Where she stood was the open space down the front entry steps of the house. People were used to calling it the front yard, which was paved with larger square tiles, including some colored patterned ones. In the middle there was a fountain, where stood a statue of a Greek bather, who held a water bottle at an angle with the water pouring down from the bottle mouth. Du Xiaoxian was startled at the sight of the statue and then she blushed immediately. She hadn’t expected that a statue of a semi-naked woman was erected here for people to see. She was too embarrassed to look at it, so she simply lowered her head.

Tall and green trees were planted all around with some flowers and plants dotted among them. The branches and leaves brought out the best in each other.

Ah Ling said, “Uncle Xiao must have told you. Your job is to clean the yard.”

“Yes, he did.” Du Xiaoxian stood upright with her hands hanging down. Her eyes swept over the fallen leaves on the ground.

Ah Ling pointed to the road beside the lawn and said, “The road only needs to be swept once every morning and every afternoon. But you have to pay more attention to a plane tree that loses leaves a lot. The lady does not like fallen leaves. The young lady suggested several times that the tree be cut down, but the young master disagreed. That’s why we need someone to sweep the fallen leaves.”

“Yes, Uncle Xiao told me about it.”

Ah Ling added with a smile, “Don’t always say ‘yes’. Although there are many rules, you don’t need to be so humble. You are not in the old days!”

Du Xiaoxian blushed with her fingers crossed but said nothing. She grew up alone and rarely dealt with others, so she didn’t know how to get along with others. Before she came here, her second aunty had taught her how to behave. It wouldn’t go wrong to do as she said.

When Ah Ling was about to take her to the utility room to get a broom, she saw a black car coming in through the gate. After taking a good look, she ignored Du Xiaoxian and rushed into the house.

Du Xiaoxian stood still. She didn’t know who was in the car nor if she needed to stay away. When she was lost in thought, the car stopped in front of her. Then a young man got out of the car. He was handsome, but his eyes made her feel a little uneasy. The man gave her a quick glance before he walked into the house chillily.

She quietly entered the house by the side door and got a broom from Ah Ling. Before she went to work, she stopped and asked, “Sister Ah Ling, is that man the young master?”

Ah Ling glanced contemptuously into the living room and whispered, “How is that possible? He is a distant cousin of the young master. His name is Gu Niannan. He is as heartless as a wolf. Every time he comes, he not only asks for money, but also says some acid words to make the master angry. He once even made the master ill, and was punished severely by the young master. It has been some days since he last came here. He must have run out of money, so he comes here today shamelessly. Next time you see him come here, tell Uncle Xiao and the lady immediately to make sure the master won’t have to meet him. Have you got it?”

Du Xiaoxian nodded. Suddenly she heard the man raised his voice with anger, “Second Aunty, is that all? Do you think I am a beggar? The Gu’s company should have been taken over by my branch. If my grandfather hadn’t…, how could you be so powerful today…?”

Mrs. Gu sat there, and said to him calmly, “Niannan, it was your grandfather who gave up his right of inheritance, so we can be in charge of the Gu’s company today. However, we have never treated you shabbily over the years, have we? To be frank, the money you’ve taken over these years is more than enough to open another company.”

“Don’t fool me. The market value of the Gu’s company has doubled or even tripled. What I got is nothing compared to it.”

“That’s right. But don’t you know who made it?! Nianbin is gonna come back. How about you stay for dinner and talk to him about it?”

Gu Niannan looked very bad. With an angry glance at the antique Western clock in the hall, he grunted and put the check carefully into the inner pocket of his suit. Then he left without saying a word.

Ah Ling whispered in Du Xiaoxian’s ear, “The lady is very kind, but not a duck soup. Can’t be softhearted to such a man.”

Du Xiaoxian listened to her silently. She thought, “Even a vicious man like Gu Niannan left in disgrace when he heard the young master’s name. The young master must be a tougher man. But I don’t know what he looks like. What if I fail to avoid meeting when he shows up?”