Chapter 41: Home

The common television drama plot where an adopted child is treated poorly the moment they enter the house did not occur.

Jiang Ling suddenly realized that Lu Yuyao’s family seemed to be overly kind to her.

After entering the house, the two of them set down the fruit and pastries they had purchased.

Dong Hui ushered them to sit down and then stood up to wash some fruit.

Lu Yuyao and Jiang Ling wanted to follow and help, but Dong Hui waved them off, telling Lu Yuyao to stay and keep Jiang Ling company for a while.

The decoration style of the courtyard had a garden-like feel, but once inside, the house featured various New Chinese Style arrangements that were truly eye-catching.

However, Jiang Ling soon noticed a black-and-white photo frame sitting on the table directly in front of the living room.

It was an elderly man with a kind smile.

‘Is it Lu Yuyao’s grandfather?’

Jiang Ling found the answer in her heart.

Lu Yuyao had also noticed her gaze.

Seeing the familiar face, a hint of sadness appeared in Lu Yuyao’s eyes as she slipped into a memory, murmuring to herself,

“My grandfather passed away when I just started primary school. The doctor said he fell ill from overwork after laboring for most of his life.”

Jiang Ling remained silent.

In her past life, she had spent most of her time alone and found it difficult to empathize with the pain of losing a loved one, but she still offered comfort.

“It is all in the past — please accept my condolences.”

Lu Yuyao actually smiled and said with feigned lightness,

“I’m not sad. I just miss him, that’s all.”

“Come, have some fruit.”

Dong Hui entered the room with the fruit, breaking the somber atmosphere.

Lu Yuyao picked up a toothpick, pierced a slice of apple, and put it in her mouth, nodding with satisfaction.

“This apple is so sweet.”

Dong Hui also picked up a slice of apple and handed it to Jiang Ling.

Jiang Ling hurried to take it and took a light bite.

She had the same thought as Lu Yuyao; it was incredibly sweet.

Since they had entered the house, Dong Hui’s eyes had hardly left Jiang Ling.

Her gaze was full of tenderness and pity, which made Jiang Ling feel a bit embarrassed.

“Grandma, you should eat too.”

Jiang Ling handed Dong Hui a grape.

She had carefully selected these grapes, so the taste was bound to be good.

“All right.”

Dong Hui smiled and nodded.

***

Usually, at this time, Dong Hui would be preparing to go to the village temple to offer incense and pray.

Because of their sudden visit, she stayed to chat with them in the house.

While Lu Yuyao and Dong Hui chatted, Jiang Ling sat beside them, occasionally chiming in when they talked about something familiar.

“Grandma, do you still go to offer incense with Grandma Jiang all the time?”

Lu Yuyao asked casually while cracking melon seeds.

At this moment, she seemed more like a simple country girl, making it hard to connect her with the bright and youthful Lu Yuyao of her daily life.

“Yes, I go basically every day. Afterward, I go to your Grandma Jiang’s house to sit for a bit and chat.”

An elderly person living alone certainly could not bear the loneliness.

“Then isn’t it already time to go?”

Lu Yuyao glanced at the clock.

It was nearly 4:00 PM.

In the past, her grandmother would have already been preparing to set out by this time.

Dong Hui shook her head.

“You just got back. I’ll stay home to keep you company.”

“Oh, what is there to keep us company for? You should go. We’re staying for several days this time. If you stand Grandma Jiang up, aren’t you afraid no one will chant sutras with you in the future?”

Dong Hui didn’t know why her granddaughter, who was usually so clingy, had suddenly changed her tune and was actively encouraging her to go pray.

However, she glanced at Jiang Ling, who was sitting there looking slightly uneasy while taking in her surroundings, and she understood immediately.

Dong Hui smiled.

“Hmm… you have a point. Should I go find your Grandma Jiang then?”

“Let’s wait until I get back to make dinner.”

“Mm-hmm, Grandma, hurry up and go.”

Lu Yuyao nodded like a little chick pecking at grain.

“Be careful on your way out.”

“Okay.”

Even though Dong Hui was gentle enough to treat her like real family, as a newcomer, Jiang Ling still felt a bit of unease — or rather, a sense of being out of place.

She hadn’t truly integrated yet and needed time to adjust.

Lu Yuyao knew this.

So, what she needed to do was let Jiang Ling slowly become familiar with everything.

After their grandmother left, Lu Yuyao stood up, intending to show Jiang Ling around the house.

There were a total of three rooms on the first floor.

Two bedrooms and one utility room.

“That one is where Grandma usually stays, and this is the bedroom where Grandpa stayed when he was alive.”

Lu Yuyao opened the door to Lu Linzhou’s former bedroom.

Sure enough, many items from his daily life were placed inside.

“Grandpa has been gone for so many years, but Grandma still keeps him in her heart. Everything he used during his lifetime is still preserved.”

Lu Yuyao picked up an enamel mug from the table with a bitter smile on her face.

“This cup is already rusting, but she still can’t bear to throw it away.”

Even though the mug was old and mostly rusted, Jiang Ling couldn’t see a speck of dust on it.

Clearly, Dong Hui regularly wiped and organized the things in this bedroom.

Not only that, the entire house was spotless, and there was no scent of dust at all.

Jiang Ling silently expressed her respects to this “Grandpa” she had never met, considering it a proper greeting.

The two didn’t stay long before Lu Yuyao took her to see the second floor.

There were a few more rooms on the second floor, including three guest rooms.

One of them served as Lu Yuyao’s bedroom; she stayed there every time she returned to her hometown.

The other two were the former rooms of her Second Uncle and Third Aunt.

Since they rarely came back now, Dong Hui had tidied them up so that guests could stay there.

Lu Yuyao didn’t just introduce the layout of the house.

Whenever she saw something nostalgic, she would tell Jiang Ling the memories associated with those objects, as if she wanted to share all her childhood memories with her.

Jiang Ling’s expression was complicated as she watched the talkative Lu Yuyao, and she eventually let out a sigh.

She planned to leave the Lu Family in the future.

If Yuyao told her this much, what would she do if she found herself unable to leave later?

“Sister Chenxi used to come to my house to play often. Her house is right at the edge of the village. But a long time ago, after her family moved away, that house fell into disrepair.”

Lu Yuyao led Jiang Ling into her own bedroom.

The room was decorated very warmly.

Although it was in the countryside, it was fully equipped with a dressing table, a full-length mirror, and all the necessary amenities.

it was completely a young girl’s room.

It was likely that Dong Hui, out of care for Lu Yuyao, had specially prepared it for her.

Perhaps caught in her memories, Lu Yuyao suddenly mentioned Fang Chenxi.

Likely thinking about what happened after Fang Chenxi moved away, her expression became slightly dejected.

Jiang Ling had heard Lu Yuyao say that she had been bullied as a child.

To her, the sudden departure of Fang Chenxi, who had once protected her, must have been very painful.

“It’s okay. Haven’t you two reunited now?”

Jiang Ling comforted her.

Lu Yuyao shook her head, simply looking through the window at the birds flying nearby before landing on a treetop.

“It’s not the same anymore,” she whispered.

“Are you sleepy? The car ride was so tiring, I want to rest for a bit.”

A wave of drowsiness hit Jiang Ling.

She had stayed up late the night before, and even though she had slept until noon, the long car ride made her feel exhausted now that she had stopped.

“It’s only 4:00 PM… Go ahead and sleep for a while. I’ll call you when it’s time to eat.”

Lu Yuyao led Jiang Ling to a guest room she had randomly picked.

The bed and blankets were all prepared and had also been cleaned by Dong Hui.

“Then I’ll go back to my bedroom too. Remember to call me if you need anything.”

Jiang Ling nodded.

The door was closed.

Jiang Ling took off her shoes and lay on the bed.

She had intended to check her phone before sleeping, but perhaps the environment made her feel safe, or perhaps the sun-warmed blankets had the power to coax one to sleep.

Jiang Ling soon closed her eyes.