Chapter 28: A Countryside Departure

Zhou Jing scheduled the filming of “Beauty’s Bones” for late July.
During this period, Jiang Wenting needed to clear all her ongoing tasks.
After the initial flashback scenes of the Flower Goddess were filmed, she discussed with Beiye, preparing to send Yi Lan to the countryside to adapt for a while.

Jiang Wenting felt incredibly reluctant.
Before departing, she took Yi Lan to the hospital for a comprehensive check-up.
Only when the doctor confirmed everything was fine did she feel relieved.
The three of them had a lavish meal at the food street.
Early the next morning, they set off for Beiye’s grandmother’s house.

The scenery along the way was quite pleasant.
Xiao Ru, uncharacteristically, didn’t roll her eyes or say anything sarcastic.
Sitting in the driver’s seat, she chatted with Beiye while driving: “Sister Xingchen, do Grandma’s chickens really go into the mountains to eat bugs in the morning and return home by themselves at night?”

Beiye was amused: “Of course!
“Chickens naturally raised in the mountains have very firm meat.
“Last time Shen Jinglan and I went, Grandma slaughtered so many for us, the trunk was packed when we left.”

“How wonderful!” A rare childlike innocence appeared on her face.

Beiye said: “When we get back today, we’ll ask Grandma to stew some for us.
“Her stewed chicken is delicious!”

Xiao Ru: “Really, Sister Xingchen?”

“Of course…”

In the back seat, Yi Lan succumbed to physical exhaustion and fell asleep.
Jiang Wenting gazed out the car window, lost in thought.

Beiye and Xiao Ru were chatting and mentioned her, but she was completely unaware.
Beiye tilted her head to look at her: “Jiangjiang?”

Jiang Wenting snapped back: “What is it?”

Beiye smiled: “What are you thinking about, so engrossed?”

She said, “Nothing,” a faint smile gracing her gentle features.

Beiye asked her: “Is Grandma’s cooking good?”

Jiang Wenting recalled for a moment, then nodded: “Good!”

During the summer holiday of her first year of junior high, Beiye had taken her to stay at her grandmother’s house for a while.
At that time, she was mistreated by the Jiang family’s matriarch, her body covered in bruises.
After Beiye discovered this, she pleaded with her mother, who then used tutoring as an excuse to pick her up from the Jiang family, and the two went to the countryside.

Back then, Beiye’s grandmother was still a stylish and elegant old lady.
Hearing that the two children were coming, she bustled about, stewing a large pot of chicken soup, and trying every possible way to bring out all the delicious food and drinks in the house to entertain them.

That evening, when she was settling the two children to sleep, she saw the injuries on Jiang Wenting’s body and couldn’t help but tear up: “They’re not human!
“Don’t they fear retribution for taking out the grudges of the older generation on a child?”

The elder’s tears were so sweet.
It was the first time Jiang Wenting saw a hint of compassion in an adult’s eyes.
She thought of her own grandmother, of the disgusted look when she saw her, and of the harsh words she used to scold her mother.

‘Shameless, slut, giving birth to such a bastard!
‘You and your mother have shamed my old face completely.
‘Why don’t you just go die, just go die…’

Later, her mother contracted an incurable illness, and her cruel grandmother never once came to see her, even on her deathbed.
Yet, at the moment she felt Beiye’s grandmother’s tender care, Jiang Wenting thought: ‘They are both elders, so why is one’s heart so kind, and the other’s so vicious?’

“Jiangjiang? What are you thinking about?
“You seem out of sorts today.”

Beiye’s words pulled her thoughts back.
She shook her head: “Nothing, I was just thinking about how it’s been many years since I last came to Grandma’s house.”

“Indeed,” Beiye also sighed upon hearing this, “Back then, we were just so little, and now Grandma has become an elderly woman with silver hair!”

The words “elderly woman with silver hair” made Jiang Wenting’s eyes sting.
She suppressed the bitterness in her heart: “Even with silver hair, Grandma is still beautiful.
“She will always be the way I remember her.”

Beiye smiled: “Grandma would be overjoyed to hear you say that!”

In a blink, the car arrived at the village entrance.
This area was between Yacheng and Yuncheng, nestled against the mountains, with villages spread out in strips.
Grandma’s house was at the very top.
Beiye directed Xiao Ru: “Just a little further ahead and we’re there.”

Xiao Ru slowed the car, gliding upwards little by little.
Soon, they saw two silver-haired elders standing arm-in-arm at the front gate.

Xiao Ru lowered the car window.
Jiang Wenting and Beiye waved from afar, greeting them: “Grandpa, Grandma.”

The wind from outside the car window blew in, waking the sleeping Yi Lan.
She rubbed her eyes, her confused gaze directed out the window, seeing two silver-haired elders whose eyes were crinkled into lines of laughter, mutually supporting each other as they walked towards them.

At this moment, the car also came to a steady stop in the open space.
Beiye eagerly got out, throwing herself between the two elders, gathering them together with her long arms: “Grandpa, Grandma, I’ve missed you so much!”

Jiang Wenting helped Yi Lan out of the car.
Xiao Ru walked around the side to get the gifts from the trunk.

By the time the three of them came over, Beiye had already finished her affectionate greetings with the elders.

“Grandpa, Grandma,” Jiang Wenting greeted politely, bringing Yi Lan with her.

The elders looked at her, then at the person standing beside her, and nodded: “Very good, two very well-matched children!”

Jiang Wenting: “…”

Before she could explain, Grandma enthusiastically pulled her over: “Are you the little girl who wants to eat chicken?”

Xiao Ru smiled, warmly responding.

The elder gave an “Aiyoh” and said warmly, “Don’t worry, there’s a whole pot full!”

Xiao Ru also, uncharacteristically, agreed.

Jiang Wenting pouted: “Grandma, you’re biased.
“Isn’t there any for me?”

Grandpa quickly added: “Yes, yes, there’s enough for everyone!”

After the warm greetings ended, the three of them finally entered the house.
It was a small four-story villa, with the living room and kitchen on the first floor.
As soon as they stepped inside, the rich aroma of chicken soup filled their noses.
Jiang Wenting and Beiye exclaimed in unison: “Wow, it smells so good, Grandma!”

Yi Lan remained wooden throughout, neither greeting nor showing surprise.
Grandma quickly noticed this, leaned close to her, and deliberately pouted: “You two little rascals think it smells good, but some people don’t seem to think so.”

As she spoke, she glanced at Yi Lan, observing her reaction.

Xiao Ru couldn’t detect the deliberate teasing in the elder’s tone.
She rolled her eyes at Yi Lan and said coldly: “Grandma, don’t mind her.
“She’s just like that, like a block of wood, always acting like everyone owes her eight million!”

Grandma, however, actively ignored Xiao Ru’s criticism, trying to take Yi Lan’s hand: “This old lady is getting on in years, and I just love hearing compliments.
“If I don’t hear any praise, then no chicken for you!”

Yi Lan’s cold fingertips were wrapped by a withered yet warm palm, and her heart also warmed by a fraction.

Grandma led her to the stove, lifted the lid, and pointed to a large pot of chicken, inviting her to smell it.

The hot steam from the chicken soup wafted up, blurring her features.
Amidst the warmth, her throat subtly moved, and she uttered two words, precious as gold: “Very fragrant.”

The old lady was satisfied.
Leading Yi Lan by the hand, she walked towards the dining table and instructed Jiang Wenting and Beiye: “Jiangjiang and Xingchen, you two help us serve the chicken soup.
“Let’s eat!”

Yi Lan was pulled by the elder to sit at the head of the table.
The other three, including their almost eighty-year-old grandpa, served the two “queens.”

The three of them stayed at the elders’ house for three days.
On the fourth day, Zhou Jing called, saying that they had interviewed several candidates for the werewolf role and asked when Jiang Wenting would be free to come to Yuncheng for a screen test.
Jiang Wenting booked for the following afternoon.
This meant that she and Yi Lan would be separated for a quite a long time.

Time ticked by, second by second.
The closer it got, the more reluctant she became.
When the two of them slept in the same bed at night, she would pull Yi Lan close and give her all sorts of instructions, telling her Yi Lan to obey Grandma, and to tell Beiye if she felt unwell, making it sound almost like a dying wish.

Early the next morning, before dawn, she got up and quietly packed her luggage.
The person on the bed kept her eyes closed, showing no signs of waking up, but Jiang Wenting was still uneasy, so she called Beiye to come and sleep with Yi Lan.

She and Xiao Ru went downstairs.
To avoid waking the two elders, she left a note on the table as a farewell: “Grandpa and Grandma, we’re heading off first.
“We entrust Yi Lan to both of you.
“Mwah~”

She placed the note under a teacup, pulled her suitcase, and left.
The car was parked in the open space outside.
Xiao Ru quickly got into the driver’s seat.

Jiang Wenting smiled: “You drive then.
“We’ll switch at the next service area.”

Xiao Ru rolled her eyes: “Just lie down and rest!”

The car started.
Jiang Wenting didn’t fall asleep quickly.
Instead, she kept looking at the old house behind them.
She thought of Yi Lan, softly breathing with pursed lips just before they left.
She recalled waking up last night in the middle of the night to Yi Lan’s bright phoenix eyes looking at her.
The feeling of separation suddenly became intensely real at this moment.

Jiang Wenting suppressed the soreness in her eyes, straightening her gaze.
A few seconds later, a running, chasing figure suddenly appeared in the rearview mirror.

Yi Lan was wearing a cotton pajama set with a teddy bear pattern, one pant leg high, the other low.
Her long hair was disheveled by the wind, but she couldn’t care less.
She was wearing slippers, desperately chasing their car.

Tears suddenly streamed down Jiang Wenting’s face.
She signaled to Xiao Ru: “Stop the car, stop quickly!”

Xiao Ru had naturally seen the scene in the rearview mirror, but she had no intention of slowing down.

“I told you to stop the car!” Jiang Wenting’s voice was tinged with reproach from urgency.

The other party didn’t back down an inch, continuously pressing the accelerator.

Watching the car grow further and further away, Yi Lan’s left foot slipped out of her slipper, her sole stepping on the coarse sand of the road.
Her body staggered, almost falling, but she refused to give up.
After steadying herself, she chased forward once more.

Finally, she tripped over a small stone underfoot, falling headlong into the sand and gravel of the road.
Her palms and knees were scraped and bleeding.
Stubbornly, she refused to give up, standing up again and again, falling again and again.
Tears welled up in her eyes; she couldn’t see the direction ahead, nor could she see the cruel person in the car who had abandoned her.

Covered in injuries, filled with despair, she stood at the windy crossroads, disheveled and struggling.

‘Jiang Wenting, Jiang Wenting,’ she kept repeating her name in her heart, ‘Why don’t you want me?
‘Why don’t you want me…’

Her body could no longer hold steady, and she collapsed into the sand and gravel, her bloody wounds no longer feeling any pain.