Chapter 3: “Brother Dog”

That was probably the most dishevelled city girl Zhao Yu had ever seen.

From a distance, he saw a girl with wet hair, mud spots all over her pants, and splashes of muddy water on her clothes—she’d likely fallen. Her lips were chapped from the sun, and her face looked weary.

The brawny men around her chuckled.

“Her luggage looks so fancy, but the young lady herself looks like this.”

Du Tian suppressed a smile, feeling somewhat relieved.

Chen Xiaoli had walked for three hours on the mountain roads and even took a fall. She was so drained she’d lost her temper. Entering the village, she saw people staring at her like she was a spectacle, which made her both embarrassed and furious.

Village head Li’s daughter, Er Niu, bit her finger and asked her, “Are you the eldest Miss Ji?”

Chen Xiaoli brushed her off. “Get lost, I’m not.” That delicate Ji Dai Ning was behind, having Zhang Yongfeng change her shoes for her.

Hearing that Chen Xiaoli wasn’t the one, Er Niu shrugged, craning her neck to look further down the path.

Before long, she saw the person her father and brother had talked about for two days: the young miss.

Er Niu’s eyes widened, mouth agape.

The girl was dressed in a crimson dress, with wavy hair cascading down, and her skirt reached her calves. Her shoes were translucent, adorned with shell decorations, and the soles had the look of solidified blue lake water.

Her tiny feet were perfectly dainty, and as the crowd stared, she tilted her head and smiled, blinking.

Er Niu’s face flushed, and she hid behind her brother.

“Brother, she’s so pretty,” she whispered.

Er Niu’s brother, Li Zhuang, had a red neck, too. He thought TV stars were good-looking, but this girl was beyond that.

Ji Dai Ning, still perched on her chair, rested her chin on her hand.

Now, the chair-bearers weren’t local villagers but her grandfather’s bodyguards.

She was the delicate Ji Dai Ning, and she wouldn’t compromise herself just because the remote village had no paved roads.

Zhang Yongfeng was handing out candies to the village children.

Sensing something, Dai Ning looked over toward the fields and noticed several pairs of amazed eyes.

She saw the “Du Tian” dressed as a farm girl, along with eighteen-year-old Zhao Yu. She had an impulse to take out her phone and snap a picture of their disheveled appearance. But remembering her purpose here, she just glanced at “Du Tian” briefly and then focused on Zhao Yu.

“What are their names?” she asked the village head.

The village head squinted. “The girl’s the widow Du’s daughter, Tian Niu. The boy’s the old Zhao family’s Gouwa^[1]gouwa means “puppy child” or “dog child” in Chinese.… uh, his full name is…”

Li Zhuang quickly corrected him, “Dad, it’s Zhao Yu.”

“Oh, right, Zhao Yu.”

Ji Dai Ning stifled a laugh.

pfft..Tian Niu! Gouwa! Gouwa?

Despite having some idea, she hadn’t expected that the future, formidable Zhao Yu—the one who could rule with just a gesture—would be so down-to-earth at this age.

Dai Ning held back a laugh, avoiding another look at “Gouwa,” and directed Zhang Yongfeng and the others to unload her belongings.

Zhao Yu straightened up, belatedly realizing that this must be the famous city girl the village had been buzzing about.

The girl was beautiful and refined, and after a single glance down at him from afar, she looked away.

Zhao Yu took in her elegant dress and then looked down at his own mud-covered legs.

His stomach grumbled, snapping him back to reality, and he returned to his work.

By the path, Du Tian clenched the fabric of her dress, feeling a strange discomfort she couldn’t explain.

~

Dai Ning had known the conditions in this remote area would be rough, but she hadn’t expected this.

After touring what was supposedly the “best” house in the village, her face was all scrunched up with dissatisfaction.

The village head of Xinghua Village, Li Aiguo, had the only two-story house in the area, built earlier in the year for his eldest son, Li Zhuang, to use when he got married.

For rural folk who didn’t mind holding off on living in their “good” house, this home held no appeal to Dai Ning. Even the bathrooms in the Ji family mansion were far superior.

Even with the cement floor covered with carpets and the bed and curtains changed, Dai Ning sniffed and frowned. “What is that smell? It stinks.”

Zhang Yongfeng explained with a helpless smile, “Miss, it’s the pigs they raise in the countryside…”

Dai Ning opened a window, and sure enough, saw several large pigs and dozens of piglets snuffling about in a fenced-in area behind the village head’s house.

Though her last life ended tragically, Dai Ning had never actually seen live pigs in real life.

They were “treasures” to the village head, but from where Dai Ning stood, their smell was as unbearable as a venomous snake.

Her cat-like eyes widened in horror, and for a moment, she was speechless.

Uncle Qian suppressed a laugh. “Miss, you really shouldn’t have come to a place like this. The village head’s home is the best here. If you regret coming, we can go back.”

“No, I’m not going back.” Dai Ning shut the window. “I’ll ask around later. Maybe there’s a family that doesn’t raise pigs.”

Uncle Qian couldn’t argue with the little “princess.” He nodded. “Are you hungry, miss? I’ll have someone make you a meal.”

“Quickly, quickly.” Dai Ning lay down on her own bed, covering her ears with her pillow, looking completely defeated.

The sound of pigs squealing outside only added to her misery.

She absolutely had to find another place to stay!

Around noon, villagers passing by Li Aiguo’s house craned their necks curiously.

“Village head, what are they cooking in your house? It smells so good!”

Li Aiguo, sitting on the doorstep eating dried sweet potato porridge, also sniffed the air. That fragrance was mouth-watering, and he swallowed a bit. “Miss Ji and her people are eating inside. I wouldn’t know.”

To the Li family, Miss Ji’s entourage made her seem like royalty on a grand tour.

She’d brought a manager, two chefs, and four bodyguards, plus eight movers who’d left by now. The city chef’s cooking was tantalisingly delicious! Li Aiguo took another look at his porridge, finding it quite unappealing.

Er Niu, practically drooling, kept sneaking glances but didn’t dare approach.

Zhang Yongfeng came out and invited her, “Kids, come over and eat.”

Er Niu turned to look at her mother, who waved her hands and said, “Forget it; Er Niu is just a child. If she offends Miss Ji…”

Zhang Yongfeng flashed a big, white smile. “It’s fine; the young lady has some questions.”

Er Niu followed Zhang Yongfeng inside and sat at the table, her gaze immediately captured by the dishes in front of her. Little Er Niu couldn’t take her eyes off them—her family didn’t even have this much food during the New Year!

In front of the little girl was a dish called Osmanthus Egg, golden and sweet-smelling, made by mixing eggs, starch, sugar, and water before frying it to a perfect consistency.

Dai Ning said, “Don’t just stare—eat!”

Er Niu couldn’t resist any longer and picked up a piece with her chopsticks, stuffing it into her mouth. Her cheeks puffed up as her expression changed from surprise to delight.

Dai Ning watched her with amusement.

When Er Niu had eaten enough, Dai Ning asked, “Little sister, does anyone in the village not raise pigs?”

Uncle Qian couldn’t help but smile at this, surprised that the young lady was still preoccupied with the matter.

Er Niu looked confused for a moment, unsure why the young lady would ask such a question. She replied, “Everyone raises pigs.”

She paused, then seemed to recall something.

“My brother Gou ^[2]gou means dog in chinese doesn’t have any pigs. They sold them a couple of years ago to pay for his dad’s medical bills, so the pigpen is empty. And since my brother Ping has to go to school, no one at home cuts pig grass anymore.”

Dai Ning rested her chin on her hand, intrigued. “Your brother Gou is named…?”

With a grain of rice still on the corner of her mouth, Er Niu mumbled, “Brother Gou’s name is Zhao Yu.”

Dai Ning: …

She glanced around the room, realizing that if she didn’t keep an eye on the two main characters, they might develop their romance without her knowledge. Since she was here to disrupt their relationship, she might as well keep an eye on them.

Reluctantly, she decided, “Uncle Qian, I want to stay at Zhao’s house.”

Uncle Qian felt a headache coming on.

~

Zhao Yu set his sickle aside, washed the mud off his feet in the courtyard, and entered the house.

In the main room, his six-year-old sister Zhao An’an was setting the table.

Although she was six, she was small and thin, looking more like a little monkey than a chubby child. She usually took care of feeding the family’s chickens.

Zhao Yu patted his sister’s head. “An’an, have Dad and Mom eaten yet?”

Zhao An’an replied, “Big Brother, you’re back! We were waiting for you. Second Brother is feeding them.”

Though young, she was very responsible.

“Big Brother, you sit down, and I’ll call Second Brother.”

“I’ll go,” Zhao Yu said.

He walked into his parents’ room, where the air was thick with the smell of medicine and mildew. Under a worn quilt lay a middle-aged couple; the man lay there with a crooked mouth and eyes, while the woman leaned weakly against the headboard.

Poverty and illness had aged them prematurely.

Beside the bed, a young boy was patiently feeding them.

“Xiao Ping, I’ll take over,” Zhao Yu said.

Zhao Ping, who was twelve, looked up, happy to see his older brother. “Brother, it’s fine. I’m almost done.”

He showed the empty bowl to Zhao Yu with a smile.

Their mother turned to her eldest son and asked, “Are you tired?”

Zhao Yu smiled, “Not at all, Mom.”

His mother looked at him with guilt. Poverty and illness had placed all the family’s burdens on Zhao Yu’s young shoulders, making him seem older than his years.

Holding back her tears and concern, she said, “You go eat with your siblings.”

Zhao Yu nodded and took a bowl, going outside with Zhao Ping.

The three siblings sat around the table.

All they had were three bowls of plain rice and a plate of pickled vegetables.

As they ate in silence, Zhao Ping suddenly spoke up, “Brother, I heard that people got 1,800 yuan for helping the young lady move her things!”

Zhao Yu stopped eating and looked at him.

“I’m twelve now,” Zhao Ping continued. “I’m strong, and I’d like to give it a try.”

Zhao Yu shook his head, his tone calm. “No.”

Zhao Ping’s face turned red, but he dared not argue with his older brother, so he stayed silent. Zhao Yu glanced at his little sister. “An’an, keep an eye on your brother. He’s not allowed to go.”

Zhao An’an nodded.

After they finished eating, Zhao Yu returned to the fields. He had to ensure enough food for five people, and fortunately, the harvest was decent this year.

Meanwhile, Zhao An’an stayed in the courtyard to feed the chickens.

Zhao Ping, glancing at his sister, snuck out.

“Second Brother!” Zhao An’an called out sharply.

“Shh! Don’t let Big Brother find out,” Zhao Ping whispered back. “I’m just going to look around.”

He took her hand, coaxing, “Don’t you want Big Brother to work less?”

Zhao An’an nodded.

“Then let Second Brother go help the young lady with her things. It’ll be fine. And if I earn some money, Big Brother won’t have to work as hard. You don’t like seeing the cut on his hand, do you?”

Zhao An’an hesitated.

“Good. Watch over Mom and Dad,” Zhao Ping said, darting off.

~

By afternoon, word had spread throughout the village that the young lady was generous with her money.

Everyone who hadn’t gone was full of regret, especially after hearing she still had luggage at the edge of the mountain—everyone wanted the job.

Dai Ning cracked melon seeds on the second floor, watching the crowd below.

Among them was an eleven or twelve-year-old boy, skinny and short. Carrying one of her items, he struggled to weave through the crowd.

Dai Ning recognized him.

If she wasn’t mistaken, he was Zhao Yu’s younger brother, Zhao Ping. Now, Zhao Ping was skinny and tanned, looking more like a malnourished refugee, quite a contrast to the confident young man he would become in a few years.

She didn’t like the Zhao family, so she didn’t feel any sympathy for him.

Twelve-year-old Zhao Ping stumbled and wobbled, making Dai Ning feel a bit dizzy watching him. Unexpectedly, the boy tripped, and the box tumbled to the ground.

A series of cracking sounds followed from within the box.

Zhao Ping froze, his face turning pale.

He knew the heavier the items he moved, the more he earned. Driven by greed, he had taken on a large box, but inside were ceramic bowls that had shattered upon impact.

Everyone around fell silent in shock.

The village chief looked anxiously at Dai Ning, afraid she would be furious.

Uncle Qian furrowed his brows and said quietly, “Young lady, how would you like to handle this…?” He felt a pang of pity. This was just a poor boy, already looking scared half to death before they even said anything. The bowls weren’t particularly valuable; perhaps they could let it go.

Dai Ning blinked, “Make him pay.”

Her words, sharp and unsparing, carried a mischievous edge. “It’s his own fault for being careless.”

After all, she wasn’t here to win Zhao Yu over, and causing a bit of trouble for his family didn’t seem like a problem.

“Uncle Qian, calculate the cost; don’t miss a single cent.”

A terrified Zhao Ping was on the verge of tears. He shouldn’t have disobeyed his brother and come here for money, and now, not only had he failed to earn anything, but he’d also caused a big problem.

Liu Bo rushed over, shouting breathlessly, “Quick, Zhao Yu! Your brother’s in trouble!”

Zhao Yu, hearing this, hurried out of the field and, not even stopping to put on his shoes, headed straight for the village chief’s house.