Brother Chen seemed to have changed a little

The next day.

Old Li came out of the house with his pipe and sat down in the courtyard. He tapped the pipe against a stone, packed it with tobacco, then raised it to his lips, lit it, and took a few hard puffs until smoke began to rise.

Only then did Old Li smile and take a comfortable drag.

But as Old Li hummed a little tune and surveyed the courtyard, he unexpectedly spotted a figure squatting outside and choked on his smoke. "Cough, cough, cough, cough!"

Holy shit, Chen Xun?

Coming to his senses, Old Li immediately put out his pipe and hurried out of the courtyard to Chen Xun. His expression shifted slightly when he saw the quilt draped over him.

Well, damn. Isn't that my granddaughter's quilt?

Old Li asked suspiciously, "You brat, don't tell me you stayed here all night?"

Chen Xun remained squatting without responding, not even moving a muscle.

The sight made Old Li's heart tremble. Of course he knew how cold the nights were this late in autumn, especially given Little River Town's location.

Has the brat frozen to death?

Panicking, Old Li hastily crouched and gave Chen Xun a shove. "Chen Xun! Chen Xun!"

Chen Xun tilted his head, glanced sideways at Old Li, and said, "Please do not disturb this humble scholar's growth."

Seeing that Chen Xun was all right, Old Li relaxed a little, then asked in bewilderment, "Growth? What growth?"

Chen Xun said solemnly, "This humble scholar is a sapling now. Given some time, I shall grow into a towering tree!"

Old Li: "..."

Having said his piece, Chen Xun very earnestly lowered his head and held perfectly still.

Old Li felt helpless. He did not understand a madman's world, so he simply shook his head and returned to the courtyard. His granddaughter would be getting up soon; he had breakfast to make.

Before long, cooking smoke rose from the chimney of Old Li's house.

The same was true of many nearby homes, wisps of cooking smoke curling up from every household.

While Old Li was making breakfast, Li Yuan came into the courtyard and immediately spotted Chen Xun outside. She was about to say something when she heard Old Li call, "Yuanyuan, time to eat."

"Coming, Grandpa."

Li Yuan went back inside.

Breakfast at Old Li's house was simple: just porridge and pickled vegetables.

Li Yuan was still leisurely sipping her porridge when Old Li finished his. He filled another bowl, added some pickled vegetables, and headed outside.

"Grandpa."

Hearing Li Yuan suddenly call him, Old Li stopped and turned around in puzzlement. "What is it, Yuanyuan?"

Li Yuan said hesitantly, "G-Grandpa, it's only another pair of chopsticks at the table anyway. Why don't... why don't you take him in?"

Old Li's eyes widened. "Yuanyuan! This isn't just another pair of chopsticks! You don't know this, but Chen Xun ate eleven bowls of noodles yesterday, and even then he still wanted more!"

With an appetite like that, to exaggerate a little, even the damn imperial family and nobility probably could not afford to feed him, let alone Old Li.

Of course, most importantly, although Chen Xun had all four limbs intact, he was a madman, which was as good as being unable to work.

I can't take him in!

Otherwise, why had nobody in Little River Town taken Chen Xun in over the past two and a half years?

Wasn't that precisely the reason?

Li Yuan was shocked too. E-eleven bowls...

After a moment of silence, Li Yuan said, "Grandpa, I can take on more needlework from now on. As for his appetite... how about we limit how much he eats at each meal?"

In truth, that "thanks" she believed she had misheard last night had kept circling through her mind.

Besides, Li Yuan truly thought Chen Xun was pitiful.

Oh, for goodness' sake!

Old Li was utterly exasperated.

The reason he had not wanted his granddaughter associating with Chen Xun before was that he knew she was too kind and her heart softened far too easily.

Now look what's happened.

"I'll think about it."

With that, Old Li headed outside.

Soon, Old Li came up to Chen Xun with the porridge and held it out. "Brat, have some porridge."

Chen Xun, who had been perfectly motionless, twitched his nose, snatched the bowl from Old Li, and gulped it down in no time.

Surprised, Old Li teased, "Well, well, well. Trees drink porridge too, do they?"

But Chen Xun had already handed the bowl back and gone still again.

Old Li took the bowl and shook his head. A conflicted look flashed through his eyes before he sighed. "Fine, then. I'll take you in for a while and see how it goes. If you don't behave, brat, you'll still have to get lost. Hmph."

Having said his piece, Old Li returned to the courtyard with the bowl, his hands behind his back.

Chen Xun remained squatting on the ground, pretending to be a sapling, but a glimmer flashed deep in his eyes and vanished in an instant.

Time flew by, and the bitter final month of winter arrived.

Amid snowflakes filling the sky, the world of Little River Town turned white.

Chen Xun had been staying at Old Li's house for more than three months, eating, drinking, and lodging for free without doing a thing.

Recently, Old Li and Li Yuan had noticed something strange: Chen Xun's bouts of madness had become much less frequent. He often stood quietly alone in the courtyard, thinking about who knew what.

Still, Old Li and Li Yuan rarely disturbed him. To them, Chen Xun was quite fine this way. At least he was quiet.

Unlike when he had first arrived, turning the house upside down every day, sending chickens flying and dogs leaping. Old Li had suffered beyond words.

Evening.

Chen Xun still stood in the courtyard, lost in some unknown contemplation.

He still wore that same tattered blue robe, with his hair hanging loose and a battered wooden sword on his back.

Old Li and Li Yuan had wanted to tidy him up before, but they were a little apprehensive. Who knew whether Chen Xun would suddenly go berserk? In the end, they left him as he was and let the matter drop.

"Brother Chen, dinner's ready!"

Li Yuan came into the courtyard and called out.

At the mention of dinner, Chen Xun's eyes lit up. He had been standing there quietly, but now he turned and charged toward the house, laughing wildly and flailing his arms.

Li Yuan was not surprised in the slightest. With practiced ease, she stepped aside to let him through.

At the dinner table.

Chen Xun buried his head in his food, sweeping through it like a gale scattering clouds.

Old Li and Li Yuan exchanged a glance and a wry smile. They were used to it.

Suddenly looking at the wooden sword on Chen Xun's back, Li Yuan asked curiously, "Brother Chen, you carry that wooden sword every day. Does it have some special meaning to you? Can I take a look?"

Old Li looked over too, though he felt no particular curiosity.

Chen Xun was a madman to begin with. Never mind carrying a wooden sword-even if he carried a toilet lid on his back all year round, Old Li could understand.

But as far as Old Li was concerned, Yuanyuan was wasting her breath. Chen Xun's mind was a jumble; it was good enough that he could recognize people. So far, he had barely held a normal conversation.

Li Yuan actually thought the same, but she could not suppress her curiosity and had asked anyway.

Yet the very next moment, Chen Xun's actions stunned both Old Li and Li Yuan.

Chen Xun stopped eating, reached behind his back, took down the wooden sword, and held it out to Li Yuan.

Taken aback, Li Yuan accepted it.

Chen Xun flashed a crazed grin, then buried his head in his food again.

Li Yuan carefully examined the wooden sword in her hands. Its surface was pitted and uneven, but there was nothing special about it otherwise, so she handed it back to Chen Xun.

By then, Chen Xun had finished eating. After putting the wooden sword back on his back, he shot out of the house into the courtyard, came to an abrupt halt, and stood there quietly...

Old Li and Li Yuan had long since ceased to find Chen Xun's erratic behavior strange.

But then again...

"Grandpa, have you noticed? Brother Chen seems to have changed a little."

Li Yuan spoke hesitantly.