Zhu Lulu, knowing her place, sat in the sightseeing car playing with her phone. "You guys go in. I'll wait for you outside."
It was a family reunion time. If she went in, she'd only feel awkward. It was better to play a game outside.
Xu Qingqing nodded in agreement. "Okay. We'll come out right after seeing Auntie."
Aunt Zhou led Xu Qingqing and the others into the villa. As they walked on the pebble - paved path, the fragrance of roses grew stronger. The shade of the trees blocked most of the sunlight, bringing coolness.
Aunt Zhou pushed open the door. The person behind it wasn't Qin Hongying but a 17 - year - old girl in a floral dress and slippers. She frowned as she looked at the people behind Aunt Zhou.
Aunt Zhou introduced the girl to Lu Chuanbai.
"This is my daughter, Zhou Qianqian. Since it's her winter vacation, your auntie was worried that no one would take care of her when I'm not at home, so she asked her to come and stay here."
After saying that, Aunt Zhou looked at Lu Chuanbai nervously.
After all, this house belonged to the Lu family.
Back then, when Qin Hongying was looking for a place to recuperate, Lu Chuanbai let her stay here. He himself also got the chance to come to this island with a pleasant climate.
She just didn't know if Lu Chuanbai would be willing to let others stay in the villa.
Lu Chuanbai didn't care about such things. As long as Aunt Zhou could take good care of Qin Hongying, that was enough.
"This is actually quite convenient."
Seeing that Lu Chuanbai showed no sign of dissatisfaction, Aunt Zhou let out a sigh of relief. She pulled Zhou Qianqian's arm and told her to greet them.
"Qianqian, these are your Aunt Qin Hongying's nephew and his wife. Hurry up and greet them."
Unexpectedly, Zhou Qianqian frowned even more. She shook off Aunt Zhou's arm, put on her earphones, and walked away without saying a word.
Just because she was staying here as a guest didn't mean she had to entertain Aunt Qin Hongying's relatives.
Aunt Zhou didn't expect Zhou Qianqian to be so disrespectful to the hosts. A look of embarrassment flashed across her face. She turned to Lu Chuanbai and Xu Qingqing to apologize.
"I'm sorry. This girl is just too socially awkward. She doesn't know how to greet people. I'll talk to her later."
Xu Qingqing waved her hand understandingly. She didn't want to cause any trouble right from the start.
"No need. If she doesn't want to greet us, don't force her."
Aunt Zhou gave Xu Qingqing a grateful smile and made a gesture of invitation.
"Madam sprained her foot while taking a walk by the sea a few days ago, so it's inconvenient for her to come out and see you. Please don't mind."
"We won't. It's our duty as juniors to come and see Auntie."
When Lu Chuanbai and the others went in, they saw a luxurious hall at a glance.
A huge crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, emitting a cold light. The sunlight shone through the intricate windows, and the shadows were cast on the soft red carpet.
As soon as Xu Qingqing entered the room, she smelled a faint scent of incense. She guessed that Qin Hongying must be a person who burned incense and worshipped Buddha.
Passing through the spacious and deserted living room, Aunt Zhou led Xu Qingqing and the others into the kitchen.
An old woman wearing gold and jewelry was sitting cross - legged on a chair, having breakfast. She wore a jade pendant engraved with scriptures around her neck and thick Buddhist beads on her hand.
Xu Qingqing smelled the stronger fragrance and looked at the Buddhist beads in Qin Hongying's hand. Sure enough, her guess was confirmed.
When Qin Hongying saw Lu Chuanbai coming, she moved her legs with difficulty and put on a proper smile.
"If I had known you were coming, I would have crawled down to open the door for you."
Hearing this, Lu Chuanbai quickly walked to Qin Hongying's side and reached out to support her.
"Auntie, we're not outsiders. There's no need to be so formal."
Then Lu Chuanbai turned to call Xu Qingqing and the two kids over. "Yiyi, An'an, Xu Qingqing, come and greet Auntie."
"Hello, Grandma!"
Xu An'an walked up to Qin Hongying obediently. Looking at Qin Hongying's swollen ankle with yellow potion on it, she asked softly.
"Grandma, does your leg still hurt?"
Xu Yiyi also came over and gently touched Qin Hongying's ankle with her small hand. Feeling how swollen and almost transparent the ankle was, she showed a concerned look on her face.
"Grandma, your ankle is so swollen. It must hurt a lot."
Qin Hongying beamed with joy at the concern of the two sensible kids. She reached out and pinched their cheeks with a smile.
"Grandma's foot doesn't hurt anymore. You don't have to worry."
Xu Qingqing also greeted politely.
"Hello, Auntie. I'm Xu Qingqing. You couldn't attend my wedding with Chuanbai, so this time I came with Chuanbai specially to see you."
Hearing Xu Qingqing's voice, Qin Hongying glanced at her and secretly sighed that she was indeed a beautiful woman.
"Thank you for thinking of me. Sit down quickly. Aunt Zhou, go and get some breakfast. Let's have breakfast together."
Lu Chuanbai pulled Xu Qingqing's hand and sat across from Qin Hongying. He waved his hand with a smile.
"Auntie, don't bother. We've already had breakfast. We're not hungry yet."
"Then have a glass of juice. The climate on Penglang Island is hot. You should drink more water to replenish your moisture."
Qin Hongying looked Xu Qingqing up and down with a smile, taking on the stance of a relative asking questions during the Chinese New Year.
"What's your job, Qingqing? When did you have these two kids?"
Hearing Qin Hongying's question about the two kids, Xu Qingqing didn't know how to answer. A look of embarrassment flashed across her face, and her mind raced.
Lu Chuanbai, however, wore a calm smile and helped Xu Qingqing out.
"We had these two kids abroad. Since Qingqing's health was not good, we didn't return to China until her health recovered. Then we brought the two kids back."
"Qingqing is an archaeologist. She has participated in the excavation of many famous heritage sites in the world. She's also excellent at appraising cultural relics and restoring treasures."
Qin Hongying nodded secretly at Lu Chuanbai's first explanation.
But after hearing that Xu Qingqing was an archaeologist and appraiser, Qin Hongying thought of her useless son, and the smile on her face faded a bit.
"An archaeologist? That means you have to go down to tombs often and come into contact with things related to the dead. It's not healthy. You'd better change your job."
Qin Hongying's tone was firm and unyielding. She kept criticizing Xu Qingqing's job.
Xu Qingqing's eyes fell on the Buddhist beads on Qin Hongying's hand. She guessed that Qin Hongying must be a superstitious person. No wonder she was so opposed to her job.
But this was her first time meeting Qin Hongying, an elder who had taken good care of Lu Chuanbai before. It wasn't appropriate to directly refute her. So she just smiled faintly and said,
"No. We always wear protective clothing and take good protective measures when we go down to tombs. It won't be harmful to our health."
Qin Hongying seemed not to hear Xu Qingqing's refutation. She kept talking about how tombs were full of yin energy and would be contaminated with unclean things.
"The tombs are full of dead people. The treasures you dig out are also the burial objects of the dead.
"Constant contact with them will not only affect your lifespan and fortune but also bring misfortune to your family."
As she spoke, Qin Hongying's tone became more and more complaining, and all her good impressions of Xu Qingqing vanished.