Upon returning to her old home, Xu Changqing found her grandfather was actually home for the day—a rare sight. She wasn't sure if it was because of the heat, or if he was simply exhausted from work.
The old couple was in the outer room. Her grandfather sat before the square table, rubbing his leg and puffing on his pipe, while his wife sat beside him, smiling as she fanned him with a cattail fan.
'A partner for your old age,' she mused. 'That's what it's all about.' They were so engrossed in each other that even though a whole person—her!—had just walked in from outside, the old couple hadn't even noticed.
Xu Changqing glanced behind her and to both sides. 'Huh, where's our Little Huang?' Not seeing a trace of their little yellow dog, she deliberately stomped her feet a little louder. "Grandpa, Grandma, I'm back!"
Old Mrs. Xu started, then shot to her feet so abruptly that a startled Xu Dageng quickly freed the hand rubbing his leg to steady his wife by the waist. "Come on in."
