The taxi stopped outside the gate, and Maisie got out of the car with Nolan. She then stood outside the
gate for a long time and did not go in.
Nolan looked down at her. “Don’t you want to go in?”
“I’ve returned to my family’s ancestral mansion to visit them out of the blue. Madam Vanderbilt will
definitely be startled, won’t she?” She inserted both hands into her pockets, and she seemed to be able
to imagine Madam Vanderbilt’s expression.
Nolan pushed open the gate for her, and Maisie followed him in. There was still snow that had been
shoveled and piled up on the ground of the huge courtyard, a
layer of frost had formed on the bare branches, and even the windows were fogged.
The door was half-open, and a strange middle-aged woman came out after a while. She was holding a
basin of water in her hand and was stunned when she saw Nolan and Maisie. “May I know who you’re
looking for?”
Maisie did not answer the question and asked, “Are Grandmother and Uncle Yorick in?”
The middle-aged woman was astonished once again when she saw how Maisie addressed the people
that stayed in the mansion . “Are you Linda?”
“I’m Maisie, Maisie Vanderbilt.”
At this time, Yorick’s voice came from inside. “Who’s here?”
Yorick came out and saw Maisie, and his expression changed slightly. “Maisie, why are you…”
She smiled. “Hector asked me to come and visit you guys on his behalf. Am I not welcome here?”
Yorick did not say much and invited them into the house. The middle-aged woman poured them some
tea and told them that Madam Vanderbilt had gone out to play poker and would only come back home at
night.
Maisie looked at her. “Grandmother usually goes out to play poker?” “Yes.” The middle-aged woman
replied with a smile, put the teapot away, and added, “I only knew that Madam Vanderbilt has a
granddaughter and a grandson, so I thought you’re Linda.”
Maisie lowered her gaze. “I’m not. According to my seniority, I’m their cousin.”
The middle-aged woman got it. “Is that so…”
“And who are you?”
“I got married into the family. I heard from Madam Vanderbilt that your uncle’s wife died unexpectedly
and had left behind two children. I considered doing so only because they were already grown-ups,” the
middle-aged woman replied honestly. Maisie was not shocked to hear that Yorick had gotten married
again.
There are quite a lot of people getting married twice or even three times nowadays, so this has become
a norm for quite some time already. And his children have all grown up, so this lady doesn’t need to
worry about the troubles of taking care of Uncle Yorick’s kids..
‘What’s more, Grandmother should also hope that Uncle Yorick would get married to someone else again
and find a considerate wife who knows how to take care of the family. So, how can Grandmother not care
about this matter?’
The middle-aged woman asked them to make themselves at home and then went back to taking care of
the tasks on hand
Nolan stared at the tea in the cup but did not even take a sip from it, probably because he was not used
to tea brewed in the huge teapot. The tea leaves had not been washed or filtered before being brewed
into tea, and there were visible impurities in the tea.
Maisie drank the tea slowly, glanced at him, and laughed. “This is how the locals drink their tea. Are you
expecting them to pay so much attention to all those tiny details that you people from the
prosperous big cities care so much about?”
Nolan frowned. ‘Tea leaves that have been soaked in the water for such a long time will taste very strong
and bitter.”
Maisie poured his tea away and poured him a glass of water. “Then you should stick with tap water.”
Yorick walked in at this time.
He asked Maisie how Hector was doing in Bassburgh, and Maisie answered calmly,” He’s doing very
well. He’s found himself a job and has been working very hard. He’s also been offered the opportunity to
further his study abroad.”
“He’s going abroad?” Yorick was astounded.
Maisie put down the teacup. “Traveling more will broaden his horizons, and that will only help him
accumulate more knowledge and experience, so I don’t think that’s a bad thing. I bet you want your son
to succeed in life too, don’t you? Hector might even be able to return home as a famous and successful
person that’s accomplished a lot in the future. When that time comes, he will have become the pride of
the Vanderbilts.”
Yorick did not say anything else. After all, Hector was his son. Thus, it was only natural for him to wish
that Hector would become someone that had a promising future.
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