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Chapter 132: Register
As soon as he arrived home, Meng Yuan called urgently, “Nian Nian, were you blocked in the parking lot?”
Yu Nian replied, “Yes, that reporter must have been waiting in the parking lot for a while. The timing was quite precise. There weren’t many people around me at the time, but fortunately, Xie You came to pick me up.”
Upon hearing this, Meng Yuan burst into laughter, “Hahaha, that’s interesting. That reporter must be regretting it now. He actually ran into the gun muzzle – no, even worse, he ran into the cannon!”
Yu Nian curved his lips and changed the topic, “By the way, Brother Meng, how’s the album design?”
“It’s in progress. After a few versions of the cover are done, you can take another look. The company won’t interfere. You can choose whatever style you like.” Meng Yuan knew well, “The master tape that needs post-processing was sent to a studio overseas yesterday, the one that worked on ‘Elegant.’ They have great technical skills. The soundstage and audio quality improvements are noticeable. Once the master tape comes back, after the pressing is done, we can officially release it quickly.”
Excitedly, Meng Yuan anticipated, “When this album is out, it’ll scare those people who keep speaking ill of you all the time!”
Yu Nian laughed, “Then I’ll take your good words, Brother Meng.”
With a nasal sound of agreement, Meng Yuan remembered, “You mentioned a couple of days ago that you’ll be visiting your residence at Qingxi Road’s Sining Manor tomorrow?”
“Yes, I need to pick up something.”
Meng Yuan had never overly interfered with Yu Nian’s personal arrangements, just advising, “It’s been a while, but don’t underestimate the patience of those paparazzi. There might still be one or two reporters waiting for you there. Be cautious.”
“Yes,” Yu Nian replied with a smile, “Not afraid. I’m more concerned they might not have reporters staking out.”
Hearing this, Meng Yuan became apprehensive, “Hey, my little rascal, with your words, are you planning something again?” Without waiting for Yu Nian’s response, Meng Yuan continued, “No, you have a sense of proportion. Come to think of it, I won’t meddle. Go ahead and do as you wish!”
“Thanks, Brother Meng.”
“Don’t thank me that much,” Meng Yuan hesitated for two seconds, “Speaking of which, I’ve been a bit anxious these days. Before this, those who wanted to bring you down were targeting one angle to stir up trouble. When the news about your father being the ship king He Xiao, came out and was confirmed, all those trolls simmered down and couldn’t make a fuss anymore. But I always feel, maybe there’s more to come!”
With a calm mindset, Yu Nian reassured Meng Yuan, “Brother Meng, your anxiety now won’t lead to any results. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. It won’t turn into something major.”
The next day, the rain drizzled all night and continued into the morning. Qingxi Road’s cobblestone pathway wasn’t very even, with many potholes accumulating with water. The wheels of passing cars splashed countless water droplets.
The car stopped in front of Sining Manor. Yu Nian looked through the car window at the building behind the rain curtain, lost in thought for a moment. Xie You got out of the car first, opened the door for Yu Nian, and once they were out, he naturally moved the black umbrella he held, shielding Yu Nian from the rain.
Taking out the key and unlocking the gate of the courtyard, it creaked open, as if disturbing the old times within. Walking on the pathway, Yu Nian pointed to a corner of the courtyard, “Over there by the southern wall is a trellis with French roses that my grandma planted. They bloom beautifully. Below, there’s a cluster of peonies, which my mother loved most. This side has a small pond with water lilies and a few fish. On the north wall are plum blossoms and crabapple flowers. Remember when we went to Yimei Pavilion together? My grandpa often said that the plum blossom here doesn’t compare to the robust old plum tree on the mountain.”
Yu Nian had lived here since he was young, and every flower and tree held memories. As he spoke, he led Xie You inside. “I haven’t been back in a long time, but Uncle Jiang and Aunt Tao will come over at night to watch over the place and take care of the plants in the yard, as well as clean the house.”
Because this was where Yu Nian grew up, Xie You was quite interested. “Nian Nian, where’s the bird’s nest you used to say ‘good morning’ to every day?”
His steps faltered; he hadn’t expected Xie You to remember that when he was a child, his first task each morning was to say “good morning” to the birds in the nest. He blushed and said, “It’s that tree.” After pointing it out, Yu Nian hurriedly held Xie You’s hand and walked further in, afraid that he might ask more questions.
He went to turn on the power switch, and the lights illuminated the furnishings. The decorations in the house were subtle and antique, with elegant calligraphy and paintings, and a warm atmosphere in the details. Yu Nian boiled some hot water, found a tea set and half a box of tea leaves, and carefully brewed a pot of tea.
Handing a cup of hot tea to Xie You, Yu Nian also took a sip from his own cup. The tea’s flavor was slightly bitter. He lowered his eyelashes and hesitated, “Actually… I have been mentally preparing for a long time before I decided to come back today, but there is still a little bit,” he found a word, “Cowardice.”
Holding the tea cup, Yu Nian’s gaze fell on the rising steam as he chuckled wryly, “Although I can’t explain clearly, I’m not entirely sure what I’m feeling scared of.”
Xie You gently pinched Yu Nian’s earlobe, “Mmm, you don’t have to explain everything. If you want to do something, I’ll be with you. It’s that simple.”
Setting down the tea cup, unable to resist, Yu Nian rested his head on Xie You’s lap. He raised his hand and touched the corner of Xie You’s eyebrow before saying, “I originally thought time would heal many things, including my grandparents’ passing. But it seems it hasn’t… It’s like this time I came back, and I insisted on dragging you along.”
Xie You held Yu Nian’s fidgety hand, kissed it, and earnestly listened to him.
“Grandpa left first, and within a few years, Grandma passed away too. At that time, I was actually… quite lost. I felt like there were so many people in the world, yet I didn’t have a close connection with anyone. It was very lonely. Later on, I thought to myself, there are still so many things I haven’t done, and life is so short. I can’t just drift through it aimlessly, or else one day, when I look back, I might regret it, even despise the version of myself during that time. So, I set goals for myself.”
“Retrieving those lost things?”
“Yeah, during the most difficult times, having this goal at least gave me some direction. It helped me push away all sorts of random thoughts and emotions. Of course, later on, it didn’t really matter if it was a goal or not. I just genuinely wanted to do this.”
Yu Nian smiled, “I never thought I could recover all those lost things in such a short time. I thought it would take twenty years, thirty years, or even a lifetime.”
Sensing that Yu Nian said all these things because he was nervous or feeling some other emotion, Xie You listened quietly and asked, “And then?”
After a long pause, Yu Nian continued, “And then, these past few days, I’ve been thinking about what to do next.”
Finishing his words, Yu Nian sat up and took Xie You to Yu Xiuning’s study. From the first drawer of the sideboard, he retrieved a book.
“This is a list that Grandpa made. It records a total of thirty-one items.”
The list was bound with thread, and the paper had slightly yellowed. Neat and clear ink was used to write the names of thirty-one items in order, including a carved lacquer cloud-patterned plate, a blue jade phoenix and bird incense burner, and an arrow motif plate. For more than twenty of these items, there were the words “retrieved” written after their names, with a small note indicating the date of retrieval at the bottom-right corner of the “retrieved” character. Following the list was Yu Xiuning’s handwritten notes, detailing the process and outcome of the retrieval.
Turning to one of the pages, the handwriting shifted from the dignified and elegant regular script to the lively and flowing cursive script. Yu Nian explained, “This is where Grandpa passed away, and Grandma continued with the entries after retrieving the items. Grandma’s handwriting is very delicate, but she was quite skilled. She could mimic Grandpa’s handwriting so well that sometimes even Grandpa himself couldn’t tell whether he had written it or not.”
Xie You remarked, “Your handwriting is also very beautiful.”
Praised, Yu Nian’s smile widened, his eyes shimmering with light.
Opening the book and placing it on the table, Yu Nian prepared the ink, took up the brush, and carefully wrote the word “retrieved” after the entries for “Guo Shu Bamboo Slips”, “Insomniac Scroll”, and “Chang Fang Zun”. Then he turned to a blank page and meticulously recorded the details, “The Guo Shu bamboo slips, initially stored at the Mingyue Building in Hui City Sun’s family residence, later…”
After finishing the last stroke of the character “年” (Nian), Yu Nian set down the brush and watched as the fresh ink gradually absorbed into the paper, letting out a sigh.
He looked at Xie You, his gaze clear, as if obsidian polished by flowing water. “I’ve made a decision, probably what I personally believe is the right decision.”
At the same time, an entertainment influencer named “I Have Material” posted a series of photos, indicating that they were taken in front of Sining Manor. The photos were a bit blurry but still clear enough to identify.
[Is this President Xie and Nian Nian?! Aaaaaahhh President Xie in a black long coat, so handsome it’s explosive! And what’s this scene? President Xie opening the car door for Nian Nian! President Xie and Nian Nian sharing an umbrella! President Xie even tilted the umbrella toward Yu Nian so much! Aaaaahhhhh President Xie, your sleeve is wet, do you even know?]
[If this isn’t love! Even if they’re just good friends or brothers, nobody would willingly let themselves get wet in the rain and unconsciously tilt the umbrella this much! Let’s praise their looks again; standing together, they’re truly a pleasing and picturesque sight!]
[Yu Nian returned to Sining Manor? That building has significant historical value. But with a family like the Qingshan Yu clan, I guess even a random vase would hold historical value, right? In that show ‘My Day,’ didn’t Yu Nian even say ‘everything is fake’?~ I was thinking the other day, Yu Nian probably has a countless number of antiques and cultural relics, all worth a fortune. He might even surpass a small museum!]
From this point on, the tone of the comments suddenly shifted.
[From the public news, it seems Yu Nian has acquired quite a few antiques and cultural relics, but apart from auctioning the Chicken stone-patterned cup he found, and returning the bronze ritual vessel to the state, everything else he’s bought hasn’t been sold. Is he planning to pass them down through the generations? If so, the next three generations won’t need to work!]
[If I had all these treasures, I’d open a museum and charge admission! Or maybe sell one piece a year, and I’d be counting money all my life!]
[To the friend who wants to count money while lying down, Yu Nian’s earning ability is already outrageous. He’s also holding the inheritance of the King of Ships, and whatever that inheritance is, it’s definitely astronomical figures beyond the imagination of ordinary people. He can already count money while lying down~ I don’t think Yu Nian would sell those antiques and cultural relics he owns, right?]
Yu Nian was unaware of the online discussions. He placed the list made by Yu Xiuning into his bag, closed the doors and windows, turned off the lights, and finally locked the gate. He left Sining Manor before any reporters could arrive upon hearing the news.
Sitting in the car, Yu Nian dialed Zeng Hongying’s number.
After a while, Zeng Hongying’s voice came through the receiver, “Nian Nian? Did you find something good again?”
Yu Nian smiled with his eyes curved, “I didn’t find anything good, Professor. Can I meet you?”
“Is this about something important?” Zeng Hongying quickly asked, “Let’s meet in the evening. I’ve made fried peanuts; it’s a good chance for you to try them!”
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For every Ko-fi received for a perticular novel, I will release a new chapter!
Ugh, I hate paparazzi… =.= Aaaand I wanted to say it in ealier chapters, but forgot: Our queen disappeared for so long time, it’s weird that she didn’t showed, especially when Nian Nian’s father was found
Thank You for the new chapter (ღゝ◡╹)ノ♡