novelraw Chapter 363: I have spent thirty Chinese New Year’s Eves with you, this year I want to spend it with Delphine
Chapter 363: I have spent thirty Chinese New Year’s Eves with you, this year I want to spend it with Delphine
The old ancestral home had been unoccupied for a long time. The courtyard was completely overgrown with weeds, trees were lush and thriving, a scene of vibrant vitality. Delphine entered the house and turned on the lights. A thick layer of dust covered the tables and chairs inside, and intricately carved wooden windows were engulfed in spider webs. Everything looked exactly the same as when her grandmother passed away and she left.
The old home was not habitable without cleaning, so Delphine went to a nearby inn in the Waterside Ancient Town to stay for the night.
Chinese New Year’s Eve was approaching, and it was still the offseason for the inn. Lying in bed, Delphine found herself sleepless for a long time. Her weary heart—after years of turmoil and struggles in the power-driven worlds of noble families—pounded faintly. Every time she thought of giving up, life would always open a window for her. She had to seize it. She had to protect the home her grandmother had left her, and preserve what belonged to her.
Ignatius Leclair arrived in Southeast Asia that afternoon. After meeting with Richard Shaw, he took an immediate flight to the United Kingdom, where he met his mentor from years ago. He subsequently went to consult Johnson, the most authoritative figure in psychological counseling. The elderly professor was now too old for long-distance travel, but based on Ignatius’s description, he conducted a diagnosis of Delphine’s condition and introduced his best student to assist Ignatius.
The man traveled back and forth, only to arrive at the Leclair Mansion and find that the person had already run off. His face instantly darkened, as black as ink.
"Miss Delphine took the Southern Airlines flight to Brocade City early in the morning, followed by a car ride to Waterside Ancient Town," Maximilian said, wiping his cold sweat. Fortunately, everything was under real-name registration nowadays, or else this holiday season would have been ruinous.
Ignatius nodded, feeling slightly relieved after discovering her whereabouts. He went straight upstairs to shower and change, but came back down without fully drying his hair, then headed toward the door.
"Stop right there! Where do you think you’re going?" The old master of the Leclair Family was sitting in the side hall, shouting with a loud, commanding voice.
Ignatius paused his steps, spotting the elderly man adopting a stern, accusatory posture. His thin lips curved faintly into a smile. He walked over, reached out to hug the old man, and said in a low voice, "Delphine has gone to a remote town all by herself. I’m going to bring her back."
"Weren’t you supposed to spend New Year’s at the Squire Family? And didn’t that girl say she left because you didn’t care for her?" The old master retorted coldly, raising his cane threateningly, though his heart ached at the thought.
A pang of bitterness flickered in Ignatius’s heart. The sins he committed in the past now truly had to be repaid.
"Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve. You’re rushing over now, but will you even manage to get back in time?" The old master growled, his voice strained with both anger and concern.
Ignatius nodded slightly. Knowing Delphine’s temperament, there was no way she’d obediently follow him back. He sighed deeply and clasped the old master’s thin, weathered hand. "Grandpa, I’ve spent the past thirty Chinese New Year’s with you. This year, I want to spend it with Delphine."
"You wretched, ungrateful brat!" The old master’s voice trembled as his emotions surged. He wiped the edges of his eyes, raised his cane to strike Ignatius, and falteringly said, "Now that there’s a woman, you don’t even want your grandfather anymore."
"I want both of you," Ignatius said, seeing the elderly man’s anguish, a wave of headache washing over him. He added, "I’ll try my best to come back."
Without waiting for the old master’s protests, he exchanged a knowing glance with Maximilian and strode out of the door without hesitation.
Early the next morning, Delphine bought a set of household cleaning tools and brought them to the old home to begin tidying up.
She spent half the day wiping away dust, trimming the waist-high weeds in the courtyard, only to find much of the wooden furniture too damaged to be of use.
"Excuse me? Are you home? My mom asked me to deliver a few Spring Festival couplets," came a polite and crisp voice from a young man.
Delphine looked up. A young man dressed in a down jacket stood at the door, his big, round eyes darting nervously. When he saw her, for some reason, his ears suddenly turned red.