Chapter 5: Granny Liu Visits the Grand Garden
One day, a poor old woman from the countryside came to visit the Jia family. Her name was Granny Liu, and she had once been connected to the family through a distant relative. She brought with her a young grandson and a basket of fresh vegetables from her farm.
The servants laughed at Granny Liu's simple manners and old-fashioned clothes, but Grandmother Jia welcomed her warmly. "It is good to have a guest from the village," she said. "She will tell us stories of the world outside these walls." Granny Liu was happy to share her tales of farm life, and the whole family gathered around to listen.
The next day, the young people of the house decided to take Granny Liu on a tour of the Grand Garden. The garden was the pride of the Jia family, with its winding paths, beautiful pavilions, and colorful flowers. Granny Liu had never seen anything so magnificent in her life.
"Is this a painting or the real world?" she asked, her eyes wide with wonder. The young ladies laughed at her funny questions, but Granny Liu did not mind. She told them about the crops growing in her village and the animals she kept on her farm. Her simple stories made everyone smile.
For a brief moment, the grand mansion and the humble village seemed to come together. The rich and the poor shared laughter and food, forgetting their differences. But as Granny Liu prepared to leave, she reminded them all that life outside the garden was very different from the comfortable world within its walls.