Gu Xia woke up late at night with a slightly groggy feeling. He put on some clothes and walked out of his room, feeling a bit weak.
He found his parents, grandparents, and Gu Qin all watching TV on the sofa.
“Qin Qin, fetch me the thermometer.” Gu Xia called out to Gu Qin.
“What’s wrong? Xia Xia, do you have a fever?” Deng Ling rushed over, touched Gu Xia’s forehead, and inquired.
“You kid, you don’t take care of yourself. We thought you were still sleeping and hadn’t eaten. Who knew you were actually sick? Qin Qin, go get a thermometer for your brother.” Grandma Gu grumbled.
Gu Xia, seeing the concern in his family’s eyes, smiled and said, “It’s nothing serious, just feeling a bit under the weather. Probably caught a cold.”
“Here you go.” Gu Xia took the thermometer from Gu Qin, placed it under his arm, and then sat on the sofa. After five minutes, he checked it and found that his temperature was 38.6 degrees Celsius, indicating a mild fever.
Upon the insistence of his family, Gu Xia went to the clinic downstairs, received some injections, and returned home with two bottles of medicine. He had some dinner and went back to bed to rest.
The next day, Gu Xia felt somewhat improved, but he still felt a bit weak. Moreover, it was raining outside, so he spent most of the day in bed except for meals.
In this manner, Gu Xia’s days consisted of a cycle of sleeping and waking. After dinner, he lay on his warm bed, unable to fall asleep. He took out his phone with the intention of calling Tu Sisi, as he hadn’t spoken to her in several days and was concerned about her well-being.
“Ring, ring…”
“Hello, Gu Xia.”
Tu Sisi’s voice came through the phone, accompanied by some background noise in English. Gu Xia, not being proficient in English, couldn’t understand it.
“What are you doing? It sounds noisy,” Gu Xia asked.
“I’m having breakfast. How about you?” Tu Sisi replied softly.
“I’m lying in bed. I can’t sleep. I slept from yesterday to today, and now I can’t sleep anymore.” Gu Xia replied with a hint of helplessness.
“You slept from yesterday to today? Are you a pig? You slept for so long.” Tu Sisi teased.
“I caught a cold and had a slight fever. I fell asleep right after the injection.” Gu Xia explained.
“Is it serious? Please take care of yourself and dress warmly.” Tu Sisi said with concern.
“It’s alright, I’m almost recovered.” Gu Xia reassured her with a smile.
“That’s good. Please take care of yourself. Don’t behave like an immature person and worry people all the time.” Tu Sisi scolded jokingly.
Hearing Tu Sisi’s words, Gu Xia couldn’t help but grin and said, “I know. So, how have you been busy these past few days?”
“I haven’t been busy with anything! I’m not training at a modeling agency and receiving treatments at the same time.” Tu Sisi replied while eating.
“Is everything going well at the modeling agency? How’s the training?” Gu Xia inquired.
“It’s going well! I’ve been catching on quickly.” Tu Sisi responded.
“But it’s a bit lonely because there are only foreigners here, and I don’t know them well. I don’t have many people to chat with. Luckily, the company’s location is close to my home. After training, I can go home and watch TV directly.” Tu Sisi added.
“That’s good. Take care of yourself, okay?” Gu Xia said with a smile.
“I will. What have you been busy with these days? You haven’t even called me.” Tu Sisi said with an annoyed tone.
“I went to Magic City and took care of some things at the company.” Gu Xia explained with a smile.
“Oh,” Tu Sisi responded.
The two chatted for a while, but Tu Sisi had to hang up as she needed to return to her training.
***
In the following days, Gu Xia stayed at home and helped with cooking. He also called Tu Sisi from time to time to check in. Time passed quickly, and it was already the 29th day of the Lunar New Year.
In the morning, the entire family woke up early. Deng Ling was busy in the kitchen preparing for the morning’s ritual. According to local customs, on the twenty-ninth day of the Lunar New Year, people would make offerings to their ancestors, which was considered a significant tradition. They had placed several small bowls of vegetables and rice on the table, and Grandpa Gu Xia had lit two incense sticks.
They bowed to the ancestral tablet, then affixed two small pieces of foam to the door and placed them outside. In the countryside, these offerings would be stuck directly into the soil at the doorstep.
“Xia Xia, go downstairs to set off some firecrackers, then come back for breakfast.” Grandpa instructed.
“Okay, Grandpa.” Gu Xia responded and went outside to light some firecrackers. There were already many people downstairs setting off firecrackers, leaving the ground and cars littered with firecracker debris. Fortunately, Gu Xia’s car had been covered with a car cover these past few days, as he hadn’t used it, preventing it from getting dirty during the Lunar New Year. There was no place nearby to wash cars.
After setting off the firecrackers, Gu Xia returned home. The food that Deng Ling had prepared was placed in the kitchen, and soon the table was filled with dishes.
“It’s time to eat!”
“Mom, Dad, it’s time to eat,” Gu Feng called out to the two elderly individuals who were watching TV on the sofa.
“Here it comes.”
Gu Feng and Grandpa Gu Xia poured some wine to drink, but Gu Xia refrained from drinking. He was planning to visit his godfather, Xu Tianxiang, later, and driving under the influence of alcohol wasn’t an option. The traffic police were particularly vigilant about catching drunk drivers during the Lunar New Year.
After dinner, he said his goodbyes, picked up a C*ke bottle filled with liquor from the previous day, and headed out. He bought some Ch*nese cigarettes at the supermarket downstairs and lit one. With cigarettes and liquor in hand, he made his way to Jia*gbei University.
There were still a few people scattered around the university, and some hadn’t gone back home for the Lunar New Year celebrations yet. The path was strewn with fallen leaves that hadn’t been cleaned up since the holiday, creating a rustling sound with each step.
Gu Xia reached the entrance of his godfather’s dormitory building and knocked on the door. There was no response.
He knocked again and called out, “Grandpa~”
Seeing no one answering, Gu Xia furrowed his brows. Where could have his god-grandfather gone?
If it wasn’t for Xu Fan mentioning that his god-grandfather would be spending the Lunar New Year in Jia*gbei, he would have absolutely no idea.
Gu Xia took out his phone and dialed Grandpa Qian’s number.
“Hello, Gu Xia! Why did you suddenly think of calling an old man like me?” Xu Tianxiang teased with a smile.
Gu Xia scratched his head and smiled, “I came to see you at your place. I knocked on the door for a long time, but no one answered, so I called to check.”
“You went to my place? I’m at my cousin’s house for dinner. How about you come over and join us later?” Xu Tianxiang suggested.
“Who’s there?”
“My god-grandson.”
Gu Xia heard a familiar female voice through the phone but couldn’t immediately recall who it was.
“No, I can’t go. I don’t want to intrude on your dinner,” Gu Xia declined.
“What’s the matter? It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other. Just come to Building 6 of Crown Community on Go*pel Road. That’s the address.” Xu Tianxiang declared dominantly before hanging up the phone.
Gu Xia listened to the beeping sound of the call ending and couldn’t help but shake his head. His god-grandfather was indeed an assertive character, having earned his stripes in the trenches.
Gu Xia sighed helplessly, realizing that he had no choice but to go.
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