The sky in March was overcast with continuous rain.
The road was slippery, especially this kind of muddy path. The driver didn’t even dare to speed up, so the car jolted and swayed, taking forever to make any progress.
Zheng Yao, sitting in the passenger seat, was jostled until her face turned pale. Her eyelids drooped, and she looked utterly miserable.
She thought this was already enough to drive anyone to despair, but little did she know, worse was yet to come.
The tires skidded, sinking into the muddy road. No matter how much the driver struggled for half an hour, the car didn’t budge an inch.
In this remote mountain hollow, even calling for a tow truck was out of the question.
After braving the rain and struggling inside and out for what felt like ages, the driver was a complete mess soaked to the bone, his pants caked in mud. He looked on the verge of tears. “Miss Zheng, you see, there’s really nothing I can do…”
Time was running short. In just that brief period, the sky had already darkened.
Seeing his employer remain silent, the driver steeled himself and continued, “The village entrance isn’t far from here. Would you mind… if I walked you there?”
Zheng Yao’s mood instantly plummeted to rock bottom.
But there was no other choice.
She took a deep breath and reluctantly nodded. “Fine.”
Holding an umbrella, she stepped out of the car, her feet sinking into the soft, slippery mud. A shadow of gloom settled between her brows.
She lifted her gaze. The muddy path stretched endlessly into the distance. It was hard to believe that in the 21st century, such roads still existed. Even harder to believe was that her mother had abandoned her husband and daughter to live in a place like this.
She had always been such a delicate woman.
The rain grew heavier, the ground beneath her feet slick and sticky. Zheng Yao walked slowly, managing not to faceplant into the mud. But by the time she reached her destination, she was already a disheveled mess.
“Miss Zheng,” the driver set down her luggage and said cautiously, “This is Shen Sanguang’s house.”
Zheng Yao responded quietly, “You can go back first.”
After dismissing the driver, she stood outside the gate under her umbrella, silently observing the small rural courtyard.
The sky was pitch black by now, yet the house remained dark, as if no one lived there.
Expressionless, she pushed open the half-ajar gate.
Before she could step inside, she was met with a pair of fierce eyes, a yellow rural dog.
Woof!
The warning barks came one after another. Zheng Yao’s face paled, and she instinctively took a step back. Just as the dog seemed ready to pounce, a hoarse voice rang out:
“Dahuang.”
How could one describe this voice?
Though hoarse, it carried a magnetic softness, like a pine tree after snowfall, clear and crisp.
Zheng Yao tilted her umbrella slightly, her gaze landing on the figure emerging from the corner.
It was a thin, petite girl.
Suppressing her emotions, Zheng Yao asked with surprise and doubt, “Are you Shen Baiyi?”
From what she knew, Shen Baiyi was eighteen, but the girl before her was so small and frail, nothing like an eighteen-year-old.
“Yes.”
The girl turned and pressed a switch on the wall. The lights flickered on instantly.
Under the dim glow, Shen Baiyi’s appearance was laid bare. Zheng Yao’s breath caught, her eyes flashing with astonishment.
She had seen photos of Shen Sanguang, a burly, simple man who resembled a bear, exuding an air of rustic honesty. They say daughters take after their fathers, but Shen Baiyi bore no resemblance to him whatsoever.
Shen Baiyi’s features were strikingly defined. Her deep-set eyes were dark and bright, her skin fair and flawless. Yet her lips were a tender red, adding a touch of vivid color to her pale complexion.
At this moment, she stood quietly in the dilapidated courtyard, beautiful as a fairy, completely out of place in this small village.
If not for the faded and overly thin clothes she wore and her excessively slender frame, one might have mistaken her for some young lady from a wealthy family.
“Are you Sister Zheng Yao?” Shen Baiyi asked softly.
“Don’t call me sister.” Zheng Yao quickly averted her gaze, lifting her chin coldly. “Control your dog.”
The dog named Dahuang was sniffing around her feet, stretching its neck toward her.
A foul, fishy smell, utterly disgusting.
Shen Baiyi immediately called out, “Dahuang!”
Hearing its owner’s voice, Dahuang wagged its tail enthusiastically, gave Zheng Yao one last sniff, and reluctantly trotted back to Shen Baiyi, glancing back every few steps.
With the crisis averted, Zheng Yao subtly exhaled in relief.
Carrying her suitcase, she stepped inside and was immediately met with two large photographs hanging on the wall.
Her footsteps halted.
She silently stared at the woman’s funeral portrait.
It had been years since she last saw Bai Yuanzhu. After Bai Yuanzhu divorced Zheng Kang, her name became taboo in the household. Zheng Yao had never reached out, and neither had Bai Yuanzhu.
Until a few days ago, when she received a phone call.
At this thought, she turned to look at Shen Baiyi.
Up close, she noticed Shen Baiyi’s eyes were red and swollen. Against her pale skin, the redness stood out starkly.
Her thin shoulders, delicate facial features, and pallid complexion made it seem as though she might collapse at any moment.
Despite her ethereal beauty, there was an illusion of fragility like some delicate, sickly maiden.
Zheng Yao hastily averted her gaze and coldly asked, staring at the corner of the table in the hall, “Is she still at the funeral home?”
Silence stretched in response.
Puzzled, Zheng Yao glanced over and saw Shen Baiyi hanging her head low, like a child who had done something wrong, radiating guilt and remorse.
Her heart sank, and a chill crept into Zheng Yao’s eyes. “Did you cremate her?”
Finally, Shen Baiyi lifted her head, her beautiful face streaked with tears. She choked out, “Aunt Bai and my dad were holding each other so tightly when the car hit them… they were stuck together. We couldn’t separate them, so they had to be cremated together.”
“…”
Zheng Yao knew she shouldn’t take her anger out on a child, but at this moment, the fury she had bottled up for so long finally found an outlet. She sneered, “Together in life, together in death, what enviable love!”
Shen Baiyi bowed her head even lower.
The hall fell into silence, the sound of rain outside growing heavier. A gust of wind blew in, and Zheng Yao shivered from the cold.
This godforsaken place was freezing, far colder than outside. To make matters worse, her pants were soaked, and her clothes damp, the chill seeping into her bones.
After a moment, she took a deep breath and said icily, “I need to take a bath.”
“Okay!” Shen Baiyi nodded quickly. “The water’s already heated. I’ll bring it to the bathroom for you.”
Then, hesitantly, she glanced at Zheng Yao and pointed to a door on the right side of the hall. “That was Aunt Bai’s old room. Would it be alright if you stayed there tonight?”
“No other rooms?” Zheng Yao frowned, temporarily ignoring the repeated “sister” address.