Spring Night of Misty Rain - Chapter 43

The manor was built on a peninsula. Its architect was a renowned Chinese master who drew inspiration from the Hanging Temple; consequently, most of the structures were suspended over the riverbank, relying on the natural terrain.

The manor consisted of six floors. The top three currently belonged to the Xu family, while the bottom three were leased out, allowing people to gaze at the river scenery from a close distance.

The garage was designed on the third floor, and there were two elevators indoors. Each floor’s exit featured a lawn that caught the sunlight, positioned to avoid erosion from the river winds.

When Xu Luosu led Shen Zeyu to the fifth floor, the household aunts had already carried her luggage to the guest room.

The indoor underfloor heating was scorching, enough to make one’s head feel dizzy. After entering the guest room, Xu Luosu pushed open the windows. The river breeze blew in, brushing against their faces with a cold, sharp chill.

Xu Luosu took a deep breath and let out a long sigh. Turning to Shen Zeyu, who was taking off her coat, she said, “This side faces the sun. If you go out from your left, you can circle around to the lawn. You should go out and bask in the sun more often.”

“Of course, if you feel uncomfortable here, you can switch rooms.”

As she spoke, she pointed to the right. “My room is right next to yours. My parents haven’t arrived home yet, and Grandma hasn’t woken up at this hour.”

“You can take a shower first. After that, if you want to eat, we’ll have breakfast; if not, you can sleep for a while.”

Having finished her instructions, she put her hands behind her back and stared straight at Shen Zeyu. “Then… I’ll head back to my room first?”

She was simply too easy to read; that look in her eyes was clearly waiting for Shen Zeyu to ask her to stay.

Shen Zeyu grabbed her hand. “Wait a moment…”

Xu Luosu’s eyes instantly lit up. “Hmm? Is there something else you don’t understand? Tell me.”

Shen Zeyu looked at her with a half-smile. “You guys don’t have any other… ‘projects’ planned for later, do you?”

At the mention of this, Xu Luosu wanted to laugh. She waved her hands hurriedly, her eyes curving into crescents. “No, no. They didn’t have enough time, so they only prepared that much.”

Huh?

“Didn’t have enough time,” so they “only” prepared that much. If they had plenty of time, were they going to make her die of embarrassment?

Shen Zeyu raised her hand and flicked Xu Luosu’s forehead. “You better be telling the truth!”

Xu Luosu raised both hands to protect her forehead and let out a pained “ow.” “Senior, you’re so fierce!”

She looked up, her eyes filled with a mix of coquettishness and affection.

Shen Zeyu coughed lightly against her hand and began to dismiss her. “Go on, go take your shower!”

“Oh,” Xu Luosu responded, waving goodbye. “See you in a bit.”

By the time Shen Zeyu finished freshening up, everyone in the Xu family was awake. The aunt in charge of receiving guests knocked on Shen Zeyu’s door to ask if she wanted to come for breakfast.

For a first-time guest, attendance was naturally expected. Shen Zeyu nodded and replied, “I’m coming.”

The aunt then knocked on Xu Luosu’s door next door. Xu Luosu had just finished blow-drying her hair and walked out wrapped in a bathrobe. She glanced at Shen Zeyu standing by the door and asked, “Are you going?”

Shen Zeyu nodded. Only then did Xu Luosu let out a yawn, her eyes misty with drowsiness. “I’m going too.”

The two walked down half a flight of stairs together, crossed the large living room, and arrived at the fifth-floor dining room, only to find they were the first to arrive.

Since the others hadn’t arrived yet, the aunt pushed a dining cart over and asked the two with a smile, “We have both Chinese and Western breakfast today. What would Su Su and Teacher Shen like to eat?”

Although the aunts had called Xu Luosu “Third Young Lady” during the prank this morning, they were essentially in an employer-employee relationship; at home, they addressed her by her nickname or her professional title.

Xu Luosu scanned the food on the cart and casually picked two items: “Egg pancakes and a vegetable salad.”

A mix of East and West for double the nutrition.

Shen Zeyu was curious. “Don’t we need to wait for the others to arrive before eating?”

Before Xu Luosu could speak, Xu Qingyue walked through the living room, trailing the long hem of her bathrobe and yawning. “It’s just breakfast, not a formal banquet. What is there to wait for?”

She was exhausted. She walked to the long table and sat across from Xu Luosu. “A bowl of bird’s nest porridge and lobster vermicelli…” Being older, she felt the need for dietary supplements and immediately ordered the most luxurious items.

After ordering, she rested her chin on her hands and studied Shen Zeyu with a smile. “The last time we met was three years ago, right, Teacher Shen?”

Shen Zeyu nodded reservedly. “Yes.”

As the aunt placed her breakfast on the table, Xu Qingyue yawned and began to fish for information from Shen Zeyu. “I heard Su Su say that you’re currently collaborating with her on a TV drama…”

“I have a project on my end as well. If you have time, why don’t you—ow!”

Before she could finish her sentence, Xu Luosu kicked her foot under the long table.

With a table this wide, just how long were Xu Luosu’s legs that she could reach her?

Xu Qingyue looked up at the expressionless Xu Luosu, her face full of disbelief. “Seriously? I only just started talking. Is that really necessary?”

Although Shen Zeyu didn’t know exactly what Xu Luosu had done, it certainly wasn’t anything good. She turned her head, looking at her with curiosity.

Xu Luosu coughed lightly and said calmly, “One should not speak while eating or sleeping. No talking shop at the dinner table!”

Xu Qingyue rolled her eyes. “You, of all people, talking about not discussing business? You’re the one who talks the most during meals.”

However, her complaints were useless; Xu Luosu acted as if she hadn’t heard a thing. Just then, two figures emerged one after the other from the fifth-floor elevator. Seeing them, Xu Qingyue immediately shouted at the top of her lungs, “Grandma! Su Su kicked me!”

Shen Zeyu followed her gaze and saw an old lady leading the way, dressed in a crescent-colored cheongsam, with silver hair and a spirited demeanor. Following behind her was Xia Siqi, wearing a lake-blue cheongsam with her long hair draped over her shoulders.

Hearing Xu Qingyue’s complaint, the old lady spoke calmly: “What nonsense are you talking about? How could Su Su possibly kick you?”

“We have a guest in the house; don’t speak recklessly.”

Old Mrs. Xu’s given name was Xu Qiongyu, a native of Nanjiang. When she spoke, her Mandarin was laced with the local dialect—sweet, soft, and very pleasant to the ear. She was a brilliant entrepreneur who, in an era where “women hold up half the sky,” had single-handedly driven the commercial development of Nanjiang. When discussing Nanjiang’s prosperity, no one could overlook her.

Shen Zeyu had expected her to be a thin, gaunt old lady with a serious and stern expression. Meeting her, she realized the word “thin” didn’t apply at all.

Though in her seventies, the old lady had a gentle oval face with soft features. Her hair was combed up and secured with a hairnet, looking exquisite in every detail. Her figure was slightly plump and elegant. To match her overall look, she wore matching jade earrings, a pearl necklace, and two strands of jade bamboo on her wrist.

Because her features were so sweet, even this formal attire didn’t look aged; instead, it radiated a unique sweetness. She must have been an absolute beauty in her youth.

Shen Zeyu did not dare underestimate her and stood up quickly to greet her. “Hello, Chairperson Xu. Hello, Boss Xia.”

These were very formal titles. Xu Yuqiong walked to the dining table and sat down, smiling broadly. “Oh, don’t call me Chairperson Xu. I’ve been retired for a long time. Just call me Grandma, like Su Su does.”

“Sit, sit… sit down and eat.”

She waved for Shen Zeyu to sit and then ordered her breakfast. Seeing that Shen Zeyu’s place was still empty, Xu Qiongyu asked with a smile, “Your name is Shen Zeyu, right? Yue-yue said your friends in the industry all call you A-Ze. Is it okay if Grandma calls you A-Ze too?”

Xu Qiongyu was a completely different type of elder compared to Yang Feixia. While Yang Feixia doted on Shen Zeyu, she was essentially a woman of few words—cool, sharp, and entirely devoted to her art.

Xu Qiongyu was different. She was a businesswoman, skilled at making people like her. This method of immediately closing the distance was all too familiar.

Shen Zeyu, a bit overwhelmed, nodded. “That’s fine. You can call me whatever you like, Grandma Xu.”

Xu Qiongyu looked satisfied and asked in her sweet voice, “I see you haven’t ordered anything yet. Is there nothing you like?”

Shen Zeyu shook her head quickly. “No, no. I was just waiting for everyone to eat together.”

Xu Qiongyu praised her as a “good child” and looked very pleased. “Then what will you eat? Is the same as Grandma’s okay? Or would you like the same as Su Su?”

“Anything? Ah… then you can eat the same things as Su Su. Where are you from?”

“Jinwu? Jinwu is very close to our Nanjiang.”

“Who cooks in your family?”

“Your family doesn’t cook?”

“You look very much like a person from the S-Country. Are you mixed-race?”

The old lady asked a mountain of questions; Shen Zeyu felt as if this breakfast was an interrogation.

Xu Qingyue and Xia Siqi were holding back laughter so hard their stomachs hurt. Xu Qingyue even started a group message to her sisters: “Second sister, it’s a pity you aren’t here for breakfast. You have no idea—Shen Zeyu’s face is visibly pale!”

“Hahahaha! It’s the first time our little sister has brought someone home, and Grandma is so happy she’s doing a complete background check on the ‘live-in son-in-law’!”

Xu Luosu was both embarrassed and annoyed, and she kicked out directly under the table. Xu Qingyue dodged nimbly, fighting back while winking at her.

Their battle soon reached Shen Zeyu; Xu Qingyue landed a kick right on her shin. She endured the pain and squeezed Xu Luosu’s hand beside her, suppressing her temper. Looking at Xu Qiongyu at the head of the table, she said as if nothing had happened, “Yes, I am not a pure-blooded Xia country person. I am one-quarter S-Country.”

Beside her, Xu Luosu quieted down and lost interest in bothering with Xu Qingyue. She turned to look at Shen Zeyu, her gaze entirely focused on her as she heard her say calmly: “My grandfather was an S-Country man who aided the Xia country back then. My grandmother was a potter; perhaps you have heard her name. She was Yang Feixia.”

Across the table, Xu Qingyue saw the intent way Xu Luosu was looking at Shen Zeyu and gave a soft “tsk,” leaning over to whisper to Xia Siqi: “A daughter grown is a daughter lost.”

Xia Siqi pinched her. “Just eat your food.”

Xu Qingyue stopped causing trouble and sipped her bird’s nest porridge while listening to Xu Qiongyu say in surprise: “Teacher Yang Feixia? Is that the same Teacher Yang Feixia who created the ‘Fifty-Six Ethnic Groups’ collection?”

Shen Zeyu nodded.

Only then did Xu Qiongyu look at her as if seeing her for the first time. “No wonder you looked familiar. So you’re Teacher Yang’s granddaughter.”

Shen Zeyu asked humbly, “Did Grandma Xu know my grandmother?”

At the mention of an old acquaintance, Xu Qiongyu’s smile faded, and she sighed with some regret. “Not exactly ‘knew.’ It was forty years ago; we went on an inspection tour to the S-Country together. She was with the national protocol team, and I was with the commercial inspection team. We met once.”

She had an impression of Yang Feixia—a very cool-headed woman. Tall, thin, a woman of few words with a very clear, cold gaze. She radiated an ethereal air, as if she might ascend to the heavens at any moment. Yet, such a cold person was a master at painting women.

Xu Qiongyu would have been happy to befriend such a person. Unfortunately, there was a natural wall between the art world and the business world, and Xu Qiongyu didn’t force the friendship.

Speaking of this, Xu Qiongyu felt some emotion. “When she passed away, I was abroad and could only send a floral tribute.”

Yang Feixia was a celebrity; when she passed, the local news interviewed people and she was even featured in the People’s Daily.

The past brought a sense of melancholy. Xu Qiongyu waved her hand to move past the topic. “Let’s not talk about that. But since your grandfather was from the S-Country, why didn’t you take your grandmother’s surname, Yang? Do you take your mother’s surname, Shen?”

Shen Zeyu considered for a moment and spoke slowly: “It’s like this: when my grandfather was doing research in the Xia country, he had a very good comrade-in-arms surnamed Shen.”

“To woo my grandmother back then, he gave himself a Chinese name: Shen Zhuge.”

“So, our family follows his surname, Shen.”

Xu Qiongyu understood. “So that’s how it is.”

Xu Qingyue, however, was curious and took a moment to ask: “But the name Zhuge is very strange. Why choose that name?”

Shen Zeyu answered all questions with a steady pace. “Because Grandpa Shen said the smartest man in China was named Zhuge Liang. He thought ‘Zhuge’ was a given name, so he named himself Shen Zhuge to prove he was a smart man.”

She said this with a completely deadpan expression. Xu Qingyue couldn’t help it and burst out laughing. “Pfft!”

Shen Zeyu also thought it was quite funny and couldn’t help but let the corners of her mouth curl up slightly.

These were all things Xu Luosu had never heard before. She was incredibly curious and tugged at Shen Zeyu’s sleeve, leaning close to ask, “Then what was your grandfather’s original surname?”

“Pushkin,” Shen Zeyu added. “His full name was Sergei Alexandrovich Pushkin.”

Xu Qingyue could clearly see what Xu Luosu wanted to ask and immediately followed up: “What about you? If you followed your grandfather’s naming style, what would you be called?”

Shen Zeyu thought for a moment and replied: “Vladimir Sergei Pushkin.”

It was a gender-neutral name. In the homeland of her grandmother’s beloved, it meant: The one who owns the world.