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Inside the boisterous mahjong parlor, the thin walls offered little resistance to the cacophony outside.
The drone of cars, the incessant chirping of cicadas, and the pungent odors of smoke and gasoline permeated the tiny room.
Even the air conditioner, once pristine white, had been stained by the greasy smoke, etched with deep, yellowish patterns.
Its dusty blades whirred laboriously, yet the room remained oppressively hot.
Many of the elderly men sat bare-chested, while the women each fanned themselves with a hand-held fan.
Madam Qin, enjoying a rare day of leisure, was enthusiastically playing mahjong among them.
Her beaming smile suggested she had won quite a sum.
A buzzing vibration emanated from her pocket, signaling an incoming call.
With one hand, Madam Qin felt for a tile, while with the other, she retrieved her phone from her pocket to answer the call.
Her eyes remained fixed on the mahjong tiles, oblivious to who might be calling.
“Hello? Who is this?”
The raucous environment forced her to raise her voice by several decibels, making the person on the other end wince.
“Hello! Mom, are you in the mahjong parlor right now?”
Glancing at the screen, Madam Qin saw it was her son calling.
Fearing something might be amiss, she pulled someone nearby to take her place and stepped out of the room.
“I couldn’t hear you just now. Speak up.”
“I asked where you were. At the mahjong parlor?”
“Ah, yes! What’s wrong?”
Having arrived at the candy store with his wife and child, Zhou Haochen found the front door tightly shut.
A sign on the door read ‘Closed Today’, prompting him to ask:
“Why is the store suddenly closed?”
“A little tired, what’s wrong with taking a day off… Oh, my, you haven’t come back again, have you?”
Zhou Haochen handed the phone to his wife and daughter.
–Hello, Auntie…–
The little one sweetly called out: “Grandma~~ Xiao Yu is here to see you!”
Madam Qin slapped her thigh and quickly exclaimed: “Sha Sha is here too! Oh, my, Grandma’s darling! Grandma’s coming right away!”
–Then we’ll head home first?–
–Alright, I’ll be there in a moment.–
After speaking, she rushed back inside, quickly gathered her belongings, and prepared to leave.
An elderly woman beside her inquired: “Liwen (TL Note: Likely Madam Qin’s given name), why are you leaving so soon? It’s still early; won’t you play a bit longer?”
“Oh no, I can’t,” Madam Qin replied without a second thought.
“My little darling is here, and I simply must go spoil them.”
She departed with lightning speed, leaving the elderly woman utterly bewildered.
‘Didn’t she only have one son?’ the old woman mused.
‘How could she have a “darling” now?’
At the storefront, Zhou Haochen, seeing the call had ended, chuckled softly: “Grandma still loves you most.
Back then, when Grandma played mahjong, she would even forget to pick Dad up from school.”
The little one stood with hands on her hips, giggling triumphantly.
‘She was the family’s most beloved baby! No one could possibly dislike her! Hmph, hmph, hmph~’
Seeing her cheeky demeanor, Bai Sha wondered who she took after.
The family of three drove home, arriving ahead of Madam Qin.
Before long, Madam Qin, driving her ‘old man’s joy’ (TL Note: A colloquial term for a small, slow electric vehicle often used by the elderly in China), caught up to them.
In her hand, she carried a large, chilled watermelon.
“It’s been so long! Sha Sha, you’ve truly grown more beautiful!” Madam Qin set down the watermelon, embracing Bai Sha as she spoke.
“Auntie, you’re looking younger and younger too.
When we go out, people will surely say we’re sisters.”
Bai Sha chuckled, a genuine sentiment, for Madam Qin indeed didn’t look old, appearing at most in her late thirties or early forties.
“Grandma! Xiao Yu misses, misses, misses Grandma so much! I even dream about you!” The little one dashed out from the kitchen, wrapping her arms around Madam Qin’s legs.
Zhou Haochen followed, carrying half a watermelon in his hands. “Mom,” he greeted.
Hearing the little one’s words, Madam Qin’s heart melted, and her face lit up with a brilliant smile.
With a grunt, she lifted the little one into her arms. “Oh, my precious darling, Grandma thinks of you every day, even in my dreams!”
The grandmother and granddaughter doted on each other.
Noticing the watermelon on the table, Bai Sha smiled at Zhou Haochen and remarked: “You and Auntie truly have a telepathic connection!”
Zhou Haochen, still holding the half-watermelon, said with a helpless sigh: “Let’s put it in the fridge.
We should finish this half first.”
“I’ll help you,” With the child taken care of, Bai Sha followed Zhou Haochen into the kitchen.
****
By evening, Zhou Senior, having just stepped away from the operating table, wore a look of profound exhaustion.
He changed his clothes, preparing to clock out and return home.
The summer heat was scorching; even as the sun began to set, the air remained stifling and unbearable.
Zhou Senior passed a fruit stall and stepped in, selecting a large watermelon.
It was summer, and watermelon was an essential treat! Who didn’t enjoy it?
This big watermelon, crisp when tapped, was definitely a good one.
His old lady would surely enjoy it!
Humming a cheerful tune, Zhou Senior rode his bicycle, arriving happily at his doorstep.
“Old lady, open the door! The community warmth delivery service has arrived!”
“Coming!”
It was the little one who opened the door, her short legs pedaling quickly as she pushed it wide.
Smiling, she greeted her surprised grandfather at the door: “Hello, Grandpa~”
Zhou Senior, already in a joyful mood, became even more delighted at the sight of his rosy-cheeked granddaughter.
“Hahaha! My darling Xiao Yu, what brings you here? Perfect, Grandpa just bought a big watermelon! Come, Grandpa will cut it for you!”
The three people seated on the sofa exchanged glances.
Bai Sha chuckled, remarking: “They truly are a family, aren’t they?”
Zhou Haochen rubbed his nose. “Dad’s phone wasn’t reachable, otherwise I would have told him.”
Madam Qin, however, waved her hand dismissively, saying: “Take the extra one home with you to eat.”
Zhou Senior, carrying the watermelon in one hand and holding the little one’s hand with the other, walked into the house.
“Hello, Uncle.”
“Ah, Xiao Sha, long time no see.”
Zhou Senior looked at Zhou Haochen, asking: “Did something suddenly bring you here?”
No one knows a son better than his father (TL Note: A Chinese idiom meaning a father understands his son best).
This boy never visited without a reason (TL Note: A Chinese idiom, literally ‘without a matter, one does not enter the Hall of Three Treasures’, implying one only seeks help or visits when there’s a problem).
He always resolved his own issues, and would never bring them home if he could help it.
Zhou Haochen chuckled sheepishly: “Don’t you, old man, dote on your granddaughter?
It’s summer vacation, isn’t it? I brought her here to stay with you for a few days.”
Zhou Senior immediately understood.
‘Ah, this boy,’ he thought. ‘He found his daughter interfering with his “two-person world” (TL Note: A common phrase referring to the private, romantic time of a couple) and had simply dropped her off here with them.’
“I don’t have any leave, so as long as you and your mom have discussed it, it’s fine.”
Madam Qin, who had been chatting with Bai Sha, generously declared: “I’ll take Xiao Yu to play at the store, so you two can rest assured!”
With that assurance, Zhou Haochen and Bai Sha felt relieved.
They didn’t stay long before preparing for their return journey.
The little one, feeling no reluctance, waved goodbye to her parents with a smile: “Bye-bye, Daddy and Mommy!”
“Goodbye, Xiao Yu! Daddy and Mommy will come pick you up in a few days!”
“Okay!”
Once the car was out of sight, the little one took her grandfather’s hand and headed back home.
‘Hahaha! I want ice cream! I want to watch TV! I want to play on my phone! I want to buy toys! I can do whatever I want!!’
Unexpectedly, the car, which had driven away, returned once more, calling out to them.
“Xiao Yu!”
Zhou Yuying turned back to see her mother roll down the car window, poking her head out to tell her:
“You can’t eat too much ice cream, you can only watch TV for one hour, and the same goes for your phone, got it?”
The little one, her plans thwarted, made a long face and nodded, saying: “Okay~~”
Once the car had driven away again, the little one looked up, gazing piteously at her grandfather.
Zhou Senior chuckled, saying: “Now, now, you can have a little more, and watch a little longer.
Daddy and Mommy won’t know.”
The little one exclaimed joyfully: “Oh yeah! Grandpa is the best!”
Zhou Senior patted her head.
Alas, the child was still too young to understand the broken windows theory (TL Note: A theory suggesting that visible signs of crime, anti-social behavior, and civil disorder create an urban environment that encourages further crime and disorder, here used humorously to refer to a slippery slope where a little leniency can lead to more).
This was all part of the plan Bai Sha had discussed with him.
She could enjoy herself a bit more during the summer vacation, but moderation was still key.