Wang An looked at the expression of the person in front of him.
'He's acting like he's reluctantly parting with a treasure. I bet he's secretly thrilled.'
He glanced at the tattered book, which looked as if it had been chewed by a dog. It had probably been sitting here for who knows how long, and nobody would have bought it anyway. It was a stretch to claim it was from the Song Dynasty.
In the end, Wang An still paid for the book. This ancient book should still hold some value. He left the Sheng Bao Zhai store with the ancient book and the two jade pendants.
That same afternoon, he took a train back to his hometown, which was more than three hundred miles away.
When he arrived at the small village in his hometown, it was already past six in the evening, and the sky had completely darkened.
The waning moon hung over the mountains and cast a faint light. The small village nestled between two hills was quiet, and occasionally, the sound of a dog barking could be heard.
This place was called Zhangjiagou, and Wang An had grown up here.
Beside the village entrance, there was an old persimmon tree. Most of its leaves had already fallen, and yellow persimmons hung from the branches. They were beautiful.
Walking along the cement road in the village, he returned to the familiar old house.
When he opened the door, a dim light illuminated the room, and the sound of traditional Chinese opera music drifted out.
The two elderly people enjoyed listening to Chinese opera.
Coughing sounds came from inside the house.
"Who's there?" Upon hearing the door open, an elderly man with slightly hunched shoulders and graying hair walked out of the house.
"Grandma."
"An, why are you back?" The old woman was pleasantly surprised to see Wang An.
Upon hearing the call, another elderly man, also hunched over, emerged from the house.
"Grandpa, what's wrong?" Wang An hurriedly put down what he was holding and went to support him.
"My back hurts. It's an old problem," Wang An's grandfather said.
"Have you eaten? Let me cook for you," said his grandmother.
"Do not bother, I've already eaten. Please sit down, and let's talk," Wang An held the old man's hand.
"The company is on holiday." The old man coughed again.
"You've been coughing for a while. Have you taken any medicine?"
"I've taken medicine, and I'll be fine in a few days." The old man smiled wearily.
Wang An suspected that the old man had not really taken the medicine, so he quickly took out the cold medicine he had bought and gave it to him. Then, he inquired about his grandfather's back pain.
As he looked at the elderly man with white hair and wrinkles all over his face, Wang An felt a deep sense of guilt. Over the years, his grandparents had sacrificed so much for him, but he had done very little for them. He only came back for a brief visit during holidays or made a phone call. Even when he did come back, he only stayed for a few days before hurriedly leaving.
'This time, I will not rush to leave. I'll stay here and accompany them properly.'
In their old age, old people longed for the company of their children and grandchildren. However, they were afraid of causing trouble for them, so they seldom spoke about it themselves.
During holidays, many old people would come out of their homes and stand at the alley or village entrance and look out at the streets in the hopes that their children and grandchildren would return at least once a year.
But sometimes, all they received was a phone call, and they would wait year after year in the same hopes.
Hope had turned into a luxury. Many old people had only each other to rely on. Sometimes, when one of the old couples died, the other one was left alone.
When they fell ill, they endured it and only went to the hospital when they could not bear it anymore. It was because they did not have money, and their children were far away.
"Hmm, you look thinner than when you last came back, but you seem more spirited. An, is your work going well over there?"
"It's good," Wang An said with a smile.
"Have you found a girlfriend?"
This was the question the two old people asked the most. They hoped to see Wang An get married and have children, which was their greatest wish in their lifetime.
"I'm still looking. It'll happen soon."
"When will you bring her here to meet us?" the old man asked.
"Next year."
"You said the same thing last year when you came back." The old man laughed and looked at Wang An fondly.
"What kind of daughter-in-law would you like?"
"It's not me who's getting married. As long as you like her, that's what matters the most. The key is for her to treat you well. It would be best if she's either four years younger or older than you. That's a good match. Being two years younger is also fine..."
Whenever the topic of marriage came up, the old man would talk a lot. Wang An listened quietly beside him.
Suddenly, he felt that listening to these two people nag made him happy.
The room was a bit cold.
Wang An took out the clothes, health supplements, and jade pendants he had bought for the two elderly people.
He felt like he was compensating them, but the more he took out the things from his book, the more he felt that he owed them too much… far too much.
"Hey, why did you buy so many things? It must have cost a lot of money."
"It's okay Grandma. It did not cost a lot. I have money."
"Even if you have money, you should not spend it recklessly. You need to save it. You still need to buy a house, a car, and get married!" said the old man.
However, he did look happy as he said it.
At night, the mountain village was very quiet. There was no sound of cars and traffic.
Wang An lay on the bed and occasionally heard coughing from the next room.
In the morning, when he got up, his grandfather had already started a fire and was preparing breakfast.
Wang An hurriedly stepped forward to help.
Noodles, eggs, pickled vegetables… A simple breakfast with a familiar taste.
Wang An had two large bowls of it.
"It's not enough. Let me make more for you."
"It's enough," Wang An smiled and said.
After breakfast, he helped the two elderly people tidy up the courtyard and the house.
Then, he rode his bike to town to buy a lot of rice, noodles, beef, and pork.
He also made an appointment with a doctor online and prepared to take his grandparents to the county for a comprehensive physical examination the next day. Then, he would try to find a doctor to check his grandfather's back. If necessary, he would take the old man to Hu An City.
After finishing his chores, Wang An started practicing the Five Animal Forms and Tai Chi in the courtyard.
"An, what are you practicing? It looks strange," said his grandmother with a smile.
"The Five Animal Forms and Tai Chi. Both of you can practice them to improve your health. By the way, Grandpa's back is not well, so practicing the Five Animal Forms will be good for strengthening his lower back."
Wang An's eyes lit up, and he called out to his grandfather, who was lying on the bed. He told him to come and learn the Five Animal Forms with him.
"I do not want to practice. It looks strange," the old man waved his hand dismissively and was about to return to his room to lie down.
"These are authentic Five Animal Forms, Grandpa. I experienced it myself. It's definitely good for your health. Give it a try."
"Yes, give it a try," Grandma chimed in.
In the end, the old man could not resist Wang An's persuasion and joined him in practicing the Five Animal Forms.