Chapter 19: Harem

Translator: Atlas Studios  Editor: Atlas Studios

Uncle Zhang replied with a smile, “Viburnum flowers are a favorite of the late Mistress. She planted this viburnum tree in front of her room at a very young age. You are her daughter, no wonder you like viburnum flowers so much. It has since been more than 30 years.”

“It’s beautiful.” The viburnum tree in the Mo Family’s bungalow was more beautiful than the one in the Wen’s mansion. Grampy had been taking good care of it since it was her Mother’s favorite.

Uncle Zhang led Wen Xinya into the room. “Young Mistress, please feel free to let me know if you need anything else,” he said.

“Thank you, Uncle Zhang,” said Wen Xinya, thankful.

Uncle Zhang ordered the servants to unpack Wen Xinya’s luggage. “The Wen Family was too much. Young Mistress is back for not more than a week and yet she has so little belongings with a few pieces of jewelry. There isn’t even a piece of representable jewelry.”

Wen Xinya felt warmth in her heart. In her previous life, Uncle Zhang had treated her well too, but she didn’t take it to heart. He returned back to his own village soon after for personal reasons.

Wen Xinya looked around the room. There was a huge bed made of agarwood, its dark wooden surface shining with polish. The natural wood markings and chiseled marks were uneven but beautiful. Mild crack lines extended around the surface, and she could smell the mild fragrance of the agarwood.

Agarwood has a unique fragrance smell, which was commonly known for its ability to ward off evil, boost mental consciousness, maintain health, keep bugs away and even keep the wood dry from moisture. This type of wood is less commonly found nowadays.

This huge bed made of agarwood was a dowry for Granny’s wedding years ago.

Granny was from the Ren Family, who was also of influential status in the literary world. The ancestors of the Ren Family used to be officials with high-status in the court. The two families, Ren and Mo, had close relationships and the Ren Family also suffered a similar fate as the Mo Family. The Ren Family did not have any descendants at present.

The dressing table, boxes, and combs were a complete set of dowry made from yellow rosewood. This type of wood was the most expensive of Z Country’s top four wood and it was very valuable.

The cloakroom was hidden behind an embroidery screen with flowers and birds. Its size was about 30 square meters!

She felt enchanted as if she had walked into an exquisite harem of ancient times!

She could see Grampy’s love for Mother everywhere in the bungalow.

She recalled in her previous life when she came to Grampy’s house for the first time, she didn’t know how valuable the dowry was. Grampy was furious when she accidentally broke one of the combs made with yellow rosewood.

At that time, she was angry about Grampy’s reaction. “It’s just another lousy comb, isn’t it? What’s so fabulous about it?”

Grampy was infuriated. She ran away and went back to the Wen Family on the same day.

In this lifetime she could better understand why Grampy was furious. This yellow rosewood set was Granny’s dowry and belonged to Granny and Mother for two generations. Now that Granny and Mother were gone, these items were full of sentimental values, thus Grampy treasured them. Hence, when Wen Xinya didn’t value these items he was sad and devastated.

Moreover, Grampy had acknowledged and loved her dearly, unlike others who thought she was unrefined. Therefore, he had willingly passed these valuable items to Wen Xinya. But she didn’t treasure them and broke the comb instead, thus disappointing him.

Grampy was the only one in the world who really cared about her.

Wen Xinya touched the jewelry box on the dressing table carefully. Then she touched the comb and put it into the jewelry box with great care.

She turned around and saw Grampy at the door, looking at her. She greeted him cheerfully. “Grampy!”

“This room belonged to your Mother, do you like it?” he asked. His mixed emotions earlier had turned into joy and consolation when he saw how she treasured and carefully handled the items that belonged to her Mother. This scene reminded him of his late wife and daughter.

“Yes, I like it! When I just stepped in I had a moment of confusion, as if I had stepped into a different time. I felt like I was a Mistress from ancient times.” She spoke with astonishment as she looked around and observed the decoration of the room.

“This room was decorated by your Granny. Most of the decorations are part of your Granny’s dowry. When your Mother got married years ago, I had the intention of sending them to the Wen Family, but your Mother refused. She wanted the items to stay and keep me company.” He had realized that fortunately these items weren’t sent to the Wen Family. Otherwise, it would have benefitted someone else.

“When Mother got married, Grampy was the only one left in this bungalow. If there was nothing left for you, you would feel lonely.” Wen Xinya seemed to understand her Mother’s intentions.

Old Mr. Mo let go of the stern look on his face. He said, “The decoration in this room was according to your Mother’s liking. You can rearrange them if you like.”

Wen Xinya took a quick glance at each corner of the room and then shook her head. “Everything’s fine. I like it. The decorations here represented Grampy and Granny’s efforts and love for Mother. I wouldn’t want to change it.”

Old Mr. Mo frowned and said, “I heard from Uncle Zhang that you did not bring a lot of belongings over. If there’s anything you need, just let him know and he’ll get it for you.”

“Thank you, Grampy!” Wen Xinya nodded.

Old Mr. Mo smiled. “This is also your home, you can stay here comfortably. There are not too many restrictions around here. Grampy is no stranger.”

This time Wen Xinya couldn’t control her tears anymore. Soon, she started crying. “Yes, Grampy!”

Old Mr. Mo pulled Wen Xinya into his arms and patted her back with his wrinkled hands. “These few years it has been hard on you.”

Sometimes, feelings about someone can be strangely accurate. When Grampy first saw Xia Ruya, he had negative feelings about her. Even though she presented herself well at a young age, but there was greed in her eyes.

He was disappointed whenever he thought about the negative feelings his granddaughter gave him, and over time their relationship remained plain. Little did he expect that this person who gave him a bad feeling wasn’t his true granddaughter.

Xinya was a good child. The Wen Family thought she was unrefined and did not see the good in her.

Wen Xinya cried uncontrollably in Grampy’s arms.

Old Mr. Mo could feel her suffering. “It does not matter whether the Wen Family loves you or not. You can stay with Grampy as long as you like. You are Grampy’s only kin, I will not let you suffer anymore,” he said.

Wen Zhihang was someone who only cared about monetary benefits. Qin Shulan was selfish. Wen Haowen was heartless. Her stepmother Ning Shuqian was cunning. While her stepsister Wen Yuya was arrogant. And then there was also Xia Ruya, who was a scheming person. The Wen Family was a place full of danger indeed.

“I got it, Grampy!” Wen Xinya was touched. She couldn’t understand her foolish behavior and why she chose to treat Grampy badly under Ning Shuqian’s influence in her previous life. She took Grampy’s love for granted and hurt him terribly, causing him a miserable death while she focused all her energy to gain the trust and love of the Wen Family.

In this lifetime she would not let Grampy get hurt again. She would protect those she loved and those who loved her. She would not let Grampy go through that painful experience again.