"That mother doesn't deserve to be called a mother; it’s disgusting."

"The stepfather’s family really belongs in jail."

"This girl is so strong; she climbed up from next to a garbage dump and opened five shops on her own."

Lucy deleted all her social media.

Gary’s phone stopped connecting.

Beth’s hospital room was surrounded by reporters, kept out by hospital security.

There was one detail Fang Ran told me later.

When interviewing Beth, Fang Ran asked her: "Do you regret what you did to your daughter?"

Beth, lying in the hospital bed, was silent for a long time.

Then she said one sentence.

"I didn't think she was my child at the time. She looked too much like her dad. Every time I looked at her, I thought of Yuanzheng. Yuanzheng was gone, and I hated him. I hated him for leaving us behind."

Fang Ran said that when Beth said this, she didn't cry.

Her eyes were dry.

After hearing this, I stood in the back kitchen of the shop, holding a chef’s knife and slicing ginger.

The knife made a rhythmic "thud, thud" sound on the cutting board.

She hated my father.

So she beat me.

Because I looked like him. Because I reminded her of the man who left her behind.

Six years of abuse, all because of this.

Not because of a steamed bun.

It was never about a steamed bun.

The bun was just an excuse.

She needed a reason to hit me, any reason would do.

"Nora." Lu called me from the doorway.

"Mhm."

"Grandma C called. She said to go home early tonight; she made the pork rib soup you love."

"Okay."

"Also, Cole said he’ll accompany you to court on Wednesday."

"I don't need him to accompany me."

"He said you’d say that, so he said he’s going regardless of what you say."

I finished slicing the ginger, looked up, and glanced at Lu.

"Suit yourself."

On Wednesday, the property case went to court.

The courtroom wasn't large, with about a dozen people in the gallery.

There were reporters, citizens observing the case, Officer He from the Veterans Affairs Bureau, and Liu Tiezhu with his three comrades.

They were in civilian clothes, but they sat straight as if they were on guard duty.

Gary appeared in court.

He brought Lawyer Sun, and the two of them sat at the defendant's table, one pale and the other grim.

Gary had lost a lot of weight, and his hair seemed to have turned quite a bit whiter.

Sienna’s opening statement was clean and sharp.

"The plaintiff, Jiang Nora, is the daughter of the martyr Jiang Yuanzheng. The property in question is located at Building 3, Unit 2, 501, in the East City Military Family Compound, originally registered under Beth on behalf of her minor child, Jiang Nora. In March 2013, without court approval, Beth transferred the property to the defendant, Gary, for zero yuan in the form of a 'gift.' This behavior severely violates Article 35 of the Civil Code regarding the responsibilities of a guardian, harming the legitimate property interests of the ward. The plaintiff requests the court to confirm this transfer as invalid and restore the original registration of the property."

The judge turned to the defendant's table: "Does the defendant have any comments?"

Lawyer Sun stood up, his voice unsteady: "We argue that the transfer at the time was agreed upon by the guardian—"

"Objection." Sienna stood up immediately. "A guardian's agreement does not equate to legality. The Civil Code clearly stipulates that the disposal of a ward’s property must be approved by a court. No court approval process existed in this case."

The judge looked at Lawyer Sun: "Does the defendant have the relevant court approval documents?"

Lawyer Sun lowered his head: "No."

There was silence in the courtroom for two seconds.

The judge struck the gavel: "Given that the facts of the case are clear and the evidence is sufficient, this court will issue a verdict on a later date."

"On a later date" usually meant soon.

When we walked out of the courthouse, the sunlight was blinding.

Liu Tiezhu walked over and patted my shoulder firmly.

"Nora, your father’s house will be yours again soon."

I nodded.

"Uncle Liu, thank you."

"What are you thanking me for? It’s only right. You’re Yuanzheng’s daughter, which makes you our daughter."

The three old veterans behind him nodded, their eyes all red.

I stood on the courthouse steps, feeling the breeze.

This time, the wind wasn't cold.

Chapter 19

The verdict arrived quickly, in seven working days.

The transfer of ownership was confirmed invalid, and the original property registration was restored.

In other words, that house was back in my name.

At the same time, the court ruled that Gary’s use of the illegally obtained property for a mortgage loan constituted an act of disposal without authority, and the bank’s mortgage rights could not supersede those of the true owner. The bank’s loss would have to be borne by Gary himself.

The thirty-thousand-yuan loan hole fell squarely on Gary’s head.

On the day the news spread, Lu nearly jumped up in the office.

"Nora! We won!"

"It’s not over yet."

"What else is there?"

"The misappropriation of the pension. That’s another case."

The pension matter was more complex than the property. Because the money was deposited directly into Beth’s account, she had joint beneficiary rights as a surviving spouse. However, the child education subsidy and certain targeted pension funds are legally intended exclusively for orphaned minors.

Sienna was preparing the second lawsuit.

But just at this critical moment, something completely unexpected happened.

Beth contacted me voluntarily.

Not through Lucy, and not through relatives.

She did it through the reporter, Fang Ran.

When Fang Ran called me, her voice was hesitant.

"Nora, your mother asked me to relay something to you."

"What is it?"

"She said she is willing to cooperate with your pension recovery case and will provide all bank statements and consumption records."

I was stunned.

"What’s the condition?"

"She said there are no conditions."

"Impossible."

"Her exact words were: 'Whatever must be returned will be returned, and whatever must be acknowledged will be acknowledged. But I want to see her once and say a few words. Not to ask her to donate her liver.'"

I was silent for a long time.

"Let me think about it."

Back at the shop, I told Grandma C about it.

Grandma C was in the kitchen skimming foam off the chicken soup, her movements slow and steady.

"Do you believe her?"

"No."

"Then are you going?"

"I don’t know."

"Nora." Grandma C put down the spoon and looked at me earnestly.

"What are you afraid of?"

I thought for a moment.

"I’m afraid she’ll say something that will make me soft-hearted."

"Being soft-hearted isn't a bad thing."

"But—"

"Listen to me. You don’t owe her anything. But you can choose to listen to what she has to say. After listening, you can still do what you need to do. Cooking is all about 'getting the heat right'—the heat between you and her has reached the point where it’s time to uncover the pot."

That evening, I went to the hospital.

Beth was alone in her ward.

Lucy wasn't there. Gary was even less likely to be.

She was thinner than the last time I saw her.

Skin and bones, deep-set eye sockets, her lips covered in dry, peeling skin. An IV drip was inserted into the back of her hand, which was covered in needle marks.

I pulled up a chair and sat down a meter away from the bed.

"Speak."

She looked at me, her lips moved a few times before she could make a sound.

"Nora... Mom hid some things from you for many years."

"Say it."

"Your father... he came home once before he left."

My breath hitched for a moment.

"When?"

"August 2004. Before he received his mission, he took three days of leave to come back. You were in kindergarten then; he went to pick you up from school and took you to eat ice cream."

I didn't remember.

My memories of being four years old were almost a blank slate.

"He argued with me during those three days he was home."

"What about?"

Beth closed her eyes.

"He discovered I was involved with someone else."

My blood suddenly turned cold.

"What do you mean?"

"It’s just... at that time, your father was away all year round, and I was raising you alone; life was hard. There was someone who was good to me and helped me often. As time went on..."

"You cheated."

She didn't deny it.

"You were with someone else while my father was still alive."

Tears streamed down her face.

"After Yuanzheng found out, we had a huge fight. He said he would apply to be transferred back. He said he would take you away and wouldn't let you stay with me."

"And then?"