Chapter Six: Spine-Chilling

Yuan Yao'er’s tone and expression were chilling, and Yuan Xiangdie heard the underlying threat. This mother and daughter were using grandfather's life as leverage.

The next morning, the old man was awakened by a loud knocking at his door. He lazily opened his eyes, and a flash of anger passed through them.

“What time do you call this? Still sleeping!? I have to come up and wake you? Elderly people are such trouble! Do you really think you’re some ancient prince, with people waiting on you hand and foot?” The speaker was Yuan Yao'er. Ever since she learned this wretched old man was living in the house, she had been nothing but unwilling.

“Hurry up and get out of bed! Or do you expect me to help you dress too?” she said scornfully.

Yuan Lan had never imagined he would be humiliated by a younger member of the family like this; his face darkened. Yet he didn’t argue, rising calmly from the bed. He looked around the small, empty room, furnished with cheap decorations, and his heart filled with bitterness. After all, he had once been the master of this house!

...

Elsewhere, Yuan Xiangdie had also awakened. She changed her clothes and brought the breakfast she’d prepared for her grandfather from the kitchen. She remembered how her father used to make noodles for her, adding a tender, glossy green vegetable—a breakfast filled with care. Yuan Xiangdie lowered her head and inhaled the fragrant aroma, with a couple drops of sesame oil, as advised by a nutritionist.

Grandfather had come from far abroad, weary from travel. She wondered if he had rested well, if he was feeling discomfort, or if the unfamiliar environment kept him from sleeping.

But when she arrived at her grandfather’s room, Yuan Xiangdie was stunned. She murmured, “Grandfather…” She had expected him to be sleeping, but the scene before her shocked her.

She stood, frozen, at the foot of the stairs, watching the housekeeper drag her grandfather from bed and haul him to the floor. The old man hadn’t even put on slippers, standing in his pajamas in the corridor. The sudden crash startled Yuan Xiangdie; she rushed forward, scalding her calf with the hot soup she carried, leaving red blisters.

“Get away! What are you doing? Grandfather is old—he can’t take this! It’s still early!” she shouted.

Yuan Yao'er hadn’t expected the young lady to be up so early; she should have gone to call her first. If only she had, it would have been more interesting. She strutted like a peacock, chin raised, sneering, “Don’t fuss over who came first. The tray you dropped—you clean it up yourself.”

Yuan Xiangdie said nothing, but her eyes bore into the woman.

“Isn’t there a housekeeper? You said yourself, leave everything to them. Grandfather hadn’t even risen, yet you woke him so early. If waking people is the housekeeper’s job, cleaning up should be too.”

Yuan Lan, frail as he was, could only be pulled upright with the housekeeper’s strength. When he’d heard about his granddaughter being bullied overseas, he had hoped his weak body could help her. He hadn’t expected that coming home would only make him a burden.

“You unfilial girl… cough, cough. If only your father could teach you a lesson.”

He reached for his cane, wanting to strike, but his movements were slow, and his face grew paler, his eyes bloodshot from lack of rest.

Yuan Yao'er, only wanting to intimidate the old man that morning, easily dodged him. She signaled the housekeeper, a large, burly woman from some rural village whose strength was astonishing. Her heavy footsteps reverberated through the floor, even Yuan Xiangdie could feel it from afar.

“Don’t touch my grandfather! Stay away!” Yuan Xiangdie shouted, helpless before the housekeeper’s brute force. She had never encountered such a person even during her time in prison.

But the housekeeper, with a righteous air, looked at her as if she were beneath notice, “Sorry, I only listen to the young lady. She pays me. You’re just a pauper—you couldn’t afford my wages.”

How contemptuous those words were, yet true. Yuan Xiangdie couldn’t even afford to pay a housekeeper. How could she protect her grandfather?

“Grandfather will be fine. The private doctor said all my medical records are archived abroad. If he suddenly dies, they’ll never escape suspicion.”

Yuan Yao'er hadn’t expected the old man to play such a cunning card—he had come prepared. Still, it was of little use; perhaps she had grown bored.

She yawned and patted her mouth, the sleepy gesture seeming to Yuan Xiangdie like a yawning abyss ready to swallow her whole, leaving her powerless.

“Enough, let him go.”

Her tone was as if she ruled the world. The housekeeper obeyed, releasing her grip, compounding the humiliation.

“Have a good chat. Someone will come this afternoon to discuss your engagement ceremony. If you don’t comply, be careful what happens to your dear grandfather.”

All of it was too much for Yuan Xiangdie to withstand. If she uttered a single refusal, the mother and daughter would undoubtedly harm Yuan Lan.

She slid to the floor, head bowed, clutching her clothes as if clinging to the last warmth she possessed.

Yuan Yao'er was satisfied by this display, smiling triumphantly as she left. In her eyes, this was exactly how Yuan Xiangdie should be treated.

“I put you away before—I promise you won’t escape again! Pitiful creature, you want to fight me? Know your place!”

“Next time you see me, keep your distance—don’t make trouble for yourself!”

Tears blurred Yuan Xiangdie’s vision. She remembered sitting beside her father’s cold body, the woman’s shrill cries ringing in her ears—a sound others found pitiable, but to her, it was a twisted celebration of victory.

“Aunt…” Whenever the voice of Xiao Wei, calling her aunt, echoed in her mind, her pain lessened slightly.

Her large, shining eyes brimmed with tears as she looked up, seeing Yuan Lan hobbling toward her.

Grandfather, I’m sorry—it’s my own lack of ability…

But suddenly, Yuan Xiangdie was jolted awake!

No! Grandfather was still frail; he couldn’t walk barefoot on the cold floor.

“Grandfather, stay where you are. I’ll help you back to your room.”

Stubbornly wiping her tears, Yuan Xiangdie didn’t care what the future held. At least her grandfather had returned. In this cold house, he was her only warmth.

That little face, when her body was still healthy, had often brought him unexpected joy. Yuan Lan bitterly resented his own helplessness.

If only he had cared for this child properly—taken her away even if he was ill—none of this would have happened.

“Grandchild, you’ve suffered so much. It’s my fault I couldn’t protect you.”

“Grandfather, don’t say that. This is all that mother and daughter’s scheme. Besides, I learned a lot in… that place. I’m not suffering.”

She purposefully called it “that place” instead of prison, not wanting her beloved grandfather, who had placed such hopes in her, to know of her disgrace.

Once they reached the room, she saw that her grandfather’s accommodations were hardly better than her own. Apart from hot water and his daily medicine bottles, the rest was like a prison cell.

“How can they treat you like this?” she cried, her voice rising, ready to rush out and confront the women.

“Xiang’er, come back.”

Her grandfather’s words were a command, though filled with helplessness and tightly furrowed brows.

With great effort, Yuan Xiangdie helped him into bed and found a warm towel to cover his feet. By now it was nearly nine o’clock. The mother and daughter usually woke around ten, but today, after causing trouble, they had gone back to sleep.

This gave Yuan Xiangdie a rare moment to catch her breath and talk with Yuan Lan.

“I’ll never let this happen! That boy from the Ou family—I know he’s no good. Those two women dare to introduce you to him? Do they think I’m already dead?”

Yuan Xiangdie had no idea how her grandfather knew; Yuan Yao'er hadn’t mentioned names when she left.

“Grandfather, how did you know? I’m not even sure myself.”

She was surprised but didn’t press further. Her grandfather’s health was poor; more questioning would only worsen it.

Only before her grandfather did Yuan Xiangdie revert to the little girl who snuggled on his knee, listening to fairy tales until she drifted to sleep.

Seeing the sparkle in his granddaughter’s eyes, Yuan Lan’s heart grew even more unwilling. The mysterious figure who urged him to return had been right, but even now, there was nothing he could do.

“Grandfather, don’t worry. I’ll make sure nothing happens to you. I’m not the naive girl I once was. Once I earn enough money, we’ll leave this place.”

Yuan Xiangdie made a solemn vow to Yuan Lan, her eyes shining with determination.

Yuan Lan felt even more regret at seeing her resilience.

His aged hand clasped her small hand, “Back then, I held little Xiang’er’s hand and walked her step by step into this house.”

In those days, the house belonged to the original family, and he had not yet relinquished his authority. The family, though occasionally at odds, always reconciled quickly.

Yet now, it seemed everything had changed. Only the two of them remained to warm each other.

“Oh my, am I disturbing you, old man? You and that little wretch—oh, I mean Xiang’er—are having a private conversation.”

Zhang Xi, that detestable stepmother! When the old man was still around, he had strongly opposed the marriage. Back then, Zhang Xi was not the lady she is now, but just a woman who had fled the countryside.