Transmigration; Married to My Ex-Fiancé's Uncle-Chapter 378; Reclaiming 3

"Gentle," Shuyin laughed, catching the girl’s wrists and guiding her movements with patient instruction. "Roots need space to breathe. They can’t establish properly if we pack the soil too tightly."

Together, the three of them worked the earth around the base, patting and shaping until the tree stood secure. When finished, the small peach tree stood slightly crooked, its leaves trembling in the breeze, imperfect and alive and beautiful in ways that manufactured perfection could never achieve.

Shuyin stepped back to observe their work. For a brief second, reality seemed to overlap with memory. She could almost see another version of this garden, her mother sitting beneath spring blossoms years ago, sunlight falling through pink petals, laughter carried on warm air scented with growth and possibility. The vision passed quickly, fading like morning mist, but it left warmth behind instead of pain. Hope instead of loss.

Hours stretched as work continued. The garden bore less resemblance to its morning state with each passing moment. Rigid symmetry had been dismantled. In its place grew uneven soil marked with planting lines, tools scattered across the space, workers laughing quietly as they rested in the shade. The air smelled richer now, carrying the scent of damp earth instead of chemical fertilizer, life instead of maintenance.

Finally, when the sun had climbed well past noon and exhaustion had won decisively over enthusiasm, Shuyin called a halt. Not because the garden was finished, it remained far from complete, but because every single person present was coated head to toe in layers of dried mud that had begun cracking uncomfortably.

Yuyan looked down at herself and burst into fresh laughter despite her tiredness. "I think I’ve actually become part of the soil. I may have achieved botanical transformation."

Chen Xiao examined his hands with serious concentration, turning them over repeatedly as if unsure how human skin could possibly reach this particular shade of brown.

Shuyin pushed damp, tangled hair away from her face, leaving yet another streak of dirt across her cheek in the process. When she tried brushing mud from her sleeve, dried flakes simply crumbled and fell, landing right back where they’d started. She sighed in resignation.

"All right," she declared to the assembled group. "Strategic retreat before we permanently fuse with the landscape. Everyone needs cleaning."

The head maid stepped forward cautiously, clearly uncertain about the proper protocol for this unusual situation. "Miss, there is an outdoor washing area near the west courtyard. The gardeners typically use it after heavy work. It’s simple but functional."

"Perfect," Shuyin said immediately, already heading in that direction. "Lead the way."

The outdoor washing area sat tucked behind a row of hedges, designed for practicality rather than elegance. Simple stone flooring sloped gently toward drainage channels. Several wall-mounted shower heads jutted from weathered brick. Sunlight poured generously over the entire space, warming stone that would otherwise have been uncomfortably cold.

The moment water turned on, Yuyan shrieked dramatically. "It’s freezing! Actual ice water!"

"That’s because it’s water from the well," Lu Yuze replied with perfect calm, though he stepped carefully beyond splash range. "Not heated for delicate sensibilities."

Shuyin laughed and stepped directly beneath the stream anyway, not bothering with gradual adjustment. Mud melted instantly from her clothes and skin, dark rivulets running across warm stone toward drainage channels that swallowed the evidence of their morning’s work. She tilted her face upward, closing her eyes as cool water washed away accumulated sweat, layers of soil, and lingering emotional heaviness she hadn’t fully realized she’d been carrying.

For a moment, she simply stood there beneath the falling water. Breathing. Existing. Letting the past rinse away with the mud, watching it disappear down drains that would carry it far from this place.

Beside her, Yuyan finally surrendered to necessity and jumped under another shower head, squealing dramatically while scrubbing her arms with vigor. Chen Xiao hesitated at the edge of the washing area, his characteristic caution reasserting itself. Unfamiliar spaces and sudden changes always slowed him down, made him evaluate safety before committing.

Shuyin crouched slightly so she was level with him, water dripping steadily from her soaked hair. She held out one hand in invitation. "It’s just rain that listens to instructions," she said gently, offering an explanation he could understand. "Nothing scary. Just water doing what water does."

After a pause filled with internal debate, he stepped forward tentatively. The stream hit his small shoulders and he flinched hard, then blinked in surprise when nothing bad followed. Slowly, cautiously, he lifted his hands into the flow, watching with fascination as mud disappeared from his fingers like magic. A small smile appeared as he realized this was safe, that joy was permitted here.

Soon all three were laughing again as Yuyan deliberately splashed water toward Shuyin, earning immediate and enthusiastic retaliation. Chen Xiao joined in with careful aim, his throws precise even in play.

When they finally emerged from the washing area, still damp but significantly cleaner, Shuyin felt lighter than she had in years. The garden behind them remained incomplete and would require weeks or months of continued work. But the foundation had been laid. The first tree was planted. The first real step was taken toward restoration.

They made their way back toward the mansion proper, leaving wet footprints across expensive terrace stone. As they approached the main entrance, Shuyin’s mind shifted gears from garden restoration to the larger project that awaited inside.

She turned to Lu Yuze as they crossed the threshold into the cooler interior. "I need your help with something," she said, her tone carrying the weight of a significant request. "The garden was just the beginning. The entire mansion needs the same treatment."

Lu Yuze’s eyebrows rose slightly. "You want to redecorate the entire house?"

"I want to erase them," Shuyin corrected, her voice quiet but carrying absolute conviction. "Every room Lin Feng and Madam Chen claimed as theirs. Every piece of furniture they chose. Every decoration that reflects their taste instead of my family’s history. I want it all removed and replaced with things that belong here. Things that remember who this house was built for."