When the meat soup was done steaming, Grandma happened to be pushing her little cart back from outside.

The moment she opened the door and saw me in the house, she looked genuinely surprised. She didn’t even bother moving the iron buckets off the cart. Leaning on her cane, she came straight to the kitchen.

“No classes today either?”

“Ah, no. I came to check on Grandpa. He’s sick, over at the Sixth Hospital.”

I poured the steamed meat soup into a small metal bowl, then washed the pot and dishes clean. “Did Dad tell you?”

“Dad?”

Grandma looked confused. “You mean... your old dad?”

“Yeah. That dad from way back.”

“Haven’t heard anything.”

“So, Grandma, you really need to learn how to use your phone. Everyone uses smartphones now. You can watch movies, read the news, and like, WeChat too. If you’re out selling stuff during the day and there are no customers, you can message me.”

I tried tying a bow on the bag holding the soup. “You use WeChat to collect payments every day, right? It’s not just a wallet. You can chat on it too.”

“Is... is that so?”

Grandma looked half-understanding, half-lost. “Then isn’t that just like texting? If I message you, won’t I disturb your studies?”

“If I see your message, I’ll reply. Everyone uses it anyway. Even if you don’t message me, some classmate probably will, right? It’s all the same disturbance. So you might as well be the one bothering me.”

I walked to the door and helped Grandma carry in the iron buckets that still had a couple portions of mung bean dessert left inside.

“Actually, Grandma, later on you could try selling ciba, rice cakes, zongzi, stuff like that. You can just load them onto the cart. It’d be way less trouble.”

“Would anyone even eat those?”

“They would. Everything you make is delicious.”

I took Grandma’s hand. “Come on. Let’s go see Grandpa.”

“Oh... okay...”

On the way from Liao Family Village to the Sixth People’s Hospital, I kept chatting with Grandma on and off.

I knew people of Grandma’s generation didn’t really lack anything.

What they lacked was their children’s company.

Sometimes just one text from us, or one phone call, could make them happy for half a day.

Why were those health supplement and nutrition shops in residential neighborhoods always packed with elderly people? Was it because they were foolish? Because they were afraid of death? Because they thought those supplements could make them immortal?

None of that.

It was just because those places were lively.

The salespeople there were good at talking. Every day, they’d tell the old grandpas and grandmas who stayed home alone things like, “You’ve worked hard,” or “Remember to eat on time today.”

That was why old people liked going to those places that were obviously scams at a glance.

There was someone there to talk to them.

Before jumping into the river, Bi Xinxue herself had already been treating Grandma with that half-caring, half-ignoring attitude for a long time.

She thought Grandma was annoying. Thought she nagged too much. Felt ashamed of coming from a poor family.

In this body’s memories, I saw countless lonely shots of Grandma’s disappointed back.

So now, I felt it was necessary for me to make it up to her. Talk with her more. Come back and see her often. Fill in the family affection that “I” had been missing these past few years.

“Grandma, I made a lot of friends at school. Our dorm is a mixed dorm. We’re grouped together with the e-commerce students.”

“The class rep from e-commerce is a girl, and she’s in our dorm. She’s super good at socializing. She’s friends with students from all kinds of majors.”

“Grandma, do you know what e-commerce is? There’s a package pickup spot outside our room. That’s e-commerce. People open stores online, we browse them on our phones and buy stuff, and then they ship it to us by delivery...”

Today, Grandma was wearing the clothes I’d bought her a few days ago. She looked bright and full of energy.

After we got to the hospital, I chose to take the elevator this time, since Grandma had trouble walking.

With a ding, I linked arms with her and stepped out of the elevator, then found Grandpa’s room from before.

“Grandpa, I’m back!”

The moment I entered, I carried the meat soup to Grandpa’s bedside. Like I’d done it many times, I crouched down, pressed a switch under the hospital bed, and pulled out the tray table. “I went back and made some meat soup. Drink it and build your strength.”

“What happened here?”

While I was setting up the tray, Grandma came over from behind me too. “How did it get this bad? What illness is it? Is it serious?”

“It’s... liver, a liver disease.”

Dad shook his head. “Pretty serious.”

“Ah, this is just my fate. Being able to see all of you at the end means I’ve lived enough.”

“Grandpa, don’t say things like that.”

I untied the bag and took out the spoon. “Drink the soup first.”

“You all really... we haven’t seen each other in ten years, and now it’s this serious the moment we do...”

Grandma sat down beside Father, looking anxious. “This is... what are we supposed to do...”

“Uh...”

Dad looked awkward and could only change the subject. “Mom, what happened to your leg?”

“Fell while catching a lizard.”

“A lizard? What lizard?”

“A gecko. Back when Xiaoxue was paying tuition.”

Grandma clearly wasn’t buying his attempt to dodge the issue. She forcefully dragged the topic back. “How many days have you been here? Is the medicine money enough? What did the doctor say?”

“The doctor said...”

“The doctor said it’s nothing. He’ll be discharged in a few days!”

Grandpa cut Dad off, then coughed several times. “Cough, cough, cough... Birth, aging, sickness, death. No need to make such a fuss. Let it be... Hey, Xiaoxue, this soup’s pretty good. What’d you put in it?”

“Just meat and salt.”

“See? Xiaoxue’s so good at cooking. She’ll definitely make a fine wife someday. Wonder which brat’s gonna get lucky...”

“Grandpa, you...”

“Look, it’s almost nine already. Xiaoxue, why don’t you head back to school first?”

As he spoke, Grandpa suddenly started shooing me out. “Wouldn’t want you stuck without a ride later... cough cough.”

“Ah... oh, right. Xiaoxue, maybe you should head back to school first. You’ve got class tomorrow, don’t you?”

Hearing Grandpa say that, Dad glanced at his phone too. Then he turned and started pushing me toward the door. “It’s already this late. Hurry back to school. Got enough living expenses?”

I was a little dazed, but still answered on instinct, “I do.”

“Dad’s got a thousand here. Take it first.”

The man in front of me pulled a wallet from his pocket. As if he’d prepared it in advance, he took out ten hundred-yuan bills and forced them into my hand. “Use it to buy some clothes. Eat better this month. All these years, I haven’t fulfilled my duty as a father. I’m really... sorry.”

“Dad, I can’t take this—”

“Go on, go on. Otherwise there really won’t be any buses left.”

“The subway runs till eleven!”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Head back early. Talk more with your classmates.”

He pushed me out of the room without giving me any choice. Before closing the door, Dad waved at me. “Call me when you get back to school safe!”

The ward door shut with a heavy thud.

I hesitated outside for a moment, then walked over to the small frosted window beside the door.

“Cough cough cough cough...”

Through the little window, I saw Grandpa on the hospital bed, coughing violently.

Bright red blood had soaked the tissue in his hand completely. It was terrifying at a glance.

Grandma stood beside him, at a total loss.

Dad looked drained as he hurried over with fresh tissues.

After seeing that, I pulled my gaze away and walked to the nurses’ station.

“Excuse me, Nurse.”

Facing the nurse on duty, I put on my best well-behaved girl look. “What illness does the patient in Room 441, Bed 4 have?”

One of the nurses at the computer glanced at me. “What are you to him?”

“His granddaughter.”

“Wait a moment.”

She clicked the mouse a few times and checked the information on the screen. Then she hesitated. “Your parents didn’t tell you?”

“No.”

“Little sister, maybe... you should ask your parents instead.”

“My mom’s at work.”

I took out my college ID from my wallet. “Just tell me, sis. I’m not little anymore. I’m a college student in my twenties.”

“Oh...”

The nurse turned back to the screen. “Late-stage liver cancer, with metastasis to the lungs, esophagus, and stomach, plus concurrent kidney failure.”

“Thank you.”

After one last look toward that hospital room, I turned and walked to the stairwell at the end of the corridor. I went downstairs and left the inpatient building.

Outside the hospital, the night air carried a scent mixed with sea breeze and autumn wind.

In the greenery not far away, a black cat seemed to be drawn by something. With a whoosh, it sprang out of the bushes, leaped nimbly onto the hospital building, and vanished in no time.

Outside the Sixth People’s Hospital, neon light spilled across the ground.

Across the busy street, the subway entrance glowed under dim lights.

The station was full of office workers forced to stay late.

That made me stand out even more among all those people in suits, wearing a cute teddy-bear hoodie like some loli outfit and showing off my long, pale legs.

“The train from Shenbin South Lake to Central Plaza is about to arrive. Please do not approach the doors. Stand behind the safety line...”

“...”

...

By the time I got off the subway and returned to Vanilla Vocational School in Central District, it was already 9:10 p.m.

Our school rings the bell around 10:40 at night, and at 11:00 sharp they close the dorm gates and do room checks. If you’re not back by 11:30 and don’t know how to climb walls or something, then you’re spending the night outside.

Standing outside the girls’ dorm, I took out my wallet. Under the moonlight and the roadside lamps, I stared at the ten bills inside for quite a while. Then I pinched my own cheek, fixed my bangs, and walked toward the track field.

After finishing my usual workout, I returned to the dorm drenched in sweat.

“Wuwuwu, Xiaoxue, you’re finally back!”

The moment she saw me, Chen Xiaorui ran over with a miserable face. “That guy was definitely a pervert! Holding hands was one thing, but then he tried to touch my butt!”

“Ah...”

I put on a concerned look. “Are you okay? He didn’t do anything else to you, right?”

“No, wuwuwu. I warned him that if he tried anything again, I’d call the police, so he stopped. Good thing I listened to you and went to a crowded mall. He didn’t dare push it further. But just now he left me a bad review, saying I was unqualified as a rental girlfriend.”

Chen Xiaorui pulled out her phone and pointed at the single heart on the screen. “Look!”

“Oh...”

I took her phone. On the Hualimao app interface, the words bad review were displayed in a very obvious spot, along with the comment:

Average. Don’t recommend renting this girl. She’s not pretty and doesn’t interact at all.

Below that was Chen Xiaorui’s reply:

This person is a pervert. I will never take his order again. I suggest the platform ban him.

“Wuwuwuwu, Xiaoxue, I’m really hurt right now. I finally understand how hard your life is every day.”

Chen Xiaorui threw her arms around me. “I’m hurt. Seriously hurt. I need Xiaoxue to comfort me.”

“Okay, okay, okay.”

I patted her head and let out a light laugh. “There, there. Don’t cry.”

“Ah... Xiaoxue, you’re all sweaty again...”

“Xiaoxue, a bunch of us tried this outfit just now, and it didn’t fit anyone.”

Jiang Yuqing at the side brought over a maid outfit. “The anime club said it’s some Izayoi something cosplay costume.”

I turned my head and looked it over. After a brief thought, I said, “Izayoi Sakuya?”

“Yeah, yeah, that one. What anime is she from?”

“That’s not from an anime. She’s a character from Touhou. Kinda old news by now.”

I took the clothes. “You’re using this as a maid outfit to serve customers? Selling snacks?”

“Yeah.”

Jiang Yuqing looked utterly innocent. “Why not? The anime club said this is the only maid outfit they have.”

“It’s not impossible. It’s just that I might be pretty busy these next few days, and I probably won’t be around school much.”

“It’s fine. We’re only just getting started anyway. For now, our business is only in the girls’ dorms. We’ll work on the guys’ side later.”

Jiang Yuqing leaned in a little. “By the way, Xiaoxue, your complexion doesn’t look too good.”

“You could tell even that?”

I put on a surprised look. “Maybe I exercised for too long just now. I’m a little tired.”

As I spoke, I handed Izayoi Sakuya’s cosplay outfit back to Jiang Yuqing.

“I’m going to take a shower.”