CHAPTER 291: CHAPTER 249:

"I’m not in military attire." The implication was that there was no need to worry about appearances. Lan Tian glanced at Mo Junhua’s casual clothes and twitched his lips, then stepped forward into the room.

When she left the house, she had wondered why Mo Junhua had changed out of his military uniform, only to find he had been waiting for her here.

Mo Junhua was someone with backing now. Grandma Sun had said that he should hurry up and have a great-grandchild with the girl. Mo Junhua was working hard on that front, holding hands, hugging, sneaking a kiss or two—it was all within bounds.

He took a few steps to catch up, wrapping his arms around Lan Tian, proclaiming his ownership: "She’s taken—so everyone might as well take note."

The day before they left, Grandma Sun had had a talk with Lan Tian: cause any more trouble and don’t bother coming back—she had agreed to the marriage herself. Under the threat from Grandma Sun, Lan Tian resisted the urge to push Mo Junhua away. They were already sharing the same bed; what was there to be coy about? Embracing him wasn’t a big deal, really.

Mo Junhua curled the corners of his lips, feeling doubly pleased, and found himself regarding Wu Zongyu with newfound tolerance.

Wu Zongyu, seemingly without intent, glanced at the hand on Lan Tian’s waist as he led a few others around the garden.

"How about it?" Wu Zongyu asked with a smile, leading Lan Tian and Mo Junhua around the front flower shade. "Does it look familiar?"

Lan Tian nodded, "It does look familiar." The layout resembled the one of their Shanghai estate.

"The layout of the Shanghai estate is modeled after this one. The old master prefers this kind of traditional style."

Lan Tian liked it too.

Wu Zongyu walked and introduced the scenery of the estate to Lan Tian and Mo Junhua.

"If you like it, I’ll get one for you too someday," Mo Junhua whispered in Lan Tian’s ear, his warm breath caressing her ear, making Lan Tian uncomfortable. She subtly turned her head to look away.

This estate covered twice the area of the one in Shanghai, with its pavilions, towers, overhanging eaves, small bridges over flowing water, winding paths leading to secluded gardens, with birds chirping amidst the flowers—making one feel as if they were in the midst of willow fluff and the rich colors of Jiangnan.

Passing by a flower garden, Lan Tian stopped and looked over.

"Is that...?" If she wasn’t mistaken, that was the scent of medicinal herbs.

"That’s the Medicinal Garden. The old master got bored and planted some to pass the time. Want to go take a look?"

Lan Tian shook her head, "No need, there’s plenty of time in the future."

"Alright then, you both must be tired from the long car ride. Better to go back to your room and rest first, and we can visit it together another time."

"Lan Tian, Junhua, we’ll be heading back then and come to get you later tonight."

Passing by a corridor, Wu Zongyu and Bai Qingqing came over to say goodbye to them.

Mo Junhua nodded, Lan Tian nodded indifferently, and then watched the two walk towards the corridor.

Why take the corridor instead of the outside path to leave?

The servant carrying the luggage seemed to notice Lan Tian’s confusion and explained, "The young master stays in the adjoining house. There is an arched doorway through the corridor connecting both estates, which makes it convenient to go back and forth."

What the servant didn’t mention was, the elder master didn’t trust someone living alone in the estate, always insisting on the young master coming over to keep him company. In case anything happened, it was better to have someone nearby.

Lan Tian replied with an "oh" and said no more. Servants couldn’t figure out the Miss’s thoughts, so after waiting for a while with no instructions, they started to feel anxious inside.

The old master cared a great deal about the miss; that much he knew. Whenever there were guests or friends visiting the house, he would always show off her photo and boast about her.

Praising the miss came as naturally as breathing, without costing a dime—how beautiful and cute she was, gentle and virtuous, smart and clever, respectful to elders; even the tea at home was gifted to him by the miss.

In short, the miss was touted as the world’s number one good girl, without equal, unique on this earth; anyone who spoke ill of her was simply envious or blind.

Tiantian idly strolled around the garden, remarking that this place needed tidying, that place needed fixing, at one moment wanting a garden, the next a pond. Everyone in the household knew that the old master’s granddaughter was coming.

Every couple of days, he would have everyone look at her photo to recognize her, lest when the miss returns, they wouldn’t know her and shut her out, which would be a laughingstock.

"Miss, should we block off that door?" Not having received any instructions, a servant pondered for a moment before asking.

"No need, it’s fine as it is." As soon as she arrived, she pointed out so many things; anyone unaware might think she came to seize the family inheritance.

The servant also sighed in relief. Good thing they weren’t blocking the door. If they did, they’d offend those masters over there. After the miss left, not only would they have to unblock it, but also endure the masters’ difficulties, which would be troublesome.

"Other than the young master, the other disciples of the old master rarely come here."

Lan Tian grunted ambiguously, it was uncertain whether she had heard or not. Mo Junhua glanced at the servant and instructed, "Lead the way ahead."

Their rooms had been tidied up early; they just needed to move in. The room was cleaned three times a day, and the servants encountered along the way would greet them, echoing the grandeur of an ancient lady stepping out.

...

The room was very spacious, about seventy or eighty square meters, divided by a screen; behind it was a bedroom, and the front served as a living room suitable for leisure and reading. Behind the screen hung sky-blue curtains, which could be drawn to conceal the bed.

In the living area, there was a coffee table, long wooden chairs arranged around it, fitted with soft cushions and pillows, two potted plants with vigorous growth at the doorway, and a potted Camellia on the windowsill, with two landscape paintings hanging on the wall.

Opposite the living area was a desk, complete with the Four Treasures of the Study, and behind the desk, there was a calligraphy work of the character "Virtue," powerful and vigorous. To the right was a bookcase filled with books.

Lan Tian circled the room; all the furniture within were antiques made of red rosewood, with the youngest pieces being nearly a century old. The dressing table crafted from huali wood was close to a thousand years old—where the old master obtained these was anyone’s guess.

The bed was made, and there was a bathroom inside the room. The old master might have mentioned Lan Tian’s preferences; a large wooden barrel lay behind the screen, about a meter wide and high, with a small ladder placed beneath it. Two maids were pouring water into it as they greeted Lan Tian.

The room was arranged according to Lan Tian’s liking, and she was very pleased, a faint smile on her face. Mo Junhua paid attention to Lan Tian’s expressions and saw her mood was cheerful and her eyes were spirited, evidently fond of these arrangements. He made a mental note: once he bought a house, he would refer to this room’s setting to ensure the girl would love it.

"Miss, the bath is ready."

Lan Tian made an acknowledging sound and asked people to leave. She wasn’t accustomed to bathing with attendants. Flipping her hand over, a sky-blue dress appeared on the bed. Fingertips at the buttonhole, Lan Tian paused to unzip her dress, then turned her head and saw Mo Junhua still sitting on the bed’s edge.

"Aren’t you going to take a bath?" Lan Tian asked indifferently, her tone calm, but her words carried a hint of disdain, "After sitting on the train for so long and sweating so much, you probably smell bad."

"I don’t smell at all!" Without any workout, there was no sweat to speak of. Although he thought this, Mo Junhua lifted his hand to sniff but detected no odor as his body was clean.

Lan Tian gave Mo Junhua a sidelong glance, "I’m going to take a bath, get it? At this time, you should stand up and walk out, instead of sitting here immobile." Suddenly, as if struck by a revelation and raising her voice slightly, she exclaimed, "You want to watch me bathe."

Mo Junhua did indeed have such intentions; Grandma Sun had repeatedly instructed him with the grand objective of having a great-grandson in mind. For this lofty goal, Mo Junhua had now forsaken shame, resolutely intending to court the girl by any means necessary.