Chapter 32

"What do you mean 'good man'?" Grandma Zhang, who socialized often with Jiang Chunying and knew much of the truth, couldn't stand the praise. She spoke up, "Xu Fan did that out of shame. When Xu Nian was little, his wife abandoned him. Xu Fan was scolded so hard by Chunying that he couldn't even lift his head. That’s the only reason he sent living expenses every month to raise Xu Nian. Otherwise, why would he have bothered?"

The crowd was shocked. "No way..."

Someone else who knew the history confirmed it: "It’s true. Back then, Xu Fan’s wife dumped the child on Chunying and didn't give her a dime for two years. She didn't even check in."

"That is just too cruel."

There’s something even crueler...

Leaving five million in debt behind for him, Xu Nian added silently in his head. He had heard everything the elderly women said. It wasn't that he was eavesdropping; it was just that these seniors were hard of hearing and spoke so loudly that their "whispers" sounded like they were on speakerphone. He could still faintly hear them even after walking two hundred meters away.

Xu Nian figured the original owner's father probably thought, I raised him.

The debt of upbringing is greater than heaven, so Xu Fan felt entitled to leave his debts to the original owner. As for how a student with no one to rely on in City A was supposed to repay a massive fortune? Xu Fan didn't care; he only considered the people he actually loved.

"Xiao Nian!" His grandmother’s warm voice called out from nearby.

Xu Nian looked up and saw Jiang Chunying standing at the end of the alley. She wasn't tall and was wearing a slightly worn dress. Despite being sixty-three, her hair was still jet black. Though her face was etched with the marks of time, her spirit was high. Seeing Xu Nian standing still, she trotted over. "Hurry home for lunch! Why are you just standing there?"

"Okay," Xu Nian’s voice was slightly raspy. He knew his grandmother was the only person who truly treated the original owner well. In the original book, she had already passed away by this point. The night the original owner found out she died, he lost his will to live, which is why he chose to jump.

That was the real cause of the original owner's death. Because he was a "cannon fodder" character, the author didn't spend much ink on him, leaving many things undescribed. Xu Nian only learned these details after transmigrating into this body.

Seeing Xu Nian wasn't responding, Jiang Chunying asked worriedly, "Xiao Nian? What’s wrong?"

"Nothing, Grandma." Xu Nian snapped out of it and took her arm to help her into the house.

He placed the supplements and fruit on the coffee table. Seeing the items, Jiang Chunying chided him, "Why did you buy things again? You must have spent a lot of money."

"It wasn't much." Xu Nian told a white lie, afraid she would worry about the cost. "The supermarket was having a promotion. This walnut powder has nutritional supplements in it; drinking it makes you strong. Remember to have one packet every morning after breakfast."

Jiang Chunying still pushed, "How much for a box?" Xu Nian said it was just a few dozen yuan. Fearing she would keep prying, he pulled the grapes out of the shopping bag, took a bunch to the sink to wash, and said, "Grandma, these grapes were free. Zhou Jingning’s brother gave them to me."

As expected, Jiang Chunying was distracted. "How is his brother doing now?"

Xu Nian had attended high school in Xi Town, and he had been close friends with Zhou Jingning back then. Zhou Jingning often came over to play or do homework. Jiang Chunying knew the Zhou family's situation, so she was interested.

"His brother is running an orchard in the countryside. The harvest was great this year," Xu Nian said.

"Well, at least that’s a living. His brother doesn't have a degree; doing manual labor at construction sites isn't a long-term solution," Jiang Chunying said as she went to the kitchen to fetch the dishes. Xu Nian went in to help. He lifted the lid of the steamer and saw the dishes kept warm inside. He was startled. "Grandma, why did you cook so much? It's just the two of us for lunch."

"We still have to eat well. Look at you, you’ve gotten so thin." Jiang Chunying looked closely at his face, her heart aching. "No matter how busy you are, you must eat well, do you understand?"

Xu Nian said sincerely, "I do. I eat quite well." Following his picky benefactor, he ate high-quality meals every day for free, so he had actually been eating more than usual.

"That’s good. Even with debts, we must eat well." Jiang Chunying scooped the braised pork into a bowl and placed it on the table. Just as she was about to go back for more, Xu Nian emerged with the steamed sea bass and braised prawns. She only had to bring out the cold appetizers.

"I bought these cold appetizers at the farmers' market—the 'Fat Boss' stall you like. But he’s old and retired last year; his son took over the stall now. I haven't tried it yet. Taste it and see if the flavor has changed."

Xu Nian took a bite. "Grandma, it's the same. Sour, spicy, and appetizing."

He had eaten breakfast, but after the long trip, it was now 1:00 PM. He hadn't felt hungry until he tasted the food, but then his appetite suddenly surged. He finished most of the dishes on the table.

"The braised pork isn't quite tender enough; it should have simmered longer," Jiang Chunying noted.

Xu Nian, with a piece of pork in his mouth, looked up and said through a mouthful of rice, "Grandma, it's perfectly seasoned. It's better than anything I've had in a restaurant."

Xu Nian realized he shared the same taste as the original owner; the whole table was filled with his favorite things. Despite the heat, he ate with great relish.

Seeing his enjoyment, Jiang Chunying beamed. "I made a lot of this braised pork. I'll pack some in a container for you to take home. Tomorrow when you're hungry, you can just cook some rice and eat it."

"No need, Grandma, keep it for yourself," Xu Nian said quickly.

Jiang Chunying waved him off. "I don't eat much in the evening. I only made extra because I knew you were coming back." She noticed Xu Nian’s face was flushed from the heat and picked up a palm-leaf fan to fan him. "It’s just too hot today."

Xu Nian glanced at the ceiling fan. "Why isn't the fan on?"

Jiang Chunying sighed. "It's broken. Do you remember Grandma Zhang's grandson, Zhang Haibo? You two used to play together as kids. He became an electrician in the city after getting married the year before last. I’ll ask him to help me fix it when he visits."

Xu Nian remembered Zhang Haibo was a Beta, five years older than the original owner. He had started working after vocational school. Now he had a family in Yun City and only came back to visit Grandma Zhang during holidays.

Xu Nian thought waiting for him would take too long—what if he didn't come back for six months? He said to Jiang Chunying, "I'll take a look at it in a bit."

After lunch, Xu Nian borrowed tools from Grandma Zhang next door and disassembled the back cover of the fan's motor. These old-fashioned ceiling fans were rare in the city, used mostly by the older generation. Xu Nian checked it with a voltage tester and found a loose wire; the bearings were also dry and lacked oil. He reconnected the wires and wrapped them with electrical tape.

Then he found some machine oil and dripped it into the bearings.

When he flipped the switch, the fan let out a few whirring sounds and began to spin rapidly. Seeing this, Jiang Chunying smiled with delight. "Xiao Nian, you're so capable! You fixed it in no time. I never knew you could do that."