The Wealthy Old Man’s Palm-Sized Pet - Chapter 17

Just as Song Zhiyuan expected, when his grandmother found out they were going to the hospital for a check-up, she refused no matter what. She insisted that big hospitals in big cities would definitely cost more and claimed she was in good health, aside from a few minor old-age ailments. She told him there was no need for a doctor and that he shouldn’t waste his hard-earned money.

Song Zhiyuan told her that the fees had already been paid and were non-refundable; if she didn’t do the check-up, the money would be thrown away for nothing.

Hearing this, the old woman’s heart ached for the wasted money, so she obediently followed the doctor to get the tests done. Afraid she might be nervous, Song Zhiyuan stayed by her side the entire time.

By the end of the morning, Song Zhiyuan had taken her through all the examination items. After the check-up, Grandma was still muttering about how much it must have cost. Song Zhiyuan lied, saying it wasn’t much—less than five hundred yuan.

Since they rarely had the chance to visit the city, Song Zhiyuan took her to eat a delicious lunch and bought her milk tea.

Drinking milk tea for the first time, Grandma was very curious about the beverage and asked him how the “pearls” in the tea were made.

After lunch, Song Zhiyuan took her for a stroll around the city.

Grandma rarely visited the city, and seeing the bustling streets made her very happy. However, what made her happiest was simply having Song Zhiyuan by her side. She lamented that she didn’t know if she would ever have another chance to come out and have fun with her grandson again.

Song Zhiyuan assured her that she definitely would, promising to come back and accompany her whenever he had a holiday.

Grandma then mentioned that what she wanted most now was to see Song Zhiyuan fall in love and get married. Once she saw that someone was taking care of him, she would be at peace.

Song Zhiyuan hugged her. “Grandma, what if the person I like is a boy?”

Back in high school, Song Zhiyuan had clearly understood his sexual orientation. Grandma was the person closest to him, and he didn’t want to deceive her on this matter.

After hearing this, Grandma was stunned for a moment. Then, just as she had when he was a child, she patted his head and said gently, “As long as our Yuanyuan likes them and they treat our Yuanyuan well, it doesn’t matter if it’s a boy or a girl.”

As she spoke, she stroked the scar behind Song Zhiyuan’s ear.

This scar had been caused by Song Tianlai when Song Zhiyuan was small. Song Zhiyuan’s childhood had been too bitter; Grandma’s greatest wish was for someone to treat him well and spare him from further suffering. As long as they truly loved and cared for him, gender was not an issue at all.

That evening, Song Zhiyuan reviewed the test results in his room. The situation was somewhat concerning.

Grandma had undergone heart surgery before and had been taking medication for years, which kept her condition stable. However, as she aged, her health was inevitably declining.

The doctor warned that her current condition meant she could not handle any major shocks or overexertion.

Consequently, when Grandma asked about Song Tianlai today, Song Zhiyuan didn’t tell her the truth. He simply said that he seemed to be away on a business trip recently and wasn’t at home.

Grandma took Song Zhiyuan’s hand and told him that if Song Tianlai ever dared to hit him again, he must tell her. She promised she would vent his anger for him and back him up.

Song Zhiyuan smiled. “Grandma, you forgot that I’ve grown up. He can’t beat me anymore. Don’t worry.”

Song Zhiyuan didn’t dare imagine what would have happened if those loan sharks had actually found her. If he ever caught Song Tianlai, he would definitely give the man a severe lesson.

During his days at Grandma’s house, Song Zhiyuan felt very relaxed. By day, he helped her feed the chickens and pick vegetables; by night, he sat with her in the courtyard to enjoy the cool air and look at the stars.

Grandma even told him that if he had time, he could bring his boyfriend back to visit. Song Zhiyuan laughed and said he didn’t have a boyfriend yet, but he would definitely bring one home to show her in the future.

On the third day of his visit, after Song Zhiyuan finished feeding the chickens, a neighbor came by to ask for a favor.

During the National Day holiday, the number of tourists visiting the small town was much higher than usual. Taking a bamboo raft ride on the Buquan River had become a “must-do” activity.

With the sudden influx of tourists, the town’s existing rafts were in short supply. Although they had urgently borrowed more rafts, there weren’t enough operators to handle the crowd. Since Song Zhiyuan happened to be back, the neighbor came to seek his help.

Song Zhiyuan had often helped out when he returned in the past, so navigating the river with tourists was no problem at all.

Most of the tourists on the raft were young people. When Song Zhiyuan appeared at the riverbank and stepped onto the raft, he caused a small stir.

The boatman is too handsome!

Wearing a simple white T-shirt and light blue jeans, with fair skin, a sweet smile, and bright eyes—he was “heavenly” handsome. He wasn’t like the “Internet celebrities” who relied on filters and Photoshop; he was a genuine, real-life beauty.

Operating the boat wasn’t actually very tiring because the rafts were equipped with motors. Song Zhiyuan only needed to control the direction and remind the tourists to stay safe.

Having grown up here, he knew the environment like the back of his hand. Whenever tourists asked questions, he could answer them all.

Someone asked if there were other beautiful places nearby, and Song Zhiyuan recommended local spots to visit.

Others asked if he would be the one operating the boat from now on, saying that if he were, they would come often. Song Zhiyuan explained he was just helping out during his holiday.

Some asked if he was a university student, and others asked for his contact information. Song Zhiyuan simply replied, “You should focus on the scenery; it’s very beautiful here.”

The scenery was indeed stunning. The river was crystal clear, lined with bamboo forests on both sides. There was even a spot with several drops that created a spectacular small waterfall. A round trip along the Buquan River took an hour and a half, yet the tickets were very cheap. Everyone felt it was well worth it.

As soon as one group of tourists disembarked, another group boarded.

Song Zhiyuan spent the entire day on the bamboo raft with almost no time to rest.

What he didn’t know was that over the next few days, he would become even busier.

Because someone had posted photos and videos of him operating the boat online, Song Zhiyuan went viral—and so did the small town.

Many people began traveling there specifically for him, just to wait for a chance to ride on Song Zhiyuan’s bamboo raft.

Fu Can saw the videos of Song Zhiyuan online and immediately called him.

“Song Zhiyuan! Didn’t we agree you’d let me know when you went back to your hometown? You didn’t call me again!”

Song Zhiyuan thought to himself that he had barely managed to get away himself, but he didn’t say that out loud. He just said he would bring Fu Can along next time he had the chance.

Fu Can replied, “It’s a deal, then.”

After hanging up, someone asked him directly, “Hey, handsome, can I have your WeChat?”

Song Zhiyuan put away his phone and smiled. “I’m sorry, my partner is extremely jealous. If he found out I was giving my WeChat to strangers, he’d get upset again.”

Once again, Song Zhiyuan used a perfect excuse to reject someone.

During these few days on the boat, he had been asked for his contact info countless times, and he had rejected them every single time.

In their spare time, the townspeople often gathered to eat and drink. The population was small, so almost every household knew one another.

To thank Song Zhiyuan for his help, the neighbors invited him over for drinks.

When the residents of the town hosted guests, “White Cut Chicken” was a mandatory dish. The fish was wild-caught from the Buquan River, and the vegetables were home-grown.

The alcohol was a home-brewed grain wine, which wasn’t very high in proof.

The townspeople had always been simple and hospitable; they had essentially watched Song Zhiyuan grow up. Since he had been such a big help, they were very enthusiastic, and Song Zhiyuan unknowingly drank several ladles’ worth.

Although the rice wine wasn’t strong, drinking a lot of it would still make one drunk.

After returning home and showering, he was still feeling lightheaded. Lying on the bed, he suddenly remembered that he hadn’t messaged Fu Xingnian in several days.

Song Zhiyuan: Mr. Fu, have you eaten? I just finished dinner.

He didn’t expect Fu Xingnian to reply, but he just felt like messaging him.

Having taken Grandma for a full check-up, Song Zhiyuan’s mind was much more at ease.

In fact, thinking back on it, Fu Xingnian had been quite good to him since they met. Because of Fu Xingnian’s help, the trouble with Song Tianlai hadn’t affected Grandma. Although Fu Xingnian was always quite cold, as a “benefactor,” he was truly excellent—he never forced Song Zhiyuan to do anything he didn’t want to do.

Fu Xingnian: What did you eat?

Song Zhiyuan stared at his phone repeatedly. He hadn’t expected Fu Xingnian to actually reply. Did I drink too much and misread the screen?

Song Zhiyuan thought back: White Cut Chicken, fried tofu puffs, and a lot of other things. It was delicious [Cute smiley face].

At that moment, Fu Xingnian was watching a video. In the video, Song Zhiyuan was standing on a bamboo raft. The green mountains and clear water behind him made him look like a youth who didn’t belong to the mortal world. In the video, Song Zhiyuan’s smile was sweet.

Upon receiving the message, Fu Xingnian’s gaze lingered on the emoji at the end. This was the first time Song Zhiyuan had sent him an emoji, and his tone was completely different from before—it was very lively.

Fu Xingnian: Song Zhiyuan, have you been drinking?

Song Zhiyuan: Mr. Fu, you’re so amazing. How did you know?

It was indeed the case.

Song Zhiyuan stared at the video call button on his phone. He was truly drunk; his finger poked the video icon.

After a few rings, the call actually connected. Fu Xingnian’s handsome and sharp face appeared on the screen; he seemed to be at home.

Song Zhiyuan blinked. “Mr. Fu, you’re so handsome.”

Being drunk, Song Zhiyuan’s cheeks were flushed pink, his lips were even more vivid, and his eyes were full of smiles.

Although Song Zhiyuan smiled often, his smiles usually contained other hidden things. At this moment, his smile was pure and happy.

Fu Xingnian: “Song Zhiyuan, how much did you drink?”

Song Zhiyuan thought for a bit. “I don’t know…”

Fu Xingnian frowned. “You don’t know?”

“Yeah.” Song Zhiyuan shifted his position. “Where we live, we drink using ladles. One ladle after another… I don’t remember how many ladles I had.”

In his drunken state, Song Zhiyuan began rambling about everything that had happened since he returned.

As he talked, he got sleepier. Just as he was about to close his eyes and drift off, he suddenly opened them again and asked, “Fu Xingnian, when I go back, will you come to pick me up?”

On the phone, the boy stared with bright eyes, looking at Fu Xingnian with expectation. The small red mole on his Adam’s apple looked exceptionally seductive, and his lips were slightly pouted they looked very “kissable.”

Fu Xingnian: “We’ll see.”

Receiving a response, Song Zhiyuan laughed happily. “Fu Xingnian, you’re so good.”

Fu Xingnian looked at Song Zhiyuan, who was now lying on the bed with his eyes closed. “Song Zhiyuan, why did you take the initiative to video call me today?”

The phone remained quiet for a long time.

“Because I missed you… and I wanted to say thank you.”

After the boy murmured this into the screen, he fell completely asleep. The last half of the sentence was so soft it was almost inaudible.

And naturally, Fu Xingnian on the other end of the camera did not hear it.