Chapter 4 The Rongs' House

Fannie had just gotten a phone call from Joanna, who had told her that Hiram had given his consent to the engagement. If Rachel was willing to marry him, he was fine with it.

Fannie was thrilled to hear this news. Didn't that mean that Hiram would marry Rachel as long as she wanted to marry him too? That was a great news!

Rachel was still lying half-asleep on the bed when she heard her mother come into the room and start chattering about something. She vaguely heard phrases like, "finally get married" and "thank god..."

Wait!

What? What was her mother talking about? Who was getting married?

Rachel shook herself out of her daze and propped herself up on the bed. Now wide awake, she tried to listen more clearly to what her mother was saying. Fannie looked so excited that she could hardly sit still on the bed. Smoothing her chaotic hair, Rachel asked, "Mom, what are you talking about?"

"You silly girl! Wake up! Hurry up! Get up, get dressed, and put on some make up. We need to go to see your future husband, your fiance. Hurry up!" Fannie was tingling all over. She felt like she was the one meeting her fiance.

Looking at Fannie's exciting face, Rachel's stomach sank. What fiance? There was definitely something wrong, her mother looked too excited. Trying to hide her sense of dread, she gripped her blanket tightly and asked, "Mom, did you get me another blind date? I've told you that I'm not going to see anyone this year. Don't you understand that? Something bad will happen to him, it always does. I'm tired of it. Let's stop for a while."

"No. It's different this time! Nothing will go wrong. Trust me. Your great-grandfather made a pact with the Rong family about your engagement a long time ago. It will work!" Fannie said with certainty.

"The Rong family?"

Uh-oh. Rachel had met a man the day before who was from the Rong family, and she'd told him sternly that she wanted nothing to do with them. With this new revelation from her mother, it seemed like she'd leapt out of the frying pan into the fire.

"Yes! You won't believe it. I'd no idea that Joanna has a son until she told me yesterday! She never mentioned it before, and besides, it's been a long time since we lost touch with each other. If I had known that she has a son who is a few years older than you, I would never have asked you to go on blind dates, " Fannie gushed excitedly.

Rachel's face turned white at these words.

Fannie pushed the blanket aside and sat down on the bed next to Rachel. "Joanna has come to XH Village yesterday with her son, " she continued. "After we talked, she told her son about the pact your great-grandfathers made. And guess what?"

"Stop! Mom, wait!"

Rachel tried to stop her mother from telling her anything more. She stared hard at Fannie and said, "Mom, aren't you worried that her son is a fool? Or that he's a bad guy? A cold-hearted person?"

Fannie poked Rachel squarely on her forehead and said, "What are you blabbering? Gavin Rong and Joanna Fang are a golden couple. Gavin's an accomplished man and Joanna's a beautiful woman. Their son would definitely inherit many of their good qualities. I'm sure that he'll be a great man.

Besides, I've already promised Joanna that we'll have lunch at their house at noon. You can meet him in person then."

Rachel flopped back onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling with hollow eyes.

"Mom, I don't think any family would accept something like this so quickly. Tell me the truth, did you force them into it?"

Not quite meeting Rachel's eyes, Fannie cleared her throat and muttered, "Aren't you afraid that you'll never find someone to marry you? You should get married when you're still young, or you might end up alone."

Fannie really wanted to make this work. Joanna's son probably had many female suitors, since the Rong family was extremely wealthy. She just wanted her daughter to get married and break the curse. Joanna herself had said that the pact still stood and the engagement was still on, so Fannie thought that they should strike while the iron was hot. She was afraid that the Rong family would change their mind.

In the next hour, Fannie successfully dragged Rachel out of bed and helped her get ready. She even ordered Rachel to put on a facial mask before applying make-up.

When packing up for their trip to XH Village, Rachel hadn't thought that she would be going anywhere else, so all she had brought was casual clothes, which Fannie wasn't satisfied with. On a whim, Fannie took out the Cheongsam that she'd worn when she was younger and asked Rachel to try it on.

Rachel had never worn a Cheongsam before and she wasn't willing to try it now, But Fannie insisted.

She even helped Rachel get into the Cheongsam. Rachel couldn't believe that her mother was so determined about her wearing it for the lunch.

Once Rachel looked presentable, they headed over to the Rong family's old house. Two pine trees stood on either side of the house. They looked like soldiers standing there and guarding the old house.

Rachel glided her hand down the Cheongsam. Even though it was tailored decades ago, its light yellow silk felt smooth to the touch. Small embroidered lace roses lined the lower hem and the neckline. It was an exquisite piece of clothing.

But...

"Rachel, keep your chin up, okay? Smile a little, like me. You look like you're going to cry. There's no need to worry, I'm right here with you."

Looking at the Cheongsam that Rachel was wearing with satisfaction, Fannie said, "You look very beautiful. And you have a remarkable face. I'm sure that their son will fall in love with you in no time."

Indeed, Rachel was quite pretty, especially with a Cheongsam on.

She was a classic beauty with beautiful big eyes and delicate rose lips. The Cheongsam added to her charm, making her look like she was going somewhere significant. However, the pout on her face told a different story.

"Mom, I don't want to have lunch with them. Let's go home. I'm begging you. I'll make you breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. I'll wash all the dishes and all the clothes for you. Can we just go home?"

Rachel said earnestly with tears in her eyes, trying to convince her mother.

Fannie glanced at Rachel indifferently and pursed her lips. She held Rachel's hand tightly and strode towards the old house of the Rong family.

It finally dawned on Rachel that she couldn't stop her mother no matter what. Even though it upset her, she had to let her mother get her way this time.

Rachel was shocked when they stepped into the Rong family's house. The garden was breathtaking, with old trees, crisp green grass, and old-fashioned but delicate tables and chairs. A single word kept popping up in her mind: antique.

Most of the families in this village had been through tough times. Decades ago, they had had to sell all their valuable items just to make a living. But the Rong family had been rich for many years and had never needed to sell anything.

Both the garden and the house were well-preserved. There were a few necessary modern facilities, but apart from those, the garden looked like it was straight out of the late Qing dynasty.

"Fannie, you are here!" Joanna stepped out of her living room and greeted them from a distance.

She eyed the light yellow Cheongsam Rachel was wearing appreciatively. She was satisfied with how Rachel looked. Yes, she would be a good match for Hiram. Smiling sweetly, she said, "You must be Fannie's daughter, Rachel, right? You look good in the Cheongsam. Let's go inside and have a little chat.

Hiram is in the middle of a video conference for the company. He'll join us soon." Joanna led them to the living room and asked them to sit down. Then, she asked the maid to serve them some tea.

Everything in the old house was neat and tidy. It seemed that the Rong family had someone clean it day in and day out.

"That's okay, Joanna, Hiram can take his time. We're about to become a family now, so there's no rush, "

Said Fannie with a big smile. It was the first time she had been to this house. Although XH Village was the Rong family's hometown, the family members had stayed abroad for many years. After Fannie knew they were back, she had wanted to pay a visit but she had never found the right time for it.

That was why she hadn't known that Joanna had a son.

Rachel hadn't taken her eyes off the antiques since she walked into the house. She was quickly learning that the Rong family was extraordinary. The realization made her really nervous. Her nerves were on edge since she walked into the house.

Rachel was a woman in her twenties. And although she wouldn't describe herself as an upright person, she always kept her word.

But this time...

Just the day before, she had clearly stated that she would never set foot in the Rong family's house, but now she'd showed up there with her mother.

It had taken less than a day for her to break her word. She felt a little embarrassed.

Next to her, Fannie and Joanna were chatting animatedly, but she couldn't seem to focus on their words or loosen up. Her palms were covered in sweat. Her eyes darted around nervously for some clue about the man she was about to meet. She was hoping that the man she'd seen the day before wasn't Joanna's son. Maybe he was from a different Rong family.

Whatever it was, Rachel felt insecure about being there.

She kept feeling like something bad was about to happen.

She was so nervous that she could hardly feel her legs.

Just then, a tall man paced into the living room.