Old Man Chen's lips moved a few times, but ultimately he said nothing. He took the buns from Gu Jiaojiao's hand, and his heart, which had long since grown cold, felt a glimmer of warmth.
When he returned from his military service, the authorities made arrangements for him. Due to his poor health, he was granted special permission to raise a donkey.
At first, the villagers of the Qingshan Team sympathized with him. As time went on, however, in these poor times, his raising a donkey provided him with an extra source of income, which in turn led to gossip and rumors.
Only Village Chief Xu regularly helped him; most of the other villagers were afraid of him.
Old Man Chen drove Leng Yuan and Gu Jiaojiao mostly because Leng Yuan paid him well. But Gu Jiaojiao had brought him buns, something she hadn't needed to do.
Old Man Chen held the buns, but he couldn't bring himself to eat them.
