Chapter 262 - 259: Living in the Garden
Watching them leave, Zhou Lian returned to the living room. She looked at the messy dining table, rolled up her sleeves, and started to clean up. ’Since the professor and her husband are coming to stay with us today, I have to find a way to make them stay for a few more days. That means I need to give the professor’s house a good cleaning.’
When Professor Xiao and her husband came out of the bedroom with their things packed, they saw that Zhou Lian had already tidied up the living room and kitchen with swift efficiency. The professor’s husband couldn’t help but smile and tease her, "Where’s Jin Chen? He’s actually letting you do all this work!"
Having deftly packed a large bag of trash, Zhou Lian looked up at the professor and her husband, who had finished packing their things. She smiled and said, "I had Jin Chen take Sister Fang and the kids home first. He’ll be back to pick us up in a bit. Otherwise, it would be a little crowded in the car!"
Seeing that Zhou Lian had cleaned everything up, Professor Xiao pulled her down onto the sofa. "Alright now, come tell me. What all do you have?"
"Everything. There’s a bit of everything from all sorts of areas. You know what the situation was like a few years ago. As long as it had writing on it, Jin Chen would find a way to get it back home. I spent almost every night back then sorting and cataloging it all. But there’s a lot I’m not sure about. I’d like you and your husband to help me take a look!" Zhou Lian recalled those years. Li Xiu would wander over to the recycling stations whenever he had free time. He could find his way to every last recycling station in the Capital City with his eyes closed. He’d bring back everything from calligraphy, paintings, and books to antiques and porcelain. He even salvaged a lot of high-quality wood from dismantled furniture—things like red sandalwood, huanghuali, and even a good amount of golden nanmu and agarwood!
Professor Xiao and her husband fell silent at her words. Those dozen or so years were truly a great catastrophe for the cultural world. Some traditions were almost completely severed, and so many of the good things that had been passed down were destroyed in that cataclysm!
Seeing her professor and her husband looking so dejected, Zhou Lian also felt a pang of sadness. ’How many of the things left by our ancestors are still around now?’ she thought. Forcing herself to cheer up, she said, "Professor, sir, my eye for these things isn’t very good. Could you two help me take a look? I’m sure there are a lot of fakes mixed in, but I really can’t tell them apart!"
"Have you been storing them properly? Taking precautions against moisture, humidity, and insects? We can’t let good things be ruined again!" ’My student is still young, and her eye for this is surely still lacking. I hope she hasn’t been reckless with these treasures,’ Professor Xiao thought, asking with some concern.
"Yes. I couldn’t really tell them apart and was afraid of damaging them, so I organized everything into boxes for storage. Nothing in my hands will be damaged, I promise!" Zhou Lian said, gently reassuring her worried professor.
A short while later, Li Xiu drove back. When he came inside, he saw Professor Xiao and his darling wife deep in an intense conversation. He looked quizzically at the professor’s husband, who had opened the door for him. ’What are they talking about? They didn’t even hear me come in.’
"Ancient books and paintings. Your Teacher Xiao cares more about that stuff than she does about me!" the professor’s husband said with a hint of jealousy.
Li Xiu understood. He waited quietly for a moment, but seeing them still chatting away enthusiastically, he had no choice but to step forward and interrupt. "It’s getting late. Let’s head back first. We can look at the items and talk once we’re home, how about that?"
Hearing Li Xiu’s voice, the two women finally stopped their excited conversation. They looked up at Li Xiu and the professor’s husband standing beside him. Zhou Lian smiled sheepishly. Li Xiu dotingly patted her head and said to Professor Xiao, "Teacher Xiao, I’ll turn off the main water and power, and then we can go!"
By the time the group drove home, it was almost dark. Li Xiu drove the car directly to the base of the Observation Tower in the garden. He carried Professor Xiao’s luggage and led them inside. Worried that it might be inconvenient for the elderly couple to stay on the second floor, he had arranged for them to stay on the first. When he had come back earlier, Sister Fang had helped clean everything, even putting fresh sheets and duvet covers on the beds in the bedroom.
Looking at the clean and cozy bedroom, Professor Xiao saw the new, unused sheets and duvet cover on the bed. There was also a vase on the nightstand with a few red plum blossoms in it. She turned to look at her student. ’They prepared all of this in advance, just to make sure I’d be comfortable.’
"How did you know I would definitely come? You even prepared everything in advance!" Professor Xiao asked gently, a smile in her eyes.
Seeing everything in the room, Zhou Lian knew that Li Xiu must have rushed to prepare it when he came back to drop off the children. She looked at Professor Xiao and said mischievously, "Professor, Jin Chen said he had a way to get you and your husband to come."
Professor Xiao laughed helplessly at Zhou Lian. ’This student of mine has really been spoiled rotten by Li Jincheng! Her frankness is almost startling. It’s a good thing this side of her only comes out unconsciously in front of those she’s closest to!’
Looking at Zhou Lian with gentle indulgence, Li Xiu said warmly, "Teacher Xiao, sir, it’s getting late. Let’s head over to the other courtyard. It’s not too far!"
Zhou Lian took Professor Xiao’s arm and walked slowly toward the courtyard, quietly explaining the garden’s layout along the way—the Plum Garden, the peach grove, the cherry blossom garden, the orchid garden, the chrysanthemum garden. This was a garden where flowers bloomed all year round.
Sister Fang had already prepared a sumptuous dinner. Seeing that everyone had arrived, she began bringing out the dishes. When Nuonuo and Yanyan saw that their grand-teachers had really come, they happily ran into the arms of Professor Xiao and her husband, chattering about how long they had been waiting and how much they missed them!
After a lively dinner, the group went to Zhou Lian’s study. Professor Xiao and her husband played with the two children for a while before Li Xiu had Sister Fang take them to bed. Professor Xiao was stunned as she looked around Zhou Lian’s study. ’Li Jincheng truly spares no effort in doting on Zhou Lian. Never mind the rare ancient books and paintings on those shelves, just look at the furnishings in this study—every single piece is a treasure. And she claims her eye isn’t good? But this blue-and-white porcelain vase from the Ming Dynasty, this pen holder and brush rest carved from agarwood with a landscape and figures, and that large floor-standing screen... is agarwood that common nowadays?’
The bookshelves and desk were made of golden nanmu, filling the entire study with an air of ancient, scholarly elegance. The professor’s husband walked around the room once before turning to Li Xiu, looking at the floor-standing screen in shock. "Where did you get this? And you just... leave it sitting here?"
Li Xiu glanced at the screen and said nonchalantly, "Bao’er quite likes this screen. She spends a lot of time in the study when she’s home, so it’s nice for her to have it here to look at."
"It’s a work of art! Aren’t you afraid of it getting damaged just leaving it here like this?" the professor’s husband asked helplessly. ’There’s no way Li Jincheng doesn’t know how precious this screen is!’
Li Xiu looked at the screen again and said softly, "No matter how precious it is, it’s still just a thing. It’s good enough if it can be used. Letting it sit somewhere collecting dust doesn’t bring out its value. Bao’er likes it, so isn’t having it here for her to enjoy its purpose?"
’No matter how precious these things are, they’re just things. How can they be more important than Bao’er’s happiness? Besides, what’s the use of a priceless object if you don’t use it and just let it sit there? That’s the real waste!’