In the small courtyard at dusk, bathed in the intense sunset, Chen Xi folded up Old Master Guan’s reclining chair and carried it into the main room.

On a small square table beside the chair sat Old Master Guan’s teapot and a small tea cup.

The old pocket radio was nowhere to be seen—probably taken by Sensen to Lanzhou.

Chen Xi picked up the teapot and tea cup and took them to the kitchen.

She looked around. The kitchen had been cleaned thoroughly, except that the cutting board wasn’t positioned correctly.

Chen Xi picked up the cutting board that was lying flat on the cement counter and stood it upright against the wall.

This was Old Master Guan’s habit. He said placing the cutting board this way prevented mold.

Chen Xi casually closed the two open windows and noticed that the salt in the seasoning jar was nearly gone.

She instinctively thought she should go buy a packet later, otherwise Old Master Guan would have to walk to the small store at the end of the alley himself.

She was startled for a moment, suddenly remembering that Old Master Guan was gone, gone forever.

Chen Xi’s eyes suddenly felt warm. She silently closed the seasoning jar.

She walked to the courtyard and watered the small tree they had planted in spring.

The wind blew through, making the leaves rustle.

Chen Xi looked up at the tender green branches of the small tree, her lips moving slightly.

She felt that perhaps Grandpa Guan had sent her a message through the wind, telling her that everything was fine with him.

In the slightly cool early autumn breeze, Chen Xi walked back to her small courtyard.

Fan Mingsu had gone to visit someone’s house, leaving dinner for Chen Xi in the kitchen.

Chen Xi took her dinner under the grape arbor and chatted with Sensen on WeChat while eating.

Sensen had been in Lanzhou for three days. Chen Xi chatted with him every day on WeChat, asking how his day went.

The little guy seemed to have endless things to say to her, which made Chen Xi breathe a sigh of relief, feeling that Sensen wasn’t rejecting life in Lanzhou.

Sensen told her that his father and aunt had rented two apartments in an old residential community—a two-bedroom for themselves and a three-bedroom to run a small dining service.

There was an elementary school across from the community. At noon, the street would get so congested that cars couldn’t pass through.

His father cooked at home while his aunt went to the school gate to pick up the children.

Sensen said he had registered at school yesterday, gone home by himself at noon, and eaten lunch with the children from the dining service.

Chen Xi asked if the food was good.

Sensen said it was very fragrant.

Chen Xi looked at Sensen’s reply and smiled as she finished the fried rice in her bowl.

Suddenly, she felt something wasn’t quite right.

Why wasn’t San Huang making any noise?

Chen Xi scanned the small courtyard and found San Huang lying in his kennel, looking somewhat listless.

The boiled white meat and dog food Chen Xi had put in his bowl this morning were barely touched.

Chen Xi walked to the kennel, crouched down, and reached out to touch San Huang’s fluffy head.

“What’s wrong, San Huang?”

Chen Xi asked softly.

San Huang lifted his eyelids to look at Chen Xi, listless and motionless.

Chen Xi grabbed San Huang’s two paws and gently shook them.

“What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

San Huang whimpered twice like he was being coquettish, resting his chin on the ground and lowering his eyelids.

Chen Xi hurriedly went inside to get a can of San Huang’s favorite food, opened it, and placed it in front of him.

San Huang glanced at the fragrant canned food but still couldn’t be bothered to move.

Chen Xi became worried and lifted San Huang out of his kennel.

After checking him over, she found no external injuries.

She placed San Huang in Fan Mingsu’s tricycle and hurriedly rode out of the small courtyard.

There was a pet clinic nearby. When San Huang got into a fight with a stray dog last year and injured his leg, it was treated at that clinic.

Chen Xi carried San Huang into the clinic. After a thorough examination, the doctor gave his diagnosis.

The dog was old.

Chen Xi held San Huang and looked at the doctor with complete bewilderment.

“What?”

She murmured.

The doctor was a young man with very beautiful eyes.

He looked at Chen Xi with some sympathy and asked, “How old is he?”

Chen Xi touched San Huang. “Thirteen, not quite fourteen.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she was stunned.

Chen Xi looked at San Huang in her arms, unable to believe he had been with her and Grandma for almost fourteen years.

The doctor said nothing, looking at Chen Xi sympathetically.

Chen Xi became somewhat panicked and asked, “What medicine should I give him?”

The doctor looked at Chen Xi and said quietly, “There’s no medicine that can cure aging.”

Chen Xi: “Could you prescribe some nutritional supplements? You know, vitamins, calcium, trace elements, things like that?”

The doctor reluctantly prescribed a bottle of calcium tablets for San Huang.

After leaving this clinic, Chen Xi wasn’t reassured and took San Huang to another one.

The doctor gave the same diagnosis.

Chen Xi rode the tricycle with San Huang through the quiet, small streets under the streetlights.

She felt the wind was a bit strong, so she stopped the tricycle, took off her coat, and covered San Huang with it.

The old dog lay listlessly in the cart, his eyes bright and clear, reflecting the warm yellow streetlight overhead.

His gaze was the same as when Chen Xi first met him.

So gentle and attentive as he looked at you, as if you were his whole world.

Suddenly, tears blurred her vision.

Chen Xi touched San Huang’s head and said sadly, “I’ve been too busy lately. I’m sorry you’ve been neglected.”

She got back on the tricycle and smiled back at San Huang.

“Let’s go home.”

The next evening, Fan Mingsu made lamb spine hot pot and brought it out to place under the grape arbor.

She called Chen Xi in the courtyard, “Call Xiao Qin and tell him to come eat lamb spine hot pot.”

Chen Xi was crouched in front of the kennel and said casually, “He’s busy. Let’s eat by ourselves.”

Fan Mingsu wouldn’t have it. “Look how much I made!”

Chen Xi mixed the calcium tablets into chicken porridge and fed them to San Huang, then turned to Fan Mingsu and said, “Then call my parents to come eat.”

Fan Mingsu: “They’re drinking with colleagues today.”

Chen Xi made an acknowledging sound and said nothing more.

Fan Mingsu looked at Chen Xi’s back, pondered for a moment, then asked tentatively, “Haven’t seen Xiao Qin for several days. What’s he busy with?”

Chen Xi touched San Huang’s big forehead and said in a flat tone, “Work stuff.”

Fan Mingsu walked over and, seeing San Huang eating with a good appetite, couldn’t help but scratch San Huang.

She comforted Chen Xi: “Don’t worry, our San Huang still has a long life ahead.”

Chen Xi nodded, still motionless. She wanted to watch San Huang finish his porridge.

Fan Mingsu crouched beside Chen Xi, chatted for a while, then brought the topic back to Qin Lie.

“I heard you say Xiao Qin runs a company in Beijing?”

Chen Xi nodded.

Fan Mingsu: “What kind of business?”

Chen Xi: “Games and technology.”

Fan Mingsu smiled and said, “That’s impressive.”

Chen Xi smiled and agreed, “Yes, it is.”

Fan Mingsu wanted to ask more, but Chen Xi got up and walked away.

The old lady watched Chen Xi’s retreating figure with a thoughtful expression.

This girl seemed to have something on her mind lately—she probably argued with Xiao Qin.

Fan Mingsu unconsciously thought of Bai Yuning. Such a good young man, and quite suitable for Chen Xi, but unfortunately, it didn’t work out because of the long-distance issue.

Qin Lie was good too, but unfortunately he also worked in Beijing. She was really afraid Chen Xi would go down the same path again.

She caught up with Chen Xi and said persistently, “I made so much lamb spine. If he doesn’t come, who’s going to eat it? If you don’t call him, I will.”

Just as she was making a fuss, Qin Lie walked in through the courtyard gate, carrying two packages of walnut cookies that Fan Mingsu loved.

“Grandma, who are you calling to eat lamb spine?”

He asked with a smile.

Fan Mingsu’s eyes lit up when she saw Qin Lie. “Of course, calling you.”

Qin Lie: “I’m in for a treat tonight.”

Fan Mingsu smiled and said, “If you come every day, you’ll have treats every day.”

The moon rose, and autumn breezes blew through the small courtyard.

Fan Mingsu’s lamb spine hot pot had a soy sauce base. Before adding the ingredients, she would first sauté a bowl of dried chilies, creating an aroma that shot straight to the top of your head.

Besides the lamb spine, the soup base also had two pounds of tender small lamb ribs, plus konjac, tofu, and cabbage. The taste was incredible.

Fan Mingsu ate happily and brought out a small half-bottle of Moutai left over from the Mid-Autumn Festival from inside the house.

“Come on, Xiao Qin, have a couple of drinks with me.”

Qin Lie took the liquor, poured some for Fan Mingsu, then poured himself a cup.

San Huang, smelling the fragrance, padded over to Chen Xi’s feet and lay down.

Chen Xi touched San Huang and said gently, “It’s spicy. I can’t give you any.”

Fan Mingsu got up and brought two pieces of plain boiled lamb spine from the kitchen and placed them in front of San Huang.

“As if we’d leave you out.”

San Huang wagged his tail and slowly began gnawing on the lamb spine.

Fan Mingsu raised her cup and clinked glasses with Qin Lie.

After one sip of liquor, she squinted her eyes from the burning sensation.

She asked Qin Lie with a smile, “Is your company in Beijing doing well?”

Qin Lie was somewhat surprised because Fan Mingsu had never asked about his work before.

He nodded and replied, “It’s doing well.”

Fan Mingsu pondered for a while, then asked, “If you keep staying in Dunhuang, can you manage without overseeing the company?”

Before Qin Lie could answer, Chen Xi fished out a piece of tender tofu and placed it in Fan Mingsu’s bowl.

“It’s absorbed the flavors. Eat up.”

Fan Mingsu glanced at Chen Xi. “Don’t interrupt.”

She looked at Qin Lie with a smile.

Qin Lie said frankly, “It’s not very convenient, but it can still operate for now.”

Chen Xi wordlessly fished out a piece of lamb rib for herself and ignored the two of them.

Fan Mingsu frowned with worry. “So you’ll have to go back to work, right?”

Qin Lie nodded. “Yes, I’m planning to go to Beijing tomorrow.”

After he finished speaking, he quietly looked at Chen Xi.

Chen Xi met his gaze and smiled at him.

She wasn’t surprised, just felt it was a bit sudden.

Chen Xi poured herself a cup of liquor and raised it toward him with a smile.

“After you go back, may everything go smoothly.”

Qin Lie clinked glasses with Chen Xi, just smiled, and said nothing.

Fan Mingsu was already stunned. She looked at Qin Lie, then at Chen Xi.

After a long while, she managed to squeeze out words: “But you two, this, you two just got together.”

Chen Xi drank the liquor a bit too quickly. The burning sensation traveled from her esophagus to her stomach.

She put down her cup and looked at Fan Mingsu with heavy eyes.

“Grandma.”

Chen Xi wanted to say, “It doesn’t matter.”

Yes, it didn’t matter.

When there’s fate, people come together; when there’s no fate, they part.

Human relationships are generally like this—only family bonds cannot be severed.

When she and Qin Lie weren’t together yet, they had a mutual understanding about love—anyone could fill the role of romantic companionship.

So he was carefree, and she would not be clingy.

But as soon as she opened her mouth, she was choked by the burning sensation in her throat and began coughing violently.

Qin Lie quickly patted her back gently and handed her a glass of drink.

When Chen Xi finally stopped coughing and drank some of the water Qin Lie offered, she heard his casual remark:

“Leave tomorrow, back on the weekend.”

Chen Xi almost choked on another sip of water.

“Going back for just a few days, what can you accomplish?”

Qin Lie smiled and said nothing, using a soup ladle to scoop up a piece of tender small lamb rib and put it in Fan Mingsu’s bowl.

“Grandma, eat it while it’s hot.”

Fan Mingsu wasn’t in the mood to eat. She asked Qin Lie hesitantly, “In the future, will you still be in Dunhuang?”

Qin Lie nodded.

Fan Mingsu: “You won’t be transferred away?”

Qin Lie smiled. “My work doesn’t require transfers. When to leave, when to return—I decide for myself.”

Fan Mingsu finally breathed a sigh of relief. “Your job is good. It doesn’t tie you down.”

Qin Lie agreed with a sound, glanced at Chen Xi, who was silently drinking water, and smiled faintly.