Chapter 93

Xia Hou Zhongying and the others didn't set off until after lunch at the Jin family's house. Before leaving, they were detained by Jin's mother for another half an hour of chatter. By the time the car left the Jin family's house, it was already one o'clock in the afternoon.

The distance from Gwangju to Seoul is about 230 kilometers, and it usually takes about two and a half hours to drive, or two hours if you go fast. However, today was New Year's Day, and although the highway maintenance staff didn't take a holiday to ensure the safe return of people celebrating the New Year, there were still some areas that hadn't been cleared. Therefore, Jin's father didn't dare to drive too fast. By the time everyone returned to Seoul, it was already past four o'clock in the afternoon.

Upon entering the city, Seoul seemed much quieter, lacking the usual bustling atmosphere of a major metropolis, making it feel as if a plague had just struck. However, the traffic was still operating normally. After all, as an international metropolis, Seoul isn't just home to Koreans; there are also many foreigners and tourists who come to Korea for the New Year. If the traffic were to stop, it would cause chaos.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Xia Hou Zhongying began giving directions to Jin's father, guiding him to his home in Seoul.

Jin Taeyeon and Huang Miyoung were visiting the Xia Hou family for the first time. When they got out of the car and saw the high-end villa, they were quite stunned. They had known that the Xia Hou family was quite wealthy, but seeing the villa with its elegant and simple decor, complete with a large yard and a swimming pool, they realized just how rich the family was.

After Jin's father drove the car into the yard, the first thing that caught the eyes of Jin's father, Jin Taeyeon, and Huang Miyoung was a row of wooden stakes. They felt quite strange and couldn't help but look at them for a while. A high-end villa with a row of out-of-place wooden stakes just looked out of place.

Seeing the three of them looking at the wooden stakes he used for martial arts practice, Xia Hou Zhongying chuckled and said, "I use these for my martial arts practice."

Jin's father nodded without saying anything.

"Happy New Year, young master."

The Xia Hou family employed four servants, two of whom were a couple who had been with the family since before they moved to Korea. The couple had no sons, only a daughter, whom Xia Hou Zhongying had met when they were in China. Both were in their fifties, the man surnamed Ge and the woman surnamed He. Xia Hou Zhongying called them Uncle Ge and Aunt He.

Uncle Ge and Aunt He had been hired by Xia Hou Zhongying's mother when she was still alive. Before that, they had come from the countryside to find work, and their family's economic situation was very poor. After joining the Xia Hou family, their situation improved. They were always grateful to the Xia Hou family and insisted on calling Xia Hou Zhongying "young master," a term they had learned from TV. At first, Xia Hou Zhongying was not used to it, but after so many years, he had become accustomed to it.

The couple had been with the Xia Hou family for many years, and they were honest and reliable, almost like family. So when Xia Hou Shang decided to move to Korea, he didn't want to leave them behind and asked if they wanted to come to Korea. Their daughter was already married, and they had no other ties, and they were already used to working for the Xia Hou family, so they agreed to come to Korea without hesitation. However, because their visa applications were complicated, it took more than a month after Xia Hou Zhongying and his father arrived in Korea for their work visas to be processed.

The other two servants were Koreans hired after they moved to Korea.

Uncle Ge played the role of a butler in the Xia Hou family, while Aunt He was responsible for the meals. The two Koreans were a cleaner and a maintenance worker, responsible for maintaining the swimming pool and the lawn.

During the New Year, the two Koreans naturally went home to celebrate, while Uncle Ge and Aunt He stayed behind because Xia Hou Zhongying didn't return to China for the New Year and the house needed to be looked after. Seeing Xia Hou Zhongying return, they quickly came forward to wish him a happy New Year.

"Happy New Year, Uncle Ge, Happy New Year, Aunt He," Xia Hou Zhongying smiled and nodded to the two, congratulating them. He then took out two red envelopes he had prepared in the car and handed them to the two, saying, "Uncle Ge, there are some things in the trunk of the car. Can you help me move them? Aunt He, can you go inside and make some tea for the guests?"

"Thank you, young master," the two smiled and took the red envelopes from Xia Hou Zhongying, nodding in agreement.

"Uncle, please come inside and have a cup of tea first," Xia Hou Zhongying said with a smile to Jin's father.

"Sure, that's fine," Jin's father agreed. After all, Jin Taeyeon was staying at the Xia Hou family's house tonight. Although he didn't say anything in the car, he was still a bit worried and wanted to find an opportunity to warn Xia Hou Zhongying. The two were still young, and he didn't want them to get into trouble.

After entering the villa, Xia Hou Zhongying saw Jin Taeyeon and Huang Miyoung looking around curiously and said with a smile, "You can go upstairs and choose which room you want to stay in tonight. The four rooms on the right side of the first floor are for the servants. My father and I live on the second floor, and there are two more rooms there for Xiuyan and Xiujing. The rooms that are occupied are easy to recognize, especially Xiuyan's and Xiujing's, as they have large photos of themselves on the doors. On the second floor, there are four more rooms you can choose from."

"Okay, Dad, we'll go look at the rooms first," Jin Taeyeon said happily to her father and then ran upstairs with Huang Miyoung.

"Uncle, please have a cup of tea first," Xia Hou Zhongying took a cup of tea from Aunt He and handed it to Jin's father, then took one for himself.

"Zhongying, your family's villa seems quite expensive. Your father is just a branch manager. Is his salary that high?" Jin's father had been wondering about this since he saw the villa. He was worried that Xia Hou Zhongying's father might be corrupt. If that were the case, he would have to be more careful, even if it meant separating Jin Taeyeon from Xia Hou Zhongying to protect her.

"Ha ha, I've heard it's quite high," Xia Hou Zhongying smiled and said, "And our family used to run our own company. Later, my father decided not to continue, and he agreed to the merger of the company he was in, and now he just works as a manager."

Jin's father felt relieved. If that was the case, there was no problem. After a moment of silence, he glanced upstairs, thinking about how to warn Xia Hou Zhongying now, before Jin Taeyeon and Huang Miyoung came back down. However, he didn't know how to bring it up, as he wasn't sure how Xia Hou Zhongying viewed his relationship with Jin Taeyeon, which made him a bit uneasy.

"Zhongying, after I go back, Taeyeon will be in Seoul, and I'm entrusting her to your care. You mustn't hurt her, understand?" Jin's father sipped his tea and said.

"Uncle, don't worry. I'll take good care of Taeyeon and won't let anyone hurt her," Xia Hou Zhongying said. Since he had noticed Jin Taeyeon's feelings, he didn't know how to face her. Jin's father's words also seemed to imply entrusting his daughter to him, which made him even more uneasy. He couldn't avoid answering, so he deliberately broadened the scope of his response.

"That's good, I'm relieved," Jin's father sighed, feeling a bit helpless. He wanted Xia Hou Zhongying and his daughter to be together, but he was worried about them getting into trouble at such a young age. He was in Gwangju, and Taeyeon was in Seoul, which was too far apart for him to keep an eye on them.

After some thought, Jin's father decided not to say anything more. "Children will have their own fate. Let's just let things take their natural course." He stood up and said, "I'm going back to Gwangju now. It wouldn't be good to stay too late."

"Uncle, wait a moment," Xia Hou Zhongying also stood up and quickly walked to his father's wine cabinet, took out two bottles of high-end liquor from China, and returned to Jin's father, smiling and said, "This is some wine my father brought from China. You can take it back and try it."

"Sure, that's fine," Jin's father didn't hesitate to accept the wine. After all, he was willing to entrust his daughter to Xia Hou Zhongying, so taking two bottles of wine was a small favor.

"Taeyeon, I'm going back now. Take care of yourself in Seoul," Jin's father called out to Jin Taeyeon, who was still looking at the rooms upstairs.

"Dad, are you leaving so soon?" Jin Taeyeon quickly ran downstairs with Huang Miyoung.

"Ha ha, it wouldn't be safe to drive too late," Jin's father said, gently stroking Jin Taeyeon's hair with a smile.

"Okay, Dad, drive safely," Jin Taeyeon hugged her father and said softly.

"I will. I'll come to Seoul to see you when I have time," Jin's father smiled and started to leave.

The three of them saw Jin's father off to the door and watched his car disappear from sight before returning to the villa.