Outside the Xie Residence gates, he watched that slender retreating figure—a figure that had been his yearning through countless days and nights, his regret upon countless awakenings from dreams.
The next day.
Opening his eyes, he slowly sat up. How many years had it been? Once again, she had appeared in his dream, leaving on that day without taking the dowry and shops their mother had left her, taking only the retainers from their mother's maiden family.
As he recalled the tear lingering in her eyes when she turned and waved, perhaps for all these years he had been too stubborn; perhaps he was truly old and muddled. Now, he deeply regretted not going to find her the very moment he received her address.
In the dining room, looking at his young grandson eating quietly beside him, Master Xie Jiu of the Nine Gates knew that at the end of his life, he only wanted to see his younger sister, and to entrust the sole remaining bloodline of the Xie Residence to her.
The housekeeper walked into the dining room. "Head of the Family, everything is prepared. We can depart at any time."
Xie Yuchen, who was eating, looked up. "Grandpa, where are you going? Can you take me with you?"
"Of course Xiaohua is coming with us. We are going to find your Great-Aunt—Xiaohua hasn't met her yet. That pair of bracelets carved with Sanskrit and the hollowed-out red jade bell that you had when you were born were both sent by her."
With that, he reached out and took a handkerchief to wipe a smudge of grease from the corner of Xie Yuchen's mouth. She seemed to know everything that happened in the family, always sending gifts right on time. How could he have the heart not to go look for her?
Xie Yuchen pushed his empty bowl forward. "I've seen a portrait of Great-Aunt. Grandpa, when are we going to find Great-Aunt? Why doesn't she live at home?"
"Is Xiaohua full? Go to your room and change your clothes. Use the hair ribbon tied with the red jade bell; she'll be so happy when she sees it." With that, he stood up and pulled Xie Yuchen back to his room.
Seeing the two of them leave, the housekeeper also walked out to arrange for their departure.
In front of the Xie Residence gates, the grandfather and grandson got into the car. The housekeeper watched the two cars leave one after the other, his gaze sweeping inadvertently across both sides of the street, before greeting the men around him to return inside and close the gates, passing down instructions that the Xie Residence would be closed to visitors for the week.
The two cars drove all the way out from the eastern side of Sijiu City. Inside an inconspicuous off-road vehicle parked by the roadside, a boy asked, "Grandpa, why did we change cars?"
Turning his head to look at his young grandson, he answered, "You'll understand when you grow up." Then he looked at the driver. "Let's go."
Deep within a stretch of rolling mountains, a spacious estate sat halfway up a mountainside.
In the dining room, the woman sitting at the head of the table eating looked to be barely in her twenties. Her long hair was loosely braided and draped over her right shoulder, secured at the end by a red cord. Her plain white undergarment gave her a lazy and casual air.
Standing beside her was a middle-aged man in a dark cyan robe, holding a piece of paper. He casually placed the paper on the corner of the table. "News just arrived. The Head of the Xie Family has left home with his grandson."
The woman's hand stirring her porridge paused. She stared at the words on the paper for a long time before speaking. "They even changed cars?"
"Yes. The Head of the Xie Family is very cautious. The two cars that left headed in different directions."
The woman set down her spoon and leaned back in her chair. "Pass down the word. Find out what kind of people are following those two cars. If it's that bunch, make sure you squeeze some information out of them."
Seeing that the man was still standing in place, she turned her head to look at him for a moment before adding, "Have someone go escort them into the mountains."
The man acknowledged the order and turned to leave. Watching him walk out of the dining room, the woman stared at the bowl of porridge on the table, let out a soft sigh, and stood up to leave.
Walking all the way to the study, she sat at the desk and looked at an opened photo album. It was a family portrait of four; even a black-and-white photograph could not conceal the striking good looks of what seemed like a very happy family.
She flipped through a couple more pages, every single one featuring the family of the Head of the Xie Family—from his grand wedding to the birth of his child, down to the final photos where only he and his little grandson remained. "Perhaps it is time," she murmured softly, closing the photo album and rising to leave the study.
At the foot of the mountain, just as the car came to a smooth halt and before the driver could ask his master if they had the wrong place, he saw two figures emerge from goodness knows where and stand beside the vehicle.
The driver placed one hand under his seat while speaking, "Head of the Family, should we leave or..." Before he could finish, the rear door was already pushed open.
Startled, the driver moved to draw a weapon and step out, only to see the two figures bow slightly. "Head of the Xie Family, Young Miss asked us to come and welcome you and the Young Master."
"Thank you for the trouble," he said, turning back to pull Xie Yuchen out of the car. He looked at the driver standing nearby. "You wait here."
Seeing the driver hesitate, the two people standing at the side spoke first. "Rest assured, Head of the Xie Family, someone will come to take this driver to rest."
"That's right. Young Miss has been waiting for you for two days. This way, please."
Hearing them say this, the driver hesitated no longer. He stayed where he was, watching his master and the Young Master follow the two people into the forest, and sat in the car waiting for someone to come and collect him.