Volume 6: Summer Chapter 18 Watermelon
As he spoke, Meng Xianyang lowered his head and ate a few bites of food.
The waiter brought the fish pieces and pork rib soup to the table, and Jiang You asked her to bring up a large bottle of Coke.
Jiang You first ate a piece of winter melon to relieve the greasy taste, then drank half a bowl of soup. He asked Meng Xianyang: "How old is your grandfather?"
"Eighty-three."
Zou Zhichao comforted him and said, "He lived a long life. This is a happy funeral."
"Right," Meng Xianyang sighed, "Grandpa has always been in good health. When he was over 70 years old, he could still work in the fields. When my parents wanted to take him out, he was not happy, but he was too old and they were worried about him living alone in the countryside. After he was taken out, he went out for a walk at first. After he got lost several times and was found, he stayed at home and watched TV. My grandpa is very smart. After I started working, I bought him a mobile phone and taught him how to use WeChat. He learned it right away."
"That's amazing." Jiang You took the Coke brought by the waiter, poured a cup and placed it next to Meng Xianyang.
Meng Xianyang forced a smile and said, "Then I got confused. When I went back for the New Year this year, I called him and he didn't recognize me."
Jiang You handed Zou Zhichao an 80% full cup, and he took a sip of Coke. "When you are old, it is good to have your children around you."
Meng Xianyang also drank a sip of Coke. "When I was a kid, I pestered my grandfather to teach me Taoism, but he didn't want to teach me and told me to study hard. I saw many ancient books in his room, and I thought they were magic manuals, so I stole them when he was away. They were all written in traditional Chinese characters and classical Chinese..." He shook his head. "Later, I asked my grandfather where those books were, and he said he burned them all, saying they were useless. When he sorted out his belongings, he only found some clothes and the magic ruler."
"Could it be your grandfather?" Zou Zhichao paused, "He has some unfulfilled wish..."
Meng Xianyang put down his chopsticks and said, "My grandfather won't harm me."
"That's for sure," Jiang You took over the conversation and asked, "Is that when you started to feel something was wrong?"
"I was fine when I came back the day before yesterday, I just felt tired, and I talked to Zhichao."
Zou Zhichao said: "Yes, you came home around 7 or 8 the night before yesterday."
"What happened next?" Jiang You asked.
"Afterwards, when I came back, I felt extremely tired. I put half of my things away and went straight to bed to sleep. Suddenly, I felt as if something was pressing on me. It was very heavy, but I couldn't wake up ."
"Didn't you wake up all day yesterday?"
"I woke up once and the alarm on my cell phone went off."
"Are you up then?"
"He got up, but I was in a daze. I knew something was wrong, and then I thought about going to work, but..." Meng Xianyang shook his head, "Then I heard the sound of the bathroom flushing, and I knew Zhichao got up. I didn't know what happened at the time, but I suddenly had strength and walked out. But when I wanted to speak, I lost my strength and couldn't speak. I was back to that dazed state."
"I haven't eaten." Jiang You spat out the fish bone.
"Maybe. Then, I fell backwards to the ground and the door closed. I seemed to fall asleep again and had many dreams. At the end, I seemed to be in a small dark room and couldn't get out no matter how hard I tried. It seemed that breathing was getting more and more difficult. I felt very scared. I knew I had to wake up. I had to wake up. I tried desperately to wake up, but when I woke up, I saw my own hands trying to strangle me to death..."
Meng Xianyang picked up the cup and drank the Coke in it in one breath. He took several deep breaths and said, "Then I heard a knock on the door. After a while, Brother Jiang came in."
He looked at Jiang You and said, "Brother Jiang, you saved my life."
"Then remember to treat me to a meal when this is over."
"This is what I want."
"Come on, come on, eat some food," Jiang You picked up a piece of braised fish. Under the slightly charred fish skin was the tender white fish meat. The slightly spicy sauce brought out the freshness of the fish. After eating a piece, he said, "This goes well with rice. I'll ask them to serve some rice."
Jiang You stood up, opened the door of the box and walked out.
Seeing Meng Xianyang lowering his head to reply to the message, Zou Zhiqiang said, "You should have a good rest. Brother Jiang is right. We just need to take care of ourselves. Other people's affairs and the company's affairs should all take a back seat."
Meng Xianyang nodded.
He raised his head, looked at the dishes on the table, picked up the chopsticks, picked up a piece of pork chop and took a bite slowly.
After dinner, Jiang You told Meng Xianyang to get a good night's sleep. Then, he took the bus back to the insect house. Thinking that dinner was a bit greasy, he bought a watermelon when passing by a fruit stand and took it back. He cut it in half and put half in the refrigerator, then took a spoon and squatted on the steps to dig and eat.
Zhaocai walked past him.
"Come, eat watermelon."
He scooped a spoonful and threw it on the ground.
Zhaocai walked over, took a small bite tentatively, and then began to lick and nibble on it.
After eating, Zhao Cai squatted beside Jiang You and rubbed his head on his trouser leg.
The soft moonlight shines in the yard.
Jiang You raised his head and saw a little pink color swaying in the night sky.
"I have something important to do tomorrow, to subdue demons and monsters," he stroked the fur on Zhaocai's back, "I won't run anymore."
…
Jiang You woke up before ten o'clock the next day. He turned over several times, intending to stay in bed for a while longer, but he couldn't find a comfortable position, so he sat up in frustration.
"I'm used to running every day," he lowered his head, looked at his stomach, took a deep breath, and touched it with his hand, "My abdominal muscles are almost showing."
He exhaled, and his belly regained its elasticity.
He washed up, went downstairs, and went to the next door to eat a bowl of wontons. When he returned to the insect house, he saw Taoist Qingyang standing in the yard.
After some greetings, Jiang You brought Taoist Qingyang into the store.
"Is he your tenant again this time?" asked Taoist Qingyang.
"Yes," Jiang You walked out of the kitchen carrying two cups of tea. Then he walked to the counter and took out the ruler from his bag. "This is it. Taoist priest, take a look at this ruler. Is there anything wrong with it?"
Taoist Qingyang did not take the ruler, but asked: "What did you find out?"
"There are some black things," Jiang You put the ruler on the long table and sat down, "are they spiritual particles?"
"Do you know when Section Chief Tang will be back?"
“I don’t know.”
Taoist Qingyang drank a sip of tea, and after a moment's silence, he said, "Do you remember the small building on the back hill of Laojin Mountain?"
“Yes.”
“That used to be where the research institute had its offices.”
Jiang You held the cup and waited for Taoist Qingyang to continue.
"The research institute is planning to move back," Taoist Qingyang paused, "If Section Chief Tang comes back, please tell her about this."
"Don't you want the institute to move back?" Jiang You asked.
Taoist Qingyang nodded, "Of course. The confidentiality level of the research institute is extremely high. If we move back, many activities of Baihe Temple will be restricted."
