Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The Rong family also lived in a villa, but compared to Cui Xi Garden, it was dwarfed in both courtyard and house size.

After entering, Rong Yuan looked at the distance from the door to the opposite wall, the living room so spacious it seemed like it could host a polo match. And inside, it was much colder than outside—not just visually, but in actual sensation.

This was one thing he couldn't get used to here. It was warm outside, but as soon as he entered a building, the cold made his skin crawl with goosebumps. Whether at home or elsewhere, the chill was intense, and wearing long sleeves and pants didn't make him feel hot.

He subconsciously rubbed his arms. Just then, a man around forty, who seemed to be the butler, asked, "Sir, where should I send the luggage?"

No arrangements had been made earlier; they hadn't expected Rong Yuan to come stay today.

Gu Shenhan said, "Send it to the second floor for now."

He led Rong Yuan upstairs to choose a room: "Pick one from these."

Gu Shenhan's own room was on the third floor, which only had a master bedroom, a study, a gym, a small dining room, and a media room—all for his personal use. Even when guests came, the third floor was rarely opened.

Rong Yuan found that every room was nice—clean and spotless. But that excessive tidiness felt a bit devoid of warmth, not as lively as the inns or taverns he'd stayed in in his previous world.

Rong Yuan chose a sunny guest room: "Is this one okay?"

Gu Shenhan motioned for the servant to take the luggage inside and put it away. He told Rong Yuan, "If it's convenient, let them handle it. If not, you can do it yourself."

Rong Yuan had brought a lot, seemingly, but it was mainly clothes in four suitcases. He still didn't understand how money worked here or where to buy things, and since clothes were needed year-round, he'd brought some for all seasons to avoid needing extra spending later.

Hearing this, he initially wanted the servant to hang up his clothes. But then he thought, he wasn't really the master here, and the master-servant relationship wasn't as distinct as in his old world. So he figured he should learn to take care of himself. "I can do it myself. Thank you, Han Ge."

Gu Shenhan told the butler, "Lao Zhang, take him around, give him a basic rundown of how the house works. He'll be staying here for a while."

Butler Zhang said, "Yes, sir. Young Master Rong, would you like to organize your things and rest first, or take a look around now?"

Rong Yuan said, "Let's look around first."

If he went to find someone after tidying up, he'd have to ask again. Better to take advantage of Gu Shenhan's instructions now.

Butler Zhang said, "It's still light out. How about we start outside?"

Rong Yuan replied, "I can see the outside later. I'm more unfamiliar with the things indoors. Could you please show me around the house first?"

Butler Zhang had heard that this Little Young Master Rong had lost his memory after falling into water, but his words still struck him as odd. He didn't show it on his face, though, and said with a smile, "You're right. Let's start on this floor."

Seeing this, Gu Shenhan went up to the third floor to put away the documents he'd brought.

He thought about handling some work first, but as he closed the safe, he changed his mind and went to the second floor to see what things Rong Yuan was unfamiliar with.

His villa was only a few years old, and the renovation had been completed just two years ago. It was equipped with many smart devices. He wondered how Rong Yuan would react to them. He had a feeling Rong Yuan wasn't just suffering from memory loss—he seemed like a completely different person.

But fingerprints and appearances couldn't be faked with current technology.

The second floor had six guest rooms, a dining room, a leisure room, a storage room, etc. Butler Zhang showed Rong Yuan room by room. He initially planned to give a general introduction to their purposes, the relatively new devices, and rare smart features like the elevator that didn't require pressing buttons—you could just stomp on the footprint marks on the floor for the floor you wanted.

There was also a rotating wardrobe with a central control panel that could automatically bring stored items from a distance or height close to hand.

But it seemed Rong Yuan was not only completely unfamiliar with these features but also amazed by common modern things like elevators and central control panels, which was a bit odd.

For instance, when the central control panel "spoke" after receiving a command, Rong Yuan was clearly startled.

A young person from this era should have grown up using electronic products and be familiar with them.

Rong Yuan had seen and ridden in elevators before, but the ones in the hospital weren't glass. He'd seen others ride glass elevators at the airport but hadn't himself, so he found them novel. And the talking wardrobe was even more incredible—he thought it was something only immortals could use. He couldn't even imagine such things before seeing them.

In fact, much of what Butler Zhang said he didn't understand, like "Chef Cheng Xu"? But he was too embarrassed to ask, because asking would lead to endless questions, and they'd surely notice his differences.

No, maybe they'd already noticed.

Butler Zhang said, "The temperature in the whole building is voice-controlled, but not every room's smart assistant has the same name. For example, in this leisure room, the assistant is called 'Tian Tian.' You just call out 'Tian Tian' and tell it the temperature and humidity you want, and it'll adjust. For watching movies or shows, you can tell it what you want to see. The screen is usually retracted; it'll lower when you want to watch."

Rong Yuan heard but didn't understand, yet he still forced himself to say, "Th-thank you, Butler Zhang."

Butler Zhang said you're welcome and was about to show him more when Gu Shenhan interjected, "Lao Zhang, go tell the kitchen to prepare dinner. I'll take over showing him around."

It was indeed time to prepare dinner, so Butler Zhang acknowledged and left.

Rong Yuan glanced at Gu Shenhan, not knowing what to say.

When he'd arrived, he thought that since Old Madam Gu liked him and the Gu family had use for him, he could do some things within his ability. But now he realized he'd underestimated things too much.

Here, he was like a child—couldn't even understand a butler's words. No wonder Gu Shenhan had been so angry earlier. If he were in Gu Shenhan's shoes, being married off to a childish husband, he'd be angry too.

"Going to cry again?" Gu Shenhan asked.

"No." Rong Yuan took a deep breath, holding back the warmth in his eyes.

"If there's something you don't understand, just ask." Gu Shenhan hooked his foot around the door, hands in his pockets. "The more you don't ask, the more you won't know, and the more you don't know, the more scared you'll be."

"But what do I do if I don't understand anything? I have so many questions."

"For anyone, there are endless questions in this world, so it doesn't matter."

"So, when Butler Zhang said to call 'Tian Tian,' where do I call it?"

"Anywhere in this room. Try asking, 'Tian Tian, are you there?'"

"I'm here. How may I help you, master?"

"Stop all activities."

"Okay, master."

Rong Yuan looked around to see where the voice came from, rubbing his arms, feeling a chill of fear. He looked at Gu Shenhan with pleading eyes.

Gu Shenhan said, "Call it like I just did."

Rong Yuan shook his head. Gu Shenhan said sternly, "Do you still want to learn?"

Rong Yuan had no choice but to try: "T-Tian Tian, a-are you there?"

The smart program replied, "I'm here. Hello, how may I address you?"

Rong Yuan looked at Gu Shenhan, who nodded.

Rong Yuan said, "I'm... I'm Rong Yuan."

The program said, "Hello, Mr. Rong. How may I help you?"

Gu Shenhan asked, "After you fell into the sea, did you come back and watch any movies or TV shows?"

Rong Yuan said, "No. I don't know what 'movies and TV dramas' are."

Gu Shenhan beckoned, "Come."

He gestured for Rong Yuan to sit on the sofa: "Tian Tian, I want to watch 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms'."

"Yes, master. Playing 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' now. Detected that indoor light is too bright, affecting the optimal viewing experience. Suggest turning off the room lights and lowering the curtains. How does that suggestion sound?"

"Not bad."

The room suddenly darkened, the lights turned off, and the curtains slowly closed by themselves. The embedded thin screen wall descended, the projector turned on, and the TV drama 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' played on the screen.

Rong Yuan was stunned.

He had also seen those very big black boxes at the airport, with many brightly colored moving pictures on them. Sometimes they were people, very big people, sometimes animals, and landscapes. They were so high up but never fell, but he hadn't dared to ask Xiao Ke.

Gu Shenhan asked, "Have you heard of traditional opera?"

Rong Yuan said, "I have."

Gu Shenhan told him, "The traditional opera you heard is one or several people singing on stage for the audience below. A TV drama, on the other hand, is a performance recorded by a machine that captures scenes, and it's shown to a much larger audience. In the past, only wealthy families could afford to hire opera troupes to perform, but now everyone can watch these."

Rong Yuan finally understood a bit: "So TV dramas are actually the same kind of thing."

"Yes. Movies are similar, except movies have longer stories and TV dramas have shorter ones. Originally, people acted and sang. It's just that a machine was added to record them, turning them into shows that can be shown to everyone."

"Then, why does it light up by itself?" Rong Yuan pointed at the screen wall and then at the ceiling light. "And the box we rode up in moves on its own."

"Because of electricity. You eat to have energy to do things; electricity is like the food these machines need. Electricity gives them the 'power' to follow commands. Yeah, have you seen a tree struck by lightning?"

"Yes."

"Electricity is power; you can understand it that way. Okay, now you try. Tian Tian, turn on the lights, open the curtains, and pause everything in the room."

"Yes, master."

Rong Yuan saw the room go back to the way it was when he first came in, and Gu Shenhan told him to try again.

Amazed, Rong Yuan called out, "Tian Tian, are you there?"

"I'm here. Hello, Mr. Rong. How can I help you?"

"Can you help me… turn off the lights?"

"Of course."

The room instantly fell into dimness, and the sunset's afterglow shone through the floor-to-ceiling window, lighting up Rong Yuan's face.

Rong Yuan was bathed in a warm glow, as excited as a child who had won a contest. He looked up at the light and said, "That's amazing! Thanks, Brother Han, for teaching me!"

Gu Shenhan, used to scheming in business, had almost forgotten what innocence looked like. He paused for a second, stunned, then said, "It's nothing. From now on, watch more modern shows. You need to learn how to talk like they do now."

Rong Yuan asked, "What are 'modern shows'?"

"They're shows and movies that tell stories set in modern times."

"Then can you please help me find some, Brother Han?"

Gu Shenhan had Tian Tian play a modern TV drama. Tian Tian picked one from about seven or eight years ago. Gu Shenhan hadn't finished it, but he'd seen clips and it was pretty good. He told Rong Yuan, "Let's watch this one. Listen and learn. I have things to do. If you have any questions, ask Tian Tian. It's like Little Dolphin—you can't see it, but you can talk to it."

Rong Yuan said, "Okay, Brother Han."

Gu Shenhan went out and closed the door.

He found Liang Zheng there and asked, "When did you arrive?"

"Right when you and your newlywed wife were all lovey-dovey..."

"Say one more word of nonsense, and hand over the investment in Tianyue Restaurant."

"Hey, alright, alright! Damn, can't I even make a joke?"

"Where's the stuff?"

"Gave it to Old Zhou. Are you really going to learn brush calligraphy?"

"Not me."

"Then who?" Liang Zheng seemed to have a hunch, pointing towards the recreation room. "Him? Really?"

"I've been wondering why the old lady insisted on me marrying him. Now I think I understand. Even if I didn't marry him, the old lady would help the Rong family through this crisis because of her old friendship with Rong's grandmother, and she would also take the opportunity to bring Rong Yuan over. She wants me to marry him just to give Rong Yuan a more suitable place."

"You mean it was inevitable that Rong Yuan would come to the Gu family. But the old lady thinks your place is better for him than hers?"

"Exactly."

"The old lady lives in the main mansion, which is crowded. The eldest son's family all lives there, the aunt's family sometimes visits, and the third uncle occasionally comes. Given Rong Yuan's condition, the old lady wouldn't feel comfortable unless he was by her side. But if she kept him close, his cousins would make trouble—they wouldn't let him have any peace."

"At least at his place, he wouldn't be easily bothered. Besides, the old lady knows better than anyone his ambition, and she also knows he's currently not interested in romance."

At that moment, the door to the entertainment room opened. First a little head peeked out, then the boy came out fully. Seeing Gu Shenhan, he seemed very happy and asked shyly, "Brother Han, can I borrow some paper and a pen?"

Gu Shenhan had Butler Zhang give Rong Yuan the calligraphy set that Liang Zheng had bought.

Rong Yuan was slightly startled and carefully took them, saying, "Thank you."

Gu Shenhan said, "The table here is too low, though. I'll have someone bring you a taller one later. Or would you rather write in the bedroom?"

Rong Yuan said, "Can I do it here?"

He liked Tian Tian because no matter how many questions he asked, it never got annoyed or looked at him strangely.

Gu Shenhan directly waved to a servant to take care of it.

Liang Zheng said, "You're quite attentive, aren't you?"

Gu Shenhan didn't answer. He watched Rong Yuan picking a spot for the table, bustling around like a busy little bee.

Attentive? Not really. But since the person the old lady values is placed with him, he has to get some interest.