Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
A woman wearing a camel-colored coat pulled the child aside.
âNuonuo, that is impolite.â
The little girl immediately retracted her hand and blinked. âSister, Iâm so sorry, but I feel like Iâve seen you before.â
Lin Wan, who had always avoided children in her original world, realized that she felt differently here. Her maternal instincts were full to bursting.
She wasnât angry at the child for pointing at her.
She lowered the scarf covering half of her face and smiled. âSweetie, itâs my first time here.â
Auntie Huang stood by the side.
The woman next to the child covered her mouth in disbelief. âI⦠I remember now! Youâre Lin Wan. I watched your livestream.â
âYes, sheâs Jiejieâs auntie!â said the little girl.
âOh, my goodness! It really is Lin Wan. Iâve met Lin Wan in real! Youâve come to our village! Xiao Nuo, go call Grandma. Oh, sorry⦠Do you mind? My mom really likes you. Sheâs in the late stage of cancer. She loves your livestream. My daughter and I watch it too! Nuonuo loves Jiejie.â
âLate stage of cancer?â Those words lingered in Lin Wanâs mind.
The little girl only heard the first half of her motherâs words and ran home.
âGrandma, Lin Wan is here!!!â
âHow could I mind? Is this your home?â Lin Wan walked forward.
An elderly woman wearing a hat and a thick down jacket came out from the yard. She walked unsteadily, and the little girl supported her as she walked. âGrandma, look, itâs really Lin Wan!â
The old woman was so excited that she couldnât even speak. Hunching her back, she looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar young woman in front of her. âItâs really Lin Wan! Youâre even more beautiful than on screen. I really like your three childrenâ¦â
Lin Wan never expected that her livestream would become a support for the elderly in their battle against terminal illness.
âChild, you make me feel that if we all try hard, things will eventually get better.â
Lin Wan couldnât see the old womanâs face clearly because she had a mask on. But the old woman was pale and sickly, yet her eyes were sharp and full of hope.
The woman next to the child comforted her mother. âOf course, Mom. Youâll live to be two hundred years old.â
âHello, Auntie,â Lin Wan said with a smile.
The polite old woman invited Lin Wan to sit in the courtyard with her. Lin Wan wanted to decline, but they were too eager. She didnât have the heart to refuse.
She walked to the courtyard. The three of them talked about everything, from TV shows to life and illness. Finally, the old woman asked why Lin Wan had come to the village.
Lin Wan explained the reason. The old womanâs daughter offered to show her around.
In addition to being famous for agriculture, Dongxiang Village was also known as a niche tourist attraction. This was a village frequented by internet celebrities. Even the children knew that there would be many visitors during the holidays.
âNuonuo, your place is so beautiful!â
âYeah, I think itâs pretty, too. Sister Lin Wan, can you bring Jiejie to play here? I have Ultraman toys, and he can play with them. My family also has an orchard. You can make fruit teaâ¦â The little girl jumped up happily.
Lin Wan was speechless. She didnât expect the little girl to know so much about
her and her family.
She stroked the little girlâs hair. âSure. I can bring Jiejie here during the holidays when we have time.â
âNuonuo, stay with Grandma at home. Iâll take Lin Wan to the fields.â
âSister Lin Wan, youâre leaving? Okay, Mom. Iâll take care of Grandma.â The little girl first looked down and hesitated for a few seconds before raising her chin and giving them a warm smile. âSister Lin Wan, promise me, okay?â
âOkay.â
As they walked out of the yard, the young woman said apologetically, âIâm sorry. My child talks a lot. Donât take her words to heart. Sheâll forget about it in a while.â
The young woman knew that her daughterâs requests were excessive.
âIâll come again when I have time. Thank you, Nuonuo and Grandma, for loving us so much. Iâll tell Jiejie when I get home. Heâll be happy.â Lin Wan meant it. It was only forty minutes away from Royal Water Bay anyway. Besides, this place was also a tourist attraction spot. The kids might have fun here.
âYou really donât mind?â asked the woman.
âOf course not! I feel like us meeting here was fate.â
âThank you. My mother spoke so much today. She is always quiet but optimistic. I thought she was just putting up a front, so we wouldnât be sad. But I now realize she has so much hope for life.â
Auntie Huang didnât say much the whole time because she was deep in thought. She was already past middle age, and if she fell ill, would there be anyone to take care of her? Could she still be as optimistic as that old woman?
Auntie Huang took a deep breath. âI believe Grandma must feel happy. Having a loving daughter and a granddaughter is all one needs to have hope. In our village, there was an elderly person who got cancer and thought it was incurable. But she was always so hopeful. She knew her time was limited, but she lived each day to the fullest. She and her husband went on a two-year trip together, and when they came back, the cancer was goneâ¦â
Such stories were not uncommon on the internet, and the young woman had also seen them. She nodded. âYes, Iâve read such stories and showed them to my mom. She also believes in miracles. We all do.â
âMy mom said she wants to see plums redden season after season, and she wants to see season after season of green crops and the fishpond she and my dad worked hard to take care ofâ¦â When the young daughter spoke about her motherâs aspirations, her eyes were filled with determination.
âYour mom will definitely achieve that. I believe it, too.â
Soon, they reached the end of the main road. Looking ahead, half the view was green, and the other half was yellow. The green part was the vegetable fields, and the remaining were the greenhouses.
The woman led Lin Wan through the fields and introduced each crop and whether it could withstand the cold.
Finally, she stopped at her own field and took out the tools for digging vegetables from the greenhouse. She dug a basketful of vegetables for Lin Wan to take back.
By the time they came out of the main field, it was nearly noon. Lin Wan told the woman to go back home since she might need to prepare lunch for her mother. She told her that she could wander around the village for a while and will be heading back to meet a friend for lunch in town.
After the young woman left, Auntie Huang chatted with Lin Wan. âMadam, life in this village seems peaceful and happy.â
âYes. Everyone greeted us so politely. I like this village. Every household has farmland and fishponds, and there are orchards⦠Xiao Rou mentioned that most of the young people in the village work nearby and donât really leave for the city.â
âExactly! Itâs so unlike my own village, where the young people have mostly left for the city to find work. It seems Dongxiang Village has good facilities, and thatâs why people are reluctant to leave.â
âAbsolutely.â
âAuntie Huang, look over there. Whatâs that?â Lin Wan suddenly stopped and pointed at something..