A traveler from distant land

Granny Zhou sat in the dimly lit room, staring blankly at the ticking clock on the wall.

Since her husband passed away five years ago, this time of dusk always brought waves of sorrow to her heart.

She was 68 years old, with no children or relatives, living alone in this shabby old house, barely scraping by on meager welfare and collecting recyclables.

Thinking about the lonely and uncertain future ahead, Granny Zhou couldn’t help but shed tears of sadness.

Just then, a gentle voice suddenly spoke in her ear: “Oh, you poor thing, let me help you.”

Startled, Granny Zhou looked around but saw no one.

The voice continued, “Don’t be afraid. There are two hundred yuan in the drawer of the bedside table. You can use it to buy rice and vegetables at the supermarket, so you won’t have to rely on begging anymore.”

Skeptical but curious, Granny Zhou opened the drawer and, to her surprise, found the money inside.

She glanced around the room and asked in astonishment, “Who are you?”

The voice replied, “I come from afar. You can call me the Traveler.”

Though Granny Zhou had never heard of such a name, she felt the kindness in the voice and gradually calmed down.

From that day on, the Traveler would send her daily necessities — sometimes money, sometimes rice. Though the amounts were small, just enough for a day or two, new supplies would appear as soon as they ran out. Granny Zhou no longer had to worry about making ends meet.

Filled with gratitude, Granny Zhou began to believe the Traveler must be a deity. She said to him, “You’ve helped me so much, and I’m deeply grateful. But I’ve never seen your face. Could I meet you?”

The Traveler chuckled and said, “Old lady, I’m not a deity. But since you wish to see me, we shall meet in a dream.”

That night, Granny Zhou indeed dreamed of the Traveler. In the dream, he was an elderly man with a kind face, long white hair, and a beard. He wore a simple robe and smiled warmly at her, saying, “Live well. I will always be with you.”

This went on for a long time until Granny Zhou heard that her neighbors were frequently losing things mysteriously. She began to suspect that the Traveler was stealing from them to help her.

So she asked to meet the Traveler again, and he agreed.

As soon as she entered the dream, Granny Zhou urgently asked, “Did you steal from my neighbors?”

“In the place I come from, there is no concept of ‘stealing,’” the Traveler replied, stroking his beard with a smile. “It is a free world where resources are allocated based on strength.”

“Doesn’t that mean chaos reigns?”

“It’s our race’s survival strategy. The strong claim more resources to raise more offspring. The weak naturally vanished, and no one pities their fate.”

Granny Zhou couldn’t quite grasp such a strange concept but still worriedly said, “But that’s not how things work here. We can’t just take others’ belongings.”

“Don’t worry, there’s no danger,” the Traveler said nonchalantly. “In the future I can see, this place will remain safe.”

Several months passed.

One of the neighbors noticed that Granny Zhou seemed to have plenty to eat and drink and had stopped collecting recyclables. Curious, they decided to visit her under the guise of a friendly chat.

While inside Granny Zhou’s home, the neighbor discovered some of their missing belongings and became furious, accusing Granny Zhou of being a thief and threatening to report her.

Suddenly, a loud voice boomed, “It was I who took those things! Your family is well-off and lacks nothing. Why can’t you share a little with those in need? If you keep causing trouble, don’t blame me for being harsh!”

As soon as the words were spoken, the neighbor felt dizzy, their vision blurred, and they began to feel nauseous. Terrified, they fled in a panic.

The incident quickly spread, and soon everyone believed that Granny Zhou’s house was haunted by some kind of supernatural being. Many people came to see the spectacle for themselves.

If visitors were polite and respectful, the Traveler would speak to them tirelessly, sharing fascinating stories. But if anyone spoke rudely or disrespectfully, they would be mercilessly driven away.

However, the Traveler always obeyed Granny Zhou’s wishes. If she told it not to tease or harm others, it would immediately stop.

The villagers, however, felt that having an unknown creature in their midst was not a good thing. They gathered to discuss the matter and decided to invite experts from the provincial capital to investigate. However, the journey to the provincial capital was long and difficult, taking several days to complete.

Granny Zhou knew nothing about this plan.

One day, she suddenly heard the Traveler crying and saying, “Old lady, something terrible has happened. The pursuers from my homeland are coming to eliminate me. I won’t be able to help you anymore.”

Granny Zhou anxiously asked, “Why don’t you escape?”

The Traveler replied, “My spacecraft has run out of energy and is stranded here. The energy sources on Earth are incompatible with the technology I brought. I have no way to flee.” After saying this, the Traveler wept bitterly.

Two days later, the neighbor indeed returned with a small team of agents dressed in black. The agents marched straight into the bedroom, locking Granny Zhou and the neighbor outside.

Granny Zhou was furious and tried to force the door open. Suddenly, a loud “boom” echoed from inside, startling her into stillness.

After a while, the door opened. The black-clad agents emerged carrying a cage covered with a black cloth, making it impossible to see what was inside.

The Traveler’s voice echoed, “The strong claim resources, while the weak pitilessly vanished. Now that I am the weak, this is my destined end. I have lived by my principles, and I ask that you no longer remember me.”

The agents left, and from that day on, Granny Zhou never saw the Traveler again.