"Since you don't understand me, there's plenty of time in the future for you to get to know me." Fu Yuchi smiled, her eyes brimming with joy, a sight to behold.

Sun Miao'er was stunned for a moment, almost falling into the warmth of the smile. Her master was indeed very handsome; even if she were thrown into this rural village, she would still be a shining pearl.

A pearl should be paired with a precious jade, but unfortunately I am not. But what if she were willing to give it a try?

Countless thoughts suddenly arose in Sun Miao'er's mind, intertwined in a complex way, but she did not respond to his words. Finally, after a long silence, she revealed a relaxed expression, "Okay, Master, I hope there can be more time."

Before long, a few young men arrived outside the Sun family's house. They were the same men who had questioned Old Lady Sun at the village entrance earlier. They were all handsome young men, carrying burlap sacks. "Miss Miao'er, we've really worked hard!"

Several young men carried bags and threw them in the yard, wiping their sweat. "We've finished our work. We felt bad after hearing what you said earlier, so we raised some money to bring you some rice. The village chief always teaches us to be helpful. Only when all the villagers in Fushui Village help each other can we all live a good life."

Sun Miao'er looked embarrassed. She hadn't expected that her casual remark would lead to these guys being so eager to bring the rice up. Before she could even speak, the master had already walked to the door, picked up the bag of rice with one hand, and said, "Brothers, thank you for your trouble."

His tone was amiable and his manners were refined and polite, but he did not yield an inch in his words. “The Sun family has been kind to me, and these are all things I should do. I think Miao’er appreciates the kindness of my younger brothers. Please take these back.”

The young men exchanged glances, one of them slightly indignant. "Why are you speaking up for Miss Miao'er? She hasn't even said anything yet! You're telling us to go back? No way! That's not fair!"

Fu Yuchi turned around, smiled, and asked, "Miao'er, what do you think?"

Sun Miao'er met those smiling, dark eyes, but her heart couldn't warm up. If she nodded in agreement, she probably wouldn't see her master's genuine smile for a month. "Yes, brothers, you're too kind. I really can't accept this. Why don't you come in and have some tea?"

Only after hearing Sun Miao'er's refusal did the group deflate, waving their hands dejectedly, "Never mind, we'll come again next time."

After the others left, Fu Yuchi sat on a bench in the courtyard. "I'm thirsty too. Why didn't Xiao Miao'er pour me a cup of tea?"

“Uh…” Sun Miao’er hurriedly went into the kitchen to boil water, then came out to explain, “Master, I’m just trying to get rid of them. Otherwise, how could they let it go? I’ll make you some tea right away, just wait a moment.”

Fu Yuchi raised an eyebrow, his handsome face showing displeasure. "Do I need to call them 'brother' to get rid of them?"

Sun Miao'er was speechless. Why was her master picking on her today? There seemed to be a sour smell outside. She pouted and muttered softly, "I won't call you that next time."

"It's good that you didn't call out." After saying that, Fu Yuchi walked outside the courtyard and bent down, seemingly looking for something.

After Sun Miao'er boiled the water, she wanted to call him in for tea, but when she saw him come in holding a bunch of leaves, she asked, "Master, what is this?"

“You always give me some unusual things to try, so today I’ll give you something you don’t know.” Fu Yuchi rinsed a few leaves in the water, then sprinkled them into the boiling kettle.

Instantly, a pleasant fragrance filled the room.

Fu Yuchi picked up the pot and shook it a couple of times. He then took a bowl, poured in some water, and said, "This is patchouli. Steep it in water and drink it to cool off in the summer. Smell it."

He raised his wrist and handed the bowl to Sun Miao'er. The tea was a pale yellow-green color, steaming with scorching heat.

Sun Miao'er took a deep breath of the tea aroma, which rushed to her head and permeated her lungs. "Pastoris...?"

She pointed hesitantly at the tea soup, having only heard of Huoxiang Zhengqi Water, but not knowing that this herb could be used to make tea.

The man in front of him gently blew on the teacup to dissipate the steam. "It's too hot. Blow on it before you drink."

His actions were a subtle provocation, every little movement filled with ambiguity, as he whispered, "Now you can drink."

Sun Miao'er took the teacup, took a small sip, and after her master blew on it, she felt the tea in her hand was even hotter. "It's delicious. I might as well pick more and go out to sell herbal tea."

Fu Yuchi grabbed her wrist and pushed the teacup toward himself. "If you want to sell herbal tea, give me the money first, and I'll sell you the recipe."

“It’s just a few leaves, they’re everywhere!” Sun Miao’er retorted. Why was her usually generous master arguing with her about such a small thing?

Fu Yuchi spread his hands, "That was also taught to you by your master. Heaven and earth bear witness, you cannot betray your sect and start your own sect."

It turns out that when a serious man gets witty and sarcastic, he's the most irresistible. Sun Miao'er tilted her head back and drank the water in one gulp. Outside, she heard the voices from Liang Lao Er's family.

"My dear niece, I've been looking for you." Liang Lao Er's wife came in from outside, fanning herself with a palm leaf fan and carrying two slices of pork kidney. "It's so hot outside."

Sun Miao'er quickly filled a bowl with herbal tea. "Aunt Liang, please try this. It's my master's cooking."

Liang Lao Er's wife casually hung up the pig kidneys, picked up a bowl of cold tea, and before she could even drink it, her gossipy heart couldn't contain itself any longer. "Have you heard? The man Shuanzi saw the other day was Wu Dali!"

"Yes, Aunt Liang," Sun Miao'er replied. "This morning I saw Wu Dali's mother crying by the river, saying she suspected Wu Dali had fallen into the river?"

Aunt Liang tapped her palm-leaf fan, glanced outside, and said in a serious tone, "I was wondering if Wu Dali stole our things and jumped into the river and died?"

"It can't be that bad, Auntie. There's no need to risk your life for a little bit of cloth." Sun Miao'er didn't want to reveal the truth yet, at least not before Wu Dali appeared.

Otherwise, she would be in a situation where she couldn't clear her name even if she jumped into the Yellow River.

Sun Miao'er took out a chestnut-purple long jacket from the cabinet. The pattern on the silk itself was already quite beautiful. "Aunt Liang, it's finished. What do you think?"

"Wow!" Aunt Liang held the jacket in her hands. It was heavy, and compared to the coarse and fine linen fabrics, it was like heaven and earth. "My sister not only knows how to dye cloth, but she also has such skillful hands."

Sun Miao'er smiled shyly, "I'm not good at needlework, so my grandma has helped me a lot. I hope Aunt Liang won't mind."

Aunt Liang was delighted with the jacket, laughing and saying, "Not at all! It's such a beautiful garment. I'll wear it when I go back to my parents' home in a few days to show it to my father and elder brother. They always laugh at our poor Fushui Village for not even having a good tailor. Look, now we do! It's so well made!"