Eight chubby little hands waved up and down, some massaging his legs, others pounding his arms.
"Grandpa, why are you crying? You're all better now, and you look incredibly energetic. Don't worry, you're not going to die!"
"Yeah. Before we came, I thought Grandpa was a very old old man. I didn't expect you to be so young. And you're so handsome, just like my daddy."
"Grandpa, can you tell me about Daddy when he was little? Was Daddy naughty when he was little? Did you ever hit him?"
"Grandpa..."
"Grandpa..."
Surrounded by the little ones, the old man forgot about everything else.
He happily answered their questions one by one, his spirit instantly rejuvenating by twenty years.
—
After lying down for another week, making it over twenty days, Zhan Bei Jue's body began to itch all over.
Although he hadn't sweated recently, he felt so smelly from not having bathed for nearly a month that he couldn't bear to be seen.
Unable to stand it any longer, after lunch, he told Min Er that he wanted to take a bath.
Min Er said, "Da Mei said that your wounds are recovering, and itching is normal. You don't need to wash; it won't help."
"And I can't move you to wash yourself, how would you do it?"
"Get me some water, and I'll figure out a way. I really can't stand how smelly I am."
"Then bear with it a little longer. I'll help you when I get off work tonight. Your hair has grown a bit now, so I'll wash your head for you then."
Zhan Bei Jue indeed couldn't wash his own hair. He could only wait for her to return.
He was now a complete cripple.
Lying in the dim basement every day, he had no idea of the year, month, or time.
He could only guess Min Er's arrival by habit.
Listening to her voice and footsteps had become the sole focus of his current life.
Finally, Min Er got off work.
She first brought in a basin of warm water, then another set of dull gray men's clothes.
"I don't have money to buy you new clothes, so don't be picky. These were left by Da Mei's husband when he was alive. He was about your height, so they should fit."
"To prevent you from catching a cold, we won't do a full wash. I'll just wipe you down."
Zhan Bei Jue had no choice but to be at her mercy.
Min Er avoided his wounds and wiped his head, then wiped the parts of his body not covered by the cast.
For over twenty days, Zhan Bei Jue had been like a piece of meat without dignity in front of her.
She had seen him completely by now, so it didn't matter anymore.
She helped him put on the cut clothes. Seeing that Min Er seemed to be in a good mood today, Zhan Bei Jue decided to talk to her.
He had too many questions he wanted answered. What was the point of just lying here like this?
However, before he could even ask his questions, Da Mei ran in.
"Min Er, hurry back! Your father is furious at home, looking for you, quickly!"
Min Er, like a truant child caught red-handed, heard this, threw down the towel, and bolted out the door.
Min Er's home was diagonally across from Da Mei's, only about fifty meters away.
However, Da Mei's house was built within a unified complex, clearly a proper house.
Min Er's house, on the other hand, was a self-built structure, likely against regulations.
Zhan Bei Jue already knew which direction her home was in, and he listened with his ear cocked.
Sounds carried from over there.
A middle-aged man was furiously interrogating Min Er about where she had been.
"You say you're busy from dawn till dusk, yet I don't see any money coming into the house. What exactly are you doing?"
"Could it be that you're out with some wild man, dating? Let me tell you, Shen Min Er, no man is good! If you dare to date, I'll beat you to death!"
"Where's the money? Give me some money! I raised you, and you're useless! You earn so little and still have a long face every day!"
"The landlord mocks me every day, embarrassing me, don't you know? Hurry up and find a way to earn some!"
He was raging at their mother at home again.
The few pieces of furniture they owned were thrown to the ground by him, shattering into pieces.
Min Er was numb and didn't want to argue with him, so she silently bent down to pick up the scattered items.
After her father finished scolding and saw her lack of response, he grabbed her by the back of her shirt and yanked her up.
"I'm talking to you, and you're showing me less and less respect, aren't you? Pretending you can't hear? I'll slap you to death!"
Min Er's expression remained blank; she didn't even blink.
She calmly pieced together the wooden boards in her hands and said faintly.
"Go ahead and slap me. If you slap me to death, you'll be glorious, and someone will help you pay your debts. If you slap both of us to death, you'll be free. Go ahead."
"You... you little slut, you haven't learned anything good, but you've learned to talk back to me?"
What followed was a series of crashing sounds as more things were broken.
Zhan Bei Jue frowned as he listened.
What kind of family was Min Er living in?
Working day and night didn't earn her any sympathy; instead, she endured beatings and scoldings?
He couldn't help but glance at Da Mei beside him.
Da Mei shook her head helplessly and went to pick up the basin and towel from the floor.
"Alas, Min Er is such an unfortunate child."
"Da Mei, can we talk?"
"Perhaps not. She doesn't like people talking about her. If she wants you to know, she'll tell you herself."
Zhan Bei Jue said, "I want to talk about you."
"What is there to talk about regarding me?"
Zhan Bei Jue: "Judging by your accent and eye color, you don't seem to be from Switzerland. Are you an immigrant?"
Da Mei was surprised that Zhan Bei Jue had this ability, to discern she wasn't Swiss.
"Indeed. I am an immigrant. I immigrated from a very small country. To obtain Swiss residency, I married my elderly husband."
"I gave him three children. Unexpectedly, he left us behind and passed away two years ago."
Zhan Bei Jue fell silent.
Because he had a rough idea of the environment he was currently in.
A foreign immigrant, unemployed, with three children, a widow.
A poor and struggling girl working hard at the bottom of society.
They were likely a true reflection of the lives of the poorest people in Switzerland.
Could it be that he had lived in this neighborhood before?
Min Er argued with her father at home for a long time. Only after all the little money left in her pocket was taken by him did she return to Da Mei's house.
The right side of her face was visibly swollen.
That scumbag father, he actually laid hands on her?
Looking at such a poor and pitiful girl, Zhan Bei Jue felt an unspeakable sadness in his heart.
But he knew that Min Er was unwilling to discuss her chaotic family matters with others.
So he changed his approach and asked.
"Da Mei said our hair and eye colors are the same, so we should be from the same place. Where is your hometown?"
Min Er was in a bad mood. She picked up her bag from the ground and was about to leave.
Upon hearing his words, she replied indifferently.
"All Asians look like me. How can you be sure we're from the same place?"