The Cullinan glided to a smooth stop.
Through the windshield, Ning Guiwan gazed at the antique-style lantern hanging under the porch eaves, its dim yellow light filtering out, exuding a unique charm.
The entire ride back had been silent. She wanted to say something to break the quiet, but Quan Yu’s phone, placed on the dashboard, began to vibrate first.
The BUZZING mechanical sound felt particularly oppressive in the night.
Quan Yu reached for his phone, glanced at the screen, and answered. Ning Guiwan couldn’t hear what was said on the other end, only his deep, indifferent voice saying, "I’m heading over now."
Ning Guiwan turned her head to look at him. "Are you going out this late?"
Quan Yu lifted his gaze. The folds of his double eyelids were deep, making his crystalline eyes appear profound, like the deep sea at night, possessing a terrifying magic.
"Mm." He tossed his phone back onto the dashboard, uttered a soft sound of assent, and then said no more.
"Then drive safely," Ning Guiwan said, also not saying much more. She unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car.
The moment she closed the door, the Cullinan had already started. It executed a beautiful fishtail turn, and the car sped off, disappearing in a cloud of dust. Ning Guiwan stood rooted to the spot, watching it drive through the main gates, then catching a fleeting glimpse of its body as it passed an opening in the decorative latticework of the perimeter wall.
He must be angry. She had rejected him again. As the president of Ruiyin, that man was accustomed to strategizing and controlling everything. I might be one of the few Waterloos in his life.
Housekeeper Fang Derong’s voice sounded.
Ning Guiwan turned and ascended the steps, a lovely, artful smile gracing her lips. "Aunt Fang."
"You’re finally back," Fang Derong said. "The Old Madam has been waiting for you all this time."
"Waiting for me?" Ning Guiwan’s eyes showed her confusion as she glanced at her watch; it was already past ten o’clock. "Granny Quan isn’t asleep yet?"
"No, she isn’t," Fang Derong replied. "She received a call this afternoon. Old Mr. Hai is coming to Shencheng on business and will be stopping by to visit the Old Madam. Accompanying him is his eldest grandson..."
At this, Fang Derong paused.
Ning Guiwan instantly understood her implication.
Sometimes, the excessive concern of elders could indeed become a burden. A smile touched Ning Guiwan’s lips. Yes, a sweet burden.
Fang Derong carefully observed Ning Guiwan’s expression. Seeing not rejection but rather a look of joy, she inwardly fretted for her own master. Just when will he finally win the young lady’s heart?
Fang Derong said, "The Hai Family currently resides in Macau, which is quite a distance from Shencheng. All your family and friends are here; how could you move so far away?
"The Old Madam is a bit too eager. You should talk to her properly later. If you’re not willing, don’t force yourself. Marriage is a significant life event; it must be something you yourself desire."
Ning Guiwan listened and couldn’t help but glance at Housekeeper Fang a couple more times. Her words are rather strange. She has been with Granny Quan for so many years; her actions and words should typically echo Granny Quan’s sentiments. Yet, this speech seems to contradict Granny Quan entirely.
"If Granny Quan knew you were advising me , she’d probably be angry," Ning Guiwan said with a laugh.
Fang Derong laughed too, though a little nervously. "The Old Madam is just overly anxious about your marriage prospects, so she’s not thinking entirely clearly. Old Mr. Hai’s grandson is indeed an outstanding young man, but if you were to really marry him and move there, you’d barely be able to come back a few times a year. The Old Madam would regret it to death then. I’ve been with her for so many years; I know her too well."
It was a reasonable explanation, so Ning Guiwan didn’t press the matter further.
As she walked into the entryway, she heard the faint, lilting strains of opera coming from the living room. The volume was low. Ning Guiwan changed her shoes, and the moment she stepped into the living room, a radiant smile spread across her lips. "Granny Quan, you’re still awake?"
Old Madam Quan was reclined in a rocking chair, swaying gently back and forth. A thin blanket covered her legs, and her hands were folded on her lap, her right hand resting atop the left, gently tapping along to the rhythm of the opera.
The venerable lady, well past seventy, whose skin had inevitably succumbed to the laws of nature by loosening, and whose hair had grayed considerably, still possessed features that bespoke her former delicacy and beauty. The air of dignified grace, nurtured by a life of affluence, was still palpable.
Hearing Ning Guiwan’s voice, Old Madam Quan opened her eyes. A loving smile slowly spread across her face, though her tone carried a hint of reproach. "You were just discharged from the hospital; why are you running about?"
"I went to the company," Ning Guiwan replied. "I’ve been a hands-off boss for many days now. If I continue , I’m afraid I’ll become decadent."
Seeing the elderly woman try to sit up, Ning Guiwan quickly moved forward to help her, while Fang Derong placed a cushion behind Old Madam Quan’s lower back.
"Aunt Fang said you were waiting up specifically for me?" Ning Guiwan sat on the sofa, looking at the old woman with a beaming smile.
Old Madam Quan gazed at the girl’s face, and her thoughts couldn’t help but drift to a dear old sister-friend who had long since passed.
Before marrying Mr. Quan, she had experienced another marriage and had another child. In her forty-second year, her marriage had failed, and her seventeen-year-old son had also died. That year was the darkest of her life. Recalling it even now, she could still feel that suffocating despair.