House of Aunts

Prologue

The real estate agent, Mr Woo, was surprised that this young lady, Chen Lianyu, who looked no more than twenty five, wanted to buy this house. She looked too young to have this much money. In all of his years working as an agent, Mr Woo had not encountered a customer like this, but then again, he learnt not to judge a book by its cover. There was something about Ms Chen that reflected how astute she was--perhaps there was that glimmer of intelligence in her eyes and the way she talked, as though she knew what she was doing. Mr Woo didn't have to worry about earning his commission--immediately, she asked to view one of the most expensive houses that he was selling. The real estate agent's eyes lit up. He knew that he was going to make a killing.

Ms Chen met Mr Woo at the house, at a remote location that was surrounded by greenery. It was a three-storey bungalow that was old and dilapidated. It would have been an eyesore if it had been in a neighbourhood, but it was the lone building in a sea of trees. The money-hungry man had come earlier to open the gate of the house so that his client could park her car. Once she emerged from her sleek white vehicle, they chatted and wandered around the front yard and the back. The previous owners had filed for bankruptcy and had moved in a hurry, but after he relayed the fact to the young lady, she merely shrugged. She did not think that it was an ill omen. She looked at the weeds in the yard, and then declared, "There's some work that needs to be done. That's all. Can I see the interior?"

Mr Woo nodded and immediately walked to the front door. She followed. He opened it and gestured for her to go in. Ms Chen did so, and noticed that nearly every nook and cranny was coated in dust, but that did not faze her. Her heels clacked across the tiles and she surveyed the paintings that the owners had left behind. They depicted pastoral scenes with cows, pigs, and sheep on some English countryside. She scoffed, as though insulting the previous owner's taste.

"May I see upstairs?" she asked.

"By all means," was the reply. Mr Woo followed the lady, who took long looks at all the bedrooms and eventually, went up to the highest room in the bungalow. A triangular window overlooked part of the estate. Lianyu walked around every corner of the room, as though she was imagining what it would look like. At last, she looked out of the window. She saw that she was surrounded by greenery and she nodded.

"Yes. This is the place. How much did you say this house was?"

"10 million dollars."

"I'll take it."

In all his years of selling houses, he had not met someone who was so forthright. Most people took a few days to think about the offer, and sometimes they even asked him for other houses that they would like to see. Not this woman. But Mr Woo didn't complain. This made life easier for him. All he had to do was to prepare the documents, facilitate payment, and hand over the keys.

Mr Woo thought that he was done with the house, and did not think much of it. After all, the commission he had made as a real estate agent allowed him to live in comfort.

But, on a rare occasion, when Mr Woo drove past on a Sunday, he saw a beautiful woman, much like the fairies in old Chinese folktales, watering the plants. He blinked, wondering if he had imagined her in robes. Instead, he was looking at a woman in a tank top and shorts doing the gardening. She smiled and waved. He glanced at the topmost room, which his client loved. A little girl peered out from the window. It looked as though she was surrounded by a halo of light, but perhaps it was the sun. She waved.

He waved back, and told himself that he should mind his own business. Yet as he drove off, he could not help but wonder about the house and its inhabitants.