novelraw Chapter 362: The Naughty Boy of the Walker Family Often Sat on the Wall, Picking Green Fruit to Throw at Her
Chapter 362: The Naughty Boy of the Walker Family Often Sat on the Wall, Picking Green Fruit to Throw at Her
"Sometimes we would go inside the house to check things out, pull up weeds, kill some bugs and such. Now that you’re back, perfect timing, here’s the key for you."
Auntie Walker said as she went to find the key.
Delphine stood in their neighbor’s house, turning her face away and blinking her moist eyes.
Uncle Walker, who was standing nearby, mentioned the house with a slight excitement, saying, "Girl, a couple of years ago, our town was designated as a national Old Town preservation area. This house is worth quite a lot now. If you don’t understand the market, don’t sell it rashly."
"All you ever think about is selling houses." Auntie Walker shot her husband a glance, then smilingly handed the key to Delphine, saying, "It’s Chinese New Year’s Eve, and luckily the house is stocked up for the holiday—with fish and meat ready. You stay here for dinner, then I’ll take you over to have a look."
"Thank you." She lowered her eyes, holding back tears, and sincerely expressed her gratitude. She tightly clenched the key in her palm. It turned out this had always been her home—a shelter from the storm left to her by her grandmother.
"Oh right, girl, where have you been all these years? Didn’t Beatrice Carter marry the wealthy guy? Why have you come back alone on the twenty-eighth of the twelfth lunar month? After you left, there were even people asking about your whereabouts, saying they were looking for family ties."
"Yes, that’s true—it’s been several years now. The people who came were driving several cars; my boy said those cars weren’t cheap." Although the small town folk hadn’t seen much of the world, their customs were simple and sincere. Having been neighbors for many years, the couple exchanged a look and vividly recalled, "They were inquiring about Beatrice Carter, and even specially asked about you too. How would we know about Beatrice Carter’s whereabouts? In the end, they left us a phone number and departed disappointed."
"That was ages ago. We’ve had several phones lost since then, and the number’s gone now too." Uncle Walker smiled apologetically.
"Your lousy memory! I told you to write it down!" Auntie Walker grumbled.
"I did write it down, but the notebook where the number was written is gone too. Must’ve been torn up by the kids playing around." Uncle Walker’s voice grew quieter.
Delphine’s heart surged and plummeted, a mix of elation and distress. Her first thought was that her biological father had come for her, only to have lost touch again. Her mood swung into a deep trough after the joy and sorrow collided, and she didn’t know what to say but woodenly responded, "These past years, thank you both so much. Losing the number doesn’t matter. I’ll put out an ad; if they realize the owner of the house has returned, they’ll definitely come back."
"Yes, yes. You young folks are always full of ideas," Auntie Walker said with a smile.
That evening, Delphine was invited to stay for dinner at the Walker Family’s house. The couple had a son who had been working out of town and wouldn’t return home until Chinese New Year’s Eve. In Delphine’s memories, he had been a mischievous troublemaker. Back when she’d come home from school, the mischievous Walker boy often sat on the courtyard wall, picking green fruits from the trees to pelt her with or intentionally shaking caterpillars from the trees to scare her.
She had developed a deep psychological aversion to caterpillars for quite some time.
After dinner, she unlocked the old house and pushed open the door to enter. The houses in the small town were all Ming and Qing-era buildings, passed down through generations, secluded and unchanged. This isolation ensured the outside world’s bustling modernity hadn’t intruded prematurely, and by the time the townsfolk recognized the drastic transformations beyond, the town was already listed as a cultural heritage site. It was protected, and tourism was developed around it.
Delphine took a deep breath. Upon entering, she was greeted by the familiar courtyard and a tall, lush loquat tree.