CHAPTER 394: CHAPTER 394: OLD PEOPLE, OLD MATTERS

"She gave me a toy car, so I went on my own to play." Xiao Xuan’s big eyes blinked in confusion, clearly not understanding why his father was so angry.

This tenant often stayed at their house and was very nice to him, frequently buying him toys and snacks. He really liked this kind and amiable tenant.

Even though their house caught fire last night, it was because the electrical appliances his father provided were not of good quality. If the tenant was unharmed, that was already fortunate, yet his father wanted to shift the blame onto the tenant?

"Play! Play! Play! All you know is to play!" Shuanzi slapped his son on the head, knocking him over.

The village chief frowned disapprovingly, "Shuanzi, what are you doing? You asked a child to keep an eye on someone. It was your oversight to begin with. Now that you’ve lost sight of the person, how can you blame the child?"

Shuanzi’s face flushed red, looking utterly downcast.

With things at this point, all the blame might fall on him, and he felt an immense pressure.

At Shuanzi’s near-despair, Lu Zechuan spoke up softly, "Last night’s fire caused you all considerable losses. I can help you rebuild your homes. In return, you give me the development rights to your village. What do you think?"

In doing so, Lu Zechuan would have to invest more money than initially planned.

But it was still within his estimated range.

This time, the village chief said nothing.

With half the village burnt down, this was no small matter, and if higher authorities held them accountable, he’d be out of a job as the village chief!

But now, with Lu Zechuan providing a safety net, this could be covered up.

"If no one has any objections, let’s go with Mr. Lu’s proposal," the village chief sighed, although he thought the villagers were at a disadvantage.

Still, with things as they were, he could only swallow this hidden loss.

Lu Zechuan sent someone to negotiate with the village chief about developing a resort, and only then did the two set off on their journey again.

Leaving the seaside village, Lu Zechuan seemed preoccupied. Despite several attempts by Xia Mian to engage him in conversation, he appeared distracted.

"Why don’t we go back?" Xia Mian sighed softly.

Originally, they went out to relax, but now they weren’t relieved; problems kept arising instead.

Lu Zechuan held the steering wheel with both hands, speaking slowly, "If we go back, she will never appear again."

He wanted to continue forward, waiting for the other party to show herself again.

Xia Mian said no more.

The appearance of the woman Shuanzi described was still fresh in Xia Mian’s mind.

It was Lu Zechuan’s estranged grandmother, Murong Shuang.

After Shen Man’s death, Murong Shuang was furious and sought revenge on them, but she lacked the capability. She later left with Qin Shuang.

Subsequently, after Qin Shuang avenged them, she brought Gu Zhi to find her but later perished in the River of Time, entrusting Gu Zhi to her.

As for Murong Shuang, she vanished since then.

No one expected to receive news of Murong Shuang here today.

After all, Murong Shuang was Lu Zechuan’s grandmother, so his feelings toward her were somewhat complex.

Murong Shuang was ruthless to Shen Xiang, but during his childhood, Murong Shuang played the role of a kind grandmother.

"My grandmother was no pushover." Lu Zechuan’s brow furrowed lightly.

Xia Mian lowered her gaze and remained silent.

Murong Shuang was certainly no pushover. If she were simple, how could she, already married and with Shen Man, climb up to Shen Fei?

Murong Shuang had been silent for so long, and now she’s suddenly resurfacing; Xia Mian felt intuitively that her intentions weren’t benevolent.

"No wonder I felt someone watching us as soon as we left home." Xia Mian’s eyes showed a hint of relief.

Since they embarked from Beijing, she constantly felt surveilled, yet when searching, she found no suspicious individuals.

Murong Shuang likely didn’t have the capability for this.

So, had Murong Shuang sidled up to someone influential again?

Xia Mian had no doubt about this.

Murong Shuang had no other talent except for clinging onto others, which she was undoubtedly skilled at.

"Whoever it is, since they’ve come, let them stay," Lu Zechuan said shortly and domineeringly.

Although Murong Shuang had treated him well in the past, after learning of her deeds, his tender feelings toward her had dwindled considerably.

Xia Mian remained silent, her eyes narrowing slightly.

The person hiding in the shadows was no ordinary person from this world, Xia Mian was sure of that.

As Lu Zechuan drove, the sky gradually darkened.

In the evening, a heavy snow began to fall.

While driving, Lu Zechuan said, "At the next highway exit, we’ll go out and find a place to stay."

This time, he intended to wait for the opponent to come to him.

He did not plan to set off again until the matter was resolved.

Xia Mian acknowledged with a hum, having no objection to Lu Zechuan’s arrangements.

However, after the seaside village incident, whether the other party would actively resurface was uncertain.

The place Lu Zechuan chose to stay was a mountain lodge.

The scenery was great; from the lodge’s floor-to-ceiling window, one could see the rolling mountains.

In the winter, the peaks were cloaked in snow, a thousand miles frozen, and covered in drifting snowflakes, resembling a fairytale world.

"The scenery here is indeed beautiful." Xia Mian sat in the rocking chair by the floor-to-ceiling window, admiring the view with awe.

Having lived two lives, it was rare for her to enjoy such leisure time with someone she liked, walking and seeing the world together.

Standing besides the rocking chair, Lu Zechuan glanced at the outside scenery along Xia Mian’s line of sight, "If you like it, I can show you the sights all over the world."

Xia Mian’s lips curved slightly, her eyes sparkling with a smile, "Sure!"

Seeing the world with someone you like sounded quite romantic.

In the winter lodge, the fireplace crackled with fire, and outside the window was an endless snowy vista, warm inside, and a sculpted ice world outside.

"Interested in a snowball fight?" Xia Mian raised an eyebrow with her suggestion.

Lu Zechuan smiled slightly, "If you want to, I’ll accompany you."

Given Lu Zechuan’s background, he couldn’t indulge in childlike play as most kids do.

Having a snowball fight was something he’d never done before.

Xia Mian stood up and glanced into the distance, "Let’s go have some fun today."

Xia Mian and Lu Zechuan dressed lightly and headed up the snowy mountain.

The snowy mountain stretched straight into the clouds, the two appearing small on its slopes.

As the two entered the mountain, a gust of wind swept in, chilling them to the bone.

Xia Mian pulled her jacket tighter, narrowing her eyes, "It seems someone has been here before!"

A thin layer of fresh snow covered a series of uneven footprints.

Lu Zechuan gave a small nod, glancing at the snow-covered footprints below, a slight change in expression.

The two exchanged a brief glance, "Be careful."