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Chapter 68 Brother, wake me up!

The old lady had a kind face and regular features...

He looked very young when he was young.

Her hair was gray and sparse, coiled at the back of her head and held up with a black hairnet.

She was wearing a long-sleeved top with large floral patterns, typical of Northeast China.

The entire garment was covered in bright red and green peony blossoms.

She was wearing... cotton pants underneath?

The cotton-padded trousers were dark blue, with slightly short legs, and he wore a pair of old-fashioned cloth shoes.

The shoe uppers have been washed until they are white, and the edges are pilling.

Although the old lady was hunched over, she was full of energy.

Those cloudy eyes held a vigor that didn't belong to someone that age.

She strode to the door with an air of indifference, as if she didn't recognize anyone.

"Oh, Guiqin? What brings you here? Have you eaten?" the old lady said, taking Zhang Guiqin's hand.

Her voice was strong and resonant, unlike that of an elderly person.

Zhang Guiqin grasped her hand in return, smiling, and said, "Aunt Zhao, I've already eaten. I'm here to do some population census. How have you been feeling lately?"

"Ugh, same old thing, nothing feels right, I just can't die, sigh..."

"Don't say that, you seem to be in good health!"

"What's so tough about it? It's useless..."

The two chatted animatedly, one after the other.

Jiang Ning stood to the side, as if she were nailed to the ground.

She stared intently at the unfamiliar old woman in front of her, her little mind a bit blank.

Who is this old lady?

What is she doing at my house?

Aunt Zhang seemed to know her quite well…

and also…

Where did she come from?

There was definitely no one home just now...

The old lady chatted with Zhang Guiqin for a few minutes, then suddenly turned her head and looked Jiang Ning up and down.

"Whose daughter is this? She's so beautiful!"

Zhang Guiqin was stunned for a moment.

Then she quickly took the old lady's hand: "Aunt Zhao, this is your granddaughter!"

The old lady frowned.

The wrinkles on his face were squeezed together, like a crumpled piece of paper.

"My...granddaughter?"

She stared at Jiang Ning for several seconds, then shook her head.

"I don't recognize her."

Zhang Guiqin's expression changed.

She glanced at Jiang Ning subconsciously, then quickly looked at the old lady, speaking in a very soft and slow tone as if coaxing a child.

"Aunt Zhao, take a closer look, this is Xiao Ning!"

"How could you not recognize your granddaughter, whom you watched grow up?"

The old lady waved her hands repeatedly, shaking her head like a rattle drum.

"No, no, no, I don't have a granddaughter, I only have a grandson named Jiang Yu."

After she finished speaking, she looked at everyone with a wary expression.

"My eldest grandson is so filial. He brings me tea and water every day, massages my back and shoulders, and even teaches me how to use a mobile phone. You can't lie to me; I may be old, but I'm not stupid!"

Jiang Ning felt her legs going weak.

She took half a step back and barely managed to stand by holding onto the wall.

Zhang Guiqin leaned closer to Jiang Ning and lowered her voice, her tone carrying a sense of "we all understand" helplessness.

"Your grandma's had another attack. Go get her her medicine quickly; it's the white bottle on the bedside table!"

Jiang Ning opened her mouth, as if to say something.

But it felt like something was blocking my throat, and I couldn't utter a single word.

She could only nod mechanically and turn to walk into the house.

When she walked into the living room…

She widened her eyes.

At the end of the corridor... there's a new door!

That door is right next to my brother's room!

but…

That was supposed to be a wall!

There's an extra room now?!

Jiang Ning, feeling dizzy and unsteady, walked over and pushed open the door…

Inside the door is a "standard room for the elderly".

The room was small and crammed full.

It's also possible that the room was originally very large, but it looks very small after being crammed in.

An old-fashioned wooden bed was placed by the window, covered with a faded checkered sheet.

The pillow was a puffy buckwheat hull pillow, with two mandarin ducks embroidered on the pillowcase, the pattern of which had faded so much that it was no longer visible.

The quilt was folded neatly, square and upright, like a piece of tofu.

The space under the bed was crammed with cardboard boxes, plastic bags, old shoes, enamel basins…

The windowsill was piled with bottles and jars of all sizes.

Calcium tablets, vitamins, wild honey, cordyceps, camel milk powder... and a few physiotherapy appliances whose names I don't know.

The machine is labeled with terms like "far-infrared," "magnetic therapy," and "negative ions."

A foot bath basin was leaning against the corner of the wall, with a "Free Trial" label on it.

An old-fashioned sewing machine sat in the corner, and several scraps of cloth were piled on the ground next to the pedal.

On the table sat an old-fashioned CRT television that looked unusable.

The kind with an antenna.

Next to the television was a stack of newspapers and magazines.

The female celebrities in the magazine are older than the television set.

Jiang Ning stood in the room, looking around...

She felt like she was dreaming.

This must be a dream!

may…

I fainted from the heat while waiting for my brother's popsicle?

I must be lying on the floor right now, foaming at the mouth, and I must look awful...

Brother, wake me up!

A strange old lady appeared in my dream!

"Xiao Ning? Did you get the medicine?"

Zhang Guiqin's voice came from the living room, shattering Jiang Ning's dream bubble.

She suddenly came to her senses and realized that she was still standing in that "elderly room".

The bottles, jars, shopping carts, and marble spheres around are still there.

This is not a dream!

She turned her head and glanced at it…

Sure enough, there was a white medicine bottle on the bedside table.

Jiang Ning walked over and picked it up; she didn't recognize the words on the bottle.

She returned to the living room clutching the medicine bottle.

Zhang Guiqin quickly took it, her movements as practiced as if she had done it countless times.

He unscrewed the bottle cap, poured out a white pill, and handed it to the old lady's lips.

"Aunt Zhao, come on, take your medicine, you'll feel better after taking it."

"Okay."

The old lady took the pill, popped it into her mouth, and chewed it like a vitamin C chewable tablet without even drinking any water.

After taking the medicine…

She still had a furrowed brow and was muttering to herself.

"I don't have a granddaughter, I really don't have a granddaughter, I only have one grandson, Xiaoyu..."

"My eldest grandson is so filial..."

Zhang Guiqin sighed and turned to look at Jiang Ning.

Jiang Ning stood there, stunned, still clutching the medicine bottle in her hand.

Zhang Guiqin walked over, reached out and touched her little face, her voice full of heartache.

"It's alright, child. Your grandma will get better."

The words had barely left his mouth…

Jiang Yu pushed open the door and came in carrying a bag of popsicles.

He was stunned when he saw Zhang Guiqin and the masked woman standing in the living room.

"Aunt Zhang? What brings you here again?"

"Forget about me for now, you should go check on your grandma, her Alzheimer's has flared up again!"

"Huh? What?"

Before Zhang Guiqin could say anything more…

The old woman rushed in front of Jiang Yu in a flash.

She grabbed Jiang Yu's hand, her wrinkled face full of grievance.

"My dear grandson, you're finally back!"

"Tell me quickly, who is this girl? Everyone says she's my granddaughter, but I don't recognize her at all!"

"Grandma can't tell the difference, she can't tell the difference!"

"Grandson, tell me quickly, is she really my granddaughter? Is she?"

Jiang Yu was completely stunned when this unfamiliar old woman grabbed his hand.

Based on what Zhang Guiqin just said…

He instantly understood.

That familiar yet damn feeling!

He suppressed his emotions and pretended to be a dutiful grandson: "Grandma, you were perfectly fine just now, how come you don't recognize me after I've only gone downstairs for a moment?"

As he spoke, he helped the old lady sit on the sofa.

After comforting his "grandma" with a few words...

He looked at Zhang Guiqin with an expression that said, "I'm sorry to have troubled you again."

"Aunt Zhang, it's alright. My grandma will recover in a little while. You know her illness; it comes and goes."

Zhang Guiqin gave me a knowing look: "I understand, I understand everything, it's just so heartbreaking to see..."

"Xiao Ning and I are heartbroken too, but there's nothing we can do," Jiang Yu said, feigning distress.

"Hey, you two don't get upset. It's normal for people to get confused when they get old. Your Uncle Wang had the same problem for the two years before he passed away. He couldn't recognize people, not even me. I was so heartbroken back then..."

Zhang Guiqin offered Jiang Yu a few words of comfort.

Then I picked up the notebook in my hand and made a quick note.

After registering, she walked up to the old lady, bent down, and spoke very softly and gently.

"Aunt Zhao, I'm leaving now. Please get some rest and remember to take your medicine on time!"

The old woman looked up at her, a hint of confusion flashing in her cloudy eyes, and then nodded.

"Okay, Guiqin, take care..."

"Grandma, I'll go see Aunt Zhang off." Jiang Yu stood up.

"Okay, go ahead." The old lady waved her hand.

Jiang Ning also took the opportunity to quickly follow behind her brother.

The two escorted Zhang Guiqin and the woman in the mask to the elevator.

"Alright, that's enough. You two must take good care of your grandmother!" Zhang Guiqin instructed.

"Don't worry, Aunt Zhang," Jiang Yu nodded.

Zhang Guiqin led the masked woman into the elevator.

Elevator going down...

You can still faintly hear Zhang Guiqin and the masked woman gossiping in the elevator.

"These two children are so pitiful. It's really heartbreaking when an elderly person in the family gets this disease. You watch them become more and more confused every day, what can you do besides feel sorry for them?"

"That poor Xiao Ning is so pitiful. She has a grandma like that and a brother who might not even recognize her one day. How is she supposed to live like this?"

"Do you think Xiao Ning's brother might also have Alzheimer's?"

"Really? He's only 22. Don't people usually start showing symptoms around 40?"

"Maybe it's happening earlier. These days, young people are getting all sorts of illnesses earlier—high blood pressure, diabetes, Alzheimer's—it's not unusual..."

The elevator gradually moved away, and the gossip grew quieter.

The surroundings quieted down.

Jiang Ning, like a frightened kitten, tugged at his clothes, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible.

"Brother... what's going on?"

"Is that grandma in the house...is she really our grandma?"

Why don't I remember her at all?

"And also, there's suddenly an extra room in the house!"

"Isn't our house a two-bedroom apartment...?"

She spoke incoherently, her voice trembling, on the verge of tears.

Jiang Yu understood how she felt.

That feeling of waking up to a completely different world...

That absurd feeling where everyone else thinks it's normal, but you're the only one who thinks it's wrong...

That feeling of loneliness—having so much to say but no one to talk to…

He understands it all too well.

Because this is what his life has been like for the past twenty-two years.

"You mean... you don't know that old lady, right?" Jiang Yu asked with a serious expression.

"Yes! I don't know them at all!" Jiang Ning said with certainty.

Jiang Yu fell silent.

He felt something churning inside his head...

It looks like it's about to jump out.

He remained silent for a few seconds, then turned and walked back.

"Brother, where are you going?"

"go back."

"Huh? Go back?"

"What else? Stand here for the rest of your life?"

"Oh, okay..."

Jiang Ning silently followed Jiang Yu back.

She felt somewhat confused.

Why is my brother suddenly so cold to me?

I didn't do anything to him...

Why are you being so mean to me...