Lu Lian straightway went to meet the person she was waiting for so long. The home of Mr. Jia Wong was out of the city and in a calm place surrounded by nature.
Lu Lian set the GPS and drove away alone out of the city. After the journey of almost one and a half hours, she reached one place and stopped the car in front of the beautiful and large wooden gate.
The beautiful carved design on the gate was proof that she reached the right place.
Parking the car outside, she went towards the gate where a security guard came running to her and greeted her by bowing a little.
Before Lu Lian could say anything, he spoke, "Welcome."
She nodded and followed the guard as she thought, ’Asking who I am and why I am here, isn’t a normal thing to ask? How did he recognize me and know I’m the one who had an appointment today with Mr. Wong.’
Inside the gate, there was a pavement made of marbles that had a lawn on both sides. The entire place was surrounded by greenery, and even if it was summer, the place felt unusually cold and could make anyone feel so fresh.
Observing everything, Lu Lian continued to follow the guard towards the home, situated at a distance from the gate. The home was constructed in Chinese style, and one could see the person who lives here was a fan of Chinese architecture. The details were regular, but only a person related to that field could see that everything was a perfectly thought out plan.
The home was spread along the area and gave a feel of a Chinese courtyard home, but it was not that all as it was more urbanized to fulfill the lack of one style to make it more comfortable. It was exactly how Lu Lian planned to match ancient and urbanized Chinese architecture.
The house had a wooden frame structure and wooden and white color with the roofs with clay tiles, just as in old times. The white color with the wooden one gave it a fresh and modern look.
The entire house was surrounded with greenery and ancient Chinese styles of white-colored sculptures placed outside at so many spots, just like on either side of the home’s main entrance.
Just as Lu Lian reached the home entrance, a woman around the age of early forties stepped out and bowed to her. She seemed to be the caretaker of the house.
"Welcome, Ms. Lu," said the woman
"Thank you," said Lu Lian as she followed the woman inside the home, and the guard left.
They crossed one small space in the entrance room where the huge and widespread clay pot was placed on the table in the room’s center. It had water and flowers floating on it, which spread the pleasant smell of the fresh flowers in the room as the cold breeze kept flowing inside from windows and the door at the entrance.
As they reached the other huge room after crossing the previous one, the woman made Lu Lian sit on the sofa, and another servant brought juice for her.
"Mr. Wong would be here soon," the woman informed.
Lu Lian nodded and looked around such a beautiful living room, which had well carved wooden furniture and showpieces with clay antiques somewhere, but everything was minimal to keep more space available.
One door opened, and an older man wearing a white cotton shirt and pants entered the living room.
Lu Lian recognized the man as she had seen him in the pictures while reading articles about him and his works. He was the person she came to meet.
Getting up, she bowed to him, "Good morning, Mr. Wong."
The man first scanned the young lady wearing a white full-sleeved lace collared shirt, tucked in a bottle green regular fit skirt, long up to below the knees and paired with black heels.
"Morning, young lady," said the elderly man as he signaled her to sit and then sat in the chair, which looked like it was meant for only him though it was placed along with the sofa.
"So Ms. Lu is the lady who made one stubborn and busy man sacrifice his precious time to me," the man commented.
Lu Lian didn’t understand what Mr. Wong said and looked at him puzzled.
The man smiled and asked, "How is that old man in your family?"
"Lu Lian understood what he meant and spoke, "Grandpa is fine."
"Don’t feel bad, but I don’t have much good opinion about your grandpa as he and the other old man Ming Shihong are trouble makers and annoying," said the old man.
"Seems like the feelings are mutual," Lu Lian commented as she smiled lightly.
Mr. Wong understood the sarcasm in her words and smiled, "Bold young lady. No wonder you are his granddaughter."
Lu Lian just smiled at it. For her, her grandpa was the best person, and she would always take his side over whoever the person she sits with.
Lu Lian finished the juice and was ready to talk, "Mr. Wong loves white color a lot," she commented.
Lu Lian noticed that this man loves white color a lot as most of the things were combined with prominent white coloring. Even the sofa she sat on had a stylish wooden base but had white cushioning.
"Isn’t it obvious seeing most of the things in white," the man countered?
Lu Lian nodded, "It shows the purity and made any art look even precious."
"Agree with it."
Lu Lian thought to come to the main point and spoke, "I’m here to know the important things about Chinese architecture that one can’t learn from books but through the experience."
The man chuckled, "What can I teach you? As you said, it can be learned through the experience, so keep learning, and one day you will know it."
Lu Lian held her stand strong and said, "I don’t mind waiting, but the project can’t. It’s for elderly people, and I wish to do something that they would like and make them feel like in old times."
The man sighed and looked at his wristwatch, "We can start only if the deal is done in time and half an hour left for the deadline," said the man that puzzled Lu Lian.
"Deal....?"
"Next half-hour will decide if Ms. Lu will get what she wants or she has to return with nothing," repeated the man, interrupting Lu Lian.
"Till then, I can show Ms. Lu around here. I’m sure you are curious to see this place," offered the man.
Lu Lian didn’t know what Mr. Wong was referring to and what deal was there. She thought he must have mistaken something, but she didn’t know how to correct it.
Mr. Wong was right about one thing that she was curious, not just curious, but she was dying to see that place and thought to go along with the flow as after half an hour, she will get what she was there for.
The man stood up and guided her way towards the other part of the home. Once there were done with looking at the inside of the home, the man guided her to go out.
As they stepped out of one door, they walked along the outer corridor, with clay tile shade supported with the wooden pillars and ornamental plants growing up while surrounding those pillars and moving towards the roof.
While walking along the corridor, she saw a garden and a small wooden bridge, connected to the two sides parted by a small pool of water where so many beautiful fishes swam into the water along the way.
Mr. Wong saw how carefully her sight was following everything and observed it. Her sight was proof of how much she appreciated this simple work done by him. to others, it might look like a masterpiece, but it was simple to work for Mr. Wong.
Soon they crossed the bridge and reached the other side where one small isolated house was there.
"What’s that?" Lu Lian asked.
"My Workshop," the man replied.
Lu Lian’s eyes brightened up, "Can I see it?"
"I don’t have a problem, but someone there might not like it," he commented.
"Who?"
"The person who made a deal but didn’t wish others to know it," replied the man as he smiled mischievously.
Lu Lian was about to drop the plan, but the man spoke, "I don’t see any problem, though."
Lu Lian didn’t wish to miss the opportunity to see where and how this famous person worked. She was not sure if she would get this opportunity again.
"I won’t disturb the person. Will take a look from a distance," she said.
"Well, go ahead then," said the man as that light, mischievous smile never left his lips.
Lu Lian stepped towards that isolated place, the workshop, and she could hear the noises from inside, which concluded that someone was some wooden work.
The door was open, and Lu Lian entered the place while the older man followed her.
There was a tall man in a white shirt and black pants standing his back facing towards them as he was busy working.
’Why did he look so familiar?" she thought, and the next moment she was sure who the person was.
’What is he doing here?’ she thought and stayed still.