Yun Xi and Xiao Jinglin headed to the Quan family’s mansion that night to visit the old master.
The Quan family was much more powerful and more important than Yun Xi had expected. They also kept a very low profile. If the Mu family was an old and powerful family in Jingdu, the Quan family was the equivalent in City F. However, they were in the military and political circles rather than the economy. The Quan family was pretty much the face of City F. The citizens may not have known who the President was, but all of them knew everything about the Quan family.
Old Master Quan was staying in the old mansion in the middle of City F. No matter how the city developed, the mansion remained the same, with only a few minor renovations over the past few years.
That was why, when the car Yun Xi was in drove through the forest and stopped in front of the gate, she was stunned by the appearance of the mansion. She could tell that the place had a lot of history.
She always thought that the Mu family’s old mansion was one of the oldest buildings she had ever seen, but her opinion quickly changed after witnessing the Quan family’s old mansion.
Xiao Jinglin could see how anxious Yun Xi was so he quickly spoke to her to help calm her nerves.
“A huge family like the Quan family is very focused on their manners and peace. They are one of the few big families where the siblings support each other. All of their members are decent people, which is the main reason why the family has always stood strong,” explained Xiao Jinglin. “Didn’t you feel the same vibe when you were at the Mu family mansion? Even when Commander Mu married a second wife, the family was still peaceful. That’s how an old and prestigious family should be.”
Yun Xi nodded. The Mu family was very peaceful, just as her father had mentioned. Mu Feichi’s stepmother did not have the evil stepmother vibe either. Instead, she was kind and well-educated.
“Then… what about the Xiao family?”
Yun Xi only knew a fraction of what had happened to the Xiao family in the past. She knew that someone rebelled against the family, which caused Xiao Jinglin to separate from Rong Rong all those years ago.
“The Xiao family is fundamentally different from the Mu family. Since we are based in Country M, we are deeply influenced by Western culture. It’s hard for a family in our situation to keep our traditions. However, we are still an old family and the words of the head remain absolute. Even if some people are against the head’s order, they wouldn’t dare to challenge it openly. Ever since I became the head, I’ve made sure that I’m the one who makes the decision. This makes it easier for me to take control of a situation should an incident come up.”
“I really can’t picture how you looked like when you were taking care of the rebellion.”
“Sometimes, there are things that are better left unknown. At least I will remain a kind man in your eyes.”
Yun Xi smiled and turned to look out the window at the buildings inside the mansion’s compound. Just like the Mu family, most of the Quan family members lived in the same compound so that if anything happened, they could all gather at the mansion at a moment’s notice.
The buildings were all designed in black brick, white walls, with eaves on the roofs. Even in the winter, the garden was still filled with greenery.
When Yun Xi got out of the car, she looked at the tall door—which was usually seen in older designs—and the two copper lion statues on either side of the door.
Quan Zongrui and his parents were waiting for them. Xiao Jinglin was important to them, and for such an important guest to visit their home, they felt honored.
Xiao Jinglin also came prepared with many gifts, especially since it was just days away from the New Year. There were a lot of traditions and customs when one visited another family close to the New Year, and bringing gifts was one of them.
Yun Xi was surprised at first, when she saw the number of gifts her father had prepared. Even though he didn’t mention that she needed to learn about the rules and manners of being part of an old and prestigious family, she came to realize that there were a lot of things she never had the chance to learn from the Yun family—whether it was in her past or current life. If she had been visiting the Quan family alone, she never would have prepared the gifts, and it would have made her look like she did not have any manners.
