Without waiting for the child's reaction, Gu Jin turned and left.
Alone in the room, An Mingji held a yellow steamed bun in one hand and a cup of water given to him by Gu Jin in the other, staring at her departing figure.
Until that figure disappeared from view, An Mingji's seemingly clear eyes suddenly dimmed.
The light in his eyes was dark, mixed with pride and the last bit of stubbornness, as well as a darkness that didn't belong to his age.
Gu Jin, who had already left, didn't see An Mingji's abnormality.
How could she know that An Mingji, who had long been abandoned and survived alone in the village, faced disdainful glances, beatings, and insults from the villagers, and was no longer the innocent child he once was.
Leaving the room, Gu Jin glanced around the courtyard; the old man's figure, which had been on the recliner, was already gone.
She looked at one of the tightly closed doors of the opposite house, knowing that the old man had already gone back inside.
To keep An Mingji, she needed to discuss it with the old man and get his approval, and also go to the town's police station to handle the paperwork.
She walked over and gently knocked on the old man's door.
"Knock knock..."
"Come in." The old man's voice came from inside.
Gu Jin pushed open the door and saw the old man lying on the kang (a traditional rural Chinese heated bed).
The old man was sensitive to cold, so the room had a heated kang, making the winter more bearable.
"Xiao Jin, what do you want to see Grandpa about?"
The old man had never been close to Gu Jin but had never mistreated her.
Gu Jin walked into the room, closing the door behind her, and walked towards the old man.
"Grandpa, I have something I want to discuss with you."
The old man gave her a deep look, sat up on the kang, and crossed his legs, pointing to the side of the kang, "Sit and talk."
Gu Jin walked to the kang and sat down, looking at the old man's seemingly murky but actually wise eyes, lowering her gaze as she spoke, "Grandpa, I want to keep Xiao An."
She didn't want to make eye contact because she didn't want the old man to see that her soul didn't belong to this age.
"Have you thought it through?"
The old man's tone was tinged with disapproval.
Gu Jin nodded, "I have thought it through. Xiao An will stay with me. I will take care of him. As long as I have a bite to eat, I'll share half with him."
The old man chuckled, "Can you afford it? Do you remember why you're not in school now?"
Gu Jin frowned slightly, only then remembering that it's May, the time to be in school.
The reason for not going to school now was the lack of food supplies; there was no distribution from above, so the teachers and students had to stop classes.
Thinking back to distant memories, but those had nothing to do with raising An Mingji.
Gu Jin looked up, gazing at the old man before her, "Grandpa, I've thought very clearly. I remember a classmate in town saying that as long as you turn eighteen, you can apply for a separate household registration.
I want to ask the village chief to report my age two years older, apply for a separate household, then move Xiao An to my household registration, and give him half of my food ration."
The old man didn't speak, reaching for the nearby tobacco pipe, refilling it with tobacco, and lighting it.
The room was soon filled with smoke, and the grandfather and granddaughter sat without speaking.
The old man looked at Gu Jin's face, and he had to admit that the girl's face was indeed beautiful, not resembling the Gu family's features.
Everyone in the village knew that this child was not of the Gu family's blood.
But the Gu Family had still raised her for sixteen years, and feelings inevitably developed.
At this moment, hearing her talk about separating households, the old man felt uncomfortable inside.
Seeing the old man's unhappy expression, Gu Jin quickly understood something.