A leisurely life starting in a bar after being reborn

At the gate, the little boy hadn't gone far—he was sitting on the threshold, his short legs barely touching the ground, holding the cat in his arms, poking the cat's head with one finger. The cat stopped struggling, nestled in his arms, squinting its eyes, with a resigned expression.

"Is this your cat?" Fu Yan stood in front of him, looking down at the miniature robber.

The little boy looked up at him and nodded: "Mm."

"What's its name?"

"Orange paper~"

That's quite fitting; an orange cat is called Orange.

Fu Yan squatted down and looked at the little boy's face—round, with small but bright eyes, and slightly pursed lips, giving off a "who are you?" expression. This kid, only three or four years old, already had an air of arrogance.

Where do you live?

"There," the little boy pointed to the door diagonally opposite next door.

Just then, footsteps came from the alley, and Sister Zhou returned from outside carrying a vegetable basket. When she saw Fu Yan squatting at the door chatting with the child, she was taken aback at first, and then smiled.

"Mr. Fu, this is the grandson of the He family next door, named He Zhuangzhuang."

"The He family next door?"

"Yes, it's He Gang's house, the one who played Heshen—you don't know him?"

Fu Yan really didn't know. He'd lived here for so long, and apart from a few encounters with his neighbors during the renovation period, he hadn't seen them much since moving in. In the courtyard houses, each household lived their lives behind closed doors, unlike apartment buildings where you'd see each other all the time.

"He Gang?" Fu Yan thought for a moment, "Oh, that's him..."

"Yes, yes, that's him, I think he's from the same hometown as you." Sister Zhou lowered her voice, "He's really famous now, Heshen, everyone in the country knows him."

Fu Yan glanced at Xiao Zhuangzhuang on the threshold, then at the orange in his arms, and thought: Heshen's grandson, running into my yard to snatch the cat, this scene is a bit magical.

Just then, another person walked into the alley.

She was pregnant, looking to be in her late thirties or early forties, with fair skin, long hair, and a noticeable belly, probably five or six months along. She wore a loose cotton dress and walked slowly, one hand supporting her waist.

"Zhuangzhuang~~" she called from afar, "Where did you run off to again?"

Little Zhuangzhuang, sitting on the doorstep, turned around and called out, "Grandma! Orange Paper ran over there!"

The pregnant woman walked over, saw Fu Yan and Sister Zhou, and nodded slightly: "I'm sorry, Zhuangzhuang bothered you again."

"No, no, she's just a child." Sister Zhou waved her hand with a smile, then introduced Fu Yan, "This is Teacher Ma, Teacher He Gang's wife."

Fu Yan stood up and greeted them politely: "Hello, we're neighbors. I'm sorry, we just moved here recently and don't know anyone here."

Teacher Ma smiled and bent down to pick Zhuangzhuang up, but her belly was in the way, and she couldn't bend down. Zhuangzhuang slid down the threshold by himself, hugged the cat, walked up to her, looked up, and said, "Grandma, Juzhi wants to play over there."

"The oranges have had enough sun; it's time to go home." Teacher Ma took Zhuangzhuang's hand, nodded to Fu Yan, and said, "We're leaving now."

Fu Yan watched the young grandfather and grandson walk away – a pregnant woman leading a three- or four-year-old boy, who was also holding an orange cat in his arms.

He turned to look at Sister Zhou: "How old is He Gang?"

"He's almost sixty, isn't he?"

"Sixty?" Fu Yan's eyes widened. "His wife—she looks to be only in her early thirties?"

"It's his third marriage," Sister Zhou said in a low voice. "Teacher He got divorced a few years ago and then married this woman, who is more than 20 years younger than him."

Fu Yan nodded, but there was still a question in his mind that he couldn't figure out.

"Is that little boy He Gang's grandson?"

"Yes, Zhuangzhuang was born to He Gang's son."

"What about his son?"

Sister Zhou thought for a moment and said, "I heard he lives in another city and doesn't come back often. Zhuangzhuang has always lived with his grandfather."

Fu Yan quickly sorted out the interpersonal relationships of this family in his mind—He Gang, almost sixty years old, famous for playing Heshen; his ex-wife divorced him, and he married a woman more than twenty years younger than him, who is currently pregnant; he has a son who lives in another city and doesn't come back, but leaves his grandson to be raised by him; the grandson is three or four years old and walks the cat in the alley every day.

Well, the neighbors in the courtyard house are indeed not simple.

He returned to the yard and sat under the grape trellis for a while, when he suddenly remembered the kitten from earlier—Orange. He stretched out his hand and looked at his palm, as if he could still feel the texture of a little orange cat fur.

Next time Zhuangzhuang brings Juzi over for a visit, he'll have to prepare some cat food in advance.

No, it's human food.

No, you should prepare some cat food and human food as well.

……

During dinner that evening, Fu Yan told Xu Wenshu about what had happened that afternoon as an amusing anecdote.

From discovering the kitten under the grape trellis, to the little boy entering the door and taking the cat away, to watching Zhuangzhuang petting the cat on the threshold, and then to Teacher Ma with her big belly—Fu Yan described it vividly, even imitating Zhuangzhuang's "Who are you?" expression perfectly.

Xu Wenshu, being a woman, didn't react much to the cat after listening to Fu Yan's story; instead, she was more interested in the gossip about He Gang's family.

"He Gang~" She picked up a piece of pork rib. "I know him."

"You know them?" Fu Yan was very surprised. How could two people who seemed to have nothing in common possibly know each other?

"We weren't particularly close acquaintances, we just worked at the same TV station before," Xu Wenshu mumbled, chewing on a rib. "He worked on the arts and culture channel, and we'd sometimes bump into each other during big meetings at the station, but I didn't really talk to him much."

"Isn't he an actor? How come he's working at a TV station?"

"He was originally from the TV station, a professional host and actor. He became famous later for playing Heshen." Xu Wenshu put down her chopsticks and counted on her fingers. "He Gang is a complicated person. His son wasn't born to his current wife, but to his ex-wife."

"Ex-ex-wife?" Fu Yan raised an eyebrow. "How many ex-wives?"

"Two. My second wife was a singer, what was her last name again..." Xu Wenshu thought for a moment, "Never mind, you wouldn't know her anyway. She used to be quite famous, a veteran singer."

"and then?"

"Then they divorced. His first wife was not in the entertainment industry; I don't know exactly what she did, but they divorced there too. This Teacher Ma is his third. People at the station say she's after He Gang's fame, but others say it's true love—who knows for sure except her?"

Fu Yan nodded, automatically drawing a family relationship diagram in her mind: He Gang, three marriages. His first wife was an ordinary person outside the entertainment industry, his second wife was a singer, and his third wife, Teacher Ma, who is more than twenty years younger than him, is currently pregnant. His son was born to his first wife and works in another city, while his grandson is being cared for by his grandfather.

This relationship is no less complex than those of the powerful figures he encountered in the United States.