The interlude between Xia Weige and Wen Rong this morning was a huge hit with the CP fans in the live stream, who flooded the comments with calls for the “two to just get back together.” Even Xia Weige’s solo fans could barely keep the enthusiasm down.
Sister Li, seizing the momentum, used this surge in traffic to suppress the previous rumors surrounding Xia Weige.
Sister Li tracked down the source of the leak—a low-class, third-rate reporter—but when questioned about where he got the news, the man was evasive and unclear.
Sister Li wasn’t fooled. While issuing a lawyer’s letter to clarify the situation, she also listened to Xia Weige’s concerns about Zhuo Jingcheng and began to investigate along that line.
Meanwhile, the residents of the cabin continued their work at the elderly community. Everyone had become somewhat familiar with their tasks and were applying their strengths.
For example, Zhuo Jingcheng performed to cheer up the elderly, Xiang Meng led them in games, Wen Rong made clothes for them, and Xia Weige continued to follow Wang Ning, doing basic community work.
Seven days wasn’t long, but it was enough time for some connections to form.
Xia Weige was even willing to ask Wang Ning about the elderly community’s situation in front of the camera, allowing more people in the live stream to hear about it.
That day, another elderly person arrived at the community on her own. She was dressed in ragged clothes, her hair was messy, and her face wasn’t very clean.
Xia Weige and Wang Ning encountered her while moving things. She stood at the community entrance, carrying a canvas sack, constantly peering inside.
“Grandma, are you looking for someone?” Xia Weige initiated the conversation.
The elderly woman glanced at the two of them and then at the cameraman behind them, appearing a little timid at first.
After a while, she quietly asked, “I heard this place takes in old women like me.”
Wang Ning and Xia Weige exchanged a look. Then Wang Ning cautiously asked, “Are you… homeless?”
The elderly woman nodded vigorously and continued to peer inside. “I heard they give you food if you live here?”
Wang Ning was somewhat troubled. Although the community wasn’t luxurious, procedures were required to move in. She asked the elderly woman for her identification, but the woman couldn’t produce any.
However, Wang Ning couldn’t bear to turn her away and decided to take her to wash up and get her some food first.
The two led the woman to the shower room. Wang Ning went to fetch some clean clothes and tell Wu Po about the situation, leaving Xia Weige to look after her.
Xia Weige originally waited outside the door, but soon she heard the elderly woman’s voice calling out.
There was only one shower room in the community, sectioned off by plastic partitions. Xia Weige walked in, and the cameraman naturally couldn’t follow.
“Grandma?” she called out.
She immediately got a response: “Yes.”
The sound suggested nothing was wrong. Xia Weige approached with confusion, only to see the elderly woman standing under the showerhead. Her exposed skin was wrinkled, but covered in scars.
They were of various sizes, some already healed, others not yet.
Xia Weige frowned deeply. She stepped forward to ask about the scars, but the elderly woman’s words were evasive and stammering. She claimed she had fallen, but the shape of the scars clearly indicated they were not from a fall.
Xia Weige pursed her lips and asked no more.
The elderly woman had called her in because her hair was completely matted and needed to be cut, but she couldn’t reach the back of her head and had to ask for help.
Xia Weige took the scissors and meticulously trimmed the elderly woman’s hair.
Fine strands of hair fell with each snip, carried away by the water on the floor, as the woman watched, as if the grime surrounding her was also washing away.
“Girl, you’re so kind. Thank you.”
The woman’s grateful voice echoed in Xia Weige’s ear. Xia Weige smiled gently and quietly murmured a response.
After finishing the haircut, Xia Weige turned to leave. She reached the doorway, looking at this old building that seemed forgotten by modern society, looking at the sky that the low walls couldn’t conceal.
The meaning of this place, or rather, places like this, was probably this:
To allow these homeless and even disease-ridden elderly people to find a little comfort here.
She had donated a lot of money to many charities, hoping to help those in need, but this was the first time she truly felt the significance of personally helping others.
The “thank you” spoken by the recipient held such a heavy weight.
…
Soon, the elderly woman finished tidying up. Wang Ning gave her a change of clothes, and Wu Po said she could stay for now, and they would figure out the rest later.
However, the procedures still needed to be done. Wang Ning asked the elderly woman’s name. After hesitating for a long time, the woman stammered out that her surname was Zhang, and her first name was Juan.
Wang Ning smiled and called her Grandma Zhang.
Since Grandma Zhang couldn’t produce any personal identification documents, Wang Ning took Xia Weige to the police station the next day. But without a hukou (household registration book) or other proof, the matter was difficult to handle.
The two returned to the community. Grandma Zhang, upon learning they had gone to the police station, came over, looking somewhat panicked, to ask about the situation.
“Grandma Zhang, do you have any relatives you know? It would be best if they could issue a proof; we need to get you a replacement ID card.” Wang Ning took the opportunity to ask her.
Grandma Zhang was extremely flustered and quickly shook her head. “I don’t have any.”
Wang Ning had no choice but to sigh and say they would find another solution later.
Xia Weige still had work to do and turned to follow Wang Ning, but Grandma Zhang reached out and grabbed her.
“Did you two have lunch, girl?”
Xia Weige and Wang Ning had been busy with this matter since early morning and indeed hadn’t eaten, so they shook their heads.
Grandma Zhang, who had previously gone hungry and was very fond of Xia Weige and Wang Ning—after all, they were the ones who brought her here and helped her find a place to stay—had been looking for work since she arrived yesterday. She was currently helping in the kitchen. She pulled the two of them, saying she had saved food for them.
Although Xia Weige didn’t know Grandma Zhang well—she had only met her yesterday—this undisguised concern from a stranger moved her a little.
For the next day or two, Grandma Zhang was very diligent, helping with a lot of chores. However, when she learned the production crew was filming there, she was extremely afraid of being filmed.
She explained that she didn’t want to be on camera, and the production crew respected her wish, trying their best to keep her out of sight.
Until one afternoon, the elderly residents were watching TV in the activity room. Grandma Zhang went to watch for a while but came out in a panic shortly after.
Xiang Meng told Xia Weige about this, as Grandma Zhang’s face looked very unwell, and Xiang Meng was concerned.
Xia Weige frowned and asked what program was on. Xiang Meng was puzzled. “Just a serial drama. Everyone’s been watching it for days, and they love it.”
Xia Weige glanced towards the activity room. The TV was playing an old drama she had seen before. It was currently showing the scene where a runaway child is finally found, and the parents, both angry and distressed, hug the child and cry.
Xia Weige didn’t pay much attention, searched for Grandma Zhang but couldn’t find her. She could only tell Wang Ning about it, wondering if the elderly woman was feeling unwell.
By the time they finished for the day and returned to the cabin, Xia Weige had already forgotten about the incident.
Back in her bedroom that night, she suddenly received a call from Wang Ning.
“Xia Xia, something happened to Grandma Zhang.”
Xia Weige’s heart sank. She heard Wang Ning say that Grandma Zhang had stolen things in the community today and, when discovered, had panicked and run out, getting hit by a car. She was currently in the hospital.
Xia Weige found it absurd. She had found the elderly woman to be diligent and kind over the past few days, and yet, she had suddenly turned into a thief.
But since the woman was injured, Xia Weige didn’t have time to think too much. She changed her clothes and rushed to the hospital.
However, remembering the elderly woman’s situation, Xia Weige instinctively refused to let the production crew follow.
She walked out the door and happened to bump into Wen Rong, who was taking a walk in the small garden.
“You’re going out so late?” Wen Rong saw her anxious expression and asked with concern.
Xia Weige paused. Her panicked heart somehow felt slightly calm in front of Wen Rong. She felt a little self-mockery, yet she didn’t dislike this reliance.
“Could you drive me to the hospital, Sister?” She was being vague again, deliberately making Wen Rong guess.
Xia Weige watched Wen Rong’s eyes, a hint of surprise flashing in them, but unfortunately, she still didn’t catch the worry she was looking for.
The other person was truly too smart, too perceptive.
“Did a friend have an accident?” Wen Rong emphasized the word “friend,” having grasped the trap in Xia Weige’s words from the start.
Xia Weige wasn’t too disappointed. There was something more important now. She nodded, picking up where Wen Rong left off. “Grandma Zhang got into a car accident. Wang Ning called me, and I need to go over now.”
Wen Rong naturally wouldn’t refuse such a request. She quickly drove Xia Weige to the hospital.
Wang Ning came down to meet them at the hospital entrance. Xia Weige asked for the specifics, but first heard Wang Ning’s sigh.
“Grandma Zhang stole things tonight—several cell phones and some money from the aunties who come to help. Wu Po discovered her stealing, and as soon as she shouted, Grandma Zhang ran.”
“We chased after her, and she might have been afraid of being caught, so she ran across the road and was hit by a taxi.”
“Is she badly hurt?” Xia Weige sighed upon hearing this, but still worried about the elderly woman’s injuries.
“Very serious. She’s still in the emergency room under observation. They said there’s a problem with one of her internal organs, I didn’t quite understand, but she needs surgery as soon as possible,” Wang Ning said.
“Then…” Xia Weige thought about the surgery costs and the consent form.
Wang Ning understood and bit her lip, interrupting, “Her son came.”
This made Xia Weige pause, surprised. “Didn’t she say she had no family?”
Wang Ning shook her head helplessly. “Her husband also came. They said he has some mental issues.”
Xia Weige didn’t know what to say now and could only follow Wang Ning into the hospital.
As they walked, Wang Ning glanced at Wen Rong walking behind Xia Weige. The woman’s gentle features, even under the hospital’s harsh white fluorescent lights, appeared graceful and composed, making people feel at ease.
She met Wen Rong’s gaze, and the other woman offered a faint smile. Wang Ning lowered her head, feeling a little embarrassed.
“I’m sorry, Xia Xia, for making you come out so late. I just… didn’t know who to talk to…” Wang Ning rarely socialized with outsiders and mostly kept to herself during her school years, unable to participate in others’ discussions about ideals and material possessions.
The filming of the show was an opportunity for her to meet Xia Weige. Although Xia Weige was considerably older, Wang Ning felt no age barrier, sensing they could become friends.
But now she saw Wen Rong beside Xia Weige, and she had the feeling that they belonged in the same world.
Wang Ning suddenly felt how presumptuous her actions were.
She felt annoyed, apologizing to Xia Weige and speaking formally, but her heart was heavy with disappointment.
However, Xia Weige reached out and linked arms with her. It was a very intimate gesture, one Wang Ning had only seen among very close girls at school, and she had always been extremely envious.
“I should thank you for telling me. After all, we brought Grandma in together, so I should come.”
Wang Ning lowered her head, ashamed of her sensitivity and timidity.
Xia Xia was truly a very kind person.
But her lowered gaze fell upon their linked hands. Xia Weige’s slender fingers, despite doing a lot of hard work these past few days, were still smooth and fair. The small cut from the wood splinters was now barely visible.
Her own fingers, however, were rough and yellowed from years of work, with cuts and cracks of various sizes—they were ugly.
They truly belonged to two different worlds.
Soon, the three arrived at the bedside. Grandma Zhang was still unconscious. Since her son and husband had arrived, Xia Weige and the others just came to take a look.
Wang Ning only learned that Grandma Zhang had a son and a husband after calling Xia Weige.
Wang Ning spoke a few words with Grandma Zhang’s husband. The community did not intend to press charges for the theft but hoped the family would not let her leave alone in the future.
Grandma Zhang’s son agreed to everything. Wang Ning, Xia Weige, and Wen Rong looked at the elderly woman in the bed a few more times, then prepared to leave.
A strange feeling lingered in Xia Weige’s heart. She walked a few steps forward, then turned back to look at Grandma Zhang.
She looked at Grandma Zhang’s husband, whose face was honest and simple, but perhaps due to drinking, his cheeks were a bit red, visible through his dark skin.
His hazy eyes looked at the unconscious Grandma Zhang in the hospital bed, seemingly without any warmth.
Xia Weige frowned, her steps slowing down, and her heart felt inexplicably flustered.
“Xia Xia, let’s go,” Wang Ning called out from ahead.
Seeing that she hadn’t followed, Wang Ning stopped and looked back at her.
Xia Weige instinctively shook her head, suppressing the strange feeling.
He was Grandma Zhang’s family. Could he be less caring than strangers like them?
She convinced herself this way and started walking forward again, leaving the hospital with Wang Ning and Wen Rong.
The shadows behind them stretched long, as if a huge black cloud was pressing down on her.