The car stopped in the corridor of the outer garden. Xu Liao sat in the co-pilot seat. Although he was inevitably tired after the long flight, he did not close his eyes to take a nap. He stared at the entire mansion with all his attention.
Shen Ruozhen was basking in the sun. He hooked his fingers around Xiang Mingzhang's slightly cool fingers and took the initiative to pull Xiang Mingzhang out.
In the villa, Aunt Qian chased out: "Mr. Xiang, are you going out?"
Xiang Xingzhao was on the verge of death these past two days, and everyone was holding their breath, waiting for Xiang Mingzhang's orders at every step and not daring to make any mistakes.
Xiang Mingzhang stopped and asked, "What's going on in the house?"
Aunt Qian said, "The family was crying so hard, they just stopped crying, and are changing the old man's clothes."
When a person dies, the living are left with trivial matters. When Xiang Xingzhao passed away, his relatives had to set up a memorial at home and notify relatives and friends to come and pay their respects.
As a grandson, it would be unreasonable for him to leave at this time, but Xiang Mingzhang didn't care and said, "Let them do whatever they want, don't worry about me."
"Is this okay?" Aunt Qian asked worriedly, "Your uncle has asked you where you have been several times, he will definitely look for you."
Xiang Mingzhang said coldly: "Tell them that I am too sad and need to calm down."
Aunt Qian understood what he meant and went back.
Shen Ruozhen felt the fingertips in his palms warming up. He stroked Xiang Mingzhang's knuckles and said, "Let's go."
After getting in the car, Xiang Mingzhang took a deep breath and said, "Go to Manzhuang."
The car turned around, and the Jingpu mansion kept getting smaller in the rearview mirror. Shen Ruozhen remembered that on the day he came to attend the wedding, Xiang Mingzhang said that he didn't like this house.
It took Shen Ruozhen only a few months to go from doubt to understanding, but the deep pain hidden in Xiang Mingzhang's "dislike" was the result of a long accumulation from childhood to adolescence.
Now that Xiang Xingzhao is dead, the Jingpu mansion will change hands, and the group of hibiscus birds will probably no longer be raised.
There was a document bag in the car, which contained an agreement signed by Xiang Long.
Shen Ruozhen rushed to the airport early in the morning and met Xiang Long. For the first time in his life, he looked at someone without regard for etiquette, and perhaps even with a bit of disgust.
Xiang Long looks much older than his actual age. His nose is a bit similar to Xiang Mingzhang's, but the two men's temperaments and demeanors are very different. Even if you see it with your own eyes, it is hard to believe that the proud and steady Xiang Mingzhang would have such a father.
It didn't take much effort to sign the agreement. Xiang Long was a coward to begin with. He had suffered enough torture in drug rehabilitation centers and sanatoriums in foreign countries for many years. He felt like a cripple and wanted to come back.
Even if he had nothing, Xiang Long still had the identity of "Xiang Xingzhao's son". For the sake of Xiang family's reputation, Xiang Kun and Xiang Huan would never ignore him.
The car drove into the northern area of Manzhuang. There were flowers and plants in full bloom along the way. Workers from the gardening department were pruning and watering the trees, talking and laughing. The scene was more lively than usual.
The weather is warm today, the courtyard door is open for ventilation, and the floor-to-ceiling windows facing the courtyard have no blackout curtains, so it is bright inside and out.
Shen Ruozhen accompanied Xiang Mingzhang in front, while Xu Liao followed behind and stopped in the corridor halfway.
When they reached the door, Xiang Mingzhang took the lead and stepped into the living room, calling out "Mom".
Bai Yongti was reading a book on the sofa. When Xiang Mingzhang called her in the middle of the night two days ago, she had a hunch that something was wrong. She closed the book, stood up, and asked, "What happened?"
Xiang Mingzhang stopped in front of Bai Yongti, without any prelude, and he was not clear about his tone, and said: "Xiang Xingzhao is dead."
Bai Yongti had a blank expression, as if she didn't hear anything. With a "thump", the book fell to the ground, and her hanging hands clenched into fists.
Xiang Mingzhang leaned over and hugged Bai Yongti, repeating: "Mom, Xiang Xingzhao is dead. I watched him die with my own eyes."
Bai Yongti lay on Xiang Mingzhang's chest, her long hair covering her face. Silently, the shawl slipped from her trembling shoulders.
Shen Ruozhen stood outside the door. This privacy was too painful. It took great courage to reveal it in front of others. After a while, Xiang Mingzhang helped Bai Yongti sit back on the sofa, and then nodded at him.
Shen Ruozhen walked in and greeted as usual: "Aunt, I am here to bother you again."
Bai Yongti tucked her hair behind her ears and said, "Are you accompanying Mingzhang today?"
Shen Ruozhen said: "When it comes to matters of life and death, whether it's regrettable or satisfying, it will be easier if someone accompanies you."
Bai Yongti was very willing to listen to Shen Ruozhen's talk. Although the other party was young, his conversation was mature and could always calm people down. She thanked him and said, "Just trouble you to follow me."
"It's not a big deal." Shen Ruozhen said, "By the way, I have a document to show my aunt."
He opened the file bag, took out two stacks of documents and placed them on the coffee table. Xiang Mingzhang said, "Xiang Long is back."
Bai Yongti was stunned. The relationship between husband and wife should be the closest, but she was unfamiliar with the name Xiang Long. She had experienced the bone-chilling chill, and over the past few decades, she no longer had any feelings in her heart.
There were two documents, one was an agreement on property transfer, and there was another one underneath. Shen Ruozhen said, "I guessed that Ming Zhang would have to do it sooner or later, so I took the initiative to prepare them together."
Xiang Mingzhang's mind was slightly moved: "What is it?"
Bai Yongti picked up the document with both hands and read it word by word. Her eyes and throat felt dry and sore. After reading the last page, she choked and said, "I'll sign it."
Xiang Mingzhang handed over the pen and Bai Yongti took it. He had been copying Buddhist scriptures morning and night for so many years and had written "Amitabha" tens of thousands of times, but had only written his own name a few times.
There were nearly a hundred wolf-hair pens in the study. She almost forgot how to hold an ordinary pen. She placed the pen between her thumb and index finger until it turned white. She signed the three characters "Bai Yongti" with a stroke of the pen, as if she wanted the pen to penetrate the back of the paper.
After finishing writing, Bai Yongti lowered his head, said nothing, and did not move. The knot in his heart that had been tied up for too long suddenly loosened. Even if it was untied, it would still take time to recover.
Xiang Mingzhang was venting his accusations beside Xiang Xingzhao's bed. His mind was blank at this moment and he tried to comfort him but was too weak to speak.
At this time Shen Ruozhen called him: "Let's go out for a walk."
Xiang Mingzhang stood up obediently and followed Shen Ruozhen out of the house. In the corridor outside the door, Xu Liao finished burning a cigarette.
After shaking off the smell of cigarettes on his body, Xu Liao silently walked into the living room. He picked up the book that Bai Yongti had dropped on the ground. It was a very thick book. It was not a Buddhist scripture, but a book about flower cultivation that he brought back from New Zealand.
Xu Liao did not mention the past, as if he were an old friend who came to visit without knowing anything, saying: "I see the flowers in the manor are blooming, they are very beautiful."
Bai Yongti raised her head: "The weather is getting warmer."
"Yeah." Xu Liao said, "The flowers on the street are blooming too. Whenever you want to see them, I'll drive you there."
Xiang Mingzhang and Shen Ruozhen walked outside. Not only were the flowers blooming in Manzhuang, but the dense camphor forest was also lush and green, which was very pleasing to the eyes.
The car stopped outside the courtyard, and Shen Ruozhen said, "I brought something with me when I left this morning. It's for you."
Xiang Mingzhang couldn't guess, so he asked, "What is it?"
Shen Ruozhen took out a scroll tied with a rope from the trunk. It was the painting "Pozhenzi".
Xiang Mingzhang held it in his hand and said, "You actually kept it all this time."
They walked along the path together, and Shen Ruozhen recalled: "Back then, for Yisi, I took a roundabout way to get a job as Xiang Yue's secretary. Actually, I'm a little annoyed with you."
Xiang Mingzhang chuckled: "So?"
"Later, I saw this painting of 'Pozhenzi' in the company's exhibition hall." Shen Ruozhen said, "You are a person who does not show your emotions, but your calligraphy is unrestrained and wild. I became a little curious about you."
Xiang Mingzhang was even more curious about Shen Ruozhen. It started from a piece of pipa music, or perhaps even earlier. It should be traced back to the first text message Shen Ruozhen sent him, and then he couldn't stop.
He said, "It's fair that I discovered your identity and you know my secret."
Shen Ruozhen said modestly: "You are better and faster."
Xiang Mingzhang felt a little hot as he walked, so he took off his coat and carried it in his hand, feeling more relaxed than ever before. Next up was Xiang Xingzhao's funeral, and there was no need to worry about anything that could be done with money.
After notarizing the will, Xiang Mingzhang said: "I have almost finished managing the company recently, and I will officially take over."
Shen Ruozhen asked: "Except Xiang Long, where are the other family members?"
"I know what's going on. I won't treat them unfairly." Xiang Mingzhang said, "Besides the company, Xiang Xingzhao has a huge amount of assets under his name. Let the lawyers handle the specific division."
Shen Ruozhen asked: "Are you still going to Jingpu Mansion?"
Xiang Mingzhang shook his head and said, "Give it to whoever wants it. Aunt Qian's seniors have worked in the Xiang family for decades. If they are still willing to work, I will let them come to the South District of Manzhuang."
Shen Ruozhen said: "No one lives in Manzhuang."
Xiang Mingzhang used his coat to swing at Shen Ruozhen's calf and said, "Why is there no one here? We can come over occasionally. If it's inconvenient for you to get out of bed, at least someone will serve you tea and water."
Shen Ruozhen raised his hand and plucked a leaf from the treetop, throwing it at Xiang Mingzhang like a dart: "Watch your words."
Xiang Mingzhang didn't dodge, but turned sideways and was hit on the chest. The spring leaves were so fresh that they left a light green mark on his shirt.
Before I knew it, I had reached the lakeside. In the clear water, there were more than a dozen white and golden dragon and phoenix koi, like balls of floating white gauze. The Metasequoia forest on the left bank was growing well and was more lush than in winter.
Workers were clearing weeds along the lake, and a small pickup truck loaded with grass clippings followed slowly behind.
Xiang Mingzhang suddenly stopped and threw the "Poetry of Breaking the Formation" in his hand into the truck bed. The rope loosened in mid-air and the whole piece of calligraphy unfolded and fell on the pile of weeds.
The pickup truck drove away, and the green silk on the back of the scroll merged into the green grass.
There was only flying dust in the sunlight. In Xiang Mingzhang's eyes, everything had been "settled".
(End of this chapter)