Chapter 9: Walking the Old Path Together

The two of them kept walking until they reached the food section.  

An Ling picked out some instant foods—dumplings, wontons, and the like—along with a few fresh vegetables and some meat.  

“You know how to cook?” 

Li Yang asked.  

“Simple stuff, yeah,” An Ling said. 

“Back in H City, Mom and Dad were busy sometimes, so I’d make something myself.”  

Li Yang nodded. 

“That’s pretty good. I still only know how to boil instant noodles.”  

Li Yang lived with his grandma, and Grandma Li handled all the cooking. 

But An Ling could not resist a little payback for old times’ sake.  

“You really haven’t improved at all after all these years? Grandma spoils you too much.”  

“I have improved,” Li Yang declared righteously. “I can add an egg and a sausage to my instant noodles now.”  

An Ling looked away, speechless.  

After they finished shopping, the two pushed the cart to the checkout line and waited at the very back.  

“By the way, your house has been empty for so many years. Want me to help you clean it up?” 

Li Yang asked suddenly.  

An Ling shook her head. 

“No need. I did a quick cleanup yesterday. It’s livable.”  

“What about the weekend then? Want me to go with you to buy more stuff? Furniture or whatever?”  

“No need. I don’t have anything else I need to buy.”  

“Then…” Li Yang thought for a moment. “What are you planning to do on the weekend?”  

An Ling paused. She honestly had not thought about it.  

“Probably… just read at home,” she said casually.  

“Read? For the whole weekend?” 

Li Yang frowned.

“That sounds boring. How about I take you out? M City has changed a lot these past few years. There are tons of new places you haven’t seen.”  

“Uh… um… we’ll see when the time comes.”  

An Ling had not outright refused. 

Since the situation had not reached a critical point yet, she chose to dodge for now.  

She would figure out a proper excuse later.

There would definitely be a way, she comforted herself.  

“Alright,” Li Yang did not press her. “Just call me anytime. I’m always free.”  

An Ling paid for everything. 

After all, Li Yang had only bought two packs of spicy strips, so if she secretly swiped one later she would not feel guilty about it.  

“Oh right, let’s get drinks. We can have something small to sip on.”  

“Sure. Let’s go to where the old supermarket used to be.”  

“Isn’t there a claw machine shop there now too?”  

Li Yang pointed in one direction. “It’s right over there, between the bubble tea shop and the café. What, you want to play?”  

“No, I was just asking,” An Ling said. “What does the old supermarket spot look like now?”  

“Then let’s go take a look. We’re buying drinks anyway.” 

As he spoke, Li Yang picked up the bags and started walking.  

They walked for a few dozen meters and stopped together.  

An Ling stared at the three shops in front of her. 

On the left was a trendy chain bubble tea store with several young people sitting inside. 

On the right was a café with a slightly anime-style decor. The sign suggested they sold more than just coffee—pastries and desserts too. 

A young lady at the door was handing out flyers to attract customers, but it was not as over-the-top as a maid café. In the middle sat a claw machine arcade. 

Through the glass she could see rows of machines filled with all kinds of plush toys, cartoon characters, and odd little prizes.  

“It’s changed into this. Looks pretty nice.”  

“That old supermarket was torn down three months after the new one opened,” Li Yang said. “They built these three shops afterward. Business is good for all of them.”  

An Ling looked at the claw machine shop.

The lights inside were bright, and the machines held all sorts of dolls—fluffy toys, cartoon figures, and some truly strange items.  

“Want to go inside and take a look?” Li Yang asked.  

An Ling shook her head. 

“No. We have too many bags. It’d be inconvenient.”  

“Then next time?”

Li Yang looked at her.  

“We’ll see when we get the chance.”  

“It’s really close anyway.” Li Yang gestured with his hand. 

“We can come anytime. I’ve played here a few times. I’m pretty good at claw machines.”  

An Ling said nothing, but she did not argue either.  

In the end they each bought a cup of bubble tea. 

Coffee would keep them awake at night, and An Ling figured she could think about visiting that café another day.  

“We’ll see when we get the chance” was An Ling’s most common phrase lately.  

The two turned at an intersection and, by unspoken agreement, took the familiar short alley home. 

An Ling was glad the route had not changed.  

This was a narrow lane lined with houses. 

Some had been freshly painted, some completely renovated, and others still looked exactly as they had years ago. 

The sky had taken on a dusky yellow tint; the sun must have sunk behind the hills by now. 

Blue-gray stone slabs paved the ground and made soft sounds under their feet.  

An Ling stepped carefully from slab to slab, deliberately avoiding the cracks.  

“We used to walk this little path all the time,” Li Yang said, his voice full of nostalgia.

“We’d play little games while walking. When the scholar tree at the entrance bloomed, the fragrance would drift really far. You always jumped up trying to grab the flowers. When you couldn’t reach them, the two of us would just climb the tree.”  

An Ling’s ears twitched and her tail swayed. “Let’s go take a look.”  

“That scholar tree was taken away.”  

“Huh?” 

An Ling sounded a little disappointed. 

“Isn’t this alley called Scholar Tree Lane? Why would they remove it?”  

“They were widening the road outside the alley, and the tree had grown too big. Its branches and roots were pushing into people’s houses, so they took it down.”  

An Ling stayed quiet for a while. “That’s a shame.”  

“Yeah. It really is.”  

After they left the alley and walked a little farther, they reached their homes.  

An Ling’s house looked gray and dusty, its windows dark. 

Li Yang’s house had lights on; warm glows spilled from the first- and second-floor windows.  

The two houses stood right next to each other. 

You could see both front doors with a single glance.  

Someone was standing outside Li Yang’s house. As they drew closer, An Ling recognized Grandma Li.  

Li Yang had called his grandma earlier to say he was taking the newly returned An Ling to the commercial street to buy things and would be back a bit late.  

He had not expected Grandma Li to wait at the door.  

Grandma Li was sixty-one this year, but her eyesight was still sharp. 

She turned and spotted the two of them right away.  

“You two little rascals, what took you so long?” Grandma Li called out from afar.  

An Ling had always respected Grandma Li greatly. The old woman had been especially kind to her.  

An Ling’s own paternal grandparents had passed away when she was one and three years old because her father had been born late. 

As for her maternal grandmother, something serious had happened when An Ling’s mother was young, and they had lost contact with that side of the family. 

An Ling did not know the details.  

So Grandma Li had practically become An Ling’s own grandma.  

An Ling and Li Yang quickened their steps and trotted over to her.  

“I was just coming out to look for you two little ones and here you are,” Grandma Li said cheerfully.  

“Grandma Li, it’s been so long. I hope you’ve been well,” An Ling greeted her exactly as she had years ago after trotting up and stopping.  

“Oh my, this child.” Grandma Li gently pinched An Ling’s cheek. “Still so good with words.”  

“Why haven’t you filled out at all after all these years? Did you not eat properly in the big city?”  

“That’s impossible, Grandma Li. I’ve always been this size. I eat plenty every day.”  

“Good. I made dinner tonight. Come eat with us. No refusing allowed.”