Chapter Twenty-Two: How Can a Fulfilling Elderly Life Exist Without Evening Gatherings in the Square?

Li Shixin paid no mind to such mindless superfans. Just another batch of keyboard warriors online. Besides, the kid looked far too young. Even if she stood before him, what could he do but smack her twice, send her teeth flying, twist her ears into a loop, pull her nose long, scribble tally marks all over her thighs, then boot her ten meters away? What could anyone do about her? After all, she was just an ignorant child.

Yet, watching the torrent of mudslide comments in his own section, undaunted by the widespread mockery and counterattacks from netizens, Li Shixin had to admit his admiration for Liu Xin's fan operation team.

Before crossing over, Li Shixin's entertainment company often organized community events precisely to help idol trainees, when their fame was still budding, nurture loyal fan bases. Cultivating superfans like these required recruiting them from the very moment an artist debuted, and continually interacting and deepening bonds at every milestone in their career. Truth be told, after enough time, these fans could become closer to their idols than lovers. Whether one had such fans, or how many, all depended on fate.

After a while at the computer, the door in the outer room sounded. Li Shixin removed his reading glasses, rubbed his eyes—swollen and teary from the screen's glare—and stepped out, only to see Zhang Ying entering with a large bag of groceries.

Not long after, Zhang Shuo, who had spent the entire afternoon tidying up rooms upstairs, returned covered in dust. Though Zhang Shuo still harbored deep resentment towards Li Shixin for settling into his home, he hadn't held back at lunch, a meal cooked by Li Shixin with Zhang Ying assisting. Not only was the main dish—a large basin of beef stew with radish—completely devoured, even the side dishes, the cold salad, stir-fried eggs with chives, and dry-fried broccoli, were polished off.

As dinner time approached, Zhang Shuo sat on the sofa, saying nothing, but his gaze kept drifting toward Li Shixin, who was perched on a small stool watching TV. Li Shixin was well aware of those little gestures.

Only when Zhang Ying had finished washing the vegetables and was ready to cook did Li Shixin finally rise with leisure and head for the kitchen, leaving Zhang Shuo to breathe a sigh of relief—“Finally, the old man’s gone to cook”—as he watched him go.

Dinner was again four dishes: stir-fried bean curd with green peppers, spicy peanuts, bamboo shoots with pork, and seaweed tofu soup. Though the meal didn't look extraordinary, its aroma was enticing, the balance of meat and vegetables perfect, and with soup to match, the siblings’ appetites were whetted.

Yet Li Shixin only served each of them half a bowl of rice, chuckling as he did so. "Eat until you're seventy percent full, thirty percent water to keep things moving. You won't be active tonight, eating too much isn't good."

The siblings had lost their father early, and their mother remarried soon after. Since moving to work in Rongdian, their mother, now with a new family, barely cared for them. Warm words from an elder like these—they hadn’t heard them in seven or eight years.

Obediently, they followed Li Shixin’s advice: eating slowly, not playing with their phones, and the family of three finished dinner together.

After washing the dishes, Li Shixin walked to the door and put on a gray jacket.

"Hey, where are you going?" Zhang Shuo, chewing a toothpick on the sofa, stood up and asked.

Li Shixin smiled as he put on his shoes. "After being indoors all afternoon, I'm going out for a walk to get some fresh air. By the way, is there a park nearby?"

Zhang Shuo thought for a moment, pointed eastward, and said, "Go out the community gate and walk eight or nine hundred meters east, there’s a newly built 98 Sports Plaza. It's not finished yet, but when I drive by, I see old folks dancing and kids skateboarding. If you want to stroll, head there—it’s lively in the evening."

Li Shixin nodded, put on his cloth shoes, and stepped outside.

As he headed downstairs, Zhang Shuo's big head peeked through the door crack again. "My dear father, be careful there, especially crossing the street—big trucks everywhere. If you get hit, you’ll really disappear!"

Li Shixin shook his head, chuckling. Why couldn't good advice be spoken properly? He ignored Zhang Shuo and leisurely made his way downstairs.

It wasn’t that Li Shixin wanted to embrace old age; it was just that, ever since his rejuvenation that afternoon, his body felt vastly improved. He wanted to go out, get used to his new state. And, incidentally, try another method of youth restoration—not some high-tech miracle, but exercise.

Before crossing over, Li Shixin had a daily habit of running. Since arriving here, even walking was arduous, and running had been out of the question. Now, his condition was better; he figured it was time to start building himself back up. Rely on heaven, rely on earth, rely on the system—but one must rely on oneself from time to time, right?

Exiting the community gate, he stretched his arms and legs, did some warm-ups, then set off at a jog.

...

In front of the 98 Sports Plaza’s fence, Li Shixin felt like he was about to die.

He had overestimated his body. After all, sixty-four and a half and sixty-five differed by only 130 days; the effect was merely to clear away half a year’s worth of ailments. His physical functions still couldn’t compare to those of a twenty-something. He’d gotten cocky. Truly, he’d gotten cocky.

Even at his slowest pace, covering the two street blocks—just over eight hundred meters—left Li Shixin’s heart pounding as if it might fall out, and his old lungs felt ready to burst.

"Hey, old brother, are you alright?"

Just as Li Shixin clutched his heart, leaning against the fence and gasping for air, a gentle yet concerned voice sounded behind him.

“Ha...hoo...ha...hoo...” Li Shixin waved his hand. Turning around, he saw a kindly old lady bending over, worry written on her face.

She looked to be in her fifties, slightly plump, her fair skin set off by grape-purple curls, giving her a healthy flush. Clearly, she took good care of herself. Her features were pleasant, and she must have been a beauty in her youth. She wore a sky-blue Nike tracksuit—likely out for her own evening walk.

Seeing Li Shixin drenched in sweat, she quickly helped him to sit on the ground.

It took him quite a while to catch his breath. Only then did the lady hand him a bottle of mineral water and ask with a smile, "Old brother, what happened? Heart trouble?"

Li Shixin took the bottle, but didn’t drink—just moistened his mouth and spat it out.

"No, just went for a run. Didn’t expect..." Li Shixin shook his head self-deprecatingly.

The old lady blinked, then laughed. "Oh, old brother, you’re reckless! At your age, you still think you’re young?"

Li Shixin shrugged. "Thought I’d run a bit, stretch myself out, but...ah, you can’t defy age."

She chuckled and shook her head. "Really, at this age, how do you not know your limits? 'The old man stirs up youthful madness'—but Su Tai Shou at least rode a horse, led a dog, carried a falcon, and had the whole town behind him. What are you doing, burning out your old bones solo? This isn’t youthful madness, it’s courting disaster! Enough, I’m rambling. Are you alright now?"

Having been scolded, Li Shixin smiled wryly and gestured that he was fine. Seeing he was no longer in distress, the lady stood, brushed off her pants, bid him farewell, and entered the plaza.

"Damn it..." Li Shixin shook his head and smiled bitterly. He’d been reduced to being lectured by an aunt. No, he couldn’t swallow that humiliation!

He fished a small bottle from his pocket—the Peak Chewing Gum he’d won in a lottery. He’d been reluctant to use it before. Lottery prizes could be repurchased in the system with applause points, but this bottle of five gums cost a staggering ten thousand applause points each. That meant a single piece was worth two days of life! Who could afford that luxury?

But today was different. Since circling up some fans on Weibo at noon, he'd accumulated over twenty thousand applause points. Chewing a couple pieces now and then for a bit of fun—wasn’t that like occasionally buying a good pack of cigarettes?

Examining the gum in his hand, Li Shixin gritted his teeth, popped one in, and started chewing.

As a flavor reminiscent of Red Bull spread through his mouth, Li Shixin sprang to his feet. This stuff worked faster than the rejuvenation—within a moment, every trace of illness vanished! He truly felt twenty-something again, as before crossing over!

Cracking his knuckles, chewing the gum, Li Shixin eyed the circular track inside the 98 Sports Plaza and smiled coldly.

Come! Time to rise up!