It takes nearly ten hours by bus to travel from Xiangxi to the city where Fu Yanqing lives.

Su Xingyu slept on the bus. When she woke up, the scenery outside had changed from mountains to plains, and from green to gray. Tall buildings began to appear, one after another, slicing the sky into patches.

As the bus entered the city, it slowed down. Su Xingyu leaned against the window and looked out. The streets were teeming with people like ants, traffic lights lined up in rows, and billboards at the entrances of shopping malls as big as walls. She saw someone walking a dog by the roadside—a poodle dressed in clothes, its little leather shoes clicking “tap-tap” on the ground.

She glanced down at the cloth shoes on her feet and suddenly felt completely out of place in this city.

The bus pulled into the station.

Su Xingyu dragged her suitcase out of the station and stood in the square, staring around in a daze. Everywhere there were people, cars, and noise. She didn’t know which way to go.

Her phone rang. It was a stranger’s number.

“Miss Su?” a woman’s voice said. “I’m the Fu family’s housekeeper, here to pick you up. Which exit are you at?”

Su Xingyu looked up. Above her was a large sign that read “East Square.” “I’m… at East Square.”

“Alright, please wait a moment—I’ll be right there. I’m driving a black business car, license plate number…”

Su Xingyu hung up and stood in the square, waiting. People coming and going all stared at her—probably at the cloth shoes on her feet, or at the old cloth bag in her hand.

She didn’t care. Ever since she was little, she’d never cared what others thought of her.

A black business car pulled up in front of her. The door opened, and a middle-aged woman in uniform stepped out, bowing to her with a smile. “Miss Su, hello. I’m Aunt Zhou. The old master asked me to pick you up.”

“Hello,” Su Xingyu nodded and handed her the suitcase.

Aunt Zhou helped her put the luggage away and opened the car door for her to get in. The interior was spacious, with leather seats and strong air conditioning. As Su Xingyu settled in, it felt like she’d entered another world.

The car started moving. Aunt Zhou glanced at her in the rearview mirror and smiled. “Miss Su, are you hungry? We’ve got some snacks in the car.”

“No, thank you.”

“Then why don’t you rest for a bit? It’ll still take half an hour to get to the Old Family Residence.”

Su Xingyu nodded and leaned back in her seat. She watched the city outside the window, tall buildings passing one after another, and neon lights beginning to glow, painting the sky orange-red.

She remembered what her grandfather used to say.

“The sky in the city isn’t as beautiful as the sky in our mountains.”

She looked up at the sky—and sure enough, not a single star was visible.

Half an hour later, the car turned onto a quiet street. The sycamore trees on both sides were thick, clearly planted many years ago. Their canopies merged overhead, breaking the streetlights’ beams into fragments.

The car came to a stop in front of a large iron gate. The gate opened automatically, and the car drove in along a stone-paved path. On either side were gardens filled with all kinds of flowers; Su Xingyu recognized some—roses, gardenias, osmanthus. The air was sweet with the fragrance of gardenias.

The car stopped in front of a three-story old Western-style building. The building wasn’t big, but it looked sturdy, with red bricks and gray tiles, and old-fashioned wooden-framed windows. Standing at the entrance was an elderly man with white hair, leaning on a cane and wearing a gray Zhongshan suit.

Aunt Zhou opened the car door for her. “Miss Su, the old master has come out to greet you himself.”

Su Xingyu stepped out of the car and looked at the elderly man before her. He was older than she’d imagined, his face deeply lined and his eyes a bit clouded, but when he smiled, there was something reassuring about it.

“Xingyu?” the old man looked at her, and his eyes suddenly welled up. “Yes, you really do look just like your grandfather.”

Su Xingyu was taken aback. “You’ve met my grandfather?”

“Not only have I met him,” the old man smiled. “We share a life-or-death friendship. Come, come, let’s go inside and talk—let’s go inside and talk.”

He reached out his hand, and after a moment’s hesitation, Su Xingyu took hold of his arm.

The old man’s arm was thin but steady. He led her into the house, talking as they went. “Your grandfather saved my life back then. If it hadn’t been for him, I wouldn’t be here today. All these years I’ve wanted to repay him, but he wouldn’t accept it. He said, ‘If you really want to repay me, then in the future, take good care of his granddaughter.’”

End of Chapter 5: Arriving at the Fu Family