Chapter 647: Grandpa Chen
Lana quickly responded, refusing to be discouraged.
"Grandpa, if you do not even see me once, how will you know whether I am someone who deserves to buy your items? Please give me a chance."
The alley became quiet again. Lana could hear the faint creaking of the old wooden house and the distant sounds of the settlement.
After a long while, the old man finally spoke. "All right, then. Come inside."
Lana did not feel particularly frightened. Instead, curiosity pushed her forward, and she stepped through the doorway.
Sure enough, the interior resembled a traditional courtyard from the real world.
The architecture had an unmistakably Chinese appearance, with old wooden structures, weathered furniture, and a quiet atmosphere that made the entire place feel strangely detached from the rest of Ghost Town.
As Lana looked around, she noticed a living room, a dining area, and a staircase leading upstairs. However, she could not see what was beyond the upper floor.
The old man was sitting calmly in the living room. His gaze moved from Lana to the black crow perched on her shoulder.
For some reason, Lana could not shake the feeling that this old man already knew something about her. Sure enough, his next words confirmed her suspicion.
"A human in the ghost world? How daring."
Lana froze for a moment before looking directly at him. "You can see my real identity?"
The old man laughed quietly, his expression carrying a hint of amusement. "There is almost nothing that can be hidden from me."
Lana hesitated before asking, "Then are you still not going to sell me anything?"
The old man nodded. "I love conversing with smart people. So you should leave now."
Lana shook her head. "I cannot leave until you give me at least one chance to present my side."
The old man shook his head in disagreement. "Leave."
Lana remained where she was. The old man stared at her for several seconds before letting out a weary sigh.
"All right. I will give you one chance. I need a helper who can assist me with various things around the house. If I feel that your temperament is suitable, I will consider selling something to you."
Lana’s eyes immediately brightened. "Thank you, Grandpa. Thank you."
With that, she sat down directly in front of him. The old man was stunned. "Should you not be asking me to assign you a task?"
Lana chuckled softly. "Grandpa, my legs are aching so much. I have traveled a very long distance, so I wanted to rest for a little while. We can wait for a moment before you give me any work."
The old man became speechless. Lana, however, did not seem bothered by his reaction. After adjusting herself comfortably, she continued.
"Can you tell me your name?" The old man nodded.
"My name is Chen Zuhi. Even though you probably do not deserve to know it, I will tell you anyway, considering that I am a kind old man."
Lana smiled. "Grandpa Chen."
The moment those words left her mouth, the old man visibly froze for a brief second. His fingers stopped around the teacup he was holding, and he slowly lowered it onto the table before looking directly at Lana.
"Are you finished resting now?"
Lana nodded. The old man calmly pointed toward another part of the house. "Go and wash my clothes."
Lana blinked. "Wow, there are clothes in this place?"
Despite her surprise, she steadily walked in the direction he had indicated.
After washing the clothes by hand, Lana noticed something strange. No matter how long her hands remained submerged, she could not feel the temperature of the water.
’Well, to be precise, everything here is merely a duplicate or the spirit of something that exists in the real world. It is probably normal that I cannot feel its temperature.’
Before she could dwell on it for too long, Grandpa Chen’s voice came from behind her.
"Now that you have washed the clothes, go and wash the utensils. After that, clean this entire place. There are also some old clothes that need to be sorted."
He continued listing chores one after another, and Lana completed each task calmly.
Grandpa Chen watched her in silence. His lips gradually pursed as something seemed to stir within his mind, as though her behavior had reminded him of someone or something from a distant past.
By the time Lana finally finished all the chores, the light outside had already begun to fade, and the warm glow of evening had settled over the courtyard.
Grandpa Chen looked at her thoughtfully.
"Now tell me, if I kidnapped you to stay here for the rest of your life and continued troubling you with chores like this, would you still be interested in buying things from me?"
Lana paused. Then she calmly shook her head.
"No, I would not."
Hearing those words, the old man gave a bitter smile, but before he could say anything, he heard Lana speak.
"I can at most create a spiritual copy of myself that can accompany you. Other than that, I truly cannot waste all of my years here. Once I die, though, I can return to this place, chat with you, and help you with the chores. I would also bring my family members along with me."
As she said those words, she began making a plan in her mind, carefully considering what she could do and what she would need to prepare.
When Grandpa Chen saw Lana already making plans, he could not help but stare at her with a complicated expression before finally speaking.
"Aren’t you being too sincere? Shouldn’t you feel at least a little offended toward me? Or perhaps even disgusted?"
Lana chuckled softly.
"Why would I? Grandpa Chen is Grandpa Chen. Besides, it is actually quite nice to stay around you."
Lana was not lying. Although Grandpa Chen constantly ordered her around and made her do one chore after another, there was a strange sense of peace surrounding him.
His old voice would occasionally fill the quiet surroundings as he talked about completely random stories, and they were surprisingly interesting.
Sometimes, Lana would even stop what she was doing just to listen. Grandpa Chen never rushed her to finish the chores when that happened.
At other times, he would hum or sing unfamiliar tunes in his slightly hoarse voice. The melodies were old and unfamiliar, yet there was something strangely soothing about them.
Listening to them made the atmosphere feel less oppressive, almost as if she had temporarily forgotten that she was inside a terrifying ghost domain.
Grandpa Chen looked at Lana for a long moment before murmuring, "You are truly strange."
Lana chuckled and glanced toward the dimming sky outside.
"Well, since it is almost evening, let me make you some dishes. What are your favorite dishes?"
Grandpa Chen fell silent for a moment, as though he were searching through old memories. Eventually, he answered quietly, "Meat dumplings. I love them."
Lana nodded. "All right, then. I will make dumplings."
She immediately began taking the necessary ingredients out of storage, setting them one by one on the counter.
She kneaded the dough, minced the meat, added the seasonings, and carefully folded each dumpling until the tray was gradually filled.
Once she finished, she casually glanced around the kitchen and suddenly paused.
A refrigerator stood against the wall, and a small sticky note had been placed on its door. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she walked closer and read what was written on it.
’Grandpa’s favorite: Sweet and sour ribs, pork belly, and pork trotters.’
For a moment, Lana stared at the note. ’So these are his favorites.’
Without hesitation, she decided to make all of them.
The kitchen soon became filled with the rich aroma of simmering meat, sweet sauce, and spices.
By the time Lana finished, several dishes had been arranged neatly across the dining table.
Just as she began placing the final dish down, Grandpa Chen walked into the dining room.
The moment he saw the food, his footsteps slowed.
His eyes seemed to moisten slightly as he stared at the table, and for a brief moment, the sternness that usually surrounded his aged face disappeared. He quietly walked toward the head of the table and sat down.
Lana took the seat beside him.
During dinner, almost no one spoke. Finally, after dinner, Lana began gathering the dishes.
"Just leave them there and come with me."
Lana paused and looked at Grandpa Chen.