They entered a smaller path.
Su Ruan continued to look around and thought that the scenery around this place was a little familiar. She had this feeling that she had visited this place before.
Suddenly, her thoughts went back to her conversation with her father a few days earlier. Her father had warned her that the moment she felt uncomfortable, she should leave the place immediately.
Su Ruan placed a hand on her chest and took a deep breath.
The feeling she had at this time was only anticipation and not any uncomfortable feeling like her father had mentioned to her before.
At least, she was not experiencing shortening of breath and the world was not spinning around.
"Sister Ruan, are you alright?" Ma Yu Xi asked.
The moment they entered the path, Ma Yu Xi had already noticed her cousin's expression. Before she headed out to pick up Su Ruan, her grandpa had already told her to be cautious of her cousin's mood.
If Su Ruan was feeling uncomfortable, she should turn the car around and get farther away.
Ma Yu Xi did not understand why but later, her father explained that Su Ruan had once got lost in the orchard while they were playing hide and seek. It was dark at night and this event had traumatized her.
This was also the reason why Su Ruan had never returned to D Town.
Until now.
Su Ruan flashed an assuring smile. "I'm fine. Just a little excited about meeting Grandpa and Grandma. It has been a while since I came here."
Ma Yu Xi pursed her lips as she pondered on something. "Grandpa said if you are feeling uncomfortable, I should turn around and send you to the town instead."
"Did Grandpa tell you why?"
Ma Yu Xi shook her head. "But my dad mentioned a little bit about it."
Su Ruan let out a sigh. "It happened when I was still a little kid. Actually, I don't remember much about it. But my mom mentioned it a few times. They said that I might have seen something scary. But perhaps, they were only shadows that I have seen at night."
"Uh-huh." Ma Yu Xi nodded. "It is a bit dark in the orchard during nighttime. Perhaps now that you are grown up, you are no longer afraid."
"Mhmm… I hope so."
Soon the familiar mansion came into view. Su Ruan looked at the view in front of her with her eyes unblinking. In the past, she could only see her grandparents' house in the picture. But now, the house was right in front of her.
It was beautiful and gave off warm feelings. It felt as if she was finally at home.
Her mother had once mentioned that the house was smaller in the past but her grandparents had done some renovation so that his grandchildren would be more comfortable when they come to visit this place.
As the car approached closer, a few men and women came out with an expectant look on their faces.
From the distance, Su Ruan could recognize that they were her grandparents and her mother.
"Sister Ruan, welcome back." Ma Yu Xi spoke as she pulled over at a parking spot. She looked at the group of people who were waiting at the side and laughed. "You see, everyone is excited to see you." She pushed the door open and paused. "Sister Ruan, go ahead and meet everyone. I'll help you unload your luggage."
Su Ruan climbed down from the pickup truck and looked at the family who was waiting for her. Seeing the look on their faces made her heart warm. Her eyes were stinging and the tears pooled in her eyes.
She blinked and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. She picked up her steps to get closer to them.
It was her mother, Ma Zheng Zheng who rushed over to her side first. "Su Ruan, you're here." She gave her daughter a look over and finally breathe in relief when she could not sense anything wrong with her expression. "How was your flight?"
"It was good." Su Ruan
"Are you feeling any discomfort?" Ma Zheng Zheng asked worriedly.
The day that Su Ruan called to say that she was planning to visit her grandparents, Ma Zheng Zheng could not hide her shock. She recalled the last two times they brought her to the house and each time, Su Ruan would scream out as if she was about to lose her mind.
When she heard that it was her father who had invited Su Ruan over, Ma Zheng Zheng had a few days fight with her father.
However, Su Ruan had already made up her mind and there was nothing she could say to convince the girl to stay away.
Seeing that her daughter standing here, Ma Zheng Zheng tried to block her eyes away from the house she worried that Su Ruan would be traumatized again.
"Mom, I'm fine." Su Ruan laughed. "If I started to feel uncomfortable, I will tell you, alright?"
Ma Zheng Zheng hesitated before she moved away.
Su Ruan lifted her head again and this time, her gazes met with her Grandpa. The joy on his face was transparent. Her Grandpa had invited her to come over to the town over and over again. This was the only time that she had agreed to come. Naturally, Ma Hao Dong could not hide his joy.
He spread his arms and watched as Su Ruan walked over into his embrace. "Su Ruan, welcome home. I'm glad that you can make it to my place this time."
She looked up and giggled happily. "Grandpa, thank you."
"Alright, quickly let me hug my granddaughter next."
Su Ruan turned to the right and saw her grandma, Lan Shi, looking at her with a warm look on her face. She stepped back from her grandpa and walked into his grandma's embrace. "Grandma, I miss you so much."
Lan Shi patted her on the head a few times. "Un. Grandma misses you a lot too. Come inside. Grandma had cooked all your favorite food."
"Mhm… your grandma has been cooped up in the kitchen since early morning to prepare a feast for you," Ma Hao Dong said. "Go and take a rest first. When the food is ready, let's eat together."
Su Ruan nodded. She followed everyone into the house and texted her father that she had safely arrived and that everything was alright.
The moment Su Yu got her message, he gave his daughter a call. It was only when he heard that Su Ruan was no longer feeling uncomfortable around the house that Su Yu felt relieved.
Su Ruan sighed helplessly as everyone around her seemed to be worried about her condition. However, she was also aware that they were concerned about her.
The father and daughter spoke for a while. When she ended the call, her cousin, Ma Yu Xi was standing beside her.
"Sister Ruan, let me show you to your room."