So he filled a cup with some more and took it to the backyard for Grandpa Zhao and the children to taste.

Xu Han called out to them, "Come and try this year's newly made pear syrup. I didn't put in too many red dates this year, so it's not as sweet. I think it tastes even better than last year's. You should try it."

Grandpa Zhao took a glass first, sipped it slowly, and said, "Hmm, it's not too sweet, and it tastes good."

Ze'er squinted her eyes as she drank, swinging her legs as she said, "It's delicious, I love it."

Xu Han patted Ze'er's head and said, "If you like it, keep drinking it. Every morning when you get up, have Dan Niang make you a cup of pear syrup water, and have a cup before going to bed at night as well."

Autumn is dry, drinking more of this will help prevent coughing.

Xu Han's words were exactly what Ze'er wanted to hear, so he agreed without hesitation. "Okay, I'll drink pear syrup every morning after I wake up from now on."

"Okay, I'll tell Danniang in a bit and have him prepare it for you every day."

Da Hu and Er Ni, you two also have some. You can drink with Mu'er and Ze'er from now on.

Hearing her say that, the two children's eyes lit up, and they said in unison, "Thank you, Madam."

Grandpa Zhao said, "Alright, that's the end of class for today. Go play for a while, but don't go too far. It's sunny outside, and lunchtime is coming soon."

Xu Han also reminded them, "You can just play in the yard. It's too sunny outside, and you're likely to get heatstroke."

Once they were given permission, the children quickly ran outside. Even Mu'er, who seemed to have a childlike nature, immediately joined in the play.

Grandpa Zhao watched the children run off into the distance and said with a smile, "Ever since these two children from the Zhu family came, Mu'er and Ze'er have been smiling more than before."

"Yes, now they both have playmates, and Mu'er is finally acting like a child. In the past few days, it's obvious that Mu'er smiles more and is more lively than before. She's finally stopped acting like a little adult all the time."

That's good. Children should act like children, and they shouldn't mature too early.

The next few decades will be their time to worry; for now, just enjoy your childhood.

Xu Han and Grandpa Zhao chatted about other things for a few more minutes, and seeing that it was getting late, they turned around and went to the front yard.

She had just reached the front yard when she happened to run into Danniang, who was returning from outside and preparing lunch.

As soon as Dan Niang saw Xu Han, she asked, "Madam, what are we having for lunch today? Is there anything you'd like to eat? I'll make it for you."

Xu Han casually picked up a round fan from the side and said while fanning herself, "It's been hot these past few days, and I don't have much of an appetite. How about we have cold noodles for lunch? I doubt anyone would be able to eat hot food in this weather."

It's better to eat cold food; at least you can eat some of it and it helps cool you down.

"Okay, then we'll have cold noodles for lunch. I'll go make the dough first."

"Okay, then I'll go to the vegetable garden and pick some cucumbers and tomatoes. I'll soak them in water to cool them down first, and then I'll make some sour soup to mix with noodles."

Upon hearing this, Granny Ma quickly said, "Madam, why don't you go inside and avoid the sun? I'll go pick some vegetables."

After finishing her sentence, Granny Ma picked up the basket beside her and went out, leaving Xu Han with no choice but to go back to her room to rest.

When she came out again, the servants who had been working outside had all returned and were now sitting in twos and threes under the shade of the trees in the courtyard, chatting idly.

When Lu Chuan saw Xu Han come out, he quickly said, "Why did you come out? It's sunny outside, go inside and rest."

"It's nothing, I just came out to take a look. I made a lot of pear syrup today. I just rinsed the molds for making pear syrup with water, and they should be cooled down by now. You should all go and have some to cool off."

The Taoist priest replied, "Yes, I drank it. Granny Ma brought it out as soon as I got back. This year's pear syrup isn't sweet, it's quite delicious."

"Alright, alright, drink it. Although it's the beginning of autumn, it's been exceptionally hot these past few days. Be careful when you're building the house, and make sure you don't get heatstroke."

If it's too hot, don't work at noon. You can continue in the afternoon when it cools down; it won't make a difference if you only work for a short while longer.

Lu Chuan took the fan from Xu Han's hand and fanned her, saying, "Don't worry about them. I'm watching them. They'll be fine."

After lunch, let them all go home and rest. They can come back to work when the sun isn't too strong in the evening.

Lu Chuan thought for a moment and continued, "I'll tell Dan Niang to cook some mung bean soup for us later, so we can drink it whenever we're thirsty while working."

"Okay, you can arrange that."

Xu Han took the fan from Lu Chuan and turned to go inside. The weather was unbearably hot; she had been sweating profusely just talking outside for a short while.

It's unbearable to stay outside for even a moment. I don't know when the temperature will come down. If this continues, I really won't be able to stand it.

Lu Chuan followed him into the house. The couple returned to their room one after the other. Luckily, there was ice in the room, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to stay there.

"When I came back today, I saw that the rice paddies outside were almost dry. I estimate that in another two days, it will be ready for harvest."

Xu Han slumped in her chair and said lazily, "Well, this year's grain harvest came earlier than in previous years. The crops were planted earlier this year, and they were harvested earlier too."

It's a bit early to plant winter wheat after the grain harvest, and given how quickly people have planted crops this year, we might have to wait. Otherwise, if the winter wheat is planted too early, it will grow too tall, and next year's harvest won't be good.

Lu Chuan pondered, "Then let's harvest the autumn grain first, let the land dry after harvesting, and then replant after a while."

"That works too. Anyway, we have plenty of manpower this year, so there's no rush to get anything done."

After the autumn harvest, we'll go to the county town to buy some things.

"Okay, and order the ceramic jars while you're at it."

The two chatted for a few more minutes, and then people started calling for lunch outside. After lunch, they took a nap.

In the afternoon, Lu Chuan and Xu Han each carried a basket on their backs and went out.

Last time we said we were going to pick wild fruit in the mountains, but we haven't gone yet because of the high temperature these past two days. Now, Xu Han is getting bored at home, so after waking up from her afternoon nap, she pestered Lu Chuan to take her to go deep into the mountains.

Fortunately, the trees in the mountains provided shade, so it wasn't too hot along the way; otherwise, it would have been impossible to explore this deep mountain area.

The two spent the afternoon wandering in the mountains, picking a lot of odds and ends. After the sun set, they walked home in the twilight.

My clothes were soaked through on the way back, and it was completely dark when I got home.