After Zhao Hanzhang had asked all the questions she could think of, she still didn’t feel the least bit sleepy. She couldn’t very well keep the Station Master talking indefinitely, so she waved her hand to dismiss him.

She picked up the small bamboo basket of buns and went next door. Fu Tinghan was sitting by the bed, staring blankly at Fu Zhi.

Hearing the door open, he turned to look at her.

Zhao Hanzhang handed him the small basket, saying softly, “Eat something.”

Fu Tinghan reached out to take it, but just sat there without moving. “When my parents left, I was still young and don’t have many memories. I’ve only seen off my grandfather. I was sad then because even as he was leaving, he couldn’t stop worrying about me. I felt very guilty for letting him leave without peace of mind.”

His gaze fell on Fu Zhi. Even in unconsciousness, his brow remained furrowed, his face seeming to carry endless worry. “After all these years, I’ve fallen into the same predicament again.”

Zhao Hanzhang listened quietly without speaking.

Fu Tinghan smiled bitterly, looked up at her, his eyes glistening with tears, and asked softly, “Facing life and death, how can we help them leave peacefully?”

Zhao Hanzhang said, “Whatever their final wishes are, agree to those we can fulfill, and remain silent about those we cannot. The greatest respect the living can show the dying is to remember them, but also to learn to forget them.”

“When my grandfather was dying, he told me to live well, to remember to sweep his tomb each year, and not to dwell on him too much…” At some point, Zhao Hanzhang’s eyes had filled with tears. Their hands clasped together, and she gripped his hand tightly, saying softly, “I’ve always felt that Grandfather Fu was very much like my grandfather. You should listen more to what he has to say.”

Zhao Hanzhang kept Fu Tinghan company for half the night until drowsiness finally came. Fu Tinghan pushed her to go rest in the adjacent room. After she fell asleep, he covered her with a quilt before returning to Fu Zhi’s room.

He checked the time and, following the physician’s instructions, brought over the medicine that had been keeping warm in the corner and carefully fed it to Fu Zhi. The medicine went down his throat and he swallowed automatically. Fu Tinghan breathed a sigh of relief.

After feeding just two mouthfuls, disheveled-haired Butler Si pushed the door open. Fu Tinghan turned around and called out, “Butler Uncle?”

Butler Si’s eyes immediately reddened. He hurried forward. “Young Master, when did you arrive?”

“I arrived after nightfall. Where were you earlier?”

Butler Si said, “My body can’t take it anymore. After helping the old master lie down, I couldn’t hold on and had to lie down myself. Fortunately my mind still remembers that medicine must be given at the hour of the Rat, so I got up.”

Butler Si helped Fu Tinghan finish administering the medicine, then complained in a low voice, “Fu Cheng is becoming more and more unreliable. He didn’t even get up in the night, leaving such an important matter to you. Fu’an is useless too—how can he let you attend to the old master alone?”

Fu Cheng was the attendant at Fu Zhi’s side. With few people around him, basically he and Butler Si took turns. Fu Tinghan explained on their behalf, “I saw dark circles under their eyes—they’re all exhausted. So I told them to go rest.”

After finishing the medicine, Fu Tinghan heated a pot of water over the stove. He moistened a cloth and carefully cleaned Fu Zhi’s mouth, then wiped his hands. He sent Butler Si to rest too. “Tomorrow you’ll still need to care for Grandfather in the carriage. How will that work if you don’t rest well tonight?”

Butler Si saw how meticulous he was being. Though reluctant to leave, Fu Tinghan’s reasoning made sense. After a moment’s thought, he still got up.

At the door, he couldn’t help turning back to bow respectfully to Fu Tinghan, his eyes slightly red. “If the old master knew, he would surely be happy.”

After Butler Si left, the room grew quiet again.

Fu Tinghan sat by the bed in a daze for a while, then couldn’t help reaching out to check his breathing and feel his pulse. Only then did he relax.

He looked around, then took a quilt from the cabinet and clumsily spread it out on the footstool. This should be where the night-watch attendants slept—less than a meter wide, just enough for one person to lie flat, impossible to turn over.

Fu Tinghan lay down and listened to the frogs croaking for a long time before drifting into a drowsy sleep.

Though he slept, it wasn’t deep. Not long after falling asleep, he vaguely heard roosters crowing. Just as he was about to open his eyes, they stopped, and he dozily fell back asleep. Soon he heard crowing again. Fu Tinghan’s eyelids twitched before slowly settling back down. When they crowed a third time, faint light came through the window lattice, and sounds of activity could be heard outside. Only then did he struggle to open his eyes.

Fu Tinghan propped himself up on his arms to sit up, squinting as he looked toward Fu Zhi on the bed, and met a pair of loving eyes.

Fu Tinghan was startled. He quickly knelt up and leaned close to the bed. “Grandfather?”

Fu Zhi saw his squinting eyes and couldn’t help sighing, his voice hoarse. “Have you been reading at night again? How can your eyesight be so poor already?”

Fu Tinghan’s eyes reddened. He smiled and protested, “There’s nothing wrong with my eyes. I just woke up and saw you were awake—my eyes are still a bit blurry.”

Fu Zhi reached out his hand to him. Fu Tinghan quickly grasped it, noticing him exerting force. He hurriedly helped him sit up, tucking a pillow behind his back to let him lean against it.

Fu Tinghan rolled up the quilt from the footstool and set it aside, then said hurriedly, “Wait here, I’ll call… Father and Mother.”

“Wait,” Fu Zhi called him back, beckoning slightly with his hand and smiling gently. “No rush. Let them sleep a while longer. Come here, let us grandfather and grandson talk.”

Fu Tinghan came forward and knelt on the footstool, looking at him and asking, “Are you hungry? Do you want some water? They say you’ve slept for three days. Why don’t you drink some warm water first to wake your stomach, and eat some rice porridge a bit later?”

Fu Zhi couldn’t help but smile with satisfaction and nod approvingly. “Dalang has learned to care for others. You seem more human now than before.”

Fu Zhi reached out to pat his head, saying softly, “It seems marriage was a good thing. You’ve finally grown up.”

Fu Tinghan hadn’t realized he’d never grown up in his eyes.

He was momentarily speechless.

But Fu Zhi had much to say to him. Seeing his brow carried light worry but his eyes remained clear and pure, he swallowed many words back down. He only asked, “Are you and Sanniang getting along well?”

Fu Tinghan nodded. “We’re doing very well. She came too and is staying next door. I’ll call her.”

Fu Zhi pressed his hand down, stopping his movement, and smiled. “She came too? Good, very good. No rush—let her sleep a while longer too.”

He looked Fu Tinghan over, smiling. “It seems you really are doing well together. Then I can rest easy.”

Fu Tinghan hesitated, then asked, “Grandfather, is there something you wanted to tell me?”

“Before seeing you, I had many things to say,” Fu Zhi said. “I had many worries, many fears, and many instructions for you. But seeing you, all those worries and fears are gone.”

“Child, the road ahead is long. You and Sanniang must walk it hand in hand. She faces many difficulties. You’re husband and wife—you must understand each other more. She bears the burden of an entire nation’s people. That’s a heavy load.”

Fu Tinghan nodded to show he understood.

—