I'm a web novelist, and you want me to work in the entertainment industry?

At 3:30 pm, the weather changed from sunny to cloudy.

The three of them carried baskets on their backs and went out the door. The old man went east of the village, while Cheng Che and Tian Xiwei went west, and began delivering figs to each household.

Passing by the village store, Tian Xiwei fulfilled her bet that she had lost earlier—she bought two popsicles, one for each of them to eat on the way.

"You've been eating instant noodles and popsicles all day, won't your manager scold you?" Cheng Che took a bite of his popsicle, looking at Tian Xiwei, whose eyes were curved into crescent moons, with some curiosity.

"Yes, she will," Tian Xiwei answered readily, "but that's a matter for later. Anyway, she can't control me now!"

She grinned at the camera, clearly showing off to her manager who would definitely watch the show.

Her laugh is so arrogant, but I love it!

【Oda: Proud.jpg】

[Agent: Red Warmth.jpg]

The two then distributed figs to seven or eight more households, and most of the figs in their baskets had already been eaten.

Knock on another door, and an elderly woman in her sixties or seventies answered. Her gray hair was neatly combed, and she wore a faded checkered apron around her waist. She was also holding a handful of half-picked green beans in her hand.

"Who are you?" The old woman looked at the young man and woman in front of her with some doubt, probably because she couldn't remember that there were such two people in the village.

"Hello, Grandma, we're here to help Grandpa Xie distribute figs," Tian Xiwei said with a smile as she put down her basket.

Upon hearing this, the old lady's wrinkled face immediately broke into a smile: "So it was Old Xie who sent you. Who are you to him?"

"We're from the 'Wandering Diary' program team," Cheng Che said. "You may have heard that we came to the village to film the program and also helped Grandpa Xie with some chores."

"Oh, I know your program." The old lady looked her up and down, then glanced at the cameraman carrying the equipment behind her, her eyes full of curiosity.

"Come in and have a seat, I'll pour you some water," she said warmly.

"No need, Grandma, we still need to deliver more figs." Tian Xiwei waved her hand with a smile.

The old lady didn't insist. Leaning against the doorframe, she looked at the figs in their baskets and said with a touch of emotion, "Old Xie is quite an interesting person. He does good deeds in the village every day, and his house is like a small shop."

"My grandson doesn't go home after school anymore; he runs straight to his house, just like his own grandson."

Tian Xiwei glanced at Cheng Che and smiled, "Grandpa has so many drinks and snacks at home, the kids will definitely love them!"

"Of course!" The old lady clapped her hands. "She's almost seventy years old, and she still doesn't behave properly every day."

Cheng Che listened without interrupting, but the image of the black-and-white photograph in the old man's main room involuntarily surfaced in his mind—a young man and woman standing next to a sapling.

He then remembered what the old man had said that morning: the fig tree in the yard was over forty years old, and that he was unmarried and childless.

Then, considering the old man's eccentric personality... has he gotten divorced?

Or what?

"Grandma, are you familiar with Grandpa Xie?" he asked.

The old lady was taken aback for a moment: "How could we not know each other? We've been from the same village since we were kids, and we've known each other for decades."

"May I ask you something?" Cheng Che's voice softened slightly. "I saw a photo in the main room of my uncle's house. He was with a young woman. Is that his wife?"

At first, Tian Xiwei was wondering what Cheng Che wanted to ask, but upon hearing this, she remembered the photo and suddenly understood.

She listened quietly without making a sound.

Hearing Cheng Che's question, the old lady's smile slowly faded, and she sighed.

"He doesn't have a partner at all." Her voice lowered, no longer as crisp as before. "The girl you saw was his ex-girlfriend."

"He's been dead for almost forty years."

Tian Xiwei tightened her grip on the basket on her back.

Cheng Che didn't say anything, but his heart sank.

"Please come in and sit down," the old lady said, making way for her. "It's a long story."

The two did not refuse any longer and followed the old lady into the courtyard.

The courtyard was small, but it was kept very clean. The old lady brought out two small stools for them to sit on, and then sat down herself, her voice slowly spreading out:

"Old Xie is no ordinary person. He was handsome and capable when he was young, and he was known for his diligence in the village."

"Back then, he liked a girl—the one you see in the photo. Old Xie really liked her back then. Whenever he saw her, he would become like a quail, stammering and unable to speak properly."

"I don't know when the two of them got together. Back then, dating wasn't like it is now. You have to hide on the back mountain to hold hands, afraid of being seen. But back then, Lao Xie would hum a song as he walked, which meant he had met someone special."

"Later, when Lao Xie was probably in his twenties, back in the 1980s, the countryside was poor, and Lao Xie's family was even poorer."

"He wanted to marry that girl in a grand and glorious way, so she wouldn't have to suffer with him, so he went off to make his own way in another place." The old lady paused for a moment.

"Old Xie is indeed capable. After he went out, he worked diligently and earned a lot of money in his first year, which was sent back home. The whole village was abuzz with the news, and everyone praised him, saying that he would definitely be successful in the future."

"Later, many years passed, and he really made it big. He did some business outside and made a lot of money. The girl was still waiting for him."

"He was planning to return to his hometown in style, but then the girl fell ill."

"I don't remember exactly what illness it was. It wouldn't be a big deal now, but back then conditions were poor, and I didn't make it through."

"By the time Lao Xie received the news, he took the train back overnight, but the body had already been buried for several days."

The old lady spoke in a calm tone, as if she had lived through that era and was already used to such things, or as if she was deliberately concealing something.

"Later, Old Xie built his own house and planted a fig tree in the yard. Now that little sapling has grown quite big. You two must have seen it."

The rest is history; even a primary school student could guess—the old man never dated anyone else, which is why he remained "unmarried and childless."

[...I'm starting to lose my composure.]

What's wrong... I was enjoying watching a variety show.

So, the old man's house is probably filled with drinks and snacks not because he's craving them, but to attract children and make his house more lively?

The scariest thing is, the old man didn't reveal any of this all day; he just went off on tangents... Was he afraid others would feel sorry for him?

In psychology, some people use absurdity to combat nihilism.

Tian Xiwei rubbed her cheeks and took a deep breath.

Cheng Che sighed, shook his head, and said nothing.

……

At 5 p.m., the last of the figs were delivered.

Cheng Che and Tian Xiwei stood under the shade of a tree by the roadside for a while without saying a word.

"Are you still going to go beachcombing?" Tian Xiwei's voice was a little muffled.

"Let's not go. Let's go back and chat with the old man for a while," Cheng Che said.

"Okay." Tian Xiwei nodded; she thought so too. "Let's go then."

As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly noticed that Cheng Che was staring intently at something.

She followed Cheng Che's gaze—

Amidst the roadside weeds, a Lycoris radiata blooms proudly, its vibrant red color striking the eye.