"Clara, the road ahead is too rough for the tricycle to pass. Let’s unload your things; I'll carry them for you," said Mr. Aubert, his expression a mix of concern and resignation.
It had rained the day before, leaving the dirt path wet and uneven. After the tricycle nearly tipped over again, the sixty-something Mr. Aubert sighed heavily and brought it to a halt.
"No need, Mr. Aubert. I can manage by myself, really," Clara said, pulling her backpack onto her shoulders and climbing out of the tricycle’s cargo bed. She reached in and lifted her suitcase.
"You've already done so much for me. Without your help, I wouldn’t have even made it into the mountains," she added with a grateful smile.
Fresh out of college and yet to secure a job, Clara had found herself in a bind when her school informed her she couldn’t stay on campus any longer. With nowhere to go, a letter arrived just in time—a letter from someone she hadn’t heard from in over a decade: her grandmother.
Clara remembered the brief period she had lived with her grandmother as a child, back when her parents were in the midst of their messy divorce. But after the legal battles ended and custody was awarded to her father, a life of constant relocation followed. Over time, any connection to her mother’s side of the family gradually faded.The last call she received was in sixth grade. Her mom told her she might be away on a long business trip and asked Clara Pierce to take care of herself. After that, her mom never called again.
By the time Clara started middle school, her dad remarried. Soon after, her stepmom had Clara’s younger siblings. With the growing family came mounting financial pressures.
Her stepmom wasn’t a bad person, but naturally, she paid more attention to her own children, who were much younger.
During her sophomore year winter break, Clara went home and found that the two-bedroom apartment no longer had room for her. Her stepmom arranged for her to share the room with her little sister while her brother stayed in the living room. However, after two colds and a near-pneumonia scare for her brother, her presence seemed more like an inconvenience.
From then on, Clara chose to stay at school during holidays, working to earn her living expenses.
Before graduating college, Clara called her dad to say she had found a job. She wouldn’t be coming home after graduation as she’d start work right away. On the other end, her dad and stepmom said all the right things but clearly sounded relieved.
When Clara was scanning for hostels and cheap rentals online, a letter unexpectedly arrived. Well, more like a will. Her grandmother had passed a year ago, and only then did Clara learn that her mom had gone missing back when she was in sixth grade.Mr. Aubert and the villagers spent a whole year tracking down Clara Pierce to hand over her grandmother's will and the keys to the old house.
The house in the mountains wasn’t worth much.
But for Clara, who had nowhere else to go, it was like a safe harbor.
Finally, she could pack up her stuff and leave, ignoring the awkward expressions of the dormitory matron.
Though, “packing up” might be a bit of a stretch—she barely had anything.
Just a suitcase, a backpack, and a small shoulder bag.
Clara rode a green train, switched to a long-haul bus, then changed to a city bus, followed by a village minibus, and finally arrived at Luan Village just outside the mountains. From there, she had to take a man-powered tricycle to get onto the narrow winding path that cut through the cliffs.
And even then, there was still a few hundred meters of dirt road left to go.
The yellow mud path was rough and muddy, overgrown with weeds on either side. Even the tricycle couldn’t make it farther, which meant the rest would have to be on foot.
Mr. Aubert, being older, looked a little hesitant about the slippery mountain paths, but his gaze kept drifting toward the old house just up ahead, his unease clearly lingering.
“Clara, why don’t you stay out here first? Wait till your dad or someone comes, then go back to the old place together.”"Clara, the old house hasn’t been lived in for over a year. The place might not attract bad folks, but it's crawling with snakes, bugs, and other critters. It’s not safe for a young girl like you," Mr. Aubert said, his voice tinged with concern.
Clara gave him a reassuring smile and waved off his worry. "It's fine, Mr. Aubert. I studied agriculture in college. I’ve spent plenty of time in the fields and countryside. A few snakes and bugs won’t scare me."
She had fibbed earlier, telling Mr. Aubert that her dad and some relatives would join her later. That little white lie was probably the only reason he had agreed to drive her into the mountains. In truth, she hadn’t called anyone, nor was she expecting visitors.
“Uh, but it’s not just that. There are... well, wild animals out there too. Stay alert,” Mr. Aubert said, his words stuttering as though he debated whether to continue speaking. He bit his tongue, worried about alarming her.
After a moment’s hesitation, he rummaged through his rickety tricycle and pulled out a stout bamboo stick and a sickle. Handing them to Clara, he said, “When you’re walking on the mountain path, make sure to whack the grass on both sides first. Give it a couple of minutes, and once they scatter, you can keep going.”
“Got it! Thank you, Mr. Aubert. I’ll hold onto these and return them once I’ve settled in,” Clara replied, her tone full of gratitude. She knew well enough that he wouldn’t accept a penny for his help, so she thanked him repeatedly as a show of appreciation."Mr. Aubert, I just graduated and didn’t bring much with me. Once I’ve settled in a bit, I’ll come down to thank you properly."
Mr. Aubert waved his hand quickly, refusing outright, "Clara, what are you saying? It’s no big deal, no need to thank me."
Still, he couldn’t hide his worry for Clara’s safety, "Just take care of yourself. If your dad and the others come, or you start feeling scared, come stay in the village. My place is always open for you."
Clara smiled and said goodbye to him.
She carried her backpack, slinging a sickle onto the handle of her luggage in one hand while gripping a bamboo stick in the other, using it to push aside the heavy overgrowth that had long swallowed the mountain path.
Mr. Aubert stood there watching her walk away for a while before shaking his head with a sigh, "Just like her grandmother, brave as ever."
And with that, he pedaled his three-wheeler back down the narrow, rugged trail leading to the outside.
...
Meanwhile, Clara carefully pushed her way through overgrown foliage with the bamboo stick, making slow progress.
The mountain path seemed short, but getting through it wasn’t easy.
That few hundred meters stretched into half an hour, with frequent stops to rest.
Thankfully, she’d thought to wear long pants and a long-sleeved shirt this time—otherwise, the edges of the wild grass would’ve scratched her skin raw.
Finally standing at the old courtyard gates, Clara froze momentarily as countless childhood memories flooded back all at once.
She knew exactly what Mr. Aubert had hesitated to bring up earlier.
It was about the mountain spirits. She remembered from her brief stay at her grandmother's house that folks outside the mountain always gossiped about strange creatures living deep in the woods. No one dared to venture in, except her grandmother.
Her grandmother wasn’t the least bit afraid. Clara Pierce had even seen it herself—her grandmother would carefully put leftovers into a bowl and place it by the backyard gate, like she was intentionally leaving it for something.
As a child, Clara was scared, but growing up, she realized there were scarier things in life than some rumored creatures in the mountains. Her philosophy was simple: leave them alone, and they’d leave you alone.
The biggest surprise in her grandmother’s will wasn’t just inheriting the old mountain house but discovering that her grandmother—who once owned just a single peak—had bought up five or six surrounding ones before her passing.
In other words, except for the mountain between the village and the old house, every peak encircling the property was now part of the inheritance. Some of the mountains even had long lease agreements spanning decades.
Clara had inherited it all.
