Old Master Gu welcomed her daughter and son-in-law with too much enthusiasm. It was a rare occasion that the two of them visited his villa. It was only Madam Yan in most cases came to visit him. "Son-in-law! I was glad you made it here today" Said Old Master Gu as he embraced Master Yan.
"It"s been awhile that I"ve been here Dad!" Master Yan said and he looked around. The last time that he visited his wife"s old house was 10 years ago. When Yan Mor Tee ran away from the mansion and nestled here. He was angry back then and tried to pursuade his son to come back home to the mansion but he left the Gu Villa with his son has chosen not to come home with them. Now he knew why his son wanted to stay here. "Nothing much have changed. This place always gives you that homey feeling!"
Old Master Gu smiled. "You have the same perception now because you"ve come to that age that you"re already looking for a place to retire."
"Dad! I"m still young! Don"t tell me that you want me to vanish in this world now. I will still give you another grand daughter!"
The whole living room was filled with Old Master Gu laughter and he gave a mischievous look at his daughter.
"You can stay overnight here and occupy Xiao Yi"s old room. The sound of the breeze outside will set you into the mood. How is that?"
"Really Dad?! I have to call the mansion now to tell them that we will not be coming back home later because we eloped" Master Yan cracked a joke that Madam Yan could no longer take.
"These two old fellows, I can"t be bothered by two of you!" Said Madam Yan and marched to go to her old room which was located at the second floor.
The two man looked at each other and the satisfaction on their faces were evident. They always loved to annoy Madam Yan.
"Let"s go to the backyard. It"s quiet and chill there. I"ll ask the housekeeper to bring us some tea." Old Master Gu told his son-in-law.
"Glad that you quit drinking brandy early in the morning"
Old Master Gu laughed. "I still do, every once in awhile. You know old habits are hard to die." He leaned to Master Yan closely and whispered something to his ear. "But we can have some brandy now since Xiao Yi is inside her room. No one will scold us. She will never leave her room for hours. I don"t know why she always love hanging out there."
Master Yan looked at the second floor and agreed to his father-in-law statement. Madam Yan has a habit of locking herself inside the room for hours. At the Yan mansion, she always locked herself up at the studio room.
.....
"Now I know how it feels like doing nothing everyday" Master Yan ranted to his father-in-law.
"Do you like the feeling?"
"I just cannot say yet. I"ve stepped down from the top position in the company almost two years ago. I lived in the fast-paced environment everyday, without having a good rest even on weekends. On the first year, I had a hard time to adjust. I became more grumpy because I felt like I was of no use anymore."
"You have to be glad that you have a son who stepped up even if he wasn"t ready to take on that role yet back then."
"I can"t be any prouder of him. I have to account the support that Song Dei Si has given to him since Day 1. She never left his side. She always been my son biggest support system."
"Did you in any way regret your decision when you turn your back on your bestfriend and broke off the fixed marriage agreement?"
"It was painful to lost a bestfriend, but I have no regrets with my decision, I can see how my son is happy now being married to Song Dei Si."
"That kid, he never brought his wife here after they registered their marriage."
"He promised to visit you next week and he will bring Song Dei Si along with him."
"Promises..." said Old Master Gu.
"Dad...." Master Yan paused the things that he wanted to say. He looked at the sea and it seems like he has something on his mind that he needs to discuss with the Old Master Gu
"Just say what you wanted to say"
"It"s about Xiao Yi!"
Old Master Gu sipped from his gla.s.s and waited for Master Yan to continue.
"Do you have any regrets that you married her off to me when she was 18 years old?"
Old Master Gu thightened his grip on his gla.s.s.
"Because I do have" Master Yan said after a while.
Old Master Gu looked at his son-in-law with a surprised expression on his face.
"I should have waited for her to come at the right age and grown into a woman first before I married her. Although 18 was the legal age for a woman to marry but she was still a kid back then and never had a chance to enjoy her teenage years because I took that opportunity from her." Master Yan said in a sad voice. "We forced her to be matured when she married me and after she gave birth to our son. Haven"t we thought before if that was the life that she wanted back then?"
"No" Old Master Gu drank the brandy in the gla.s.s in one gulp. "We we"re selfish business giants back then and we"ve only thought of the benefits that both the Gu and the Yan family will gain out of this wedding. We"ve never thought of what you would both feels!"
Master Yan fell silence.
"You were 28 by that time when you first met my daughter, why didn"t you oppose the marriage?"
"I was a hungry young business mogul back then and was trying to prove my worth to my father. Being the second Young Master of the Yan"s family. I knew that with my connection with the Gu family will help me gain my father"s approval to take over the Yan Enterprise which had happened in no time after I married Xiao Yi. But I never treated your daughter fairly. I even tried to cage her!" Master Yan voice had cracked several time.
"Didn"t you let her wings spread when you agreed to your father that she will take the lead and became the directress of the Yan High School?."
"But her position as the directress of Yan High School made us both grew apart from each other."
Old Master Gu nodded. His son-in-law was right. Her daughter grown into a formidable woman. She built herself up on her own without the support from her husband. She endured all the hards.h.i.+p of being a young mom while trying to prove her worth in the Yan"s family.
"I was partly to blame if my wife turned out to be that cold and aloof woman that she is now."
"It"s never too late to transform her again into that lively and full of life girl that you met when she was in her teens"
Master Yan looked at his father-in-law, trying to figure out what he was trying to say.
"Since you have all the time in the world now, make use of it by doting on her. Believe me even a 45 years old woman was still hoping that her husband dotes on her."
Master Yan pondered what Old Master Gu has said. Maybe he was right. These last few days, he saw some changes in her wife"s behavior. She has started opening up to him and went home for lunch when she started dropping and picking her up from school.
Maybe it"s never too late for a 55-year old husband to start doting his wife.
"Dad, do you have any regrets having a son-in-law like me?"
"You gave my grandson a good genes, what"s there to be regrets of?" He said as he tried to pour more brandy into his son-in-law"s gla.s.s.
Master Yan curled up a smile on his lips.
"I think he got his good looking genes from his mother side? Don"t you think so?"
"You really knows the power of bootlicking" Old Master Gu told his son-in-law.
Master Yan laughed out loud and Old Master Gu laughed too.
The whole backyard were filled with their heart warming laughters.
Madam Yan looked out from the window of her room and wondered what these two were laughing about. She immediately took her camera from her handbag and took a shot of the two people whom she dearly loved laughing to their hearts content.
When she looked at it. Her heart filled with too much happiness and had wished that all days ahead should be just like this.
She looked at the sea and the sound of the waves from her room window soothes her soul as it always did from the days when she was still living here.