When Song Shi'an returned after packing up his stall, he checked the time. It was only a little past nine.
He shoved the pushcart into the garage, went into the kitchen, and rummaged through the fridge.
He heated up the leftovers and wolfed down two bowls of rice with the sauce he had mixed himself. So good!!
Only after collapsing onto the sofa did he remember: wasn't Mother Song coming tomorrow?
He hurriedly sent her a message: "Mom, what time do you and Auntie arrive tomorrow? I'll come pick you up."
After waiting a while without a reply, he switched to D Station and scrolled, coming across a familiar name in the local recommendations: Old Zhu's Food Spot Reviews.
Wasn't that Zhu Tao's account? He tapped into it. Both videos had passed three million views, and he actually had over four hundred thousand followers.
The footage really was good. Onscreen, he was busy at the stove in an apron, while piping-hot clams and glass noodles bubbled away in foil containers. Just looking at them made his mouth water.
He wandered into the comments, where the screen was filled with "I want some," "Address, please," and "Boss, when are you setting up your stall again?"
He casually tapped follow.
Then he suddenly realized this was his main account. His finger twitched, and he immediately unfollowed.
Zhu Tao happened to be checking his follower growth in the backend when a mutual-follow notification popped up. He tapped the other person's profile picture and nearly threw his phone. Song Shi'an!!!!
He had recently started watching "Aspiration to Reach the Clouds," and had spent an entire week watching the scene where the mask fell off over and over on D Station. Unable to resist, he had followed him, never expecting him to actually follow back.
But when he refreshed again, the account was gone from his following list.
Zhu Tao stared at the screen. Was that an accidental tap? Unwilling to give up, he opened Song Shi'an's profile and browsed through a few drama stills and everyday photos.
He looked too good to be real in every single one, but as Zhu Tao kept looking, his brows drew together.
Wait a minute! Those brows and eyes, those contours-why did they look so familiar?
He enlarged a front-facing photo, then pulled up a shot of the night-market stall owner from his own video and put the two images side by side.
Holy shit!!!!
He had known a night-market stall owner couldn't possibly have that kind of bearing. Those eyes, that build, that angle when he casually lifted his gaze to look at someone-the case was solved. The night-market stall owner was Song Shi'an himself.
Seriously, was his company sick in the head?!! With looks like these, they weren't promoting him, but letting him run a stall?
Meanwhile, Song Shi'an received his mother's reply: "Shi'an, we can go to the hospital ourselves. Once everything's taken care of, I'll come see you."
He frowned and typed back: "Mom, how could I not pick you up when you're coming here? The company has a car, so it'll be much more convenient. Auntie's not feeling well, so let's spare her some running around."
It took quite a while before she replied: "You've finally finished filming and gone home to rest, and tomorrow's your last day off. It's all right."
Song Shi'an simply placed a voice call.
Mother Song's voice was a little hesitant when she answered. He said, "Mom, don't overthink it. The hospitals in the Capital are huge, and dealing with all the procedures is a hassle. It'll be much easier with me there, and you'll be able to finish sooner."
Only then did Mother Song stop refusing.
After hanging up, he scrolled through his contacts and found Xiao Zhang, the assistant who drove for him. "Xiao Zhang, are you there? I might need your help with something tomorrow."
Xiao Zhang was watching a drama at home. When he saw the name pop up onscreen, he nearly rolled off the sofa.
In all the time since he had been assigned to Song Shi'an, he hadn't been summoned once.
He had already gone out with Lin Fan twice, yet there hadn't been so much as a peep from his own side. He had thought he was about to lose his job.
Heaven didn't let the determined down. This exalted one had finally stirred into action.
Clutching his phone, he typed at lightning speed: "Bro! I'm here! Whatever you need, just say the word. Point anywhere, and I'll drive there!"
Song Shi'an chuckled at the lively tone. The company had assigned him a whole bunch of characters.
He replied: "My mom's bringing my aunt to the city hospital tomorrow. Sorry, but I'll probably have to trouble you to come along with us."
Xiao Zhang replied instantly: "No trouble, bro. I'm specifically in charge of your transportation. It's my job. You never call me, and I don't even feel right collecting my salary." He followed it with a meme of someone wiping away tears.
Song Shi'an didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Early the next morning, Xiao Zhang polished the car until it gleamed and parked outside the villa. He had even changed into a clean white shirt and combed every strand of his hair neatly into place.
Song Shi'an opened the car door and glanced at him. "You're looking pretty good today."
Xiao Zhang puffed out his chest. "Not bad, not bad. It's my first official day on the job. I'm a little excited."
Song Shi'an didn't quite understand what there was to be excited about when it came to working.
If not for his life and the system rewards, he really would have wanted to lie flat.
Even thinking about the word "work" was terrifying, yet Xiao Zhang's enthusiasm for his job rivaled that yellow sponge's.
Mother Song and her sister were arriving at ten. By nine thirty, Xiao Zhang had parked in the high-speed rail station's parking lot. Song Shi'an got out and said, "Xiao Zhang, just wait here. I'll bring my mom down in a bit."
The Capital's high-speed rail station really had a lot of exits. He searched for ages before finding the right arrival exit, then spotted Mother Song in the crowd at a glance.
She wore a shirt that had faded a little from washing and carried a bulging woven sack. Beside her, his aunt's complexion was a little sallow, but she seemed to be in decent spirits.
Song Shi'an walked over and took the suitcase. "Mom, Auntie, let's go."
Mother Song looked up at him, stunned for a moment before reacting. "Shi'an?"
His aunt smiled beside her. "Shi'an, it's been so long. You've changed so much this past year."
Song Shi'an said, "You're kidding, Auntie. I've just grown up. I haven't changed much."
Mother Song walked beside him, her eyes never leaving her son. She kept feeling that something was different.
He seemed to stand taller than before, and he smiled more, too.
In the past, whenever she called, the voice on the other end had always sounded subdued, answering only when asked, like a mushroom huddled in a corner.
Now that mushroom seemed to have been moved out into the sunshine, radiating dazzling light from head to toe.
Song Shi'an grew a little embarrassed under Mother Song's gaze. "Mom, what are you looking at? What illness is Auntie going to the hospital for?"
Mother Song came back to herself, her expression growing somber. "The stomach examination showed some kind of problem. They told us to come to a big city for surgery."
Hearing that, Song Shi'an thought the problem sounded pretty serious.
He rapidly searched through the original owner's memories, but the part about his aunt was completely blank.
Oh, crap. He had inherited the original owner's memories in scattered fragments. He had absolutely no recollection of this aunt.
His aunt quickly waved her hands. "You're scaring the boy. It's nothing that serious, just a minor problem. Your mom insisted on coming here to get it checked. There's really nothing wrong."
Song Shi'an didn't say anything more and led them to the underground parking garage.
Spotting them approaching from a distance, Xiao Zhang had already opened the car door for them.
His aunt got into the car and surveyed the leather seats, setting the cloth bag in her hands on her knees a little awkwardly. "Your mom said you're doing well for yourself now, acting in dramas. Will this get in your way?"
Song Shi'an said, "It's fine, Auntie. I'm on leave, so don't worry. Let's go to the hospital first and find out exactly what's going on."
On the way, Mother Song and her sister chatted about all sorts of family and neighborhood matters.
Old Li next door had a son who had gotten married, Auntie Wang at the village entrance had a daughter who had gotten into university, and they talked about which vegetables they had planted in the garden back home this year and how well they were growing.
Song Shi'an listened quietly, responding only occasionally when asked something.
Xiao Zhang, on the other hand, had quite a nimble tongue.
Mother Song mentioned the vegetable garden back home, and he could pick up the conversation with organic vegetables.
His aunt remarked on how big the high-speed rail station was, and he could rattle off the year the Capital's high-speed rail station had been built and its entire floor area.
Mother Song and her sister laughed at his jokes, making the atmosphere in the car much more relaxed.
When they reached the hospital entrance, Xiao Zhang brought the car to a stop.
Song Shi'an got out and helped his aunt. While Mother Song was walking ahead, he secretly gave Xiao Zhang a thumbs-up.
Xiao Zhang returned a salute and mouthed, "Don't worry, bro."