Chapter 18: Taking in the Old Man
Xie Chaochao hurried back, but she couldn’t bear to leave an old man with broken legs here.
“Grandpa, I’m going back. What are you going to do?”
Before the old man could say anything, Xie Chaochao continued, “Grandpa, go back with me. My father is a good person. He definitely won’t chase you out!”
The old man hesitated. He was a man of unknown origin. If he went back with her, he would definitely arouse suspicion.
Besides, his calligraphy pieces were still here. He couldn’t just leave these things behind.
Xie Chaochao seemed to know what he was worried about. “Grandpa, don’t worry. I’ll tell my father when we get back and ask him to bring up the things that fell down!”
When the old man heard that, he didn’t have any more worries.
The sky was getting darker, and he had nowhere to go. If he were to stay on the mountain like this, he wouldn’t be able to avoid any trouble.
“Then I’ll shamelessly stay with you for the night!”
The old man said to Xie Chaochao, “Just right, I can thank your family for rescuing me!”
Xie Chaochao saw the old man “stand up”.
His legs reached his knees. When he stood up, he was as tall as Xie Chaochao.
His knees were supported by his custom-made shoes, allowing him to walk.
He was just too slow and it was difficult for him to walk.
Xie Chaochao followed beside the old man and walked very slowly.
When the two of them went down the mountain, the sky had completely darkened.
In the old house at the end of the village, the lights were brightly lit.
A man stood at the entrance.
Upon seeing this, Xie Chaochao couldn’t help but retreat.
He must have found out that she had skipped classes today!
When she goes back, her father would definitely settle scores with her!
Seeing that there was someone beside Xie Chaochao, Xie Zhou frowned as he walked over.
“Daddy!”
Xie Chaochao shouted guiltily.
“Who is this person?”
Xie Zhou stared at the old man who had returned with Xie Chaochao.
Keeping his guard up, he said to Xie Chaochao, “Come here!”
Xie Chaochao glanced at the old man and slowly moved to Xie Zhou’s side.
She grabbed his finger and said, “Daddy, I rescued this grandpa in the mountains!”
“In the mountains? He’s not from our village!”
Xie Zhou said coldly, “Didn’t I tell you before not to talk to strangers?”
“The grandpa fell into a ditch and couldn’t get up. I rescued him!”
Xie Chaochao said, “Otherwise, he would have had to stay in the mountains. He would have been hurt by those animals!”
“What if he has evil intentions? What if you got abducted by him?”
Xie Zhou’s voice was filled with anger. He was scared!
If this person was really a bad person, the chances of Xie Chaochao escaping were too low. After all, she was a little girl.
Xie Chaochao whispered guiltily, “That won’t happen. With Xiao Hu here, Xiao Hu will protect me!”
“Moreover, Grandpa’s health is not good. He can’t even outrun me!”
Xie Chaochao was afraid that the old man would be upset if he heard this, so she deliberately spoke very softly.
When Xie Zhou heard this, he became even angrier. “So you brought him back?”
“I pity him. He has to spend the night alone in the mountains and his leg is injured. If he encounters any danger, he won’t be able to escape!”
Xie Chaochao held Xie Zhou’s hand and swayed it back and forth. “Daddy, let’s just let Grandpa stay here. It’s so late at night, he doesn’t even have a place to stay!”
Xie Zhou looked at the old man and sized him up. “Why were you on the mountain?”
The old man repeated what he had told Xie Chaochao.
Xie Zhou’s vigilance towards him didn’t lessen by much. However, looking at his daughter’s pitiful pleading look, he couldn’t bear to refuse.
“We can let him stay at our home for the night, but he has leave as soon as the sun rises tomorrow!”
Although it was just a night’s stay and not what Xie Chaochao had intended, she was already very happy that Xie Zhou was willing to give in.