Chapter Twenty: Cuiwei Manor
Cuiwei Villa is a secluded estate surrounded by mountains and water, with ancient trees providing shade, resembling a fairyland. It is located in the undeveloped area of Xiling Lake, the most beautiful and tranquil spot in Nanhang, a hidden place that most locals cannot even set foot in or know about.
This was Yun Yao's first time here. He was a native of Nanhang, and his maternal grandparents' home was even in a residential compound near Xiling Lake. Having grown up with his grandparents since childhood, Yun Yao could be said to have grown up on the beautiful shores of Xiling Lake.
But he had never seen a place as uniquely beautiful and tranquil as Cuiwei Villa. The surrounding green mountains and clear waters and the shady ancient trees brought abundant greenery and spiritual energy, making people feel refreshed and comfortable. It was a wonderful natural oxygen bar.
"It would be quite suitable for that lady to recuperate here," Yun Yao thought.
Yes, in the first few days at Cuiwei Villa, Yun Yao noticed that the lady's health seemed to be not very good. Sometimes she could even see the lady sitting in a wheelchair, surrounded by a group of medical staff.
Cuiwei Villa is equipped with a highly professional and top-notch medical team, who are on standby at all times near the camphor garden where the lady resides.
On Yun Yao's first day there, Butler Cheng took him to Lanfang Courtyard, which wasn't far from Xiangzhang Garden. There weren't many people there; only a few young and elite assistants and attendants were temporarily staying there.
Yun Yao lived separately from them, but Butler Cheng would arrange for them to come during the day to teach Yun Yao relevant nursing and assistant-related courses. Occasionally, Butler Cheng would also come to take care of Yun Yao personally, including taking him to see the madam, which was all arranged by Butler Cheng.
However, since returning from the dance school, Madam's health seems to have deteriorated. Yun Yao has been here for several days but has rarely had the opportunity to see Madam. Occasionally, when Butler Cheng takes him there, he usually just chats with Madam, who looks sickly, or plays a game of chess.
The lady is in poor health and cannot go out often. Most of the time, she stays in the camphor garden under the care of the medical team, and only her confidants are allowed to enter.
Life at Cuiwei Manor was unexpectedly peaceful and tranquil for Yun Yao. As long as he could endure the loneliness and abide by the rules, life seemed to continue in this simple way.
However, on the first day that Steward Cheng brought Yun Yao to Lanfang Courtyard, a particularly young attendant looked at him with a complicated expression.
The staff at Cuiwei Manor were highly trained and rarely showed their emotions openly. Therefore, when Yun Yao first saw this attendant, who seemed no more than two years older than him, display such outward emotion, he was quite impressed. What was even stranger was that Yun Yao felt a vague sense of familiarity looking at this attendant, but he couldn't remember where he had seen him before.
Coincidentally, this attendant was later assigned by Butler Cheng to teach Yun Yao relevant nursing and assistant skills.
However, when they met again, the attendant was quite indifferent, and even frequently made sarcastic remarks to him during the early stages of his studies. But later, perhaps seeing that Yun Yao's attitude towards learning was very serious, even down-to-earth and hardworking, and that he grasped things quickly and was a "good student" with no faults, the young attendant's attitude towards him became more normal.
"You're so serious, do you really want to be a nursing assistant?" One day, the usually taciturn young attendant couldn't help but ask him privately, his expression carrying a hint of mockery and sarcasm.
Yun Yao knew that his position was very awkward because he had been brought in by Butler Cheng. Everyone here probably knew this, and they all looked at him with strange eyes in their hearts without saying a word.
Yun Yao felt she had nothing to complain about, even though she had nothing to offer yet.
All he could do was endure it, taking it as a lesson learned over the past two years that had made him thicker-skinned. He couldn't help but chuckle to himself.
Yun Yao then looked up at the attendant, pretending not to hear the sarcasm in his words, and calmly replied, "I know I'm still far from good enough and can't compare to the experts. But since I'm here, I have to do something and can't just sit around doing nothing. Thank you to the teachers for being willing to guide me, and thank you for taking the time out of your work to teach me. I will definitely take it seriously."
The young attendant's mocking smile faded. He stared intently at Yun Yao, seemingly assessing something. After a moment of silence, he suddenly said to Yun Yao, "My name is Xing Yu. You can call me by my name from now on. You don't need to keep calling me 'teacher' all the time. If you have any questions, just come and ask me." With that, he walked away quickly, as if someone were chasing him.
Yun Yao smiled; this was the first time he had ever heard the names of the people in the manor. From the moment he entered, apart from Steward Cheng, almost no one else paid him any attention. The few attendants who taught him were also taciturn, never saying anything unnecessary to him, nor introducing themselves.
The manor had strict rules, which would have made other lively and restless young people feel quite oppressed, or at least bored. But because of his past experiences, Yun Yao could find some peace and tranquility in this loneliness. As long as he didn't think about his father and Qin Rao, his days were unusually quiet.
“Xing Yu…” Yun Yao read the name aloud, feeling an even stronger sense of familiarity. But it was like looking through a layer of fog; the more he tried to explore, the more shrouded in mystery he became. In the end, he still couldn’t figure out where this sense of familiarity came from.
From that day on, the young attendant named Xing Yu and Yun Yao began to talk more and more in private. However, his words were still sharp and sarcastic. He would tease Yun Yao, saying that she had a better starting point than the previous person who had just been kicked out, "The last person who came to the manor was only arranged to stay in the remote Qinghe Valley, and didn't even get to see the madam a few times. You're much better; you were arranged to stay in Lanfang Courtyard, which is so close, right away."
Yun Yao sensed the sarcasm in his words, but she wasn't angry. She simply replied calmly, "Then I am truly honored." Her words left him speechless.
Yun Yao watched the person walk away angrily and smiled to herself. Life didn't seem so boring after all.
...
That day, due to his wife's illness, Butler Cheng, who hadn't been seen for several days, suddenly arrived at Lanfang Courtyard. He brought Yunyao a costume for a classical dance performance, along with two makeup artists. Butler Cheng told Yunyao that his wife's health had improved slightly in the past two days, and that she had mentioned watching Yunyao dance at the academy the day before, expressing some nostalgia. So, Butler Cheng had taken it upon himself to come today.
He said sternly to Yun Yao, "Your biggest task in coming to Cuiwei Manor is to make Madam happy. Everything else is trivial. Be careful not to do anything offensive, or you and the people behind you will not be able to bear the consequences." He hurriedly had the makeup artist do Yun Yao's makeup, while a bunch of assistants carrying various dance costumes bustled around, making Yun Yao try them on.
Yun Yao gently pushed away the makeup artist who was about to apply powder to his face, and turned to Butler Cheng helplessly, saying, "Butler Cheng, I think what Madam needs right now is not a hastily put-together dance performance."
Looking at Yun Yao's composed demeanor, Butler Cheng hesitated for a moment, but then he realized that Yun Yao was indeed quite extraordinary, so he waved for the makeup artist and assistant to leave.
He stared at Yun Yao with a serious expression and said, "Yun Yao, don't think you know everything. Compared to people like us, you're just a greenhorn who hasn't experienced anything."
He glanced around, then sternly instructed Yun Yao, "Now that you've entered Cuiwei Manor, I won't hide it from you. Madam has worked hard all her life and achieved remarkable feats, but unfortunately, she is now frail and sickly. How can we let her spend the rest of her life like this? Now is the time for Madam to enjoy life, and you..."
Butler Cheng gave the young man an arrogant look and continued, "You are very lucky to have been chosen by the madam and have the opportunity to serve her. Your role is to please the madam. I don't care what methods you use, as long as you do this well, you will have whatever you want."
Yun Yao listened quietly, a wave of sorrow washing over him. What he truly wanted was gone forever.
"Butler Cheng," Yun Yao composed himself and looked calmly at Butler Cheng, expressing his thoughts: "I may not understand Madam as well as you and other seniors, but I have taken care of my grandparents and mother who had just recovered from their illnesses. I just feel that people who have just recovered from illness generally prefer someone to be by their side and genuinely care for them. I think that even just being a confidant is better than inappropriately showing off one's talents."
Butler Cheng snorted but did not refute. He told Yun Yao to pack up and then took him to the camphor garden.
Contrary to Yun Yao's expectations, there were no medical staff in the camphor garden at the moment; instead, it was peaceful and serene.
In late summer and early autumn, the gardens of Jiangnan resemble a slowly unfolding ink painting, with flowers falling like snowflakes as you look up.
Yun Yao had barely seen his wife since her condition worsened, and this was the first time he had seen her recuperating.
The lady, dressed in a plain silk dress, leaned against the railing of the waterside pavilion, looking slightly haggard. Several thread-bound poetry collections were placed on a small table beside her, their pages turning gently in the breeze.
"I'm sorry to have made you laugh." The lady looked gently at the handsome young man who was approaching and smiled slightly. She stroked the collection of poems and couldn't help but softly recite: "The moon shines on the east wing, casting shadows on the railing. A day of wind and dew, flowers like snow." The poet's words were just like the scene before her eyes, which should have been a beautiful sight, but she was plagued by illness, which only added to her loneliness.
Yun Yao was somewhat amazed; he hadn't expected this lady to have such a fondness for classical literature. It reminded him of his grandmother, a Chinese literature professor, and his mother, a literary enthusiast, making him feel a deep sense of kinship.
Wisps of smoke rose from the incense burner on the table, carrying a faint scent of sandalwood. Yun Yao walked to the lady's side and asked softly, "Madam, words can heal the soul. Your refined taste reminds me of some poems I've heard before. Would you be interested in appreciating them together?"
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