Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
When Shu Ran woke up again, the sky was already dimly lit. The temperature on this summer morning was not high, but she was drenched in sweat. The sticky feeling on her body was uncomfortable, and she got up with a weary expression, planning to take a shower.
Fragments of the nightmare from last night automatically replayed in her mind. Shu Ran shook her head, trying to shake off those memories.
As she walked to the bathroom, Shu Ran looked expressionlessly at the mirror, where a red-eyed, haggard version of herself stared back, with messy hair.
A deep sense of helplessness washed over her.
After a while, Shu Ran collected herself and picked up her toothbrush to wash up.
After so many years, this had happened countless times; she had long since gotten used to it.
...
At this time, her family had not yet woken up. Shu Ran quietly crept downstairs, changed into a pair of sneakers at the door, and glanced at the time as she stepped outside: 6:30.
Gently closing the door, she jogged along, enjoying the fresh and tranquil morning air.
The neighborhood where Shu Ran lived was quite old; the residents on the east and west sides had known each other for a long time and got along harmoniously.
Even though it was just past six in the morning, there were quite a few people exercising in the community. As she ran by, they greeted each other with smiles. Grandpa Zhang, who was practicing Tai Chi, saw her and waved her over.
Shu Ran stopped, wiped the sweat from her forehead with a towel, and walked over while sweetly calling out, "Grandpa Zhang."
"Hey, Shu Ran is here." Grandpa Zhang, who is nearly 70 years old, insists on exercising every morning.
As she approached, Grandpa Zhang smiled kindly at her and said, "Come run with me."
"Sure," she replied while helping him to a nearby chair to rest since his legs were not very agile.
Grandpa Zhang waved his hand and sighed helplessly, saying, "My body is not useful anymore."
Shu Ran blinked and playfully said, "Who says that? I think your health is great. You get up early every day to exercise; I can't keep up with you."
Hearing this, Grandpa Zhang smiled, knowing the girl was comforting him.
Shu Ran smiled back.
Grandpa Zhang has been a long-time resident of this community. His wife passed away young due to illness. For so many years, he has been living alone in their home.
He has always been very kind. Shu Ran remembers when she first moved in; she was just a ten-year-old girl. At that time, she was losing her baby teeth, and her mother strictly controlled her candy intake. The ten-year-old girl would inevitably feel envious and crave sweets when she saw her classmates enjoying various candies. Grandpa Zhang knew this and would sometimes give her a piece of chocolate after school, smiling warmly as he bid her goodbye.
Later, after the incident with Shu Ran's father, she felt deeply guilty for a time. Grandpa Zhang patiently guided her through it, sharing many life experiences.
Although Grandpa Zhang has no sons or daughters, he has always treated her like his own granddaughter.
Shu Ran has always been grateful for this.
"By the way, today I have a game of Go scheduled with an old friend. This friend is an excellent player; would you like to come and see?" Grandpa Zhang's greatest interest is playing Go, and he often studies game records in his spare time. As a result, Shu Ran has also learned some of the intricacies of Go from him since childhood.
Shu Ran thought that she had been so busy lately that she hadn't had time to chat or play chess with Grandpa Zhang. Today, she happened to have some free time, so she agreed.
The grandfather and granddaughter chatted about recent hot topics, and gradually more people appeared in the neighborhood.
...
After seeing Grandpa Zhang home, Shu Ran strolled back to her own house.
When she arrived home, the whole family was already up. Her mother and sister-in-law were busy in the kitchen, while her brother and Yuyu were playing in the living room.
Shu Ran greeted them and went upstairs to take a shower.
Today was Sunday, and the students didn't have classes; the milk tea shop was also closed.
It was a rare day off, and the house was quite lively.
Just after Shu Ran finished her shower and was drying her hair, her nephew quietly pushed open the door and peeked in.
"Auntie, can I come in?"
Seeing his quirky expression, Shu Ran couldn't help but laugh.
"Come on in."
As her nephew pushed the door open and walked in, his eyes rolled around, fixated on Shu Ran.
Shu Ran felt a bit puzzled under his gaze. She put down the hairdryer, picked him up, and sat him on her lap, then asked, "What's wrong? Why are you staring at your aunt?"
Nephew seemed to be pondering something. After a moment, he said, "Mom said Aunt is feeling down, so Yuyu should cheer her up. Mom told Yuyu to tell Aunt that every day is a new day and we should live happily." After saying this, he looked at Shu Ran and asked, "Aunt, are you unhappy?"
Upon hearing Yuyu's words, Shu Ran felt a bit touched.
Yu Xinyou was always like this—thoughtful and gentle, like a soft ray of sunshine that warmed the heart.
Shu Ran set Yuyu down, kissed him on the cheek, and smiled as she said, "With Yuyu here, Aunt is very happy." Then she took his hand and asked, "What delicious food did Mom make? Is there Yuyu's favorite steamed egg custard? Let's go check it out."
Upon hearing about the steamed egg custard, Yuyu forgot everything else and ran downstairs holding Shu Ran's hand.
When they reached downstairs, it was just time for breakfast.
Yu Xinyou happened to come out of the kitchen. Shu Ran called out to her sister-in-law, met her gaze, and smiled brightly with gratitude in her eyes.
Yu Xinyou simply smiled lightly in response.
...
After finishing breakfast, Shu Yi planned to take Yu Xinyou and Yuyu to the amusement park and left first.
Shu Ran had also made plans with Grandpa Zhang. She grabbed her bag, said goodbye to Shu Mother, and headed out.
The sky was clear and blue, with a few white clouds drifting lazily.
Shu Ran and Grandpa Zhang stood at the entrance of the community. Before long, an Audi A8 slowly came to a stop, and a middle-aged man got out of the car.
"Uncle Zhang, long time no see! How have you been lately?" the middle-aged man greeted Grandpa Zhang with a smile.
Seeing an old acquaintance, Grandpa Zhang's face lit up as he replied, "Same old, same old. How is Old Qin doing these days?"
"Everything is fine, just missing you. Without you around, playing chess isn't as fun," the middle-aged man said. Then he noticed that there was a young girl standing next to Grandpa Zhang and asked, "Who is this?"
Grandpa Zhang laughed heartily at the question and replied, "I was so busy talking to you that I forgot to introduce her. This is the little girl Shu Ran I've often mentioned to you. She has her own insights on Go, and I brought her along to watch my match with Old Qin and broaden her horizons." He then turned to Shu Ran and introduced her, "This is Uncle Jiang."
Uncle Jiang nodded and greeted her, "Hello, Miss Shu."
Shu Ran quickly replied, "Hello, Uncle Jiang. You can just call me Shu Ran."
Uncle Jiang smiled and nodded, opened the car door, and invited Grandpa Zhang and Shu Ran to get in.
Once they were settled inside, he walked around to the front, got into the driver's seat, slowly turned the steering wheel, and drove away.
Comment 0 Comment Count