Chapter 46: 046 International Settlement 1

For the next three days, Yunyan and Mrs. Qiao were both busy. Packing Yunyan's belongings into boxes took more than half the Qiao Mansion's staff. Yunyan had his own obsession—he wanted to take everything with him, unwilling to leave anything behind or throw anything away. Chu Wang couldn't help but sigh, thinking this fetish might be innate, something he couldn't overcome no matter how many years he lived.

During this trip to Shanghai, Lin Yu invited many relatives and friends to the Lin Residence in the International Settlement for a large family gathering. Therefore, Qiao Maling and Mr. Huang were naturally expected to join them. However, she and Mr. Huang had already traveled to British Singapore the previous month, so they would take a boat directly from Singapore to Shanghai and meet up there.

This time, the Viscount was a British ship, still with first-class cabins, but much more spacious than the Japanese ship. Mrs. Qiao and Yunyan stayed in one room, Chu Wang and Zhenzhen in another, and the maids in the other. The sea was much calmer this time than last time, but Yunyan still vomited profusely. He vomited for three days, and even Mrs. Qiao couldn't stand it anymore. "Going through the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea in one go will take nearly a month. And the waves there are terrible. What are we going to do then?"

Xue Zhenzhen looked at Yunyan for a while, then turned and bombarded Chu Wang with a barrage of words—"There are so many delicious and fun things to do abroad, and there are also handsome French men. Why don't you go? If you don't go, what are you going to do here? Are you going to enjoy the distinct seasons of Hong Kong?"

Chu Wang sighed and said, "I'll stay here with you."

Later, “in England, there were no distinct seasons.”

Finally, she said calmly, "Forget about the handsome French guy, doesn't he have his fiancé beside him?"

Without Yun Yan's affectionate side, the three days on the cruise ship were quite comfortable, but one had to endure Xue Zhenzhen's soul-searching questioning.

When they finally arrived at Hong Kong, Zhenzhen finally confided in her heart, "Did you stay with me on purpose because you were afraid that I would be alone in the Qiao Mansion?"

Chu Wang said regretfully: "It's not just for you."

Zhenzhen sighed, "Then I'm pretty happy too."

The port's hired helpers came to unload all the luggage. A maid supported Yunyan and walked beside Mrs. Qiao, while Chu Wangze and Zhenzhen strolled slowly to the end. People on the ship unloaded the cargo and people on the dock, and people and cars on the dock also drove in slowly - traffic was temporarily in chaos. Xue Zhenzhen saw Master Xue at a glance and jumped up the stairs: "Dad Xue!"

Chu Wang looked over there: Mr. Xue had come with Lin Yu. Lin Yu was tall and thin, with a solemn expression. He wore glasses and a camel-colored Mao suit—the look of an old scholar. This contrasted with Mr. Xue beside him, who looked lively and unique. He was dressed in a Western style suit, tie, and top hat. His face was greasy, his head was slightly balding, and his round belly almost stretched out the buttons of his vest.

Parked alongside them were a Ford and a Buick, along with two shuttle buses. Although they had discussed this with Mrs. Qiao beforehand, the two fathers were still startled by Yunyan's impressive luggage. Xue Zhenzhen insisted on riding in the same car as Chu Wang, but with Mrs. Qiao, Yunyan, and Chu Wang all in the Lin family car, and several servants following the shuttle bus, there was no room for Zhenzhen. Master Xue persuaded her to take his own car home, promising to bring her back to the Lin residence later.

Several people were sitting in a car, crossing the bridge from the Jardine Wharf and slowly driving into the International Settlement along a broad road. Chu Wang glanced carefully and saw that the previous avenue was written "Kiukiang Road." Lin Yu, paying her attention, explained, "This is Second Road."

At this moment, Lin Yunyan asked for some reason: "What about the Fourth Road?"

Lin Yu suddenly glanced at Mrs. Qiao and asked, "Who did you hear that from?"

Mrs. Qiao's face was not happy either. "My niece grew up in Shanghai and has been very naughty since she was a child. I probably heard this from her when I first went to Hong Kong..."

Chu Wang naturally didn't know what kind of road Simalu was, but he couldn't ask. He could only marvel at Yunyan's amazing memory - she actually remembered a joke Xue Zhenzhen said when she was seasick three years ago.

Lin Yu then changed the subject and said, "Chu Wang, you don't plan to go to Europe with me. Can you tell Daddy what you think?"

Chu Wang smiled and said, "It's nothing. I just don't want to delay my studies for two more years. Going to Europe will give me many opportunities in the future."

Lin Yu hummed in agreement and said, "It's good to have your own ideas and thoughts."

Chu Wang stopped talking after hearing this and turned to look out the car window. The towering buildings disappeared as the car gradually entered a residential street. The drizzle made it hard for her to make out the street signs. Small Western-style buildings were neatly arranged, but suddenly there was a clearing in the middle—a wide lawn. Behind it stood a gray-black Western-style house with pale green shutters. It felt as if this wasn't China, but a foreign country, like the outside of the Vienna Opera.

Suddenly, the car stopped outside a plain, cream-colored building below the gray-black villa. Two servants came out to direct the unloading of the luggage. Mrs. Qiao helped Yunyan down from the car. She also stared at the gray-black villa for a while and asked, "Dad, is that the Si Mansion?"

Lin Yu said, "That's it. Young Master Si came back yesterday and fell ill on the boat. When he heard you were coming back today, he insisted on going to the dock to pick you up. I managed to persuade him to stop. I told him to take good care of himself and come to our house for dinner in a couple of days."

Chu Wang listened and followed Mrs. Qiao into the Lin Mansion. It was four in the afternoon, and the lights were already on. The Lin family had few female members, so you wouldn't see the ladies in cheongsams gathering to play mahjong. Although Lin Yu had studied abroad, his style was old-fashioned. The furniture in his home was all dark, lacquered wood, and there wasn't much of it. It was as if the once-cold and lonely Lin Mansion in Shaoxing had been copied and relocated to this semi-modernized place.

The two upstairs rooms with balconies facing the lawn served as temporary bedrooms for Chu Wang and Yun Yan. Chu Wang, with only a few underwear on her, lazily stretched out on the bed, listening to the clatter of luggage being carried up and down the stairs next door, lost in thought.

By the time the neighbors had almost finished packing, it was time for dinner. After three years of being spoiled by Western food in Hong Kong, Chu Wang followed the aroma of lotus root and bone soup downstairs the moment it was ready, followed by Yun Yan. The Lin family was hosting a banquet for friends and family in the next two days, so they were still short of supplies. Lin Yuzheng had entrusted Mrs. Qiao to procure them. Chu Wang and Yun Yan drank their bone soup while Mrs. Qiao instructed the maid to get pen and paper and write a shopping list.

After a while, the phone rang. The maid picked it up and said, "Ms. Xue wants you two girls to go to the Great World together later."

Mrs. Qiao said, "That's great. You won't have to worry about no one to take you out for fun."

Lin Yu smiled and said, "These three girls can actually have some fun out there."

After a while, he remembered something: "Oh, Uncle Si just called and said that he and Young Master Si will come to visit in a while. Alas, I am old and forgetful."

As soon as he finished speaking, the doorbell rang. When the maid went to open the door, Yun Yan suddenly said, "I'm not going to the Great World."

Sure enough, the maid at the door said, "Master Si and Young Master Si are here."

Lin Yu and Mrs. Qiao rose to greet them. Chu Wang finished chewing the last piece of lotus root and followed Yun Yan out. Si Ying was a thin, handsome man, nearing forty, and could still be considered a handsome man. His every move was characterized by his decisive and efficient style. It was said that he had married a Japanese woman last year, and with such a beautiful woman by his side, his face was even more radiant.

The two friends exchanged pleasantries at the entrance before they noticed Si Yansang standing behind Si Ying. He was still wearing a shirt and gray vest, but because of the sudden drop in temperature due to the rain, he had also thrown on a black double-breasted suit. Having been ill, he didn't look very well, and he just stood behind Si Ying and smiled at Chu Wang.

Si Ying also noticed it, turned his head to look at his son, and said with a scolding smile: "This kid came back sick yesterday, and today he's clamoring to come to the dock to pick up Miss Lin."

Si Yansang then calmed down a bit, greeted Mrs. Lin Yuyu and Qiao, and then said, "Second sister, third sister—" As he spoke, he stared at Chu Wang with a sharp gaze and smiled, "—Long time no see."

"Long time no see." Chu Wang smiled helplessly and looked at the sky.

"Brother Yan Sang, I heard you fell ill on the ship back home? How are you now? Are you feeling better?"

"Much better. Thank you, second sister, for your concern." He said lightly, but looked at Chu Wang with a smile.

Yun Yan asked with concern, "You and I are both ill. I also vomited on the ship a few days ago, so I don't look very good today."

"Not very well?" Si Yansang then pretended to look at Zhen Yunyan's face seriously, "Hmm? I think you look pretty good, but you seem to have darkened a lot?" He chuckled and asked with a smile, "Why are you so dark?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Yun Yan's face became even darker.

Mrs. Qiao smiled and said, "It's fashionable among Hong Kong girls to have a tan. It looks good. Master Si is complimenting you."

"Oh? Is that so?" Si Yansang smiled politely. "Maybe it was mentioned in the letter my second sister sent me some time ago? I should have taken a look. Sorry, sorry."

Upon hearing this, Si Ying asked, "I heard that the third girl and this boy often exchanged letters. He wrote to me and often praised the third girl for her intelligence and studious nature. Did the second girl also write letters?" He looked at Yan Sang inquiringly, "Why haven't I heard you mention that?"

After hearing this, Lin Yu went to see Mrs. Qiao and Yun Yan. Mrs. Qiao was silent, while Yun Yan lowered her head, her hands tightly twisting the hem of her cheongsam.