I Don't Like This World, I Only Like You (我不喜歡這世界，我只喜歡你) by Qiao Yi (喬一)

My grandma's getting old, and her memory isn't very clear anymore. Strangely, F is the only one in the family who can still communicate with her—we all think it's kind of magical. One year during the Lunar New Year, we went back to my hometown. While I helped Mom cook, F sat in the yard chatting with Grandma. I overheard him teaching her English.

"I love you—that means I love you."

"Say it slower—'I' what?"

F very patiently broke it down:
"I——love——you——."

Grandma nodded confidently:
"Got it!"

At dinner, I teased her:
"Heard you can speak English now?"

Grandma beamed:
"Little F taught me."

F tilted his head and asked her:
"How do you say 'I love you'?"

"I... I... I..." She thought hard for a long time and finally shouted:
"I neighbor have!" (mispronouncing "I love you" in Chinese as "I love you" sounds like "矮隔壁有" – which literally translates to "short next door has")

The whole table burst into laughter.

That night, I got up to get water and noticed the light in Grandma's room was still on. I figured she'd forgotten to turn it off again. When I reached the door, I saw her sitting alone in a chair, gently holding my grandpa's photo and softly saying:

"Old man, I neighbor have."

...

That night, F held me while we slept and said:
"Grandma's really lonely. We should come back and visit more."

I suddenly wanted to cry.

People who don't know F think he's cold, quiet, and as stiff as a rock.

But only I know that he's not.

He's gentle—the gentlest man I've ever known.