FDNL 39

Chapter 39

Remembrance (1/2)

Su Lianyi didn’t recognize the Su Feng household, even though the courtyard should have carried memories of her growing up there.

The address had been given to her by Da Hu. Among a cluster of old houses, a particularly inconspicuous and even rather dilapidated house turned out to be the home of Su Feng, the village’s most “seasoned” old rogue.

Looking at this run-down house, Lianyi felt not a trace of resentment toward Su Feng. On the contrary, her previous hostility gradually dissolved.

She thought of her own family’s newly built house, complete with all modern conveniences, and compared it to this shabby home—she felt deeply moved.

The new house was naturally thanks to her eldest brother, Su Hao, but as an older brother, he wouldn’t have handled the arrangements directly. Most likely, it was Su Feng, their father, who had managed all the work.

To devote everything to his daughter while his own home was in ruins—even though Su Feng’s character had flaws, when it came to his children, he was just an ordinary father.

The courtyard gate was unlocked. Pushing open the crooked gate, Lianyi saw a scene of complete disorder. To the right of the entrance was the usual kitchen, though it was rarely used. The pots on the stove were rusted, and the floor was scattered with broken firewood.

To the left of the entrance stood a chicken coop—empty, merely decorative.

By mid-morning, father and son of the Su family were still sound asleep. Lianyi called out softly, and receiving no response, she pushed the door and walked in.

Instantly, she felt the same sensation as when she had first entered her own home—perhaps even worse! The dark, damp interior carried not only the stench of garbage but a thick smoke odor. The windows were caked with dust, evidently never opened for ventilation. Inside, the smell of not just secondhand smoke but an overwhelming cloud of smoke lingered.

Throwing the doors wide and pushing the windows open, sunlight pierced the dark room, making it feel as dramatic as opening an ancient tomb.

Lianyi paused outside for a long moment before mustering the courage to step in. The dimness had hidden it before, but now with light she could clearly see a spirit table at the far end of the front hall. On it stood a memorial tablet: “Spirit Tablet of Beloved Wife, Madam Su Xu.”

It was her own mother’s tablet.

A sudden wave of sorrow and tightness filled Lianyi’s chest, as though the name on the tablet truly belonged to her biological mother. Perhaps it was an instinctive reaction of this body, stirring her emotions, and her eyes reddened, her grief lingering.

She took out a handkerchief to wipe her tears. If fate was such, then she would accept this mother, Madam Su Xu.

As she prepared to clean the tablet, she noticed that, though the room was filthy and messy, the spirit table and tablet were spotless. A faint fragrance lingered, showing someone had been regularly offering incense in remembrance. Who could it be? Su Feng?

“Who’s out there?” A nasal voice came from inside. Su Bai had clearly not yet woken.

Lianyi pushed away her sadness and adjusted her mood. “Su Bai, look at the time! Still not up? Haven’t you heard ‘the early bird catches the worm’?” She spun around, adopting a stern, motherly tone.

The voice from the west-side room paused, followed by the sound of someone scrambling. Awakened by his sister’s shout, Su Bai didn’t dare delay. He jumped out of bed and hastily picked up his clothes.

“Are you dressed yet?” Lianyi asked, following the sound to the door of the west-side room.

“Not… not yet… wait, sis!” Su Bai hurried to put on his clothes, but with his corpulent body, he could not match a normal person’s speed. The more anxious he was, the slower he moved.

After waiting a while and seeing him still not fully dressed, Lianyi kicked the door open. “Go put on your clothes outside. Seeing all that fat of yours irritates me.” She had no patience for Su Bai.

Su Bai, face drawn in sorrow, reluctantly dressed in his underclothes and held his half-dirty outer clothes to his chest. “Sis, you’re not exactly skinny either.”

Lianyi gave him a side-eye. “Where do you see me as fat?”

Su Bai looked closely. The Su Lianyi before him was no longer the usual Su Lianyi. She wore a grass-green dress—not particularly delicate but proportionate, tall by nature, and in no way “fat.” “Sis, your illness… it’s getting worse. How did you get so thin?”

Lianyi could only laugh and cry at the same time. She wanted to give him a kick but reconsidered—there was no time for this. “This is a normal figure, got it? What you have is obesity, unhealthy for both appearance and body. Stop staring—go on, get out!”

Su Bai was confused but obediently carried his clothes out. “Sis, why are you going into my room?”

“To clean the pigsty.” Lianyi didn’t look back, starting to throw the dirty clothes strewn on the floor outside.

“Pigsty?” Su Bai froze. “Sis, we haven’t raised pigs in years.”

Lianyi laughed and cried simultaneously. “Yes, ever since we got you, there’s no need to raise pigs anymore.”

Only then did Su Bai realize. “Sis, are you calling me a pig?” He wasn’t stupid, just had never anticipated his sister scolding him. He had grown up with her, admired her like a hero, and obeyed her every word.

“Good, you have some self-awareness. Move aside.” Lianyi carried the bedding. Once Su Bai shifted his fat body, she went out to the courtyard, grabbed his dirty clothes, and began wiping the clothesline, hanging the bedding out to sun and disinfect