Chapter 7 The Strange Old Man in the Cowshed Next Door
The first rays of sunlight in the morning did not bring much warmth to Linjiagou.
Winter in this remote mountain valley is so cold it feels like it's freezing your very bones into ice crystals.
Zhao Di was still curled up in her blankets, fast asleep.
In her dream, the fairy uncle gave her a huge candied hawthorn.
The candied hawthorns were bright red, coated with glistening sugar syrup. One bite and they were crunchy and sweet and sour.
The little girl smacked her lips, drool dripping from the corner of her mouth onto the pillow, soaking a small patch of the patched pillowcase.
"Candy...eat..."
Zhao Di mumbled in a daze.
Just then, that always cold, yet sometimes nagging voice rang in her mind.
[Host, wake up! The sun's high in the sky!]
Wake up! Your golden opportunity has arrived!
Get up and get to work! If you don't work harder, your dad will starve again!
Zhao Di was woken up by the noise.
She rubbed her sleepy eyes, her little face flushed, with two red marks left by the blanket.
"Uncle... what is a golden thigh?"
"Is it edible? Is it a roasted chicken leg?"
Zhao Di slurped her saliva, her mind filled with the aroma of meat wafting from the village chief's house during that Chinese New Year.
system:【……】
The system sensed that its core code was about to overheat.
[Not food! It's a person! Someone who will make you feel like you can walk sideways from now on!]
Listen, a strange old man just moved into that dilapidated cowshed next door.
That's your future support, a great treasure of the nation; you must go and offer him warmth and care!
[Side Quest Released: Offering Help in Times of Need.]
[Mission Objective: Establish a friendly relationship with the key figure Chen Zhiyuan and provide him with at least 500 calories.]
[Task Reward: One pack of White Rabbit Creamy Candy (System Special High-Calcium Version).]
Upon hearing "White Rabbit Milk Candy," Zhao Di's eyes widened instantly, becoming as big as saucers.
She didn't recognize the word, but she understood the word "sugar"!
"Candy! Zhao Di wants candy!"
The little girl jumped out of bed in a flash, moving as nimbly as a little monkey.
Although the cave was as cold as an icebox, what did a little cold matter for the sake of sugar!
At this moment, Lin Jianguo had already gotten up.
He was sitting in front of the stove, tending the fire.
On that injured leg, the trouser leg was bulging, and underneath it was the "iron frame" that had been hammered all night.
After a night of adjustment, he can walk without crutches, although he is still a little stiff.
That feeling of being grounded made this tough guy feel incredibly at ease.
"Zhao Di is awake? Is she hungry?"
Hearing the noise, Lin Jianguo turned around and glanced at his daughter, his eyes filled with tenderness.
"Dad, I'm not hungry."
As Zhao Di clumsily put on her tattered cotton-padded jacket, she said in her childish voice, "I want to go out and play."
Lin Jianguo frowned.
"It's cold outside, don't go too far. And..."
He paused, then lowered his voice, "Don't go to the village entrance, listen to me."
The commotion caused by that "Cerberus" yesterday was huge.
Although Lai Tou Li was scared away, the village is now buzzing with rumors that the Lin family is haunted by monsters.
Right now, who knows how many eyes are staring at their dilapidated cave dwelling.
"Yes! Zhao Di is playing in the mud at the door!"
The little girl agreed crisply.
She put on her tattered cloth shoes with her toes sticking out and rushed out of the cave like a small cannonball.
The snow outside has stopped, but the wind is still howling.
Zhao Di shrank her neck and put her two small hands in her sleeves.
Following the instructions of the fairy uncle, she took her short legs and walked towards the abandoned cowshed next door.
That cowshed was only a few dozen meters away from the Lin family's house.
It was drafty on all sides, and the thatch on the roof was half rotten. Even the village stray dogs didn't like to go there.
But now, there were a few unfamiliar footprints at the entrance of the cowshed.
Zhao Di peeked inside cautiously.
In the dark and damp corner of the cowshed, there was a pile of rotten straw.
On the straw, a thin, bony old man was curled up.
The old man was wearing a thin, old Zhongshan suit, covered in patches and grease stains.
His hair was gray and messy, like a chicken coop.
His face was ashen, his lips were purple from the cold, and he was huddled there coughing incessantly.
"Cough cough cough... cough cough..."
The sound was so loud it sounded like someone was coughing up their lungs; it was terrifying to hear.
Is this the "golden thigh" that the fairy uncle was talking about?
Zhao Di tilted her head, looking a little confused.
This old man looks even more pitiful than the beggar at the village entrance. He doesn't look like he has a powerful backer to cling to.
[Foolish host! Don't judge a book by its cover!]
The system gave a disappointed reminder.
[This is Chen Zhiyuan! One of the top mechanical dynamicists in China! If it weren't for his demotion due to political issues, you'd never even get to see a big shot like him normally!]
[Hurry! Take advantage of his current downfall and try to improve his favorability!]
Zhao Di didn't understand what a mechanical dynamicist was.
But she could tell that the old man was very cold and hungry.
Just like the day Father fainted.
A sudden wave of discomfort washed over Zhao Di.
She remembered the task the system had given her: to play in the mud at the doorway.
"Uncle, can I get candy if I play in the mud?"
[Yes! See that pile of black soil by the door? Go and shape it into a ball!]
The system just made things up.
Actually, it detected trace amounts of rare earth elements in the soil and wanted the host to purify it for sample analysis.
Zhao Di obediently squatted at the entrance of the cowshed.
Although her hands were red from the cold, she still carefully dug into the hard, frozen black soil.
"Pinch it round... pinch it round..."
The little girl muttered to herself, her breath turning into puffs of white mist in the cold wind.
Chen Zhiyuan, inside the cowshed, heard the commotion outside.
He struggled to open his cloudy eyes.
Yesterday, he and the exploration team arrived at this godforsaken place.
They call it an exploration team, but in reality, they've just sent these "stinking intellectuals" here for "re-education."
The captain didn't like him, so he threw him into this drafty cowshed without even giving him a blanket.
He almost froze to death that night.
Right now, he was cold and hungry, and his stomach felt like it was being scratched by a hand, burning with pain.
He saw the little baby squatting by the door.
Whose child is that?
Dressed in such tattered clothes, her little face was frozen like a purple eggplant, yet she was still foolishly playing in the mud.
Chen Zhiyuan gave a wry smile.
In this world, even adults can't survive, let alone children.
He wanted to call the child home so he wouldn't get too cold.
But my throat was so dry it felt like it was on fire, and I couldn't make a sound at all.
Just then.
Zhao Di finally managed to mold a clay ball that wasn't quite round.
[Ding! Mission complete!]
[Rare earth element purified samples have been included.]
[Reward: One pack of White Rabbit milk candy (opened, 5 loose pieces).]
Zhao Di suddenly felt a weight in her hand.
The clay ball I was holding was gone, replaced by several hard, slippery things.
Those are milk candies wrapped in red, blue and white candy wrappers!
A rich, milky aroma wafted into my nose, even through the candy wrapper.
Zhao Di's eyes lit up instantly.
She swallowed hard.
I really want to eat it.
This is candy!
In all her life, she had only ever eaten candy once, and that was half a piece of rock candy that her father had saved from between his teeth.
But……
Zhao Di glanced at the old man in the cowshed.
The old man was still coughing, and his body was shaking like a leaf.
The fairy uncle said he wanted to bring warmth to this old man.
If I don't send them, will I not get any candy?
Moreover, my father said that good children should know how to share.
Zhao Di sniffled, her nose snot about to spill out, and made an extremely difficult decision.
Clutching the few candies tightly, she took small, quick steps and walked into the cowshed.
"grandfather……"
Zhao Di called out timidly.
Chen Zhiyuan was stunned.
He watched as the tiny child, barely reaching his knees, rolled towards him like a little snowball.
Those big eyes, clear and bright, were as clean as the spring water in the mountains.
There was no disdain, no contempt, only pure curiosity and concern.
"Baby... baby..."
Chen Zhiyuan tried to force a kind smile with a hoarse voice, but it looked worse than crying.
"Grandpa, have some candy."
Zhao Di stretched out her little hands, which were red from the cold.
In my palm lies a White Rabbit milk candy with its wrapper unwrapped.
The milky white sugar cubes were dazzlingly white in the dimly lit cowshed.
Chen Zhiyuan was startled.
White Rabbit?
This is a rare item!
In an era when even sweet potato noodles were not enough to fill our stomachs, this one piece of candy could be exchanged for several pounds of coarse grains!
Where did this child come from?
Moreover, she actually wanted to feed this "bad element"?
"Grandpa doesn't want to eat...you eat..."
Chen Zhiyuan instinctively refused.
He's an old man, so he's gone. Don't waste such a good thing.
"Grandpa, eat this! It will stop your cough!"
Zhao Di stubbornly tried to put the candy to Chen Zhiyuan's mouth.
That sweet, milky aroma was like a hook, luring Chen Zhiyuan's already parched body into an instinctive longing.
"Eat up, it's from the fairy uncle, it's so sweet."
Zhao Di blinked her big eyes and looked at him expectantly.
Looking into the child's clear eyes, Chen Zhiyuan's eyes suddenly welled up with tears.
Ever since he was labeled a "stinking intellectual," he has endured countless scornful looks and cold treatment.
Unexpectedly, in this desolate wilderness, it was a three-year-old child who gave him his only warmth.
He opened his mouth, trembling.
Zhao Di stuffed the candy into his mouth.
That instant.
The rich aroma of milk and sweetness explodes on the tip of your tongue.
That was the taste of long-lost happiness.
That's the taste of hope for survival.
The candy slid down my throat, turning into a warm current that quickly spread throughout my body.
My head, which had been feeling a bit dizzy due to low blood sugar, instantly cleared up considerably.
Is it sweet?
Zhao Di licked the tiny bit of icing sugar off her finger and asked expectantly.
"Sweet...so sweet..."
Chen Zhiyuan was overcome with emotion and tears streamed down his face.
This isn't candy at all.
This is a life-saving elixir!
[Ding! Target's favorability has been increased to "Life-and-Death Friendship"!]
This old man is so easy to please; he was moved to tears by just one piece of candy.
The system mentally complained to Zhao Di.
[But then again, these days, a piece of candy is indeed more valuable than gold.]
[Host, well done! You've secured your golden opportunity now!]
Zhao Di couldn't understand the system's rambling.
All she knew was that after Grandpa ate the candy, he stopped trembling and coughing.
"Grandpa, is there anything else?"
Like a proud daughter presenting a treasure, she stuffed the remaining four candies into Chen Zhiyuan's tattered pocket.
"Give them all to Grandpa, he can keep them to eat slowly."
Although the little girl was a little reluctant, she still acted very generously.
Chen Zhiyuan panicked.
"No! No, baby!"
"This is too precious! Keep it for yourself!"
He wanted to take the candy out and return it to Zhao Di.
But those frozen hands wouldn't obey my commands.
"Zhao Di still has some!"
Zhao Di patted her bulging little pocket (which was actually empty; she was just bragging), and smiled, revealing her two little tiger teeth.
"Grandpa, would you like some water?"
"There's hot water at Zhao Di's house."
Looking at this sensible child who was so heartbreaking, Chen Zhiyuan felt as if a wad of cotton was stuck in his throat.
He nodded, tears streaming down his face.
"Grandpa wants to drink water..."
"Grandpa, wait here. Zhaodi, go and call Dad!"
After the little girl finished speaking, she turned and ran outside.
Like a happy little bird.
Chen Zhiyuan watched that small figure disappear into the wind and snow.
His heart, which had long since turned cold, suddenly warmed up again.
There are still children like this in this country.
There are still such pure souls.
So what does it matter if he suffers a little?
As long as it's for these children and for the future of this country, he'd be willing to work in this cowshed for the rest of his life!
"Linjiagou...what a wonderful place..."
Chen Zhiyuan chewed on the candy in his mouth and muttered to himself.
He didn't know.
Just a few minutes later.
He will see something that could upend his entire academic career and even change the fate of the country.
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