Chapter 109: Chapter 13 The Origin of the System, The Beginning of the Story
Night.
Courtyard No.1, the large flat.
The three girls returned to the long-missed apartment, romping around gleefully. They knew they might be separating tomorrow, so they played late into the night before finally going to sleep.
Three in the morning.
Sun Dasheng had just come from Yun Yuqing’s room and still had to make his rounds at Fang Sihan’s place. But halfway there, a faint, almost imperceptible crying sound drifted from the living room.
Who could it be this late?
He ruled out Yun Yuqing, who was in her room. And considering Fang Sihan’s straightforward personality, she wasn’t the type to hide in the living room and cry secretly. That left the endearing Li Sili.
What happened to her?
Abandoning his original plan, Sun Dasheng returned to his room, changed his clothes, and then quietly made his way to the living room.
Fortunately, there was some moonlight tonight. A small figure was curled up on the sofa, shaking with sobs. Sun Dasheng quietly approached and sat down beside her.
Gently, he patted her head.
"Sili, why are you still awake so late?"
The crying stopped. Li Sili, who was curled up on the sofa hugging her knees, looked up.
"Uncle!"
Seeing it was Sun Dasheng, she let her guard down and threw her small body into his arms.
"What’s wrong?" Sun Dasheng asked soothingly, stroking her back.
"Uncle, my grandfather... he passed away."
The little girl cried her heart out in his embrace, but she kept her sobs quiet, afraid of waking the others. So, she had received news that a relative had died.
"When did it happen?" Sun Dasheng asked.
"Just now. I got a message from my parents," Li Sili replied.
"Uncle, you don’t know. My parents have always been good to me, but they’re too busy with their business and didn’t have much time to take care of me. So from the time I was little, my grandfather was the one who raised me."
Sun Dasheng nodded. He understood why she was so heartbroken and could sympathize with her feelings. It was common in the countryside, where many "left-behind children" were raised by their grandparents. Their parents worked far from home all year, their presence felt only through a phone call when they sent money for living expenses. Naturally, the children grew closer to the grandparents who raised them.
"When you go back, burn some more money for your grandfather, so he won’t be short of anything over there," Sun Dasheng said, unable to think of anything more comforting.
"Yes. Grandpa liked things to be lively, so I’ll set off a lot of firecrackers for him," Li Sili said, thinking his suggestion was a good one and adding her own touch.
"What about a big house? Should we burn one for him too?"
"Of course! Grandpa wasn’t old-fashioned at all; he was quite trendy. He even knew how to use a smartphone and a computer," Li Sili said, counting on her fingers.
"Then buy the latest models and send them all down to him," Sun Dasheng said, going along with her. "That way he won’t be so lonely down there. He’ll have things to pass the time."
"And Grandpa’s big tobacco pipe..."
Reciting her grandfather’s treasured possessions like a litany, she slowly fell asleep in Sun Dasheng’s arms.
After a while, seeing that she was sound asleep, Sun Dasheng gently picked her up and carried her back to her room. He tucked her in and softly closed the door.
「The next day.」
They woke up at the crack of dawn to catch their flights. After getting their tickets, they went to the VIP lounge.
The three girls had flights at different times. They first saw off Fang Sihan, whose home was the farthest away in the Northeast, and then they saw off Yun Yuqing.
Finally, only little Li Sili was left.
"We had to get up so early for the flight that you didn’t get to eat much. You wait here for a moment. I’ll go buy you a snack."
Her flight wasn’t for a while, so Sun Dasheng told her to stay put while he walked to a nearby fast-food restaurant.
When he returned with a takeout container, he found Li Sili arguing with someone.
"Someone is sitting here. You can’t just take other people’s seats."
"Well, aren’t you an interesting little girl. Is your name written on this seat? Why can’t I sit here?"
A woman in oversized sunglasses clearly didn’t take the young girl seriously. She even had a young boy toy at her beck and call, massaging her legs.
"Fine... you can sit here, but you can’t just throw someone’s belongings on the floor," Li Sili said, her small face filled with displeasure.
The gaudily dressed rich woman replied dismissively, "Oh, I thought it was trash nobody wanted."
"How could it be trash? That belongs to my uncle."
"Uncle? That’s hilarious. Where is he?" The old rich woman flashed the gold rings that covered her fingers. "You call him over, and I’ll pay him back. It’s just a piece of junk, anyway."
The handbag thrown on the floor was indeed not a brand name. It was the kind you could buy from a street stall for ten yuan.
The VIP lounge was for first-class passengers, who were supposed to have higher standards of decorum. The argument didn’t attract much attention, as most people were focused on their own affairs. This made the rich woman even more audacious.
Seeing the little girl getting bullied, Sun Dasheng strode over. His tall figure blocked the rich woman’s aggressive glare.
"And who are you? Why are you standing in front of me?"
"I’m the ’uncle’ she was talking about," Sun Dasheng said flatly.
Even with an adult present, the old rich woman didn’t back down.
"Oh, my apologies then. How much is your bag worth? Name a price, and I’ll compensate you."
Sun Dasheng glanced her up and down. "I’m afraid you can’t afford it."
"What? What did you say?" the old rich woman shrieked, her voice high-pitched enough that now, people couldn’t help but look over.
She gestured wildly, showing off her numerous gold accessories. "I’m warning you, don’t try to scam me! How much could that trashy bag of yours possibly be worth? Hilarious! Did you see that I have money and decide to try and extort me? Let me tell you, if that’s what you’re thinking, you’ve picked the wrong person. My husband is..."