As they walked in, every maid and bodyguard they met would stop, bow, and greet them. Even the angles of their bows were the same. They stood in line neatly like well-trained soldiers, and Summer was impressed, her face becoming solemn.
The old residence of the Emersons was large. They had to walk through the front courtyard and past the living hall to the back courtyard. Grandpa Emerson was known to like silence, so he had moved to a room near the rear courtyard.
Arriving before the room, Leonardo asked the maid standing at the door, “Is Grandpa inside?”
“Yes, Young Master.” When the maid saw Leonardo, she looked elated. She gingerly pushed the door open, just enough for her to stand there, and cautiously said, “Mr. Emerson, the young master is back.”
Summer could not see anything inside and just heard an old voice saying, “Let them come in.”
The maid nodded at Leonardo, who then tightened his grip on Summer’s hand. “Let’s go in.”
As soon as Leonardo brought her into the room, the first thing she felt was the warmth. Plus, the air was filled with a faint scent of ink and tea. The furnishings were simple with only a bank of bookshelves, a working desk, and some tea sets. Grandpa Emerson was wearing a Chinese tunic suit, and with a writing brush in his hand, he was standing at the desk, writing Chinese calligraphy. He was over seventy but still looked as fit as a fiddle. Standing with his back straight, he looked calm, cool, and collected.
When Leonardo greeted him, he lifted his gaze. Summer, who had been staring at Grandpa Emerson from the moment she went in, met his eyes. He said nothing, but he had a face that could draw reverence from others.
While Summer looked down, Leonardo quietly pulled her back. Grandpa Emerson took Leonardo’s protective gesture in and hissed. “Who is this young lady?”
“Someone you would like to meet.” Leonardo said, cocking an eyebrow.
Grandpa Emerson must have found him to be disrespectful. He glared at Leonardo and threw the writing brush in his hand. “Who are you, then?”
Did Grandpa Emerson have dementia? Summer wondered.
Just then, Grandpa Emerson looked at her and barked, “Did you just say I have dementia?”
Summer was struck dumb. Could it be possible that all Emersons had mind-reading abilities? Instead of glaring at her intimidatingly, there was a cordial look in Grandpa Emerson’s eyes.
Summer smiled back at him. “No, I was just thinking that you’re surprisingly hale and hearty, Grandpa.”
Grandpa Emerson appeared delighted. He squinted at Summer for a few seconds and said, “Come here.”
She and Leonardo exchanged looks. He gave her an assuring nod and gently patted her on her back, signaling her to step forth.
The way Leonardo and Grandpa Emerson talked was weird, but she could feel that they were close to each other, maybe even affectionate.
Summer went over as told. She collected herself and said, “Grandpa, my name is Summer. I’m Leonardo’s wife.”
Grandpa Emerson said nothing. He just studied her quietly, and Summer got nervous. As though Grandpa Emerson had noticed her uneasiness, he broke into a triumphant smile like a child who was successful in his prank. “Not bad. Please take a seat.”
Summer was startled for a second. She then looked back at Leonardo as if she was waiting for his instruction. However, Grandpa Emerson glared at her. “Don’t look at the stinky rascal. Just sit as I say!”
Hence, she nervously sat down beside Grandpa Emerson. It was amusing to hear Grandpa Emerson call Leonardo “a stinky rascal”, though. Leonardo went over, wanting to take a seat beside Summer, but Grandpa Emerson gave him a good kicking in the leg. His actions were swift and steady; it looked like Grandpa Emerson had pulled no punches.
“Who allowed you to sit now?”
Summer could already feel the pain just by looking at Leonardo, who knitted his brows in agony.
“Grandpa…” Leonardo sounded helpless. “I’ve brought your granddaughter-in-law to see you for the first time, could you please give me some face?”
“Give you face? Who’s going to give me one?” Grandpa Emerson was apparently angrier than him. “Tell me, when was the last time you came home to see me?”
Leonardo was unable to respond. The atmosphere in the room fell into suffocating silence.
Summer could almost understand why the conversation between Leonardo and his grandpa sounded that way. Leonardo had been suspecting that someone from the family was involved in his mom’s death. As a result, he resented the Emerson family and went away. It was the first time Leonardo had brought her back to the Emersons’ old residence, so it was not wise for her to interfere in the affairs between the grandfather and his grandson.
Just then, the door was pushed open, and Leonardo’s father, Michael walked in. He greeted Grandpa Emerson first, then turned to look at Leonardo.
“I was told that you came home. I couldn’t believe what I heard. Why didn’t you give me a heads-up? Stay back for dinner and sleep over. Your room is cleaned regularly.”
“Why let him stay? Tell him to leave!”
…
At last, Leonardo and Summer stayed back for dinner.
During mealtime, they all sat around a large dining table with maids standing on one side. Summer felt very uncomfortable.
After dinner, Michael excused himself early and left while Summer as well as Leonardo.
While a maid was preparing tea, Grandpa Emerson took out a red packet and handed it to Summer. However, she was hesitant about taking it.
Grandpa Emerson looked at her. “It’s my gift to you, how dare you decline?!”
Summer finally knew where Leonardo got his prideful and arrogant genes from. “Thank you, Grandpa.” She took the red packet in her hands. It felt as thin as a sheet of paper, and she guessed that it could be a cheque or something. No matter what it was inside, Summer was equally taken aback.
Before she arrived, she thought Grandpa Emerson would find fault with her. Being accepted by him was the last thing on her mind, yet she was pleasantly surprised.
After drinking tea with Grandpa Emerson, Summer and Leonardo were sent back to their bedroom, where Leonardo had stayed during his childhood. After the kidnapping, he moved abroad. He did not return to the old residence but stayed in the hillside mansion once he was back in the country again.
There were still signs of his childhood in the bedroom like the poster of his favorite basketball player, robot toys, comic books, his game console, and so on.