Chapter 4: This Is Your Home

The aroma of food wafted from inside the house. Su Yu’s sister was setting the bowls and chopsticks. Seeing Ni Hezhi enter, she greeted her warmly.

Ever since Ni Hezhi appeared, Shu Hui had been captivated by this “pale, rich, and beautiful” older sister.

Unfortunately, she hadn’t found an opportunity to greet her.

She had spent the afternoon practicing sign language, worried the pretty sister wouldn’t understand, so she specifically studied the simplest gestures.

As she approached, she raised her arm and made a heart sign towards Ni Hezhi.

However, Ni Hezhi walked past her without a glance, dragged her suitcase noisily into the room, and slammed the door shut with a bang.

Fang Shu Hui’s hand froze mid-air. She then lowered her head dejectedly, her expression somewhat crestfallen.

A choked, sour feeling climbed Su Yu’s throat.

She withdrew her gaze from the closed wooden door, walked over to Shu Hui, patted her shoulder, and comforted her with sign language.

Fang Shu Hui sensibly shook her head, indicating she didn’t mind.

Su Yu’s grandmother came out of the kitchen leaning on a cane, happening to see this scene. She beckoned Su Yu over.

“This girl came from the big city to such a remote place. She doesn’t know anyone or the area. We should take good care of her.”

The temperature difference between day and night was significant in the mountains.

Grandma’s old leg ailment would ache faintly at night. She let Su Yu help her onto a bamboo chair, then tremblingly took out two eggs from her pocket, instructing,

“The girl must be hungry after traveling all day. Take these eggs for her to eat.”

Su Yu’s eyelashes trembled slightly. After pausing for a few seconds, she reached out and took them.

The eggs were still warm. She walked slowly to the room door and knocked lightly three times.

Rural house doors rarely had locks, usually just propped shut with a wooden stool. Before Su Yu even applied force, the door slid open silently.

Catching a glimpse of Ni Hezhi lying sideways on the bed, she hesitated for a moment but still entered.

Ni Hezhi wasn’t asleep. This day had been utterly terrible for her.

Her Alpha mother had a heart attack relapse, her stepmother took advantage of the chaos to abandon her in this sunless mountain ditch, the backward and impoverished environment, strangers with whom she had no connection…

and Su Yu’s forceful push became the last straw that broke her spirit.

Ni Hezhi felt her head buzzing, a fire burning in her chest. Just when her anger had nowhere to vent, Su Yu unfortunately walked right into the line of fire.

“Ni… Ni Hezhi…”

Su Yu called out to her. Seeing her turn her head, Su Yu quickly averted her gaze.

Ni Hezhi still remembered the force with which Su Yu had pushed her away at noon. Naturally, her tone wasn’t going to be pleasant.

“Who let you in? Entering someone else’s room without permission, don’t you have any manners?”

Su Yu’s lips moved slightly.

She wanted to explain the door wasn’t locked, but meeting Ni Hezhi’s hostile gaze, her eyes darted away nervously again. After a long moment, she managed to squeeze out a sentence,

“Do you want to eat an egg?”

“No!”

Ni Hezhi was furious. Seeing Su Yu reach out, she swatted her hand away forcefully without even looking.

Su Yu couldn’t hold on.

Two eggs slipped from her palm, rolled onto the floor with a crackle, the shells shattering, yolk splattering everywhere.

Su Yu’s face changed instantly. She quickly picked up the scattered eggs, wiping them on her clothes with heartache in her eyes.

When she turned to glare at Ni Hezhi, her eyes were coated with an icy chill.

Ni Hezhi glanced at her, feeling inexplicably flustered, but her words remained sharp.

“Why are you glaring at me? It’s just two eggs? Is it necessary to be so fierce?”

Su Yu blew off the dust clinging to the eggs, her expression serious.

“My grandma’s legs aren’t good, raising chickens isn’t easy. Even if you’re angry, you shouldn’t waste food.”

Hearing this, Ni Hezhi couldn’t help feeling a little guilty. But Su Yu lecturing her so seriously made her instantly annoyed. A hint of cold sarcasm touched her lips.

“Didn’t Jiang Sui already give money? I’ll just compensate you!”

Su Yu’s face suddenly flushed crimson, then slowly turned white. Her emotions seemed to surge to a peak, then plummet to rock bottom.

Ni Hezhi had intended to vent a little more, but the more she thought, the sadder she felt. Ignoring the darkening sky outside, she grabbed her suitcase and prepared to leave.

Just as she pulled the door open, the aroma of sesame oil wafted into her nose.

Ni Hezhi looked up, startled, to see Su Yu’s grandmother standing before her holding a bowl of noodles. Not only were there green vegetables on the noodles, but also two golden, crispy fried eggs.

Seeing her dragging the suitcase, Grandma asked gently,

“Girl, where are you going?”

An indescribable emotion clogged Ni Hezhi’s throat. She bit her lip and said, word by word,

“I want to go home.”

Grandma seemed to have guessed her thoughts and wasn’t surprised, still wearing a kind smile.

“Even if you’re going home, you need to fill your stomach first.”

She reached out to take Ni Hezhi’s hand. The old woman’s hands were rough, full of wrinkles, with dirt accumulated over the years stuck under her fingernails.

Afraid Ni Hezhi would dislike them, she deliberately wiped them on her apron before hooking her fingers.

Grandma led Ni Hezhi to the table, brought over another stool. Only after seeing her sit down did she place the bowl in front of her, a gentle smile on her lips.

“Don’t like boiled eggs? Try these fried ones. Laid by our own free-range chickens. The rapeseed oil is also pressed from plants grown in our own fields. It’s the most fragrant for frying eggs. Come, try it! It tastes good.”

Ni Hezhi didn’t pick up her chopsticks. Her nose inexplicably stung with sourness.

Back at the Ni family’s old residence, Granny Hua (TN: Hua Popo – ‘Popo’ means granny/old woman, often used affectionately for nannies/housekeepers) used to often make her egg noodles that looked, smelled, and tasted just as good.

Granny Hua’s real name was Zhang Jin Hua. She was the Ni family’s nanny and had taken care of Ni Hezhi’s daily life meticulously since she was born, treating her better than her own granddaughter.

Ni Hezhi hadn’t wanted to come to Tong Village initially, but Jiang Sui threatened that if she didn’t obey, she would drive Granny Hua out of the Ni family home.

She had no choice but to follow Jiang Sui, only to end up trapped here.

She really missed home, missed her mother, missed Granny Hua…

Although Ni Hezhi tried hard to control her expression, the redness rimming her eyes couldn’t be hidden. She lowered her gaze, feeling a warm hand rest gently on top of her head.

“Eat up, girl.”

Grandma patted Ni Hezhi’s head, her movements light and gentle.

Ni Hezhi shook her head, saying softly,

“I want to go home.”

Grandma’s heart softened. She gently hugged her close.

“It’s dark now. Wild wolves come out in the mountains at night. Once, a bachelor in our village bought a wife from outside. That girl escaped under the cover of darkness, unfortunately got lost in the mountains.

The next day, they found half her body gnawed by wild wolves…”

“Grandma!”

The word slipped out before Ni Hezhi could stop herself, almost biting her tongue.

‘Why did the term “Grandma” come out so easily?’

She paused, then replied petulantly,

“I’m not a kidnapped wife.”

After saying that, Ni Hezhi froze again, a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks.

‘Why did the word “wife” also slip out?’

Somehow, upon mentioning the term “wife,” Ni Hezhi felt her eyes being controlled, involuntarily glancing towards Su Yu. Under some strange tacit understanding, Su Yu also turned her head to look over.

Caught off guard, their gazes collided in mid-air.

Su Yu’s eyes immediately darted away.

She stared rigidly at the ground, leaving behind only a pair of bright red ear tips. A few seconds later, her gaze shifted back stealthily, secretly peeking at Ni Hezhi.

Grandma wiped a pair of chopsticks and handed them to Ni Hezhi.

“Eat first. Tomorrow morning, let Ah Yu take you out of the mountains.”

Ni Hezhi was greatly surprised.

“Grandma, you’re letting me go?”

“Grandma isn’t a human trafficker, why would I keep you from leaving?”

Grandma smiled and took out a small cloth bundle from her pocket. Her thin, withered fingers peeled back layer after layer of fabric, revealing neatly folded banknotes inside – hundreds, fifties, twenties, all tucked in flat at the edges.

“This is money from selling melons. I originally wanted to take Huihui to a big hospital to treat her ears… Now that you’re eager to go home, you use it first.

Madam Ni took your ID card, so you can’t take the train right now, but she left living expenses.
With this money added, tomorrow morning, let Ah Yu go to the county town and hire a car to take you back…”

Before Grandma finished speaking, she was interrupted by cute sounds.

Ni Hezhi followed the sound and saw a delicate, well-behaved girl walk out from behind Su Yu, gesturing something to Grandma with her hands.

Grandma smiled, pursing her lips, and readily agreed,

“Okay, okay, give it all to sister.”

Ni Hezhi’s astonished gaze fell on the girl’s face.

Grandma noticed her confusion and pushed Shu Hui in front of her.

“This is my little granddaughter, Fang Shu Hui. She got sick when she was little, and her ears went deaf. She could talk before, but because she couldn’t hear later, she gradually stopped speaking.”

Ni Hezhi felt even more puzzled. ‘Aren’t Fang Shu Hui and Su Yu sisters? Why do they have different surnames?

Looking closely, there was some resemblance between their features. Could it be one took the mother’s surname and the other the father’s?’

During those few seconds of daze, a cloth bundle was stuffed into her hand. Ni Hezhi looked up, meeting Grandma’s old yet gentle eyes.

“Girl, Grandma’s family isn’t well-off, we can’t help much. Keep this money safe, use it on your journey.”

When Ni Hezhi arrived in Tong Village, she had overheard from the conversation between the village chief and Jiang Sui about the Su family’s situation.

Su Yu’s grandmother had a severe lung condition and mobility issues. The family had no source of income except for selling the crops grown in their fields.

The money wrapped layer by layer in the cloth bundle was likely all the money the Su family had.

Ni Hezhi was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. Wherever she went, people showed concern.

She had assumed those kindnesses and gestures were genuine until Ni Qingyao’s heart attack relapse, when she experienced the coldness of human relationships for the first time.

The servants at home were respectful on the surface but actually only took orders from Jiang Sui.

Even her mother’s most trusted subordinates had defected, unanimously recommending Jiang Sui to temporarily act as the company chairman.

The meaning of “sending charcoal in snowy weather” (TN: Chinese idiom meaning providing timely help) could only be truly understood when one was genuinely in distress.

Ni Hezhi raised a hand to wipe her eyes, then suddenly threw herself into Grandma’s arms.

“Grandma, I’m not leaving…”

Su Yu was right; staying in Tong Village was the safest option.

The company and the old house were full of Jiang Sui’s spies. Going back would just be walking into a trap and would also implicate Granny Hua.

It was better to stay here, find a way to inquire about her mother’s condition, and then make plans.

Ni Hezhi’s back trembled, her voice slightly hoarse.

“Grandma, I want to stay here, wait for my mom to wake up…”

Grandma’s heart ached.

She continuously patted her shoulder and back, comforting her,

“Girl, stay here with peace of mind. Tell Grandma whatever you want to eat or need.”

Grandma stroked her hair.

That pair of warm, aged hands held onto Ni Hezhi in this darkest moment, providing immense security and a sense of belonging while she felt adrift in a deep sea.

Warmth rapidly welled up in Ni Hezhi’s eyes. She curled up in the old woman’s embrace, sobbing softly,

“Grandma…”

The old woman coaxed gently,

“Grandma’s here.”

She said,

“Girl, stay as long as you want. From now on… this is your home.”