The villa soon fell quiet.
“Miss, it’s already noon. You must be hungry. I’ll go prepare lunch in the kitchen,” Aunt Chen said with a smile. “The refrigerator is stocked with fresh ingredients, so it’ll be ready soon.”
“Okay. Just make something simple. Don’t go to too much trouble,” Zhang Yanyan said with a nod.
“It’s no trouble at all. I’m only preparing a meal for a few of us. What’s there to fuss about?”
With that, Aunt Chen turned and went into the kitchen, and Aunt Wang followed to help. Before long, the sound of running water, the soft chop of a knife, and the hum of the range hood filled the kitchen.
Not long afterward, Aunt Chen poked her head out and called Zhang Yanyan to come eat.
Zhang Yanyan went to the dining room. Four dishes and a soup had been set on the table: braised pork, stir-fried broccoli, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, steamed sea bass, and a pot of loofah and egg soup. They were all served in white porcelain dishes, steam rising from them.
Zhang Yanyan took a seat at the table. Aunt Chen immediately placed a piece of tender braised pork in her bowl.
“Have a taste, Miss. I simmered it a little longer on purpose, so it won’t be greasy.”
Zhang Yanyan took a bite and nodded. “Mmm. It still tastes just like I remember. Delicious.”
Aunt Wang quickly ladled half a bowl of loofah soup for her. “The loofah was picked fresh from the estate’s vegetable garden this morning. It’s very tender. Have some to cut the richness.”
“Thank you, Aunt Wang. You two should eat as well. If you wait any longer, the food will get cold.” Zhang Yanyan accepted the bowl and slowly took a couple of sips.
“No rush. Everything’s still being kept warm in the pots. You eat first.”
The meal passed in peaceful silence. Every so often, Aunt Chen and Aunt Wang added some of Zhang Yanyan’s favorite dishes to her bowl, mentioning that all the ingredients had come from home and were fresh and trustworthy. Zhang Yanyan responded to each remark.
After lunch, just as Zhang Yanyan set down her chopsticks, Aunt Wang placed a cup of warm honey water beside her.
She took two sips, then turned to Aunt Chen, who was clearing away the dishes.
“Aunt Chen, I’d like to visit the home-furnishings mall nearby this afternoon. We already have all the major furniture for the house, but we’re still missing things like wall art, vases, and ornaments. The place will feel more comfortable once we add them. Come with me and help me choose. If anything seems out of place, give me your opinion.”
Aunt Chen quickly wiped her hands, her face breaking into a broad smile. “Of course! I’ll go with you, Miss. I promise I won’t chatter away—I’ll just help you decide whether things suit the house.”
Aunt Wang smiled from nearby. “You two go ahead. I’ll tidy up the guest rooms and kitchen and give everything another wipe-down. I’ll be here when you get back.”
Zhang Yanyan nodded and called Mr. Li to ask him to bring the car around.
Less than ten minutes later, Mr. Li called to say he had arrived at the villa entrance.
The three of them changed their shoes and got into the car. Mr. Li turned around and asked, “Miss, which store are we going to? There’s a home-furnishings center about twenty minutes from here with a particularly good selection of soft furnishings. Quite a few nearby homeowners shop there, and the quality is reliable.”
“Sounds good. Let’s go there,” Zhang Yanyan replied.
The car slowly pulled away.
Twenty minutes later, it stopped in front of the home-furnishings center. The three of them got out and entered the mall, heading straight to the soft-furnishings section on the second floor. As soon as they walked in, a salesperson came over with a smile and asked what they were looking for and what style their home was decorated in.
“Modern minimalist, with warm tones. The furniture is light wood paired with ivory. We’ll start by looking at wall art,” Zhang Yanyan said casually.
The salesperson immediately led them to the wall-art section, where paintings of all kinds hung throughout the showroom.
Zhang Yanyan strolled slowly along the walls, her gaze passing over row after row of framed pictures. At last, she stopped in front of a triptych depicting a sunset forest.
The painting used warm yellow tones and simple lines, without any unnecessary blocks of color. Its dimensions were just right for the wall behind the living-room sofa. She raised a hand and pointed.
“I’ll take a set in this size.”
Aunt Chen leaned over to look and nodded approvingly. “You have such good taste, Miss. It’s simple and elegant, and it goes perfectly with our ivory sofa and light-wood TV cabinet. It won’t look too loud.”
After walking a few more steps, Zhang Yanyan spotted an ink-wash painting of bamboo. The image was understated, with only a few bamboo branches and no superfluous strokes.
“I’ll take this one too,” she told the salesperson. “It’s for the study.”
Aunt Chen nodded along. “This one is lovely. It has such a peaceful feel. It’ll be soothing to look at while you’re reading or working.”
Finally, Zhang Yanyan chose a still life of fruit in soft colors for the dining room. Aunt Chen added with a smile, “Looking at that while eating will make everything seem even more appetizing.”
After choosing the paintings, the three of them followed the salesperson to the ceramic ornaments section. Zhang Yanyan immediately took a liking to a pair of tall, ivory ceramic vases with wide mouths. Faint patterns decorated their surfaces, and there were no unnecessary embellishments. They felt smooth and finely made in her hands.
“I’ll take the pair,” she told the salesperson.
Aunt Chen said from beside her, “They’ll look perfect on either side of the TV cabinet in the living room. You could put a few lucky bamboos or fresh flowers in them. They’ll give the room a very elegant look.”
Next, Zhang Yanyan chose a short, round-mouthed ceramic vase for the dining table, along with several small transparent glass vases for the study and the little tables on the balcony.
When they reached the ornaments section, she picked up a light-wood storage tray, just the right size for the entryway cabinet, and added it to the order.
Aunt Chen smiled. “That’ll be useful. You can put your keys, mask, and access card in it when you come home, so they won’t be scattered everywhere. And the wood matches the entryway cabinet perfectly.”
Finally, she selected a wooden pen holder in the same color for the study, two small ceramic tea pets for the tea table on the balcony, and a simple wooden photo frame for the bedside table.
Everything she chose had a simple design that matched the style of the house; there was nothing overly ornate.
Throughout the entire process, Aunt Chen only occasionally offered a brief comment after Zhang Yanyan had made her choice. She no longer offered unsolicited opinions.
Once everything had been selected, the salesperson led them to the front desk to calculate the total. Zhang Yanyan paid by card and left the villa address with the salesperson.
“Please arrange delivery as soon as possible. Ideally, I’d like everything delivered this afternoon.”
“No problem at all!” The salesperson nodded enthusiastically. “Local deliveries are quick. I’ll arrange it right away and guarantee that everything will arrive before three this afternoon. The deliverymen are all experienced professionals. They’ll take care of everything properly.”
The three of them left the home-furnishings center and got back into the car. Mr. Li turned around and asked, “Miss, are we heading straight home?”
Zhang Yanyan thought for a moment before replying, “There’s no hurry. I’d like to buy some gardening tools, vegetable seedlings, grapevines, flower seedlings, and things like that. Do you know of a reliable shop nearby?”
There was no shortage of any of those things in Zhang Yanyan’s space, but she couldn’t simply take them out in front of everyone. She might as well buy another set.
“There is, actually!” Mr. Li immediately replied. “There’s an agricultural and gardening supply store two kilometers from here. It’s been open for many years, and the homeowners from the nearby villas all shop there. Their vegetable and fruit seedlings are raised in greenhouses, so they have a high survival rate, and they carry a wide variety. They also have gardening workers who can come to your home to install trellises and set everything up. It’ll be perfect for us.”
“Good. Let’s go take a look,” Zhang Yanyan said with a nod.
The car turned around and headed toward the gardening store.
They arrived a little over ten minutes later. The shop owner was very friendly; after hearing Zhang Yanyan’s requirements, he immediately led her into the greenhouse to choose seedlings.
Zhang Yanyan picked seasonal vegetable seedlings—greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, and chili peppers—then ordered a complete set of gardening tools and two bags of organic fertilizer.
She also chose two Kyoho grapevines, two blueberry bushes, and twenty climbing roses and rambling roses. While she was at it, she arranged with the owner to have workers come to the villa the following afternoon to put up a grape trellis.
Finally, at the aquarium shop next door, she ordered five red koi and two pots of water lilies with flower buds. She left the villa address for all the orders and arranged for everything to be delivered the next day at the agreed time.
