"
"I came looking for the old man from Ping'an Apartments. Which room is 269?" Chen Ge spoke quickly — now was not the time for small talk.
"I'll take you there." Dr. Gao seemed to be very familiar with the place. He led Chen Ge straight to the end of the corridor, and Old Wei followed along.
After glancing at the room number on the door, Chen Ge peered through the small window into the ward.
Two nurses and a doctor stood beside the hospital bed, apparently trying to communicate with the elderly man lying in it.
The old man's condition had deteriorated badly. His eyes were closed, and sounds rattled from his throat, but no one could understand what he was saying.
Chen Ge knocked on the door and entered the ward.
A nurse inside recognized him and whispered a few words to the doctor.
The doctor nodded gently and gestured for both nurses to step out.
"Mr. Chen, we called you here today because there are two things we need to tell you."
"How is the old man doing? When I left last time, he had improved quite a bit."
The doctor let out a soft sigh and walked over to Chen Ge. He kept his voice low, as if afraid the old man would hear: "We've done everything we can. His health has always been poor, and after being cared for by untrained people in that apartment building for so long, his body suffered even more damage. The fact that he's held on until now is entirely because of one thing — he wants to find the person who killed his son. Given his condition, surviving this long is already a miracle."
Chen Ge didn't respond. He stared at the old man on the bed — so frail he couldn't even open his eyes — and his mind went blank.
"That old man really had it rough. That apartment building of his is a so-called haunted property — practically impossible to sell. A few years ago, the authorities announced plans to demolish the area and build a resort. His building was right in the path."
"They promised him a generous demolition compensation package, but he refused no matter what. They cut off his electricity, cut off his water, tried every trick in the book, but the stubborn old man wouldn't budge."
"Finally, when the bulldozers and excavators rolled up to the entrance, the old man sat in his wheelchair and blocked the road."
"He said if the building was demolished, all the clues to the case would be gone for good, and the killer might never be caught."
"I can't even imagine how he got through all those days. Look at him — emaciated, riddled with illnesses — and yet he held on like that for five years, right up until the case was solved."
By the time the doctor finished, he was visibly moved himself. Seeing that Chen Ge still hadn't spoken, he continued.
"We respected his wishes, which is why we called you here. This case was the obsession of his heart, and you helped him fulfill his wish, so the old man is very grateful to you." The doctor handed Chen Ge a phone number: "This is the contact for the notary office. The old man divided all of his assets, including that apartment building, into four portions."
"One portion goes to a foundation for missing children. One is donated to the Jiujiang Public Security Bureau, to be used as a bounty for capturing fugitives on the wanted list. One is given to you as payment for fulfilling his wish. And the fourth portion is also designated for you, but the instruction attached says that you should take care of his granddaughter. If you have no objections, contact the notary office as soon as possible."
"I do have an objection." After a long pause, Chen Ge finally spoke: "He's still alive. Why are we talking about wills? Do everything you can to treat him. Don't give up until the very last moment."
The doctor started to say something else, but Chen Ge waved him off: "Could you leave me alone with the old man for a while?"
Faced with an unexpected windfall, Chen Ge showed no sign of being tempted — which was not what the doctor had expected at all. He gave Chen Ge a few parting words and left.
The ward door closed. Chen Ge sat down beside the bed and placed Little Little on the pillow next to the old man's shoulder.
A faint sound of weeping seemed to drift through the room — indistinct, impossible to make out clearly.
Chen Ge gently took the old man's hand. It was nothing but skin and bone, like gripping a dead branch buried in snow.
"You're still here, old sir. Little Little is still here, and you're her only family." Chen Ge didn't know whether the old man could hear him. He could only see the man's mouth open and close, producing sounds no one could understand, as though he were trying desperately to say something.