Iris and Jin Liwei cuddled until the car stopped. They finally reached the majestic gate of the Long ancestral compound.
The partition wall lowered. Xu Tian announced that they arrived.
Jin Liwei kissed Iris' forehead. "Go. Spend time with your father. Call me later when you're ready to leave. I'll pick you up."
"Would you like to go with me inside?"
"Hmm…next time. We'll visit and have dinner with your father as a couple. But for now, I think that it's better for you to go alone. I'm sure your father also wants to spend more time with you."
"Okay."
"Go, baby. Have fun. See you later." He handed her the presents they prepared for Long Tengfei and his wife.
"See you later." Then she turned to Xu Tian. "Drive safely."
"Understood, Miss Long."
The two kissed each other one more time before Iris climbed off the car.
Iris walked forward and pressed the intercom. Yes, there was an intercom despite the ancient place. This was the modern times of technological advancements after all.
After just a few seconds of wait, a guard opened the door to let her in. Iris turned back to look at Jin Liwei before heading inside. His window was down and he waved at her, urging her to go. The car only left when the gate closed behind her.
Once inside the compound, she followed the guard. She sifted through the original Iris' memories and found that nothing really changed in the place. Long Tengfei was really committed to preserving the compound's ancient dignity.
They walked through the outer courtyard where there was a simple yet elegant green garden. It was very clean and well-maintained. Then the guard opened the second gate leading to the inner courtyard which was many times larger than the outer courtyard.
Iris gasped when she saw the inner courtyard. She already knew what it looked like from the original Iris' memories, but seeing and experiencing the place herself was still different. The view was breathtaking. Calm, serene, and elegant. It was like looking at a real, live, breathing painting. So beautiful.
There was a pond with colourful koi fishes swimming underneath the clear water. Pink and white lotus blooms floated on its surface. At the middle of the pond was a natural-looking waterfall fountain made up of irregular moss-covered rocks stacked on top of one another.
Iris followed the guard and crossed the stone bridge over the pond. The lush leaves from the big, old willow tree was like a green curtain hanging over the bridge. Everywhere she looked were green trees and shrubs accentuated by the colourful blossoms of magnolias, chrysanthemums, azaleas and spireas. There were also some carefully cultivated potted bonsai trees. The traditional garden was vibrant yet calm and organized.
She could see the western wing on her far left where Long Tengfei's eldest son from the first wife was living. On her far right was the eastern wing. Long Tengfei suggested for the original Iris to live there before but she rejected his offer, and then proceeded to buy a penthouse instead.
The original Iris hated living in this compound. First of all, the elders often dropped by. She knew that they disapproved of her and her mother Wei Lan. All they did was criticize her in whatever she did. She could never do anything right in their eyes. Second of all, it was an ancient place, so old-fashioned. Long Tengfei did his best to upgrade the living quarters with modern conveniences but the original Iris still felt that they were too primitive compared to living in an actual modern residence. And lastly, the original Iris was afraid to live in this scary, haunted place. While growing up, she heard some of the servants gossiping about seeing ghosts in this place. There was absolutely no way that she would agree to her father's suggestion to live in the eastern wing. This was what the original Iris thought.
The chamberlain led her inside. Iris felt like she was walking inside a museum with all the various relics, artifacts, and ancient art and furniture―but without the cordons. This place was simply amazing.
However, she also personally thought that there was something off-putting in living in this kind of ancient place on a daily basis. It felt like entering a time warp to the ancient times. There was so much established history in every nook and cranny that there was basically no freedom at all for change without disrespecting the place's dignity.
She finally saw other people when they reached the hall. Long Tengfei, his wife Yang Jiahui, and a young woman around Iris' age were standing and waiting for her.
"Xiulan, welcome back," Long Tengfei greeted her. His expression looked unemotional at first glance, but the sparkle in his eyes betrayed his delight.
"Hello, Father," she greeted him back and handed him one of the presents she was carrying. "This is from me and Liwei. He chose it for you."
Long Tengfei's expression stiffened for about a second after hearing Jin Liwei's name, but he quickly nodded and received the present. "Would you mind if I open it now?"
"Not at all. Please open it, Father."
He carefully tore the wrapping paper and opened the box. He reached inside and pulled a bottle.
"Oh! This is a 55-year old single malt scotch whisky. I think I recognize this. I remember seeing a few bottles being auctioned before and the final price for each bottle reached five figures in US dollars. If I'm not mistaken, there are only about 150 bottles of this in the entire world. This is great."
"Thank you, my daughter. And to CEO…I mean, to Liwei too."
She nodded. Then she turned to the older woman quietly standing beside him. Yang Jiahui was not a beauty. Compared to Wei Lan's gorgeous and seductive beauty, Yang Jiahui looked too simple and average. Her features were the kind that would be forgotten immediately within a crowd. However, when she smiled, one couldn't help but be drawn to her. Her eyes were bright and warm and she exuded a pleasant aura that would make people around her comfortable.
At the moment, however, Yang Jiahui's smile was nervous. "Xiulan, thank you for coming today. We're all very happy for your visit."
"Hello, Madam. Thank you."
Yang Jiahui's expression fell a little, but she quickly recovered and smiled warmly once again.