle, steamed ribs, braised chicken, pickled cabbage fish... Zhao Danshi wiped the table and brought out all the dishes from the cabinet, filling the entire table. These dishes were more than enough not only for the two of them, but even for another five or six people.

Zhao Danshi understood the old man's intentions. He washed the bowls clean, then went to the kitchen and served each of them a large bowl of rice.

Seeing that Zhao Danshi could eat, the old man grinned happily beside him. "You need to eat well and eat your fill to stay healthy. Look how thin you are. Have you not been eating properly out there?"

"No, I eat a lot. I just eat a lot and exercise a lot too, so I can never put on weight."

The old man immediately changed his tune. "Liking exercise is a good thing. I've seen plenty of people working in the city, sitting in offices all day without moving at all. They grow big bellies while they're still young. Once they get a little older, all kinds of illnesses come knocking."

Zhao Danshi smiled at him. "I've always paid attention to exercising. I ride a bike to and from work, and I also go for extra walks every day."

The old man was gratified. "As long as you can take good care of yourselves, Grandpa can rest easy."

After dinner, the old man wanted to wash the dishes, but Zhao Danshi stubbornly took them from him. He filled a basin with water and washed them with dish soap nearby.

The old man moved over a small stool and sat beside him to chat. They talked about everything, rambling on for a long time.

After seven that evening, the old man's body clock told him it was time to return to his room and sleep. He told Zhao Danshi to go to bed early as well.

Zhao Danshi had never gone to bed so early in his life. Lying on the soft bed, he tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep, so he simply pulled out his phone to play with it.

His boss asked him on WeChat when he could come back to work.

Zhao Danshi simply called him. "I probably won't be back for another week. I came home, and I plan to stay with my grandfather for a few more days."

"It's fine. We originally agreed on two weeks, so coming back after one week is perfect. How is the old man? Is he still in good health?"

"Very healthy. He made five dishes for me today and nearly stuffed me so full I couldn't get up from the table." Zhao Danshi laughed. "Now Grandpa has already chased me off to bed. His lifestyle habits are ridiculously healthy."

"Then rest well in the countryside for a few days. Come back to work after you've recovered your energy. Oh, right, remember to bring me some local specialties."

His boss's hometown was in the same region as his. Although they were in different cities, they were close by and had similar lifestyles and similar local specialties.

Zhao Danshi smiled. "Definitely. What do you want? I can go buy it first."

"Anything is fine. Just bring me whatever. It's been so long since I've tasted the flavors of home." His boss practically drooled over the phone. "Bring me some chili peppers. The ones I buy here never taste right."

Most chili peppers sold outside were hard and flavorless. Other than heat, there was nothing to them, and even that heat was not authentic—blandly spicy, making them feel no different from eating nothing at all.

Unlike the chili peppers produced here, which were spicy and fragrant, with a faint sweetness lingering after each bite. Forget using them in dishes; just soy sauce and chili peppers alone could make someone eat three bowls of rice.

Zhao Danshi agreed. "I'll bring you back a whole sack when the time comes."

"No problem. Even if you bring me two sacks, my fridge can fit them. Oh, right, Danshi, how have things been between you and Senior Li Ping lately? I heard he's been asking about you."

Zhao Danshi's heart gave a jolt. Things between them were not really anything. They had only accidentally hooked up once.

After steadying himself, Zhao Danshi said, "Probably nothing. He has my number and WeChat. If he really needs something, he can contact me directly."

"That's good. I'm just worried something might be going on between you two." As the only person who knew about their unrequited love, his boss could not help but overthink things.

Zhao Danshi laughed helplessly and shook his head. "What could possibly be going on? Don't worry."

Zhao Danshi had eaten too much that night. The sound of his hometown was hard to find, and its flavors even harder to seek. He had always been restrained, but when he tasted the flavors from his memories again, he still could not quite control himself.

But being too full might not have been the only reason he could not sleep.