Following the old man into the living room, Gu Ye raised her hand to support Yi Yi’s neck before transferring her from her back onto the sofa.
“This little one must be feeling quite miserable…”
The old man shook his head and walked to the bathroom on the right side of the living room.
He pushed aside the wardrobe at the entrance and rummaged inside for a moment, eventually finding a thermometer and some cold medicine.
He then walked to Yi Yi’s side and skillfully placed the thermometer under her armpit.
At the same time, his free left hand switched on the electric kettle on the coffee table.
The distinct sound of water heating up began to fill the room.
“Young lady, could you help me get a towel from the bathroom and a basin of cold water as well?”
“…”
Gu Lian didn’t speak.
She feigned reluctance as she moved away from Yi Yi’s side.
As she walked toward the bathroom, her eyes began to scan the surroundings.
Under the dim yellow light, the antique furniture was arranged very neatly.
Turning left after entering led to the living room, which looked to be about 40 square meters.
A slightly faded sofa was placed near the window, and a bulky, old-fashioned television set — clearly quite aged — occupied the C-position of the room.
To the left of the sofa was a corridor; from the side, a dining table was visible, with a door leading to the kitchen.
At the very end of the corridor was another room, likely the bedroom.
As she passed the corridor, Gu Lian caught a glimpse of a picture frame on the table, and the curve of her lips deepened slightly.
Heading toward the bathroom the old man had used earlier, Gu Lian looked around.
She took out a basin from under the sink, turned on the faucet to fill it with water, and then grabbed a dry towel from below.
To make the act convincing so this old man would let them rent a room, she had to endure some hardship.
Besides, she wasn’t the one who had to take the medicine.
Splash…
Turning off the faucet, Gu Lian carried the basin back to Yi Yi’s side.
She looked at the girl on the sofa with a gaze full of concern and asked, feigning ignorance, “Grandpa, when do you think my sister will recover?”
“Child, I’m still taking the little girl’s temperature.
You have to believe she can pull through.”
The old man reached out with a loving hand to ruffle Gu Lian’s messy hair.
Although she wanted to complain, she didn’t dodge, allowing him to pat her head.
“Then when will my sister wake up…”
Sometimes one had to maintain a proper sense of urgency without appearing too desperate, as that might annoy the other person and make things harder for oneself.
After a moment of silence, Gu Lian continued, “Grandpa, how much money will we need?
I’ll go raise it right now…”
As she spoke, Gu Lian prepared to stand up.
The old man lowered his hand and gently patted her shoulder, smiling.
“Child, sleep for now.
A young child like you shouldn’t have to worry about these things.”
“Okay…”
Gu Lian nodded as if she couldn’t win against the old man’s kindness.
She looked at him with gratitude, then glanced back at Yi Yi on the sofa.
She lowered her head slightly to hide her reddening cheeks and whispered in a voice as soft as silk, “Thank you…”
“Hahaha…”
Hearing Gu Lian’s shy words, the old man couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
Gu Lian’s current attitude was a disguise as a shy young girl.
She only needed to maintain her concern for her sister.
As for the money… that would be a gradual process.
Earlier, she had noticed a family portrait on the counter.
In it was the old man, his face full of pride, and a young man in a doctoral gown.
One could analyze a lot of information from that photo alone.
The wear and tear of the building clearly indicated long-term residency, but the photo only featured two people.
It could be inferred that the mistress of the house had either left or passed away.
Furthermore, some rooms on this floor hadn’t been cleaned in a long time, suggesting they were uninhabited.
This, combined with the small advertisement she had seen earlier on the utility pole…
She could tentatively conclude that the old man was an empty-nest elderly man.
He was likely very lonely and wanted neighbors to talk to every day to alleviate that loneliness.
This was why she had started preparing her performance the moment she heard the tenant-seeker was an old man.
In this world, children, the elderly, and the self-righteous were the easiest to fool.
Especially when two children were actively seeking help — would an enthusiastic empty-nest elderly person really refuse them?
If he had refused, she wouldn’t have bothered continuing the act; she would have simply picked up Yi Yi and left.
“All right, all right, go to sleep now,” the old man said.
Gu Lian gave a soft response and leaned against the sofa, watching Yi Yi.
Falling asleep from exhaustion would perfectly fit the current situation.
It would create the image of a girl who trusted him but was still cautious due to some fabricated past trauma.
“37.6 degrees Celsius.
A slight fever.
It should be a cold caused by inflammation…”
After pulling out the thermometer, the old man frowned slightly and reached out.
His wrinkled hands pushed the dry towel into the basin.
After soaking it thoroughly, he lifted it, wrung it halfway dry, folded it, and placed it on Yi Yi’s forehead.
Having done that, he stood up again to find medicine in the wardrobe.
Gu Lian watched it all.
While deceiving an old man’s feelings wasn’t ideal, sometimes white lies were mutually beneficial.
Being good to him was also being good to herself.
When the old man returned to administer the medicine, Gu Lian decided enough time had passed.
She closed her eyes and let out faint snoring sounds.
“…”
The old man began to mix the medicine with hot water, a faint smile on his aging face.
Using the angle of her lowered head to create a blind spot, Gu Lian kept her eyes narrowed to a tiny slit to observe the old man.
She was the one who had brought Yi Yi here; if there was any danger, she would have to act immediately.
The sun gradually rose from the horizon, and the sky transitioned from darkness to light.
A ray of sunlight from the new day peeked through the window, casting a golden hue over the old man’s face.
The water on the towel gradually warmed.
The old man gently supported Yi Yi’s head and fed the dissolved medicine to her.
As Yi Yi’s face scrunched up from the taste, a kind expression appeared on the old man’s face.
Gu Lian leaned against the sofa, fully closed her eyes, and began to rest.
“That should be enough.”
The old man wiped away sweat that wasn’t there and gently draped a blanket over Yi Yi.
Her face was no longer as red, suggesting she would wake up soon.
Hearing those words, Gu Lian’s closed eyes finally relaxed.
Through her period of observation, she had categorized the old man as harmless for the time being and could finally let down her guard.
About one hour later, Gu Lian “slowly” opened her eyes.
She glanced at the old man, who was preparing breakfast in the kitchen.
Just as she was about to get up, the old man approached with a plate.
He placed a portion of fried rice on the coffee table, his expression as kind as ever.
“Eat up.
A little girl like you needs it for growing.”
Gu Lian stood up quickly and shook her head.
“Grandpa, I’m already so grateful for your help.
This breakfast…”
“Oh, it’s nothing.
I haven’t cooked for a long time, so my skills are a bit rusty.”
The old man untied his apron and pointed at the fried rice.
He smiled and said, “Why don’t you have a taste?”