Jane Ning had never been served like this in her two lifetimes. She thought that she might be born to be a hard-working person and could not enjoy this kind of blessing. Wherever she went, there were people following her and staring at her. This feeling of being like a thorn in her back made her extremely uncomfortable.

This is not enjoyment at all, it's simply suffering.

"Where is my husband?" After breakfast, Jane Ning asked the old woman beside her.

"To answer my lady, your husband and our master went to the other courtyard, which is just behind the garden. Your husband told the master early in the morning that he was not used to living here with so many people and wanted to move out, so the master took him to the other courtyard."

"Oh, where's your young lady? Has she gone there too?"

The old woman lowered her hands and smiled, "No, my young lady and the two young ladies from my wife's family went out to the street with my aunt."

Jian Ning stood up and said, "I'm going to the other courtyard to take a look. No one needs to follow me. I'll find it myself. You all go and do your own things. I'll tell your uncle that I want to go for a walk alone and don't want anyone to follow me."

Hearing her say this, the old woman had no choice but to comply. She followed her out and pointed her in the direction of the garden. Jane Ning was worried that they would follow her from a distance, but fortunately, they didn't. When her family was a guest at Mei Niang's house, she had never felt a bit uneasy, but here she felt uncomfortable everywhere.

Lotus flowers on three sides and willows on four sides.

Jian Ning followed the woman's directions and found the garden. Just after passing the corner gate, she saw the lush green lotus fields, dazzling like emerald in the sunlight. Compared with the lotus fields she had seen in the countryside, this was a completely different scene.

It was the season when lotus flowers were in full bloom. She walked along the waterside pavilion to the pavilion on the lake. Half of the pavilion was on the shore and half extended into the lake. Huo Jincheng was really generous. He actually built such a large artificial lake in the garden.

When Jane Ning walked up to the pavilion and saw the red wall across the lake, shaded by greenery, her heart skipped a beat. She felt as if she had experienced this scene before. She narrowed her eyes and stared at the red wall. A vague memory seemed to surge through her mind, but she was powerless to grasp it, and it vanished in an instant.

She sighed inwardly and was about to sit down in the pavilion when she heard the voices of Ding Youtian and Huo Jincheng coming from the opposite side.

"I'll have someone bring some more food over later. You guys can just stay here peacefully. If you stay at an inn in the capital, wouldn't that look down on me? Master and I weren't polite to you when we ate and stayed at your house."

"Are you guys eating and living for free? We've already taken your money. If you insist on not accepting a penny, I'll ask my wife and the kids to move out."

"I don't want anything from you. The yard is empty anyway. If you don't add anyone to wait on us, you can just close the gate and come in and out as you please. Why are you so stubborn? Do you have a prejudice against me?"

Huo Jincheng felt a little annoyed and stopped.

Ding Youtian raised his eyebrows. "I've never considered you a friend. To me, you're just someone I know. How can there be any prejudice against me? If you really agree with me, I'll accept the money and you won't have to send me three meals a day. My wife will cook for me. That would be truly free."

"What are you two arguing about?" Jian Ning asked as he walked over to the voice.

"You've come just in time." Huo Jincheng glanced at Ding Youtian and pointed behind him. "I have a separate courtyard that's been vacant for years. He doesn't want to live in the main house, so I thought of bringing him over to see it. I wanted to let your family live in the separate courtyard, and either have your meals at the main house or have them delivered to you. But he refused to agree and insisted on cooking his own meals and paying rent."

"If I really agree to his will and take your rent, Man'er will never have to talk to me as his father again in his life."

"Isn't this harming me?"

Jian Ning was wondering why they were arguing. She could hear them arguing from a distance. She knew why Ding Youtian insisted on doing this. He didn't want to come to Huo Jincheng's house in the first place.

Huo Jincheng and Duan Xinning, also known as Xiu Gu, were engaged as children. Although Jian Ning never admitted that Xiu Gu was Duan Xinning, Huo Jincheng did not know that Ding Youtian already knew about their engagement, but Ding Youtian was aware of it, so he was unwilling to accept any favors from Huo Jincheng.

"Give it to make you feel at ease, that's what I mean." Jian Ning said.

Her words surprised Huo Jincheng again. After all, he always thought that Jian Ning was a greedy person. He later thought about it when he handed over the night pearl last time. He was afraid that Jian Ning did not know the value of the night pearl and handed it over.

He really didn't expect that Jian Ning, who always valued money, would insist on paying the rent just like Ding Youtian. This made him a little angry and puzzled.

For a moment he really wanted to walk away, but then he thought that if he did that, Jian Ning and Ding Youtian would definitely move out immediately, and then he would never be able to coax Ah Man again.

"Well, do whatever you want. I'll just do as you please."

"Thank you." Ding Youtian clasped his hands together and said with a smile.

"I'll go check on the other courtyard." Jian Ning said to Huo Jincheng, "You don't have to accompany us. Go and do your own thing."

"Okay, let him take you to see it. I'm leaving now. If you have any questions, please come to me in the front yard." After saying this, Huo Jincheng bowed and strode away.

Jian Ning and Ding Youtian left the garden and came to the villa. There was a small courtyard with a layout similar to that of a siheyuan, with east and west wing rooms and a separate gate for entrance and exit. After looking around, she felt it was quite nice.

"I feel much more comfortable now. I couldn't stay at his house for a single day." Jian Ning sighed. It seems that not everyone can enjoy the life of a wealthy family.

"That's what I thought too. First, his relationship is different from mine and Brother Yifan's. Second, there's no proper mistress in his house. I'm afraid you won't be able to get used to living there, so you're thinking of moving out to an inn."

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