"Stop spraying any chemicals here, how many times have I told you? We only grow a little bit of our own vegetables, why spray them with chemicals? It’s pointless! It’s only natural for leafy greens to have insects. You spray the plants, and the bugs might be gone, but are we supposed to ingest those chemicals ourselves? The taste is awful too, do you want to choke me to death?"
"Dad, calm down and see who’s come to visit," Zheng Yucheng stepped aside to let Xue Liujin see Chiang Songhai.
Chiang Songhai took a step forward and called out, "Brother Liujin, it’s Chiang Songhai from Peace Town."
"Oh! Brother Chiang?" Xue Liujin sprung up all at once, but he got up so quickly that his vision went dark and he staggered before collapsing.
"Dad!" Zheng Yucheng was startled and quickly helped him sit back down. "You have to be careful!"
Chiang Songhai and Ge Liutao were also frightened, their faces turned pale.
Though it was a well-intentioned visit, it would have been terrible if it had caused Xue Liujin any harm.
Chiang Xiao didn’t expect Xue Liujin’s health to be so poor; she was the first to step forward and steady him. It was only up close that she realized Xue Liujin looked to be nearly seventy, very thin, with a grey and defeated complexion, lifeless eyes, and he seemed like someone whose Essence, Qi, and Spirit were nearly burnt out.
Lately, Chiang Songhai and the others have been benefiting from the Ganoderma water, which seemed to be making them younger. Any traces of white hair had disappeared, and in contrast to him, they appeared as young as ever.
"I’m not doing well, Brother Chiang. If you hadn’t visited me now, you might not have been able to see me again," Xue Liujin said with a sigh.
An older woman in her fifties came out of the house and greeted them. She told Zheng Yucheng to bring them inside to sit.
"Brother Liujin, don’t talk like that. I remember you’re only fifty-nine, not even sixty yet," Chiang Songhai said, which made Chiang Xiao inwardly gasp. Xue Liujin was under sixty years old?
But he looked like he was in his late sixties, and even then, his Essence, Qi, and Spirit seemed worse than that of a typical person of that age.
"Alas, it’s no good, it’s no good. These days I’m just hanging in there," Xue Liujin, assisted by Zheng Yucheng, took a few steps before realizing there was another young girl helping him.
"Oh, whose young girl is this?"
Whose young girl is she indeed?
She surely didn’t come on her own without knowing anyone here, right?
Chiang Songhai quickly said, "Brother Liujin, this is my granddaughter, Chiang Xiao."
"Dad, remember the thing I told you about yesterday? This is Xiao Chiang, the little genius who won first prize in the recent painting contest!" Zheng Yucheng also said.
"Ah, the talented Painter? Brother Chiang, you really are blessed, truly blessed!" Xue Liujin said, and after a few words, he began to pant, his breathing growing more laborious. Yet, it was clear he was genuinely pleased by their visit.
The living room was tidy, with a fan on the table slowly rotating its head. There was a crochet knitted lace sofa cover in off-white, adding a touch of elegance from that era. At the corner of the sofa on a small square table, there was a radio as well.
On a single sofa chair, there was a basket with yarn and a half-finished sweater. It was a greyish black sweater, seemingly men’s, probably knitted for Xue Liujin.
The adults sat down on the sofa, and Madam Xue brought a foldable wooden chair for Chiang Xiao, eyeing her with curiosity for a few moments.