The old man, now a ghost, was clearly startled as well. Not only could he touch the child's hand, he could even feel the warmth of that little hand on his arm.
"Grandpa?"
Du Xiaolin called out again, and Old Man Zhou's face filled with tears of joy.
"Yes! Yes! Grandpa finally got to see you again... Why are you so much thinner than in my dreams? Come, don't kneel. The ground is cold."
The old man carefully helped Du Xiaolin up and gently stroked her face. Seeing how thin she was filled his heart with an indescribable ache.
When the child turned one, he had done everything he could to make a trip to Willow Province. He had never seen Du Xiaolin again after that.
"I wasn't thin before. Some bad people I met wouldn't give me food... Grandpa, your hands are even colder than the ground!"
Du Xiaolin said whatever was on her mind, but the old man could not bear to let go.
"Father?" "Father..."
Zhou Shi’an and his wife both called out cautiously. The old man merely glanced back at them and nodded without saying anything.
But as he turned, he suddenly noticed Wang Yunchun. He had been so overwhelmed at seeing his granddaughter that he had actually overlooked his benefactor.
At that, the old man immediately turned toward Wang Yunchun and dropped to his knees.
"Benefactor, thank you! Thank you for saving my granddaughter! Thank you, thank you!"
"Please, you mustn't!"
Wang Yunchun tried to help him up, but his hands passed straight through the old man. All he could do was watch him repeatedly bow down and kowtow to the ground.
"Oh, please don't! Mr. Yi, please make him get up! Xiao Lin, help your grandpa!"
Wang Yunchun turned aside to avoid the bows