The divorce comeback system arrived right after I was born.

The heavy snow outside has stopped.

The heavy cotton curtain swayed slightly in the wind, letting in a few wisps of cold air, which were instantly swallowed up by the heat inside the store.

The signboard of "Old Li's Barbecue" was covered with a little snow and looked a bit blurry.

From their initial roadside tricycle stall to their current 70-80 square meter street-front shop, the Li family has spent a full five years.

There are no customers in the store right now.

Li Zhiyi was sitting in the corner by the window, holding a handful of iron skewers in her hand.

The stainless steel basin in front of me was piled high with chopped pieces of mutton, the bright red meat interspersed with snow-white mutton fat.

Because the meat was just taken out of the freezer, it was still firm, and it took some effort to skewer it.

Her fingers were red from the cold, and her knuckles were even a little stiff, but her movements as she threaded the needles were very skillful.

With the left hand pinching the meat and the right hand feeding it through the skewer, a flick of the wrist sends a piece of meat skewered smoothly through the skewer.

A mix of lean and fat, with two lean pieces sandwiching a fat one.

This is the secret to our booming business in recent years.

Li Zhiyi didn't wear gloves, feeling that it would restrict her movement and slow down her work.

The glass door was covered with a thick layer of water vapor.

She stopped what she was doing, raised the back of her hand, and wiped the glass haphazardly.

The blurry world suddenly became clear in one part.

The originally gray road was now covered with a layer of snow.

Two figures entered that clear field of vision.

One black and one white.

The boy, wearing a long black down jacket, walked slowly with his hands in his pockets and his neck hunched.

The girl next to him, wearing a beige down jacket, was completely different.

She wore a red scarf and, like a playful rabbit, would run ahead and walk backwards, then jump back and grab the boy's arm.

The boy seemed very impatient and turned his head to one side.

The girl wasn't angry at all; instead, she laughed so hard she almost clung to the boy.

Through the thick glass and the howling wind, Li Zhiyi couldn't hear what they were saying.

Those were Chen Zhi and Lin Wanwan.

The iron skewer in Li Zhiyi's hand stopped in mid-air.

The fat on the mutton began to melt at room temperature, sticking to the fingertips in a sticky consistency.

She just stared at it, completely bewildered.

Watching Lin Wanwan stuff a clump of snow into Chen Zhi's collar, watching Chen Zhi jump up and down cursing, and then push Lin Wanwan into the snowdrift.

Lin Wanwan got up and chased after Chen Zhi, who then ran away.

"You understand."

A call interrupted Li Zhiyi's thoughts.

She snapped back to her senses, instinctively lowered her head, and the iron skewer in her hand began to move again.

"Oh, Grandpa, this bowl of meat will be finished almost all cooked."

Li Zhiyi didn't look up, speaking quickly, trying to use her busyness to cover up her earlier lapse in concentration.

A rough, large hand reached out and pressed down directly on the stainless steel basin.

"Don't wear it."

Li Jianjun pushed the basin aside and grabbed a rag to wipe his hands.

He looked at his granddaughter's hands, which were red and swollen from the cold, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes trembled.

"It's the dead of winter, and it's the off-season. There aren't many customers in the store. If you wear so many layers, they won't look fresh tomorrow."

Li Zhiyi raised her head, a hint of panic flashing in her usually downcast eyes.

"It's alright, Grandpa. Just put it in the freezer; it won't spoil. What if there's a big table tonight? It's better to have something on hand than to be caught off guard."

She was about to grab the basin when she said that.

In this home, working is the only way she can find a sense of security.

She felt that only by working tirelessly could she repay her grandparents for their hard work in supporting her education.

"lay down!"

Li Jianjun suddenly raised his voice.

Li Zhiyi was startled and timidly withdrew her hand, looking at her grandfather helplessly.

Li Jianjun's back is somewhat hunched, and years of exposure to smoke and fire make him look much older than his actual age.

He sighed, walked around the table, and sat down on the bench next to Li Zhiyi.

Li Jianjun turned to look out the window.

In that direction, Chen Zhi and Lin Wanwan's figures had already disappeared into the distance, leaving only a string of messy footprints.

"Weren't those Xiaozhi and Wanwan just now?"

Li Zhiyi pursed her lips and softly hummed in agreement.

"Look at other people."

Li Jianjun pointed out the window, his tone tinged with envy and a touch of heartache.

"Even on a snowy day, everyone knows to come out and have fun. Look at you, as soon as you have a holiday, you're stuck in the shop, either making skewers or washing dishes."

"You understand."

He turned his head, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

"You're so sensible."

These three words felt like a stone, crashing heavily into Li Zhiyi's heart.

From childhood to adulthood, the three words that neighbors, teachers, and relatives used to praise her the most were "the three words".

"Zhiyi is so sensible."

"This child never spends money recklessly, nor does he cause trouble."

Li Zhiyi lowered her head and stared at the tips of her shoes.

"Isn't it good to be sensible?" she murmured softly. "Grandpa, you're getting old, and your back isn't good. If I do more, it will make things easier for you."

"fart!"

Li Jianjun slammed his hand on the table, causing the bottles and jars on it to shake twice.

"Grandpa is only fifty-eight this year! He's not even sixty yet! How come he can't do anything anymore?"

He was somewhat agitated, his chest heaving violently.

"Our family isn't like it used to be when we were running a street stall. You don't have to suffer with us anymore. What did Grandpa work so hard to earn money for? Wasn't it so that you could be like other kids, eating whatever you wanted and playing whatever you wanted?"

Li Zhiyi bit her lip, not daring to speak.

She knew her grandfather felt sorry for her, but she was used to it.

I'm used to being frugal, used to spending every penny wisely, and used to being invisible in the shadows.

Seeing his granddaughter's submissive demeanor, Li Jianjun felt even more distressed.

He stood up, walked behind the cashier, and bent down to fiddle with things for a long time.

When he returned, he had a white square box in his hand.

"Take it."

Li Jianjun pushed the box in front of Li Zhiyi.

Li Zhiyi was stunned for a moment.

The white packaging box has a high-quality feel, with a raised outline of a mobile phone printed on the top front and a line of silver English letters on the side.

iPhone 6s.

In the winter of 2015, this box represented absolute trendiness and was considered a luxury item by many students.

Li Zhiyi's breath caught in her throat.

Several girls in the class use this, and every time they take it out during breaks, it attracts envious glances.

I heard it costs more than six thousand yuan.

More than six thousand yuan.

How many skewers of mutton were there? How many cases of beer? How many nights did Grandpa have to stand in front of the smoky, fiery oven?

Li Zhiyi reacted as if she had been burned, and abruptly pushed the box back.

"Grandpa, why did you buy this!"

Her voice was trembling, not with surprise, but with shock.

"This is too expensive! I don't want it! My current phone can make calls, so I don't need to change it!"

She stood up, grabbed the box, and headed towards the cashier.

"Let's return it before we even open it! Over six thousand yuan is enough to pay several months' rent!"

"Stop right there!"

Li Jianjun grabbed her arm and pressed her back onto the stool.

"Return it? What return! Grandpa specially asked someone to bring this back from the boutique, that... rose gold! He said it's your little girls' favorite color."

Li Jianjun shoved the box back into Li Zhiyi's hand, pressing down hard on the back of her hand to prevent her from letting go.

"Zhiyi, listen to what Grandpa has to say."

The old man's voice softened, carrying a hint of pleading.

"Your family was poor before, and you suffered a lot. You could only swallow your saliva while watching other children eat snacks, and you could only wear your school uniform while others wore new clothes."

"Grandpa is heartbroken."

Li Jianjun sniffed, his eyes slightly red.

"Now that things are better, our family doesn't lack a few thousand yuan. Grandpa just wants you to know that you, Li Zhiyi, are no less than anyone else. What others have, my Zhiyi must have too, and with the best!"

Li Zhiyi held the heavy box, and tears streamed down her face without warning.

pat.

It landed on the plastic wrap, spreading out into a small water stain.

"But it's really too expensive..." she choked up, her voice barely audible.

"Expensive my foot!"

Li Jianjun waved his hand generously and said with great enthusiasm, "Spending money on my granddaughter, even ten thousand yuan isn't expensive! As long as you're happy, Grandpa would be happy to grill skewers for another ten years!"

He stretched out his rough thumb and clumsily wiped away the tears on Li Zhiyi's face.

"Stop crying, you won't be pretty if you keep crying."

Li Jianguo opened the box, took out the pink metallic-looking phone, and placed it in Li Zhiyi's palm.

The cool metallic touch made Li Zhiyi feel her palms burning hot.

"It's cold now, business is slow. You shouldn't linger in the shop."

Li Jianjun nudged her back and pointed to the door.

"Take the new phone and call Xiaozhi and Wanwan. We'll invite them over for dinner sometime."

"Go and go play with them."

"Like a normal little girl, go build a snowman, have a snowball fight, go crazy, and make a fuss."

Li Jianjun looked at his granddaughter with tenderness in his eyes.

"Grandpa didn't achieve much in his life. Now that life is better, my biggest wish is for you to live a happier life and not live like an old lady in her seventies or eighties."

Li Zhiyi gripped her phone tightly.

She looked up, through her blurry, tear-filled eyes, at her grandfather's increasingly aged face.

"Go."

Li Jianjun waved his hand and turned to walk towards the kitchen.

"You don't need to come back for lunch. You can have a nice meal out with your classmates, and Grandpa will reimburse you!"

Li Zhiyi sniffed and nodded vigorously.

She carefully put her phone in her pocket, took off her apron, and hung it on the wall.

then.

She pushed open the heavy glass door.

A biting wind, carrying snowflakes, swept over me, instantly dispelling the smell of cooking oil from my clothes.

Li Zhiyi stood on the steps and took a deep breath of the cold air.

She took out her brand-new phone and pressed the power button.

The screen lights up.

The white Apple logo appears on the black screen.

Li Zhiyi's fingers trembled slightly as she typed in that familiar number.

She glanced at the two figures in the distance, now just black dots in the snow, bit her lip, and pressed the call button.

"Beep—beep—"

The waiting tone coming from the receiver felt like a tap on her heart.

The instant the connection was made.

Li Zhiyi felt as if the wind and snow in the whole world had stopped.