Chapter 1576 - 1558: Vacation in the Countryside

When Marcus Quinn returned, Aratan was still sleeping soundly. The small bedroom was filled with the soft breathing of the young girl, richly fragrant.

While Marcus Quinn had a peaceful night’s sleep until dawn, chaos reigned through most of the night at the Leighton Family’s house.

After being woken up by the servants, Julian Leighton looked at the brightly lit villa and only then mustered a bit of courage. Glaring at the Swiss Army Knife, he flew into a rage, immediately calling security, claiming he was being targeted, that someone intended to kill him, and even reported it to the police.

Since no one was harmed, the police only arrived the next morning, with security personnel coming over early, putting on apologetic smiles.

Despite a thorough investigation, the servants could only recall hearing Young Master Leighton’s screams in the night. Everything in the house was perfectly intact; doors and windows showed no signs of intrusion.

The security personnel even reviewed surveillance footage, and not a trace of anyone or even a cat appeared all night.

Julian Leighton kept insisting on the Swiss Army Knife by his bedside. The police, having no other option, even conducted a fingerprint test, only to find Julian’s own fingerprints on the knife. Everyone suggested he might be suffering from paranoia, assuming he misplaced it himself and scared himself.

Julian Leighton, after seeing the fingerprint analysis results and the surveillance footage, turned pale, collapsing to the ground. He remembered clearly the man standing by his bed, looking at him coldly, deliberately leaving behind the Swiss Army Knife as a threat. Yet, no one believed him.

The young master from the Leighton Family, terrified that the man had entered his home without detection, fled Fountain City in haste, not even taking the time to pack his luggage, eventually fleeing all the way to Europe.

Though fond of beauties, he valued his life more.

After Julian fled, 7-year-old Candy Leighton was sent to her grandparents’ house, thus ending Aratan’s first job rather abruptly.

Meanwhile, Marcus Quinn, having nonchalantly scared off Julian, learned that the man had fled the country that same day, and couldn’t help but arch an eyebrow. It was far too easy to scare him. Yet, feeling satisfied with the results, when the owner of Qingfeng Building, Gabriel, came to get closer to him, Marcus didn’t give him the cold shoulder.

After the summer vacation, Marcus Quinn had been selling pig trotters for over two months. He then handed over the secret recipe to Gabriel ahead of time and even went to Qingfeng Building to teach him once.

The so-called secret recipe was merely about the proportions of various traditional Chinese medicine ingredients. Even without Marcus teaching, the chef at Qingfeng Building could deduce the recipe from the ingredients list. Therefore, Marcus opted to teach openly and even ahead of a month earlier than planned.

This utterly delighted Gabriel.

With this secret pig trotter recipe, Gabriel gained some fame at a previous gourmet appreciation event. Although there were many luxurious and exquisite new dishes, Qingfeng Building claimed first place with this dish, enhanced by its health-preserving concept. Coupled with Qingfeng Building’s hunger marketing over two months, business and reputation both saw improvement, achieving a successful turnaround. Thus, controlling this secret recipe was akin to mastering a flow of silver.

That very night, Gabriel sent Marcus Quinn a large red envelope and tentatively asked if he had any plans to invest in real estate in Fountain City. Gabriel had the intention of gifting a house, but seeing Marcus’s eccentric and low-key demeanor, he sought to probe his intentions.

Upon returning home, Marcus Quinn discussed the house-buying matter with Aratan. Since moving to the current neighborhood at the end of June, the two had saved 620,000. If they work hard for two more months, they could make the down payment on a house in Fountain City.

For over a month, Aratan had been contemplating this matter, considering that with earned money, investment was the way to go. Given domestic trends, investing in real estate was a safe bet.

"My family isn’t in Fountain City, and neither are you. We have no roots here. Settling has no substantial advantages. Fountain City isn’t by the mountains or the sea. Investment-wise, it’s far inferior to properties in first-tier cities, and it’s not like we’re awash with spare money for investing," Aratan argued, feeling that buying a house in Fountain City wasn’t feasible.

Perhaps it was due to a lack of belonging to the city. If she were to return to Seacoast, she wouldn’t feel the need to buy a house either. Her family’s house must be reclaimed from those people, though she currently lacked the leverage to contend with them. Hence, she gritted her teeth and refrained from returning to Seacoast.

A year of confinement had worn away all impatience and impulsiveness in the young girl’s character. She was more patient than anyone.

Marcus Quinn naturally deferred to Aratan on every matter. After pondering, he said, "Summer vacation is over, and since your job prospects aren’t settled, let’s visit my grandfather’s ancestral home for a vacation. We can decide on buying a wedding house after earning enough money."

Hearing him mention a wedding house, Aratan’s heart skipped a beat. She nodded shyly.

Therefore, Marcus Quinn quit his current jobs, even stopping the pig trotter sales at Qingfeng Building, as his previous lesson on the recipe was planned with this in mind. They packed up and left for Marcus’s maternal grandfather’s house three days later.

The owner of Qingfeng Building, seeing the two leaving Fountain City and stopping pig trotter sales, grew anxious, thinking about the delicious food he’d tasted before. Yet, upon hearing they were merely going to the countryside for a vacation, he sighed in relief.

Aratan only heard Marcus mention that his maternal grandfather’s house was in South River, assuming the place was historically prosperous and unlikely to be remote. Yet, after a two-hour flight from Fountain City to Suton, followed by a three-hour car ride, they arrived at a picturesque village.

Geographically, it was a prime location in South River; yet, due to its mountainous terrain and waterways, it lacked high-speed rail access. The view from county to village was of nearly untouched nature. Arriving at Anfield Village, Aratan was slightly startled. The village’s architecture comprised late Qing Dynasty houses, and over half the bus consisted of tourists, many there for a leisure vacation or for film settings, as the village reportedly housed a temple bustling with worshippers.

Seeing the mesmerizing scenery nestled by mountains and water, Aratan understood why many period dramas were filmed here. This place indeed resembled a utopian paradise.

"Let’s rest at the manor first. Anfield is stunning; tomorrow I’ll take you to explore the mountains," Marcus said, effortlessly carrying their suitcase, leading Aratan to his maternal grandfather’s house.

After a day’s travel, witnessing the green mountains, clear waters, blue skies, and white clouds, Aratan felt joyful, nodding as she followed Marcus to the farmhouse to rest while inquiring about the manor.

"I haven’t returned in over a decade. I always stayed with my grandfather here as a child. The farm was bustling back then. Before my grandfather passed, seeing I was young, he sent me back to my family and dismissed the farm’s staff. By now, Shui Bo must be here; he stayed by my grandfather’s side, spending his later years here," Marcus said solemnly.

Without a vehicle, the two walked for about half an hour, crossing the village, until Aratan saw a late Qing Dynasty ancient building, isolated yet huge. She couldn’t help but widen her eyes; this was the manor Marcus had mentioned?