Old Master Lu cleared his throat again, "When we land, we will go straight to the completed main residence. Ting Zhou, Ting Cheng, ensure the security team has completed their sweep before we arrive."
"Yes, grandfather," both men replied in unison. Back home, they had two mansions, the maternal one that they used to live in before running abroad, and the new mansion Lu Zhi Hao built... The built one was huge, each bedroom has a set of walk-in closets, a sitting area, a study room/office... A huge washroom connected to the closet and even has a laundry area, and then a sitting area to watch a movie privately, and a fully equipped kitchen with all essentials...
The boys were growing and they needed space and privacy, they could have their friends over and cook for themselves and watch a movie without anyone disturbing them...
Conversations carried on lightly as they discussed which relatives to visit upon returning, which properties needed checking, and whether they would hold a family banquet within the first week.
No one mentioned Song Yaya.
No one needed to.
She was like water that had flown away....
As dinner ended, Lu Wan Ruyi leaned her head onto Lu Zhi Hao's shoulder, her heart light as she watched Zi Zhen lean back in his chair, staring thoughtfully at his parents with a quiet, contemplative expression.
"Let's watch a movie once you have changed into comfortable clothes..." Old Madam Lu suggested, it was rare that they were all at home.
"Okay, Ma..."
"Okay, Grandma...."
Once they were done with their dinner, they went back to their bedrooms, changed into some comfortable, cozy clothes, and then moved to the living area.
The night had deepened, washing the world outside in velvety darkness, but inside the Lu mansion's living room, golden lamp light pooled softly across the plush cream carpets and large sectional sofas.
The television flickered with gentle colours as an old nostalgic family movie played. The volume was low enough to hear each other's voices but loud enough to fill the silence with comforting background music.
Lu Wan Ruyi sat curled up at one end of the L-shaped sofa, her legs tucked under her as she leaned against a large cushion.
Her little belly rose softly beneath her loose knit maternity top, rising and falling with each calm breath. A fleece blanket was draped over her legs.
Lu Zhi Hao sat beside her, one arm draped over her shoulders, his fingers idly stroking her upper arm in slow, calming circles. His other hand held a mug of warm ginger tea, steam curling lazily upwards as he occasionally brought it to her lips to let her sip.
Old Master Lu sat in his favourite high-backed armchair nearby, his reading glasses perched low on his nose as he scrolled through old family photos on his phone, chuckling softly to himself every now and then.
Old Madam Lu was knitting quietly on the other side of the room, her silver needles clicking rhythmically as a deep emerald scarf slowly grew in her lap. Every so often, she would glance up at the movie and smile faintly at a humorous scene.
Lu Ting Zhou sat cross-legged on the thick rug directly in front of the television, his back leaning against the sofa where his grandparents sat. He munched silently on slices of fresh pear arranged on a small porcelain plate beside him, eyes glued to the screen.
He was glad that no one brought up his kidnapped incident, and felt better that his grandparents didn't know about it.