“Yes, just tell me what you need. I can get it for you without your master having to do anything,” Yunhua said.

"Then I'll be blunt. I'll reserve a room for you, and you're welcome to come anytime you want," Xu Han said with a grin.

"Alright, alright, you said it yourself," Yunhua said with a smile.

"You'll keep your word. I'll go get a piece of paper and write down everything we need. You can just buy it according to the list. Don't buy anything too expensive; our budget is limited."

After saying that, Xu Han went back to her room. When she came out again, she was holding a charcoal pencil and paper.

After all, she had watched a lot of period dramas and read a lot of novels in the past, and often saw wealthy families buying a single flower or plant for hundreds of taels of silver. Xu Han couldn't bear to buy such things.

If they die, I'll be heartbroken; that's all money!

However, Xu Han is quite confident in growing flowers and plants. In modern times, there are many flowers, plants, cacti, and succulents on balconies.

Thinking of this, Xu Han finally remembered the flower stand she had forgotten, which was filled with flowers and plants.

Before the drought, Xu Han had taken the animal outside to raise for a while, but later she put it in a corner because of the weather.

Don't forget to take it out in the spring, and then try to propagate some cuttings to fill the whole yard.

Oh right, there seem to be some flower seeds. I was planning to take them back to my hometown and scatter them along the roadside, but I haven't brought them back yet. I'll look for them when I have time.

I think I saw it when I was tidying up the last time, but I really can't remember where I put it right now.

“We must plant more fruit trees, because Yunyun and I both love to eat them. There are many kinds of fruit trees that can be planted here: persimmons, grapes, pears, apricots, plums, loquats, cherries, and peaches.” Xu Han said as she wrote.

"Pomegranates, mulberries, and dates are also good," Lu Chuan added.

“Yes, there’s nothing else I can’t think of right now. I’ll add it when I remember,” Xu Han said.

"Almost any kind of flower can be grown, including various chrysanthemums, roses, and orchids, as long as they are not tropical flowers."

"If we could get some goldfish or something, that would be great too. We could make an ecosystem tank, it would be really beautiful," Xu Han added.

“Goldfish might be difficult to transport. They’re very easy to die on the way,” Yunhua interrupted.

"It's okay if we don't have this. We can catch some fish in the river and put them in. Once they're bigger, we can catch some to eat anytime," Xu Han said.

“Yes, let’s go to the pond in the spring and see if there are any lotus roots. We can transplant some over and plant them in the pond so we can see flowers in the summer,” Lu Chuan said.

“That’s good. Normally there are orchids and other wild plants in the mountains. In the spring, we can go to the mountains to collect some and plant them,” Grandpa Zhao said.

"We can also transplant some commonly used medicinal herbs and mosquito-repelling plants around the yard, so there won't be any mosquitoes in the summer," Zhao Yunyun chimed in.

“Yes, that means we’ll have a lot more work to do. Your house will definitely look completely different when you come next time,” Xu Han said with a smile.

The thought that my home will soon be filled with flowers, that I can cut a flower and put it in a flowerpot every morning, that I can pick my favorite fruits when I go out, and that I can have fresh vegetables all year round makes me so happy.

Xu Han became more and more excited as she thought about it, and she really hoped that day would come soon.

Everyone discussed the creation of the new courtyard, offering their own opinions. After considering all the suggestions, Xu Han and Lu Chuan finalized the layout.

When they were having a particularly lively conversation, they went out into the yard together to look at the layout. After looking at the yard, they went outside together to determine the location of the fishpond.

"Fruit trees can be planted on the hillside next to the yard, and this open space in front of the yard can be used to grow grain. When the time comes, we can cut down the big trees around the yard so they won't block the sunlight," Grandpa Zhao said.

“That’s a good idea. The fruit trees are close by on the hillside, and we can build a small road from here so we don’t have to take a detour,” Lu Chuan said.

“There’s such a large open space in front of us, we can grow a lot of grain. If we open it all up, it will be thirty acres. If we open it up further to the sides, we can open up forty or fifty acres!” Xu Han said.

"We'll see when the time comes. The wasteland we cleared before adds up to nearly twenty acres. With proper planning, we can grow quite a lot of things," Lu Chuan replied.

“We don’t need too many. We’d be too busy planting too many. Let’s see how things go later,” Xu Han said.

“Xiao Chuan and I have cleared quite a bit of new wasteland in the past two months. We’ll see how we plant it. Yun Hua is here recently, so he can help out when he has time,” Grandpa Zhao said.

"I'm good at physical labor, and I guarantee I'll do it quickly and well," Yunhua said enthusiastically.

Xu Han felt that if the timing weren't inappropriate, Yun Hua would have rolled around in the ground a few times, eager to show off his strong arms.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony. We can work together to dig out the fishpond while you're here," Lu Chuan said, patting Yun Hua on the shoulder without any politeness.

"Where should we dig the fishpond? Would it be okay next to the stream?" Xu Han asked.

"That's what I was thinking too. A fishpond and a lotus pond can be dug next to the stream, which would make it very convenient to draw water," Lu Chuan said.

"I think it's a good idea. We can stay a little further away from the stream to avoid flooding when it rains heavily," Grandpa Zhao said.

“Normally, the stream wouldn’t have much water; it would be about the same level as it is now. We can just dig where the water is about five meters deep,” Lu Chuan said.

“Yes, there has been a lot of rain this year, and it shouldn’t be like this again under normal circumstances,” Yunhua agreed.

"Then let's finalize it. We can start construction tomorrow," Xu Han said.

"Why wait until tomorrow? We can start today. We've already had lunch, so we're just killing time anyway," Yunhua said.

"Aren't you going to rest?" Xu Han asked.

“No need to rest, this short distance is nothing,” Yunhua replied decisively.

"Alright then, I'll go back and get my tools." Since Yunhua had said so, Lu Chuan didn't stand on ceremony.

After Lu Chuan retrieved his tools, the group began to draw lines on the ground using wood ash.

The two ponds are right next to each other, with a path left between them for easy movement.

Each pond is about an acre in size, perfectly square and very neat.