Li Fugui realized that the guy was hell-bent on being on full guard, so he ceased trying to persuade him.
"Alright then, head to the garage once you’re done."
Ten minutes later, Tang Xiaowan came out, still barefooted, humming a little tune. She had swapped her dress for casual clothing and, for the first time, styled her hair into a high ponytail. She looked quite smug.
"Oh, I forgot, I forgot."
When she came out again, Tang Xiaowan not only wore sneakers but also carried a crossbody bag about a foot wide.
"Did you notify Li Zishen?"
"He’s already waiting in the dining room, said he’d be free to accompany the miss for a stroll after lunch."
"He didn’t go to the second floor, stayed in the guest room on the first."
"Oh, not bad at all!"
Tang Xiaowan smiled at the corner of her mouth, touched her nose, and strutted towards the staircase.
After the meal, the storage room in Mei Garden.
There were a total of three rooms here, housing root carvings, stone carvings, and portraits.
They browsed through them one by one.
Tang Xiaowan looked at the root carvings, unable to put them down, caressing one and joking about another.
She had never thought she possessed such craftsmanship.
Even though Li Zishen had mentioned it after she lost her memory, the shock was still there when she actually saw them.
"Xiao Wan, did you start playing with these things when you were little?"
"I guess so, there are so many!"
"After we choose some for Bie Yuan, shall we move a few to Li Garden too?"
"Sure thing, pick whatever you want."
Her hearty laughter echoed in the room of root carvings.
Suddenly, Tang Xiaowan walked over to Li Zishen.
"Zishen, who was the master behind that Peony Root Carving in Bie Yuan? It looks so real and beautiful, I really want to learn."
"Actually... it’s not really from a master, but..." Li Zishen paused, then faintly smiled. "But in my dad’s heart, it probably is, or else he wouldn’t have always placed it in the dining room, saying that spot was perfect, just turn your head and you can see it."
"Is that the seat I sat in yesterday?"
"So that was your dad’s usual spot?"
"No, but whenever dad went to Bie Yuan, he would sit there for a long time before going back to Li Garden."
"Your dad didn’t live in Bie Yuan?"
"Since... yeah, he didn’t live there, and that Peony Root Carving..."
Li Zishen looked like he wanted to say more but hesitated, Tang Xiaowan suddenly realized and remembered the phrase ’many sons, many blessings, profound fortune,’ her eyes widening as she looked at Li Zishen.
"It wasn’t carved by that girl, was it?"
"Yes, she carved it."
"Is that the same girl who gave you your name? Oh, that doesn’t sound quite right. It was your uncle who borrowed the name she gave, or rather, it was a name she picked long ago for her future child, and later your uncle used it for you."
Li Zishen frowned. "Her name was Yi Xiaodan, ’Dan’ as in the ’Dan’ of Peony, and my father said... that girl died before she turned 20."
"Yi Xiaodan? Don’t tell me, that Yishen Group of yours... it took her surname to honor her?"
"Yes, ’Yi’ is her surname, and ’Shen’ is my name; all done in memory of her. Dad loved her his whole life, and was still calling her name before he passed away."
"That’s so romantic, but it’s tough on your mom. How old were you then?" Read full story at novel{f}ire.net
"I was 10, Zihan was 5."
As he spoke, Li Zishen’s eyes grew moist.
Tang Xiaowan felt a tide of guilt and slowly bowed her head. "I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought up the Peony, making you think of your dad."
"It’s okay, it’s been over a decade now, it’s just that I feel quite sorry to my dad, I’ve never been able to find..."
"What, what haven’t you found?"