The convoy drove along the ring road for more than 40 minutes before slowing down to turn into the entrance of a villa district.
The security guard at the gate post caught sight of the license plate, raised his hand in a salute, and immediately lifted the barrier to let them pass.
Rows of camphor trees were planted on both sides of the road, their canopies lush and interlinked. Every villa along the road came with an independent courtyard, and the spacing between buildings was wide and open.
The convoy finally stopped in front of a two-and-a-half-story standalone villa. As the vehicles came to a full stop, their engines fell silent.
The domestic staff who had arrived early to get the place ready hurried over to greet them, pulled open the car door, and bowed, saying, "Miss, welcome home."
Zhang Yanyan stepped out of the car and looked up at the building in front of her. It had a white exterior wall paired with a dark brown sloped roof. The front yard was paved with a neat lawn, planted with three osmanthus trees and two clumps of hydrangeas. The stone steps leading to the entrance were polished spotless, and the full-length French windows were immaculate. Sunlight streamed through the glass, casting neat patches of light on the indoor floor.
"Miss, everything inside is more or less tidied up. Would you like to go in and take a look first?" the domestic staff member who had come along with Uncle Chen stepped forward and asked softly.
"Not just yet. Unload the things from the cars first," Zhang Yanyan waved her hand. "Handle the fragile items with care, and deliver each box to the corresponding room according to the labels on it."
"Yes, Miss."
Everyone got to work right away. The security personnel and domestic staff paired up, opening the trunks in a well-organized manner and carrying the storage boxes of different sizes down one by one.
The boxes marked with fragile labels were carried by two people at a time, their steps extremely slow. All the other boxes were sorted by their labels and carried in turn to the first-floor storage room, the second-floor master bedroom, the walk-in closet, and the study. There was no unnecessary noise the whole time, and no misplacement or chaos occurred.
Zhang Yanyan was standing in the yard. She had just taken a step forward when Auntie Chen reached out and gently took her arm.
"Miss, you don't need to follow along and help. We can handle all this work just fine," Auntie Chen said with a smile, leading her toward the back gate on the west side of the yard. "We're quick with our hands, and we'll be done before you know it. The pavilion in the backyard has been tidied up in advance. We've prepared tea and snacks for you there. Go rest for a bit, and take a look at how the backyard is arranged too. If there's anything you want changed, we can adjust it right away."
Aunt Wang also came up and chimed in, "That's right, Miss. If you're hovering around, we'll get flustered and won't be able to work as smoothly. Go rest in the backyard, and we'll make sure everything is tidied up exactly the way you like it."
The two of them led her through the side door, one on her left and one on her right, into the backyard.
The backyard was paved with bluestone paths. On one side, the fence was draped with waist-high roses and climbing roses. On the other side was a neat open space, and in the corner sat a koi pond. In the octagonal pavilion at the center of the pond, the stone table was covered with a linen tablecloth, and a set of white porcelain tea set was laid out.
The black tea in the teapot was still steaming, and on the white porcelain plate beside it were arranged cranberry cookies, tiramisu, mango pancakes, and a plate of cut fresh fruit.
Auntie Chen led her to the rattan chair in the pavilion and sat her down. "You just sit here. Call us anytime you need something. We'll go back to the front to get busy now, and we guarantee everything will be completely ready before lunch."
"Thank you all for your hard work," Zhang Yanyan nodded. "Don't tire yourselves out. Take your time."
"We know, Miss," Auntie Chen and Aunt Wang replied, then turned and hurried through the side door back to the front yard.
Zhang Yanyan picked up the teacup, took a sip of the black tea, and put the cup back on the table.
Leaning back against the chair, she watched several bright red koi fish glide past, their tails swishing. Then she stood up and walked slowly along the bluestone path around the backyard.
She stopped by the fence, took out her phone, opened the memo app, and typed: Build a preservative-treated wooden grape trellis on the east side of the fence, and plant a grape seedling; divide the open space into raised beds to grow leafy greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, and chili peppers; add a sunshade and two more rattan chairs next to the pavilion; add five more koi fish and two water lily pots to the koi pond.
She walked to the corner of the backyard, looked at the unused open space, and added another line to the memo: Install a projector and projection screen in the attic, build a full wall of bookshelves along the wall, and equip the space with a lazy sofa and carpet.
From time to time, she glanced over toward the side door, where she could see the domestic staff carrying boxes in and out of the villa. Auntie Chen was standing by the French window on the second floor, giving instructions to the staff facing the wardrobe, while Aunt Wang was in the living room unpacking cardboard boxes and arranging throw pillows and blankets on the sofas.
At 11:17 in the morning, Auntie Chen came to the backyard again, stood by the pavilion, and said, "Miss, everything is all tidied up. Come over and see if there's anything you want adjusted."
Zhang Yanyan locked her phone screen, stood up, patted the grass clippings off her pants, and followed Auntie Chen through the side door back into the villa.
The first floor was an open combined living and dining area. The sofas, coffee table, and TV stand were all in a simple modern style, with a color palette dominated by off-white and light brown. The French windows faced the backyard, letting in plenty of natural light.
The dining area was connected to an open-plan kitchen, with a solid wood dining table paired with six dining chairs. The cabinets, refrigerator, steam oven, and dishwasher inside the kitchen were all fully installed, and the countertop was wiped clean and bright.
At the end of the east corridor, there were two south-facing guest rooms, one domestic staff room, and one security room with a separate lounge area. The bedding, wardrobes, and tables and chairs in all the rooms were placed in their proper positions.
The two of them walked up the stairs to the second floor, which was the entire private living area.
The master bedroom suite came with a separate bathroom, with a double-sink vanity, bathtub, and shower stall all in separate zones.
In the connected walk-in closet, the floor-to-ceiling wardrobes were divided into sections by season and category, and all the clothes that had been brought over were hung up neatly.
The shoe rack had six tiers, with shoes arranged in order by style. In the jewelry cabinet against the wall, the daily-worn accessories were sorted and placed in velvet trays, and the very middle drawer held that ruby jewelry set.
To the south of the hallway was the study. The full wall of bookshelves was filled with all the books they had brought, arranged by category. On the desk by the window, the laptop, tablet, and stationery were placed in neat order.
Next to the study was the gaming room. The gaming PC, dual monitors, keyboard, mouse, and headphones were all set up and tested, the gaming chair was placed in front of the desk, and all the cables were neatly tucked away.
Zhang Yanyan walked up the stairs to the two-and-a-half-story attic. The space was open and spacious, with a large skylight set into the slanted roof. Sunlight streamed through the skylight, covering the entire space. The floor was laid with solid wood planks, and the whole area was currently empty.
She walked back downstairs to the living room and said to Auntie Chen, Aunt Wang, and the rest of the domestic staff present, "Everything is tidied up perfectly. There's nothing that needs adjusting."
Everyone present let out a breath of relief, relaxed smiles spreading across their faces.
Just then, Uncle Chen walked over and bowed to report, "Miss, all the belongings are put away. I'll take those helpers who came over from the manor back with me now. We'll leave Auntie Chen, Aunt Wang, A-Li, and A-Hu here to stay in the rooms on the first floor. If you need anything, just give them orders. Mr. Li the driver and Mr. Zhang the groundskeeper both live in nearby residential compounds. They will come to work every morning and go home in the evening, and they can be reached anytime if something comes up."
"Good, that arrangement works perfectly," Zhang Yanyan nodded. "Everyone has worked so hard today. Uncle Chen, after you get back, give everyone who helped out today a bonus as a token of our appreciation."
"Right away, Miss. I'll go arrange that immediately," Uncle Chen bowed in acknowledgement. Then he led the workers and domestic staff who had come from the manor, who all said their goodbyes to Zhang Yanyan one by one, before stepping out of the villa quietly.
Before long, the sound of the convoy starting up came from outside the yard, and then gradually faded away.
