Chapter Two [Got Too Excited?]
Chen Yan is drawing a tile.
When he arrived home just now, the old lady had no intention of greeting him, so Chen Yan had to find a small stool and sit by the side.
Just watching is not enough!
When the old lady went to the bathroom, Chen Yan had to step in and play a hand!
Looking at the row of tiles in front of him...
One Bamboo One Bamboo / Five Six Seven Ten Thousands / Two Ten Thousands Two Ten Thousands Two Ten Thousands / Four Five Seven Dots...
Chen Yan suddenly felt a bit dazed.
Wait, why did I come back again?!
I was grieving for several hours on this journey!
A two-and-a-half-hour high-speed train, an hour-long bus ride, plus walking three miles!
I almost cried before I came in, you know that, old lady?!
Huh? This hand's not bad.
Discard the Seven Dots, listening for Three or Six Dots...
Wait, what am I even thinking about!
My emotions are all over the place!
Chen Yan felt his head was all jumbled up.
He turned his head, and the old lady was sitting next to him on a stool, gnawing on a cleaned sweet potato.
She looked at Chen Yan, snapped the sweet potato in half with a crunch, and handed him a piece.
"Want a bite?"
"...Old lady, you sure have some strength."
·
Around five o'clock in the evening, after finishing today's eight rounds, the old tile-mates started to bid farewell.
They saw off Mrs. Zhang and Xu the Lame. The last to leave was Uncle Niu, who ran a small shop.
Before Uncle Niu left, the old lady stopped him.
"Old Niu."
"What's up?" Uncle Niu lost ten yuan and eighty cents today and was not in a good mood: "I counted the money right! I gave none less!"
The old lady smiled warmly, looked Old Niu over, sighed softly, and waved her hand: "Never mind, I foresaw something that's going to happen in your family... But by the time it does, you'll already be gone.
No need to mention it, no need to add to the worries."
Old Niu froze—wait a minute, is that good news?
But since Uncle Niu was familiar with the old lady, knowing she usually talked nonsense, he laughed and scolded: "Messing with me again? I'm going to the county to see my grandson tomorrow morning; we'll play again next week."
The old lady squinted and smiled without saying a word, sending Old Niu off.
Now, the grandparent and grandchild could finally have their 1V1.
They stared at each other for a while, Chen Yan couldn't hold it in first.
"Old lady, did you win Uncle Niu's meat money again? Old Niu's family will have to eat vegetarian these days."
"Doesn't matter, Old Niu has high blood fat; eating less meat is good for him. Maybe he'll live a few years longer."
The old lady smiled kindly, turned around, and went into the kitchen, taking out a bowl of cold powder from the cupboard.
"Made of mung bean powder. Knowing you'd come back, I had someone send it over this afternoon. The sesame oil is in the cupboard, get it yourself."
No!! We haven't even finished talking, what's with the cold powder?
Chen Yan looked at the bowl of cold powder, angrily drooling.
Steadying himself, taking a deep breath, Chen Yan stared at the old lady.
"The old village chief called me."
"Hmm. So? Is he sponsoring a stand-up comedy show?"
Chen Yan rolled his eyes.
The old lady was something else, looks like you've been using the Penguin membership I got you, huh?
The old lady took a drag on her cigarette, walked over, and closed the living room's main door, with Chen Yan chasing behind her.
"The old village chief said you fainted yesterday morning and went to the hospital?"
"Yeah, went and came back." The old lady said casually.
"What do you mean?"
"Going to the hospital was useless, so I came back." The old lady remained indifferent.
Chen Yan was stunned: "Then why did you faint? Heatstroke? That can't be, it's almost snowing soon with this weather."
The old lady didn't answer, she walked back to the table, looked at the cold powder on the table, took a bite with her chopsticks herself, smacked her lips, and gave Chen Yan a sideways glance: "It's pretty good, you really won't have some?"
Chen Yan scratched his head hard, feeling agitated: "Grandma, ancestor, what's actually wrong with you? Are you okay or not?"
"Ah, nothing much," the old lady said as she ate the cold powder, looking nonchalant, "but speaking of it, it was right to call you back."
Chen Yan forced a bitter smile: "Go ahead."
The old lady put down her chopsticks and looked at Chen Yan with a smile.
"Well... if I told you I'm about to die, would you believe me?"
Chen Yan: o_o…
·
Two seconds later.
"What?"
Chen Yan jumped up.
The old lady waved her hand good-naturedly with a very calm and kind attitude: "Don't get all worked up yet.
That's just the way it is. I calculated it myself, there's one day left."
Chen Yan got even more anxious!
"Stop this nonsense, will you? Ancestor!" Saying that, he reached out to grab the old lady's arm: "Let's go!! I'm taking you to the hospital! Right now!"
"Alright, I told you the hospital is useless." The old lady casually flicked away Chen Yan's hand, took a leisurely drag on her cigarette... The old lady was really calm, even did a little trick.
Yeah, that kind, a drag to the mouth, not into the trachea, exhaling the smoke straight from the mouth, and then inhaling it through the nose.
Just that little trick, you wouldn't pull it off without at least ten years of smoking, not without getting tracheitis seven or eight times.
·
The old lady, smiling softly, said: "Really no need to go to the hospital; I calculated it myself, it's the end of my life!
It's destiny. Your grandma has...
With that, she looked at the clock on the wall... Hmm? The hanging clock wasn't moving, the battery hadn't been changed and had stopped long ago.
The old lady casually grabbed Chen Yan's phone from the table, glanced at the time on the phone.
"... I have eighteen hours and forty-three minutes of life left."