Chapter 75: A Visit to the Court

The next day.

When I went to visit Old Master, he was already awake. Though the sparse hair on his head seemed even thinner, his complexion appeared remarkably better today.

He sat by the bed, sipping tea, and offered me a smile upon my arrival. “Xiao Lu,” he began, “that tea you bought earlier was quite good. Must have cost a fair bit, didn’t it?”

I sighed, settling onto the edge of Old Master’s bed. “As long as you like it,” I replied.

Old Master chuckled, his branch-like fingers carefully picking up tea leaves and dropping them into a cup. The electric kettle, having been recently used, still held boiling water, so he brewed a cup for me as well.

I sat with Old Master, drinking tea. After a while, he let out a long sigh and placed his teacup on the bedside table.

He gazed out the window, speaking softly, “The weather is quite nice today… Let’s go for a walk later…”

The journey here had indeed been bathed in bright sunshine.

I nodded, continuing to sip my tea.

Old Master expressed his wish for a walk, so after we finished our tea, I pushed him out of the hospital.

The day was exceptionally clear, and the courtyard was quiet, with hardly anyone around. Typically, while the city’s large hospitals might be small in scale, they could easily accommodate over fifty patients. The rest, it seemed, usually sought out clinics downstairs in their buildings.

Perhaps there were few sick people in this city, and I had merely encountered a few of the most unfortunate ones.

Old Master asked, “Is that girl training right now?”

I calculated the time. Old Han usually began her official training at ten in the morning. It was now ten-twenty, so she was likely already leading Huang Li and the others on their long-distance run.

“Just about,” I confirmed.

“The competition starts tomorrow,” Old Master said, nodding thoughtfully. After a moment, he added, “Take me to see her. I want to see how that girl trains.”

“You want to go?” I was momentarily stunned.

I hesitated for quite a while. Old Han’s school wasn’t exceptionally far from the hospital, but the roads were winding. Taxis generally avoided taking the route from the hospital to X High School.

If we were to go, we’d have to take a bus, and even that would take a considerable amount of time.

“Let’s go,” Old Master sighed. “I used to go to Xiao Feng’s games, but that boy thought I never showed up, and he still carries that resentment. This girl, though, I find her quite pleasing. Seeing her game might put my heart at ease.”

“After all, I’m already halfway into the grave… I don’t want to enter the coffin with an uneasy heart…” Old Master murmured.

His words sounded utterly inauspicious to my ears.

I spat several times, shaking my head vigorously. “You don’t need to say such unlucky things. If you feel your body can handle it, then we’ll go. I’ll agree to whatever you want, alright?”

Old Master smiled, remaining silent.

There were no taxis willing to go from the hospital to Old Han’s school. The winding roads, though not excessively long, would consume a good deal of fuel. I hailed several taxis, but they all refused. Left with no choice, I had to take Old Master on the bus.

Near the bus stop, I first carried Old Master, then painstakingly folded his wheelchair and carried it in my hand.

The bus arrived shortly. Fortunately, there weren’t many people on board, though all the seats were taken. A kind auntie hesitated, then stood up, saying, “Young man, you can sit here.”

“What a good person…” Old Master gasped with effort, smiling. “There are still many good people in this world. Thank you.”

“It’s nothing, don’t mention it,” the auntie said, sounding a little embarrassed. “Old Master, where are you taking your grandson, going to all this trouble?”

“This isn’t my grandson, but he’s as good as one,” Old Master said with a laugh. “I’m going to watch my granddaughter play. She has a basketball game recently, and I can’t miss it…”

“Playing basketball?” The auntie paused, then pursed her lips. “While the child is young, don’t let her bounce around all day. What kind of basketball do girls play? It’s not proper. It’s better to stay home and study.”

“My child used to play basketball every day, but I forced him to stay home. His grades improved by dozens of places immediately.”

I paid no mind to this conversation, holding onto the strap and looking out the window. The auntie continued to chat with Old Master, boasting about how she disciplined her child, claiming she made him stay home to read and do homework, which improved his grades, but also, incidentally, made him depressed.

Old Master, however, shook his head, gazing out the window, and said nothing more.

There was still some distance from the bus stop to the school.

When I pushed Old Master to the basketball court, Old Han was in the midst of training. A crudely written sign hung nearby: “Wagers, ten yuan per game.”

Seeing the simple sign, and then observing the burly, broad-shouldered individuals on the court who didn’t look like students, I noticed one person wearing a school uniform. Upon closer inspection, it was from the sports school by Pedestrian Street, which was quite far from here.

It seemed Old Han and her team were quite renowned.

Just as Old Master and I arrived, Old Han’s team scored a point. Huang Li made a three-point pass, and Old Han stood on the outer perimeter, hands on her knees. Three tall boys in jerseys defended the inside, but their eyes were fixed firmly on Old Han.

The burly, broad-shouldered players were responsible for the inner defense, while the remaining three marked Old Han. It seemed these guys had already been intimidated by Old Han before Old Master and I even got there.

Huang Li currently had possession and passed the ball to Old Han. The situation was indeed difficult to break through. Old Han held the ball, defending for a moment. Two of the boys exchanged glances and started moving towards the basket, leaving the remaining boy to defend Old Han’s tall and heavy teammates.

The boy guarding Old Han stared intently, his arms spread wide. His height was already exceptional, and at that moment, he stood like a wall.

Old Han dribbled the ball unhurriedly.

After a while, Old Han seized an opportunity, feigning a move to the left, creating an opening.

However, the boy was experienced. He merely took a step back, his eyes still fixed on Old Han’s arm.

But in the instant the boy retreated, Old Han swiftly pulled back her steps, adopting a shooting posture. The boy was startled and rushed forward to block, but the ball had already left Old Han’s hands. It arced perfectly through the air, spun a few times in the hoop, and dropped in.

Old Master didn’t understand much about basketball, but seeing Old Han’s feints and how she scored from such a distance, he praised, “This little girl probably plays better than Xiao Feng.”

I glanced at Old Master but said nothing, continuing to watch the court. I wondered what Old Master would think if he knew Old Han *was* Xiao Feng.

It seemed to be halftime. The boys looked disheartened, watching the ball bounce on the ground, drenched in sweat. They leaned on their hips, waved their hands, and walked off the court.

Old Han wiped a bead of sweat from her brow. She inadvertently looked towards the sidelines and froze when she saw Old Master and me.

I waved to Old Han. She looked around, then walked towards us.

She reached my side, slightly out of breath. Up close, I saw sweat trickling down her fair skin, a few strands of hair clinging to her forehead. She picked up a water bottle from the nearby bench, gulped down a few mouthfuls, and asked hesitantly, “Why are you two here?”

I shrugged helplessly. “Old Master insisted on watching you play. I couldn’t dissuade him.”

Old Han frowned, her delicate brows furrowed, as she looked at Old Master. She said, “Even if he insisted, you shouldn’t have let him. He just finished chemotherapy a while ago; the doctor said he needs to rest properly.”

I gave an awkward laugh. “I thought Old Master looked quite well today…”

Old Han pursed her lips, drinking water, and looked at the basketball court, saying nothing.

“Don’t blame Xiao Lu; I truly insisted on coming,” Old Master chuckled.

Old Han’s silence was a clear sign of her displeasure. Hearing his words, she became even more exasperated. “Grandpa…!”

Old Master sat in his wheelchair, chuckling, waving his hand. “It’s no big deal, no big deal…”

Old Han pouted, looking at the two of us with a worried expression.

I shifted my gaze to the ants beneath the bench.

Old Master also gave an embarrassed laugh. “The weather really is quite nice today.”

At that moment, the boys chugged a few mouthfuls of water, then returned to the court, clapping their hands and shouting a few calls. It seemed halftime had ended.

“It’s such a long way, how did you even get here?” Old Han took another sip of water, stood up, and walked towards the court, saying, “Anyway, after you’ve watched for a bit, hurry back. Old Master isn’t well, so don’t tire him out…”

I nodded repeatedly, a bitter smile on my face.

Noticing Old Han had walked away, Old Master stopped looking at the leaves above his head. He brought his gaze back to me and smiled.

“This little girl,” Old Master commented.

I sighed with much sorrow. Just as expected, Old Han had scolded me for bringing Old Master.

“Then, when the actual basketball game is tomorrow, will you still come to watch?” I asked.

“Yes,” Old Master said, watching Old Han on the court thoughtfully, and then coughed softly twice.

I helplessly pursed my lips, watching Old Han on the court.

With a swift layup, her tied ponytail swayed back and forth.

****

Afterward… I pushed Old Master back to the hospital, had dinner at home, and then went online with Old Shen.

Everything seemed to be as usual. Nothing novel or special happened today; it felt like just another ordinary day, everything perfectly normal, without a single hitch.

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