CHAPTER 5:The Village Beyond The Hills

The city lights faded behind her as Mei Xing's car sped toward the countryside. Each mile took her further from the life she had always known—and closer to the truth she could no longer ignore.

With the address Auntie Wen had hesitantly scribbled on a piece of paper, Mei Xing directed her driver toward Lianhua Village, a small rural settlement nestled beyond the hills. According to Auntie Wen, that's where Yu Lan had lived—where everything had begun.

The journey was long and winding, the road flanked by tall bamboo trees and narrow trails leading to farms. Mei Xing had never been to a place like this. Her life had been one of marble floors and grand pianos, not muddy paths and straw rooftops. But strangely, it didn't feel foreign. There was something quietly comforting about the simplicity surrounding her.

When they finally arrived at the village, curious eyes followed her sleek car as it rolled through the dusty lanes. Children paused their play, farmers glanced up from their work, and elderly women whispered among themselves. The villagers weren't used to visitors—especially not ones in designer sunglasses and heeled boots.

Mei Xing stepped out, holding the piece of paper tightly.

"Excuse me," she asked a passing fruit seller, "Do you know where I can find a woman named Yu Lan?"

The man looked startled at first, then his face softened. "Ah… Yu Lan. She lived in that small house near the riverbend." He pointed toward a narrow trail. "But she passed away years ago."

Mei Xing froze.

"Passed away?" she echoed, her heart sinking.

The man nodded solemnly. "A gentle soul, that one. Always quiet, always working. She fell ill and didn't have much help. Died not long after her husband."

Her vision blurred for a moment as disappointment crashed over her. She had come all this way… hoping to see her, speak to her, look her in the eyes and ask, Why did you give me away?

Now she would never hear those answers from Yu Lan's lips.

Still, she forced herself to follow the path to the old house. It was a tiny wooden structure with faded walls and a sagging roof. Wildflowers grew around it, swaying gently in the breeze.

Inside, the house was empty, abandoned… but it held traces of the life once lived there—simple furniture, cracked photo frames, and a few scattered letters.

She picked up a photograph from the floor. It was a picture of a woman with soft eyes and a gentle smile—Yu Lan. Mei Xing's heart clenched. The resemblance was faint, but it was there. In the curve of her eyes. In the softness of her lips.

For the first time, Mei Xing saw the woman who gave her life—not with anger, but with gratitude.

Even if Yu Lan was gone… her legacy lived on—in her.

And now, Mei Xing knew that her journey had only just begun.