At this time,

The Lin family in Haibi Village.

Grandma was worshipping in the courtyard, and the light in her eyes had dimmed considerably.

Twice in a row, she overexerted herself to the last bit of her strength, and her temples had turned much grayer.

Everything before her eyes seemed to blur, and she knew her vision would never return to its former clarity.

The candles on the table had burned down to the very bottom, and the strong smell of wax filled the air.

Grandma picked up the bamboo tube with the candle inside and placed it in the corner of the yard.

She clasped her hands together, muttered something, and then opened her eyes, as if all her strength had been drained away. She slowly walked to the wicker chair and sat down.

twice.

One time it was his granddaughter, and the other time it was his adopted son.

Lin Atai sighed, sat down in the rocking rattan chair, and lowered her eyelids slightly.

Not much time left...

Knock, knock,

creak…

As night deepened, moonlight shone down, casting dappled shadows of trees on the ground.

The chubby girl carried a clay pot into the yard. "Grandma, aren't you asleep?"

Lin Atai slowly opened her eyes, a smile curving her lips.

"Did you cook seafood congee in a clay pot?"

"Hmm, I saw the yard light was still on, so I brought the casserole over too." The chubby girl put down the casserole, saw the small table in the corner, and walked over to get it.

Only one light was on at the entrance. Moths flew towards the bulb, and several fell to the ground, leaving a layer of white powder. They flew up again after a short while, seemingly enjoying themselves.

In the past, people were drawn to the flame like moths to a flame; now they're drawn to the lamp.

"Are you riding a bicycle? How can you run so fast?" Aunt Chen asked as she carried the tray through the yard.

The chubby girl twitched her lips slightly, but didn't reply when she saw the sauerkraut and shrimp paste on the tray.

Grandma got up, went into the main room, and brought out a few rattan chairs, placing them next to the small table.

She always feels empty when her children aren't home.

Granny Lan wanted her to stay at the He family's place for a while, but she refused.

"Where are Mengmeng and Doudou?" The chubby girl looked into the dark room.

“They live at the He family’s place.” Grandma took a sip of porridge and nodded repeatedly.

The day she returned to Fuzhou, she was so anxious that she couldn't eat anything, which frightened Granny Lan and Grandma Lu.

The chubby girl brings food over almost every day, basically just to keep her company and have a bite to eat.

She knew that the hair at her temples had turned quite white.

Outsiders all assumed that she was anxious, which was why she acted this way.

"We've found Jiaojiao and the others. Grandma, you need to relax and not think too much." The chubby girl looked at her white hair, her eyes slightly red.

Aunt Chen said, "That's right. I need to recover my health these few days, otherwise the children will worry when they come back."

Grandma nodded, eating the porridge in the pot without tasting any flavor.

The chubby girl's heart skipped a beat when she saw her expression.

Grandma looks at least five years older, and her eyes don't seem as sharp as before.

It's as if you can't see them now; they weren't even picked up from the casserole.

She had a bad feeling.

…

The chubby girl returned home, put down the casserole, and hurried back to the inner room.

After taking a shower, Cao De was studying at his desk.

He read many books on aquaculture, and the more he learned, the more he realized how little he knew.

Now he watches it for half an hour every day when he comes home.

The door opened, and he turned to see his wife enter the room looking worried. His eyelids twitched.

"What happened? Didn't you find Jiaojiao and the others?" Cao De put down his book, got up and went over.

The chubby girl sat down on the wooden sofa and shook her head. "I'm panicking."

"Auntie is acting strangely."

Cao De said, "He was probably frightened. A bad mood can also affect one's energy and spirit."

The chubby girl shook her head, seemingly unconcerned about the matter.

She always felt that her great-grandmother seemed to have been drained of her energy and was barely hanging on by a thread.

But she dared not say it aloud, for fear that it would come true.

"Don't overthink it. Ayan and the others will be back in a few days, right?" Cao De thought she was overthinking things and being overly anxious.

He had never seen anyone like Lin Atai, who was over ninety years old, yet still in good health and could run while carrying two buckets of water.

I heard that he even got into a fight with an old lady in the village a couple of years ago.

He had heard villagers say that Lin Atai was a sorceress, but at the time he thought they were just joking.

Now he thinks it's very likely.

For example, at the Wei Family Ancestral Hall, after Lin Atai went to perform a ritual, nothing bad happened.

The Lin family seems to always manage to escape danger and turn misfortune into good fortune whenever they encounter a crisis.

"I really hope they come back sooner," the chubby girl murmured.

"Don't overthink it. At worst, we can take the little dumpling to the Lin family's courtyard every day to chat with Grandma," Cao De continued to reassure her.

The chubby girl frowned. Was she chatting with Grandma? It seemed more like Grandma should be playing with the little dumpling, which would take more energy.

She hasn't had much work lately, but she's managed to bring some work back with her, so she can handle anything that comes up.

"Are you going to the city tomorrow?" the chubby girl suddenly remembered and blurted out.

Cao De's older brother has been hospitalized for a week, and he needs to go to the city hospital to see him.

The chubby girl was originally going to go with them, but now she doesn't want to go anymore.

“Well, you don’t need to go. They just want money, right? I’ll lend them some and have them write up an IOU.” Cao De’s eyes darkened slightly.

Now that things are better for him, his older brothers have come knocking on his door again.

He can lend you some money if you're sick and hospitalized, but it's impossible for him to take all the money out of his own pocket.

Now he's not alone; he has to support his family.

Cao De has a sense of justice; he helps where he can, but he won't take on too much responsibility.

When he got married, they didn't even give him a one-yuan red envelope.

It's not that they don't have the money, but that they look down on their younger brother.

Adding to the wedding pranks, Cao De was heartbroken and no longer wanted to have anything to do with them.

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