Chapter 21 – The Old Lady

After finishing a lavish breakfast, Xu Shiqi felt that getting up early today was worth it.

Before she knew it, it was past 8:30. When she went downstairs, she found that the restaurant was doing great business, with cars parked everywhere outside. However, a wonderful breakfast didn’t end well. After driving for a while, Wen Jialuo suddenly looked very pale.

“What’s wrong?” Xu Shiqi asked anxiously.

Wen Jialuo didn’t reply, furrowed her brow, parked the car by the roadside, and then rushed to a nearby trash bin and crouched down.

Xu Shiqi sighed, having guessed that this might happen. She returned to the car, found a bottle of water, opened it, and walked over to Wen Jialuo, who had already contributed her entire breakfast to the trash.

“Thank you…” Wen Jialuo looked up, her eyes watery and her face still pale.

She looked as fragile as that night. Xu Shiqi bent down and gently stroked her still trembling back, sighing, “Your stomach is too sensitive; you can’t handle eating too well.” Seeing the girl still gagging, with fingers spasming, she quickly reached out to hold her hand. The girl immediately clasped her hand back, their fingers intertwined, pressing forcefully against the joints of her hand; their palms inevitably pressed tightly together, feeling cold.

It hurt a little where she was being squeezed, and Xu Shiqi couldn’t pull away, so her fingers just lay limply open: “Are you okay? Is your stomach hurting again?”

“…I’m fine.” Wen Jialuo finally regained her composure, slowly stood up, and dragged Xu Shiqi back to the car.

Xu Shiqi, sitting in the passenger seat, looked at the place where her hand had been squeezed, which was still pale, thinking that although the girl was slender, she had quite a bit of strength. She shook her hand and asked, “Are you really okay?”

“I already said I’m fine.” Wen Jialuo gripped the steering wheel and pressed the gas pedal, the car speeding off.

Xu Shiqi quickly settled into her seat, noticing from the girl’s expression that she probably found her annoying, but she felt she had to say what was necessary: “This isn’t normal.”

The girl slowed down and glanced at her, pursing her lips without responding.

Um, okay, that could have been worded better. Xu Shiqi adjusted her sitting posture: “What I mean is, suddenly not eating and then suddenly eating a lot is both wrong. I suggest you see a doctor to figure out the cause.”

“There’s no reason,” Wen Jialuo replied indifferently, “I was just hungry and wanted to eat. What’s wrong with that?”

Xu Shiqi wanted to argue that it was, of course, wrong. She felt a vague sense that the girl’s sudden change had something to do with her, though she didn’t want to dwell on that night’s fantasies; it was just an instinct that it was related to her knowing the girl’s secret. After all, the girl suddenly being hungry seemed to have started in the last few days. Xu Shiqi felt helpless, as if she had taken on an unwarranted responsibility.

“No,” Xu Shiqi gritted her teeth, “I’ll go with you to the hospital at least to have your stomach checked.”

Wen Jialuo was silent for a moment, then switched lanes and turned right at an intersection: “There’s no need to go to the hospital; today a doctor is coming to our old house to check on my grandmother.”

Xu Shiqi watched as they moved further away from the route home, helplessly realizing she was being dragged along by the girl: “Do I really have to go back to your old house with you?”

“Weren’t you going to accompany me to see the doctor?”

I said I’d go with you to the hospital, okay? Xu Shiqi didn’t bother to say this out loud; after all, she had already experienced how domineering this girl could be.

But why was it, after knowing her secret, that she still interacted with her as usual, even more than before?

As they walked on the smooth cobblestones again, Xu Shiqi thought that if she knew they would be coming here, she should have worn flat shoes. Unfortunately, today she was wearing short boots with thin, high heels, making her look like she was searching for gold while she lowered her head to find her way, moving at a snail’s pace.

The girl waited for her for a moment, then impatiently walked back and grabbed her: “What are you trying to do wearing high heels when you have poor balance?”

Xu Shiqi felt her cheeks flush slightly at her words. She had never been criticized for wearing high heels; being so thin, she probably looked like she was on stilts. Xu Shiqi tried to keep pace with Wen Jialuo, doing her best to ignore how firmly the girl was holding her hand.

After she painstakingly observed the tall, evergreen trees lining the road, upon seeing a towering building ahead that looked like a castle, she immediately released the girl’s hand. She felt Wen Jialuo glance back at her, and suddenly felt a bit guilty, so she could only stiffly lower her head and stand behind her.

Wen Jialuo paused at the entrance before pushing the door open.

Inside the lobby were several people quietly talking. Upon seeing them enter, someone immediately exclaimed in surprise: “Jialuo, did you just finish breakfast?”

That person was Wen Jialuo’s mother, whom Xu Shiqi had met before.

“Yes,” Wen Jialuo replied.

Rolynn smiled and asked, “Is everything you ordered Cantonese cuisine? How was it?”

“It was okay,” Wen Jialuo replied again, pulling Xu Shiqi out from behind her.

“And you are…” Rolynn looked her up and down.

“I’m a classmate of Baohua’s; I’ve been here once. Hello, Auntie,” Xu Shiqi replied with a smile.

“She accompanied me for breakfast,” Wen Jialuo said, leading Xu Shiqi to the sofa, “This is my uncle and aunt, and these are my second uncle and aunt.”

Xu Shiqi followed her gestures to greet them, her smile a bit stiff. Even though she was quite close to Baohua, that was only between the two of them; she never expected to meet Baohua’s parents here, let alone have Wen Jialuo introduce her.

“I remember you,” Rolynn said, continuing to look at Xu Shiqi. She recalled their previous meeting was to help her daughter with her eating issues, and now, unexpectedly, they were still in contact, even having breakfast together today. Could it be that her daughter’s problem had really been solved? “Jialuo didn’t let me accompany her for breakfast, but she had company. How was it?”

“It was very rich,” Xu Shiqi smiled, “but Jialuo’s stomach isn’t very good; she needs to take care of it.” This was the first time she had referred to the girl by her first name without a surname, and surprisingly, it felt fine.

“That’s true,” Rolynn began to ponder, “What would be good for her to eat?”

While they were talking, Wen Jialuo was chatting with the older relatives nearby, just a few words, and then everyone stood up.

A few people came down from upstairs, the first being an elderly man in his sixties, followed by two young people carrying boxes.

The sons and daughters-in-law of the Wen family gathered around. Today, the former head of the military hospital was personally coming to check on the old lady’s health. The old lady wouldn’t let anyone go up to see her, and the doctor said it had to be quiet, so everyone was waiting downstairs.

“How is Grandma’s health?” asked the eldest son of the Wen family.

The old院长 adjusted his glasses and replied, “There haven’t been any significant changes in her health. However, winter can be a tough season for the elderly, so make sure to check her blood pressure every day. If you’re worried, it might be a good idea to take her to the clinic for a thorough check-up. And you all should come back more often to keep her company; as she gets older, she might feel lonely.” He seemed a bit irritated. “Why isn’t that old guy at home? Why is he out running around in this cold weather?” After finishing, he turned to Wen Jialuo and glared, “Kid, why are you still as skinny as a twig?”

Luolinyi laughed and said, “Old院长, she’s started asking for food now.”

“Oh, being able to eat is a blessing, no matter who you are,” the old院长 said as he waved his hand gracefully. Everyone accompanied him out.

Xu Shiqi walked last and tugged at Wen Jialuo’s sleeve. When Wen Jialuo turned around, she saw Xu Shiqi motioning with her lips, signaling her to stop the old doctor, but she didn’t respond. After sending the adults off, Xu Shiqi stopped at the entrance and turned back, saying, “Let’s go upstairs.”

“Hey, you can’t do that,” Xu Shiqi called out anxiously, but she couldn’t resist Wen Jialuo’s pull. It wasn’t until they reached the upstairs that Xu Shiqi noticed Wen Jialuo’s suddenly cautious expression and her gentle movements. She instinctively held her breath and tiptoed carefully on the hardwood floor.

Wen Jialuo gently pushed open a door. The large curtains on the opposite window were drawn tightly, and an old lamp cast a soft orange glow throughout the room.

“Who is it?”

“Grandma, it’s me,” Wen Jialuo said as she walked to the bedside and bent down to look at the elderly woman lying there with silver hair.

The old lady had just gone through a series of checks with the nagging old院长 and was feeling a bit fatigued. She lay in the soft bed, intending to rest for a while, but sleep was slow to come. As she aged, her need for sleep naturally diminished. She hadn’t meant to disturb the children, but her attentive granddaughter noticed when she dozed off.

“Jialuo,” hearing her granddaughter’s voice, the old lady fumbled to put on her reading glasses and looked at her, then slowly noticed the person next to her. “Who is this?”

“A friend,” Wen Jialuo replied as she tucked the blanket around her and raised the air conditioning temperature slightly. “Are you still having trouble sleeping at night?”

“Grandma is getting old,” the old lady smiled and nodded at Xu Shiqi, who quickly returned the gesture.

“Who says that? You’re still young,” Wen Jialuo smiled back, picking up the thermos cup from the table. “Would you like some water?”

“Mm.”

Xu Shiqi quietly sat to the side, watching.

Wen Jialuo sat by the bed, her face showing a gentleness that was rarely seen. She was incredibly obedient, her previous sharpness subsiding. The old lady looked at her granddaughter with immense tenderness, and it was evident that their relationship was very close.

The old lady took a sip of water with her granddaughter’s help, and her eyelids began to droop again. Wen Jialuo supported her to lie down comfortably and gently smoothed the blanket, saying, “Grandma, why don’t you sleep for a while? I’ll keep watch over you.”

Having her granddaughter leaning beside her felt like a return to twenty years ago. But back then, it was the other way around; during summer, she would sit under the big tree in the yard, keeping watch over her napping granddaughter while fanning her. Memories were beautiful; the old lady squinted and smiled for a while before slowly closing her eyes.

Xu Shiqi stood by, feeling somewhat isolated, but it was merely that she didn’t want to intrude on this tender moment. However, when she saw the old lady’s eyes move beneath her drooping eyelids, she knew she was still restless. She had been leaning against the desk beside the bed, and when she turned her head, she noticed a stack of blue-covered books on the desk. Curiously, she picked up the top book and found that it was a neatly copied edition of “Dream of the Red Chamber.” However, judging by the number of books, it seemed she hadn’t finished copying them all yet.

An idea suddenly struck Xu Shiqi. She picked up the top book, flipped through it, and began to read aloud softly.

“Lin Daiyu, who seldom drinks wine and does not eat crabs, is asked to sit on an embroidered stool against the railing, holding a fishing rod to catch fish. Baocai holds a branch of osmanthus, playing with it for a while, leaning over the window ledge to pluck the osmanthus buds and toss them onto the water surface, enticing the fish to come up and nibble. Xiangyun momentarily forgets and beckons Xiren and the others, inviting the crowd at the foot of the hill to eat freely. Tan Chun and Li Wan watch the gulls under the shade of the weeping willow. Yingchun, meanwhile, is alone under the flower shade, threading jasmine flowers with a needle…”

As she began to read, both the old lady and the person by the bed reacted. Wen Jialuo immediately turned to look at Xu Shiqi, her profile illuminated by the orange lamp light, looking soft and charming. She remembered the first time she saw this woman at her shop; perhaps because she was sitting, when she spoke, her eyes had a playful glimmer. Now, perhaps due to their reversed positions, Xu Shiqi lowered her eyes, finally displaying the same warmth that matched her voice. Not everyone can read “Dream of the Red Chamber” with such charm, but her words seemed to capture one’s very soul, all while maintaining an air of dignity.

The old lady, upon hearing the voice, merely fluttered her eyelids without opening them. She listened quietly to the soothing sound, like the sweetest spring water, gently washing away her weary body, leading her into a state of profound relaxation…

After seeing off the old院长 and a few adults, they had just reached the old lady’s door when they heard a passage from “Dream of the Red Chamber”:

“By the fence, a clear autumn slumber is refreshing,
Accompanied by clouds and the indistinct moon.
To ascend to immortality is not to seek the butterfly of Zhuangzi,
But to reminisce and seek the pact with Tao Yuanming.
As I sleep, I follow the geese as they break away,
Awakened, I am haunted by the old cicada’s call.
When awake, who can I share this melancholy with,
The withered grass and cold smoke harbor infinite feelings…”

The group exchanged glances and gently pushed the door open, seeing Jialuo gently patting the blanket by the bed, soothing the old lady to sleep, while the girl beside her read “Dream of the Red Chamber” with a melodious, distant tone, reminiscent of Kunqu opera.

The large room felt less empty because of the warm atmosphere by the bed.

The eldest son of the Wen family tiptoed forward to take a look; the old lady was already asleep, her face serene, her breathing steady. Seeing that the two girls were still focused on their activities, he smiled slightly, tiptoed out, and carefully closed the door.

As they walked back downstairs, the eldest son of the Wen family quietly asked, “Is she really Baohua’s classmate?”

Luolinyi nodded. The group exchanged a knowing glance, and the eldest daughter-in-law of the Wen family decisively began to call her daughter, asking her to come back to the old house immediately.