Lu Yinghuai was naturally pleased to see that Dahei was willing to get close to him. He would first win over Xiaobai, then Dahei, and finally Yunling.

Lu Yinghuai was happy just thinking about it, and suddenly felt that Dahei's fur wasn't so black anymore. He said gently:

"Big Black has one too, okay?"

"Meow~"

Standing at the door, Yunling looked at the two pets and couldn't bear to look at them. How could she have raised these two shameless, opportunistic bastards?

"Young Master Lu, what brings you here? Uncle Cao said you have something to do and he doesn't know if you'll be able to come back tonight."

Before Lu Yinghuai could reply, Zifu answered first:

“Young lady, our young master just finished his work and came home. As soon as he heard what Uncle Cao said, he rushed over with the wool without even pausing for breath.”

Lu Yinghuai thought to himself, "Wonderful, Zifu has finally done something decent." However, fearing that his words might be too direct and leave Yunling speechless, he added an explanation:

"I was worried that Lingniang might need the wool urgently, and I didn't know if she would have any urgent business to attend to tomorrow, so I thought I would send the wool over in advance to achieve the best of both worlds."

Yunling thanked Lu Yinghuai, and thinking that he was on his way, she felt a sense of concern for him.

"I wonder if Young Master Lu has had his meal?"

“Our young master hasn’t even had a sip of water, let alone eaten. I tried to persuade him to eat a couple of bites before he came back, but he wouldn’t listen.”

Zhang, who was washing dishes in the kitchen, had been listening intently to what was happening outside ever since she learned that Lu Yinghuai had come to visit. When she heard that Lu Yinghuai had rushed over to deliver things without eating or drinking, she felt very embarrassed.

Zhang then walked out of the kitchen and called out towards the door:

"Young master, you've arrived. Would you like to come in and have a bowl of noodles and a cup of perilla drink?"

"Auntie, isn't this a bit too much?"

Despite saying that, Lu Yinghuai walked into the courtyard without thinking and without hesitation. Zifu followed her husband into the house.

Yunling scratched her temples, then lit two more candles to brighten the courtyard, so that the young master wouldn't be uncomfortable and end up eating noodles up his nose.

Lu Yinghuai had a lot to say to Yunling. He wanted to ask her how mushrooms were grown, why beehives were used, and how artificial queen cells were made to entice the queen bee to produce royal jelly.

However, asking these questions always felt too abrupt, and with Zifu, Zhang Shi, and other members of the Yun family present, it always felt like an extra constraint.

So after considering it in his mind, he chose a more casual topic before asking:

"Lingniang, when will the land next door be finished?"

"Well... Grandpa estimated that the building would be finished by the end of this summer, but Grandma said that the new house must be built according to the new rules and customs, and we have to wait until our house is fully renovated and we can offer sacrifices to the heavens, the earth, our ancestors and the gods before we can move in."

Lu Yinghuai nodded and continued to ask:

"So, if you're going to renovate here, wouldn't you have to move out to live?"

Just as Zhang was serving the noodles, upon hearing Lu Yinghuai's words, she immediately replied:

"There's no need to move outside. The neighbors around here are friendly, so it won't be a problem to stay for a while. It will also make it easier for Dad to do his work and for Xia Jie and the others to sell mushrooms and honey."

Lu Yinghuai quickly took the things from Zhang's hands, picked up a bowl of noodles and first placed it in front of Zifu, then placed it in front of himself, and did the same with the two cups of perilla drink.

"Thank you for your trouble, Auntie."

Although the soup noodles are plain in color, the two fried eggs on top and the meat sauce that takes up half the rim of the bowl are really appetizing.

"It's hot in summer, so it's best to drink more perilla drink. This is our Ling'er's favorite fragrant drink. I'll go and bring you a pot right now so you can cool off."

"It's really too much trouble for Auntie."

"No trouble at all, eat quickly, lest you get a stomach ailment from being hungry, that would be terrible."

Zhang went to the kitchen, and soon came out with a pot of perilla tea. She then went back to the kitchen to keep busy, her ears perked up again.

Lu Yinghuai ate very elegantly, unlike Zifu who wolfed down his food. So, after Zifu finished his soup and burped, he picked at the remaining meat sauce in the soup with his chopsticks before taking a couple of sips of soup.

While Lu Yinghuai was wiping his mouth with a handkerchief, Zifu took two empty bowls to the kitchen.

Lu Yinghuai moved the perilla drink closer to himself, then looked at Yun Ling and said:

"Lingniang wants this wool, does that mean you've found a buyer for that thing you wanted to make?"

Yunling slowed down the force of hammering the ox's back tendon to receive Lu Yinghuai's words and respond more quickly.

"There should be a solution, but the wool is a problem. I'm thinking about that."

Lu Yinghuai took a sip of the perilla drink and immediately felt that all the perilla drinks he had drunk in the past were ordinary; only this cup was the ultimate taste of life.

"Lingniang, do you know about the Great Xiangguo Temple?"

"Daxiangguo Temple? Is it a temple?"

Lu Yinghuai laughed and said, "Yes, it is a temple, but it is also a big market. It is only open five times a month. There are all kinds of rare birds and animals, all kinds of miscellaneous goods, such as trinkets, calligraphy and paintings, spices, medicines, as well as bamboo mats, screens and furniture. There is nothing you can't think of that you can't buy there."

Yunling pondered Lu Yinghuai's words. There was nothing she couldn't buy... Wouldn't that allow her to buy wool? However, even in a large temple like Daxiangguo Temple, there were many stalls and sheds; where would she find so much wool to buy, unless...

"If the Great Xiangguo Temple has so many things to sell, it must be a gathering place for people from all over the world. Are there any merchants traveling between the Khitan and Western Xia?"

Lu Yinghuai, knowing this man understood immediately and without hesitation, nodded in agreement:

"Of course, if you're lucky, you might run into one or two. I was thinking that since you've built a new house, you'll definitely need to buy some furniture and decorations. I also saw that you drew a meeting room, which I suppose is for business discussions. The markets in our city don't have many things to buy, and they're not very sophisticated or grand. Why not go to the Great Xiangguo Temple? Wouldn't that be killing two birds with one stone?"

Yunling's heart was itching with desire. Putting everything else aside, just the mere fact that she could encounter a merchant was enough to capture her attention.

"Young master, may I ask where the Great Xiangguo Temple is located?"

"I am in Bianjing."

Yunling quickly looked toward the kitchen. Bianjing was a prosperous and wealthy place, the location of the imperial palace. Just hearing the name was enough to make people yearn for it.

She had heard that the people there were all rich and powerful; even a falling brick could kill a fifth-rank official. She wanted to see for herself, since she had heard from Granny Yun that the Xia family in the village had all been there, so why couldn't she go?