Chapter 118 Jincheng Feng Family
The plane landed at a private airport in Tianjin.
The hatch opened and a cool breeze of early autumn rushed in.
Feng Mingzhou walked down the gangway first, then turned around and extended his hand to her.
Gu Manman put her hand on his palm, lifted her skirt, and followed him off the plane.
On the tarmac, a row of black cars were waiting.
Leading the group was a stretched version of a Rolls-Royce Phantom. Standing next to the door was a middle-aged man in a black suit and white gloves, looking respectful.
"Master." The man bowed slightly.
Feng Mingzhou nodded, put his arm around Gu Manman's waist, and protected her as she sat in the back seat.
The convoy started and drove away from the airport.
The interior of the car is spacious and the sound insulation is excellent, and you can hardly hear any sound from the outside world.
Gu Manman looked at the scene outside the window rapidly receding, gradually transitioning from the modern airport area to the tree-lined suburbs.
The car drove for about an hour and gradually slowed down.
A huge iron gate with carved patterns appeared in front of us, with towering walls on both sides, and no end in sight. Two rows of uniformed security guards stood at the gate. When they saw the convoy approaching, they quickly stood at attention and saluted. The gate slid open silently to both sides.
The convoy drove in slowly.
Only then did Gu Manman realize that the "ancestral home" that Feng Mingzhou mentioned was completely different from the old house she had imagined.
This is a manor.
The car continued along the wide asphalt road, with tall sycamore trees on both sides and rolling mountains shrouded in clouds and mist in the distance.
The buildings built against the mountain are well-proportioned, with flying eaves and brackets, and are magnificent, looming among the green trees.
She also saw a small golf course and a horse ranch.
After driving in from the gate, the car drove for another twenty minutes before slowing down again.
In front of us is a building that combines Chinese classical and modern styles. It is majestic and stands at the deepest part of the manor, with its back against lush mountains.
There were already two rows of people standing in the square at the entrance, a sea of black, standing respectfully with their hands hanging down.
The car stopped in front of the main building.
The driver got out of the car and opened the back door.
Feng Mingzhou got off the car first, turned around again, stretched out his hand to her, and said with a smile: "We're here."
He sent away the housekeeper and servants who followed him everywhere.
Gu Manman took Feng Mingzhou's hand and walked around the garden along the bluestone path.
The courtyard is incredibly large, with pavilions, towers, bridges and flowing water. Every step brings a new scene, and everywhere shows traces of meticulous care and the accumulation of years.
The air is filled with the sweet scent of osmanthus, mixed with the fresh scent of soil and grass.
She couldn't help but look up at the eaves and corners hidden in the green trees in the distance, and then looked at the man holding her hand.
"Feng Mingzhou, your home... isn't that a bit exaggerated? Did you live here when you were a child?"
This was like a scene from a movie. If you didn't know what was happening, you would have thought it was a king returning to the palace.
"no."
He pulled her to a stop beside a Taihu stone and said, "I grew up in Jiangcheng."
"This is our ancestral home. My grandfather lived here when he was still alive. I only come back to stay for a few days during festivals, winter and summer vacations."
He pointed to a courtyard hidden among tall pines and cypresses in the distance: "That's where I lived when I was a child. It was my grandfather's favorite courtyard. It was built in the style of Jiangnan gardens."
"Come to think of it, I hated coming back here when I was a kid."
There was a hint of nostalgia in Feng Mingzhou's voice, "There are too many rules."
Gu Manman looked at him in surprise: "You? Are you afraid of the rules?"
Feng Mingzhou chuckled: "I was much wilder back then than I am now. Every time I was sent back, I wanted to escape within two days."
He took her around a rockery, and suddenly the view in front of them opened up to a wide pond with lotus leaves everywhere. A few egrets stood in the shallow water, leisurely foraging for food.
"I remember one summer, I sneaked up the mountain late at night, but I accidentally fell into a puddle. I crawled back covered in mud and was punished by my grandfather to kneel for the whole night."
Gu Manman imagined the stubborn and undisciplined little boy and couldn't help laughing: "So you have been so rebellious since you were a child."
Feng Mingzhou seemed pleased by her smile, and the light in his eyes became brighter.
They walked across a small bridge, and Gu Manman's eyes were attracted by an ancient tree. The huge crown of the tree was spread out like a canopy, vigorous and powerful.
"That's a ginkgo tree. It's at least five hundred years old." Feng Mingzhou followed her line of sight and explained, "It was already very big when the Feng family moved here."
They approached the ancient tree, whose trunk was so thick that it took three adults to hug it.
Gu Manman reached out and touched the rough bark of the ancient tree, feeling the vicissitudes of five hundred years of history.
There are a few shallow scratches on the trunk, and the edges have been smoothed out by time.
"What are these?" she asked, pointing at the marks.
A hint of nostalgia flashed across Feng Mingzhou's eyes.
"Some of them were carved when I was a kid. Every year when I come back, my grandfather would record my height on them."
Gu Manman narrowed her eyes and carefully identified the vague traces. An image emerged in her mind of a little boy standing on tiptoe, carefully carving the mark of his growth on the tree trunk.
"There are others," Feng Mingzhou continued, "left by the descendants of the Feng family from generation to generation. This tree has witnessed the rise and fall of the Feng family."
The setting sun shone through the mottled shadows of the trees, casting flickering spots of light on the two of them.
"It's so beautiful." she said softly.
Feng Mingzhou's eyes fell on her face, and he said softly: "Well, we are very beautiful."
They continued forward, passing through a small bamboo forest, through a carved moon gate, and passing by several pavilions of various shapes.
"Are you tired?" Feng Mingzhou noticed that she was slowing down and asked with concern.
Gu Manman nodded: "A little bit. Your house is too big. It will take a whole day to walk around it."
Feng Mingzhou smiled and pulled her to sit in a pavilion.
The pavilion is located on a small hillside with a wide view overlooking part of the entire estate.
"We've only walked less than one-tenth of the way here." He looked at his watch, "but it's almost time to go back for dinner."
Gu Manman's eyes widened: "Only one tenth? How big is this place?"
"The Feng family has been rooted in Tianjin for hundreds of years, so the place is naturally not small."
Gu Manman shook her head, still finding it a little unbelievable.
She suddenly understood why Feng Mingzhou had that innate aura and confidence since he was a child, the kind of self-confidence that he had everything planned out.
With such a family background and such an environment, how could he not develop a natural kingly temperament after being influenced by it since childhood.
"What's wrong?" Feng Mingzhou noticed her thoughtful expression.
Gu Manman shook her head: "Nothing, I'm just hungry from shopping."
Feng Mingzhou stood up and took her hand: "Let's go back and eat. I asked the kitchen to prepare some special dishes from Jincheng, you can try them."
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