Three Generations (I)
The springtime in S City was always gloomy and rainy, when it often rained for ten days or half a month straight. Today was a good day. Even though the sun was not to be seen and the weather was still chilly, the rain had already stopped.
At six-thirty in the morning, the three people who lived in the mansion were prepped and appeared in the main hall punctually.
Mu Zhilan had already been waiting in the living room, with Aunt Rong standing upright by her side.
Seeing Mu Jinchen coming down the stairs, Mu Zhilan got up smilingly and greeted him while carefully helping him to adjust his necktie. She then asked in a soft voice, "Did you sleep well?"
"How can I not sleep well in my own home?" Mu Jinchen's mellow voice was just as soft. Everyone would naturally become more gentle in the presence of the gentle Mu Zhilan.
He was still jet-lagged. He had not slept a wink, in fact, but he knew what My Zhilan wanted to hear.
Mu Zhilan smiled even wider, then took his arm in hers. "There you go, lying to your elder sister again. You have such heavy eyebags, it seems that you're still jet-lagged."
"Mom," a dissatisfied voice interjected, "you only noticed my broken arm a few days after it broke, but you noticed Uncle's eyebags almost instantly. I bet you even know how many pores he has on his face. You only care about Uncle and not your son; I'm jealous. Who's your son exactly: me or Uncle?" The only one that would speak like that in the old manor was none other than Mu Yuhao.
"You naughty monkey. You dare bring that up again? You deliberately hid your broken arm from me because you were scared of getting an earful from me. If Little Rong hadn't noticed it at that time, heaven knows how long it would've gone unnoticed."
Mu Yuhao smiled like a flower, ran up and threw his arms around his mother's shoulders. "Hehe, that's exactly what's happening again! Since Uncle has returned, I need to exert more of my presence. You're content with just your younger brother around and have forgotten that you have a son."
"Nonsense," Mu Zhilan jokingly scolded. "I would be relieved if you were half as sensible as your uncle."
Mu Yuhao pouted and drooped his face. "Can you stop comparing me to Uncle all the time? How many people are there in the world that can rival Uncle?"
"That's because you've imitated your uncle since you were little: your clothes, shoes, school bag. Everything had to be the same as your uncle's. In the future, you better learn all you can from your uncle at the office. Don't be goofing off."
It was a fact that Mu Yuhao idolized Mu Jinchen when he was little and tried to mimic his uncle in every way. He pushed Mu Zhilan by the shoulders and argued, "That was a long time ago, and I'm different now. Let's go, Mother. Better not keep Grandfather waiting."
"This child…"
The sound of laughter accompanied them as they strolled along the stone pathway with Aunt Rong closely behind.
The
The flower of the Bombax ceiba tree was also known as the Hero Flower and was S City's national flower. The old master loved Bombax ceiba trees and would often lecture them that the children of the Mu family must be like the Bombax ceiba trees; towering and beautiful, able to support heaven and earth.
When expanding the mansion, he forbade any damage to the garden. Therefore, the path connecting the mansion to the main house was scattered with towering Bombax ceiba trees every few meters.
Today, the Bombax ceiba trees were bare and not a leaf remained. They awaited the departure of the spring rains to then burst into crimson flames once more.
S City was a southern city with no distinct seasons. Flowers bloom and trees provide share all year round. Only the Bombax ceiba trees showed signs of the seasons across the year; this was one of the reasons why the old master cherished the Bombax ceiba trees.