Spring Night of Misty Rain - Chapter 42

Xu Luosu’s act of “acting first and reporting later” left Shen Zeyu in an extremely passive position. She was forced to carve out time to conduct a thorough investigation into the preferences of the Xu family.

Naturally, the subject of her investigation was Xu Luosu.

While building her Lego set, Xu Luosu answered Shen Zeyu’s questions: “You’re asking about Grandma?”

“Grandma loves jade, especially the ‘ice-seed’ variety. She’s particularly fond of that.”

“As for my parents? My dad has no real hobbies; he’s happy if you just give him a pair of slippers. My mom… well, she likes ‘ugly things’…”

“What kind of ugly things? You know those frog-shaped spoons that were viral online last year? She bought a whole set.”

Shen Zeyu was dying of anxiety. She practically jumped: “How could I possibly know about that!”

Muttering curses, Shen Zeyu took Xu Luosu’s phone to search for “ugly spoons.” As for why she was using Xu Luosu’s phone—well, naturally, it was because her own had been confiscated.

After asking about the elders, she moved on to the siblings.

Xu Luosu answered sincerely: “My eldest sister likes money. My second sister… likes collecting all sorts of amethyst, citrine, clear quartz…”

“She’s into Tarot; she loves that kind of stuff.”

Shen Zeyu didn’t have that kind of collection herself, so she had to reach out to her circle of friends to see if she could find any similar pieces.

It was rare for Shen Zeyu to be this anxious; even when facing a tight script deadline, she could comfortably stay up all night to finish the work with ease. Seeing her like this, Xu Luosu felt a bit of pity. “It’s just a family dinner. Don’t worry too much. As for gifts…”

It would have been better if she hadn’t spoken; the moment she did, Shen Zeyu exploded: “Shut up!”

“Benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trust! Gentleness, kindness, courtesy, restraint, and yielding! Propriety is in the top three; how can we be so casual about it?”

“Go back to your Legos and leave me alone!”

It was all Xu Luosu’s fault! The younger ones really have too many tricks, yet they are completely unreliable!

Aware of her own fault, Xu Luosu stayed quiet and went off to play by herself. In truth, she was actually very good at building Legos; previously, she had just been tricking Shen Zeyu into playing with her. Without Shen Zeyu, her progress was much faster. Three days before New Year’s Eve, she finished all the parts and completed the Titanic.

Shen Zeyu also discharged herself from the hospital early and ran back to her own home, digging out the gifts she intended to give from her warehouse.

She had planned everything. For the elder Mrs. Xu, she prepared a set of ice-seed jade jewelry. This set was cut from a single, complete block of ice-seed raw stone. After polishing, it consisted of a pair of bracelets, two pairs of earrings, two Maitreya lotus hand-strings, and a jade bead Buddha pendant necklace.

When Shen Zeyu took it out of the safe and opened it, Xu Luosu, standing beside her, happened to glance over. She saw the jewelry nestled in the red velvet box—round, lustrous, and shimmering. Having encountered many jades before, Xu Luosu instantly estimated the value of the set: the market price was over eight million, and the Buddha pendant necklace alone could fetch five million if auctioned separately.

These were all from Yang Feixia’s collection. Shen Zeyu had always cherished them; even when her company was struggling, she only sold her own assets and never touched a single thing of her grandmother’s. But giving them as a gift was different. She didn’t wear them herself anyway, and they would likely just be donated after she died. It was better to give them to Xu Luosu.

Shen Zeyu scanned the box to confirm everything was correct, then immediately locked it and put it back in the safe.

Xu Luosu took a sharp breath, pressing her hand onto the jewelry box and knitting her brows. “This is too expensive. It’s not right…”

Shen Zeyu gave her a look, her tone sharp: “Mind your own business. Go, help me carry that box over here.”

She was truly fierce. Xu Luosu didn’t dare object further and had no choice but to follow her over to move a jet-black leather suitcase. The suitcase looked large but wasn’t actually that heavy. Xu Luosu asked curiously, “What’s in this one?”

Shen Zeyu explained: “Clay figurines made by Master Zhang Yifan—The Seven Fairies.”

Xu Luosu’s pupils trembled. She turned to Shen Zeyu with a look of disbelief. “The 2003 Gold Medal winners?” That had to be worth five million.

Shen Zeyu nodded and helped her carry the suitcase to the elevator. “Don’t overthink it. He traded this set to my grandmother for the ‘Four Gentlemen’ (Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, and Chrysanthemum) set.”

Her grandmother was a top-tier porcelain master. From the 1990s to the early 2000s, the porcelain used for state banquets was all fired by her. However, the elderly woman only loved making porcelain and didn’t care for business. After the kilns were privatized, she didn’t ask for shares. She relied entirely on her own skill to open a studio, only auctioning her works within a small circle, living her whole life with integrity.

For a scholarly family like theirs, the most expensive yet “useless” things were these collections. It was hard for ordinary people to collect them, but for people like them, it was actually quite simple—they just exchanged pieces with one another.

Xu Luosu’s mind was still in a muddle, and she was completely stunned when Shen Zeyu pulled a painting out of the safe. She pointed at the signature, her voice excited: “Qi… Qi…!”

Shen Zeyu snapped, “Alright, alright, what’s there to be excited about? I have over a dozen paintings of this caliber here.”

Her family was a famous pottery clan in Qile. Counting back ten generations, every one of them had produced a renowned master. By the time it reached her and her father’s generation—one a university professor and the other a third-rate screenwriter—the family legacy had completely declined.

After moving these three sets into the car and adding a complete set of crystals sent by a friend, the gifts were finally complete.

Before getting into the car, Shen Zeyu was still double-checking the items. Xu Luosu looked at the gifts filling the trunk, stood behind her, and secretly took a photo to send to her three-sisters’ group chat: “Did Sister Sijue prepare this much when she first visited?”

In the photo, Shen Zeyu’s thin silhouette blocked half of the trunk.

Xu Huaiyu replied the fastest: “6.” (Slang for ‘Impressive/Smooth’)

A moment later, Xu Qingyue also replied, though her tone was sarcastic: “Oh? So? Is she your girlfriend now?”

Xu Luosu skipped that topic and went straight to showing off: “Don’t you think she’s adorable when she’s being this serious?”

Growing up, she rarely had such an overflowing desire to show off. Even when she started a company and made money, she was very low-profile.

Xu Huaiyu felt her teeth ache: “Tsk, little sister, you’re beyond saving.”

Xu Qingyue was outright dismissive: “She’s just being polite. She’s not your girlfriend, so what are you showing off for!”

Xu Luosu wasn’t angry at all, replying with a smile: “You’re just jealous. She even brought a gift for you.”

Before returning to Nanjiang, Shen Zeyu had the assistant drive to the mall. They swept through the floors, buying about ten sets of casual wear. Xu Luosu had originally thought Shen Zeyu wouldn’t wear luxury ready-to-wear, but she discovered that she would indeed wear them when necessary. She began to regret why she hadn’t ordered custom clothes for her from Xia Sijue.

However, Shen Zeyu had no energy left to comfort her. On the road from Jinwu to Nanjiang, she sat in the back seat tapping her feet, restless the entire way. Xu Luosu saw her anxiety and secretly reached out to hold her hand, interlocking their fingers and whispering comfort: “It’s fine. My parents are musicians; they spend most of the year abroad doing charity concerts.”

“You’ve met my eldest sister. Although she loves money, she has no real say at home.”

“My second sister is even more so. She dropped out halfway through medical school and went off to wander the world.” She held Shen Zeyu’s hand tightly, turning to look at her with a serious gaze. “Grandma is retired. Do you know how to play Mahjong? She loves it. You can just spend some time playing with her…”

“Our family is very casual and rather ‘unconventional.’ We don’t have the deep scholarly heritage your family has.”

Xu Luosu wasn’t lying. Given Shen Zeyu’s family background, if they were in Europe, she would be considered at least a member of the minor, fallen nobility. If Shen Zeyu had followed her grandmother in making ceramics, she would likely be a master of the younger generation by now. A clean family history and contact with high-ranking officials and noble families—such circles were the hardest to enter. Even money couldn’t buy a way in.

Shen Zeyu wasn’t worried about her family status, but she was still nervous. She took a deep breath, turned to look at Xu Luosu, and gazed at her with deep eyes, not knowing how to speak. In the dim back seat, Xu Luosu held her hand with both of hers, her gaze soft. “Besides, I’ll be there. If you feel uncomfortable, we can stay outside. We only have to go home for the New Year’s Eve dinner.”

She spoke lightly, yet Shen Zeyu remained worried. Aside from Chen Ci’s house, this was her first time visiting a friend’s home.

She and Shang Qiuchi had attended the Jinwu International School, just a street away from home. The children there were either wealthy or noble, but with a grandmother who was the “Nation’s Top Porcelain Engraver,” Shen Zeyu was quite popular among the students. However, she was a solitary person; since childhood, she only liked to cling to her grandmother and Chen Ci, and she wasn’t very affectionate toward others. From elementary to middle school, she had almost no friends.

Shang Qiuchi had transferred in during the eighth grade. Driven by a keen intuition, she immediately singled out the solitary Shen Zeyu, whom no one dared to bully. In Chen Ci’s words, “That ‘green tea’ girl specifically picks soft persimmons to squeeze,” and she quickly used an incredibly aggressive offensive to claim the spot beside Shen Zeyu.

Initially, Shen Zeyu didn’t want to deal with her, finding her annoying. Once after school, Shang Qiuchi—under the guise of helping her clean—clung to her and said she wanted ice cream. Annoyed, Shen Zeyu treated her once. They happened to run into her grandmother, who was just returning from a business trip. That was the first time Yang Feixia had seen Shen Zeyu with another friend, and she happily invited Shang Qiuchi home for dinner.

Shang Qiuchi’s home wasn’t in the city center but in a very remote district; every trip home took several hours. The grandmother felt pity for her and frequently urged Shen Zeyu to bring her home for meals, so Shang Qiuchi became a regular guest. However, because Shang Qiuchi’s home was so far and Shen Zeyu was too lazy to go out, she never once visited her home during their school years. Later, when they were dating, she avoided it even more for the sake of discretion.

Every Spring Festival, Shen Zeyu was left behind. Chen Ci was very vocal about her resentment. When she invited Shen Zeyu over for New Year’s Eve dinner, she would curse Shang Qiuchi every year: “What discretion! Back when you were alone in the hospital staying with your grandmother through her surgery, she had the guts to stay there with you. Now that you have no one left in your family, you have to avoid her home for the New Year’s Eve dinner. Big deal, being a celebrity! Even if you were caught by paparazzi, wouldn’t ten years of history prove your friendship is eternal? I see it as she just never intended to spend a lifetime with you, so she’s been working hard to avoid it.”

Shen Zeyu didn’t know what to say. Shang Qiuchi was the second daughter; she had an older sister and a younger brother. Especially after her sister came out and broke with the family, she was in a very awkward position in the middle. She thought she was being considerate of the other woman, but the first year after their breakup, she saw the news of Shang Qiuchi bringing Jin Yue home for the New Year.

That time, Chen Ci didn’t dare laugh at her; she was afraid Shen Zeyu would die. Instead, it was Shen Zeyu who seemed to finally see the truth, offering a wretched smile: “You’re right. It’s not a gender issue; it’s my issue. For Shang Qiuchi, Shen Zeyu just isn’t good enough.”

That was the time Chen Ci most wanted to kill Shang Qiuchi. Her little treasure, whom she had raised since childhood in the palm of her hand, was being trampled underfoot and ground into dust. The heartache at that moment couldn’t be dissolved just by cursing Shang Qiuchi to a miserable end. Chen Ci just wanted her dead. Immediately, the kind of death where no part of the body is left whole.

Even though many of her feelings were numbed by medication, Shen Zeyu still felt a sense of lingering fear when she thought about it now. But things were different now; she had a “friend” who was willing to take her home.

Shen Zeyu suppressed her emotions slightly, looked into Xu Luosu’s eyes, and nodded. “Mm.” She was still very nervous, but it had eased a lot.

Xu Luosu let out a sigh of relief, holding her hand and leaning her head onto Shen Zeyu’s shoulder. “It’s a nine-hour drive back to Nanjiang. It’s so tiring; have a nap… when you wake up, we’ll be there.”

The sweet scent of White Peach Oolong hit her shoulder like a calming pill, steadying Shen Zeyu’s heart. Shen Zeyu leaned against the window and raised her arm to pull Xu Luosu’s shoulder. “Then let’s sleep.”

It was near New Year’s Eve, so there weren’t as many cars on the road; the highway was clear. The car reached Nanjiang at seven in the morning. Xu Luosu’s family had returned to the old Su family residence—a semi-open scenic area built on a peninsula along the river called Luxin Jiangpan.

This place was originally land bought early on by Xu Luosu’s maternal grandmother. Later, she donated most of it to the government to build a peninsula amusement park. The remaining small portion at the very tip of the island was used to build a Chinese garden covering about six acres. Previously, no one lived there; it was primarily lent to the government to receive distinguished guests. After Grandma Xu retired, she took back a portion—half for herself to live in, and half lent to the government and local chambers of commerce.

As the car drove onto the peninsula, the sky was just turning light. Driving up the winding mountain road toward the top, one could see the streetlights lighting up in succession, eventually converging at the very tip of the peninsula, where they faintly illuminated a cluster of buildings hidden in a bamboo forest amidst the fog.

Soon, the car entered a bamboo forest and stopped in the deepest part of the woods. Xu Luosu led Shen Zeyu out of the car. In the early morning, Shen Zeyu looked at the cobblestone path extending from the mountain road into the bamboo forest, feeling a bit dazed. “Can your cars not drive in?” Why are they dropping people off halfway!

Xu Luosu grabbed Shen Zeyu’s arm and pulled her toward the path. “The car can follow the road down and drive straight into the underground garage. But it’s rare that you’ve come, so let’s follow the bamboo path from the highest point and walk down.” Ignoring whatever Shen Zeyu was thinking, she pulled her straight into the bamboo forest.

The morning mist was vast, and the emerald bamboo was blurred in the silver fog. The cobblestone road was a bit uneven, and Shen Zeyu, walking with her head down, was a bit unsteady. After about fifty meters, she saw a heavy bronze gate hidden in the deepest part of the bamboo. The bamboo forest surrounded the gate in layers. Drawing closer, one could see vines entwined around the bronze railings. This was likely the entrance to the top floor.

Thinking this, Shen Zeyu followed Xu Luosu to the gate. She saw the girl expertly enter a fingerprint code. With a “creak,” the cold morning air, accompanied by a mosquito-repelling scent, wafted from inside.

Two rows of aunties in black uniforms and red sashes were lined up behind the door, holding confetti cannons. In the lead was Xu Huaiyu, her skin honey-toned and wearing earrings larger than her fist. Dressed in a Gypsy outfit, she picked up a megaphone and cleared her throat with an air of mock-solemnity.

Shen Zeyu saw the seven large characters on the sashes: “A Warm Welcome to Teacher Shen.” Sensing disaster, she turned to run. But she was grabbed by Xu Luosu and shoved through the door.

Xu Huaiyu hurriedly raised the megaphone and shouted: “Congratulations to the Third Young Miss for bringing Teacher Shen Zeyu home for the New Year!”

Under her lead, the aunties shouted in unison: “Congratulations to the Third Young Miss for bringing Teacher Shen Zeyu home for the New Year!”

Bang!

The confetti cannons exploded all at once. Xu Luosu dodged behind Shen Zeyu, avoiding the tragedy of being covered in confetti. In the distance, Xia Sijue held a camera and perfectly captured Shen Zeyu’s stunned expression, giving an “OK” sign. Xu Huaiyu picked up the megaphone and began the second stage: “Please, Teacher Shen, enter the door!”

The aunties played their parts with gusto, performing a maid’s bow in perfect unison: “Please, Teacher Shen, enter the door!”

Shen Zeyu felt that this “entering the door” had a deeper meaning. With a head full of confetti, she turned to Xu Luosu, her eyes asking: Seriously, is this how your family welcomes every visitor? This is completely insane.

Xu Luosu was laughing like crazy. Her hands rested on Shen Zeyu’s shoulders, and her forehead pressed against them, her body shaking with mirth. “Hahahaha…!”

Even adding “Hahaha…”! Shen Zeyu reached out and poked her waist, her expression deadpan and her gaze colder than a butcher of ten years.

“I… also…” Xu Luosu laughed for a long time before lifting her head from her shoulder, her body still shaking. “I didn’t expect this either. Hahaha…” She had laughed until tears came out.

Seeing that she couldn’t be relied upon, Shen Zeyu could only sigh. She took the girl’s hand and led her forward. “Excuse us,” she whispered as she passed Xu Huaiyu.

Behind her, Xu Luosu—with her back to her—gave Xu Huaiyu an “OK” sign. Xu Huaiyu winked and blew her a kiss: Don’t mention it; this is what an elder sister should do.