"Then what?"

Chu Yuying had a straw in her mouth, her hands cupping her face as she listened quietly.

Feng Yang's storytelling ability was quite good; Chu Yuying felt like she was listening to a story from a bygone era, which wasn't boring at all.

This is very rare.

After all, it was already quite remarkable that the clients Chu Yuying had encountered before could recount their experiences completely without any grammatical errors.

In most cases, Chu Yuying needs to spend a long time figuring out what the client is trying to say.

People with the ability to narrate clearly are actually quite rare...

"Then... it was my third birthday, and my grandfather gave me a longevity lock. This is actually quite common. Many elders hope that their younger generations will have a smooth and safe life, and the longevity lock is also a symbol. However, I didn't understand these things at the time, but since it was a gift from my grandfather, I have been wearing it ever since."

"Later... my grandfather passed away from lymphoma. The doctor said it was because he didn't take care of his health when he was young and did too much hard work, which caused his body to break down. He died in his fifties... Actually, in today's environment where longevity is common, this age is considered the prime of life, but he passed away just like that, which is quite a pity."

“Our family’s circumstances have improved, and we’ve moved from the village to the city, but my grandfather only suffered and didn’t get to enjoy his retirement for long before he passed away…”

Feng Yang sighed softly; it was clear that he missed his grandfather very much.

"Gone? Sigh... My condolences. What about that old dog?"

Chu Yuying blinked. She had thought the old dog was gone, which was why she had the question, "Can the dead come back to life?" Now it seemed...

It seems the situation isn't as I thought?

“After my grandfather passed away, he never contacted my family again, and he didn’t even come to my grandfather’s funeral. For a long time, I thought that Lao Gou and my grandfather were just superficial brothers, and that once a person dies, the friendship ends.”

"But just recently, about three days ago, I lost the longevity lock that I always wear."

At this point, Feng Yang clenched his fist, and from Chu Yuying's angle, she could even see the bulging veins on the back of his hand. She immediately perked up, realizing that the story was about to reach a conclusion.

“That was a gift from my grandfather. I’ve always cherished it and never even took it off when I showered. I always wore it… but I lost it. I don’t even know when I lost it. I just suddenly felt a bit of emptiness around my neck one day, and by the time I realized it, it was gone.”

"I searched for a long time, almost turning the house upside down, but I still couldn't find it. It was a three-day holiday, and I stayed at home the whole time and didn't go anywhere else. I still find this strange. How could it have been lost?"

Feng Yang sighed.

"Some things are like that. When you need them, you can't find them anywhere, but a few days later they reappear on their own. Maybe your longevity lock is like that too?"

Chu Yuying comforted her.

"Perhaps... but the real reason I came to see you this time is because of something that happened yesterday."

"After the opening ceremony yesterday, I was playing games at home when I suddenly received a call from Lao Gou, asking me to pick him up. He said he was visiting the city and would like to stop by to see me. So I went. He was still the same as before, looking scary, but I wasn't scared."

Do you know what his first words were when he arrived?

Feng Yang swallowed hard, a hint of lingering fear flickering in his eyes.

What is it?

Chu Yuying looked at Feng Yang seriously, and for no reason, a chill suddenly ran through her heart.

She knew the story was nearing its end, and Feng Yang's request was just around the corner.

He asked me if I had lost my longevity lock.

"I felt completely numb at the time. I wanted to offer him a cigarette, but my hand was frozen and I couldn't move it. Old Dog just stood there smiling. He had yellow teeth and wasn't very tall. He didn't say anything, just smiled."

"I'll never forget that smile...it's so eerie."

Feng Yang covered his face with his hands, sniffed, seemingly trying to calm his agitated emotions. Before Chu Yuying could ask, he continued, "I asked him how he knew, and he said that the longevity lock was useless and should have been thrown away long ago. He asked me what my grandfather said when he gave me the longevity lock?"

"I said I was born with a weak fate and a weak soul, and that I wouldn't live to adulthood without a lock. This was something I heard my grandfather let slip when we were chatting later. He thought I had forgotten, but I had never forgotten all these years. Old Dog scolded me, saying, 'Bullshit, even with this lock, it won't hold you in. This thing is completely useless. Otherwise, where would so many children die young?'"

"Actually, I was already a little indignant when I heard this. No matter what my grandfather's intentions were in giving me the longevity lock, it was the last thing he left me, and I couldn't let others belittle it. So I confronted him and said that saying I had a weak life force was also nonsense."

"He laughed again, that eerie laugh. I can't describe what that laugh was like. Just imagine the laugh of villains in movies and TV shows when they're confident their plans have succeeded, and that's about it... Later I told him not to laugh, that I already knew it was just something my grandfather made up to scare me, but he still laughed."

"Then, he probably realized I was angry and was afraid I would turn around and leave, so he finally stopped laughing. He then told me that my grandfather was tough and survived the fleeing disaster, escaping from Yuzhou to here, and even managed to raise such a large family to the point where they could buy a house in the city. How could someone with such a tough life die so young?"

Feng Yang's narration was like that of a wind-up puppet, and his emotions gradually became agitated. Chu Yuying did not interrupt him anymore, but instead rested her chin on her hand and listened quietly.

In this situation, customers don't need your comfort; all they need to do is be a good listener.

"Then I felt something was wrong, so I kept asking him questions. I even gave him a pack of cigarettes, and I wanted to invite him to my house for a while, but he didn't come. So we chatted downstairs. Old Dog repeated again that my grandfather was tough, incredibly tough, and living to be a hundred would not be a problem. Why did he die so young?"

"Old Dog couldn't persuade me, and finally told me the truth... a truth that I still can't accept. The reason my grandfather died so young was because he lent me his life when I was born. He said it was true that I was born with a weak life. That night, I had a C-section for more than seven hours. My mother almost died when she gave birth to me. She said that I should have died right after I came out that night."

"He lent me his life, so in exchange, he died just as I came of age."

"The longevity lock is useless. It was just something the old man wanted to leave me as a keepsake. Old Dog said it's gone if it's lost. It should have disappeared after my grandfather died. Now it's a few more years of remembrance."

"No matter how many times I pray, I cannot give birth. I will exchange my life for my grandson's..."