Shadow and Light: The Bride Who Clicks Her Way to Love-Chapter 133 - 134: Tea Plantation Fire
He lowered his head and asked her, "What else did Grandmother say?"
Su Xingyu thought for a moment, "She told me not to call her Grandmother, but Grandma. Lu Shifeng, does she not like me?"
Lu Shifeng’s voice was calm, yet had a strange power that calmed people: "She likes you very much." It was because she liked her that she gifted her the jade bracelet worth a fortune, and because she liked her, she instructed her to call her Grandma.
In his impression, the elder lady was never close to anyone, and he didn’t expect her to show such favor to Su Xingyu.
Why?
He held his little wife’s hand, "Come, I’ll take you to our courtyard to rest. We can talk about everything else tonight."
She obediently let him lead her through the ornate gate covered by vines, past the winding corridor and wooden bridge. On either side of the stone path were neatly arranged courtyards, and inside and outside, many members of the Lu Family seemed to casually watch them as they walked by. Upon seeing Su Xingyu, their faces initially showed disdain and mockery, but quickly their gazes fell on the conspicuous white jade bracelet on her wrist, and their expressions changed with shock—that was the bracelet that the old lady never removed!
Just how much did the old lady favor this granddaughter-in-law to give her the white jade bracelet that even Du Shuxian couldn’t get by asking!
It’s strange, wasn’t the old lady so angry with her that she fainted? How could she still treat her so well?
The once mocking eyes disappeared, replaced by disbelief and awe—
Who in the Lu Family didn’t know how esteemed the old lady’s status was?
To be loved by the old lady, isn’t that being reckless enough?!
"Is that..." Outside a courtyard, a middle-aged lady whispered to her husband, "Another bracelet, right? It can’t be the same one as the old lady’s, who are they trying to scare?" Though she spoke, her voice lacked confidence.
Her husband reprimanded softly, "Foolish, Shifeng’s wife just got into trouble, how could she have the time or mood to find a bracelet to wear? It must be a gift from an elder. Don’t gossip about this, or you’ll bring trouble on us."
Amidst the hushed discussions, the crowd watched as Su Xingyu and Lu Shifeng entered their courtyard.
The gate gently closed behind them, and Su Xingyu couldn’t help but look back, scanning the crowd.
"What are you looking for?" Lu Shifeng asked her.
Su Xingyu withdrew her gaze in disappointment and said to Lu Shifeng, "Wearing a red crystal camellia was Lu Shili’s suggestion. I didn’t know it would offend Grandma. After the incident, I wanted to find Lu Shili but couldn’t."
Earlier, when facing Du Shuxian’s questioning, Su Xingyu didn’t mention Lu Shili, partly because there was no evidence, and partly because she wasn’t sure if Lu Shili had acted intentionally or unintentionally, so why implicate another person? However, with Lu Shifeng, it was different. He was her husband, someone she could rely on; naturally, she would tell him when she encountered doubts.
"Lu Shili?" Lu Shifeng’s eyebrows slightly furrowed, "I’ll find out."
He settled Su Xingyu in the courtyard and hurried out.
A young girl in a plain gray servant’s uniform approached, her baby face quite pleasing: "Welcome home, Young Madam, tea has been prepared for you, please sit and rest." 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚
Su Xingyu asked her, "What’s your name?"
The girl replied with a smile, "I’m Yan Ruoxi, Mrs. Gui’s daughter, and I’ve always been responsible for taking care of the courtyard here in the old house."
It turns out she was Mrs. Gui’s daughter; in this unfamiliar old estate, she could be considered a familiar person. Thus, Su Xingyu felt a bit more at ease and told her, "Go ahead with your tasks, I’ll rest on my own."
Yan Ruoxi responded with a nod, gave a polite bow, and retreated.
Su Xingyu walked around the courtyard, discovering that although it wasn’t large, it was meticulously designed. The water-polished blue stone floor was likely a very antique craft, clean and smooth. A green pine tree was planted in the courtyard, with nothing else, making it sparse and bright. The house inside was also open, with no unnecessary decorations apart from essential furnishings, very much in Lu Shifeng’s style. She took out her phone to snap a few pictures, storing them with the ones she’d previously taken of Lu Shifeng, and conveniently created a new folder called "Home."
After taking pictures, she realized that several hours had passed without her noticing.
By evening, Lu Shifeng pushed open the gate and walked in, saying to her, "Get ready, we’ll have dinner with everyone together tonight."
Su Xingyu nodded. Now that she was here, having dinner with the extended family was undoubtedly a major affair; it was unavoidable. She was mentally prepared long ago. However, given the incident earlier in the day, would the family still want to have dinner with her? "Did Grandfather and Mother say anything?" she asked, a bit apprehensively.
Lu Shifeng said, "No matter what they say, you are my wife."
The tone was firm, leaving no room for doubt.
But Su Xingyu still felt a bit uneasy.
Lu Shifeng looked down at her, gently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. The layers of sunset glow shone through the carved wooden window onto her soft cheek, making his heart soften a bit too. "I’ve heard some rumors. Do you want to hear them?"
"What?" she looked up at him.
Lu Shifeng said, "About Grandmother. She and your grandfather knew each other long ago when they studied in the United States together. They were each other’s first love. At that time, Grandmother loved camellias. Later, they separated after a tea garden fire."
Su Xingyu was completely shocked. Who would have thought her grandfather had such a past with the old lady?! No wonder the old lady reacted so strongly upon seeing her, repeatedly saying, "so alike, really alike!" She touched her own face; as a child, many people praised her as a carved jade princess, her looks inheriting the Mu Family’s usual elegance, especially the eyes and nose, which resembled her grandfather greatly.
Did the old lady recognize her at first sight?
She incredulously said to Lu Shifeng, "Really? How could it be such a... coincidence?"
Lu Shifeng replied, "Grandmother isn’t one to speak much, and Grandfather would say even less. I had to specially investigate to find out. However, Xingyu, this is a good thing for you. Seeing Grandmother’s demeanor, she might still be thinking of your grandfather. That’s probably why she gave you the white jade bracelet, to warn the Lu Family not to touch you."
Su Xingyu instinctively shook her head, feeling it all too surreal. Was she really benefiting because of her late grandfather? "What really happened between Grandma and my grandfather back then? If they were just ordinary young lovers and broke up decades ago, with each now having their own grandchildren, shouldn’t there be a smaller reaction?"
The old lady fainting from excitement was really unusual.
Lu Shifeng said, "Time was tight; I only figured out the basics. The information says that back then, my grandfather was also in the United States and fell in love with Grandmother at first sight, pursuing her for many years. But Grandmother and your grandfather had a special bond, and she wasn’t interested in my grandfather. It wasn’t until that time when your grandfather took Grandmother to a tea garden for a date..."
