The eastern sky blushed red, deepest and most vivid at the far end of the overlapping peaks, as though a great fire were burning and spreading.
In that instant, a corner of the sky—like a crimson silk curtain—parted, revealing the curved edge of the sun. It rose with effort, becoming a half circle.
A rising sun emerged hazily from the river to the east, thinning the thick morning mist floating on the water.
The sky was a clear blue. Soon, the entire world dazzled with brilliant golden light, filling heaven and earth with vibrant life and energy.
Back at the old man’s door, Gu Lian had just knocked when the door flew open with a bang, and a figure rushed toward her.
Gu Lian’s eyebrow twitched. Her body instinctively sidestepped to dodge. The figure slammed into the railing outside the door, making the entire staircase shake, and a bit of dust fell from the ceiling above.
When she turned to look behind her, Gu Lian’s eyelid twitched violently. Yi Yi was now sitting on the floor, slumped. What could she say?
Typical Yi Yi. She had no idea how Yao Yao had put up with her for so many years. That poor kid…
“Ouch.”
Rubbing her messy hair with a slender arm, Yao Yao stood up, dusted off her skirt, looked around, and didn’t see Gu Lian anymore.
Yi Yi jumped up from the ground, executed a confident 180-degree turn, put her hands on her hips, and pointed at Gu Lian. “Where did you go?! Abandoning someone as cute as me—what crime do you plead?!”
“…”
Gu Lian slapped her forehead. This scene was simply unbearable. This kid was hopeless—not only was she being a chuunibyou, but she was also talking nonsense!
“Not talking, huh?! Hmph, then I’m ignoring you!”
Yi Yi pouted and turned her head away, crossing her arms, giving off the vibe of “if you don’t explain, I won’t be friends with you.”
“Sigh…”
Gu Lian let out a light sigh. Before Yi Yi could react, she reached out, grabbed Yi Yi by the collar of her shirt—still acting cute and spoiled—and started walking inside.
“Meow meow meow?”
Yi Yi, who had been expecting comforting words, was bewildered. She curled up into a ball, both eyes staring at Gu Lian, who was carrying her like a kitten. Her confused gaze held huge question marks, as if to say: ‘Aren’t you supposed to comfort me first, then coax me a little?’
“Alright, alright, my little angel. Can we talk inside?”
Gu Lian felt a wave of exhaustion. This kind of fatigue wore her out, body and soul.
She had no idea how Yao Yao raised Yi Yi. This quirky, mischievous personality… Yao Yao must have had such a hard time all these years.
Not only did she have to protect Yi Yi’s evolution, but she also handled most of the hunting for food and finding shelter. Yi Yi was just too naive. If someone ever tricked her, she’d probably still be counting money for them…
Dragging Yi Yi into the hallway, Gu Lian closed the door behind her. As soon as she entered, she saw the old man sipping a cup of tea. The room was relatively clean, but when her gaze shifted to the kitchen, Gu Lian felt something catch in her throat.
There was still a faint burnt smell in the air. Apart from that, the kitchen looked intact at first glance.
But looking more closely, the kitchen walls were slightly blackened. Those scorch marks looked oddly familiar—like something had exploded…
No, these were definitely signs of an explosion!
Gu Lian was sure of it. Just a few hours ago, she had blown up the sand castle with a magnetic grenade. She couldn’t be wrong about that.
A scene suddenly came to mind: Yi Yi, while the old man wasn’t paying attention, sneaking into the kitchen to cook, failing completely, and blowing up the kitchen instead.
Gu Lian took a deep breath to calm herself. Then she carried the curled-up Yi Yi to the old man, bowed deeply, and said, “I’m sorry for troubling you these past few days, old man… Never mind, we’ll leave now. Yi Yi, say sorry to Grandpa.”
“Huh? What are you two doing?”
Hearing Gu Lian’s words, the old man suddenly felt his tea lose its flavor. He put down his cup, a bit bewildered.
“Hm? Didn’t Yi Yi cause you trouble?”
“Not at all. Trouble is welcome. I can’t dote on Yi Yi enough.”
“Ah… bah?”
Gu Lian stared blankly and let go of Yi Yi. Yi Yi stretched out, landed on the ground, then pounced again, hugging Gu Lian’s waist and lifting her chin proudly.
The old man walked over to Gu Lian with a chuckle and ruffled Yi Yi’s fuzzy hair. His home had finally gained some liveliness, even if it was a bit rowdy—he could accept that.
When he was young, he found it troublesome to take care of his son. But after his son started his own family and his wife passed away, the house felt empty, along with his heart.
Only when you lose something do you learn to cherish it. Even the daily arguments with his old lady had become a distant luxury.
“That’s wonderful, then.”
Gu Lian dropped the backpack she was carrying. Only then did the old man notice the new bag on her back.
“What’s this?”
“Oh, I found a job. When they gave me the uniform, they also gave me this bag.”
Gu Lian brushed it off vaguely. She just needed to make up an excuse for this.
“A job? Is it close by?”
The old man looked a bit worried. He was concerned that Gu Lian might be going to work far away, leaving the house cold and quiet again.
“Right nearby. Just the swimming pool.”
“Oh. But you’ve been gone so long—are you hungry? Want something to eat?”
As he spoke, the old man started heading to the kitchen.
“Huh? I’m not hungry right now.”
Gu Lian shook her head. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Yi Yi fidgeting restlessly, so she slapped a hand on Yi Yi’s head and said, “But today I’m going to take Yi Yi to get an ID card.”
“Can she get one? Isn’t Yi Yi still underage?”
Hearing this, the old man frowned and looked at Gu Lian, almost blurting out: Yi Yi is only about six years old—can she really get an ID card?
“It’s fine. Just think of it as registering her identity. We’ve been out here for a long time, only recently settling down at your place.”
Gu Lian straightened her collar, then reached out and grabbed Yao Yao—who had shaken off her hand and was about to sneak into the kitchen—and pulled her back.
This little girl was way too mischievous. The moment she wasn’t watched, she’d try to cause trouble. When Yao Yao could finally take human form, she’d have to teach her a real lesson. Otherwise, if something went wrong one day, it would be too late to regret.
Understanding what Gu Lian meant, the old man nodded. He pulled a hundred-yuan bill from his pocket, smiled gently at Yi Yi—who was still clinging to Gu Lian’s leg—and said, “Go early, come back early. Buy some snacks for Yi Yi on the way to satisfy her cravings.”
“Alright. We’ll be back soon.”
Gu Lian took the old man’s money and led Yi Yi out of the house. Though she had some money of her own, she still accepted it.
Taking money made you soft, eating made you short. The old man probably didn’t want to live in such loneliness anymore. Judging from everything, his children hadn’t been home in years.
Empty-nest elderly didn’t lack money or phone chats anytime, anywhere. What they lacked was the company of their children and grandchildren—laughing all day while doing square dancing, bragging about the past to their grandkids when they had nothing else to do.
That was the life the elderly longed for. But this old man…
Damn, who the hell was his son? His own father was old and gray, and he still couldn’t come home to visit. That kind of person deserves a beating. If he ever showed up, she’d teach him a lesson on the old man’s behalf!
In Nanjiang City, inside a metal building next to a school, a grizzled middle-aged man had just picked up his coffee cup. He was about to take a sip, but then his nose suddenly itched.
“Achoo!”
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