Free Web NovelChapter 105: Chapter 104: Arrangements
The car drove at a steady pace toward the Shenghai West District. The further they went, the smoother the roads became, yet the pedestrians grew increasingly sparse.
This was the domain of Shenghai’s top elite.
Fu Juemin sat inside, gazing out the window at the passing stables, greenhouses, and tennis courts. He only occasionally glimpsed a small patch of farmland or undeveloped land; most of the landscape was dotted with luxurious, distinctly styled mansions, scattered like pearls. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
He and Fu Guosheng had fallen silent, his mind still preoccupied with thoughts of Madam Ding and his deceased mother.
His predecessor’s mother had died young, leaving not even a single photograph behind. His predecessor’s memories of her were faint, to say nothing of Fu Juemin’s own.
All he knew of this mother he had inherited was a name, one with a very rare surname.
Her surname was Wan, her given name Qingdong.
It sounded just like the name of a heroine from a romance novel.
From what his father, Fu Guosheng, had let slip, back when this Madam Ding was just a slip of a girl, she and his deceased mother had been as close as sisters.
’Best friends, huh?’
’The kind of friends who’d give you half a street just like that...’
Fu Juemin rested his hands on his knees, unable to quite describe the feeling.
In any case, it was good news.
Of course, he wouldn’t know for sure until he met this Madam Ding.
The car drove on for another half an hour before finally slowing to a stop.
They had arrived.
The car door was opened from the outside, and Fu Juemin and Fu Guosheng stepped out.
A middle-aged man in a dark ochre robe who looked like a butler waited outside, flanked by a large group of servants in short jackets with ink-wash embroidery.
Upon seeing them, he said nothing. He simply approached, cupped his hands in greeting, and, having observed the proper courtesies, led them forward.
Before Fu Juemin’s eyes was a sprawling garden.
A solid green brick wall, nearly three meters high, encircled the entire estate. Dark grey tiles capped the wall, which was punctuated by a row of latticed stone windows. Through them, Fu Juemin could faintly glimpse the deep, ink-like greenery within.
When they reached the estate’s entrance, he saw a plaque hanging above the gate. It had gold lettering on a green background, bearing the two words "Ink Garden." And below that, the signature...
Fu Juemin’s gaze flickered. He recognized the name: Wen Zhiqiu.
Upon entering the estate, the path was immediately shaded by a long wisteria trellis. Of course, there were no flowers in bloom at this time of year.
Further in were exquisitely manicured trees, elegant rockeries, pavilions, and waterside gazebos. As he crossed a Nine-Bend Bridge carved from a single block of Xiuyan jade, Fu Juemin spotted several rare Cinnabar Carp swimming below.
He lost track of time as they wound their way through the maze-like, Chinese-style garden. Every time Fu Juemin thought, ’We must be almost there,’ the path would stretch on for an unknowable distance.
He had once thought the Fu Family’s residence on the Luan River was grand and luxurious enough. But stepping into this estate, he finally understood the difference between the true elite and a provincial tycoon.
Finally, Fu Juemin spotted a stretch of Profound-black glazed tiles. A massive, hipped-roof building came into view, but before he could get a good look, the butler was already leading them toward a heated pavilion situated just outside it.
From a distance, he could see the back of a woman in the heated pavilion. She was wearing an ink-black fur cape.
"Madam, the guests have arrived."
As they drew near, the woman turned.
When Fu Juemin saw her face, he found she was quite different from what he had imagined.
She was no conventional beauty; in fact, she was rather plain. Her face was slightly square, her lips touched with a hint of lipstick. Her skin was a cool, pale white, and her calm eyes held a trace of weariness.
The woman smiled at Fu Juemin, then her gaze shifted to Fu Guosheng beside him. "Guosheng," she said, "you can leave us. Lingjun and I need to speak alone."
Fu Juemin froze. Then he watched as his father, Fu Guosheng, actually nodded and left without a word, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
The formality and distance between them made him start to believe that this Madam Ding and Fu Guosheng truly didn’t have any sort of romantic relationship. Even if they had in the past, it was certainly over now.
Everyone else retreated from the heated pavilion, leaving the two of them alone.
Fu Juemin was considering how to break the silence when the woman beckoned to him.
"Come, a little closer. Let me get a good look at you."
Hesitantly, Fu Juemin took two steps forward, lowered his head, and murmured, "Madam Ding."
"Call me Aunt Ding."
Madam Ding smiled. She then naturally placed a hand on his shoulder and began to meticulously straighten his collar, which wasn’t even messy. Her movements were as practiced and familiar as those of a close relative who had watched him grow up.
"Was the journey cold? The winters in Shenghai are so damp. The first few years after I moved here, I swear I wanted to walk around wrapped in a blanket every winter.
But you get used to it after a while..."
"Guosheng told me you all suffered a great deal on your way here. And to arrive in Shenghai only to have the whole family squeezed into that tiny old house... My heart aches just hearing about it..."
"From now on, you will live here at Ink Garden. Don’t let Fu Guosheng come; you should stay and keep me company..."
Madam Ding spoke softly, her words flowing one after another.
She continued to pat and adjust Fu Juemin’s collar, yet it seemed as though she wasn’t speaking to him at all.
Finally, she fell silent, her gaze fixed on Fu Juemin.
Fu Juemin could clearly see her eyes turning faintly red, swirling with an emotion so complex he couldn’t begin to decipher it.
"Aunt... Ding?"
Fu Juemin called out tentatively.
For a moment, a dazed, lost look appeared in Madam Ding’s eyes. She quickly turned her head away. When she looked back, her initial composure had returned, though her gaze upon Fu Juemin was now even softer.
"Lingjun, is that right?"
"Aunt Ding."
Fu Juemin nodded politely. It was as if their meeting was only now truly beginning.
"Your eyes, your brows, the shape of your lips... you look so much like Dongdong."
Madam Ding studied Fu Juemin’s features, a loving affection apparent in her gaze.
Fu Juemin meekly lowered his head, saying nothing. Madam Ding continued, "Guosheng tells me you enjoy practicing with guns and martial arts?"
Fu Juemin nodded. Madam Ding smiled and clapped her hands lightly.
The next instant, Fu Juemin saw a black shadow flash, and two figures appeared abruptly before him.
They were twin giants, both well over two meters tall. They stood in the heated pavilion like two black walls, their heads nearly scraping the ceiling.
The two were nearly identical, with skin as rough as hewn granite, high cheekbones, and stark, hard features.
One of them stared at Fu Juemin without expression. As Fu Juemin met his gaze, he felt a sharp prick in his eyes and subconsciously activated Yao Ling...
DONG—
The sound that filled his ears was a heartbeat like a pounding war drum, making Fu Juemin’s eyelids twitch violently.
Tongxuan!
And they both were.
"Big Cat. Kitty."
Madam Ding called out softly. The two giants, whose necks were nearly as thick as their heads, immediately bowed their heads, as docile as a pair of enormous house cats.
"From now on, the two of you will follow the Young Master."
Fu Juemin was stunned. Before he could even react, he heard Madam Ding say to him, "I raised these two since they were boys. They’ve practiced the Child’s Skill from a young age and are utterly loyal and dependable.
Having them with you will put my mind at ease. Whatever you need, whatever you require, you have only to command them..."
Fu Juemin’s expression shifted several times. After a moment’s hesitation, he couldn’t help but speak up. "Aunt Ding..."
"I know what you’re going to say."
But Madam Ding raised a hand, cutting him off. She smiled. "First, you listen to me, Lingjun."
"You’re in Shenghai now, not the Luan River.
Your father, Fu Guosheng, has lived a pathetic, spineless life. I don’t want you to turn out like him.
Now that you’re here with me, if you want to make something of yourself, I will personally guide you;
If you want to do nothing at all, then with me here, you’ll have everything you need to be a comfortable, carefree scion in Shenghai...
Lingjun."
Madam Ding suddenly stepped forward and began to slowly straighten his lapels again. Her voice was as soft as water, but it held an unyielding resolve. "You only need to remember one thing.
In this world, if there is only one person who will dote on you and protect you unconditionally, it certainly won’t be your father, Fu Guosheng...
It will be me."
Fu Juemin stood there, stunned. For a moment, he had no idea what to say or how he was supposed to react.
"...Tomorrow night, I’m holding a banquet at the Hualin Restaurant. I’ll introduce you to some people..."
The four of them stood in silence within the heated pavilion.
Fu Juemin was silent for a long while before he finally answered softly, "Everything will be as Aunt Ding arranges."
Hearing this, the tension in Madam Ding’s features eased, and a slow, satisfied smile spread across her face.
