The helicopter landed in a designated helipad within a mountainous estate. The plant life in the place looked abundant and natural yet also orderly. At first glance, the place looked untouched yet the man-made infrastructures such as the helipad, power lines, and paved roads obviously meant that it was already developed for human living.
Everyone disembarked from the helicopter. A man in a black coat welcomed them.
"Welcome back, Sir Lu and…Miss. The two Madams are already waiting for you in the country house."
"Oh? Yuyan is here too?" Grandpa Lu asked.
"Yes, sir Lu."
"Good!" Grandpa Lu turned to Iris. "It seems that my dearest friend's daughter-in-law is also here. I'll introduce you to both of them, my girl."
"Alright, Grandpa Lu."
"Don't worry! Both of them are nice! Nobody will dare disrespect Lu Jianhong's student!"
The man who welcomed them looked surprised after hearing Grandpa Lu. Then he looked at Iris with more curiosity. However, he only looked for a few seconds before reverting to his professional bearing.
Everyone followed him up a beautiful stone steps towards a huge brick country house visible in the distance. Iris thought that it looked very lovely, especially with such a beautiful view on top of the mountains.
"Thank you." She wrapped the shawl around her neck and mouth. Her vocal chords must always be protected as a singer.
Finally, they reached the country house and quickly entered. The warmth inside welcomed them.
"Brother Jianhong, you're finally here," an elderly woman's smooth voice said.
Two ladies walked towards them. The one who had spoken was an elegant willowy woman. Her back stooped a little but other than that, her entire posture was tall and regal. Her white hair was styled into a beautiful chignon. The wrinkles on her face didn't diminish her cold beauty.
The other lady looked young at first glance but was actually already middle aged. Unlike the elderly one, she was small and looked almost cute. Even with her age, she still had an air of innocence around her. She had a bashful smile on her face. She looked pretty more than beautiful.
"Ahaha! Yes, we're here!" Grandpa Lu's booming voice echoed in the entrance hall. "Sister Zhiruo, you look beautiful as always. And you, Yuyan. Nice to see you here. I swear you never age! You still look like a kid!"
"And you're still as loud as ever, Brother Jianhong."
"Uncle, you're so mean."
"I'm mean? Yuyan, I'm praising you! What part of my words was I mean to you, ah? I want to know!"
"Ahahaha! Of course! Xiulan my girl, come here."
Iris stepped forward and smiled at the two ladies.
"Xiulan my girl, this is my dearest friend, Li Zhiruo. Her husband and I were the best of friends, brothers! We miss him every day." The atmosphere turned sad for a few seconds before Grandpa Lu gestured to the other lady. "And this is her daughter-in-law, Huang Yuyan. She may look like she's about your age but the truth is that she's already in her—"
"Uncle, please!" Huang Yuyan's face was all red.
Li Zhiruo sighed but her sharp eyes were dancing in amusement. "Stop teasing Yuyan, Brother."
"Ahahaha! I was complimenting her!"
Iris was amused that the three older people were acting like children teasing each other. Then Grandpa Lu pulled her closer and continued the introductions.
"And this is my new student who I already consider as my granddaughter, Long Xiulan. Beautiful, isn't she?"
"Indeed, what a beautiful child," Li Zhiruo said. "Come closer, Xiulan my dear. Let me see your face."
Li Zhiruo nodded after she studied Iris' face, looking pleased at what she was seeing. "You're very welcome. I'm glad to meet you today. Since Brother Jianhong already considers you as his grandchild, please call me Grandma as well."
Iris hesitated.
"My girl, what are you waiting for? Just call her Grandma already!"
Iris blinked. It seemed that these two were really the dearest of friends. When they met her for the first time, they already wanted her to call them Grandpa and Grandma. Was this the norm for them?
"Grandma Li," she finally said.
"En." Grandma Li nodded, pleased.
"Ahaha! Good!"
Then Iris turned to the other lady and greeted her. "Hello, Madam Huang. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Hello, my dear. Please call me Auntie Yuyan. But only if you're comfortable, of course. If not, it's completely fine. You don't need to force yourself."
Then Huang Yuyan suddenly grabbed Iris' hands. "Oh, you're so beautiful! I wish I have a daughter like you. I only have two sons. I love them very much but they don't spend much time with me anymore. They're too busy with their own careers. Daughters spend more time with their mothers. Too bad that I don't have any."
Iris just smiled politely, not knowing how to respond. She couldn't relate. She never had a close relationship to either of her mothers both in her previous and present lives.
After the pleasantries, the man who welcomed them at the helipad took their coats. Then they all headed to the living area where a large stone fireplace was currently burning. It was enclosed by glass. The heat felt heavenly especially in this chilly mountain weather.
"Hai! Why do you insist on staying here in the mountains? I want to know!" Grandpa Lu complained as he occupied an armchair. "Nobody is around and it's so hard to get here. If I don't have a helicopter, do you expect me to climb all the way here with my old frail legs?!"
Grandma Li scoffed elegantly. She occupied the other armchair opposite him. "You? Frail? You can be described in many different ways but frail is not one of them."
Iris and Huang Yuyan sat together on the sofa. They watched the two elders bantering with each other. A maid appeared to serve them hot Pu'erh tea with dried osmanthus flowers.
Grandma Li ignored Grandpa Lu. She turned to Iris and suddenly asked, "Xiulan my dear, tell Grandma, are you single?"