Sheng Tang’s grandmother, Old Mrs. Fang, was highly respected in the community.
She was very knowledgeable, liked chatting with young people, and knew many new things; her son-in-law was a professor at the Geological University, and her daughter also worked at the Geological University.
Geological University was a prestigious university in the city, so the old lady was very respected in the community.
She was also very enthusiastic and generous; whenever there was any discord among neighbors, she would mediate and say things that both parties found convincing.
Even the property manager had a good relationship with her.
There was an old lady in the community who knew Grandma, who had also been widowed in middle age and raised her daughter alone. They had a lot in common and were very close.
This time, the old lady had hurt her leg and had trouble moving around.
Cooking was almost impossible, but heating up food was still doable, so Grandma would go to cook for her every day at noon, making several dishes so she could reheat them in the evening.
She also cleaned the house for her, threw the clothes into the washing machine, and washed and dried them until her daughter returned from a business trip.
Grandma was nimble, and usually took care of all the housework single-handedly. She was never afraid of hard work, nor did she feel tired.
Doing some work made her feel at ease.
These old ladies had no concept of a total solar eclipse. When Grandma saw the sky looking odd outside, she thought it was going to rain.
"I have to go back," Grandma said. "Tangtang is alone at home. That little girl is probably sleeping so soundly that she wouldn’t even know to close the windows if it started raining..."
She hurried home.
The closer she got, the darker the sky became.
Grandma was puzzled, and then she suddenly remembered: "What storm? Isn’t it a solar eclipse? Zong mentioned it yesterday. I must be getting senile."
However, the entire sky went dark.
Grandma found it rather scary and quickened her pace, even taking shortcuts.
She had lived in this community for over ten years, and even in total darkness, she knew her way.
She crossed the low fence on the lawn and was almost at her doorstep when she heard the sound of a car.
She was startled: "Who’s driving without headlights in such darkness?"
Just as she thought this, her body was already airborne, hit by the car and thrown high into the air, before crashing heavily to the ground.
The car screeched to a halt.
The old lady lay there helplessly, not feeling much pain, only sensing all her strength draining away as blood continuously poured out, her mind growing foggier.
"I haven’t even bought groceries. What about dinner?" Her last thought gradually faded away in a surge of white light.
During the solar eclipse, Sheng Tang had turned on several lights at home, changed the bedsheets, and was about to wash her face.
She was quite sloppy at home.
The total solar eclipse only lasted a minute or two, and the sky gradually brightened again, with scorching sunlight coming through the window.
She vaguely heard someone screaming, and others shouting something loudly.
Sheng Tang opened the window and looked out.
The road below was crowded with people, many running over and saying someone had been hit and killed.
The feeling of suffocation and nausea rose in Sheng Tang’s heart once more.
She was not one to join in on the excitement, but now she suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Without much thought, she grabbed her keys, intending to go downstairs to see what was happening.
Sheng Tang took the elevator, which stopped three or four times on the way, with neighbors getting off to see the commotion.
At this time, those at home were mostly elderly people and children on summer vacation.
"Did someone really get killed?" asked the old lady from the fourth floor as soon as she entered the elevator.
The suffocating feeling in Sheng Tang’s heart grew stronger, for no apparent reason.
"Yes, according to the homeowners’ group, it seems to be someone from Professor Sheng’s place upstairs," another person replied, and then suddenly saw Sheng Tang and froze.
Hearing this, Sheng Tang felt an inexplicable chill in her hands and feet.