Chapter 15

Huo Yanci is such a flirtatious person.

For example, right now, he's eagerly taking ownership of this affair, and he even has to drag the other party involved in the story into it to ask if it's well told.

Ning Qingxi's lips twitched twice: "Besides my innate intelligence, what other word is true?"

Huo Yanci just smiled and remained silent, ignoring those who spread rumors. So the rumors spread like wildfire, and although there were rumors at first, no one said who the person was.

Later, rumors were intermittently supplemented with many things, such as the fact that a Ziwei star had indeed appeared in the capital, who was exceptionally talented in garden design.

As a result, the rumors became more and more detailed, and people who frequently listened to music knew about it, gradually making it a topic of conversation over tea.

However, Ning Qingxi was completely unaware of this.

She had just acquired the house when she moved in with her younger siblings. In her spare time, she even drew a few blueprints for Huo Yanci's courtyard, which she used as a reference for the hairpin. Her already desolate spiritual world was now nothing more than barren dust.

In the blink of an eye, the ice and snow melted, the streets became more lively, and people no longer needed to wear heavy winter clothes when they went out, showing a thriving atmosphere.

Spring has arrived in March.

Ning Qingxi prepared two sets of dark-colored clothes. The material was barely acceptable, but not so bad that it would chafe her skin. She would go up the mountain with the craftsmen in a couple of days.

She went with Huo Yanci to find him, just as Huo Yanci was directing his servants to move things.

Boxes were being loaded onto the carriage, and everyone, whether carrying them or watching, seemed used to it. Ning Qingxi was stunned: "Are you moving house?"

"What are you talking about?" Huo Yanci pointed to the box. "It's all my clothes, accessories, and other things I usually use."

Ning Qingxi turned her head and glanced at her shrunken bundle: "..."

Huo Yanci poured cold water on the idea at the right moment: "You're not planning to go and use the bedding that Boss Zhang prepared, are you?"

Ning Qingxi: "Is there a problem with the things Mr. Zhang prepared?"

"It's true in some ways, and it's not true in others; it all depends on your perspective." Huo Yanci smiled slyly, and before Ning Qingxi could figure out what he meant, he closed his fan and said, "Let's go, let's set off!"

Ning Qingxi got into the car in a daze and followed them away.

Huo Yanci was a particular person; even when traveling by car, he would keep tea, snacks, and a few books in the car.

Ning Qingxi ate and drank along with everyone, not feeling that the journey was long. When someone reminded her that it was time to get off the bus, she still had half a piece of mare's milk cake in her hand.

desolate.

After Ning Qingxi got off the bus, her first reaction upon seeing the place was that it was desolate.

It's no wonder she thought that way; the place was too desolate, full of wild water and rocks, and nothing that could be developed. Therefore, it needed to be dug up and reconstructed.

It's like this piece of land is a person. Right now, he's disheveled and dirty. To completely transform him, you have to rebuild his bones and change him from the inside out so that he can have a new look.

Ning Qingxi stuffed the mare's milk cake into her mouth, then patted the crumbs off her hands: "Where does this piece of land go from here to there?"

Huo Yanci got out of the car behind her, pointed with her fan from east to west: "You can circle it as big as you want."

Ning Qingxi chuckled and said, "Saying it that way makes me seem very authoritative."

“You’re the boss here,” Huo Yanci nodded, paused, and continued, “You can make me do whatever you want.”

Ning Qingxi pondered for a moment.

Zhang Fuhu trusted her implicitly, and with a wave of his hand, told her that she would be in charge of the entire project, and then became a hands-off manager. Huo Yanci did the same. With two rich people praising her like this, Ning Qingxi suddenly felt a little apprehensive: "You're not planning a series of schemes to lure me to the guillotine, are you?"

Huo Yanci: "...So that's what you were thinking. I don't need to devise any clever schemes; I can send you to the guillotine right now."

Ning Qingxi immediately became serious and said, "It was just a joke, you actually took it seriously... Hey, I'll take a look at the site first, everyone go back and rest, we'll come back to work tomorrow."

She hadn't even seen the land yet, and didn't know what the process was like here. She was just guessing when the landscape architect drew the plans!

Ning Qingxi nudged Huo Yanci with her elbow: "I'll give you a chance, take a walk with me."

Huo Yanci said disdainfully, "You go by yourself, I..."

Ning Qingxi immediately sighed, "Oh, alright, alright. I'm just a weak woman. What if I encounter some bandits? I can't fight them, and I can't shout to them... It's alright, you go ahead and do your work."

Before Huo Yanci could even threaten her, Ning Qingxi had already imagined everything. Now, Huo Yanci had no choice but to leave.

After succeeding, Ning Qingxi smiled with her eyes crinkling like a fox that had just eaten meat.

—

At noon, Ning Qingxi and Huo Yanci returned one after the other.

To facilitate construction, a temporary dormitory and kitchen were built here. The dormitory was divided into two areas: one was a collective dormitory where several people were crammed into one room, and the other was a small courtyard. There were two courtyards side by side at the back, one for Ning Qingxi and the other for Huo Yanci. The two courtyards were arranged and furnished exactly the same, and the one inside was for Ning Qingxi.

Ning Qingxi, having seen something, blushed and quickly entered the courtyard. Huo Yanci followed behind, his face grim, a storm brewing on his lips, leaving much to the imagination.

Ning Qingxi returned to her room and drank a large gulp of cold tea before she could barely calm down. She couldn't help but recall the events that had transpired in her mind.

While they were surveying the site, Huo Yanci suddenly said, "Ning Qingxi, if I really do have feelings for you that are different from what the storybooks say, what would you think?"

Ning Qingxi didn't even think: "I think you definitely don't want to live anymore."

After he finished speaking, Ning Qingxi suddenly realized what he had said, and stiffly looked up at him: "What did you say?"

"Never mind, I didn't really taste anything myself," Huo Yanci said. "I'll sort it out properly another day and then I'll tell you."

Ning Qingxi: "..."

Speechless.

She was speechless.

Brother, you've already said it, do you think you can take it back?!

Ning Qingxi couldn't help but follow his assumptions and imagine, recalling the poignant sentences from the storyteller's mouth. Paired with her and Huo Yanci's faces, it was simply a horror story!

So she said sincerely, "This is no small matter. I think you should think it over carefully. What if you act impulsively and find out later that we don't see eye to eye?"

Huo Yanci slowly raised her eyes, her expression unreadable: "Why can't we see eye to eye? We've been together for at least three months, and when have we ever had a disagreement?"

Ning Qingxi: "...The conversation you've been having today is really going nowhere."

Huo Yanci shut her mouth.

Ning Qingxi looked up at the sky and saw that the sun was blazing overhead. Even though it was early spring, it was so hot that people were sweating. "It's getting late. Let's go back first."

After saying that, she ran away as if she were fleeing.

She lay in bed for half an hour to cool down, but it didn't help. She still didn't know how to face Huo Yanci, so she got up and did a set of military boxing to vent her anger. She even missed lunch and didn't go out to eat until nightfall, clutching her empty stomach.

As luck would have it, Huo Yanci was also there. The small room had a few rough wooden tables and long benches, yet they dared to call it a restaurant. Huo Yanci sat there. He was tall and had long legs, so sitting there always seemed a bit of a waste for him. Especially since he was such a show-off, even when he came out to supervise the work, he had to dress up in a flamboyant way.

Ning Qingxi served herself rice and was looking for an empty seat when Huo Yanci called out, "Here."

With nowhere to hide, Ning Qingxi had no choice but to sit down.

Huo Yanci said, "Why didn't you come for lunch? Are you avoiding me?"

"..." Ning Qingxi looked up at him: "You already know, why did you have to say it out loud?"

"I'm saying this because we'll be seeing each other all the time in the future, and you're just going to avoid me every day?" Huo Yanci said. "Besides, I'm just saying what's on my mind. I don't need you to make any promises to me. You just need to know what I'm thinking."

After hearing this, Ning Qingxi silently tugged at her clothes, wishing she could cover her head as well, feeling utterly desolate.

Huo Yanci is being quite frank right now, so frankly that it's unsettling.

If Huo Yanci had remained silent, Ning Qingxi could have easily evaded the issue with a tai chi technique. However, his honesty caught Ning Qingxi off guard, leaving her with no choice but to speak, even if she said something wrong.

She could only continue to dodge the question: "You're too scary. It seems I need to hurry up and resolve this to put an end to your hopes."

Huo Yanci raised her eyes and scanned the people in the room: "You won't be leaving here for at least a year or two. Who are you planning to find? These are all regulars at brothels. Who can you possibly turn to?"

Ning Qingxi: "..."

Huo Yanci concluded, "You must have ruined your eyes by staying up all night drawing."

Fortunately, although Huo Yanci's illness came on suddenly, it also subsided quickly. She never mentioned the matter again, as if nothing had ever happened.

While Ning Qingxi felt relieved, she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. It was like someone tickling her heart with a feather, making her feel uncomfortable all over. Ning Qingxi felt uncomfortable, so she always liked to find fault.

She took a sip of water and was standing in the shade when she turned her head and saw some craftsmen slacking off and trying to divert water without building a revetment or slope. She was immediately enraged, threw down her water bag, put her hands on her hips, and went to confront them.

Under her strict supervision, the project progressed slowly, but gradually took shape, and the precious tree species were planted.

Ning Qingxi watched with immense satisfaction as the tree with its large, blooming camellias was placed into the pit. Pointing at the flowering tree, she said, "See? In the future, we will be the first garden in the entire capital to use these trees."

This is also her clever idea.

Southern tree species prefer different environments than northern tree species, resulting in a low survival rate. A lot of money is spent on transportation alone. In addition, cultivation is a short-term project, while maintenance is a long-term project, and future maintenance will also require a lot of money.

Therefore, only a wealthy person could afford to build a garden like this!

Ning Qingxi was extremely satisfied.

If we're talking about having money, then of course putting gold in the yard looks the most extravagant, although it inevitably gives off a nouveau riche vibe.

This subtle way of showing off will be understood by those who know, and even those who don't will have to figure it out by praising Zhang Fuhu.

Huo Yanci was naturally not the kind of person who would not understand, but he had seen the real money that had been spent on these few trees in the past few days. As intelligent as he was, he naturally understood Ning Qingxi's intention in building the garden.

"That's right, everyone should be brought in to supervise the construction, so as to prove that Lady Ning did not embezzle any money."

Ning Qingxi turned around and glared at him: "What do you mean?"

Huo Yanci said, "If I hadn't stood here every day watching the money flow like water, I probably wouldn't have believed that these few trees cost so much."

"Then I can only say that it's good that you're here," Ning Qingxi said, her expression changing. "If I'm ever framed in the future, you'll have to come out and testify for me."