Chapter Seven: Grandma
The next morning, at breakfast, Lu Li kept shaking his head, muttering, “I’ve seen it all now, truly broadened my horizons.” Sister Yameng slurped some noodles, then tapped him on the head with a clean spoon. “Are you possessed? You’ve been muttering all morning. You were already at it when you woke up.” An Baili, a picky eater, poked at the oily bubbles in her noodle soup with her chopsticks and asked, “What horizons have you broadened?”
Wen Hupo, sitting primly beside them, taking small, ladylike bites of her noodles, blushed crimson, her head bowed low, pretending to be engrossed in her food.
Lu Li glanced at Zou Yameng and An Baili, shaking his head dramatically. “Broadened my horizons, indeed…” The two women rolled their eyes at him in unison. Just then, Miss Lu scampered over, and Lu Li grabbed her. “Look, isn’t Miss Lu a little yellow cat? See the light yellow markings on her face? Wow—” Wen Hupo abruptly set down her bowl, startling the others. “I’m full.”
Miss Lu, meowing in protest, wriggled free from Lu Li’s grasp and ran towards the golden-haired girl. Lu Li continued shaking his head. “Worth it, totally worth it.”
After breakfast, the three girls retreated to their rooms to watch TV. Lu Li received a call from Superintendent Cai.
“Hello, Mr. Lu, it’s me.” Yesterday it was “Mr. Lu,” today it’s “Mr. Lu.”
“Regarding the Yan Jun case, I have some developments to report. The shooting occurred in the city center, and if it were to become public, it would have a significant impact. I don’t have the authority to keep Yan Jun in custody any longer.” After a long-winded preamble, Lu Li’s heart sank. “The Inspection Committee came by around three o’clock this morning and transferred the case to a higher authority. Yan Jun was also handed over to their interrogators half an hour ago.”
Lu Li frowned. “What’s the Inspection Committee? And which higher authority are you talking about? You just handed Yan Jun over? Isn’t this a matter for the police?”
Lu Li wasn’t a naive civilian. Superintendent Cai’s evasiveness made him suspicious.
Superintendent Cai forced a laugh. “Ahahaha, well, you see, Mr. Lu, don’t worry, haha, just listen to me. The Inspection Committee is a special organization directly under the central government, like the imperial inspectors of old. They have much more authority than us lowly officials. We have to obey their orders. And the higher authority… well, it’s a classified department; we have a confidentiality agreement. But rest assured, they specialize in serious criminal cases, and their interrogation methods are far more advanced than ours! Haha.”
His laughter sounded strained.
Lu Li’s mood soured. Yan Jun had been mysteriously transferred, his background unknown, and now his whereabouts were also unknown. This only confirmed his suspicions: whoever was behind this had considerable influence.
“But don’t worry too much, Mr. Lu. Our interrogation wasn’t entirely fruitless.” Seeing Lu Li’s silence, Superintendent Cai added, trying to reassure him, “We learned that Yan Jun’s only target was you, no one else. At least your family and friends are safe…”
Is that supposed to be good news?
After hanging up, Lu Li fell silent.
The official leads had gone cold. Now his only hope was Wen Hupo’s connection to the Amber family. A bizarre shooting in the city center had attracted the attention of the central Inspection Committee. The incident occurred during the day, and they arrived in the middle of the night, as if they’d been waiting for it. Lu Li didn’t believe for a second that there wasn’t something fishy going on.
He wondered what his future father-in-law was doing, and where “Zhu Xi” had gone, why he couldn’t reach her…
As he pondered, Sister Yameng opened the door. “Li, were you on the phone?”
“Uh, yeah.” Lu Li forced a smile. “Aren’t you watching TV?”
“I need to talk to you. You’re always with the girls; I never get a chance to talk to you properly.” Zou Yameng sat beside him, her arm naturally slipping around his. “Li, I’m going back to the team next week.”
Next week… Time flies.
“Your summer vacation is almost over too. Last year, I could still accompany you to the bookstore to buy textbooks, but not this year.” A hint of melancholy colored her voice. “I’ve always been there for you, ever since you were little. But from now on, I won’t be able to be there for everything. We’ll probably see less of each other…”
Lu Li chuckled. Last summer, he and Sister Yameng had gone to the bookstore, and that was where he’d met Chu Jingyi, setting the events of the past year in motion. It had been almost a year.
“We can be together all the time after you retire. Then I can brag to everyone that my Sister Yameng is a world champion.”
Zou Yameng murmured, “Li, do you really think I can become a world champion? Sometimes I feel like I don’t belong in their world.”
Of course you can. Lu Li had no doubt. In his past life, she had been so close to winning. He had always believed she was just as good as He Ping. He squeezed her hand gently. “I also feel like I don’t belong in their world at school. I was a bit rebellious in my first year of high school. I thought I could succeed without them, that I would become so successful that they would come to me.”
Sister Yameng hummed softly.
“I don’t think that way anymore,” Lu Li whispered. “I am who I am, regardless of them.”
Zou Yameng’s eyes softened with affection. “Li, you’ve grown up so much, even more mature than me… Can I kiss you?”
A passionate kiss followed. Afterwards, Zou Yameng remembered the real reason she’d come. “Li, I wanted to ask about your plans for next year. You’ll be in your final year of high school. How are your preparations for the College Entrance Examination going? I heard from my teammates that the top universities are starting their winter camp programs at the end of the year. Have you decided which university you want to apply to?”
He had, of course. He planned to apply to Mulan University. With his current grades, it was practically a sure thing. An Baili, on the other hand, was a different story… And would Silly Goose even want to go to Mulan University?
Meanwhile, in the distant Capital City…
“Sister Xi, when can we go home?”
“…”
“Sister Xi…”
“Silly Qiao, isn’t Grandma’s house also our home?”
“But Grandma is scary…”
“Grandma isn’t scary. Qiao, remember what I told you. Don’t change a single word when Grandma asks you questions. Understand?”
“Okay…”
Chapter Eight: Yan
“Remember what I taught you. Don’t change a single word. Xiao Qiao, have you memorized it?” Zhu Xi wore a light purple pipa-sleeved top and a rose-embroidered gold horse-face skirt. Her hair, styled in the elaborate updo she usually wore for public appearances, accentuated her regal bearing as the Princess of Shenzhou. The servants lining the corridor bowed their heads, not daring to meet her gaze.
The corridor was dimly lit, with oil lamps placed at intervals. Grandma was old-fashioned and preferred the traditional decor, unchanged for decades. Zhu Qiao nervously followed behind Zhu Xi, catching a faint scent of medicinal herbs. The closer they got, the stronger the smell became.
The dim lighting, the silent servants, the long, winding corridor—it resembled a scene from Mr. Producer’s horror game, sending shivers down Zhu Qiao’s spine. She didn’t have a clear memory of her grandmother. Sister Xi said Grandma had held her when she was a baby, but she couldn’t recall it. Yesterday, she had seen Grandma from afar, sitting on a lounge chair, carried by four or five strong men, then carried into the meeting hall. The scene had resembled a zombie king making his grand entrance.
They walked in silence, the pungent smell of herbs growing stronger until it was almost suffocating. Finally, they reached an old wooden door with a red couplet pasted on it.
“Grandma, Xiao Qiao and I are here,” Zhu Xi said, her voice unusually humble. Lu Li would have been surprised to hear such a tone from her.
“Come in.” Grandma’s voice wasn’t the frail, raspy voice Zhu Qiao had expected, but strong and clear, the voice of a sharp mind.
Zhu Xi pushed open the wooden door, the hinges creaking loudly. Her grandmother finally came into view. An old woman with a wrinkled face and white hair lay on a large bed. It was hard to distinguish one elderly woman from another; their faces were etched with the marks of time, their hands like withered branches, the bony fingers resembling claws. What set Grandma apart were her eyes. Not their sharpness, but their deep-set sockets and prominent brow bone. From afar, her eyes seemed completely shrouded in shadow, like an old serpent lurking in the darkness.
Her gaze flickered, a fleeting glint of white in the dark shadows, as if her eyes were glowing. A bit scary, Zhu Qiao thought.
“Qiao’er has grown so much… It’s been over ten years.”
Zhu Xi whispered, “Call her Grandma.”
Zhu Qiao bowed nervously. “Grandma… I’m Zhu Qiao… I’m back!”
“Good, good, good.” Grandma repeated the word three times. “Come sit beside the bed. Let me have a good look at you. Zhu Xi, I’ve sent you messages three or four times. Why did you only come to see me today?”
Zhu Xi’s heart skipped a beat. “Grandma, I was out of the province. The journey was long; I only just returned.”
“Which province?”
“Chuanhai.”
“Oh… Chuanhai.” Grandma’s tone was nonchalant. She turned to the anxious Zhu Qiao. “Xiao Qiao, when did you leave the ancestral hall?”
Her voice was flat, almost mechanical, giving her an unsettling, inhuman quality. Combined with the dim lighting and the strong smell of herbs, her stern expression terrified Zhu Qiao into silence.
Zhu Xi quickly answered, “After the New Year.”
Grandma hummed. “I was asking Xiao Qiao, not you.”
“My apologies.” Zhu Xi fell silent.
“Answering Grandma, Qiao’er left the ancestral hall after the New Year. She’s been staying at Sister Xi’s house since then.” Zhu Qiao took a deep breath, reciting the words Zhu Xi had taught her.
“She left after the New Year, but only came now, mid-year? Did she not miss her grandmother?” Grandma asked, her tone betraying no emotion.
“No, it’s not that. Qiao’er… Qiao’er wasn’t used to life outside, so she stayed at her sister’s place a bit longer. It wasn’t that she didn’t miss you, Grandma.” Zhu Qiao was incredibly nervous. For some reason, her eyelid kept twitching in her grandmother’s presence.
“Oh, I see. Qiao’er, have you made any new friends while you were outside?”
Zhu Qiao paused, replaying Sister Xi’s instructions in her mind. “Answering Grandma, I haven’t made any new friends.”
“Did you go with your Sister Xi when she went to Chuanhai?” The questions continued.
“…N-no.”
“Hmm…” Grandma didn’t seem to notice her nervousness. “Xiao Qiao just left the Zhu family’s ancestral hall. She should be making new friends, distancing herself from the Zhu family.” Zhu Qiao was confused. Wasn’t Sister Xi also a member of the Zhu family? And wasn’t her real name Zhu Qiao? She had only taken Grandma Zhu’s surname later. She was also a Zhu.
“Qiao’er, you may leave now. Your Sister Xi and I have some things to discuss. Make yourself at home; don’t be so formal.” Zhu Qiao, her mind buzzing with questions, bowed and retreated, sneaking a glance at Sister Xi, who was frowning, her head bowed. She left the room alone.
After Zhu Qiao left, Zhu Xi straightened her posture.
“Xi’er,” Grandma said softly.
“Yes.”
“Have you forgotten my teachings? What did I teach you when you were young?”
“…I still remember.” It was a heavy burden, the reason she had to fight against the cabinet despite her young age.
“It seems you’ve grown accustomed to the prestige of being a Zhu princess.”
“I… I haven’t…” Zhu Xi said with difficulty.
“Then why did you go to Chuanhai to meet that man?” Grandma asked coldly.
Zhu Xi’s heart sank. Grandma knew. “He… he’s the Chu family’s son-in-law, close to Chu Xiaodong, so I… I was trying to gain the Chu family’s support through him.”
“Not for personal reasons?”
It was for personal reasons, for Zhu Qiao, but she couldn’t say that. It would only drag Little Qiao into this. Zhu Xi forced herself to say, “Absolutely not for personal reasons.”
“Good. I was worried you might be heartbroken.”
“?” Zhu Xi’s eyes widened in surprise.
“That man should be dead by now.” Grandma’s expression remained unchanged. “Since it wasn’t for personal reasons, there’s nothing to be heartbroken about. You may leave. Next time you hide something from me, it won’t be just an outsider who dies.”
Zhu Xi was shocked, but she bowed and left, her mind racing, wondering how she would explain this to Zhu Qiao.
“Xi’er, remember, the future of the entire Yan family rests on your shoulders.” Grandma’s voice followed her. “A mere commoner means nothing compared to the Yan family, to your pathetic mother, your despicable father, and your pitiful sister.”
“Yes, Grandma.” Zhu Xi closed the door. The light flickered, revealing the blood-red character “Yan” on the nameplate.
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