The Obligations of the Elderly - chapter 31

Chapter 30

It was a white sock, made of a material that felt slippery to the touch in Gong Si’s hands, perfectly fitting the shape of a foot, with fine, dense stitching that looked hand-sewn.

But-

It was at least a size 25 sock, and just one at that. The key point was that it showed signs of having been worn before. Although it was very clean, still-

Gong Si waited expressionlessly for the person opposite him to explain.

“This is for Mr. Gong Siji. It is a personal belonging of our Master. The Contract Ceremony between the Master and Mr. Gong Siji will be held in ten days. To increase the success rate of the ceremony, experts recommend a gradual approach to help the Vessel adapt to the User’s energy. However, the Master is still unconscious, and Mr. Gong Siji is too young, so a gentler method is required.” The Attendant replied politely.

No matter how polite, it couldn’t change the fact that this was a perverse method!

“So the gentler method is to have Ah Ji wear a stinky sock and sniff it every day?!” Gong Si looked incredulous. Heaven knows, when they delivered the sock, they said, “Please have Mr. Gong Siji wear this item every day.” He thought the tray would hold a jade pendant or a sachet, but when he picked it up-it was a stinky sock?!

“The Master’s sock is not stinky at all.” The Attendant gently refuted, then continued, “And it’s not for Mr. Gong Siji to sniff the sock every day. He just needs to wear it on his person. This is an unwashed item worn by the Master, carrying the Master’s energy information. As long as Mr. Gong Siji wears it, he will naturally sense the Master’s energy information and gradually begin to adapt…”

“You say it’s unwashed, and yet it’s not a stinky sock…” Gong Si was still in shock.

But-

“This is for Mr. Gong Siji’s own good. Gradually getting used to the User’s energy information is the gentlest way for a Vessel to establish a connection.” That person said.

As long as it was for Ah Ji’s good, Gong Si couldn’t object any further.

He could only clutch the sock, watching as the other person bowed and took their leave.

That night, the sock slept under his pillow.

Yes, under his pillow.

In the end, Gong Si accepted the suggestion. He found a piece of clothing with a pocket for Ah Ji, and during the day, he would fold the sock neatly and put it in the pocket. At night, it was impossible: Ah Ji was used to sleeping without clothes, just wearing a diaper. He couldn’t possibly put the sock in the diaper, right?

With no other choice, Gong Si put the sock under his own pillow. The reason was simple: Ah Ji never slept on a pillow. Every night, like a slippery little fat fish, he slept beside his brother, tossing the small pillow away after a while, then snuggling sweetly onto Gong Si’s pillow, even drooling on it!

In this situation, Gong Si could only keep the sock with him. Just thinking that this sock was the Master’s personal item, and had been worn before…

Gong Si felt uncomfortable all over!

Even though the sock wasn’t stinky at all, and he didn’t have any particular cleanliness obsession!

Anyway, ever since the sock was placed under his pillow, Gong Si hadn’t had a single good night’s sleep. Either he couldn’t fall asleep, or he had nightmares when he did. Meanwhile, Ah Ji slept soundly every night, carefree. Occasionally, when he accidentally found the sock under the pillow, he even tried to grab it and bite it-

Of course, Gong Si wouldn’t let him!

When those people came to ask about Ah Ji’s condition, Gong Si told them honestly. They said this was a good sign, proving that Ah Ji was receiving the Master’s energy information well and could proceed to the next step.

Next step? Before the question mark could fully form in Gong Si’s mind, they brought over a second tray, this time with-a sleeping robe.

Gong Si: =-=

Although it was exquisite, made of fine material, and even had hand-embroidered flowers, it was clearly something only a grandfather would wear. Thinking again that his little brother’s Form Contract partner was an old man, Gong Si felt troubled all over again.

He didn’t know what was wrong with himself. He had thought at first that this would be the ideal partner, but now that such a partner was actually presented, Gong Si felt maybe someone younger would be better, someone the same age as Ah Ji, so they could grow together…

And so, the Master’s personal items were delivered one after another. When the room was filled with them, Gong Si felt he could piece together what kind of person the Master was.

Probably a meticulous, particular, nitpicky… old man, right?
Looking at the various “personal items” in the room that seemed highly impractical to him, more like traditional works of art, Gong Si thought to himself.

The days passed one after another like this. He had no idea how much Ah Ji had adapted to that person’s energy information. In any case, the so-called “Form Contract” date was getting closer and closer.

Tomorrow was the day Ah Ji would Form Contract with that person.

Gong Si didn’t know what would happen tomorrow. He was very nervous, but he tried his best not to show it, because that would make his other two younger brothers even more anxious.

Stepping out of the hot spring pool, Gong Si went to soak in the Cold Pool for a while before leaving the bathroom.

Back in the room he shared with Ah Ji, he originally planned to go straight to sleep. Unexpectedly, his long-silent phone suddenly rang.

Because he hadn’t used his phone in so long, Gong Si was stunned for a while, unable to recall where that tune was coming from. In the end, it was Ah Ji who somehow found the ringing phone, crawling over and pushing it to him. Only then did Gong Si grab the phone.

He thought it would be a call from his parents, or perhaps a teacher from school. But when he saw the name “Xi Liu” flashing on the screen, he froze again, then hurriedly answered the call.

“Hey~ Vice Class Monitor, how are you?” A clear male voice came from the other end, sounding quite energetic, though Gong Si could tell his voice was more hoarse than usual.

It was Xi Liu’s voice.

Gong Si didn’t speak for a long time.

“Why aren’t you saying anything? I thought you’d have a lot of questions for me.” He heard Xi Liu laughing on the other side.

Gong Si could imagine what Xi Liu looked like at this moment-probably leaning somewhere, holding a book or a drink, smiling as he spoke to him.

In Gong Si’s mind, Xi Liu was wearing a school uniform, since that’s how they most often saw each other.

“Nothing I want to ask.” Gong Si finally spoke, sitting by the window, looking at the scattered lights downstairs, and said to the person on the other end, “Just knowing you’re alive puts me at ease.”

“…” Xi Liu was silent for a long time on the other end.

After a long, long while, Gong Si finally heard Xi Liu speak again: “I thought I was going to die this time too…”

His tone still carried a hint of laughter.

What kind of person is this… able to talk about his own death so lightly?

Gong Si frowned. “Better to live stubbornly than die well. As long as you’re alive, good things will happen eventually. Take care of yourself.”

“How’s your health now? Can you get out of bed? Can you walk? Have you been discharged? Hey-did you have surgery?” Wow! Gong Si, who had been so calm just now, suddenly fired off a string of questions once he started!

Xi Liu’s laughter came from the other end: “So many questions, which one do you want me to answer first?”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Just physically weak, born frail, not the kind that needs surgery. I can get out of bed now, and I can walk…”

“That’s good,” Gong Si replied.

The two fell silent for a long time again. Finally, they almost spoke at the same time:

“Hey, you-”

“How’s Lengshui Town now-”

A pause.

“You go first.”

“No, you-”

They spoke at the same time again.

Both laughed, and in the end, Gong Si answered Xi Liu’s question first:

“Lengshui Town is really cold now.”

“The snowflakes are as big as fists-not the small fists of girls, but fists like ours, men’s fists.”

“It snows almost every day, and the buses have stopped running.”

“Oh, I just found out this year that the bus driver also drives the snowplow. Every year, he’s the one who plows the snow in town!”

“He’s a good guy. If someone can’t get home or can’t make it to town, he’ll give them a ride in the snowplow.”

“The fish in Lengshui Town are at their tastiest now. It’s the coldest time, so the fish oil is the richest, and the fat ratio is high-bite into it and the oil just flows!”

“Frozen fruit is especially delicious too, just as good as Rainbow Whirlwind…”

Summing up each scene in a sentence, Gong Si described many aspects of life in the town.

He spoke so vividly, it was as if he were still living in that cold yet beautiful little town at this very moment.

“But the streams in town haven’t frozen at all, nor have the ponds or water tanks at home. Even though I’m a local, I still find it pretty strange.”

He wasn’t lying; he was speaking from memory, his memories of Lengshui Town.
So vivid.

Because he had lived so actively there, this small town remained so lively and real in his memory.

It was only at this moment that Gong Si realized just how much he wanted to go back, to continue living in Lengshui Town.

But that was impossible.

If tomorrow Ah Ji successfully signs the contract with that person, before Ah Ji comes of age, Gong Si will surely try every way to stay here-first asking the other party to agree to let him continue as Ah Ji’s guardian and live together; if that doesn’t work, he’ll stay and find a way to live in the same place as Ah Ji.

If tomorrow’s contract signing fails…

Gong Si didn’t think any further.

He only knew that, no matter the scenario, he could not return to that small town.

He was a little lost-

“…How wonderful.” Until the sigh of Xi Liu came from the other end of the phone.

“I really want to go back to Lengshui Town right now.”

“I didn’t want it so much before, but after hearing what you said, now I really…really want to go back, immediately, right away.”

“Then go back.” Gong Si still pretended he was living there, closing his eyes, imagining that this was a call from Xi Liu to his home in Lengshui Town.

“Mm, wait for me, I’ll be back soon.”

“When we meet again, can I have your stewed fish?” Xi Liu asked.

“….” Not answering directly, Gong Si smiled, “Come back soon.”

He said it again, then hung up the phone.

Sitting by the window, eyes closed, he buried his head deep in his knees.

On this side of the window, Gong Si sat in front of it, quietly longing for home. And in another direction, far away, facing his window, another man sat on a huge bed in front of a giant window.

It was a soft white bed, with equally soft cushions behind it, and the man was leaning against the cushions, sitting on the bed.

His face was pale, without a trace of blood. He sat there, draped in a finely made robe-a traditional garment, plain in color, but upon closer inspection, covered in exquisitely embroidered dark patterns, all hand-stitched.

He sat there, holding a phone, apparently just finishing a call.

Though his face was pale, the corners of his mouth held a smile, and he seemed to be in a good mood.

He looked out the window-

It was snowing outside too. Though it was snowing here as well, the snow was completely different from the snow in that other place~

The snow here was too gentle.

He thought.

Then, putting down his phone, he pressed the bedside bell. After the crisp sound, several elders entered one by one, heads bowed.

Looking closely, you’d see: the leading elder was Elder Xie, who had gone to Gong Si’s house to “invite” him, and the other five were also familiar faces, the elders who had previously attended the meeting with Elder Xie in the conference room.

They had all been kneeling outside the door for a long time. Only when the bell rang did they stand up and return to the room.

“Let’s Form Contract tomorrow.” When the Master said this, Elder Xie and the others all looked up in surprise.

“Why those looks?” The man on the bed smiled, “Before, I was undecided, and you all knelt, insisting I decide. When I told you to leave, you kept kneeling outside. Now that I’ve agreed, why are you so surprised?”

Tilting his head slightly, the man looked at them.

“We…we’re just so happy, Master, have you really decided to Form Contract?” Raising his wrinkled face, Elder Xie asked again, unable to believe it.

“Mm.” The man nodded.

Then, sobbing broke out below.

“You all…” With a gentle sigh, the man smiled again.

Elder Xie was the most composed, pursing his drooping lips, and couldn’t help but look at the man: “May I ask…why did you suddenly change your mind?”

He still couldn’t quite believe it. After all, the Master had never changed his mind about anything once decided, which was why this was so hard to accept.

“I just suddenly wanted to keep living.” The man said softly, leaning back against the cushion, eyes turning to the window on his right, falling silent.

Bowing again, Elder Xie led the others out quietly.

With the last and most difficult problem resolved, the Contract Ceremony was held as scheduled.