Chapter 17

“Nanye, you’re back! Come, sit down. Have you eaten yet?”

“Dad, Mom, I already ate in the city,” Lin Nanye said while pushing his suitcase into the house. After placing it in front of the cabinet, he looked at his family.

That was when he noticed that Lin Nanxuan had also returned.

Although Lin Nanye was not born to Mother Lin, she had married into the family when he was only about two years old. He had no memory of anything before that and had always regarded her as his biological mother.

Lin Nanxuan was a younger sister he had eagerly anticipated. He cherished and took good care of her. When she dropped out of school, he was heartbroken and called her multiple times to persuade her otherwise. However, she was rebellious during her teenage years and refused to listen. She even resented Lin Nanye for a time because of his advice.

Since Lin Nanye was studying in another city and felt disheartened by Lin Nanxuan’s hostility, he eventually stopped trying to persuade her. Instead, he called their mother, asking her to talk to Lin Nanxuan.

However, Lin Nanxuan’s rebellious nature was too strong. She frequently ran away from home, attempted self-harm, and even tried to drown herself. Their mother eventually grew exhausted and stopped trying to control her, allowing her to do as she pleased—as long as she stayed safe.

Now, seeing Lin Nanxuan sitting quietly and obediently, even greeting him with a smile, Lin Nanye was momentarily stunned. He smiled and nodded before shifting his gaze to Lin Nanzhi and Lin Nanxun.

Perhaps because he had been hurt too deeply, or maybe for other reasons, his fondness for Lin Nanzhi and Lin Nanxun now surpassed his feelings for Lin Nanxuan. Or perhaps he still cared about her, but he was afraid that getting too close would trigger her rebellious tendencies again.

“Nanzhi, you’ve grown even prettier. Nanxun, you’ve gotten a lot taller.”

Upon seeing Lin Nanye, Lin Nanzhi’s eyes turned red.

He was the most outstanding person in their family, always had been since childhood. He was the kind of person others envied—the so-called “model child” in other families. He treated his three younger siblings equally and never played favorites. To Lin Nanzhi, he was the person she admired the most, even more than their parents.

Her interest in design had also stemmed from him.

But fate was cruel. When Lin Nanye graduated at the age of 21, he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. The news hit their family like a thunderbolt. They spent all their savings trying to save him, but in the end, they couldn’t. The pain of his illness, combined with the burden he felt for draining the family’s finances, led him to end his life by jumping off a building.

That warm and gentle brother was gone forever.

It was because of this that Lin Nanzhi started self-studying design—it was something he had loved.

“Why are your eyes red? Do you think I didn’t bring you a gift?” Lin Nanye teased.

“Of course not!”

For others, it had only been a short school break since they last saw him. But for Lin Nanzhi, it had been over ten years. Seeing her brother alive and standing before her again, she didn’t know how to react.

Next year, her brother would turn 21. That meant…

—-

In her past life, she had also dropped out and left home. She hadn’t paid attention to her brother’s condition. If she had, perhaps they could have caught the illness in its early or mid-stage instead.

But now, she had a second chance. And she had money this time. She would definitely make sure her brother survived.

Not to mention, she had a special advantage.

Perhaps the fruits from that tree could cure him.

It looked like she needed to complete her missions even faster.

“Nan Ye, do you want to eat more?”

“Mom, I’m full. I already ate. You all eat.”

Mother Lin nodded.

After dinner, Lin Nanye took out the gifts he had brought for everyone.

A small locked suitcase contained all the presents—mainly books, with very few personal belongings.

He gave Lin Nanzhi and Lin Nanxuan each a dress, Lin Nanxun an Ultraman figurine, their father a coat, and their mother a suit. Even though their parents scolded him for spending money recklessly, their faces were filled with joy—it was clear these were things they liked.

Lin Nanzhi couldn’t help but think about how Lin Nanye had earned this money himself. He had never been willing to spend it on himself, but every semester when he returned, he would always bring gifts for the family—without exception.

Looking at their father, she suddenly asked, “Dad, on the way here, I saw that Grandma’s old house was being demolished. Are they planning to rebuild it?”

Grandpa Lin had passed away from illness before Mother Lin had even married into the family, so apart from Father Lin and Lin Nanye, no one else had ever seen him. Grandma Lin had passed away when Lin Nanzhi was in fourth grade, five years ago.

Their grandmother’s house had been rebuilt with newer materials and was originally left to their uncle. However, after making money, he bought his own land and built a new house, leaving the old one unused.

Now, since they were constructing a new house, the workers advised demolishing the old one first. So, when the excavators started working, they tore down the old house as well. The garden behind it remained, but many of the smaller trees were removed, leaving only two large walnut trees.

“Yes, they’re planning to rebuild it,” Father Lin said with a mysterious air.

He then leaned in and whispered to Lin Nanye about how Lin Nanzhi had won the lottery.

Lin Nanye immediately turned to look at Lin Nanzhi with a curious gaze.

His eyes were full of scrutiny, making Lin Nanzhi feel nervous.

This brother of hers was extremely smart—she probably wouldn’t be able to hide it from him for long.

But she would keep the secret for as long as possible.

Fortunately, Lin Nanye only glanced at her before looking away without saying anything, allowing her to breathe a sigh of relief.

Having a designer like Lin Nanye at home was a huge advantage. Even though he hadn’t graduated yet, he had already started a studio with his classmates, and their business was doing well. With his help, Lin Nanzhi’s house designs could be improved and perfected, avoiding any mistakes.

—-

The next day, Lin Nanzhi walked toward the right side of their home. She remembered that there was a water source in the mountains past the fields and wanted to check it out.

After walking about 100–200 meters and climbing up the mountain, she spotted some water sources. The entire hillside was damp. She quickly opened her app to run some tests.

The testing process was simple. She just had to open the app, select the function, and point the phone camera at the ground. If there was water, the app would beep and display information such as depth, volume, and quality.

Her phone beeped continuously, but none of the results were ideal. She had to keep searching.

Finally, after climbing about 80% of the way up the mountain, she got a satisfying result.

She found an underground water source. It was only 30 meters deep, making it easy to access, and it had a strong water flow. The reason it hadn’t been discovered before was that the rocky terrain had concealed the deeper water reserves. But this mountain had water year-round.

If they only dug 30 meters, they could access the water. If they wanted a larger flow, they would need to dig between 50 to 100 meters.

The water quality was excellent, meeting national standards for direct consumption.

There was no rush to act on this yet. It would be better to wait until the house was built and the irrigation channels were set up.

However, this water source could benefit all three nearby villages. It wasn’t something she needed to handle alone. Instead of taking on the burden herself, it would be better to report it to the authorities. That way, professionals could inspect it, and the village could organize workers to dig it out—saving her a lot of effort.