After taking his medicine, the old man peeled a scallion, picked up a pancake, and while looking for a pancake, he didn't forget to ask Chen Feng if he wanted one.
"I've already eaten, sir, you can have some." Chen Feng waved his hand.
Upon hearing Chen Feng's answer, the old man grinned and took a big bite of the pancake.
Tonight, Chen Feng took another close look at the old man's pancake bag. Although most of the pancakes inside were intact, quite a few were broken.
Normally, the pancakes Zheng Ping buys outside wouldn't break.
Chen Feng thought for a moment and then asked, "Grandpa, where did you buy this pancake? It's quite delicious."
"It's delicious! If you like it, take some over and eat it. This is homemade. Every time I go out to work, I make a lot and bring it with me. It's convenient." The old man took a sip of wine and hissed.
Hearing this answer, Chen Feng was not surprised at all; it was indeed made at home.
Actually, the pancakes that the old man makes at home are similar to those bought outside, except that some might be broken, but that doesn't affect how delicious they are.
But when Chen Feng did the math, it seemed that the old man brought almost everything from home whenever he went out to work; he didn't buy anything himself.
The old man took out a pickled vegetable jar from his bag, which was also labeled as a canned yellow peach.
It's some pickled mustard greens; without a doubt, it's homemade.
"Oh, right, sir, when I came back tonight I saw that one side of your bumper was missing. Did you tie it back up yourself with your shoelaces?" Chen Feng remembered and immediately spoke up.
"It fell off again. I tied it myself. I left early today, so I didn't see it. I'll tie it again tomorrow morning," the old man said casually, glancing back at it.
Chen Feng was speechless for a moment, but couldn't help asking, "Grandpa, can you really tie that thing with shoelaces? Why don't you just get a new one?"
"Ugh, why spend that money? Just glue it up, tie the shoelaces, and it'll still work. It's not worth buying a new one, which costs several hundred yuan." The old man shook his head repeatedly, feeling a pang of pain at the mention of the price.
Seeing the old man's expression, Chen Feng pursed his lips, nodded slightly, and said nothing.
People used to say that someone was stingy, and Chen Fengguang thought those stories were outrageous. But now, compared to the old man, those people weren't actually that stingy.
The key point is that this old man has been panning for gold for decades and is not short of money, so why is he doing this?
"By the way, sir, I saw you leave as soon as I woke up this morning. What time did you leave?" Chen Feng lit a cigarette and looked at the old man.
"It was around 4:30. It was just getting light then, and I wasn't too sleepy, so I got up," the old man said, taking a bite of pickled vegetables.
"So early? You got up so early and came back so late, you've been working almost eighteen hours a day?!"
After doing the calculations, Chen Feng looked at the old man in disbelief.
What does eighteen hours a day mean? Even a young person couldn't keep up with that, let alone an elderly person with gray hair and a thin frame.
"Is that right? Well, we're just sitting here anyway, might as well go shopping and bring back some goods."
The old man smiled, quickly finished one pancake, and then rolled up another.
"Sir, are you sure your body is really up to it? You're so old, there's no need for this, is there?"
Chen Feng really couldn't stand it anymore. Did you have to do this?
"It's nothing, I'm in great health. It's just that I'm probably getting old, and I always have aches all over my body. I have to take a couple of painkillers to tide me over."
"You can't deny getting old. When I was young, I used to carry heavy bags at home. I would only feel tired after a whole day, but it didn't hurt. I would feel better after a good night's sleep."
"Now, even without exerting any physical effort, just walking around, my body can't take it anymore."
"I feel better when I drink a little alcohol at night, but I can't stand it when I wake up in the morning."
The old man ate a single scallion in three bites and reminisced with great emotion.
After listening, Chen Feng really wanted to say, "Don't even mention an old man like you. Even a young person would be exhausted and unable to walk for eighteen hours in this sweltering heat."
The fact that you were able to walk back on your own is already quite impressive. At your age, what more could you want?
"That's enough. You're so old, why are you still doing this? It's not worth it if you accidentally hurt yourself one day."
“Normally, people your age are already at home taking care of their grandchildren and tending to their little gardens. Who would be doing something like this?” Chen Feng advised.
"Well, I can still do it, can't I? It's not too late to stay home and take care of my grandson when I can't do it anymore." The old man took a sip of his drink and laughed heartily.
He knew Chen Feng was doing it for his own good, but he figured he could earn as much as he could.
Seeing this, Chen Feng didn't try to persuade him further. Everyone has their own choices, and the old man isn't a child anymore. Since he has chosen to do this, it's definitely not something that can be persuaded by a few words from others.
The old man ate four large pancakes in a row; he must have been a bit hungry.
"Xiaofeng, if you're sleepy, go to sleep. Don't stay here with me. I'll finish eating soon too."
"Let's move the car a bit further ahead tomorrow and go somewhere else. If you can't get up in the morning and can't find me, just call me when you're up and I'll tell you where to go." The old man dipped some scallions in sauce and put them in his mouth.
"Okay, which direction should we drive in tomorrow? This one?" Chen Feng pointed and asked.
“Okay, this is fine too. It’s just a different place. There’s not much to it.” The old man nodded repeatedly in the direction Chen Feng was pointing.
The old man quickly finished his meal, poured the last drop of wine from the bottle into his mouth, stood up, and tidied himself up.
Chen Feng greeted everyone and returned to his car to prepare for sleep.
Accompanied by the sounds of English chatter, Chen Feng drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Chen Feng was groggily awakened by the sound of the car door opening and closing outside.
He squinted and leaned up to take a look, and saw that it was the old man carrying something back and forth.
Seeing that the old man had gotten up, Chen Feng lay back down for a bit, then sat up, put on his clothes, and opened the car door.
"You're up so early, grandpa." Chen Feng glanced at the time on his phone.
It's 4:54 now.
"I'll get up and fix the bumper first." The old man smiled at him as he saw him get up, and walked towards the front of the car with a piece of shoelace in his hand.
Seeing this, Chen Feng put on his shoes and got out of bed, ready to see how the old man was doing it.
The old man crawled under the car and started swinging.
"Xiaofeng, can you help me lift the bumper?" The old man's voice came from under the car.
"good."
Chen Feng helped the old man lift the bumper, and the old man began to tie it with his hands.
"Okay." The old man pressed the bumper, and seeing that it was fastened fairly tightly, he climbed out.
"call…"
The old man dusted himself off and stared at the bumper, checking if it was properly fastened.
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