These principles he had pondered before, he all understood, didn’t know why suddenly forgot them.
Perhaps it was because, the person in front of him was currently his only life-saving straw, too important, to the point of neglecting some other things.
Actually, no need to worry, he washed very diligently, had no smell on his body, the scent of the soap was bamboo charcoal fragrance, not hard to smell.
—
After Nan Zhi sniffed, she didn’t leave, conveniently helped him fasten the seatbelt. After fastening it, she felt a little strange, as if she especially wanted to get close to him.
She carefully thought for a bit, felt it should be that action he just did, evoked in her heart a distant memory.
When Grandma was still around, she often thought of the two of them, bought a lot of things they loved to eat but couldn’t finish, could only act spoiled to get Grandma to come.
Grandma never disliked her, accepted everything just as she asked.
Later, after Grandma passed, she didn’t dare to live alone in that countryside house with its own gate and courtyard, three-story building, tall and big, empty and desolate, inside had too many memories with Grandma. After that little old lady was gone, the whole house also appeared gray and gloomy, so Nan Zhi could only pack her luggage and move to live with her parents.
Her family situation was very complicated. When she was little, her parents, because of work, couldn’t take care of two children, handed her to Grandma, while the older sister was kept by them. According to their words, the older one was easier to raise, and that year she happened to be at the mischievous age, so being raised in the countryside was more suitable.
Children didn’t have the right to choose, so Nan Zhi just followed Grandma and lived in the village. Grandma had been a teacher, had a pension, plus two sons were successful, gave money every month for elderly support, so the two of them weren’t lacking food and drink, even had some abundance. Grandma also doted on her a lot, willing to spend money for her, bought little dresses, sparkly crystal shoes, tied delicate little braids.
She was always the object of envy among kids of the same age in school, everyone said she was so pretty, like a little princess.
She also thought, she was pampered by Grandma like a little princess.
When she was eleven or twelve, parents’ work stabilized, wanted to take her back. But then found she wasn’t close with them, so sent her back to the countryside, then had another child. This one took her “failure experience” as a reference and was personally raised by them, so only she was not raised at their side.
Seventeen or eighteen years old, she went to live with her parents. She remembered clearly, more than ten dishes on the dining table, said to be made to welcome her, but not a single one was what she liked to eat.
The only light-flavored one was lotus leaf chicken. She picked up a leg, sister also did. Younger brother made a fuss, shouted that she stole his chicken leg. He was young, parents couldn’t scold him, could only look at her, the blame in their eyes very obvious. But since she didn’t come often, they held back and said nothing.
Nan Zhi glanced at the sister next to her who ate at ease and wasn’t blamed even a bit, then looked at that chicken leg in her bowl with a bite taken out of it—eating it wasn’t right, not eating it also wasn’t right.
The dishes didn’t suit her taste. Plus the awkwardness, she left a lot in her bowl. Sister also had leftovers from being full, but afterward when cleaning up, Dad conveniently picked up the sister’s bowl and ate her leftovers.
When it was her turn, he hesitated for a moment then frowned, saying she was too picky, being picky was one thing, but taking something someone else wanted and not eating it—too selfish. Then dumped the food in her bowl straight into the trash can.
She was thirsty in the living room, wanted to go to the kitchen to pour water.
She secretly saw it. Girls are always more delicate and sensitive, plus she was pampered growing up, so very easily she realized that Dad’s action and the way they looked at sister and younger brother meant something—and the way they looked at her meant something else.
After all, those raised personally and those raised under someone else’s knee—there really was a clear difference.
She really was selfish too. Knowing there were three children in the family, yet still took that chicken leg..But thinking seriously, the meal was made to welcome her, they said she could eat whatever, she only came once in a hundred years, took one chicken leg—exactly where was the mistake?
Was the mistake that the two chicken legs had always been eaten by sister and younger brother, and this time she took one?
But with three kids in the family, why couldn’t she have one too?
Aren’t three kids supposed to be first come first served? Before she moved her chopsticks, no one wanted it. After she picked up one, then people started fighting for it. Shouldn’t the person who snatched the second one be the one blamed? The one who took the later chicken leg was sister, so shouldn’t she be the one told off?
She suddenly also remembered when she was small, she wasn’t paying attention and bumped into the table, knocked out her front tooth. Crying, she went to find Grandma. Grandma wanted to say she was silly, didn’t even watch where she was walking, but seeing her so pitiful, in the end couldn’t bear it.
Instead, she went to hit the table, scolding it: “How dare you knock into my precious granddaughter, you blind thing, standing there like a stump, just in time to crash into my little granddaughter.”
At that time Nan Zhi giggled from being amused. Now, she had become that table, the one blamed to make someone else’s precious son laugh.
Also couldn’t bear to say anything to the precious eldest daughter, so didn’t even give a glance that meant anything, instead turned all the conflict toward her, told the younger brother, she didn’t do it on purpose, let her buy a new one next time to compensate him.
Why say she didn’t do it on purpose—like she really did something wrong? Why use the word “compensate”? She still hasn’t figured it out until now.
It’s just that, as these kinds of things happened more and more, she slowly realized—the one person in this world who loved her the most was gone.
There would no longer be anyone who wouldn’t dislike her, who would share good food with her.
But now, the person who loved her, she hasn’t found yet, but instead discovered another person who didn’t dislike her.
Nan Zhi’s mood became inexplicably good, even her gaze became more gentle and friendly. She stared so much that Song Qing felt entirely uncomfortable, but luckily she quickly left, closed the car door and got in from the other side, started the car, and soon returned in front of the apartment building she currently lived in.
She also had an apartment over here, one her parents helped her buy. Speaking of this, she still felt like she got it for no reason.
Probably after Mom had surgery last year. After she inherited money from Grandma, the pharmacy they opened got a breath of relief, life slowly got better. At the dinner table, her sister made a fuss about wanting to change cars. The previous one cost over two hundred thousanf, already old and shabby, embarrassing to drive—wanted to change to one that cost five hundred thousand.
At that time, Nan Zhi had already started her internship. Only during holidays or festivals did she reluctantly come over to sit for a while. After experiencing a series of events, she already clearly knew that she was just an outsider. There was no place for her at the dinner table. So while eating, she was also playing games under the table.
Unexpectedly heard Mom ask her, “Is there anything you want?”
Nan Zhi, although surprised, still answered honestly—no, there was nothing she wanted.
Her sister interrupted and said she already had two properties rented out, what could she be lacking?
Grandma was biased, only left things to her, didn’t leave anything to the other children, and so on.
It was the first time Nan Zhi saw her mom slam down her chopsticks and give her sister a sour face.
After the meal, her sister chased her into the room to argue. When Nan Zhi was about to leave, she overheard them quarreling. Mom scolded her sister, made her cry and run away. Dad tried to comfort Mom, said it was just five hundred thousand, they could work harder and buy it.
But Mom still refused. She said, from childhood to now, hadn’t she bought her enough already? Which of her clothes weren’t over a thousand, which of her bags weren’t over ten thousand? The house, the car, all were prepared by them. There were already millions.
She wanted to buy one for Zhi Zhi.
Dad said Zhi Zhi already had two properties, even bought her own car, what didn’t she have?
But Mom insisted. Mom said Zhi Zhi’s houses were inherited from Grandma. Clothes, shoes, daily necessities—even her living expenses—were from the rental income. The car was one she bought on a loan herself, cost just tens of thousands, how could she drive it?
Everything Zhi Zhi had was from Grandma. They had never provided a single big item for her.
Maybe it was belated guilt. Maybe when Mom got sick and needed surgery, the family had just opened a new store and tied up all the funds. Had to sell everything that could be sold. But the glamorous sister didn’t want to sell her car and luxury goods. Mom gradually became disappointed.
Only Nan Zhi was willing to bring out the money inherited from Grandma to fill the gap, so she gained a bit of attention and fairness from Mom.
When her sister turned eighteen, her birthday gift was a house. At twenty, it was a 200,000-yuan car. Even the younger brother had a property arranged from young. When Nan Zhi turned twenty, she also received her first valuable gift from her parents—a house.
It was bought through a mortgage, but the mortgage was paid by her parents.
As if to make up for all the past in one breath, this apartment wasn’t small—located in the city center, two floors. When bought, it already had basic renovations. The former owner had business troubles, couldn’t repay the mortgage, had to sell it under pressure, needed to make money, was rushing around every day. This house was brand new, not lived in even once, not even fully decorated—only half finished.
Later, during vacation, Mom took care of the other half. When Nan Zhi received the house, she could move in right away. But living alone felt empty. Even though she kept buying cute and delicate trinkets, she still couldn’t make it feel warm and cozy. So she didn’t really like it.
Nan Zhi got out of the car. After opening the back door and taking down the wheelchair, naturally, it was still her who carried the person. She didn’t know why—but the more she carried him, the smoother it became. There wasn’t the awkwardness or distance she had imagined.
Nan Zhi placed him back into the wheelchair, pushed him to the property office to collect the access card and elevator card.
Arriving at her own floor and doorway, she also registered his fingerprint.
At first, she didn’t plan to do this, but after getting along for a bit, she felt that he seemed pretty okay as a person, so she arranged it all for him. Even if there were changes or unexpected situations later, these things could all be canceled anytime—decided by her—so it didn’t matter.
The two of them entered the door at around ten at night, entered the house that her parents had bought to compensate her.
Much of the interior decoration she hadn’t touched. It contained other people’s ideas—that pair preferred grand and high-end; many things only gave off a sense of wealth, but you couldn’t see any hint of everyday life. This was one of the reasons she didn’t like it.
She preferred fields, streams, and chimneys—the kind of feeling like real daily living. This empty, vacant decoration gave her the illusion of a model house.
Nan Zhi opened the entryway cabinet, sat to one side to change her shoes. While changing, she looked toward Song Qing who was also at the entrance, sitting in the wheelchair.
She felt a trace of wonder.
The cat wasn’t brought back—but a person was.