A distant great-aunt passed away, leaving me a massive inheritance. But there was a catch: to inherit the money, I had to raise her autistic grandson. 1 "How much?" I asked the lawyer. He pushed his glasses up his nose and stated a figure I absolutely could not refuse. "And that's not including the real estate," he added. My eyes lit up. I dusted off my knees, which were dirty from moving boxes all day. "Deal. Where do I sign?" "Ms. Davis, do you accept the attached conditions?" "It's just raising a person, right? With that kind of money, I could raise a whole football team." Mr. Wu, the lawyer, looked displeased. "He is not a typical person. You might need to thoroughly educate yourself on individuals with his specific condition." I thought about it for a second. "Alright, let's meet him first, then we'll talk." The next day at noon, I was a few minutes late arriving at the agreed-upon location. My team lead at the corporate grind-house had a habit of terrorizing employees. I couldn't even count how many interns he had made cry. If I didn't need the money to pay off my debts, I would have bailed ages ago. 2 When I arrived, I spotted Mr. Wu from a distance. He pointed toward a flower shop nearby, looking a bit exasperated. "He's over there. Let's head over, and I'll explain on the way." I walked with him into an absurdly large flower shop. Calling it a flower shop felt like an understatement; it was more like a mini botanical garden. "Oliver loves plants. He even majored in botany abroad. You must remember this: his one and only interest is plants." I was surprised. "You mean he can study at a university level?" Mr. Wu gave me a deadpan look. "He has autism. He's not stupid." I nodded sheepishly. Mr. Wu reminded me, "If you can't get him to accept you as family, you forfeit your right to the inheritance." "So what's the metric for 'accepting' me?" "That he is willing to live with you." Mr. Wu continued listing things to watch out for, but my attention was suddenly hijacked by a figure standing ahead. 3 The young man was tall, lean, and pale. His eyes were starkly black and white, incredibly clear. He was staring unblinking at a potted plant in front of him. Sunlight filtered through the transparent skylight, casting a dusting of golden light over him. He reached out a long, slender finger and tapped a leaf. "Are you sick?" his voice was barely a whisper. "Is that him?" I asked Mr. Wu. He adjusted his glasses and gave a solemn nod. "Oliver, your aunt is here." I quickly waved my hands. "I'm barely a few years older than him. Just call me by my name." But clearly, Oliver was more familiar with Mr. Wu. Without even looking up, he repeated, "Auntie." I tentatively walked up to him. "Do you like this tree?" It was like he didn't even hear me. He just gently stroked the leaves, as if he were healing the plant. When we left the shop, I bought that potted plant and gave it to Oliver. When he took it, he softly whispered, "Thank you." According to the contract, I took Oliver home to live with me. If we made it smoothly through the next three months, I would receive the entire inheritance. 4 The apartment I rented wasn't huge, but it was perfectly fine for two people. Plus, it was close to my office, so I hadn't considered moving. Oliver was visibly tense in the new environment. The only things he said to me were, "Where is Grandma?" or "Where is Mr. Wu?" I didn't sugarcoat it. "Grandma passed away, and Mr. Wu is very busy. You're going to live with me from now on, okay?" He didn't say anything, so I assumed he agreed. But when I got home from work, he was gone. Panicking, I didn't even take off my shoes and was about to rush out to find him, when I suddenly heard a noise from the balcony. I walked over and saw him huddled in the corner of the balcony, hiding himself behind a plant stand. He sat on the floor quietly, like a silent, dormant plant. I parted the dense leaves of a spider plant. He instinctively looked up, his eyes crystal clear. I breathed a sigh of relief. "Time to eat." 5 He didn't get up. He just asked me, "Where is Grandma?" "She passed away, remember?" It took a long moment before he blinked. "Grandma passed away." "Come on out, let's eat first." He shrank further into the corner, pressing his hands tightly over his ears. "I don't like it here. I want to go home." Feeling helpless, I tried to coax him. "I'll take you home after we eat." He hesitated, dawdling for a long time before finally coming out. Mr. Wu had mentioned that Oliver had been living abroad for treatment since he was ten. It would take time for him to adjust to life back in the States. At the dinner table, he managed to eat half a bowl of rice. I breathed another sigh of relief. It was a very strange feeling. He felt like a rare, exotic plant that had just been transplanted into my home, and I was a novice gardener, trying to meticulously control every environmental factor to ensure he survived. After all, he was my literal money tree. 6 "Good job." I patted his head praisingly. He didn't pull away; he even reached up and patted his own head. His hair was fluffy and soft, kind of like the texture of a yew tree. The yew tree was the potted plant I had bought for him. After dinner, he gathered the bowls and took them into the kitchen, then turned around to look at me. "What is it?" "There's no dishwasher here. But the housekeeper usually puts the bowls in the dishwasher." I rolled up my sleeves. "It's fine, go play." He stood in the kitchen doorway, staring at me for a long time before walking away, looking exactly like a rich kid who had never seen how the peasants lived. By the time I finished cleaning the kitchen, he was talking to himself, facing the potted plant. As I mopped the floor, I moved closer. Listening carefully, I realized he was reciting the specific characteristics of that type of plant. The technical jargon completely went over my head. When he finished, I tried to strike up a conversation. "Are you talking to it?" "I'm talking to you." "Got it. I'm listening." He seemed a bit happy about that and crouched down to talk to the spider plant. I could tell he was incredibly familiar with the habits of these plants. When I finished mopping, he finally stood up and said, "Auntie, I want to go home now." 7 "You don't want to live with me?" "I live with Grandma." "Grandma passed away. She asked me to take care of you. You're going to live with me from now on, okay?" He immediately grew agitated. "No. I don't want Auntie." I rubbed my temples. Great, issues on day one. "I want to go home," he repeated stubbornly. A sudden idea hit me. I pointed to the half-dead plants sitting on my windowsill. "If you leave, what will happen to them? There's no one to help me take care of them. They'll die." He froze, his expression turning conflicted. I crouched down in front of him, clasping my hands together in a pleading gesture. "Could you please help me take care of them? I'm begging you." "When they bloom, I'm going home." Judging by his words, he had agreed to stay. 8 I catered to his interests, gradually turning the apartment into a botanical garden. Plants became our medium of communication. After a month of living together, he had at least grown used to my presence. Oliver possessed a genuine talent for gardening. My jasmine plant, which had never flowered before, suddenly sprouted numerous buds. He even knew exactly what time the flowers would open. He would sit on the balcony in the middle of the night waiting, and the moment a flower bloomed, he'd shake me awake. Rubbing my sleepy eyes, I'd let him drag me out to look at the flowers. When Oliver was happy, his eyes would sparkle like starlight, making them look even more vivid and alive. "Does Nora like flowers?" he asked me. Ever since I told him my name, he switched between calling me Auntie and Nora. "I like them," I said, stifling a yawn. "I have lots and lots of flowers at home. Mr. Wu said someone is taking care of them, but I want to go home." He was talking about his home abroad. Oliver had a 3,000-square-foot greenhouse there. "When I get some time off, I'll go back with you." He didn't reject the idea this time. He smiled and said okay. 9 One day, I came home from work, and the elderly neighbor next door was giving me a very weird look. She shook her head and sighed as she walked past me. My head was full of question marks. Before I could process it, my front door was pushed open. My ex-boyfriend, Mark, stood there, looking at me with a mocking sneer. "Wow, Nora. We haven't even been broken up for two months, and you've already moved some random guy in?" I pushed past him. Oliver was carrying dishes to the table. "Auntie, time to eat." I whipped around and slapped Mark across the face. "You made him cook?!" Mark clutched his cheek and roared, "I cooked the damn food! He insisted on carrying it!" 10 A bizarre silence descended over the dinner table. After a long time, I finally spoke. "Give me back the key." "You're pretty ruthless," Mark said, crossing his arms and looking Oliver up and down. "He's a relative on Richard's side. Does he even count as your nephew?" "If he found me, he counts," I replied. Mark knew I came from a blended family. Richard was my stepdad. He died of a heart attack after his business failed, leaving behind a mountain of debt. Mark’s lips twitched in a sneer. "It’s one thing to pay off Richard’s debts, but to take on a massive burden like this? Have you lost your mind?" "You don't understand." He wasn't a burden; he was my money tree. Mark let out a harsh scoff. "I'm preparing to study abroad. I'm leaving in a few days." I remained expressionless. "Congratulations." "I said I'm leaving the country, and you have no reaction? You're not going to ask me to stay?" Before I could even open my mouth, Oliver suddenly chimed in. "Don't want him to stay."
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