FMLB Chapter 167

Extra Chapter 22

 

In the nursing home, many were veterans of the First Star War. Most of them had lost limbs, had no relatives, and were solitary. During the outbreak of the First Star War, besides soldiers, there were also many middle-aged and elderly Seventeen-Star people who participated in defending their homeland.

 

Many years had passed since then, and the only reason they stayed in this nursing home was that the people they wanted to protect were long gone.

 

“Wow, it’s a sprinkler truck!” 

 

Bobo’s sharp eyes spotted an old-fashioned sprinkler truck parked at the entrance of the nursing home. This was the sprinkler truck that the gatekeeper referred to, the one chased by Little Rainbow.

 

In addition to the sprinkler truck, there were also garbage trucks, transport vehicles, tricycles, and various other old-fashioned modes of transportation.

 

In other star systems, these old-fashioned vehicles didn’t exist at all, and garbage collection was entirely handled by machines. Baldy and Bobo were seeing a garbage truck for the first time.

 

“A green truck.”

 

A hunchbacked, limping old man dressed in sanitation worker’s clothes walked out from the entrance. He expressionlessly dragged a trash bin. He looked frail but was surprisingly strong. He effortlessly hoisted the large trash bin onto his shoulder and easily dumped its contents into the garbage truck.

 

The sour stench of garbage made Baldy cover his little nose. Even the “sprinkler truck” that had come to his lips was swallowed down by Baldy.

 

Baldy was actually a somewhat delicate cub. When he was young and couldn’t wipe his own bottom, every time He Ruge or Xi Guican wiped it for him, Baldy would disdainfully cover his nose.

 

“Whoosh—” The garbage quickly filled halfway. 

 

The hunchbacked old man raised his head with a dark expression, his walnut-like face full of unwelcomeness. Due to his hunchback, he looked like a grumpy giant tortoise.

 

Baldy leaned slightly backward, subconsciously wanting to create distance between himself and the old man. When he glanced at Bobo, various protective words from Xi Guican during this period echoed in his mind.

 

A surge of courage welled up in Baldy’s heart. He bravely stood in front of Bobo, preparing to put on his fiercest expression, but suddenly heard Bobo’s friendly voice behind him, “Grandpa, good morning~”

 

The hunchbacked old man was startled for a moment, looking around as if searching for another “grandpa.” 

 

The nursing home was quiet in the morning, and a leaf fell from a withered vine onto the ground.

 

There would be sweeping later. 

 

The hunchbacked old man had this thought and, as if to conceal his unease, lowered his head without responding to Bobo.

 

Xi Guican had originally planned to pass by, but upon hearing Bobo greet the old man, he stopped in his tracks.

 

It was now nine in the morning, and people from the nursing home gradually emerged.

 

A tall old man with one eye saw Xi Guican and his group at the door, and the remaining eye showed a trace of astonishment. 

 

He blurted out, “Major General Xi?!”

 

Not Marshal Xi, but Major General Xi.

 

The Big White Tiger nodded calmly. He guessed that the stooped old man in front of him might be one of the old soldiers he had once led.

 

“Why, why are you here… Are these your family?” Xiong Laotuo rubbed his hands nervously. 

 

“Do… you want to come in and sit down?” 

 

Then he quickly shook his head, “No, no, forget it.” 

 

How could he let Major General Xi come to this broken nursing home?

 

Just as Xiong Laotuo was hesitating, Baldy spoke up, and the Little White Tiger pawed Xi Guican’s head with both paws, looking at Xiong Laotuo with wide eyes. 

 

He said in a childish voice, “Grandpa, can I see the little rainbow on the sprinkler truck? Grandpa Moxie said there’s a little rainbow behind your truck!”

 

Grandpa Moxie was the nursery’s gatekeeper.

 

“Moxie?” 

 

Hearing the name of an old friend, Xiong Laotuo was taken aback. Just as he was about to say something, he was interrupted by a call on his neural communicator.

 

Xiong Laotuo’s expression changed as he answered the call. He didn’t have time to chat with Baldy. 

 

He looked towards the stooped old man not far away, his tone anxious, “It’s not good, Uncle Jian has run out again!”

 

The stooped old man swiftly jumped onto the garbage truck. 

 

“Let’s go!”

 

Xiong Laotuo completely ignored Xi Guican and his family. He took out his keys, opened the car door, and got in at the same time as the stooped old man. It was only before leaving that he suddenly remembered Xi Guican. 

 

Xiong Laotuo rolled down the window and said to Xi Guican, “Major General Xi, one of my old buddies, he has dementia. He’s been wanting to take his cub home, but his cub… was lost during the Star War and can’t be brought back. He doesn’t remember us, his old comrades, only remembers his cub.”

 

As he spoke, Xiong Laotuo slapped his head hard, full of regret. 

 

“It’s all my fault. I thought since he had no strength to move, I didn’t keep him locked up. I didn’t expect him to sneak out last night!”

 

“He doesn’t know the way, doesn’t recognize anyone. It’s autumn now, but when winter comes, if we don’t find him, he… he will freeze to death!”

 

While Xiong Laotuo explained, the garbage truck had already taken off.

 

“What does he look like? I’ll help you find him,” Xi Guican said.

 

“He has a lot of age spots on his face, and his animal type is a jaguar. His name is Jian Rong, but he can’t remember his own name now. If you call him Jian Yi, he’ll definitely respond. That’s his cub’s name, the only thing he remembers!”

 

Jian Rong suspected he was being kidnapped by a blind-eyed black bear, a limping ostrich, and a group of people who looked like they had seen blood. Perhaps those people had injected him with drugs, making him unable to handle vegetables when he ate, and buttons when he dressed.

 

Just like when he was a child, stupid little Jian Yi would eat a meal and get a face full of rice.

 

His Jian Yi, he wanted to escape and take his cub home, and his Jian Yi was still waiting for him in kindergarten.

 

What should I do? 

 

He had to escape.

 

He pretended to be sick and let the blind Xiong Laotuo relax his vigilance. Last night, under the cover of night, he escaped.

 

But the outside house, the street, he didn’t know at all where he was. Was he kidnapped to another strange place?

 

The old leopard walked slowly on the avenue. With every step he took, his memory flowed like sand through his fingers. When he walked under the tree, all memories of the nursing home disappeared.

 

Jian Rong stood under the tree, as if forgetting something. 

 

Why was he here? 

 

Where is this place? 

 

Wasn’t he working?

 

Jian… Yi…

 

Yes, where was his cub?

 

His cub, a little orange cat he adopted. 

 

Very small, but very good at eating. The first time he brought Jian Yi home from the trash can on the roadside, Jian Yi was thin and only had bones and skin left.

 

He took Jian Yi to take a bath, and Jian Yi didn’t dare move, as if he couldn’t believe he could be cleaned. When Jian Yi took a bath, he was very obedient. 

 

Jian Rong heard that some cubs would make trouble when they bathed, but little Jian Yi was obedient. He would actively sit in the bathtub, even if Jian Rong was clumsy and got bubbles in his eyes, Jian Yi wouldn’t make a sound.

 

At noon, he prepared a large bowl of rice paste for Jian Yi. The bowl was his food bowl, bigger than this little kitten, but Jian Yi drank it in small sips, and in the end he buried his face in the bowl to lick the bowl.

 

At night, he prepared rice paste for Jian Yi. Jian Yi squatted next to the big bowl, looked at him, and looked confused. Suddenly, Jian Yi cried, tears welled up in his eyes, as if he couldn’t believe he could eat two meals a day.

 

When the little cat shed tears silently, Jian Rong also changed his mind. He had originally planned to send this cub picked up on the roadside to the orphanage, but now, he was a little reluctant.

 

The little cub lowered his head to eat desperately, eating until his belly was about to explode, but his mouth still couldn’t stop.

 

He took Jian Yi to bed, and when he woke up the next morning, he found Jian Yi curled up under the bed and didn’t dare get on the bed.

 

His Jian Yi was the best cub in the world.

 

He sent Jian Yi to kindergarten, and Jian Yi was very scared and unwilling to leave him. He was also unwilling to leave Jian Yi. He told Jian Yi that his father was the first parent to pick up cubs from kindergarten.

 

Kindergarten?

 

What’s that kindergarten called?

 

Xi Guican and Baldy sat on top of the sprinkler truck, which was playing the name “Jian Yi” on loop. Baldy looked down and indeed saw a little rainbow under the truck. 

 

He happily wagged his tail, “The little rainbow is chasing after us, aowoo~”

 

Xi Guican nodded and grabbed Baldy by the back of his neck with one hand to prevent the fidgety little fool from falling off.

 

“Dad, why did Grandpa Jian leave home?” 

 

Baldy asked curiously, remembering the matter at hand.

 

“Because his child is missing, he went out to find his child.”

 

“Why did his child go missing? Was he too naughty?” Baldy continued asking.

 

“No, he passed away.”

 

“What does ‘passed away’ mean? Is it dead?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“If he’s dead, why does he still want to find him?”

 

“Because he doesn’t remember that his child has passed away.”

 

“Why doesn’t he remember?”

 

“He’s old now, he can’t remember things anymore.”

 

“Well, that’s good then, he won’t be sad.”

 

In the passenger seat of the sprinkler truck, He Ruge held Bobo and looked out the window, trying hard to find signs of Jian Yi. 

 

“Old man, you said Jian Rong only remembers his child, so where would his child usually go?”

 

“To school, I guess. He always talked about going to the kindergarten to pick up his child.”

 

He Ruge’s words provided a clue to Xiong Laotuo. 

 

His eyes lit up, “Yes, Old Jian must have gone to the kindergarten to pick up his child!”

 

But where was his child’s kindergarten?

 

Jian Rong desperately tried to remember where the kindergarten was, but his mind was empty. Instead, memories from his youth emerged.

 

He used to be a gang leader collecting protection money on an old street. Most people on Seventeen Star hadn’t gone to school, including Jian Rong. He was strong and could have done manual labor without schooling, but he didn’t want to work.

 

His little brother said that the real wealth was in the Begging District where the Treasure Mice lived. There was gold everywhere, and people could earn money lying down.

 

He remembered one time during a brawl over protection money, they knocked over a trash can by the roadside. A kitten hiding in the trash can was scared stiff, trembling uncontrollably.

 

He thought the kitten would run away in the chaos, but it walked towards him instead. Its dirty little face pressed against his leg, and it softly meowed as if begging Jian Rong to take it home.

 

So Jian Rong really took the kitten home and turned over a new leaf for it.

 

That day, when he was injured in a fight, Jian Yi licked his wound while shedding tears. The tears flowed more than his blood, and Jian Rong suddenly felt sorry for the kitten. He wiped Jian Yi’s eyes and said to the little kitten, “Dad won’t fight with others anymore.”

 

Jian Yi was a very sensible child. He remembered one winter when he came home from work, his hands and feet were freezing, and Jian Yi jumped into his arms and warmed his hands with his belly.

 

Thinking of this, Jian Rong looked down at his hands. They were the hands of an old man, covered with age spots.

 

What happened?

 

The sprinkler truck sped down the highway, and Xiong Laotuo fell into memories. 

 

“Back then, Jian Rong and I were in the same squad. He told me he had no background and couldn’t get his child on the first evacuation list. But when the first Star War broke out, there was a large orphanage established in the Seventeen Star Safe Zone. It was said to be very safe, and Jian Rong sent his child there.”

 

He Ruge suddenly had an idea. He turned slowly and said deliberately, “Star Sea Orphanage?”

 

“Oh yes! That’s the name!” Xiong Laotuo exclaimed. 

 

“After the Star War ended, Jian Rong left the team early. The first thing he did was rush to that orphanage… Then he told me his child was gone. A few days later, he started to lose his mind, acting strange. The garbage truck actually belongs to Old Jian. After that, he switched to scavenging garbage for over a decade. Some people would tell children, ‘You were picked from a trash can.'”

 

“But Jian Rong’s child was really picked from a trash can. He scavenged for over a decade but never found that child again. Later, he got old and developed dementia.”

 

“Well, it’s good he got dementia, then he doesn’t remember that his child is gone, so he won’t be so sad.”

 

Xiong Laotuo sighed, “Jian Rong’s most cherished thing in his life was that little child he picked from the trash can. How did it suddenly disappear? Did he get sick? Or something else? How could someone just disappear like that…”

 

Suddenly, Bobo spoke up, “Grandpa Xiong, isn’t the person under the tree Grandpa Jian?”

 

Looking at the hand with relaxed muscles and scars all over, Jian Rong suddenly remembered many years ago when his hand had held a small paw.

 

That small paw was less than a quarter of his palm, but he… let go.

 

He remembered.

 

After the Star War broke out, he sent Jian Yi to a newly built orphanage. The orphanage was large with excellent facilities, and it was in a safe zone. Although he was worried about Jian Yi being alone, he had no one else to entrust.

 

Jian Yi kept crying, asking him, “Dad, are you going to fight with others again?”

 

He said that this was the last time he would fight with others. When he sent Jian Yi to kindergarten, he was also the first parent to pick up the child.

 

Jian Yi was already very sensible, nodding vigorously, but tightly hooking his hand, refusing to let go. Because of his wandering experience when he was young, Jian Yi was especially afraid of being separated from him and afraid of being abandoned.

 

But Seventeen Star needed him. Although Jian Rong wasn’t a good person, he never feared death. He retreated, and millions of Seventeen Star people retreated. They no longer had a home.

 

Even if he could go to the Treasure Mice’s territory in the future, it wasn’t Seventeen Star, it wasn’t their home.

 

So he finally let go of Jian Yi’s hand and said to Jian Yi, “Wait for Dad to come back and take you home.”

 

Star Wars encountered many dangers. Many times he thought he couldn’t make it through, but whenever he thought of Jian Yi, he struggled to live again. The field doctor said Jian Yi was his panacea.

 

Yes, that’s true. 

 

Before he found Jian Yi, he lived aimlessly, just drifting through each day. It was only after he had Jian Yi that he felt the need to strive every day.

 

He held on like this until the first victory of the Star Wars. He fulfilled his promise and was the first parent to go to the Star Sea Orphanage to pick up his child…

 

But… his Jian Yi was gone forever.

 

Tears surged down, washing his face full of age spots. Trembling, he covered his eyes with both hands, sobbing aloud, tears streaming down freely.

 

In a daze, he seemed to hear Jian Yi’s name, the gushing water, the buzzing sound of the sprinkler truck driving, and the repeated “Jian Yi” coming from inside the vehicle.

 

Jian Rong sluggishly raised his head, wanting to see where Jian Yi was, when suddenly he felt his legs being hugged —

 

Two toddlers, about the size of Jian Yi, hugged his legs from left and right. The toddler with black hair said, “Grandpa, I have a handkerchief, I can wipe your tears.”

 

The toddler with silver hair said, “Grandpa, don’t cry, I’ll treat you to my favorite candy~”

 

Jian Rong forgot many things again.

 

But this time, he wouldn’t think about “running away” all the time. Every morning when he got up, he struggled to dress himself, wash his face and brush his teeth, and then eat. When he ate, rice grains always stuck to his collar, just like little Jian Yi used to do desperately while eating, with rice sticking here and there.

 

…Who was Jian Yi?

 

He seemed to have forgotten.

 

“Old Jian, didn’t you shout last night that you wanted to see Bobo and Baldy? Come on, get on my tricycle,” the gatekeeper Moxi greeted him.

 

Who were Bobo and Baldy again?

 

Jian Rong sat blankly on the tricycle, looking at the scenery on the road. Every time he passed a trash can, Jian Rong’s attention was drawn to it.

 

Helplessly, Moxi smiled and said, “Actually, the hitchhiking ride you most want is probably a garbage truck, right? Next time Luo Lao heads to the kindergarten to collect garbage, ask him to take you along. But Baldy doesn’t like stinky people, if you ride the garbage truck over, Baldy definitely won’t give you a hug.”

 

Who was Luo Lao?

 

Jian Rong didn’t say anything, staring blankly at the roadside scenery. He arrived at a large orphanage and, for some reason, when he saw this large and beautiful orphanage, his heart suddenly felt sour.

 

Moxi led Jian Rong to sit in the guard room, and Jian Rong obediently sat there, watching the toddlers bouncing happily into the gate with smiles on their faces.

 

“Grandpa Jian!”

 

“Grandpa Jian~”

 

He watched those toddlers like that, his gaze blank, but when a toddler with black hair and another with silver hair appeared, he suddenly felt a little happy.

 

Happy, yet sad.

 

Bobo’s art homework today was “Life”.

 

On a piece of white paper, there was a deep blue sky, a wide road, a sprinkler truck chased by a little rainbow, and a green garbage truck.

 

He Ruge asked Bobo why he drew it like this.

 

Bobo explained seriously, “The garbage truck is Grandpa Jian, Grandpa Jian used to drive a garbage truck before, and now he likes to ride on garbage trucks. Grandpa Jian thinks we don’t know — but actually, both Baldy and I know. Although Baldy doesn’t like the smell of garbage trucks, he doesn’t dislike stinky Grandpa Jian.”

 

“The little rainbow on the sprinkler truck… is Jian Yi. Dad said, when people die, they go to heaven. When it rains, rainbows appear in the sky.”

 

“Why does a rainbow appear in the sky when it rains? Does the rainbow like rain but not want the rain to know?”

 

He Ruge fell silent for a moment before whispering, “Perhaps.”