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Shang pinches the bridge of his nose; then, taking a deep breath, he says, “I’ll help you with your bags.”
Would Baba allow Shang to take his bags? No way. “Don’t bother,” I say, jumping in front of him and yanking at my overstuffed bag. My back twinges in protest, but I ignore it and give a savage wrench. My bag slides out of the trunk and thuds to the ground with a loudthunkand a cloud of dust.
“You sure?” Shang says.
“Yep!” It was supposed to sound cheery, but ends up coming out with a lot more bite to it than I meant. Shang’s brow furrows for a moment; then he shrugs and goes to help his mother with her luggage.
“Is there something going on between you and Shang?” Mushu says as I struggle with the bag.
“I need to show these people that just because I’m a woman doesn’t mean I can’t handle my own crap. We need to build confidence in them, remember?”
“Hmm.” Mushu doesn’t look convinced, but luckily she chooses not to dig further.
The Li family ranch and distillery is located in a massive plot of land, almost one thousand acres in size, and the beauty of the land is breathtaking. When we enter the ranch, I see a barn and stables and farmlands, and as we go deeper, the farmhouse comes into view. It’s an expansive farmhouse, a gorgeous structure that is a mix of modern and traditional, with an exterior made from natural stone and cedar. Framing the house are two enormous oak trees, offering plenty of shade from the unforgiving Californian sun.
Not exactly what I had in mind when I thought of a farmhouse. This house looks more like the elegant older sibling of the traditional farmhouse. I look down at my ridiculous outfit. It feels even more ridiculous in this setting. This modern farmhouse calls for simple silk dresses and Hermès sandals, not theULTIMATE FUN TIME DON’T MESS WITH THIS COWGIRLjeans and cowgirl boots. I shoot Mushu a glare, but Mushu is too busy staring in open wonderment at the house.
“Dang, this is nice!” she says.
“I know,” James says proudly, as though he built it with his own two hands. “It’s our little jewel.”
“Did your family build this?” I say.
“Yeah,” James says.
I guess his pride makes sense.
“Uh,” Shang interjects, “not unless you count hiring an architect and a contractor as ‘building this ourselves.’”
James throws him a dirty look. “We came up with the design ourselves.”
“Actually, my mom came up with the bulk of the design,” Shang says.
“Oh, are you two arguing about silly things again?” Auntie Jiayi says. “Come on, Zhou and Mushu, I show you to your room while the boys bicker as usual.”
The inside of the farmhouse is even more beautiful than the exterior, which I wouldn’t have thought possible. But it’s somehow cozy and airy, modern and traditional at the same time. The space is large and filled with pools of golden sunlight streaming in through the large picture windows everywhere, and the natural stone walls lend it a welcoming warmth. There is an open-plan living room furnished with overstuffed couches and a massive kitchen boasting a gorgeous granite island. The dining room is surrounded by windows on three sides, and I can just imagine the numerous loud, merry meals they’ve had there.
The bedrooms are on the second floor of the house. Auntie Jiayi leads us to the second room on the right and says, “I hope this is okay for you?”
It’s more than okay. Large enough to hold two queen beds with ample closet space, and its own en suite to boot. There is a makeup table near the window with a pot of fresh wildflowers on it.
“We hire cleaners to prep the house for our arrival,” Auntie Jiayi explains when she sees me looking curiously at the flowers. “We also have farmhands and workers all over the ranch and the distillery, of course. Now, I will let you two rest a bit and then we will go on a tour of the place, okay? Oh, and I will bring by your sleeping bags for our overnight camping trip in two days’ time.”
“Overnight camping trip?” I say, trying not to look too horrified.
“Oh yes, we do every year. You’ll love it.”
“I’m sure I will,” I say, then add “Thank you, Auntie” with genuine affection. Auntie Jiayi, with her kindness and her honesty, has grown on me.
The door closes gently behind Auntie Jiayi, and Mushu and I fall onto our respective beds with sighs of relief.
“Phew, this place, man!” Mushu says. “I wasn’t expecting it to be quite so large. This is amazing. It’s like Disneyland, but for ranchers.”
“Yeah, it is pretty incredible.”
“Hey, so,” Mushu says, “while I was riding in the trailer with the elders, I kind of got the feeling that they don’t want to sell.”
The back of my neck prickles. “What? How’s that possible? They invited us here.”