“Welcome everyone to the Dajiale Dance Hall, to share this moment that only comes once in a thousand years. We’re about to enter the new millennium. Let’s bless together, cheer together, and make our tomorrow even better! Now, let’s shout out our inner desires and get ready to count down… 10, 9, 8… 3, 2, 1, Yeah… A new year, a new beginning. Happy New Year to everyone!”
Lan Lan closed her eyes, hoping for her family’s health in the new year, and for her career and love to go smoothly. With this thought, she suddenly had a feeling that something would happen today.
Tired, Lan Lan and Zhang Li walked back to her rented room. Her house was next to the factory, a single room for only 120 yuan a month, in a newly developed area with poor roads.
Zhang Li lived in a dormitory where returning after midnight was prohibited, so she stayed over at Lan Lan’s place. Her boyfriend, who was drunk, was carried home by a colleague.
The nearly empty road felt cold and desolate as they approached a small bridge at the village entrance. Next to the bridge was a large banana plantation. People said spirits were seen there at dawn, making girls uneasy when passing by at night.
“Lan Lan, I’m scared!”
“Don’t scare yourself. Nothing’s going to happen.”
“Look, what’s that?” Zhang Li pointed at a dark pile under the banana trees.
It was too far to see clearly, and the recent stories of madmen and ghosts made Lan Lan nervous. “Let’s run quickly!”
As they ran, they glanced back and saw a black figure chasing them, shouting, “Don’t run, stop!”
Zhang Li screamed, “Mama, a ghost! Help! A ghost!”
Her shrill cry made people peek out their windows, asking, “What happened?” But the two were too terrified to hear anything, sprinting as if possessed.
Suddenly, Lan Lan tripped and fell hard. “Ouch, it hurts!” Tears welled up.
“Are you okay?” a gentle male voice asked.
In her panic, Lan Lan thought it was a ghost and cried, “Mama, protect me!”
Ignoring the pain, they reached their rented room and collapsed on the floor, covered in cold sweat.
The next morning, Lan Lan discovered her swollen mouth and lost pager. Unable to work, she asked Zhang Li for a day off, frustrated by the previous night’s events, which she blamed on Zhang Li’s scare tactics.
After changing into fresh autumn clothes, she felt satisfied with her appearance. Her elegant face and magnetic personality made her confident.
As she walked by the bridge and banana plantation, she realized the dark pile she had seen was just coal covered with an old blanket, left there by recent rain. She laughed at her earlier imagination.
An old man’s voice called her: “Miss! Miss!” She turned to see a white-haired, ragged man with kind eyes.
“I feel we have a connection. Could you spare some food?” he asked, appearing pitiful. Although skeptical, she felt moved and gave him ten yuan.
“Thank you! Good deeds bring good fortune!” he exclaimed.
The next day after work, she noticed a crowd at the garbage dump. Pushing through, she saw a person lying and groaning in pain, but no one was helping.
Lan Lan, seeing the person’s condition, turned to Zhang Li, “Should we take him to the hospital?”
“No way. Look how dirty he is,” Zhang Li shook her head.
“Is cleanliness more important than saving a life? Hurry up!”
“Did you bring money?”
“I have just over 200, but I don’t care. Let’s send him to the hospital first!”
“Quick, call a car!”
With everyone’s help, they carried the sick elderly man into the taxi and took him to Buji People’s Hospital’s emergency room. Fortunately, the hospital treated him even though the money wasn’t enough.
After the examination, the doctor said, “It’s acute appendicitis. Surgery is needed. Who is his family to sign the consent?”
“None of us are his family. We’re just passersby who found him lying on the roadside.”
“We can’t delay, or he’ll die!” the doctor said anxiously.
“What can we do? We can’t find his family. Can I sign?”
“That’s the only way! Without a signature, we won’t perform the surgery! Hurry!”
Lan Lan signed nervously, “Zhang Li, wait here. I’ll go get money.”
She returned with 2000 yuan. After waiting, the operating room door finally opened.
“How is he, doctor?”
“Surgery successful. Come with me!”
In the doctor’s office, he wrote hospital and medication orders. “Go pay first! He’ll be hospitalized for observation. He can be discharged if the wound doesn’t get infected!”
“Thank you, doctor!” They hurriedly expressed gratitude. The doctor’s attitude was quite good, unlike other doctors who seemed unapproachable.
They paid at the cashier – 758 yuan. But the trouble was just beginning.
[Text: Chapter Five – Grandfather and Grandson]
Due to her limited finances, Lan Lan booked a standard ward. After the surgery, Zhang Li went with the doctor. Once everything was arranged, she went out to buy boxed meals and fruits for herself and Zhang Li, and bought clothes for the old man. Exhausted, she could finally rest.
Wait! Why does this old man look so familiar? She realized he was the grandfather who had asked her for ten yuan yesterday. What a coincidence.
“Zhang Li, it’s getting late. You should go home and sleep. You have work tomorrow! I can watch him alone!”
“Okay, take care of yourself!” Zhang Li instructed before leaving.
So, Lan Lan worked during the day and cared for the old man at night. She learned the old man’s surname was Long. When asked where he was from, he hesitated, only saying he was looking for relatives.
“Hehe, I’m looking for my grandson’s wife, so that counts as finding relatives!” Grandpa Long chuckled to himself, smiling at Lan Lan as she looked puzzled.
Watching her pour fish soup into a bowl, Grandpa Long thought, “This girl is nice, beautiful, and kind-hearted. That boy should definitely take a look. I’ll test her a bit more!”
“Grandpa Long, you can be discharged tomorrow. What are your plans?” Lan Lan asked. Despite feeling tired after four days in the hospital, she was still concerned for the old man, who reminded her of her dearly departed grandfather.
“Discharged? So soon?” He swallowed the fish soup, reluctant to leave. To win over this potential granddaughter-in-law, he put on a pitiful act.
“My relative is still not found, and I’m out of money. I have nowhere to go now. I wouldn’t have asked you for money that day otherwise!” He wiped away a couple of tears.
“Is that so? Would you like to come home with me? Although I’m not rich, I’ll make sure you’re never hungry.”
“That would be great!” Grandpa Long laughed with joy; he hadn’t expected success to come so easily. He would need to teach her to be more cautious about strangers later.
And so, the grandfather and granddaughter-like pair lived together for half a year, their bond closer than actual blood relatives.
“Lan Lan, you’re buying groceries again?” Zhang Li asked.
“Yes, Grandpa Long hasn’t been feeling well lately, so I’m buying some nutritious ingredients to make soup for him.”
“You’re such a kind-hearted person! I wonder who’ll be lucky enough to marry you!”
“Oh, stop it!” Lan Lan blushed. “Meeting is fate. If I can help, I will. If I can’t, I’ll do my best.”
Lan Lan enjoyed helping others and was often approached for loans because she never refused.
“So how long are you planning to take care of this old man?”
“We’ll see when the time comes! Gotta go now!”
She bought groceries and rang the doorbell, but no one answered. “Strange, Grandpa Long is always home. Where could he have gone?”
Entering the apartment, she called, “Grandpa! Grandpa!” No response. She saw a note on the table in Grandpa Long’s distinctive calligraphy.
Little Lan:
