Chapter 17: Finally Feeling Like Home

News of the He Family being robbed spread through Eternal Sun Village in less than a day.

Most villagers barely blinked at the story. After all, the He Family was dirt-poor—what could anyone possibly steal from them? Eternal Sun Village hadn’t seen a theft in decades, and the villagers trusted their neighbors more than the He’s claims.

Fourth Sister-in-Law Yang, however, was fuming. She couldn’t understand why no one cared. It was a serious matter, and yet no one even asked questions.

“Sister-in-law, is that story about the He Family true?” Gou Er sidled up, his beady eyes glinting with mischief.

Yang had been itching to tell someone, but when she saw it was Gou Er, she changed her mind. Not him. Waste of breath. I don’t like him anyway.

“What exactly did they lose?” Gou Er pressed, noting her cold shoulder. Reluctantly, he fished out three copper coins and held them out.

Yang took the coins, and her demeanor instantly thawed. Gone was her displeasure as she gossiped cheerfully, “Meat! A whole pound of it, they say. No idea how the thief even spotted it.”

Pork was now over thirty wen per pound—how could the He Family afford it?

Gou Er’s face darkened. He was certain the He Family was hiding money. He’d been duped before, but this time, he had something real. He was going to make them pay.

Before night fell, he crept out of the village and made his way to the neighboring town, where the debt collectors lived.

The Du brothers hadn’t returned to Eternal Sun Village since their last visit, when they’d come back empty-handed. Two chests filled with nothing but firewood had soured their mood.

So they were surprised when Gou Er suddenly appeared at their door.

“Big Brother, I swear to heaven, every word I speak today is true!” Gou Er bowed low, his voice urgent and hushed.

Du Hu, who answered the door, nearly kicked him out. Gou Er’s mouth had never spoken truth.

Last time he claimed the bride’s dowry had two chests of silver—it turned out to be kindling. They had wasted a trip and their patience.

“You say the He Family is hiding money. Did you see it yourself?” Du Bao narrowed his eyes. If there was money, he’d make sure they got it.

“A whole pound of meat!” Gou Er leaned in eagerly. “And that’s not all. Their Second Young Master’s been drinking medicinal tonics every day since he woke up. That stuff isn’t cheap!”

He was oblivious to how the Du brothers’ expressions shifted.

Du Hu frowned. Why didn’t we hear about this before? If He Yunhuai had really recovered, collecting debt from the family wouldn’t be as simple anymore.

Du Bao, seated at the head of the table, paused mid-smoke and finally looked up. “He Yunhuai is awake?”

Gou Er nodded furiously. “I swear it! Doctor Wang confirmed it. Other villagers saw him too—the Second Young Master is alive!”

Gou Er could hardly contain himself. He wanted to drag them to the He Family immediately. If treasure was hidden there, he wanted his reward.

But Du Hu, usually hotheaded, suddenly grew hesitant. “We promised to give them time, and it’s only been a few days. Maybe we should hold off.”

Then, as if fearing his elder brother’s disapproval, he added, “Besides, it’s just a pound of pork. Can’t starve a new bride on her wedding night. We’re not demons.”

Gou Er blinked, confused by the sudden change. He tried to whisper more in Du Hu’s ear, but looked up to find Du Bao staring at him with icy focus.

A chill ran down Gou Er’s spine. What did I say wrong? Why is the mood suddenly so strange?

“Go back and keep watch,” Du Bao ordered. “If the He Family makes any big moves, report to us. No need to rush—since we gave them time, we’ll honor that.”

“Brother! I swear, the He Family is no good! They’re hiding money—I swear it!” Gou Er protested desperately.

Du Bao waved him off. The man standing behind him stepped forward, grabbed Gou Er by the collar, and dragged him out.

As the door slammed shut behind him, silence settled over the room. The Du brothers sat on bamboo chairs, exchanging looks.

Yes, the He Family owed them money. But not ten taels, as Gou Er claimed. The real debt was five.

It had been borrowed by He Yunhuai when his elder brother broke a leg and fell gravely ill. Desperate, he’d turned to the Du Family.

At the time, they were hesitant. Five taels was more than most villagers earned in a year. The He Family had no breadwinner—how could they repay?

Then a stranger gave them twenty taels of silver and told them to lend it to He Yunhuai, no questions asked.

They assumed the He Family had landed a rich backer. Still, they wondered—why not just give the silver to the He Family directly?

Not long after, He Yunhuai was seriously injured again. The same stranger returned, offering another twenty taels—this time urging them to collect the debt as soon as possible.

That’s when the Du brothers realized: this benefactor wasn’t kind. He wanted revenge.

But they weren’t saints either. The He Family owed them. And with Yunhuai on his deathbed, there was no harm pressing hard.

“Big Brother, should we still go through with it?” Du Hu muttered.

A man who clung to life after being so close to death—that was someone you didn’t cross lightly.

They had assumed he wouldn’t live. But now…

“They already gave us forty taels,” Du Hu reminded him.

“Hmph. That might seem like a fortune to us, but to rich folks, it’s just another trinket. I don’t trust them. No need to follow their every whim.”

“What now, Big Brother?”

Du Bao sat in silence, weighing their options. His brothers had a point.

They weren’t good men—but they weren’t stupid either.

“Let’s wait. The He Family still owes us. We said we’d give them time, so we will.”

“But what if the benefactor asks?”

“They won’t know if we’ve acted or not. We’ll say we did.” Du Bao exhaled slowly, glad he hadn’t overstepped that day.

Within three days, the bamboo for the He Family’s small courtyard had all been cut and bundled. Su Yi’an carried some back daily, sometimes with help from the two younger boys.

Yun Niang had suggested Zhuang Shan help with hauling, but Su Yi’an refused.

We already asked for help cutting the bamboo, she thought. No need to trouble them further—people are gossiping enough as it is.

Everyone in the family pitched in. Wan Xu embroidered in her spare time, finishing three scented sachets in just a few days. Su Yi’an looked once at her intricate work and gave up on any plans to learn embroidery.

Even the two bedridden members weren’t idle. He Xingchen brought bamboo into the house, where they split it into uneven pieces on the kang. Su Yi’an, wary of thieves, told them to sharpen the tops into points.

They processed all the bamboo in two days.

The final task was building the fence. Yun Niang had shown Su Yi’an how on the mountain, so the technique wasn’t difficult—but Su Yi’an wanted it tightly woven, which took time.

Several days passed before the courtyard was complete.

Standing before the bamboo fence she’d built herself, Su Yi’an felt warmth swell in her chest. Only with a courtyard does a house feel like home.

Now, anyone wanting to peek inside had to press against the fence—carelessly, they might end up cut.

The villagers hadn’t cared much about the He Family before, but the new courtyard drew attention.

“Where’d the He Family get such fine bamboo?” one villager muttered. “Built a whole courtyard with it.” There was curiosity, but no envy. After all, mountain goods went to whoever found them.

“You can’t see a thing inside,” another said.

Fourth Wife Yang scoffed. “That’s the point! They’re keeping out thieves. You think they’ll let just anyone look in? What if another thief shows up?”

Previously, no one had believed in the robbery. But her repeated warnings began to take root.

Still, no one dared question the He Family directly.

After the courtyard was finished, plenty of bamboo remained. He Songyuan selected the best pieces and, following Su Yi’an’s design, carved them into square blocks.

Each piece bore the same character.

He Yunhuai could distinguish them by touch, even blindfolded. Someone with more sensitive fingers could cheat. To avoid that, He Songyuan planned to use colored dyes for differentiation later.

To celebrate, Su Yi’an decided to cook a pot of steaming wontons.

But when she lifted the lid of the rice barrel, she found four or five rats curled inside!

Startled, Su Yi’an dropped the lid with a loud clatter.

“Aunt, what’s wrong?” He Xingchen ran in with a wooden stick in hand.

She pointed at the barrel, frowning. “Was this opened yesterday?”

The thought chilled her—had they been eating contaminated rice and flour?

He Xingchen shook his head. “No, Grandma hasn’t touched that barrel in ages.”

She began to relax, but then he added, “Oh, it’s Xiao Hui’s family!”

The He Family had lived in the house for half a year. Though they knew of rat holes, they had never seen any rats.

They assumed the rodents were gone.

They hadn’t expected He Xingchen had quietly given them a new home.

“Grandma, I’m sorry! I’ll never do it again!” he sobbed, face streaked with tears.

He had released Xiao Hui and his family back into the forest long ago. Who would’ve thought they’d come back?

“Grandma, I really did let Xiao Hui’s family go! They came back on their own!” Seeing Mother He ignore him, He Xingchen turned his tearful gaze to Su Yi’an.

“Aunt…”

She pressed her lips together, sighed, and finally pulled him into a hug.

Thankfully, He Xingchen had only named the rats—he hadn’t raised a nest.

If he had, Su Yi’an didn’t know how she’d handle a rat-loving rascal.

Just as the sobbing faded inside, a frantic knocking echoed at the gate.

“Eldest Aunt!” someone called from beyond the fence.