Chapter 522

As night fell, in the living room of the Jiang Family's old residence, the light was warm and dim, several plates of sliced fruit sat on the coffee table, and no one moved.

Jiang Su sat on the sofa, holding a newspaper, flipping through it absentmindedly.

Shen Ningmu sat down beside him, but the smile at the corner of her lips lingered from afternoon until now, refusing to fade.

"Have you laughed enough?" Jiang Su finally gave him a helpless sideways glance.

"My son officially has a fiancée today—what's wrong with me smiling a little?" Shen Ningmu beamed, "If you find it an eyesore, go upstairs."

"I won't." Jiang Su didn't move, picked up the newspaper and unfolded it again, blocking half his face.

Jiang Ye Ye came down from upstairs, holding an old photo frame, walked to the sofa, sat down, and proudly placed it on the coffee table.

"Look quick, this is a photo of A Jin and A Yu when they were three! The two stood hand in hand at the old house's gate, and back then I said, these two kids will definitely be a couple."

Shen Ningmu leaned in to look closely, unable to hold back a laugh, "Dad, weren't you busy back then trying to adopt A Yu as your goddaughter? When did you say that?"

They almost ended up as lovers turning into siblings.

The arranged marriage was something she and Mu's mother had agreed on, later finalized.

Jiang Ye Ye, having been called out by her, calmly took the frame back, wiped the glass with his sleeve, then lifted it under the lamp to examine it thoroughly, growing more pleased the longer he looked.

"Back then I thought exactly that, I just never said it out loud. Now it's settled, proper and right—from now on, on holidays we won't have to bother playing matchmaker anymore!"

Jiang Su peeked half his face from behind the newspaper, "She's only a freshman; don't act like you're planning a wedding for tomorrow."

"What's with pouring cold water?" Shen Ningmu gave him a white-eyed look, "Did I say we're having a wedding now? Can't I be happy for a moment? If you find it noisy, you can go upstairs to rest."

But an engagement banquet is fine.

Jiang Su tried to please, saying, "Sure, sure, as long as the wife is happy, it's fine."

Jiang Ye Ye placed the frame back on the coffee table, then leaned against the sofa, "This child A Jin has always been set on A Yu since childhood, never changing over the years. This single-mindedness—take after me!"

After saying that, he deliberately straightened his back.

Jiang Su and Shen Ningmu both glanced at him at the same time, neither responding.

The doorbell rang.

The servant hurried to open the door, and Jiang Liangjin walked in from outside, still in his suit, though his tie was loosened a bit, adding a touch of tender intimacy.

"Grandpa, Dad, Mom." He changed his shoes, walked in, and sat down on the empty single sofa.

Shen Ningmu immediately went over, looked him up and down, seeing his relaxed expression and spring in his brows and eyes, the last bit of worry in her heart completely settled.

She tentatively asked, "Has A Yu gone back?"

"Mm, I saw her home." Jiang Liangjin leaned into the sofa, the corner of his mouth still holding an undissipated smile.

Shen Ningmu sized him up, then suddenly patted the sofa, "You did well today, especially getting everyone together—no easy feat, Mom's very pleased! But who helped you plan the helicopter, the drone, and the banner?"

Jiang Liangjin didn't intend to take credit, "I did it myself."

"Really not bad." Shen Ningmu patted the sofa a second time, "From today on, you're someone who has a treasure! From now on, act more steadily, speak considerately, always think of A Yu's feelings, don't let her feel wronged."

Jiang Liangjin earnestly agreed.

Jiang Su put down the newspaper and finally asked a sensible question, "How did you guys arrange to meet this afternoon?"

After the ceremony, the several families went off to eat a lively lunch; after dispersing, Jiang Liangjin took Mu Youyu away, and only now has he returned.

Jiang Liangjin turned his phone with his fingers, the smile at his lips never fading, obviously reminiscing about something.

Shen Ningmu waited a while with no reply, then waved her hand in front of him, "I'm asking you—how did you arrange to meet?"

Silly, what are you grinning about like an idiot.

"I took her to look at a house." Jiang Liangjin set his phone aside, becoming a bit more serious.

"It's on the other side of Mu Family's Jingxi Estate, opposite the Jiang Family side; driving there takes about forty minutes, though it's closer to the Mu Family."

Shen Ningmu startled, Jiang Su also raised his brows, the two exchanged a glance, seeing the same question in each other's eyes.

Jiang Ye Ye was the first to react, slapping the sofa armrest, his face breaking into a big smile, "You mean the estate your grandmother left back then?"

"Yeah."

That confirmation landed, and the living room fell silent.

The year Jiang Grandmother passed away, Jiang Liangjin was only four, but because he had already started forming memories and had a habit of keeping a diary, his recollection of those events is vivid.

Before the old lady passed, she divided her several properties; one of them is not in the core of C Shi, but occupies the largest area, several times the size of the others.

It comes with nearly ten gardens front and back, plus a plot planted with the flowers and trees she loved most in life.

When she was young, the old lady favored Jiang Su; after Shen Ningmu entered the family, this favoritism naturally extended to her daughter-in-law as well.

In the days before her passing, she specially called Jiang Liangjin to her side, took his hand, and spoke at length with a smile.

The gist was that this house was left just for you; once you settle on a partner, you'd fix it up and use it as a wedding home.

Jiang Liangjin now recalls, feeling that what his grandmother really meant to say was: "This place is left for our A Jin, to be used later as the wedding home for A Jin and A Yu."

In the decade or so after that, the house remained empty, regularly cleaned and the plants tended, yet no one ever lived there.

Jiang Liangjin felt the time wasn't right, so he never went to see it himself, and naturally nobody else did either.

Shen Ningmu's eyes suddenly felt a bit sore, "If your grandmother knew you brought A Yu here today, she'd be overjoyed—I don't know how happy."

Jiang Ye Ye sighed, picked up the frame, gently rubbed the glass with his fingertip over the blurry image, his voice slow enough to seem as if he were speaking to the person inside the photo.

"Yes, your grandmother specifically instructed when she passed that the estate not be given to anyone else, only left for you to use as a wedding home. She also said back then that if it could be the wedding home for you and A Yu, that would be best—though she also didn't know whether A Yu and you would have a future together."

Jiang Liangjin's lips curved slightly, "Grandma overthought it."

Shen Ningmu was amused by that, laughed out loud, then felt a tinge of sourness in her nose, "Isn't that overthinking? If your grandmother were still alive, seeing this scene today, I don't know how happy she'd be."

She paused, her voice softening, "It's a pity your grandmother passed too early, she missed it."

Jiang Ye Ye put the frame back on the coffee table, "Alright, alright, no more of this talk! Now your matter with A Yu is what's important."

"Right, right, right." Jiang Su rose from the sofa, "You've looked at the house for so long—have you given it a name?"

Jiang Liangjin shook his head, "Still haven't named it; I want to wait for her to decide."

Even Jiang Ye Ye, who had been secretly feeling sentimental, laughed, "What does A Yu say? Does she have any ideas?"

Jiang Liangjin repeated the original words: "She said, 'No rush, we can take it slow, little by little make it into what we want.'"

"Listen!" Shen Ningmu felt moved for him, "Ah Yu is so thoughtful, willing to take it slow with you! You must treat her well, cherish her, don't stop loving her once you have her, got it?"

"I heard, I know." Jiang Liangjin said solemnly, having obtained her, he would only cherish her more, considering himself fortunate.

"Then that's good."

Jiang Su: "So, you've been looking for half a day, what's the name of the manor? When Mom left it back then, it hadn't been named yet."

Jiang Liangjin's eyes softened, "She first decided on Jin Yu Manor."

"Gardens and courts are too common; eight out of ten villas nearby have that name."

"Ju sounds petty; the manor is so big, calling it Ju would be inappropriate."

"Tang and Fu are considered archaic terms, so the overall name retained the two characters 'manor'."

Hearing it was Ah Yu's choice, Shen Ningmu clapped mindlessly, "Sounds good, sounds good!"

Jiang Ye Ye: "Sounds good, sounds good!"

Jiang Su raised his eyebrows slightly, "Any alternatives?"

Speaking of this, Jiang Liangjin's bright eyes blazed, "The second option is my proposal, Yu Jin Manor, the Yu character from her, the Jin character from me."

"Putting her first, honoring her, his character comes after."

He thought, his and Ah Yu's names linked together, in this life and this world, they would never be separated again.