Robert Walker tried restarting the game and even shutting down the phone, but nothing worked—the phone seemed completely frozen, totally unresponsive. He wanted to remove the battery, but he had no idea what brand this phone was; surprisingly, it was a very advanced unibody device, so the back cover couldn’t be removed, and naturally, neither could the battery.

　　This actually made him feel more relaxed. He really didn’t want to come home after working overtime all day just to “work overtime” again—even if it was playing a game, what’s the difference between playing a game you don’t like and working overtime?

　　Stepping out of the subway station, a gust of cold wind blew by. Robert Walker pulled his down jacket tighter and strode quickly into his apartment complex.

　　At the entrance, a middle-aged man was selling roasted sweet potatoes from a cart. Robert Walker knew him, though not well—he only knew his surname was Liu, and usually called him Brother Lewis.

　　This Brother Lewis was quite business-savvy, running a small stand at the entrance of the complex: selling vegetables in spring, fruit in summer, snacks in autumn, and roasted sweet potatoes and chestnuts in winter. His business changed with the seasons, and he always managed to make money.

　　Seeing Robert Walker, the middle-aged man greeted him warmly: “Little Walker, why are you back so late? Want to buy a roasted sweet potato? It’s still hot, sweet potatoes from my hometown—fragrant and sweet, guaranteed to help you sleep well.”

　　Robert Walker, being a bit shy, felt awkward just walking away after being greeted, so he went over and said, “Brother Lewis, you’re still open at this hour? Alright, pick a sweet potato for me—but hey, hey, hey, I don’t need such a big one, do I?”

　　As soon as he asked for a sweet potato, the middle-aged man picked the biggest one and put it on the electronic scale, saying as he weighed it, “You know, Little Walker my friend, the younger the girl, the more fun she is; the bigger the sweet potato, the tastier it is. Hey, Little Todd, what are you doing? Your Uncle Walker is here, aren’t you going to say hello?”

　　From the other side of the cart came a little boy bundled up in a thick down jacket, who chirped, “Hello, Uncle Walker.”

　　Robert Walker smiled awkwardly and said, “Just call me Brother Walker, I’m not old enough to be an uncle yet.”

　　Now that the kid had come out, he felt embarrassed to ask for a smaller sweet potato. After all, it wasn’t easy for them to do business with a child in this cold weather.

　　The middle-aged man wrapped the sweet potato in newspaper and handed it to him, then turned to his son and said, “What does Dad always teach you? Just saying hello isn’t enough? Don’t you know how to say anything else?”

　　Robert Walker played along and asked, “Yeah, Little Todd, what else does your dad teach you?”

　　The little boy’s eyes darted around, and he grinned, “Uh-huh, Dad also teaches me Tang and Song poetry. Let me recite one for you: ‘If you don’t work hard when you’re young, you’ll end up working in IT when you grow up…’”

　　Hearing this, Robert Walker almost smacked the sweet potato on the man’s head. What did I ever do to you? Teaching your kid to roast me like this late at night.

　　The middle-aged man was embarrassed too, and quickly said, “I’m just joking, Little Walker, don’t take it to heart. The sweet potato is ten yuan, just give me ten.”

　　Robert Walker paid, took the roasted sweet potato, and headed back to his little place. He shared the apartment with a friend, who was already fast asleep with his girlfriend.

　　He quietly changed into slippers and went to his room. Peeling off the skin, he took a couple of bites—the sweet potato really was delicious: soft, sweet, and smooth. After removing the outer skin, the golden, slightly reddish flesh was revealed, and the sweet aroma was mouthwatering.

　　Looking at the howling wind outside the window, eating the sweet potato, Robert Walker suddenly thought of winter days in his rural hometown as a child, the whole family sitting around the stove, his father roasting a sweet potato for him. The ones they grew at home weren’t this big, but somehow they tasted even better.

　　After eating half the sweet potato and daydreaming for a while, he took out his phone to check it—the screen was still frozen, still couldn’t be turned off. So he just put the phone away, washed up, and went to bed, figuring it would shut off by itself once the battery ran out.

　　Lights off, into bed, eyes closed, sleep. After a long, tiring day, he quickly drifted into dreamland. In his dream, a paradise-like land slowly appeared: fertile fields stretching for miles, rolling hills, birds singing and flowers blooming, lush green trees, wind blowing over waves, wild beasts roaming freely, and finally, a majestic, ancient medieval-style castle came into view…

Chapter 2 Old Walker Has Gone Mad

　　After a good night’s sleep, Robert Walker got up with his alarm, washed up, and headed out to work, starting another day of striving.

　　At the entrance of the complex, he ran into Brother Lewis and his son again. In the morning, Brother Lewis wasn’t selling roasted sweet potatoes but vegetables instead. Seeing Robert Walker, he greeted him warmly again: “Little Walker, off to work? Want to buy something? Come take a look, Brother Lewis has everything you need.”

　　Robert Walker smiled wryly, “Bro, I’m a programmer, not a chef. Why would I buy vegetables on my way to work?”

　　Brother Lewis held up a bright green cucumber and said, “I don’t just have vegetables, I’ve got fruit too. Look at this cucumber—so green and fresh! Buy a couple. You stare at a computer all day, eating more cucumber is good for your vitamins.”

　　Robert Walker thought it made sense. Fruit is expensive in winter and he was too frugal to buy it, so he might as well get some cucumbers. He picked out four small cucumbers, and after paying, Brother Lewis’s son looked at him and, pretending to be innocent, said, “Uncle Walker, I’ve learned a few more lines of poetry. Want to hear them?”