Meanwhile, back in another car…
"Captain Mu, is there something on my face?" Tai Cheng asked curiously. "You've been looking at me through the rearview mirror the whole time."
"Maybe he thinks you're handsome," Yue Niang said, elbowing her husband playfully, before addressing Captain Mu, half-warning him. "At least buy my husband dinner first!"
Captain Mu tried very hard not to roll his eyes. He failed.
"I assure you, I'm not into your husband. No offence." He said dryly.
"Good, I'd hate for you to get into an accident." Yue Niang said unblinkingly, while the poor chauffeur casted him a worried glance and shifted anxiously in his seats, as though expecting Li Yue Niang to run him through where Captain Mu sat.
Captain Mu wanted to tell him not to worry, but there was a part of him that wanted her to stab him, just so he could get a closer look at the knife Ming Guang was talking about. Judging by how sharp it was after decades of disuse, Li Yue Niang would have kept it on her person, instead of chucking it in her luggage.
He met her knowing gaze in the rearview mirror. Li Yue Niang smiled, showing all her teeth. His eyebrow twitched.
Li Tai Cheng laughed awkwardly. "Hahahaha wife, you're such a joker! Don't take it to heart Captain Mu. I'm looking forward to us being friends. I'm sure we'll get along handsomely."
"Likewise." Captain Mu nodded, but privately thought that man was delusional.
The rest of the ride continued in an easy silence, until the car turned into the familiar road that led to the Sun family mansion. The couple at the back began to whisper to themselves, and Captain Mu strained his ears, trying to eavesdrop, but he could only make out a few words.
"Never change…
"Road… new bush…"
"So gaudy…"
"Running…"
Captain Mu frowned. Yue Niang caught him eavesdropping and deliberately whispered in a louder volume, catching his eyes in the mirror. "This is such a waste of taxpayers money. I'm going to bomb it."
The chauffeur gasped and swerved in surprise at the sudden threat, his ears hyper-sensitive to such an explosive word!
Tai Cheng and Yue Niang were then flung to the side - they would have hit the side of the car if not for their seatbelts.
"Oh, so you were listening too?" Yue Niang asked casually, not affected by the sudden turn at all. "Eavesdropping is not good."
"Neither is bombing a private road," Captain Mu retorted instinctively. "I should have you arrested for making threats."
Tai Cheng sensed the rising tension and grabbed his wife's arm, willing her to keep quiet. His wife was already combative and argumentative to begin with, and now she was getting increasingly antsy as they were nearing the Sun family mansion. He could understand why she would make all sorts of inflammatory comments, but this wasn't the right decision!
He couldn't support antagonising Captain Mu, especially if he was in charge of Sun Jingwei and his daughter's safety.
Yue Niang wanted to argue further, but at her husband's touch and the minute shake of his head, she fell quiet. She settled for scowling at the back of Captain Mu's head instead, shooting daggers at his head with her eyes.
So it was up to Li Tai Cheng to diffuse the rising tension. He laughed cheerfully, as though he was oblivious to the awkwardness and hostilities.
"Hahahah Captain Mu, don't take my wife's words to heart, but you know what makes great bomb?"
Captain Mu's eye twitched. Was this man going to discuss demolition tools and chemistry now? Was he going to flaunt his knowledge on bombs and challenge him on it? Fine, Captain Mu would indulge his foolishness just this once.
"Nitroglycerine." Captain Mu replied stonily.
"My cooking!" Li Tai Cheng exclaimed at the same time.
There was now another awkward silence, before it was broken by a hastily stifled snort from Li Yue Niang and the chauffeur. Captain Mu's face coloured as he realised what Li Tai Cheng was trying to do.
Meanwhile Tai Cheng pretended not to notice the man's embarrassment. He continued to ramble.
"Captain Mu, I'll cook you such a good meal, you'll feel like a flavour bomb just went off in your mouth! Do you like noodles? Even if you don't, I'll make you like mine. By the way…"
"It's fine," Captain Mu said, cutting him off. He had a feeling he was talking to Jingwei.
Gods. A horrifying realisation entered his mind. Sun Jingwei was going to grow up and become this rambling chef and devoted husband. He even had the murderous sarcastic wife locked down for the future. They would marry and produce even more murderous chatty children.
Captain Mu internally shuddered, vowing to retire before this future comes true.
=====
The car turned into a frighteningly nostalgic road, and Yue Niang sucked in a deep breath, willing herself to calm down. The iron-wrought gates loomed ominously ahead, casting familiar shadows over the grounds.
"Yes. It's me, Captain Mu. Team Alpha is returning." Captain Mu spoke to the intercom.
"Yes Sir. Gate opening now." An answering voice replied, and the iron gates swung open with a mighty swing. Yue Niang could almost imagine the metallic shriek caused by the old rusty hinges, but she noted they must have been replaced a long time ago.
Sun Haowei would never have allowed for broken things on his grounds. The car drove inwards. Yue Niang eyed the plethora of rose bushes lining the pathway and sighed, knowing that Bi Yu must have been responsible for their existence. She was always fond of gardening and flowers.
"It's been a while," her husband murmured, with the slightest hint of melancholy. "I'm surprised the roses are still here. Do you think he still…" He trailed off hopefully, but Yue Niang could fill in the gaps.
"He didn't do anything. It's the gardeners' work." Yue Niang grumbled quietly. Her palms were getting increasingly sweaty as the car drove through the winding, scenic path, finally turning past the ornate fountain she once spat in.
She was surprised it was still there - knowing Sun Haowei's personality, she expected him to have it demolished after she shoved him inside it, causing him to catch a terrible cold.
"What a waste of water," Yue Niang commented to herself and the car arrived in front of the tall imposing doors of the Sun family. Household staff were already waiting by the side, their heads bowed in respect.
Yue Niang's heart thudded anxiously in her chest. What if someone from them recognised her from before?
After all, she was a frequent visitor two decades ago. In fact, she often strolled up to the door and demanded to be let in. If Sun Haowei refused, she would have just climbed a tree and crawled in through a window.
If there was any household staff from back then, they'd definitely remember her! Unlike her, Tai Cheng back then was a lot more lowkey, blending into the staff like a cog in a machine.
Yue Niang consoled herself with the thought that perhaps no one would recognize her, even if they remembered her past acts. After all, she didn't look much like her younger self. Decades have passed without expensive skincare; now she just looked like a regular middle-aged woman from the countryside.
What's more, surely the older servants would have retired by now! Yes. She had to stop overreacting.
"Is your household staff very free?" Yue Niang asked. "They don't need to wait for us - I can spot at least 30 windows that need cleaning!"
'Please don't wait.' Yue Niang hoped internally. Maybe the undone chores will remind them of their actual jobs! She wanted this crowd to disperse.
"An astute observation on the windows," Captain Mu said, in a tone so dry that he could have rivalled the Sahara desert. "But you missed the forest for the trees - they're not here for you. They're waiting here for Sun Jingwei and your daughter."
"Xue Ning?" Li Tai Cheng asked, confused.
"Do you have another daughter?" Captain Mu rolled his eyes. "With Old Master Sun hospitalized and Young Master Tianwei still single, she's as good as the new lady of the house now."
"Oh my god," Tai Cheng exclaimed faintly, slumping against the leather seat in disbelief. He had known, had remembered, much of the Sun family's wealth, but time had dulled his recollections, making him believe that he could have been exaggerating things.
But as he eyed all 100 rooms of the imposing mansion looming ahead, his mouth could barely form words.
"My daughter is a homeowner," he muttered incredulously. "She's a lady of the house. Wife, are you listening to this? I can't believe this! What an honour!"
"I am," Yue Niang said with less awe. She knew better than anyone what this meant - and it was less of an honour and more of a job, more of a prison. It wasn't anything good.
"She'll hate it."
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