He gently pushed open the rickety wooden gate, made of pieces held together with twigs. Just as he was about to speak, he saw a thin, wiry old man with sparse whiskers and wearing patched-up shorts, sitting cross-legged in the courtyard. He skillfully mended a tattered fishing net with a shuttle.,After a little while, the old man came out, standing in the doorway with one hand hidden behind his back and the other beckoning to him. His eyes darted nervously around the yard as if he were a thief caught red-handed.,He was silent for a long time, then finally shook his head and croaked, "I don't want to die."。