Volume One

Prologue · Part One: Seeing Is Not Believing

　　On a not-so-wide concrete road, a Land Rover was being driven with remarkable steadiness. The villagers on both sides, upon seeing the Land Rover, shrank back to the edge of the road, letting it pass. These villagers couldn't recognize what kind of car it was, but they could sense that whoever rode in it was definitely not ordinary.

　　For Donghe Village, if it weren't for the "village-to-village" road project, even this narrow concrete road wouldn't exist.

　　The Land Rover stopped more than a hundred meters outside Donghe Village, with the driver carefully parking it on a raised patch of wasteland beside the road.

　　After parking, the driver quickly got out and opened the rear door, from which two young girls stepped out.

　　The first to get out was a girl in a light blue floral dress, her hair casually tied and draped over her shoulders. The long dress, reaching past her knees, accentuated her graceful figure and fair skin.

　　She simply stood by the roadside, yet it seemed as if she had already blended into the landscape, as if she had stepped out of a painting—ethereal and otherworldly.

　　Following her was a girl in blue jeans and a white butterfly blouse. The slightly faded jeans hugged her slender waist and perky hips, making her figure even more striking. Coupled with her short hair, she exuded a vibrant youthful energy. If not for her slightly thin lips, she would be a beauty impossible to look away from. Even so, she was still an exceptionally beautiful girl.

　　This short-haired girl, who got out last, glanced at the stunning face of the girl in the blue dress standing by the road, a trace of barely noticeable jealousy flickering in her eyes.

　　"Lillian Reed, is this Donghe Village?" The girl in the blue dress looked at the scattered, unplanned tile-roofed houses in the distance, as well as some standalone buildings, and asked.

　　The short-haired girl called Lillian Reed giggled, "Of course, there's no mistake. I've been here once before. Come on, Grace Harper, I'll take you to Little Henry's house. Oh, you can actually see it from here—do you see that earthen tile-roofed house in the far eastern corner? That's Little Henry's home."

　　Grace Harper followed Lillian Reed's pointing finger, and when she saw the low, earthen tile-roofed house, she immediately frowned. The village didn't look wealthy, but earthen houses were rare; even the worst were usually brick. She frowned not because Little Henry's house was earthen, but because, despite such poverty, Little Henry was so generous with his spending.

　　"Grace Harper, let's go take a look." Lillian Reed noticed Grace Harper's frown and quickly spoke up.

　　Grace Harper nodded and turned to the driver, saying, "Uncle Grant, just wait for us here."

　　"Yes." The driver replied with utmost respect.

　　……

　　From a distance, the earthen tile-roofed house still looked somewhat decent, but up close, Grace Harper realized just how dilapidated it was. The two battered wooden doors were chained shut with a bicycle lock, but a slight push would reveal a large gap—if you were thin enough, you could squeeze through. Through such a wide gap, you could clearly see the inside of the house from outside.

　　If, from afar, the poverty of this home wasn't so obvious, now, standing at the doorway, Grace Harper finally understood just how poor this family was. Inside, aside from a few worn-out farm tools, there was only a shabby little wooden table, and the kitchen was just a mud stove built in the corner.

　　"This is Little Henry's home?" Grace Harper asked again, her voice trembling.

　　Lillian Reed nodded, "Yes. He also has a younger sister, but she should be working in the fields right now. I heard that it's his sister who pays for Little Henry's schooling. I've been here once before—do you want me to take you to see his sister?"

　　Grace Harper seemed not to hear Lillian Reed's words at all. In her mind, she pictured Little Henry's sincere, natural smile, and remembered how he had waved his hand and said, 'I'll treat you to dinner today.'

　　If it weren't for Little Henry, Grace Harper would never have eaten at such a shabby little restaurant. She was afraid that if they went somewhere nicer, Little Henry wouldn't be able to afford it. For a man, not being able to pay when dining with a woman was a huge loss of face. Since she was with Little Henry, she didn't want him to lose face.

　　But she never imagined that Little Henry's family was this poor, and that he had a sister working the fields to support his education.

　　Suddenly, a surge of anger rose in her heart. Letting his own sister toil in the fields so he could study, and yet he dared to spend money so freely. Behind Little Henry's sunny smile, there was such a shameless heart.