Amid mountains encircling one another, a towering complex of buildings rose from the earth, like a breathtaking masterpiece painted by the brush of a god.
The Glazed Golden Roof shimmered with seven-colored dawn light, while the Auspicious Beast Stone Sculptures crouching atop the nine-tiered eaves looked lifelike.
Inside the central hall, Spirit Tea on an agarwood table wafted with white mist.
The two elders seated in places of honor had been chatting merrily when hurried footsteps suddenly interrupted them.
"Dad! Father!"
A young woman ran in, lifting the hem of her green skirt as the jeweled hairpins in her hair jingled.
Without bothering to wipe the fine sweat from her brow, she said with undisguised delight in her almond eyes, "Xiang Rong and Xiang Lin can walk!"
The young woman was none other than Lu Qingqing.
The two elders seated in the places of honor were Shen Yunwei and Lu Jiahe.
Lu Jiahe, seated on the left, had been about to scold her when he noticed morning dew still clinging to the tips of his daughter's hair and grass clippings covering her embroidered shoes. She had clearly rushed here in a great hurry.
The severity on Lu Jiahe's face instantly melted into a smile, and even the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes brimmed with affection.
"You little girl..."
He pointed at her in pretense, though his voice softened. "You're already a mother, yet you're still so reckless."
"Brother Shen, I've made you laugh at us."
Shen Yunwei stroked his beard and chuckled, taking up Lu Jiahe's words in an unhurried tone.
"Brother Lu, that is not so."
Shen Yunwei's gaze swept beyond the hall, settling on his two great-grandchildren as they slowly approached. Kindly ripples stirred in his eyes.
"Qingqing's childlike heart is precisely the fortune of our