The telegram bore only four words—"Brother shocked, return urgently."
Yan Jigang had developed his stutter due to a past fright, so Yan Xue's state of mind upon reading this message could easily be imagined.
In that instant, countless thoughts flashed through her mind—how was he now? Was it an accident or something else? Yet there was no one to answer her questions.
But having lived through two lifetimes, she had weathered too much already. She quickly steadied herself.
She absolutely had to return. This time, she would bring him back with her. But not today—there were no more trains running.
Besides, if she left, she needed to settle matters at home, especially the cultivation of the fungal strains.
Yan Xue sat down at the writing desk, took out a notebook and pen, and jotted down the precautions for mother culture cultivation.
Considering the three-day journey one way, she worried she might not make it back in time. To avoid delays, she also wrote down the method for spawn cultivation.
The cultivation of wood ear fungus typically involved three stages—mother culture, spawn, and cultivation stock.
Mother culture wasn’t suitable for direct planting. Spawn could be used for log cultivation, while cultivation stock was even more cost-effective than spawn.
However, spawn and cultivation stock couldn’t be grown on the same medium as the mother culture. They required sawdust, locally known as "wood shavings."
This material was cheap and easy to come by in the forestry farm, especially now that the weather had warmed. In winter, some households, reluctant to buy coal, might use it to fuel their stoves. Though it didn’t burn as fiercely as firewood, it lasted longer, providing steady warmth without much waste.
Yan Xue was the type to prepare in advance. She had already stockpiled several sacks of sawdust in the storeroom.
The other ingredient for the medium—wheat bran—had also been approved by the farm. Conveniently, the forestry farm’s agricultural team grew their own wheat.
By the time Qi Fang returned from work, the floor was covered with glass jars Yan Xue had collected earlier—each bought for two cents from various households. Inside, a mixture of 78% sawdust, 21% wheat bran, and 1% gypsum was ready, needing only water.
Ideally, spawn and cultivation stock were best grown in plastic bags, but plastic was hard to come by in these times. Yan Xue had no choice but to use jars instead.
Qi Fang sensed something was wrong the moment he saw the setup. He looked at Yan Xue. "What happened?"
She didn’t hide it, handing him the telegram directly. "I never mentioned this before, but Jigang developed a stutter—a lingering effect from when our father passed away."
Qi Fang glanced at the message before setting it back on the table. "You’re leaving tomorrow?"
Yan Xue nodded, gesturing toward the bag at the end of the kang. "I’ve already packed. I’ll leave first thing in the morning."
She handed him the notes she’d prepared, but he barely looked at them before setting them aside and turning to leave.
"Where are you going?" Yan Xue was momentarily taken aback.
He glanced back at her, his gaze deep. "If there’s more to this, you’re planning to handle it alone?"
She didn’t need him to spell it out. Jigang had been staying quietly at home, hardly stepping outside. How could he have suffered another shock severe enough to warrant a telegram?
But she was used to bearing burdens alone. In the flurry of thoughts after receiving the telegram, she hadn’t once considered Qi Fang.
Her lips pressed together, but she couldn’t bring herself to refuse. Finally, she just said, "I’ll pack your things too."
Only then did the tension in Qi Fang’s expression ease slightly. Without another word, he left.
When he returned, he’d not only secured leave and the necessary travel permits but also carried a bag of biscuits and bread in one hand and a pair of women’s sandals in the other.
"Try them," he said, placing the sandals at her feet.
Yan Xue was surprised. "Why buy sandals?"
"Isn’t it hot down south?" Seeing her hesitate, he knelt to untie her shoelaces.
As he loosened her shoes and prepared to help her into the sandals, Yan Xue quickly slipped her feet in.
They fit perfectly. She took them off to check—size 35, just as expected.
"How do they feel?" he asked, though he clearly remembered her size.
"Just right," she replied.
He then picked up the notebook she’d given him earlier. Before she could ask, he said, "I’ll ask Aunt Guo to keep an eye on the fungal strains."
Swift and thorough.
Yan Xue had always been the one taking care of others. This was the first time someone had handled things for her. It took her a moment to catch up. "I’ll go with you."
As the couple approached the neighboring house, they overheard Aunt Guo’s voice inside. "Chang’an, try again. You took two more steps today than yesterday. Just once more—"
Her words were cut off by a heavy thud.
Aunt Guo’s voice turned frantic. "Chang’an! Are you hurt? Where did you fall?"
Then came Guo Changping’s voice. "Mom, leave him be. Let him get up on his own. Or is he never going to stand again?"
Throughout, there was no sound from Guo Chang’an. But it was clear—four months after his injury, he had begun attempting to walk again.
Since his return, the curtains in his room had remained drawn, as if he couldn’t bear to let others see his struggle. The couple exchanged a silent glance and retreated, waiting until someone emerged from the Guo household before calling out to Aunt Guo.
"You want me to keep an eye on things? Of course," Aunt Guo agreed readily. "But I’m afraid I might not understand and ruin your work."
"It’s not difficult. Just monitor the temperature," Yan Xue reassured her, handing over the notebook.
Aunt Guo immediately called for Jin Baozhi. "Baozhi, come take a look. Changping barely went to school—might as well not have."
"Then you’ll need Chang’an. I only had two more years of schooling than Changping," Jin Baozhi said, frowning as she skimmed the notes.
After a brief hesitation, Aunt Guo headed inside. "I’ll have Chang’an look. He studied more." She glanced back at Yan Xue and Qi Fang. "You’re not in a hurry, are you?"
"Not at all," Yan Xue said with a smile.
Qi Fang added evenly, "No rush."
Aunt Guo returned after a while, her earlier uncertainty gone. "So, if it’s cold, add heat. If it’s hot, open the windows. Keep it between 22 and 28 degrees Celsius, right?"
Clearly, Guo Chang’an had reviewed it and explained it simply.
Yan Xue handed her five yuan. "There’s a thermometer on the kang. Just check it periodically. I’ll pay you as a temporary worker."
"This is such a small thing. No need for payment," Aunt Guo protested.
But Yan Xue insisted, pressing the money into her hand. "Payment ensures responsibility. Only then can I trust you with it."
Aunt Guo wavered until Qi Fang added, "If you don’t take it, we’ll have to hire someone else."
That would be troublesome. The Guo family lived nearby, and after months as neighbors, their character was trustworthy.
Seeing their resolve, Aunt Guo finally accepted. True to her efficient nature, she immediately stepped out. "Show me how to read that thermometer."
That night before bed, Yan Xue double-checked everything they needed to bring for their trip the next day.
Their spare clothes, the letter of introduction, food...
As she went through the list a second time, Qi Fang wrapped his arms around her from behind and gently ruffled her hair. "Jigang will be fine."
It was a rare moment of comfort, and even rarer for someone to notice the hidden unease beneath her mechanical repetitions.
This time, Yan Xue didn’t pull away or scold him for touching her head. Instead, she let out a slow breath and allowed herself to lean into his embrace for a moment.
Just this once, let the taller one bear the weight if the sky fell—not always her...
Early the next morning, the two locked the door and left, placing the key under a large rock on the windowsill so Aunt Guo could use it whenever needed.
They took a small train to the town, then transferred to a larger train, followed by a boat, and finally a long-distance bus. By the time they reached their hometown, three days had passed.
It was early June, harvest season for wheat in the region. Every able-bodied person in the village was out in the fields, and as they walked through the rippling golden waves of grain, they didn’t encounter a single ox or donkey cart along the way.
Qi Fang carried both their bags and couldn’t help glancing at Yan Xue’s feet. "Are you alright?"
"It’s nothing. It was almost healed before we left."
When she noticed his lingering gaze on her ankle, she recalled their argument that day and added, "Really, it’s fine."
Qi Fang didn’t seem entirely convinced but turned his attention ahead. "Are we there?"
"Yeah." Yan Xue spotted a familiar face at the village entrance and approached. "Fifth Granny."
Yan Family Village was a single-surname settlement, where everyone was related by blood. The old woman was the wife of Yan Baishan’s uncle, making her Yan Xue’s great-aunt by kinship.
In her youth, Fifth Granny’s family had been poor, and she’d strained her eyes spinning cotton late into the night. Now, she squinted at Yan Xue for a long moment before recognizing her. "You’re Baishan’s little Xue?"
"Yes, it’s me," Yan Xue replied. "I came back to see my grandmother and my brother. Do you know how they’ve been?"
She’d asked to get some advance information, hoping to brace herself.
Fifth Granny clearly knew something and sighed at once. "Not well, I’m afraid. Jigang never fully recovered from that last fright, and a few days ago, something scared him again. He’s been burning up with fever night after night. Second Old Lady has been running around finding doctors—both traditional and Western—but he’s still on medication."
The old woman, evidently not entirely reformed from the old superstitions, lowered her voice. "If you ask me, it might be something... unnatural. Maybe you should talk to Second Old Lady about finding someone to check..."
Yan Xue had no patience for such speculation. After a hurried thanks, she and Qi Fang rushed toward home.
When they arrived at the Yan family courtyard, the place was quiet—Yan Songshan’s family was out harvesting wheat. The only sound was the bubbling of a small medicine pot on the stove in front of Second Old Lady.
The elderly woman sat on a straw mat by the clay stove, fanning herself with a large palm-leaf fan. Hearing footsteps, she turned and immediately stood when she saw Yan Xue. "Xue, you’re back."
"Yes, Grandma, I’m back." Yan Xue responded and moved toward the east wing. "How is Jigang?"
But Second Old Lady stopped her. "He’s not there anymore. He’s staying in my room now."
Yan Xue paused but didn’t head straight to the main house. Instead, she pushed open the east wing door and looked inside.
The reason for Second Old Lady’s warning became clear.
Even if Jigang had temporarily moved for care, why couldn’t Yan Xue step into her own home to put things down?
"What’s wrong?" Qi Fang stood behind her, noticing her stiff expression, and glanced inside as well.
The layout was similar to the two-room house they rented from the Guo family, but while northeastern homes were wider—around six to six and a half meters—this one was barely four meters across.
The kitchen area was spotless—too spotless. The cabinets and rice jar were empty.
The large stove sat uncovered, without even a lid, clearly unused for a long time...
Yan Xue shut the door expressionlessly. "This isn’t my home anymore."
Just then, Second Old Lady sighed behind her. "I’m no use. Couldn’t keep things safe."
"Even if you were sharper, you couldn’t stop people from scheming."
Yan Xue remained calm and turned to Qi Fang. "Let’s leave our things in Grandma’s room for now."
The small western room in the main house wasn’t a place Yan Xue frequented, but this time, it felt even more cramped than before.
Jigang’s belongings had been added, and the window was draped with a bedsheet, casting the room in dim light. On the kang bed lay a small figure, curled under a thin quilt, pale and frowning even in sleep.
Yan Xue recognized her brother at once—and how much thinner he’d become. He clutched something to his chest, his face drawn with tension.
She reached out to smooth his brow but hesitated, afraid of startling him, and let her hand hover midair.
Second Old Lady stayed silent, merely setting their things down and gesturing for them to step outside.
"What really happened?" Yan Xue asked in a hushed voice the moment they were in the yard.
"I don’t know," Second Old Lady admitted. "After you left, Jigang was fine. He’d come to me during the day and sleep in your room at night, holding the pillow you used."
Yan Xue knew this—Jigang had written to her, saying he wasn’t afraid to sleep alone as long as he had her pillow.
She’d written back praising him for growing brave, calling him her little hero who’d protect her someday.
"That evening, he went back before dark, saying he wanted to take out your letters and practice reading. I’d already gone to bed when I heard him scream. By the time I got there, he was curled under the table, shaking. No matter how many times I called, he wouldn’t respond."
The old woman sighed. "With my bound feet, I’m slow. I don’t know what scared him. Now he’s terrified of darkness, even glass—that’s why the windows are covered. But it’s not enough. He still has fits, and the fever comes and goes."
"Did he say anything about what happened?" Yan Xue’s frown deepened.
"If only he could speak." Second Old Lady sighed again. "Jigang hasn’t said a word in eight days. That’s why I sent for you."
The last time Jigang had been frightened into silence, it was only Yan Xue’s own crisis that finally made him speak again.
Yan Xue pressed her lips together.
"Was the courtyard gate locked that night?" A calm male voice cut in.
Distraught over her grandson, Second Old Lady had nearly forgotten Yan Xue wasn’t alone. She looked at the tall, striking man, then back at Yan Xue. "And this is...?"
"My husband, Qi Fang," Yan Xue introduced, then turned to him. "This is our grandmother."
"Grandma." Qi Fang greeted immediately, then revisited his earlier question, "Was the courtyard gate locked when Jigang got scared?"
"It should've been. I'd already washed my feet and gone to bed by then—must've been past eight."
"So whatever scared Jigang was inside this courtyard."
Qi Fang's voice was calm as he helped her piece things together step by step. "Where was Jigang hiding at the time? Could you show us?"
"Of course, I remember where he was." The old woman hurriedly led them to the east wing.
Inside the room, the emptiness was even more apparent.
The warm memories that once belonged to the siblings and this home were gone—some moved to the old woman's west room, others vanished entirely.
The Second Old Lady pointed to a spot by the kang bed where four square indentations remained. "This used to be a writing desk. His father made it the year Xue started school."
Then she gestured toward the center. "There was a hollow space under that desk. When I came in, Jigang was curled up inside."
Yan Xue walked over. Without even crouching, her gaze met the inner room's door.
"It wasn't something from outside," Qi Fang noted, having already observed the same.
If the threat had been outside, Yan Jigang wouldn't have hidden under the desk—he'd have chosen a spot like behind the door or inside a chest, where he couldn't even see the door.
"Probably not bugs or mice either. He isn't afraid of those," Yan Xue said.
In the countryside, snakes, insects, and rodents were common. Most boys, even if they didn't play with them, weren't scared. And if it had been a mouse, Yan Jigang would've jumped onto the kang bed rather than hiding under the desk.
So what frightened him must've been...
The couple both turned their eyes to the window, recalling the Second Old Lady's mention of his fear of glass.
The Second Old Lady, sharp as ever, noticed their gaze, the wrinkles on her aged face twitching slightly.
Just as she was about to speak, a sudden scream erupted from the west side of the main house.
The old woman instantly forgot everything else, shuffling out on her bound feet. "Grandma's here! Grandma's coming!"
Yan Xue quickly followed. Entering the room, she saw Yan Jigang convulsing, eyes shut, drenched in sweat.
The Second Old Lady immediately pulled him into her arms, patting his back soothingly. Yan Xue finally glimpsed what he was clutching—
A pillow. One she knew all too well.
For a long while, Yan Jigang didn't calm down, his fingers gripping the pillow so tightly they turned white.
"Let me take him." She reached out and gathered him into her arms.
Perhaps it was the familiarity of her embrace, or maybe the worst of his fear had passed, but as she gently patted his back, his trembling gradually lessened.
Seeing this, the Second Old Lady stood. "You stay with him. I'll check on the medicine."
"I'll go." Qi Fang was already out the door before her.
By the time the old woman stepped into the main room, the man was crouched by the stove, using a cloth to lift the lid of the medicine pot.
Seeing there was still enough liquid, he set it back down and picked up the cattail-leaf fan the old woman had left behind, fanning the flames gently.
The June heat, combined with the steam from the medicine pot, soon flushed his handsome face a faint pink, though his expression remained composed.
The old woman watched from the doorway for a moment, satisfied he knew what he was doing, then turned back.
In the west room, Yan Xue now held her brother fully in her arms, Yan Jigang having traded his grip on the pillow for a fistful of her sleeve.
The old woman took the chance to feel his forehead. "Still a bit feverish. This child keeps vomiting the medicine and won't eat. If his fever weren't mild, he'd need an injection."
There'd been a case in the village where a child’s high fever wouldn’t break, forcing a trip to the county clinic for an injection.
The fever subsided, but the child went deaf. Since then, unless the fever was dangerously high, villagers avoided injections for children.
Soon, the medicine was ready. Qi Fang carried the pot inside, asking the Second Old Lady, "Pour it into this basin?"
"Yes, let me—" Before she could take it, he had already strained the decoction.
After checking the small basin, he asked, "Third round?"
At her nod, he discarded the dregs. "Do you still need the stove?"
Hearing she didn’t, he extinguished the fire, then fetched a large basin of water to clean the pot.
The Second Old Lady, left with nothing to do, returned to the room. "Your Grandma's sister introduced you to a good one."
Yan Xue paused mid-motion as she wiped her brother’s sweat, surprised the old woman still didn’t know.
But of course—with only the elderly and children at home, knowing would’ve just caused worry. Shan Qiufang had likely only asked for her address, never mentioning that Qi Fang hadn’t met her.
Just as she prepared to explain, loud voices approached outside—Bai Xiuzhen was back.
She wasn’t alone. Behind her was a clansman of Yan Xue’s, a slightly lame but renowned village carpenter.
"These two rooms here. See what furniture we need. The cupboard definitely needs replacing, and this door looks warped..."
"That Bai Xiuzhen," the Second Old Lady muttered, glancing worriedly at Yan Jigang, hoping the noise wouldn’t startle him awake.
Outside, Bai Xiuzhen spotted Qi Fang in the yard and frowned. "Who are you? What are you doing in our courtyard?"
The clansman guessed, "Must be Xue’s beau. Fifth Granny mentioned she brought him home."
"Oh, Xue is back?" Bai Xiuzhen’s tone held no joy, her face darkening further.
Qi Fang, observing her, sensed tension with Yan Xue and merely gave a curt nod.
Bai Xiuzhen barely acknowledged him, hastily directing the carpenter to measure the east wing before barging into the west room. "Back without a word?"
Yan Xue first covered Yan Jigang’s ears, then met Bai Xiuzhen’s gaze. "Are you saying I can’t come home?"
"Of course not!" Bai Xiuzhen faltered under her clear, piercing eyes. "No matter where you marry, this is still your family."
"Really? When I saw the house emptied out, I thought Jigang and I had been kicked out."
The bluntness stung—even if true, such things were meant to be unspoken. After all, the house was left to the siblings by Yan Baishan, unrelated to the elder branch.
Bai Xiuzhen’s face stiffened. "Jigang was terrified of that room! Since he wouldn’t go back, I figured I’d tidy up."
"So you’re swapping your two main rooms for our two side rooms?" Yan Xue’s question struck home.
Their "two" main rooms were actually two and a half—who’d trade for cramped side quarters?
"Or perhaps you pity us for having no parents, so you’re making Jigang new furniture for his future marriage."
Bai Xiuzhen choked. She was preparing new furniture—for her own son, not Yan Jigang.
Yan Xue’s return had caught her off guard. Unable to retaliate, she retreated. "You must be tired from the trip. Rest up. I’ll check on the other room—can’t leave the carpenter alone."
The east wing could wait. Right now, she needed to warn Yan Songshan before this sharp-tongued girl stirred trouble.
Bai Xiuzhen hurried off, and even without opening her mouth, Yan Xue could guess what she was up to—yet she didn’t stop her.
Because just moments ago, though the person in her arms hadn’t opened their eyes, the grip on her sleeve had tightened slightly.
Yan Jigang was awake.
Qi Fang: Successfully snuck onto the ride home with my wife [fist pump][fist pump][fist pump]
