Chapter 52 Entering the Tangerine Garden Villa for the First Time

  The car drove out of the city, onto the ring highway. Ning Meng had been fighting fatigue lately, and in the midst of boredom, his eyelids began to droop, finally closing heavily. When he opened them again, the car had already entered the suburbs of Linjiang, slowing down its speed. Row upon row of garden villas were scattered about, a bay of white shallow water beach, not far away from the undulating green hills and mountains, the scenery was beautiful and endless.

  "Where is this?" She turned her head, her eyes full of doubt.

  Yang Ming winked at her and said, "A paradise on earth..."

  ...... Ning Meng fainted.

  After entering, I saw a large garden. At a glance, the roadsides were lined with lush green lawns, planted with many small daisies, pink, yellow and white, swaying in the wind, very delightful. The surrounding walls had neatly erected trellises, row by row, which upon closer inspection were some melons and grapes.

  Yang Ming rolled down the car window and smiled at her without saying a word. Ning Meng's eyes widened as she looked around, afraid of missing something, and was surprised everywhere. The car stopped in front of the main building of the villa, with two large characters "Jiuyuan" written in the middle, which meant "Tangerine Garden".

  "Apricot Garden..." she muttered, casting him a sideways glance. "I'm guessing it's some kind of private villa of yours, just didn't expect it to be in a place like this, full of leisurely countryside charm."

  Yang Ming got off the car and pulled her out, walking while saying, "Actually, it's my maternal grandparents' property. In the past, it was lively, but now everyone has moved to the city. Usually only my maternal grandmother lives here, and there are also Zhang Shu and a few others who take care of my grandmother's daily life."

  It turns out that's the case, no wonder they planted those melons and fruits, thinking that the old man likes simplicity and nature... Ning Meng suddenly realized.

  As she entered the hall, she looked around and saw a wicker sofa, several ink-wash paintings of mountains and rivers, arranged in a very rustic way. In a daze, there was the sound of footsteps, followed by an exclamation of surprise.

  "Oh no, Grandma, why did you hit me?"

  Ning Meng looked up to see an old lady in a plain, knee-length cheongsam, with her hair combed back and holding a fan, flapping it wildly as she shouted, "You little scamp, you haven't come for so long, have your wings grown hard? How dare you forget about your grandma?"

  Yang Ming made a gesture of surrender, his mouth pleading for mercy, and it was only after much coaxing that the old lady finally stopped. Old Lady Zhou suddenly discovered that there was another little girl standing beside her, and she immediately brightened up, saying "Oh, you rascal brought a girl back home today, is she your girlfriend?"

  Yang Ming deliberately didn't answer, and instead winked at her. A few black lines flew out of Ning Meng's forehead as she hastily waved her hand to explain, "No, no, Mrs., I'm just Yang Ming's colleague, and maybe a friend too."

  "It's okay, being friends first is also possible, let's take it slow..."

  Ning Meng felt that this family was really stubborn to the point of being heart-wrenching... Just as she wanted to explain again, Old Lady Zhou had already pulled her onto the sofa, facing the screen with its loud and boisterous images, and started talking about Yue Opera... She took a closer look and found out it was "Five Women Paying Respects". Ah, she had seen this one before. When she was young, her grandmother was also an opera fan.

  "Foster daughter San Chun is really pitiful, you see her wearing that tattered dress, it's as if she's about to be swept out the door, no one cares for her, no one loves her... Ah, ah..." Zhou old lady said while watching, her voice already choked with sobs, and tears almost fell out.

  "Come now, old lady, don't be anxious. Third son-in-law Zou Yinglong will soon pass the imperial examination. And as for Yang Jikang, he'll soon be punished and have nowhere to turn, then he'll have to beg San Chun..."

  "It's you, it's you, Ning Meng. I didn't expect you to understand the play too. It's really rare. Those few stinky brats don't get it at all and they're not even paying attention to me. You know how sad that makes me?"

  Mrs. Zhou was overjoyed to have met a kindred spirit, her eyes narrowing into slits as she opened up and talked incessantly.

  "This Yue Opera is even more popular than Peking Opera, and foreigners call it 'Chinese Opera'. It's not inferior to Peking Opera at all... Listen to the young dan's voice, so beautiful and moving, her gestures and expressions are so vivid and delicate. And look at this set design, atmosphere, truly elegant and refined, with a strong flavor of Jiangnan's elegance. Peking Opera is for northerners, we southerners love this one..."

  Ning Meng quickly shot a glance at Yang Ming, and as soon as he caught the distress signal, he immediately began to coax the old lady, "Grandma, the tangerine garden is so beautiful, Ning Meng has never been here before, she hasn't even had a good look around yet. Why are you always dragging her to watch plays? I haven't even had a chance to play host and take her on a tour yet?"

  "Alright then." Old Lady Zhou slapped her thigh with her fan and turned to Ning Meng, "Girlie, you go take a stroll first, come back later when you're free and keep an old lady company watching the play."

  "It doesn't matter, old lady, watching the play first and then leaving is also fine."

  "Oh no, auntie, it's getting late and the sun is about to set."

  "Alright, alright."

  The two of them sang and harmonized as they walked out of the living room, letting out a sigh of relief. Ning Meng glanced at him sideways, furrowed his brow and said, "Your grandma must be a super drama enthusiast, I remember my own grandmother wasn't as meticulous as her back in the day... that spirit, that level, it's simply too professional..."

  Yang Ming chuckled and said, "Scared, huh? Ah, my grandma used to perform Yue opera in a theater troupe. That's just her occupational disease, don't mind her."

  Suddenly enlightened, no wonder Old Lady Zhou's dress was a bit special, and there was an inexplicable special flavor between her eyebrows... It turned out to be because of this.