The tea room was filled with a faint, elegant fragrance, and the wooden floor gleamed.
Old Master Lin chuckled twice. "That's easy. I’ll buy all the carrots you grow. You can just stay here at the Lin Residence."
The girl’s face brightened with surprise, only to be replaced by a shadow of worry. "But I have a grandmother back in the village who is seriously ill; she needs someone to look after her."
"Bai Yu, how about this? I will personally arrange for your grandmother’s treatment. Just settle down and stay at the Lin Residence."
Madam Fang’s eyes were filled with sincerity as she gripped the girl’s hands tightly, fearing she might refuse.
Old Master Lin was also visibly nervous, adding, "Don't you worry. As long as you stay, I will arrange for the top medical team in all of Jing City to treat your grandmother."
Bai Yu pursed her lips, thinking: Even if I took the reward money, I wouldn't necessarily be able to secure the city's top medical team for Grandma. Besides, her medication is very expensive—it requires a lot of money.
"Bai Yu, if you feel that’s not enough, if it really comes down to it, I’ll have Old Master Lin buy all the carrots you grow in the future. How does that sound?"
As the girl pondered, she looked up into the tear-filled eyes of the beautiful woman.
Madam Fang sobbed twice. "To be honest, my Xiao Du hasn't come out to have a meal with us in ten years. Just this one time... can you understand a mother’s heart?"
"You don't understand. For these ten years, I haven't been able to eat or sleep, all in an effort to find a psychologist for him, but there has been no improvement at all. Now..."
Unable to bear watching a woman weep, and fearing she might continue, Bai Yu quickly relented. "I’ll stay. As long as you arrange for the best medical team to treat my grandmother, I am willing to live at the Lin Residence."
Otherwise, she would have to find a place to live, and housing in Jing City was far too expensive just to think about.
The moment she said this, Madam Fang and Old Master Lin let out a sigh of relief.
Bai Yu gently closed the tea room door and walked out along the courtyard corridor. The entire garden was a lush tapestry of green set within the sprawling grounds.
The kind of landscape scenery one could only see in the village had been recreated by the Lin Residence in their own backyard.
A moment ago, when Madam Fang lowered her pride to beg for the sake of Lin Du, Bai Yu had felt a pang of heartache. She and her grandmother had relied on each other since she was little; she had never experienced the concern of a parent.
When she was a child, Xia Mimi, who lived next door, was an only child. Separated by a dirt wall, Bai Yu could hear Xia Mimi’s parents teasing her every day.
"Mimi, look what Dad bought for you at the market?"
"Mimi, Mom made you a dress, go ahead and try it on."
"Mimi, eat more meat so you can grow tall."
...
Back then, Bai Yu would stare blankly at the single plate of tofu on her table, wondering if she had parents, would they be like Xia Mimi’s?
The next second, her grandmother would place the last piece of tofu in her bowl, her face crinkled with a smile. "My dear little Xiaobai, once Grandma takes the carrots to the market and sells them, I’ll buy you some meat."
Although life in the village with her grandmother was very frugal, Bai Yu never felt it was bitter. Because her grandmother would give her everything she possibly could.
But then, her grandmother fell ill.
Years of hard labor had led to a herniated disc and rheumatism. Bai Yu dared not imagine a future without her grandmother, so she focused only on growing carrots, hoping to earn money for her treatment and the best medicine.
Yet, when she realized that even selling all her carrots wouldn't earn enough for a single box of medicine, the girl’s heart was filled with despair.
However, heaven never blocks all paths. Just as she was drowning in sorrow, Bai Yu discovered that her biological parents were in Jing City.
She felt a glimmer of excitement, thinking that she actually had parents after all. Would they be looking forward to her coming home? Just like Xia Mimi’s parents?
As it turned out, even the most ordinary of homes was something Bai Yu could never hope for. Instead, she had been driven away.
The girl squatted by the garden pond, dejectedly tossing stones, when she heard two sharp barks. It was that Dobin.
Her phone buzzed twice.
[Animal Chat Group]
Dobin: Human, why aren't you packing your things? Did my grandmother kick you out?
Dobin: The Lin Residence never keeps outsiders, especially someone as pathetic as you.
Dobin: Be sensible. Take the reward money and leave. Otherwise, when my grandmother gets angry, she’ll make you crawl out of Jing City.
Bai Yu was already in a foul mood, and now even a dog was trying to bully her! It was unbearable!
She stood up slowly and walked toward the Dobin. The dog, tethered to a red pillar, sensed danger and began to bark incessantly.
At this moment, her phone buzzed a few more times. Bai Yu assumed it was just the Dobin ranting in the group again.
It wasn’t!
It was a message from an unknown number.
[I am warning you, do not tarnish the reputation of my Bai Family’s medical heritage!]
[The Bai Family has no daughter like you—shameless and only good for climbing into men’s beds!]
[If you ever dare to claim publicly that you are a daughter of the Bai Family, I will make you disappear from Jing City!]
Judging by the tone, it had to be that cheap father of hers, Bai Jianshu.
So, whether it was man or dog, they all wanted her to disappear from Jing City.
Bai Yu tucked her phone away, her hands balled into fists, a hint of murderous intent in her eyes.
Dobin: What are you doing! I was raised by my master since I was a puppy! If you dare touch me, my master will definitely be angry!
The girl curled her lips into an evil smile and kicked over the dog bowl in front of the Dobin.
"If you don't eat, you won't have the strength to bark!"
At that moment, hidden behind the thick shadows of the trees, Lin Du watched the scene of the girl kicking the dog bowl.
His curiosity about this girl only grew. She had a temper, she didn't know how to take care of people, yet the orange cat she raised was so chubby?
The Daju in his arms scrambled up, pressing its meaty paws in front of the man’s eyes.
Daju: Don't look, don't look. My mom isn't usually like this; she’s just having a bit of a fit because she’s in a bad mood.
Lin Du pulled the cat’s chubby paws down and flicked its head lightly—it looked less like a punishment and more like affection.
Bai Yu scolded the snapping Dobin for a while, then lifted her head and walked away with a haughty air. Just as she rounded a corridor, her phone rang again.
It was a call from her grandmother.
The girl cleared her throat and answered quickly.
"Hello, Grandma. I’m at the Bai residence; it’s very nice here. Bai Yujiao even let me have her room. Don't worry at all, they’ve been very good to me."
"I gave them the carrots; they loved them and said they want more."
"Oh, by the way, Grandma, someone is coming to the house tomorrow to take you for a check-up. Don't worry, it’s all arranged by the Bai family. They said you’ve worked hard taking care of me all these years."
"The treatment won't cost a penny, so you have to be a good girl and listen to them."
"When I have time, I’ll come to the hospital to see you."
"Don't worry, I’m fine. I’m living very well, and Daju is doing great too."
"You stop worrying. Don't worry about the carrots at home; I’ll harvest them when I’m free to come back."
"That’s all for now, I’m hanging up."
After hanging up, the girl’s shoulders slumped. She had told so many lies that she was afraid her grandmother would catch on if she didn't hang up soon.
Bai Yu lifted her eyes slightly and, through the swaying shadows of the trees, saw Lin Du leaning against the window, holding the cat. He was half-hidden in the gloom, his entire figure cast in grey.
Now that she was living in the Lin Residence, her only purpose was to make Lin Du’s condition better. But, in truth, she had no idea how to do that herself.
That man, Lin Du, never spoke, and there was no way to communicate with him. He hid in his room all day, and aside from Daju, no one could get in...
Bai Yu’s eyes brightened. "That’s right! I have Daju!!!"