As the tour bus drove into the foot of Qingmeng Mountain, the bustling surroundings of Mulian Village were almost unrecognizable to Nan Zhi.
The last time she had returned was seven or eight years ago, so apart from people like Shi Hongjiang who had known her since childhood, hardly anyone recognized her.
The company had arranged a guesthouse nearby, but Nan Zhi had already cleared it with Feng Jianguo beforehand, telling him she needed to visit her hometown, so she didn't head to the county seat with the main group.
To her surprise, Zhang Qiuyu and her husband grabbed their luggage and got off the bus as well, claiming they wanted to go back with Nan Zhi to experience the local customs and culture.
Nan Zhi felt a warm glow in her heart, knowing Zhang Qiuyu was just worried about her and afraid she might get taken advantage of. She didn't say much, only joking:
“Then you're going to be disappointed. The old house hasn't been maintained in years, so it's probably filthy inside. If you want to stay there, you'll have to help me clean it first.”
Zhang Qiuyu waved her hand dismissively.
“What's the big deal? There are three of us, so we'll be done in no time. You and I can sleep together tonight and watch the stars from the village! How could a commercial guesthouse beat an authentic wooden stilt house? Isn't that right, honey?”
Zhang Qiuyu's husband gritted his teeth so hard they nearly shattered before squeezing out a single word: “Right.”
—He constantly felt like a third wheel.
Carrying their luggage, the three of them headed into the village following the directions in Nan Zhi's memory. A long, narrow bluestone path extended toward the distant foot of the mountain, with stone alleys connecting one old house to another.
If one were to look down from above, they would see that the entirety of Mulian Village was shaped like a crescent moon, cradling a circular lake. Between the lake and the river lay a thin, long stream known as Stone River, resembling an umbilical cord connecting a baby to its mother.
The Nan family's old house sat right at the tip of the crescent, so to reach it, one had to first cross the bridge over Stone River.
There weren't many villagers around during the day, mostly visiting tourists. Cars couldn't drive in, so first-time visitors who didn't know their way around mostly wandered around the outer edge.
As the three of them walked deeper into the village with their luggage, they were met with looks of curiosity or guarded scrutiny.
“Little girl, which family do you belong to? There's no one living over there—it's empty. Everyone from that house moved to the county seat to live.”
An old woman rolling tobacco by her doorstep saw Nan Zhi's group cross the stone bridge and kindly offered a warning. Nan Zhi smiled and replied in the local dialect:
“Auntie Peng, I'm the child of the eldest Nan son, Nan Zhi. Back when my grandma passed away, I saw you.”
“Really? The eldest Nan son's child? Oh my, you haven't been back in so long! You've grown into such a fine young lady. If your grandma could see you, she'd be thrilled! I said back then that you took after your grandma and would grow up to be prettier and prettier, but others said I was talking nonsense.”
Auntie Peng stared at Nan Zhi for a long moment, carefully studying her face, before slapping her thigh and exclaiming joyfully:
“I knew you looked familiar! Your Second Uncle's family isn't here anymore. After your grandma passed, his whole family moved to an apartment building in the county seat. If you go over now, there won't be anyone home.”
“I know. I came back during this National Day holiday just to burn incense for my grandma. It has nothing to do with anyone else. Besides, my dad has a share in this old house too. Who could possibly stop me from staying here?”
Nan Zhi smiled. Leaving it at that, she led Zhang Qiuyu and her husband away. Following the bluestone path past a stretch of flat fields, they saw an old, dark house perched on the slope, facing the lake behind the mountain from afar.
Auntie Peng was right—the Nan family's old house had indeed been abandoned for a long time.
No one had set foot in the old yard for ages. Withered vines climbed the walls in clusters, and large patches of pale yellow dodder wrapped around the door panels. When the wind blew, the frail vines swayed along with the decaying door, emitting a hollow, rattling sound.
In the yard stood a tall locust tree. Left unpruned for many years, its unruly branches and leaves sprawled haphazardly, extending across the roof tiles of the old house, making it look like a treehouse from a distance.
A padlock hung on the yard gate. Nan Zhi had no desire to ask Nan Fang for a key, so she simply picked up a stone and smashed the lock open. Neither of the two beside her found anything wrong with that.
—Smashing the lock on your own house—how could that be considered a problem?
Surprisingly, the yard was quite clean, with hardly any weeds. The door panels and windows were still usable, and aside from a faint moldy smell, there wasn't even a single rat around.
Grandma Dao's spirit tablet was placed in the main room. The little old woman had suffered her whole life, giving birth to several children, yet in the end, she hadn't even left behind a proper funeral photo.
Nan Zhi kowtowed before the spirit tablet and wiped away the dust with a cloth. Instantly, she felt her long-drifting heart slowly settling into peace.
Where the heart finds peace, there lies home.
Even though she knew the old woman's soul was no longer here, she still felt a sense of comfort:
“Grandma, I'm back.”
The spirit tablet could not speak, but Nan Zhi imagined that if Grandma knew, she would surely be secretly wiping away tears with her sleeve again.
After paying her respects to Grandma Dao, Nan Zhi began cleaning the main room. To her surprise, the interior was spotless; let alone traces of animals, even the layer of dust was remarkably thin.
It looked as though someone regularly maintained and swept the place, though Nan Zhi certainly didn't believe her Second Uncle possessed that kind of filial piety.
To her pleasant surprise, the usable furniture in the old house hadn't been carried away. The old wardrobe, bamboo bed, tables, chairs, stools, and even Grandma's favorite woven rattan chair were still intact.
Using the excuse that they lacked cleaning supplies, Nan Zhi sent Zhang Qiuyu and her husband out. Once she made sure no one was around, she summoned a gust of wind, which gathered up all the weeds and dust in the old house and blew them all to the mountain behind.
As for the dusty roof tiles and grimy furniture, Nan Zhi didn't spare them either.
【Water Shield Art】
【Wood Binding Art】
【Flying Fire Art】
Spheres of water squirmed forward in sequence, climbing onto the eaves and furniture surfaces to wash them spotless. Vines sprouted from the ground and coiled around the trash, stacking it neat and high. Fireballs landed on the damp branches, blazing furiously despite the drizzling rain. Before long, a plume of dark wolf smoke rose from the old house.
With this spellcraft, the murky stains coating the old house were thoroughly cleansed. The windows gleamed, the tiles shone, and the building appeared rustic yet grand—like a piece of fine jade finally revealing its unique brilliance.
Thus, when Zhang Qiuyu and her husband returned carrying newly bought buckets, brooms, and mops, what met their eyes was a completely transformed house—and Nan Zhi, swinging a rusty axe enhanced by the 【Sharp Gold Curse】, happily hacking away at the tree with loud clack-clack-clacks.
Zhang Qiuyu: “...”
Didn't we agree to clean this place together? Where on earth did this kid get the strength of an ox?
Staring at Nan Zhi perched up in the tree, Zhang Qiuyu's husband hesitated for a long moment before asking uncertainly, “Did... did your best friend serve in the special forces, or did she work as a wilderness land-clearing cleaner?”
There were no stores in the village, so the two of them had taken a taxi to the county seat to buy these supplies, taking a whole hour back and forth.
Yet in that short span of time, Nan Zhi had scrubbed the entire house spotless. The windows and doors shone as if radiating holy light.
With this kind of efficiency and raw strength, if she were dumped in the middle of a deserted Gobi Desert, she could probably still whip up a three-course meal with soup for herself.
He was genuinely terrified that if he made a sound, she would scrub both him and his wife clean from head to toe too.
Are you really sure a person like this is capable of getting bullied?
Zhang Qiuyu: “...”
She was suddenly not so sure anymore either.
Rate on N.U.
