Grandpa Tang suddenly requested Yu Qi to return with him to the Tang House in FINN City. Grandpa Tang seemed far more excited than usual about the trip. Normally, he despised the very idea of returning to the family estate in the city.
His main reason for avoiding the place was that there was always someone waiting there to constantly nag at him. This time, however, he completely ignored that grievance and was happily looking forward to going back.
Yu Qi wanted to ask Grandpa Tang what brought about this sudden change of heart. However, Grandpa Tang did not seem to want to answer her questions at all, so she eventually gave up trying to pry. For this trip, Sister Hang Chu Xiao also packed her bags to follow them.
Only Uncle Song Nan was left behind at the countryside estate. Grandpa Tang had actually wanted Song Nan to join them as well, but Song Nan politely declined. His reasoning was sound. Someone needed to stay behind to look after the precious herbs and tend to the expanding garden.
Before leaving, Yu Qi made sure to inform Feng Yue about her temporary departure for FINN City. Feng Yue immediately wanted to tag along with them, but Old Man Feng gave her a strict condition if she wanted to go.
The condition was that she absolutely must stay at the main house of the Feng Family, which meant living under the same roof as her father and her other siblings. The moment she heard that condition, she flatly refused to go. She vastly preferred to stay completely alone in this quiet town rather than set foot inside that stressful household.
After a long, three-hour drive, they finally arrived in FINN City. They drove straight to the main gates of the Tang House. Steward Hang Ji Chang had already been informed by his granddaughter about their impending arrival, so he was already waiting dutifully right in front of the main entrance.
"Welcome back, Master, Miss Yu Qi, and my dear granddaughter." Steward Hang Ji Chang said, unable to hold back his immense joy upon seeing his granddaughter returning safely alongside Grandpa Tang and Yu Qi.
"There is no need to attend to me right now. You two, just go and spend some quality time together." Grandpa Tang said, waving his hand dismissively to give them his blessing.
Steward Hang Ji Chang bowed respectfully to Grandpa Tang. "Thank you very much, Master Jiang Man."
With that, the grandfather and granddaughter pair happily excused themselves.
Just then, Grandpa Tang and Yu Qi heard the sound of hurried footsteps running straight toward them. Well, it was not just one person, but two. Ming Yue and Su Xiao suddenly came into view, stopping right in front of them while trying to catch their breath.
"Father! Yu Qi! Welcome home!" Ming Yue gasped out happily.
"Welcome home, indeed." Su Xiao quickly followed up, greeting them with a bright smile.
"Long time no see, Auntie Ming Yue, Auntie Su Xiao." Yu Qi greeted the two women with a polite and affectionate bow.
Ming Yue and Su Xiao could not hold back their excitement any longer. They immediately stepped forward and enveloped the young girl standing beside Grandpa Tang in a tight, intimate hug. Grandpa Tang let out a soft sigh as he watched the scene unfold. He was already well aware of the deep, maternal affection that his two daughters-in-law felt toward Yu Qi.
"You two... let the poor girl catch her breath and rest first, will you?" Grandpa Tang spoke up when he saw Yu Qi practically being sandwiched to death by his eager daughters-in-law.
Ming Yue and Su Xiao felt incredibly unwilling to let go of the girl just yet, but they eventually released her from their tight embrace after hearing their father-in-law's stern reminder.
"We can talk all we want a little later, okay, aunties?" Yu Qi smiled warmly at them.
"Of course, my dear. Go ahead and rest up first. We have already completely redecorated your bedroom for you. Come on, let's go up and take a look at it!" The two enthusiastic women grabbed Yu Qi's hands and eagerly led her toward her new private room.
The bedroom was beautifully decorated. The moment Yu Qi stepped inside, she realized their interior design choices perfectly matched her personal taste.
"I know you don't particularly care for the colour pink in your personal space, so we made sure not to put any pink hues in here at all." Ming Yue spoke up, looking at her expectantly.
"Thank you so much, aunties. I love it." Yu Qi replied genuinely. To be honest, the colour pink was far from being her favourite.
Satisfied with her reaction, Ming Yue and Su Xiao left the room to give her some privacy.
Yu Qi knew that most people associated the colour pink with the gentle, feminine side of a woman. But as far as she was concerned, she did not need pink in her life. In her miserable past life, that horrible bitch had been absolutely obsessed with pink. She used to constantly force Yu Qi to buy pink items with her own money, and then she would shamelessly and thick-skinnedly borrow those very same things without ever intending to return them.
While Yu Qi was momentarily lost in the bitter depths of her memories, Aoi was busy walking around the spacious room to check out his new surroundings. He suddenly spotted a plush, comfortable dog bed sitting in the corner. He liked the look of it, but he was not entirely sure if he would actually end up using it or not. He much preferred to sleep right alongside his master on her soft bed. His master would always hug him tightly throughout the night, which felt incredibly warm and comforting to him.
'Master.' Aoi called out to his owner.
Yu Qi was instantly snapped out of her dark memories the moment she heard Aoi's soft voice calling for her in her mind.
"What is it, Aoi?"
'Can I still sleep on the big bed with you tonight?'
"Of course you can. We will sleep together just like we always do. But why are you suddenly asking for permission like that out of nowhere?"
'Because of this.' Aoi replied, trotting over to the new dog bed and nudging it to show it to Yu Qi.
Yu Qi saw the tiny bed and burst into amused laughter. "Well, you can always use that one during your daytime nap hours."
'That is actually a wonderful idea, Master!'
Yu Qi smiled warmly as she watched Aoi happily curl up to test out his new nap bed.
***This novel is a contracted work with w e b n o v e l. c o m. Thank you, from your shameless author, ZerahNeko**