The grandfather and granddaughter's shock

Moved by how grateful and loyal Chen Xun was, Old Li could hardly bring himself to let Chen Xun stand in front of him. He quickly stepped ahead of Chen Xun, pointed his woodcutting saber at the black tiger, and shouted, still unwilling to give up,

"Chen Xun, you're still young. Run... huh!"

Before Old Li could finish, he discovered to his astonishment that the approaching black tiger had suddenly turned and left...

Old Li was baffled.

Was the black tiger not hungry?

What he failed to notice was that the black tiger was trembling faintly, its steps unsteady.

Coming back to his senses, Old Li was overjoyed to have escaped death. Still, he did not lower his guard. He watched the black tiger until its silhouette disappeared, then finally let out a long breath and dropped onto the snowy ground, his face deathly pale as he gasped for air.

Chen Xun stood up as well, laughing madly. "Hehehe! That little thing still has a long way to go before it can face me, the king of all beasts! Awooo~"

As he spoke, he smugly imitated a beast's cry.

"Hahaha, you sure know how to brag, kid."

Faced with Chen Xun's outrageous claim, Old Li could only chuckle and tease him. Then he glanced around and hurriedly said, "Come on, come on. We shouldn't linger here. Who knows whether that black tiger will come back? Let's go."

Old Li hoisted a bundle of firewood onto Chen Xun's back, shouldered another himself, and pulled Chen Xun away at a brisk pace.

Fortunately, they were already at the foot of the mountain, and soon left Little River Peak.

They arrived home at noon.

After unloading both bundles of firewood, Old Li fetched the teapot, poured two cups of hot tea, and handed one to Chen Xun.

"It's awfully cold out, Chen Xun. Have some hot water."

Old Li took a comfortable sip as he spoke.

Chen Xun held the cup without drinking, tilting his head as he curiously examined the patterns on it.

Old Li was speechless.

"Grandpa, Brother Chen, you're back! I've cooked lunch. I was just waiting for you!"

Hearing them from inside, Li Yuan trotted out with a smile.

"Good, good, good."

Old Li was about to call Chen Xun in to eat.

But Chen Xun had already sprinted into the house.

Old Li smiled helplessly.

Li Yuan covered her mouth and giggled, then asked in puzzlement, "Grandpa, whenever you call Brother Chen in for lunch, don't you always grumble that he's useless at everything except eating, where he takes first place? Why aren't you saying that today?"

Old Li glared. "Nonsense! When have I ever said that about your Brother Chen?"

After the incident with the black tiger, he found Chen Xun more likable with every passing glance.

The boy might have been mad and thought strangely, but he truly valued loyalty and affection. Taking him in had not been for nothing.

Of course, Old Li did not tell Li Yuan about encountering the black tiger on Little River Peak. They were safe now, after all. Mentioning it would only leave her worried and frightened over what might have happened.

After that encounter with the black tiger while gathering firewood on Little River Peak, Old Li went alone whenever they ran out of firewood. He never took Chen Xun along again.

Chen Xun spent that winter at home, rarely going out.

Usually, Old Li went to market and busied himself earning a living, while Li Yuan took on more sewing work. Chen Xun alone remained idle.

Several times, Li Yuan laughed so hard at the bizarre movements Chen Xun made while she was sewing in the courtyard that she lost focus and pricked her finger with the needle.

In the depths of winter, Little River Town welcomed the new year.

Every household hung red lanterns and set off firecrackers.

At Old Li's home, Chen Xun celebrated the new year with the grandfather and granddaughter in warm harmony.

And so winter passed and spring arrived, the ice and snow receded, and all things awakened...

"Wow, the snow's all melted! Spring is finally here!"

Early that morning, Li Yuan emerged from the house with a yawn, greeted by the gentle warmth of the sun. At the sight outside, she immediately broke into a delighted smile.

She soon spotted the familiar figure in his usual place in the courtyard and greeted him. "Morning, Brother Chen!"

Although Li Yuan knew Chen Xun would be immersed in his own world as always and would not answer, greeting him each morning had become a habit.

After greeting him, Li Yuan turned toward the kitchen, wanting to see what her grandfather had made for breakfast.

"Mm. Morning, Yuan-Yuan."

Just then, a calm voice rang out, stopping Li Yuan in her tracks. She froze.

Li Yuan spun around and stared at the figure standing with his back to her. "B-Brother Chen, was that you just now... did you..."

Chen Xun slowly turned and nodded with a smile. "Yes."

At his reply, Li Yuan's pupils contracted sharply. Her wide eyes revealed delight, apprehension, disbelief, and a host of other emotions.

Though Chen Xun's hair was disheveled and his blue robe ragged, the sunlight still revealed the faint, gentle smile on his face.

Li Yuan swallowed, then hurriedly shouted, "Grandpa! Grandpa! Brother Chen's back to normal!"

What was that?

Old Li had not heard her clearly. He came out of the kitchen grumbling and said irritably, "What are you hollering about this early in the morning, girl?"

Li Yuan hastily pointed at Chen Xun. "Grandpa, Brother Chen's back to normal! Really!"

"Huh?"

Old Li froze, instinctively assuming Li Yuan was joking. But when his gaze met the eyes beneath Chen Xun's hair, so different from before, his heart gave a jolt.

Good grief, could it really be true?

Old Li walked up to Chen Xun and called uncertainly, "Ch-Chen Xun?"

Chen Xun smiled faintly and answered, "Grandpa Li."

Although Chen Xun's actual age exceeded Old Li's by who knew how much, that did not prevent him from addressing him this way.

Holy shit!

Old Li staggered in shock, his face full of disbelief. "Chen Xun, you're better? How did this happen?"

Chen Xun smiled without speaking, offering no further explanation.

He was still searching for answers himself. How could he explain it?

At the dining table.

Old Li and Li Yuan drank their congee distractedly, their attention and sidelong glances focused entirely on Chen Xun beside them.

Chen Xun was drinking his congee at a leisurely pace, in a manner that could even be called refined and courteous. It was worlds apart from the way he used to wolf down his food, sweeping through it like a gale scattering clouds.

Even now, Old Li and Li Yuan had yet to recover from their shock. Everything had happened so suddenly that it felt dreamlike, utterly unreal.

After all, someone who had been mad for so long suddenly returning to normal one morning was simply inconceivable.

"Ahem, Chen Xun, what plans do you have from now on?"

Old Li put down his chopsticks and asked with a dry cough.

In his view, now that Chen Xun had recovered, he could hardly remain at Old Li's home.

To be honest, although Old Li's household had enough food and clothing, their circumstances were far from comfortable. Even in Little River Town, their standard of living ranked in the lower-middle range.

Otherwise, Li Yuan could have continued attending school.

Precisely because the family's finances were limited, Li Yuan had dropped out after two years of schooling and stayed home to earn a living alongside Old Li.

Now, Li Yuan also looked at Chen Xun curiously.

Chen Xun put down his chopsticks and said sincerely, "Grandpa Li, thank you for taking me in these past six months."

"It was only another pair of chopsticks at the table. No need to say all that." Old Li waved a hand, then continued with a gratified smile, "Chen Xun, seeing you speak and behave just like anyone else now makes this old man truly happy."