Chapter 1: From the Mountains

Chapter 1

Quan Zhisui had never understood why in TV shows, rich people always lived together in one big household. No matter how big the house, there was no privacy!

Now she understood the reason.

"Miss Zhisui, this is your room," said the nanny Gu Lan as she led her to the door.

The room door was a double door that opened to the left and right, even bigger than a regular front door.

Pushing the doors open revealed a living room-like anteroom, furnished with a sofa, TV and everything needed. Stepping inside, there were two more rooms to the left and right - a bathroom with washer and dryer to the left, and the bedroom to the right.

Gu Lan pointed to the bathroom, "Just throw your dirty clothes in the laundry basket. I'll come every day to clean up, wash and dry them for you, and keep things clean without mixing them up with others'."

She spoke politely, but was subtly explaining the details of living in a wealthy household.

There were no privacy issues here.

Quan Zhisui understood and nodded lightly.

Her father whom she had never met and stepmother had gone through great pains to bring her here from the mountains, yet there was no one here to welcome her when she arrived.

How interesting.

Gu Lan went on, "I'm here specifically to take care of you and your brother's living needs. If you need anything in your life here, you can come to me. Young Master Zichen's room is next to yours."

The entire second floor had four suite rooms. The two on the right were empty for now, while the two on the left were occupied by Quan Zhisui and Zuo Zichen.

Her half-brother whom she had never met...

"What grade is Zuo Zichen in?" she asked.

Gu Lan: "Young Master Zichen is 16 this year, a year younger than you. He just started 10th grade."

Quan Zhisui raised an eyebrow. She wasn't even 17 yet, so the age difference between her and Zuo Zichen was...

quite subtle.

Before this, she knew very little about her own background, only that her mother had died from excessive bleeding while giving birth to her, and that her birth father was very wealthy, with grandparents still living, a stepmother and a younger brother.

Gu Lan glanced at the time. "You rest first. I'll go prepare afternoon tea for you. Do you have any dietary restrictions?"

"Senior brother Ziyin..." Quan Zhisui thought for a moment before asking, "Can you come see me?"

Ziyin: "Give it some time. I'll speak to Master."

"Okay." After hanging up, Quan Zhisui's mood lifted a little. She got up to take a shower.

After her shower, Quan Zhisui changed into the coarse hemp clothes she had brought, long sleeves and pants. It was already autumn, and she wore a single layer that still couldn't keep her warm.

By this time, Gu Lan had cooked the noodles and called her to the dining room.

The huge dining table held three different bowls of noodles - spring noodles, meat sauce noodles, and shrimp noodles. It was clear Gu Lan was sincerely caring for her employer's child.

Quan Zhisui fell silent again, glad she had asked for three bowls instead of one. The portion sizes here were so different from what she was used to. These were truly tiny bowls.

People in Jiangnan really did eat less!

Quan Zhisui was extremely hungry and wolfed down the three bowls quickly, not leaving a single drop of soup behind.

Watching her, Gu Lan felt a little distressed. "The food in the mountains wasn't good?"

Quan Zhisui shook her head. "The food in the mountains was pretty good."

At least she could eat her fill.

Gu Lan patted her hand. "The chef knows you're arriving today and is preparing a feast for dinner."

Looking at the three empty little bowls, Quan Zhisui swallowed her hunger and nodded.

Her usual afternoon practice time was 3-6pm - one hour of zhan zhuang, one hour of fitness training, one hour of sparring.

But now...

She still wasn't full, and with insufficient energy, skipping practice for a day wouldn't hurt, right?

So Quan Zhisui returned to her room and did some stretching on the floor before sitting down to meditate, trying to use seated meditation to rein in her energy and reduce her hunger pangs.

But she couldn't hold back, and started crying as she sat.

Though arduous, life in the mountains was at least free and happy, self-sufficient.

This was the first time in 17 years she had gone hungry!