“Yuyu! My precious little genius!” Grandpa Liu calls out from outside the complex. “Smart grandpa Liu is here to see you!”

With his hands fully occupied, grandpa Liu uses his foot to knock on the courtyard gate. His excitement to see the little girl slowly turns into annoyance as he receives no answer.

“Boy!” He calls out, this time much louder than the last. “Is this how you repay my benevolence? Making me wait in the rain?!”

Caught up in his indignant ranting, grandpa Liu fails to notice that the person he was scolding is currently floating down from the sky above. Sun, still thinking about his conversation with the Ghost Doctor, also fails to notice grandpa Liu’s clamoring. Upon landing in the courtyard, Sun makes his way towards his room.

“This ungrateful brat! Bah!”

The voice stops Sun in his steps. Recognizing that it was grandpa Liu, Sun turns back towards the courtyard gate.

“Grandpa Liu.” Sun greets the old man with a bow and cupped hands.

“Bah! You know how long I’ve been waiting out here, boy?”

“Please forgive me.” Sun replies, this time with an even deeper bow. “I do not know how long you’ve been waiting out here.”

“Bahahaha!” Sun’s matter-of-fact manner of answering the rhetorical question causes grandpa Liu to forget about his recent annoyance-fueled fit. “Nevermind that, boy. Where’s Yuyu? How is she? Take me to see the little genius!”

Without waiting for Sun to invite him in, Grandpa Liu steps into the courtyard. He would’ve made a direct run towards the door, but he didn’t know which room to approach. Sun, seeing grandpa Liu’s eagerness to check up on the little girl, makes his way towards his room before carefully opening the door. Seeing that Yuyu was still sleeping, grandpa Liu decides not to enter.

“Close the door, boy. Let her rest.” Grandpa Liu, having seen the little girl’s rosy complexion, decides that he had seen enough to ease his worrisome heart. ”We can talk out here.”

Grandpa Liu carefully sets the food containers and the bamboo box on the exterior walkway floor. With his hands free, he folds the umbrella shut before leaning it against the door frame.

"The food is from Lia." Grandpa Liu points at the container before moving his finger towards the bamboo box. "This box is for Yuyu. It's an organized collection of books on literature, mathematics, herbalism, alchemy, and such topics. Make sure she has time to read through them once she's fully recovered. No need to thank me, boy. It's a gift from an old friend. Also, we'll be re-opening the shop once Yuyu is fully recovered. Make sure you bring her books when you come to work. "

"Thank you grandpa Liu for your benevolence." Despite being told not to thank him, Sun did so anyways.

Grandpa Liu takes a seat on the bamboo box and stares into the courtyard. Sun watches him in silence.

"Lia filled me in on the details.” After a short moment, grandpa Liu finally breaks the silence. “I would scold you, but seeing that the little genius is healthy… Good job, boy.”

Sun remains silent, not knowing how to respond to grandpa Liu’s compliment.

“Bah! What’s with the face? I’m saying you did a good job, boy.”

Again, Sun doesn’t know how to respond. Although he had successfully nursed Yuyu back to health, the bigger issue still remains deeply ingrained in his mind- what about next time? He had already come to terms with the fact that he had gotten lucky, extremely lucky, this time around. Although Lia and grandpa Liu are giving him credit for resolving it, Sun still felt like he had done nothing aside from being lucky. Yuyu’s wellbeing, he decided, could not be left up to chance. And although he had already promised to figure it out, he’s still struggling with the method of actually doing so.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“Listen carefully, boy.” Grandpa Liu, seeing Sun’s depressed self-loathing attitude, starts to feel his annoyance flare up. He takes a deep breath before letting his words fly. “Whatever it is that has you wallowing like this, pull your head out of your ass and snap out of it. Self-pity doesn’t suit you, boy. Where’s the smartass sweet talker who conned me into giving him a job when he had no money? Huh? You remember him, don’t you boy? That same smartass sweet talker who conned me into babysitting and tutoring for free? You must think me some friendly old geezer who’s easy to take advantage of. Is that it, boy? And what about that young man who promised that he wouldn’t let me down? Where is he now when his own child needs him to uphold that same promise? And what about that capable strong lad who turned my bun shop from a local bridge business into a central district business? Was that just all luck? You think you’re fit to take care of Yuyu the way you are? You? A self-pitying, promise-breaking, wallowing, pathetic excuse of a man?”

With the flurry of scalding words off his chest, Grandpa Liu feels his flaring annoyance fade. He pauses and sighs before standing up to face Sun.

“Boy…” Grandpa Liu continues speaking as he places his hand firmly on Sun’s shoulder. “Do you know why I gave you a job? I gave you a job because you showed me something that’s seldomly seen these days. I gave you a job because I saw a young man who understands what it means to be responsible. You could’ve just let Lia take the fall for the two coppers. In the grand scheme of things, two coppers is nothing. And by all means, it should’ve been docked from her pay. She should bear the consequences of her actions. But you chose to intervene and take responsibility. You chose to do right by the person who showed you kindness. That, my boy, is why I gave you a job.”

Grandpa Liu places his other hand on Sun’s other shoulder, holding the young man straight up and looking him directly in the eyes.

“Now, Sun. Tell me. Am I a senile old fool who misjudged you?”

Grandpa Liu’s words were like needles, stabbing deep into Sun’s heart. Although they were harsh words, Sun didn’t feel like he was being attacked. Instead, it felt like he was being showered with love. A different kind of love, but love nonetheless. A kind of love that he had not felt for a millenia.

“I, Sun, thank the benevolent grandpa Liu for his words!” Sun bows his head deeply. “You have not misjudged me!”

“Bahaha! Good. Good.” Sensing that the young man he knew is back, Grandpa Liu breaks into a hearty laugh. “Now then, boy, what are you going to do?”

Ever since he left the Black Root Clinic, Sun had been troubled by Ghost Doctor’s proposal. It was quite a tempting proposal, promising to solve all of the problems that had been troubling him ever since Yuyu fell sick. It was a proposal that would allow him to give Yuyu a life beyond just getting by. But it was a proposal that fell into his ambiguous gray area.

Even now, he still did not know if accepting the proposal would be the right choice. Despite that, he now knows that he will make a choice. Even if it turns out to be a mistake, grandpa Liu’s words had helped him find the resolve to make a decision and live with it. Even if it turns out to be a mistake, at least Yuyu will be happy.

“Grandpa Liu. What can you tell me about the Academy?”

“The Academy?” Grandpa Liu raises an eyebrow at Sun’s question.

Despite his initial hesitation, grandpa Liu felt that it was wrong to deny a young man who had made up his mind. Although he worried that Sun might come to regret his decision, grandpa Liu acquiesces as he understands that the young man had resolved to do right for his daughter. Grandpa Liu speaks slowly and clearly as he explains surface-level information about the Academy. Sun listens attentively, taking mental notes in preparation for the future around the corner. After finishing his brief explanation, Sun thanks grandpa Liu with a deep bow and cupped hands.

"Sun, it seems that you've known since day one."

Sun replies with a simple nod.

"Bahahaha!" Grandpa Liu chuckles. "You're smarter than I give you credit for, boy. Since that's the case, feel free to come to me if you ever need anything. I am a benevolent man after all. Bahaha!"

With that, grandpa Liu bids Sun and the sleeping Yuyu farewell. Standing outside the gate, he notices how quiet it had gotten during the course of their conversation. He folds up his umbrella and tucks it under his arm before turning towards the sky. His eyes squint into a crescent as he smiles.

Welcome back, Sun.

END

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VOLUME 1: RISING SUN