Witch, Open Your Eyes

Chapter 91: After Part One

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Un-edited so please don’t kill me if you find anything wrong, please gently commenting so I can fix it.
Thank you.

Fang Daichuan was finally released after being detained for 24 hours.
He is interrogated day and night without any result.

His parents got the news long ago, they have waited in the police station.
They won’t leave unless they saw him.
They stayed in the lobby of the police station.
They are all criminal policemen and they are very familiar with how police interrogation work.
They are anxious and distressed at the same time.
They let Xiao Zhou run errands and buy many useful things.

Xiao Zhou felt ashamed.
She was the one who let him into the car and she also the one reported to the police.
When she saw Fang Daichuan’s parents, she felt extremely guilty and ran errands back and forth without complaining.

When Fang Daichuan was released, Xiao Zhou instantly burst into tears.
She has been under too much psychological pressure these few days, she is worried and anxious.
When Fang Daichuan disappeared, she had been carefully interrogated by the police after reporting the case, just not as serious as Fang Daichuan.
When Fang Daichuan came out from the detention room, Xiao Zhou could hardly recognize him.
Stubble appeared on his chin, his face was haggard and pale and his lips were all cracked.
Xiao Zhou felt so guilty that her whole heart shrank into a ball.

Fang Daichuan smiled weakly, touched the top of her head, said with a smile, “Don’t cry, it’s so ugly, outsider who saw must think I’ve done something wrong.” His voice was hoarse, his throat felt like it was clogged with sandpaper.

“I’m sorry, Chuan’er-ge, I’m sorry…” Xiao Zhou cried so hard that she was almost couldn’t speak.

Fang Daichuan shook his head and said with a smile, “It is all in the past, I don’t blame you, I also didn’t pay attention.”

His parents stood aside, they looks so sad, Fang Daichuan looked away, not daring to look into his parents’ eyes.
His dad strode forward, patted him continuously on the shoulder and scolded, “This child, you make us worried.”

Mom knocked off Dad’s hand, sniffed, hugged the tall son, pressed her head against his chest and only said, “You come back, that is good and that is all matters.”

“Old Fang, I’m sorry, we have to following the procedure.” The Deputy Bureau handed Father Fang a cigarette.

Fang Jin lit his cigarette and took a big mouthful, his fingers trembling.

The outside world has paid a lot of attention to this matter.
Fang Daichuan is a star so more or less the case become popular.
There is no evidence and the police can’t arrest him.
According to the rules, they can only release him first and put people to monitor the residence.
The takeaway and courier guys were stopped and check one by one.

It’s easy to monitor, because Fang Daichuan didn’t go anywhere and slept at home all day.

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Fang Jin cooked for his son.

Fang Daichuan slept for a whole day, when he opened his eyes he smelled the fragrance of rice, the sound of frying tofu came from the kitchen.
It is the familiar sound of tiny oil bubbles topping the tofu until it became a golden colour.

Only then did Fang Daichuan realize he was hungry.
He first went to the bathroom to wash up, clean his face, shaved off his beard and stared at himself in the mirror in a daze.

The young man in the mirror was gaunt and quiet, his cheeks were sunken and his eyes were dull and lifeless.

Is that Fang Daichuan?

Fang Daichuan should be someone full of spirit.

He looked down at the ring in his hand, out of the corner of his eyes he saw the toolbox on one of the shelf.
A pair of scissors lying on top of the rest of the tools, the edge is sharp.

“Food is ready!” Mom knocked on the bathroom door, she forced a smile outside the door, “You must be hungry, come out, your dad made you a soup rice.”

Fang Daichuan was stunned for a moment before looked away.

Fang Jin made crab roe soup rice* and fried tofu with eggs**, all of which were the specialties of Fang Daichuan’s grandfather.
Soup rice is Fang Daichuan’s favorite rice when he was a child, every time his grandfather made soup rice, he could eat two more bowls.

(T/N : The raw are [蟹黄泡饭; Xièhuáng pàofàn] but the picture is just crab soup rice.
When I Baidu for pic, most did not show the crab roe because they already mixed the crab roe with the soup rice and I want to show the crab so yeah, just pretend this is the correct one)

(T/N : Raw are [鸡蛋烧豆腐; Jīdàn shāo dòufu] and honestly there is a lot pic to show but I choose this one because I think this is unique)

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The egg yolks are beaten with vinegar and grated ginger and scrambled until lightly toasted, then stir-fried with the fried tofu and sprinkled with a handful of tender chopped spring onions before serving.
Heat the butter and stir fry the peeled crab roe with the butter, add the chicken stock that has been simmering all afternoon and bring to the boil, then pour the hot soup over the cooled rice.

Fang Daichuan was eating absent-mindedly, through the steaming heat, he can saw his parents forced a smile on their face.
The egg yolk ended up stuck on his chest, blocked, unable to go up or down.

(T/N : No Chuan’er did not choked on the food, author just decided to use egg yolk there and I am unsure how to change it so well, just a note here.)

“Is it delicious?” Fang Jin asked cautiously.

Fang Daichuan nodded, in reality he actually can’t taste anything at all.

The three of them ate in silence, only the sound of the bowls and chopsticks being heard on the table.

Mom took a chopstick of water spinach and stuffed it into Fang Daichuan’s bowl: “Eat this too, don’t just eat soup rice.”

Fang Daichuan absent-mindedly shoved it into his mouth: “I miss grandpa.”

Fang Jin and Jiang Jie looked at each other.

“If you want then just go see him,” Jiang Jie smiled and served her son a bowl of soup, “Let’s go after dinner.”

Grandpa still lives in that Hutong, he has a dog and there is a row of pigeon nests hanging under the eaves.
Fang Daichuan got out of the car and several police cars in the distance also stopped to monitor him.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hutong

“Grandpa!” Fang Daichuan shouted loudly.
His grandfather had been deaf for the past two years and he had to shout before he could hear it.

The old man turned around, he is in good spirits: “Yo! My Chuan’er is here! This brat, you still remember to come and see me!” Grandpa also shouted loudly.

The long and spacious Hutong in my childhood memory now looks narrow and dark.

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The chaotic wires cut the narrow line of sky even further.
There were electric cars park against Hutong’s wall, as well as Xiao Huang* who people rode back from outside.
Neighbours pulled up ropes between the windows to hang clothes and sheets that mixed with the hostess’ underwear and baby’s diapers* to dry outside.

(T/N : So this [小黄] is a bike sharing that used to be popular in China around 2016/2017.
Remember this novel is written on 2017 so yes, they are no longer popular? I just quick Baidu and Google I did not search further, picture for more info.
Also the baby’s diapers here are the cloth diapers not the one time use, picture below for example.)

The vendor selling orange candy was nowhere to be found.

“Our neighbor… When I was a child, I lived with a foreign child, do you remember grandpa?” Fang Daichuan asked tentatively.

Grandpa smiled and threw corn kernels on the open space.
His pigeons flew down to eat, poking their necks: “Remember, so you still remember? You liked that child when you were young, you will go there every day.
After you go back home, you make trouble with your mother, asking your mother to give birth to a little sister for you, you ask her to give birth to a foreign child for you to play with.
Your mother said that she could not give birth to a foreign child, so she beat you up angrily.”

Fang Daichuan didn’t remember this at all.
Hearing his grandfather mention it, he was a little embarrassed.

“That kid was always bullied when he was little, his parents were not at home, he lived alone, it was so sad.
You’ve been a good fighter since you were little, when Dahu and Zhouzi bullied him, you went and beat them up, they were several years older than you and you came back with nosebleeds every day.” As they talked and walked back, the big yellow dog* at the door heard the commotion and came out to welcome them, circling around his grandfather’s legs, ears pricked on the top of his head, sticking his tongue out for food.

Fang Daichuan watched as his grandfather tore ham sausages for the big yellow dog, feeding him while petting him from head to tail.
The big dog made a comfortable cooing sound from his throat: “So grandpa, why did the family …… stop living here, do you remember?”

Grandpa thought for a while: “I don’t know, it seems that something happened.
The man died and the child was taken away by relatives.
His family is not a landowner but rented house from outside.
They are also not familiar with neighbours, who knows where they moved?”

Fang Daichuan sighed.

“When they left, you cried a few times,” Grandpa said with joy, “You knock loudly on the landlord door and insisted that the landlord hid the child and asked them to return it to you.
The landlord coaxed you and said that after he returning to China, he will come back to find you when he grow up and that’s got you to stop crying.”

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Fang Daichuan’s nose was sour and he was almost cry.

“It was good when I was a child and I could go to someone else’s house and cry,” he muttered softly but his grandfather couldn’t hear him.
“He was hidden again.
This time, I don’t know if he can return to me.”

Grandpa cook fried tofu with eggs for him.
As he got older, his taste deteriorated and his hands and feet were no longer nimble.
The tofu was a little mushy and it is too salty but Fang Daichuan still ate a lot.

“Speaking of which, the day before yesterday, I dreamed of you.” The old man had a poor appetite and ate a little.
Grandfather lit the tobacco bag* and smiled as he watched his grandson wolf down his food.

Fang Daichuan stuffed a mouthful of tofu in his mouth, swallowed and asked casually, “What did you dream about me?”

“I dreamed that you were filming on an island, I went to see you.
You said that Grandpa I miss you and I found a foreign wife for you.” Grandpa took a puff and smack his lips, “I said that a foreign wife is good, she has long legs and big hips and it will be easy to give birth.
You say no, my wife has something wrong and cannot give birth.
I sighed and said, oh, what should I do, you have liked mixed-race children since you were young, now you can’t have a mixed-race child even if you beg your foreign wife.”

Fang Daichuan was stunned.

Grandpa stared at the vegetable in his hand with a faint smile and understanding look on his face: “I woke up later, but I couldn’t fall asleep.
Da Huang* sat with me in the courtyard for half the night.
When dawn came, I figured it out, hey, anyway, I’m so old, I probably can’t see you having a baby and I’m content to see you have a wife.
When I go down, I’ll tell your grandma, Chuan’er have a good future and married a foreign to be his wife.”

(T/N : The dog’s name)

Fang Daichuan didn’t speak, he lowered his head and stuffed a big mouthful of rice.

Grandpa opened a bottle of yellow wine* that soaked with herbs like ginseng, seahorse and other medicinal materials; the two of them drink in the courtyard.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaoxing_wine

“Chuan’er,” Grandpa clinked his glass with him, “at this age, I don’t want anything else, I just want you to be happy.
If you are troubled by anything, come and talk to grandpa, don’t be hard on yourself and don’t work too hard.
If you want something, fight for it.
If you can’t get it, forget it.
If it’s not meant for you, don’t get too attached to it,” he said, swallowing a cup of wine, looking at Fang Daichuan and sighing, saying lovingly, “Look how thin my Chuan’er is.”

(T/N : Chuan’er also had a dream on chapter 66 about Grandpa.
Anyway, 21 chapters left.
I will make sure I get it before August end.)