Once everything had been settled, the three of them got into the car and returned to the villa. Less than ten minutes after they arrived, the home-furnishings store called to say that the delivery truck had reached the entrance of the villa community. Once the security information was verified, it would be allowed to drive straight to the main gate.
Zhang Yanyan had just changed her shoes when she turned to Auntie Chen and Aunt Wang beside her. “When the workers come in, you can handle the placement of those paintings and arrange everything else. Just follow the style of the house.”
“Of course, Miss. Don’t worry,” Auntie Chen replied with a smile. She switched on the main lights in the entryway and living room, then reminded Aunt Wang to prepare clean rags and bottled water for the workers.
Less than two minutes later, a light knock came from outside. The delivery workers stood at the door with dust covers and tools. The foreman greeted her courteously. “Hello, is this Miss Zhang’s residence? The decorative paintings, vases, and ornaments you ordered have arrived.”
“Thank you for your trouble. Come in.” Zhang Yanyan stepped aside to let them pass, adding only, “Please handle the ceramics carefully. Don’t knock them against anything.”
The workers readily agreed. They carefully carried in the items, each wrapped in three layers of foam padding, and laid down dust covers in the entryway before opening the packages.
Zhang Yanyan pointed out the approximate positions and heights for the main landscape painting in the living room, the bird-and-flower painting in the dining room, and the calligraphy pieces in the study and at the turn of the stairs. Then she turned to Auntie Chen.
“You can oversee the remaining details and make any adjustments. I’m a little tired after walking around all afternoon, so I’ll go upstairs and rest. Call me if you can’t make up your minds about anything.”
“All right, Miss. Go and get some rest. We’ll make sure everything is done properly.” Smiling, Auntie Chen ushered her toward the staircase.
Zhang Yanyan went upstairs, returned to the master bedroom, removed her makeup, and changed into a soft cotton lounge set. She propped herself up against the headboard and read a couple of pages.
The faint sounds of movement and voices from downstairs were steady and reassuring. Before long, sleepiness overcame her, and she drew the blackout curtains and fell asleep.
By the time she woke and went downstairs, it was already evening. The setting sun streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows and bathed the entire room in a warm golden glow.
The paintings in the living room, dining room, and study had all been hung, and the house truly looked much better.
The vases and ornaments on the entryway cabinet, side tables, and corners had also been arranged with pleasing variation, perfectly complementing the villa’s interior design. The spacious, chilly house had instantly taken on a warm, lived-in atmosphere.
“Miss, you’re awake?” Auntie Chen was dusting one of the ornaments. When she saw Zhang Yanyan come downstairs, she hurried to the kitchen and brought out some warmed milk and sliced fruit. “Take a look and see whether there’s anything you don’t like. We can adjust it right away.”
Zhang Yanyan walked around the house once and nodded in satisfaction. “It looks wonderful. Thank you for all your hard work.”
“It was no trouble. This was nothing,” Aunt Wang said with a smile and a wave of her hand. “When the workers left, they were praising your taste. They said all the decorations you chose suited the house perfectly.”
Early the next morning, just as Zhang Yanyan sat down at the dining table for breakfast, the guardhouse called to say that the delivery workers from the agricultural supply store had arrived with vegetable seedlings and gardening tools.
Zhang Yanyan took a sip of her millet porridge and said to Auntie Chen, “I mentioned a few days ago that I wanted to plant some vegetables and fruit trees we eat regularly in the empty space at the back. I gave you a list of the varieties. Contact Old Song and have him come over to supervise. He knows what he’s doing.”
Old Song had been the Zhang family’s gardening specialist for more than a decade. He had previously cared for the gardens and vegetable plots at the Zhang family’s old residence and was exceptionally skilled. Whether it was flowers and trees, growing fruits and vegetables, or maintaining landscaped gardens, he was capable of handling everything. After Zhang Yanyan moved into the villa, she had specifically invited him to come over and take full responsibility for the greenery and planting in both the front and back yards.
“I already spoke with Old Song. He and two apprentices are on their way. I also chose the seedlings according to the list you gave me. They’re all easy to grow and produce plenty of fruit. I guarantee they’ll take root and thrive.”
Auntie Chen smiled and placed a hot bun in Zhang Yanyan’s bowl. “There’s no need for you to worry about this sort of thing. Old Song and his apprentices can do it ten times better than we could.”
Zhang Yanyan said nothing more. After finishing breakfast, she only went to take a look at the backyard.
Old Song had already arrived with his apprentices and was checking the varieties of seedlings with the delivery workers. When he saw her, he greeted her with a smile.
“Miss, don’t worry. I’ve already planned out the layout. We’ll make vegetable beds on the east side for the cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, leafy greens, and other vegetables you wanted. We’ll leave the west side for the fruit trees. The beds will be raised so they won’t collect water. The seedlings are sure to grow vigorously.”
“Mm. Just handle it as you see fit.” Zhang Yanyan nodded, stayed only briefly, and then turned back into the house. She did not interfere with any of the details, leaving everything to Old Song and his apprentices.
Old Song and the two young men got to work efficiently. In less than a morning, they had planted all the seedlings in neat, orderly rows, making the garden look full of life.
Just after noon, the aquarium’s delivery van arrived with the koi and water lilies Zhang Yanyan had ordered a few days earlier. She told the workers only, “Arrange the water lilies evenly around the edge of the pond, and let the koi acclimate before putting them in.” She left everything else to Old Song, who had stayed behind to supervise, and returned to the study to take care of her own affairs.
When she went to the backyard again that evening, the water lilies had already been arranged in a natural, staggered pattern around the ornamental pond, their buds just peeking above the surface. More than a dozen brightly colored koi swam through the clear water, flicking their tails. Together, they made the pond look particularly lively and beautiful.
The workers from the gardening shop also arrived that afternoon, bringing the materials for a treated-wood grape trellis, grapevines, and flowering plants. Zhang Yanyan only specified that the trellis be built on the open ground beside the ornamental pond and selected two grape varieties—Shine Muscat and Kyoho. She also had the flowering plants chosen to fit the dimensions of the flower beds in the front yard. The installation, planting, and cleanup were all left to the workers and Old Song to coordinate.
The workers moved quickly. In a single afternoon, they had built the trellis securely, planted the grapevines, and added climbing roses beside it. They also filled the front flower beds with seasonal blooms and cleaned up every bit of trash before leaving.
By the end of the day, the front and back yards had been completely transformed. The vegetable beds were orderly, the pond was full of life, the grape trellis stood straight and sturdy, and the flower beds were neatly planted and bursting with vitality. Zhang Yanyan looked down from the second-floor balcony and was thoroughly satisfied. She had not needed to lift a finger, yet everything had been taken care of perfectly.
With only one day left before the start of the semester, Zhang Yanyan organized the backpack she would use for school in the study. She placed her new stationery, tablet, printed campus map, and class schedule inside one by one. She also put tissues and wet wipes in the inner compartment. Then she went to the dressing room, chose the school uniform she would wear the next day, and laid it out at the foot of the bed.
That afternoon, she asked Mr. Li to drive her through the route to Tengyuan University twice.
Mr. Li had been driving for more than twenty years and knew Rongcheng’s roads like the back of his hand. As he drove, he explained, “The main roads will definitely be congested during the morning rush. We can take this side road instead. It adds two intersections, but it’ll save us at least twenty minutes. I’ve already memorized the traffic lights and turns.”
He took Zhang Yanyan along the alternate route twice to make sure they could avoid the traffic. After entering the university, they found the underground parking garage closest to the teaching buildings and confirmed the location of the elevator entrance. He even identified the fixed parking space nearest to the elevator before driving her home.
That evening, Zhang Yanyan carried a wicker chair into the front courtyard and settled down beneath the osmanthus tree.
The setting sun bathed the courtyard in warm gold. As a breeze stirred the branches, the leaves of the osmanthus tree swayed gently, sending a few tiny leaves fluttering to the ground.
