Chapter 17

Chapter 17

"Big, round, and bright, brighter than grandpa's," Danzi added.

"Truly brighter than your grandpa's?" the old woman questioned.

Danzi nodded, "Yes."

The old woman sought confirmation again, "You're sure you're not mistaken?"

Danzi pointed clearly at Xiao Yu, "No, it's him, the best-looking, that big brother."

No mistake.

Despite his simple clothes, the young man had an excellent figure, handsome features, and a constant smile on his lips, kind and comforting. Not just on this small dock, but in all of Daijing, he would be considered one of the most attractive.

Most importantly, he had a kind heart. He had just given them four life-saving buns. The old woman, with tears in her eyes and feeling as if she had found a treasure, was about to approach him when she suddenly started coughing again.

"Grandma," Danzi hurried to the old woman's side, trying to pat her back, but being too short, even on tiptoes, his small hand could only reach her tailbone.

The old woman, appreciating his filial effort, pulled him close while coughing. After a while, her coughing ceased and with a smile, she said, "Danzi, you're saved, you're saved."

"Will big brother save us?" Danzi asked.

"Yes, Master Yi said that those with halos above their heads will always be genuinely kind and protective. His light is brighter than your grandfather's, so he is someone you can rely on." The old woman held Danzi's hand, wanting to approach, but saw that Xiao Yu was surrounded by customers vying for buns, making it impossible for them to get close.

Meanwhile, Xiao Yu and Minghe were busy until they sold all the buns.

"All gone! All sold out!" Minghe announced happily, showing his empty hands.

Selling out was always the most relaxing moment. Xiao Yu, smiling, began packing up the bamboo basket, "Let's go home and make dumplings."

Minghe asked, "Little uncle, aren't we going to town today?"

"No need, we have vegetables at home."

Minghe remembered, "Yesterday, we bought lots of vegetables with the cart."

Now that it was colder, meat and vegetables could be stored longer, and the cart could carry a lot, so Xiao Yu had bought plenty yesterday, meaning no need for another town trip today. He lifted Minghe onto the cart, "Exactly, let's go home."

"Young sir," at that moment, the old woman approached with Danzi.

Surprised to see the old woman and Danzi still there, Xiao Yu asked, "Auntie, why are you still here?"

The old woman smiled, "Yes, we've been here the whole time."

Xiao Yu asked, "Don't you have any relatives nearby?" He actually wanted to ask if they weren't going to the town to beg, but felt it impolite, so he changed his question.

"No," the old woman replied directly.

"But staying by the river is cold," Minghe chimed in.

Xiao Yu nodded.

"It's okay, young sir. Thank you for the buns, they were delicious."

"It was just a few buns, I wish I could help more."

"You've already been a great help." Seeing Xiao Yu about to leave, the old woman quickly spoke again, "Does the young sir live nearby?"

Xiao Yu paused briefly, "Yes."

"How many people are in your family?"

Normally, others might engage in such casual conversation about family matters, but Xiao Yu and Minghe, having no relatives or support, were particularly cautious about their privacy. It had taken the Yang couple quite an effort to find out their details.

Now with the old woman asking.

Xiao Yu couldn't help but think of what Aunt Liu had said about some victims stealing, fighting, and causing trouble. Although this grandmother and grandson looked too frail to even hurt an ant, he feared they might be part of a group, seeking to get close to him, learn about him, and then rob him.

He immediately became vigilant.

The old woman, noticing Xiao Yu's wariness, quickly explained, "Young sir, don't be afraid. We are good people, truly good people. We won't harm you. I just... cough, cough..."

Xiao Yu, still on guard, replied, "Auntie, it's almost noon. There might be people in town distributing porridge. If you go now, you might get some, and they might even arrange a place for you to stay."

Minghe didn't understand what his uncle was saying, but he trusted him implicitly and nodded in agreement, "Right, right, right."

Xiao Yu pushed the cart towards the main road.

"Young sir!" The old woman attempted to follow, but after a few steps, she started coughing again.

"Grandma, grandma," Danzi quickly went to support her.

Xiao Yu glanced back, feeling a pang of sympathy, but not willing to risk his own and Minghe's safety, he continued pushing the cart back to Jinxiu Village. They enjoyed a meal of pork and green onion dumplings at noon, rested a bit, and then spent the afternoon tending to the vegetable garden, preparing the dough for buns in the evening.

The next day was colder, but Minghe still got up on time.

Concerned about the cold, Xiao Yu specially put a rabbit-ear hat on Minghe, covering his ears and making his chubby face even rounder.

"Little uncle, do I look good?" Minghe asked, touching his hat.

Xiao Yu smiled, "Of course, you look great."

"Little uncle, you should wear one too."

"I'll get warm once I start walking, so I won't wear it for now."

"I'll get warm walking too, I'll take it off," Minghe said, reaching to remove the hat.

Xiao Yu stopped him, "No, you can't. You're a child, your skin is delicate, you could get frostbite."

Minghe joined in, "Then I'll take it off when I get hot."

"Okay."

After selling buns at the small dock, Xiao Yu and Minghe saw the old woman and her grandson again. Xiao Yu pretended not to notice and walked away with Minghe.

The grandmother and grandson couldn't catch up again.

On the third day after selling the buns, Xiao Yu saw them again and continued walking home with Minghe.

Suddenly, the old woman stopped coughing and gained enough strength to follow them.

"Little uncle, they are still following us," Minghe said from the cart, peeking over his uncle's shoulder.

Three days!

This grandmother and grandson had been waiting, talking, and following for three whole days!

What exactly did they want?

Xiao Yu turned around, slightly annoyed, to see the old woman looking frailer, like a twig about to fall in the cold wind, and Danzi in tattered clothes, his thin little legs exposed and red from the cold.

He remembered how he and Minghe looked a few months ago, skin and bones, and his heart softened. No longer concerned about potential criminal gangs, he stopped.

When the grandmother and grandson caught up, he took out two coins and handed them to the old woman, "Auntie, to be honest, my family is very poor too. What I earn barely covers our food and drink, and we have no valuables. Following me won’t help you. Take this money, buy some food, and then seek assistance from the authorities."

"No, no, don't need money... cough, cough, cough..." The old woman began to cough again before she could finish speaking.

"Grandma," Danzi was very anxious.

Ultimately unable to remain indifferent, Xiao Yu stepped forward to help pat the old woman's back.

The old woman grabbed Xiao Yu's hand tightly, "Young sir, I'm not a bad person, nor do I want your money. Danzi and I came from Ningzhou. We have nowhere else to go. I have a favor to ask of you."

"What do you need?" Xiao Yu asked.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

"Auntie," Xiao Yu continued to pat her back.

The old woman coughed and gasped, her frail body like an old, leaky bellows, struggling for air, and then suddenly she lost strength and fainted.

"Auntie!" Xiao Yu called out.

"Grandma! Grandma!" Danzi cried woefully, "Grandma."

Minghe, also distressed, asked, "Little uncle, what do we do?"

This!

We can't just leave her like this!

Xiao Yu helped the old woman onto the cart, "Minghe, Danzi, hold her steady."

Minghe responded.

Danzi sobbed.

"Little kid, don't cry," Minghe said.

Danzi stopped crying, pouting with teary eyes, looking at Minghe, "Big brother, you're scary."

Minghe suddenly didn't know what to say.

"Let's go." Unsure of the old woman's condition, Xiao Yu pushed the cart quickly.

Minghe ran to catch up.

Xiao Yu realized Danzi wasn't keeping up and turned to see him running, but he was too thin, small, and weak. After just a few steps, he fell with a "plop," crying for his grandmother while getting up to continue running towards them.

Really!

Really!

Xiao Yu stopped the cart, ran back, scooped up Danzi, and placed him on the cart, saying, "Minghe, he can't walk, let's both walk."

"Okay," Minghe nodded.

The uncle and nephew hurriedly arrived at the Qingshi Town medical clinic.

The doctor examined the old woman thoroughly, shaking his head continuously.

"Doctor, how is she?" Xiao Yu asked anxiously.

The doctor replied, "The old lady's pulse is weak, and she's suffering from heart and lung failure. She's at her end. There's nothing I can do. You should take her home and prepare for the inevitable."

Seeing the old woman's thin and coughing state, Xiao Yu thought she was just hungry and sick, not realizing it was so serious: "Doctor, how could this be?"

"She's advanced in age and has been ill for too long. Surviving up to this point is already a miracle," the doctor sighed.

"Cough, cough, cough." The old woman coughed herself awake.

Hearing this, Xiao Yu looked at the old woman, his heart swelling with sadness, "Auntie, you..."

"I've known for a while that I don't have much time left," the old woman said weakly and hoarsely.

Xiao Yu didn't know what to say.

"That's why I want to ask you for a favor."

Xiao Yu asked, "What do you need?"

The old woman glanced at the eggs beside her, then turned back to Xiao Yu, "Xiao Langjun, I'd like to ask you to take care of Danzi."

"This..."

"I know I'm imposing, but I have no other choice. Please, treat him like you would a sheep or a cat. Just give him a meal to keep him alive, just let him live," the old woman pleaded urgently.

"I..."

The old woman took something out of her pocket, carefully placed it in Xiao Yu's hand, and then clutched his hand tightly with her thin, bony hands. "This was left for him by his dying mother. It must not be lost, absolutely not. Please give him a meal, keep him alive. Heaven will remember your kindness and reward you doubly. Please..." Before she could finish, her hands slipped from Xiao Yu's.

Xiao Yu clearly saw the woman's eyes, slowly losing focus but still filled with pleading. His voice trembling, he called out, "Auntie, auntie."

The doctor said, "She's gone."

"Gone where?" Danzi suddenly interjected, his voice soft and innocent.

Xiao Yu felt a sudden pang of heartache.

Danzi squeezed through to the old woman, calling, "Grandma, grandma."

The old woman would never respond again.

Danzi, not understanding what had happened, became frightened and anxious, calling, "Grandma, grandma, talk to me, grandma, grandma." As he received no response, his fear grew, and his cries became louder.

Crouching down, Xiao Yu embraced Danzi, and facing the old woman lying on the stretcher, he finally promised solemnly, "Okay, auntie, I promise you. As long as I live, Danzi will live well. I won't let him suffer."

As if hearing Xiao Yu's words, the old woman slowly closed her eyes, and a tear slid down her cheek.

After paying the doctor, Xiao Yu bought some burial items in the town and buried the old woman at the foot of a nearby mountain in Jinxui, carving "The Grave of Grandmother Hua" on a wooden tombstone, a name he had learned after asking Danzi.

"Hua" was the surname he learned only after questioning Danzi for a while.

Once everything was done, Xiao Yu put Minghe and Danzi on the stretcher and pushed them back to Jinxui Village. It was already evening, and the three of them hadn't eaten lunch.

Worried that the children might be starving, Xiao Yu quickly cooked some green vegetable and egg noodle soup, served it in three bowls on the chopping board, and after cooling it a bit, said, "It's not hot anymore, eat up."

Minghe gathered around the chopping board and started eating with a spoon.

Xiao Yu helped Danzi sit down and asked, "Can you eat by yourself?"

Danzi nodded.

"Then go ahead and eat."

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, whisking away the gauze hanging on the rope.

"The wind is so strong, it's blowing the cloth away!" Minghe quickly got up and ran outside to retrieve it.

Xiao Yu also stood up, tidying up other things in the yard.

After the uncle and nephew finished their tasks and returned to the kitchen, they realized Danzi was missing.

"Where did Danzi go?" Minghe asked.

Xiao Yu hurriedly ran out to the yard.

Minghe followed him outside.

Around the corner, they saw little Danzi carrying a bowl of green vegetable and egg noodles, unsteadily heading towards the foothills.

"Danzi, where are you going?!" Minghe called out.

As he walked, Danzi turned back and said, "My grandma is hungry, I’m taking her the noodles."