After Transmigrating as the "Green Tea" Fake Heiress, I Got My Happy Ending with the Real Heiress - Chapter 31

Chapter 31

At the dinner table that evening, Ruan Yu presented her request to the Wen parents to visit her grandparents in the countryside.

Father Wen merely said, “Up to you,” but Mother Wen’s expression instantly changed. Her hand holding the chopsticks paused, and she gently reminded, “Mother doesn’t object, but the countryside has many bugs. Is it appropriate for Xiaoyu to go right after her allergy has subsided?”

She was providing Ruan Yu with a reasonable excuse not to go to the countryside, but Ruan Yu shook her head. “Don’t worry, Mom. I asked the doctor, and it’s fine as long as I take precautions and take my medication and apply the lotion on time.”

Wen Yun also quickly chimed in: “It’s okay, Mom. I’ll be with Xiaoyu! If anything happens, I can take care of her.”

As soon as she spoke, she felt Mother Wen’s gaze shift to her. Their eyes met, and Wen Yun inexplicably read the unspoken grievance of, “Why are you everywhere?” in the other woman’s eyes.

“We’ll leave for Anxialing Village on the 4th and come back around noon or afternoon on the 5th,” Ruan Yu quickly added, noticing the eye contact. “Grandpa and Grandma are old, and entertaining us takes a lot of energy. We won’t stay too long.”

She used the phrase “to visit” when talking to her grandparents on the phone, and “to see” when talking to the Wen parents, thus guaranteeing both sides that their stay would not be prolonged.

Wen Yun felt a bit melancholy about this but understood Ruan Yu’s predicament. Student life, when one has nothing, is just like this. Things would get better once she was an economically independent adult.

October 4th, half of the National Day holiday had already passed.

As the Wen family’s car drove towards Anxialing Village, Wen Yun tried her best to recall the original owner’s memory of personally coming to pick up Ruan Yu, diligently noting the faces and locations she could remember for later use.

For this trip to the countryside, even the butler didn’t come along. Only Sister Luo was present, serving as both driver and bodyguard, responsible for their personal safety.

The nearly two-hour drive was spent by Ruan Yu doing practice questions to pass the time.

Her Chemistry proficiency test was in a week. After a period of high-intensity tutoring, her results in the few mock tests conducted by the tutor were excellent. What she needed to do now was stabilize and maintain her “feel for the problems” daily, as this was a subject she hadn’t engaged with for a long time.

Wen Yun, meanwhile, opened the exchange store. She was about to use the Green Tea Points she had saved to draw a mystery item when she noticed that the exchangeable items list had new additions: an anti-allergy pill and an enhanced cooling balm to soothe hives, both priced at only 10 Green Tea Points.

“…You even update based on plot changes?” Wen Yun was surprised. “I thought you only had the items in the gacha pool.”

“Yes, after all, this system is the host’s auxiliary system,” the system replied. “Furthermore, the host will only be willing to exchange if the items are updated according to need.”

Wen Yun thought that was true. Drawing cards was just a novelty for a moment. If the items weren’t consistently stable and practical, she would definitely give up on that exchange option.

So, she exchanged for a box of cooling balm, which instantly materialized in her purse, ready for use when necessary.

Time passed quickly. They left at 8:15 AM and arrived at the entrance of Anxialing Village a little after 10 AM.

The near-vertical concrete slope at the village entrance wasn’t easy to drive on, but it didn’t faze Sister Luo. She skillfully shifted gears, stepped on the gas, and the car bumped its way up the slope and onto the flat threshing ground.

A few elderly villagers were working under the hot sun on the threshing ground, flipping grain. They glanced at the Wen family’s car, found it somewhat familiar, and were wondering where they had seen it when the car door suddenly opened, and two cleanly dressed girls stepped out.

Since they had told Grandpa and Grandma Ruan on the phone that they were coming to visit, Wen Yun and Ruan Yu had chosen casual clothes, specifically light colors that best embodied the pure and lovely nature of teenage girls. They weren’t flashy or eye-catching at all, but they quickly attracted many stares.

As she walked with Ruan Yu along the village path, carrying gifts, Wen Yun’s ears perked up. She heard some villagers gossiping: “Isn’t that Teacher Ruan’s daughter? Why is she back?”

“She’s carrying things. Must be back to see Teacher Ruan.”

“Tsk, tsk. Only thought to come back after a month! What an ungrateful wretch! Teacher Ruan and Caiqin raised her all those years for nothing. She’s just like her aunt!”

“Don’t say that. Some people never return after being taken in by a wealthy family. They enjoy their own fortune, and the people who raised them get a bit of money and that’s the end of it.”

“Don’t take their words to heart.” Seeing Ruan Yu intentionally glance in the direction of the voices, Wen Yun lowered her voice. “Some people are confined to their small patch of land; their world is only so big, yet they insist on judging you as ‘experienced elders.’ They only find a sense of superiority in their age.”

Wen Yun had no intention of wasting her breath on these gossiping villagers.

People in wealthy families at least had some sense of shame and knew to shut up after being roasted. Some villagers were simply barefoot scoundrels who weren’t afraid of anything and were masters of throwing fits. Even Grandpa and Grandma Ruan, who had lived in the village for decades, preferred to keep their distance from them.

Ruan Yu acknowledged this and quietly replied, “I understand.”

After all, she had lived here for seventeen years and hadn’t taken those words to heart for a long time. Now, she was only worried that the person beside her would feel uncomfortable hearing them.

The Ruan family’s house was located in a slightly higher, mountain-side area of the village. As Ruan Yu, Wen Yun, and Sister Luo reached a flat terrace below the house, they heard several warning barks from above.

Wen Yun looked up curiously and saw the heads of two large dogs, one yellow and one spotted. After barking twice, they seemed to recognize Ruan Yu. Their tails instantly started wagging happily. They dashed down, circling and leaping around the girls, their ears folded back, occasionally sticking out their tongues and whimpering affectionately.

“You still remember me?” Ruan Yu smiled, rubbing the dogs’ heads. She waved a gesture to “go,” and the two big dogs obediently ran ahead to lead the way, occasionally looking back and stopping to wait for them.

Wen Yun memorized the surrounding scenery and had the system pinpoint each location.

The Ruan family’s house was on a steep slope, and the vicinity was extremely quiet. Four or five houses nearby had tightly closed doors and windows, rusty iron gates, dusty windowsills, and yellowed newspapers stuck to the windows—clearly uninhabited for a long time.

Purely in terms of environment, this place was indeed an excellent spot for retirement, except for its distance from the market and the hospital. The air was fresh, and the house faced the mountains and fields. The “original ecology” that city folks yearned for was all here.

When Wen Yun and the others walked up, they saw Grandma Ruan standing at the door, squinting slightly. Her brownish, wrinkled face showed a mix of joy and worry.

But as Ruan Yu approached and called out, “Grandma,” the worry on the elder’s face vanished. She smiled and opened her arms, pulling the girl into her embrace.

Wen Yun could tell—or any normal person could—that the elderly woman genuinely loved the adopted granddaughter she had watched grow up.

At the same time, she felt immensely regretful. If someone in the last life had told the protagonist that she still had a home to return to, and family waiting for her who would genuinely care for her, would she have gritted her teeth and chosen to live?

But then she quickly thought that even if that were the case, the protagonist would probably still have chosen to leave.

The arranged slanders, one after another, had already cemented her “guilt.” She would have felt ashamed to face her family. In that situation, leaving was both a release and an atonement.

“Yunyun.”

Ruan Yu’s voice pulled Wen Yun back from her thoughts. “Don’t you have something to say to Grandma?”

“Look at me, my memory!” Wen Yun quickly smiled and took over the conversation, showing Grandma Ruan the box of imported calcium-fortified milk in her hand. “I wasn’t sure what to bring. I was afraid you wouldn’t accept anything too expensive, so I chose practical things. I hope you don’t mind.”

Her voice carried a slight Anxialing Village accent. She had specially asked Ruan Yu to say a few phrases to her two days ago, recorded them, and listened repeatedly, allowing her to somewhat imitate the dialect.

A language major in her previous life, she had a dialect class and knew that using a dialect or a dialectical accent in conversation could better close the distance between people.

“We don’t mind, we don’t mind,” Grandma Ruan smiled and shook her head, reaching for the box of milk.

Wen Yun quickly stepped back half a pace. “It’s heavy. I’ll carry it.”

The old woman’s senses were dull, yet in some areas, she was very astute, and she remembered some trivial things clearly. However, with just a few words and actions, she felt that her god-granddaughter seemed a little different from the last time.

But the time interval between the two visits wasn’t long, and the elder certainly wouldn’t think of anything supernatural. She just assumed that her god-granddaughter was simply more familiar now, or that her good relationship with her biological granddaughter had made her more affectionate towards her as well. With this thought, the slight frown she had initially worn smoothed out.

Sister Luo, the driver and bodyguard, remained silent throughout. After entering the living room, she sat far away, holding her teacup, maintaining her status as an outsider.

Wen Yun said she wanted to visit Grandpa Ruan, so Ruan Yu led her to Grandpa Ruan’s study.

Compared to Grandfather Wen’s study, Grandpa Ruan’s study was very simple. There were hardly any storage cabinets, but a wall-sized bookcase immediately caught Wen Yun’s eye, though it was mostly filled with old books and Ruan Yu’s elementary school language textbooks.

The decorations on the walls and table were all handmade: embroidery, bamboo-woven rabbits, grasshoppers, and other small items. Wen Yun had heard Ruan Yu mention that Grandpa Ruan was skilled with his hands and used to make lanterns when he was younger. Seeing them now, she couldn’t help but want to touch them.

“Go ahead and pick one up. They are just casual toys. Don’t worry about breaking them,” Grandpa Ruan, seated in a wheelchair, encouraged her with a smile.

Wen Yun thanked him, carefully picked up the handmade items to examine them, and complimented them from time to time.

Ruan Yu, holding the wheelchair, occasionally added details about how they were made.

“I can’t remember. I can’t remember anymore,” Grandpa Ruan continued to smile. “Xiao Yu has a better memory.”

“You shouldn’t say that!” Ruan Yu, however, was displeased. “You made them, so you must remember more clearly than I do! You have to try to remember; you can’t just forget!”

Listening to the exchange between the grandfather and granddaughter, Wen Yun couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

Forgetting things in old age might not be a sickness; it was just aging.

The younger generation close to the elderly is always afraid of their oblivion and death. It’s incredibly painful to helplessly watch someone who has accompanied you for over a decade or several decades forget you, or disappear from your life forever, without being able to stop it.

Fortunately, Grandpa Ruan was not too old yet. His thoughts were clear, and he had no trouble communicating, always cheerfully asking Ruan Yu about her experiences in the new environment.

Wen Yun sometimes couldn’t help but interject a sentence or two, helping Ruan Yu conceal the darker aspects of the new environment, trying to present only the good side to the elder.

As they were chatting, Grandma Ruan lifted the door curtain and came in. She apologized to Wen Yun: “We don’t have a guest room at home. Your mother and father’s room isn’t suitable, and your aunt’s room is being prepared. You can pick out the pillow and quilt patterns you like.”

Wen Yun quickly nodded in agreement. She carefully put the bamboo-woven rabbit back and was about to follow Grandma Ruan when she suddenly heard Ruan Yu say: “Grandma, you don’t need to go to all that trouble. Yunyun can stay with me.”

Support After Transmigrating as the “Green Tea” Fake Heiress, I Got My Happy Ending with the Real Heiress