Werewolf Arnaud

In 1932, in a small town in Hunan, China, my grandfather, parents, and I lived together as a family of four. I was six years old and had just started elementary school. My parents, being smart and hardworking, built a successful tailoring business from scratch, and we lived better than most families in the town. Despite the turmoil in Chinese society and the looming threat of the Sino-Japanese War, our peaceful little town remained largely unaffected by the conflict. One autumn evening, after school, I returned home to find my grandfather cooking. Suddenly, our neighbor, an aunt from across the street, rushed into our yard, her face pale. Upon seeing me playing, she tried to mask her emotions and hurried into the kitchen to speak quietly with my grandfather, her demeanor tense and agitated, clearly worried that I might overhear. I noticed my grandfather's trembling hands gently set down the spatula he was using to stir the food, and he slumped into a chair at the dining table. I saw both of them silently shedding tears. Sensing something was wrong, I ran into the kitchen. My grandfather quickly composed himself, wiping away his tears, and said, "Lily, it's nothing. Your parents will be home a bit late tonight. You should eat first; I'm not hungry. I have some things to take care of outside. Is it okay if Aunt Zhang keeps you company for dinner? After eating, you should go to bed early." My grandfather was in his sixties but in good health. He hurried to the town hospital, which was crowded with people. When the doctors saw my grandfather rush into the emergency room, they quickly stopped him, saying, "I'm sorry, your daughter and son-in-law have died in a car accident despite our best efforts." Ignoring their attempts to restrain him, my grandfather ran to the bedside and embraced my mother’s cold body, trembling as he began to sob. His deep, sorrowful cries brought tears to the eyes of those who had gathered to watch. The next day, I woke up to find my grandfather sitting by my bedside. I sensed he was different from usual. He said, "Lily, you're awake. I need to tell you something, and you must promise not to be upset, okay?" I replied, "Okay, Grandpa, go ahead." "Your relatives back in your father's hometown have an elderly person who is very ill. This elderly person has no children and has always cared for your father since he was young. Your parents are going to help take care of him for a while. They might be gone for a long time." I didn’t cry out loud; I just let a few tears fall. I asked, "How long is a long time?"