Xu Zhi listened attentively to Xu Di's words. The two siblings talked until dinner time, when Zheng Boyuan returned from outside, looking travel-worn, before they stopped.

After Xu Di looked at what Zheng Boyuan had prepared, he kept nodding. While eating, they talked about the preparations for the construction project. The more they talked, the more they clicked. After the meal, the two of them went to sit in front of the large desk, spread out the blueprints, and began to discuss them bit by bit.

Zheng Boyuan and Xu Di were discussing things in the study across the street, while Granny Lu was talking with Xu Zhi in Xu Zhi's room.

Granny Lu stroked Xu Zhi's hair and said, "My girl has grown up so much. When I first came here, she was only this little. I was wondering when my girl would grow up. Who knew that in the blink of an eye, my great-aunt would grow up so much."

Xu Zhi leaned gently against Granny Lu's chest and said, "Granny, once the road from Miaozhou to Luzhou is repaired, will you come and stay with me in Luzhou? I told you this when you came, that I would take care of you in your old age."

Granny Lu said with a smile, "You and the master are both my children. It doesn't matter who I live with. I came here today to ask if you and your husband have discussed consummating your marriage?"

Upon hearing what Granny Lu said, Xu Zhi's face flushed red. She lowered her head and said shyly, "Granny, we've been so busy with so many things since we arrived in Luzhou, we haven't had time to discuss this."

Granny Lu held Xu Zhi's hand and said softly, "My girl, it is only natural for husband and wife to have a proper relationship. The relationship between you and your husband is not just based on the feelings between the two of you. Only when husband and wife are completely in sync and open their hearts to each other can the relationship last. Girl, it is not that I am saying that your relationship is not good now, but in the long run, you have to live together. Don't be embarrassed, these are very normal things between husband and wife."

Xu Zhi nodded gently and said, "Granny, as you can see, my husband is extremely busy right now. Besides the garrison affairs, he's also busy with road repairs. Both of these matters are extremely important to Lüzhou. How can I bring this up now? Right now, I'll just stand behind my husband and be his good helpmate. Once he's less busy, we can have a proper talk about consummating our marriage."

Hearing that Xu Zhi didn't treat this matter lightly and even took it very seriously, Granny Lu finally felt relieved. She took Xu Zhi's hand and whispered, "You young couple don't understand these things. Our son-in-law is a good man, but what if there are shameless women trying to seduce him? In this world, there are all kinds of people. Men always face far more temptations than women. Some people can resist temptation, some can resist once or twice, but can they resist in the long run?"

Xu Zhi listened attentively. Granny Lu sighed and said, "Miss, don't think that I'm overthinking things or that our son-in-law is too incompetent. In this world, the most unpredictable thing is the human heart, and the most fickle thing is also the human heart. No one knows whether a good man who is as steadfast as a rock will become heartless at an unexpected moment."

Xu Zhi couldn't help but laugh. Granny Lu gently patted Xu Zhi's arm and scolded, "What are you laughing at? I'm saying all this nonsense for your sake. I've been in the capital for so many years. At first, I was in the inner palace, where I saw the scheming and infighting among the concubines. Later, I moved around among the high-ranking families in the capital and saw the most unfaithful people. All those vows of eternal love couldn't withstand the seduction of a young woman outside."

Xu Zhi knew that Granny Lu was worried that she was too inexperienced and wouldn't know how to deal with things. Xu Zhi now had confidence in Zheng Boyuan, but if the two of them continued to have such a purely spiritual exchange without any further physical contact, would their feelings for each other still be as deep as they were at the beginning?

Xu Zhi sometimes thought about these things, but as a girl, she had her own modesty. She couldn't very well say to Zheng Boyuan, "Let's consummate our marriage." She couldn't bring herself to say it, nor did she dare let Zheng Boyuan see her eagerness in this regard. Would Zheng Boyuan look down on her if he did?

Granny Lu sighed softly and said to Xu Zhi, "My good girl, I came here for this very reason. You and our son-in-law don't have any elders with you, so I can only act as your elder. Once this is all done and you can settle down, I will help you two consummate your marriage."

Xu Zhi blushed and nodded, then looked up at the lamp on the table. The oil lamp, encased in a glass shade, trembled slightly, causing the light outside the shade to flicker as well, much like Xu Zhi's somewhat restless heart.

Xu Di was a man of action. After arriving in Lüzhou, he led the prefect of Lüzhou, Zhong Chengmin, and a group of experienced surveyors to explore the entire mountainous region.

Zhong Chengmin was already over fifty years old. After passing the imperial examination in his early years, he served as the magistrate of several counties in that area. Later, he was promoted in rank based on his political achievements. However, he had no superiors and was not very tactful, so he could not make friends with people who could help him. Later, he was exiled to Luzhou, a remote and desolate place, where he stayed for more than ten years.

Zhong Chengmin couldn't take it anymore after two days of wandering around the mountains. He was getting old, and he couldn't keep up with young people like Xu Di and Zheng Boyuan who practiced martial arts and fitness. Every day when he got home, he was so tired that he couldn't eat. He would lie in bed and keep groaning. Later, he couldn't take it anymore, so he went to find Zheng Boyuan.

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