The Obligations of the Elderly - Chapter 3

After leaving the roadside convenience store, the path was lined with farmland. The fields were planted with a unique local cash crop-rice that could thrive even in barren soil. Now, with harvest season approaching, the rice stalks had grown tall, nearly reaching the boys’ shoulders. Every so often, a gentle breeze would sweep through the fields, making the leaves rustle softly in the wind.

Aside from the rice paddies, there were only occasional low houses along the way. Few students walked by the roadside like them-some in groups of three or five, others alone. Generally, there was a distance of a hundred or two hundred meters between each group, and they did not disturb one another. There were also few vehicles on the road; after a long while, a single bus passed by, with only a handful of passengers inside.

This was Lengshui Town, a typical rural town.

There weren’t many people here, and no one seemed interested in clustering together. People built their houses wherever they pleased, without much concern for convention.

After walking for a while longer, the farmland gradually disappeared, replaced by a small stream running alongside the road. Following the direction of the stream, a solitary little house appeared at the end of the road.

This was Gong Si’s home.

The stream along the way also disappeared conveniently into his yard.

Like most of the houses they passed, Gong Si’s home was a wooden house. Wood was light and readily available, so most local residences were made of it.

However, Gong Si’s house looked much older and more worn than the others.

Unlike the other homes, the door to Gong Si’s house was unlocked.

After changing out of his sneakers at the entrance, a strong scent of books greeted them as soon as they stepped inside. The room on the right was lined with bookshelves, all filled to the brim, with many more books stacked untidily on the floor.

Most of them were not new; the majority were old books, clearly showing signs of frequent use.

“Gong Si, you’re back~” As soon as they entered, a greeting rang out.

The one greeting them was an elderly lady. She was quite advanced in age, neatly dressed, with traces of light makeup on her face-clearly a refined old lady. When Gong Si and the others came in, she was sitting in the corner of the study, reading a book.

One hand supported her book, while the other rested on a cradle in front of her.

The old lady stood up briskly, put the book back on the shelf behind her, and then said to Gong Si, “I figured you’d be home from school soon, so I cooked some rice for you in advance. It should be ready in a little while. When Dong Chun comes back from playing soccer, you’ll be able to eat right away.”

“Thank you so much! He hasn’t been too much trouble, has he?” Gong Si strode over, first expressing his gratitude to the old lady, then quickly looked at the cradle in front of her. Xi Liu followed behind, also peering into the cradle.

Inside was a small baby, a pacifier in his mouth, sleeping sweetly. There were only a few hairs on his head, and even those were tied into a tiny tuft, adorned with a big pink butterfly bow. Aside from a diaper, he wore a hand-knitted little pink vest!

Xi Liu noticed that the baby’s left foot was wearing a matching pink knitted sock, while the right foot was bare.

Glancing to the side, Xi Liu saw a ball of yarn and knitting needles next to the old lady’s seat. The half-finished product on the needles was clearly another little sock.

Pink~

Xi Liu: ^^

“Just half a sock left, and I’ll put it on him tomorrow when I come by~” the old lady said to Gong Si with a cheerful smile.

“Thank you so much~ You really don’t have to go to all this trouble…” Gong Si glanced at his little brother, then sincerely addressed the old lady.

“It’s no trouble at all. I love making clothes and such. But your grandfather, uncles, and brothers never want to wear them…” The old lady chuckled as she tucked the yarn into a handwoven bag beside her.

Seeing that the old lady was already putting on her shoes to leave, Gong Si hurriedly took a book from behind the counter in the study and handed it to her.

“This is a new book we got in. I saw it was about knitting techniques, so I saved it for you.”

“Wow! I’ve never seen this knitting method before! How wonderful!” The old lady’s eyes widened slightly as she flipped through a few pages, exclaiming in delight.
Then she opened her handbag again and took out her wallet.

Seeing the elderly woman about to pay, Gong Si hurriedly tried to stop her: “You help me look after this little guy every day, make clothes for him and cook meals-I can’t take your money…”

The rest of his words were blocked by Grandma Lin’s wallet-

“Wait until you graduate and really start earning money before you talk about not taking money. Us old folks come here to read every day and never pay, but if we don’t pay when buying books, that’s just not right.”

“We come here to read every day, and watching the kids is just a way to get some exercise. It’s great, so don’t worry about it.”

As she spoke, Grandma Lin put down a bill, smiled cheerfully, and left.

On her way out, she waved at Xi Liu.

Xi Liu waved back.

Only then did Grandma Lin slowly leave.

“Who was that?” Xi Liu pointed at the departing figure of the old woman.

With a sigh, Gong Si put the money Grandma Lin had left into the cash box behind the counter: “That’s Grandma Lin from next door. She loves knitting, and she’s really good at it, but-”

Gong Si glanced at his rosy-cheeked little brother.

“She’s pink-blue colorblind.”

Xi Liu: …

“So none of the things she makes are worn by her husband, son, or grandson.”

Xi Liu: So that’s why.

The aroma of rice was already drifting in from the kitchen at the back. Gong Si opened the door next to the bookshop and slipped inside. That was where they lived. The kitchen was large, though it looked old, it was clean and tidy. Rice was steaming in a pot on the stove, and the delicious smell was coming from there. Besides that, several lunchboxes of different colors and styles were placed nearby, and when opened, they were filled with various side dishes.

“All brought over by the grandmas and aunties from the neighborhood,” Gong Si explained to Xi Liu behind him. “They always bring food for us when they come to read.”

“What wonderful neighbors~” Xi Liu said with a grin, picking up a bit of side dish with his fingers and popping it into his mouth. “Mmm~ It’s really good, such a homely flavor, a bit like your cooking.”

“Of course, I learned to cook from them. It’s my cooking that’s like theirs, not the other way around.”

“My grandpa couldn’t cook, only made rice. When I was little, all the grandpas, grandmas, uncles, and aunties brought dishes for me. When I grew up and learned to cook, it was their flavors I learned.” Skillfully pouring out the dishes, washing and drying the lunchboxes, Gong Si finally opened the lid of a big jar nearby, bent down, and when he straightened up again, he was holding a huge fish.

It was very long, almost half as long as his own body!

“Oh~” Xi Liu exclaimed softly in surprise.

“This fish is huge, the flesh is firm, definitely not farmed.” Xi Liu circled the fish, examining it closely, and poked its body. “And it’s not a fish you can buy outside. Your fish always tastes better than what you get outside, must be the breed.”

“I’m really curious, where do you get such big fish? They don’t sell these outside.” Raising his eyebrows, Xi Liu looked at Gong Si.

Gong Si glanced at him.

“I caught it myself, is that so hard to believe?”

“No, no~ This fish doesn’t have any signs of being caught, and a fish this size couldn’t be caught with your fishing gear.” Xi Liu shook his head.

Gong Si glared at him.

“Just eat it, no need for all the questions!”

“Want to help out?” Gong Si slapped the fish onto the chopping board, looking mischievously at Xi Liu.

Xi Liu quickly raised his hands and waved them: “No, I’m too weak to handle such a big fish, and I’ve never been in the kitchen. I won’t get in your way, I’ll go read outside and leave you to it.”

“If you have time, tidy up the books on the floor.” Watching Xi Liu flee, Gong Si shouted at his back, “And keep an eye on my little brother!”

A faint “Okay” echoed back in the air.

Only then did Gong Si turn his attention to the big fish on the chopping board.

The whole fish was dark gray, with slightly reddish edges on its fins, and not a single scratch on its body.

After a careful look, Gong Si raised the kitchen knife, and with one swift motion, the huge fish head-almost the size of a baby’s-fell off with a thud!