Filial Piety

The countryside night was exceptionally quiet. Zhao Danshi slept deeply, and when he woke the next day, it was not yet seven in the morning.

He was a grown man, so he did not linger in bed after waking. Once he got dressed and stepped outside, he found that the old man was gone, the front door wide open. He had no idea where his grandfather had gone.

Zhao Danshi went out to look around the yard. It was already broad daylight, and smoke rose from the roofs of many homes. Clearly, people had begun making breakfast.

The morning air was wonderful, cool and clean. One breath made it feel as though his whole chest had awakened. The newly risen sun was not harsh, and its gentle light shone over everything, from the distant mountain forests to the nearby fields.

Zhao Danshi stretched lazily, then turned and went back into the yard to draw well water and wash his face and brush his teeth.

People here still burned firewood. Before making breakfast, every household first boiled enough water for the day and stored it in a large thermos, taking it as needed.

There was still plenty of food left from yesterday, all stored in the cupboard. There was no need to cook anything else that morning; they only had to heat it up and eat.

Zhao Danshi scooped yesterday's rice into a basin. He planned to make egg fried rice for breakfast and eat it with the leftovers.

After struggling outside for so many years, simple cooking was no challenge for him, and he handled housework efficiently too. Just as he was halfway through frying the rice, his grandfather came in from the yard carrying a basket brimming with vegetables.

The old man was surprised to see Zhao Danshi already cooking. "Why are you up so early? I thought you'd sleep a little longer."

When other young people in the village came back from working elsewhere, they generally slept in. Some slept past eight, others past nine. Their elders understood how hard they had worked away from home and generally did not rush them.

The old man was old and needed little sleep. He had woken after five, but had deliberately delayed getting up so as not to disturb Zhao Danshi.

Zhao Danshi smiled. "I sleep very deeply here, and the quality is good, so I don't need as much sleep. Grandpa, let's have egg fried rice and yesterday's leftovers this morning."

"Fine. Do you want to fry some greens too? I've picked vegetables already. See what you feel like eating."

"No need. We can cook fresh dishes at noon. It would be a waste not to finish these."

Hearing that, the old man simply sat down by the stove to tend the fire for him. "Where are you going after breakfast? I'll find someone to show you around."

"I can look around by myself," Zhao Danshi said with a smile. "It's not like this is an unfamiliar place."

"That works too. After breakfast, I'm going to the county town to see A-Xiang. If I'm not back by noon, just make yourself something simple for lunch."

Zhao Danshi was puzzled. "What happened to A-Xiang?"

The old man sighed. "He fell inside his house a couple of days ago. No one found him, and he lay there for half the day. The doctor said he had a minor stroke. He was sent in too late and will have to stay in the hospital for a while. I'm going to visit him."

"Grandpa, shall I go with you?"

"No need. I can go myself. He's not awake yet, so even if you went, you couldn't talk to him."

After breakfast, the old man briefly packed a few things, took his wallet, and went outside to catch a tricycle taxi.

Their village was some distance from the county town. They had to take a tricycle taxi to the town first, then a bus to the county, and then another bus to the hospital. Poverty and underdevelopment made medical care very inconvenient for the people here.

Zhao Danshi still went with him. His grandfather was so old that Zhao Danshi worried something might happen if he let him travel around alone.

The county hospital was mediocre. The building itself was all right, but there were not many people coming and going inside.

People did not trust the county hospital's medical standards. Anyone with a little money would transfer to a hospital in a larger city, afraid that staying in the county would delay treatment.

When A-Xiang had his stroke, his sons and daughters-in-law had all returned. They took turns looking after him in the ward and bringing him things.

When Zhao Danshi and his grandfather arrived, the family was discussing sending A-Xiang to a nursing home once he got a little better.

Nursing homes were not cheap either. Besides paying for a bed, they had to pay several thousand yuan every month.

Even if it was expensive, there was no other choice. Everyone had to make a living, and no one could return to care for A-Xiang. They could only pool their money so he could receive better care.

Seeing Zhao Danshi helping his grandfather over, the whole family hurriedly stood to welcome them. A-Xiang's eldest son even reached out to support him. "Uncle Man, what brings you here?"

The old man slowly approached. "I came to see how A-Xiang is doing."

A-Xiang lay under the covers, still unconscious, his complexion ashen. IV drips were attached to both his hands and feet. Zhao Danshi placed the fruit they had bought on the bedside cabinet, and the family hurriedly brought chairs for them.

A-Xiang's son wore a troubled expression. "The doctor said that even if he recovers, there'll still be aftereffects. At best, he'll walk unsteadily. If it's worse, he may be partially paralyzed. We'll have to wait until he wakes up to know."

The old man did not know how to comfort him. He merely took a red envelope from his pocket and placed it beneath A-Xiang's blanket. "He still needs proper treatment. I think A-Xiang has good fortune and a strong life. He'll be all right."

A-Xiang's son hurriedly took out the red envelope and stuffed it back into the old man's hand. "You can't do that. You're even older than my father. How can you give him a red envelope?"

"Don't stand on ceremony. It's an old custom. A red envelope brings good fortune. Take it as a wish for your father's speedy recovery."

Zhao Danshi and his grandfather sat in the ward for quite a while. After exchanging a few pleasantries, everyone fell silent.

A-Xiang was lying in bed in poor condition, and no one was in the mood to talk.

After Zhao Danshi and his grandfather left the hospital, he deliberately took the old man to a lamb restaurant with good online reviews.

There was relatively little lamb in their area, and it was expensive. People did not usually go out of their way to buy lamb to eat. Lamb was nourishing and warming. Zhao Danshi did not often return home, so he only hoped his grandfather could build up his health.

The two sat down in the restaurant, and a large pot of lamb was brought over. Following the old man's habits, Zhao Danshi ordered a bowl of rice for each of them. He did not order much else—one pot and two dishes—and they began eating.

The old man tasted a piece of lamb and praised it. "This lamb is done well. No gamey smell, and it's full of flavor."

"If you like it, eat more." Zhao Danshi served him some food. "Grandpa, after lunch, shall we rest a while and go browse the mall? I didn't bring many clothes. If I don't buy some, I won't have anything to wear."

"Fine. We'll go as soon as we finish eating. I wanted to say something yesterday—you came home without even bringing a thick coat. You were cold this morning, weren't you?"

Zhao Danshi pressed his lips together and smiled. "A little. This morning, I even thought about sneaking into your room to find a coat to wear."

"Hey, if you wanted one, just take it. The wardrobe's right there, and it isn't locked. Who was stopping you?"

Zhao Danshi rubbed his nose. "Young people care about appearances, don't they? I can't really wear your clothes out."

"You'd only be wearing them at home. Who would see you?" The old man disapproved. "Let's hurry and finish eating so we can go to the mall. It'll get colder tonight. If you catch a chill, you'll suffer for it."

"No rush. Let's eat slowly, then browse slowly afterward. It's not like we have anything else to do." Zhao Danshi asked, "Grandpa, do you want a bottle of liquor? Lamb goes well with alcohol."

The old man shook his head. "Forget it. No one likes a mouth that reeks of alcohol."

They had ordered a little too much, and the portions in the county town were large. By the end, they still had nearly half a pot of lamb and one minced pork eggplant dish left.

Zhao Danshi had originally planned to leave it. Carrying all that food around would make shopping inconvenient, but the old man firmly insisted on packing it up, feeling that leaving so much food behind would be far too wasteful.

Zhao Danshi had no choice but to do as his grandfather said. He asked the owner for two takeaway containers and several extra plastic bags, carefully wrapping up the food.

The clothes in their small county town were of average quality. He looked around for a long time without finding anything satisfactory. He had mainly wanted to buy clothes for his grandfather, but now it seemed better to shop online instead.

In the end, Zhao Danshi reluctantly picked out a jacket from a decent brand.

Although he had not managed to buy his grandfather any clothes this time, he spotted a pair of leather boots. They had thick soles and leather uppers, with cashmere lining throughout. With shoes like those, even snow in winter would not feel cold.

As people grew old, they lacked vital warmth and feared the cold most. In winter, they had to keep their heads and feet warm, or they could easily catch a cold. Zhao Danshi had his grandfather try them on. Seeing that they fit, he wanted to bargain with the shop owner and buy them.

The moment the old man saw what he intended, he hurriedly kicked off the boots as though his feet were on fire, waving his hands again and again. "Forget it. What would these old bones of mine need such expensive shoes for? They cost over a thousand yuan!"

"Grandpa, don't worry. I make a lot of money. A thousand yuan is nothing to me."

The old man firmly stuffed Zhao Danshi's wallet back into his arms. "Even if you make a lot, you can't spend it carelessly. It isn't easy for you to struggle out there alone. Don't buy them. Even if you do, I won't wear them."

Zhao Danshi sighed. "I looked through your shoe cabinet this morning. You don't have a single pair of thick shoes. If I don't buy these, how can I go back to work without worrying? Besides, how are these shoes expensive? Good-quality shoes last longer. Think about it—if they last ten years, that's only a hundred yuan a year, just a few cents a day. How is that not worth it?"

The old man shook his head with a laugh. "How could these old bones of mine live another ten years?"

Zhao Danshi frowned. "Why would you say something like that? It doesn't count. Quickly, spit it out."

The shop owner beside them also said, "Your grandson wants to be filial to you, and you still won't accept it? I've run this shop for so long, and I've never seen a young man buy shoes for his grandfather."

The old man looked troubled. "How could these country feet of mine bear to wear thousand-yuan shoes?"

"My shoes are a bit expensive, but the materials are good! Ask around—I've been running this shop for over twenty years, and no one has ever brought shoes back saying mine were poor quality. You get what you pay for. I guarantee your feet will stay comfortable this winter, no matter how cold it gets."

The old man still refused to relent. Shoes costing over a thousand yuan were simply too extravagant. In the old days, that much money could have built three tiled houses.

Seeing his expression, the shop owner hurriedly said, "It's rare to meet such a filial young man today, so I'll give you a twenty percent discount. If you want these shoes, they're 888 yuan—at cost!"

Seeing his grandfather's expression soften a little, Zhao Danshi bargained with the owner. "How about a little less? Round it down to 800."

The shop owner refused at first. Seeing this, the old man grabbed Zhao Danshi and started to leave. The owner hurriedly gave in and sold them the cashmere-lined leather boots for 800 yuan.

After leaving the store, the old man could not stop muttering, "Such expensive shoes—won't they burn my feet?"

Zhao Danshi supported him. "Grandpa, listen to me. Give me a chance to be filial to you. You should enjoy your grandson's good fortune too!"

The old man narrowed his eyes in a smile. "All right, I'll enjoy it! Grandpa already has more than enough good fortune."