Zhou Wen spent the morning sterilizing his equipment and extracting white mice DNA in the laboratory.
Then, he spent his free time spraying heavy metal chemicals in the laboratory on the third floor.
As the chosen one, he felt a premonition telling him that he was close to achieving victory.
By 10:30, Zhou Wen had just finished feeding the rice root aphid. But before he managed to perform the observation, his phone rang. He took it out and checked to find that the call was from the old woman.
He had been busy with his assigned mission for the past few days, so he did not have the time to go over to the old woman’s house. As for the pain relief medication, he had already given the patient one week’s worth of dosage earlier, so it was almost time for the next dose tomorrow.
“Hey, auntie! Can I help you with anything?”
“Nothing actually. It has been raining today, so we’re staying in. Come over to my house and have lunch this afternoon. I shall ask Hong Xia to prepare some good food for you.”
Hong Xia was the helper hired by the old woman.
“Uh… Alright.” Zhou Wen hesitated for a moment before he agreed. It was just the right time for him to bring one week’s worth of medication that he had just prepared for the old woman.
Zhou Wen saw that it was getting late, so he locked up the laboratory and went downstairs.
He changed into his clothes in the changing room and then borrowed an electric scooter from Old Wang – the gatekeeper – before he headed to the Maple Leaf Housing Estate that he saw last night.
Maple Leaf was located on the west side of the hospital. He crossed the road and went straight through the commercial street ahead before he arrived.
Zhou Wen circled around the periphery of the housing estate first and found that it had a pretty good ambiance. The low-rise apartment buildings were clean and refreshing, while the housing estate was well-equipped with facilities and lush green plants.
Moreover, the place was guarded with strict security protocols. One would need to pass through a facial recognition scanner before entering the housing estate and use an access card to enter the unit building to ensure the safety of the residents.
Zhou Wen was satisfied with what he had seen, so he found a property agency at the housing estate entrance and walked in.
He chatted with the sales agent inside for a while and felt that the person seemed rather dependable based on the way he spoke. Most importantly, they were only in-charge of renting houses on behalf of the owners. None of them were actual owners of the property. With that in mind, Zhou Wen began to choose his house.
He found a shared house with two rooms and a living room. The two tenants would pay half of the rental each, and the monthly rental was 2,000 RMB.
Then, the sales agent helped him to contact the landlord. The landlord replied that he could only come over to show the house at 11:30 when he was off work. Therefore, Zhou Wen looked around the rest of the houses and found that the houses were either too small or too large.
In the end, he made the decision to take a look at that particular house before he made further decisions.
Meanwhile, the old woman called and asked for his location. Having to leave, Zhou Wen passed his contact number to the agent and left.
By the time Zhou Wen arrived in Bodhisattva Lane, the old woman was standing at the entrance of the housing estate waiting for him.
Zhou Wen parked the electric scooter at the car park next to the guardhouse and walked over to support the old woman. “Why did you come here to wait for me? I can find your place myself.”
The old woman chuckled and said, “It’s okay, it’s okay. It’s good for me to come down and get some exercise for my legs.”
“Come, let me help you to get inside…” Zhou Wen supported the old woman’s arm and walked toward the housing estate.
The housing estate was a little old. The outside of the buildings looked very old, and the buildings were not equipped with an elevator. However, the place was very clean and tidy, with lush green trees scattered around. It was quiet and tranquil, which was a rare commodity in a bustling city center like this.
The old woman’s house was at Block 9, Unit 101, which was located in the innermost part of the housing area. The house was huge with four rooms, a living room, a kitchen, and two bathrooms; there was also a small private courtyard at the back.
The house was decorated cleanly and serenely. It exuded a literary atmosphere.
Soon afterward, Zhou Wen found out from helper Hong Xia that the old woman was a teacher in her younger days, and so was Guo Baichun. They taught for their entire career, and it could be said that they had students that were scattered all around the world.
Zhou Wen thought to himself. ‘No wonder.’
Soon afterward, he went to the room to visit Guo Baichun.
He was in pretty good spirits as he laid on his bed reading a book titled – ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’.
Upon noticing Zhou Wen in his room, Guo Baichun smiled and said, “You’re here, come, take a seat…”
“Hmm! How do you feel, Uncle Guo?” Zhou Wen took a seat on the padded stool placed next to the bed and picked up the laboratory sheet and medicine bottle on the side table to take a look.
Guo Baichun chuckled and said, “Pretty good!”
Zhou Wen used his Truevision to observe Guo Baichun’s liver for a moment. He frowned ever so slightly at the unfavorable condition.
“Why don’t…” Zhou Wen wanted him to get warded in the hospital for two more days, but he had no idea how to tell Guo Baichun.
Nevertheless, it felt as if Guo Baichun could tell what Zhou Wen wanted to say, so he patted the cover of the book in his hand and uttered, “I like a phrase from this book. Allow me to read it to you.”
“Hmm, sure.”
“We embark on the eternal journey of our lives; we run in ruggedness, consume ourselves with setbacks, surround ourselves in despair, and swirl around in agony. We are tired, yet we can’t stop; we are in pain, yet we can avoid it.”
Guo Baichun read the excerpt slowly. He heaved a sigh when he was done and said smilingly, “So it turns out that I felt that I was in so much pain originally, yet I discovered afterward that my mother is in more pain than me. She had not only endured the agony of losing her grandsons, but she is also about to face the sorrow of losing her son. I’m certain that her heart is already riddled with a thousand gaping wounds.”
The moment was particularly poignant to Zhou Wen.
Guo Baichun smiled and said, “There’s no need to be sad. What you encounter in your life isn’t really what’s important; it’s those moments that you remember, and how those moments are worthy of being remembered.”
Zhou Wen nodded.
Meanwhile, the door was opened. Hong Xia said softly, “It’s time for lunch.”
The lunch consisted of a wide array of dishes. There were fish, prawns, crabs, old hen, and also fresh vegetables. The dishes were fragrant and scrumptious; Zhou Wen enjoyed it very much.
The old woman saw how much Zhou Wen enjoyed the feast. She was delighted, and she kept adding more food to his bowl. This was a habit commonly seen in aged people. They were always afraid that the people under their care did not have enough to eat.
“Call me in advance if you want to come over to have lunch from now on. I’ll have Hong Xia prepare food for you.”
Zhou Wen nodded. “Mmhmm…”
His grandparents passed away when he was young, so he had never experienced the so-called ‘grandparents’ love.
When he was almost done having lunch, the phone in Zhou Wen’s pocket rang again. The agent called, asking him to go over for the viewing.
After Zhou Wen hung up the call, the old woman asked, “Are you looking to rent a house?”
Zhou Wen nodded. “Mmhmm. It’s inconvenient for me to travel back and forth to the university every day. That is why I’m planning to rent a house next to the hospital. It’s at Maple Leaf Housing Estate.”
Zhou Wen paused for a moment before he continued, “Actually, the hospital is offering hostel accommodation too, only that it’s inconvenient to stay there. So, I’m looking to stay outside of the hospital. Anyhow, I’m receiving a housing allowance, so I won’t be spending a lot of money.”
The old woman smiled and said, “Don’t go through agents anymore. I have a house in Maple Leaf; I’ll clear it out for you to stay by this afternoon.”
“What a coincidence…” Zhou Wen felt rather surprised. Soon afterward, he waved his hand hastily. “No need, no need. I’ve already arranged with the agent…”
“What do you mean by no need? That’s all, it’s settled…” The old woman interrupted him in an overbearing manner. “Eat!”
Failing to dissuade the old woman, Zhou Wen could only agree at last.
There was someone else still living in that house, and the person was from the hospital. Nevertheless, the old woman assured him that she would prepare the place for him, regardless of whether he chose to stay or not.
Even though he was well aware that the old woman was coercing him with this method on purpose, he could not bring himself to reject the old woman’s kind intentions over and over again.
There was a saying that ‘the elderly’s kindness is hardest to reject’.
After lunch, the old woman passed the keys and access card to him.
“Auntie, is it okay for me to leave?”
“Mmhmm, I won’t be sending you off.”
The old woman stood by the door and gazed after Zhou Wen’s departing silhouette with kind eyes.
She muttered with a voice that only she could hear, ‘If only Jianan were still alive, he should be about his age right now…’
…
After bidding farewell to the old woman, Zhou Wen rode the electric scooter to Maple Leaf and called the agent to apologize while he was on the way there.
He showed his papers at the entrance of the housing estate and then entered the housing estate with ease.
The old woman’s house was at Block 6, on the 11th floor, which was right at the top.
He took the elevator up and discovered that there were a total of two units when the door of the elevator opened. The unit numbered 1101 was the old woman’s place.
Zhou Wen realized that many pairs of women’s shoes were placed on the wall shelf at the door. It seemed like the house was supposedly rented to someone, just as mentioned by the old woman.
“It’s a girl?”
Zhou Wen took out the keys and opened the door.
After the anti-theft door was opened, he saw a huge living room. He estimated it to be no less than 50 square meters. The floor was tiled with ivory-colored solid wood planks. It was simple, uncluttered, and elegant. More importantly, there was a huge balcony at the end of the living room. The natural light that filled the room was amazing.
Zhou Wen almost fell in love with this house at first sight.
He removed his shoes in the hallway and took out a pair of disposable slippers from the shoe cabinet to put on. Then, he began touring the house.
It was a duplex loft apartment, perhaps over 250 square meters in total for the two stories.
A great deal of attention was given to the renovation. Both the furniture as well as the electrical appliances were branded. Moreover, the style was elegant though not exaggerated. It suited the old woman and Guo Baichun’s identities and nature.
There were two rooms downstairs, a study room, and an open kitchen, while the upstairs consisted of a half story with two rooms.
Due to the fact that the rooms were occupied, Zhou Wen went upstairs and strolled the place once before he came down.
Soon afterward, he came to the balcony.
The view of this place was truly unparalleled. There was a garden in front of it with a lake next to it. Greeneries surrounded the place with birds chirping and scented flowers.
Zhou Wen enjoyed the view for a while, but he felt rather curious in his heart soon afterward.
He believed that the old woman was rich, but there was no reason why she would buy a house like this. Moreover, she renovated the house so lavishly. Could it be that…
Zhou Wen remembered the two deceased grandsons of the old woman.
If the eldest grandson passed early, the second grandson…
“About his age now.”
Soon afterward, Zhou Wen took a look in the room and found that it was fully equipped with furniture and electrical appliances, including a bedsheet and blanket. Those were all properly packed and kept in the wardrobe tidily. It could be said that it was ready to move in…