Gu Man was woken up by a knock on the door in the morning. In her daze, she heard the servant call, "Second Miss, listen to the call..."
Gu Man opened her sleepy eyes and looked at the alarm clock. It was already ten in the morning.
She recalled that she had been in the ghost market for so long last night but to no avail. She felt a trace of frustration in her heart. Seeing that the knocking continued, she became even more frustrated.
"What are you doing?" she shouted as she pulled open the door.
The servant quickly said, "There's a call for you. It's from Hengshui Town."
"Hengshui Town?" Gu Man had yet to fully wake up.
Seeing this, the servant reminded her, "It should be your grandmother's house."
Gu Man suddenly remembered. She had a feeling that it was her grandmother calling, so she rushed downstairs without even changing out of her pajamas.
When she picked up the phone, the other party was still waiting. A kind voice asked, "Manman?"
Gu Man's emotions were complicated.
The Host's feelings for her grandmother were complicated.
She loved her grandmother, but she also wanted to escape that small town. During the days in Han City, she did not want to tell her grandmother about the pain in her heart. It was not helpful even if she told her.
Seeing that there was no sound from Gu Man's side for a long time, she shouted again, "Manman?"
"Grandma, it's me." Gu Man finally spoke. "Grandma, why are you looking for me?"
"No... nothing. I just want to talk to you. You have something to do? If you have something to do, go ahead," the old lady said hurriedly, afraid that she would delay Gu Man's time. She was even more worried that Gu Man would not be willing to talk to her.
Gu Man could tell what the old woman meant and felt a little bitter. "I'm not busy. How is Grandma?"
"Okay, I'm fine." The old lady sounded very happy.
"Shall I visit you today?" Gu Man asked. She had made this decision at the last minute.
"Really? Manman can come back anytime." The old lady was even happier.
"Grandma, I'll be there later."
Gu Man put down the phone and went upstairs to change.
She wore a simple white T-shirt, light-colored loose jeans, with a baseball cap on her head and went out.
There was a bus heading to Hengshui Town at the bus terminal in Han City in about ten minutes. It only took more than an hour to reach.
As the tall buildings gradually disappeared, villages with white walls and black tiles began to appear. The bus stopped here and there until the driver turned off the engine and stopped. They arrived at Hengshui Town.
Gu Man was the last to get out of the car. As soon as she jumped out of the car, she saw a familiar yet unfamiliar figure coming up to her. Before she arrived, the voice came first.
"Manman."
Gu Man quickly went up to her. "Grandma."
Grandma held Gu Man's hand tightly and smiled.
She was only in her early seventies, but her face looked exceptionally old. Fortunately, she still looked strong.
"Manman is still too thin. Did you not eat on time?" The old lady sized up Gu Man and asked.
Gu Man quickly replied, "I did eat on time."
"You have to eat more when you're here at grandma's."
"Okay, Grandma."
"I saw a few cars coming and going, but I didn't see you. I thought you weren't coming." Grandma tightened her grip on Gu Man's hand.
"Then didn't you wait for more than an hour?" Gu Man's heart ached.
"It's fine, I have nothing to do at home. I'm worried that you've forgotten how to come. You used to get lost often." The old lady seemed to have thought of something funny and laughed.
"I remember."
Gu Man's grandmother's house was in a village at the edge of the town, ten minutes away from the station.
Along the way, the old lady rambled on. Even if Gu Man did not reply, she spoke warmly alone.
When she opened the courtyard door, it was simple but clean.
In a corner of the courtyard, a middle-aged man was chopping wood.
When the uncle saw Gu Man, he immediately threw down the axe in his hand and walked over quickly. He looked at Gu Man and asked, "Manman?"
Gu Man nodded and smiled. "Uncle."
This uncle was actually Gu Man's mother's cousin. It was just that ever since Gu Man's grandmother returned to her hometown to settle down, he had been living at her house.
When she was young, Gu Man was mostly taken care of by him, so she addressed him as "uncle".