Chapter 35 President Qin has a house; tidying up the yard.
"Your house... is quite—"
"They're two-faced."
Looking at the overgrown weeds and dusty inner courtyard, Qingyu sighed to Master Qin. Wen Chuan patted Qin Tianshu on the shoulder, while Lin Fanxiang silently covered her nose with a handkerchief—they had just opened several doors, and the swarms of cobwebs and swirling dust inside were truly astonishing.
Qin Tianshu took a deep breath, but almost choked as the dust swirled around him. "Cough cough cough..."
"Ouch—"
Qingyu waved her hand; the dust was clearly frightening in the sunlight. She frowned as she looked at Qin Tianshu, who was frantically fanning himself with a fan. "What do we do now? Can we stay in this house tonight?"
To be fair, Qin Tianshu's house is indeed quite large. The first courtyard has a main gate and a screen wall, with bluestone slabs paving the ground. It is very spacious. The second courtyard is where people live, with seven or eight side rooms, and a large courtyard in the middle.
The kitchen was located in the southeast corner of the courtyard, with a door leading directly into the courtyard, making it easy to enter and exit. The courtyard was also paved with blue bricks, but it was barren and overgrown with weeds, except for a large orange tree. However, in autumn, the orange tree was full of lovely little oranges, which looked quite beautiful. It was just that the rooms had been uninhabited for a long time, and the dust was everywhere, which was really unpleasant.
Wen Chuan: "It shouldn't be a problem to tidy up a few rooms."
Qingyu nodded, intending to say, "Then let's begin." She casually glanced around the courtyard, then suddenly smiled, "People usually come into this courtyard, don't they..."
Following Qingyu's gaze, the group looked at a collapsed section of weeds under the corner wall—clearly caused by someone climbing over the wall and trampling on it.
Qingyu looked at Qin Tianshu. The scholar's expression remained unchanged, but there was a hint of helplessness in his eyes. "It's alright. There's nothing in my courtyard, and all the side rooms are locked. No one can open the doors... Maybe it's just some kids who saw that my courtyard was empty and climbed over the wall to steal oranges."
Lin Fanxiang looked at the orange tree in the yard and said, "You're right. The oranges aren't ripe yet, and one or two have already fallen around the tree."
Qingyu: "That's good. The oranges ripen every year, so it's not a waste."
Qin Tianshu closed his fan, his phoenix eyes full of laughter, "It's a pity we're the ones eating these oranges this year."
Wen Chuan looked around. Putting aside the courtyard, the room needed to be ventilated as soon as possible. The boy responded to Qin Tianshu's words, "Let's clean up the room first, and then we can eat your oranges another day."
Qingyu smiled upon hearing this, "The sooner the better—let's begin!"
...
All nine doors and windows in the backyard were open.
Qin Tianshu first placed more than a dozen books in each room, and using a fan as a guide, he quickly flipped through each book again and again—a master of fanning.
Lin Fanxiang held a small bag and kept taking out various insect-repelling herbs and special dust-removing powders from it—sprinkling them on various utensils in preparation for a thorough cleaning.
After the powder was applied, Qin Tianshu and Wen Chuan splashed water on the area and wiped it with a rag—behind the fancy decorations, there was still hard work to be done.
(Qin Tianshu sighed: I should have taken Zhang Xuan home tomorrow.)
Qingyu stood in the center of the courtyard. The girl closed her eyes and touched the orange tree. The stamens gathered lightly. At one end of the branch, and at the other end in various places in the backyard, various utensils with water stains hung below. The side room actually only had some basic furniture. Although there wasn't much, some of it had never seen the sun for years, so it still needed to be dried in the courtyard after cleaning.
...
As the sun sets at the end of Shen Shi (3-5 PM), the sun begins to set.
Qingyu moved the chairs from the carriage to the orange tree, and Lin Fanxiang sat down with her to rest under the tree, while Cai Cai strolled around nearby.
Wen Chuan and Qin Tianshu were still cleaning the kitchen. Although Qin Tianshu hadn't used it before, the stove was still covered in dust, and the only iron pot was rusted and stained. Not to mention, there was nothing in the kitchen—no bowls, chopsticks, bamboo, wood, firewood, or cabinets. Some of these they could take from the carriage, but others they didn't have.
Qingyu climbed a tree and picked a few oranges, and the girl casually gave a few to Lin Fanxiang who was standing next to her, and they chatted.
Qingyu: "Fanxiang, your powder is amazing! Just sprinkle some water on it and wipe it off, and all the dust is gone!"
Lin Fanxiang gently peeled the orange. The girl smiled and said, "It's just something I came up with when I was bored. It's just that the effect is a bit strong and it can only be used for dust removal."
Qingyu sat in the chair, clapping her hands lightly. A bunch of oranges were still in her arms. The girl sincerely praised Fan Xiang, "You're so amazing! I don't like studying things. I think people who can calm down and do things are really amazing."
Lin Fanxiang had unknowingly peeled most of the orange and replied, "You don't like research, but your cultivation is profound. To have such attainments in cultivation at your age is truly remarkable."
The gentle girl placed a peeled orange in a handkerchief and handed it to Qingyu. "I think you're the really amazing one, exceptionally amazing."
Having cultivated like a demon and experienced like a human, Qingyu must have endured a lot of hardship to reach such a level of cultivation at her age. At the same time, she has always been sincere, neither emphasizing good nor shying away from evil. Lin Fanxiang genuinely thinks she is very good and very capable.
Qingyu unconsciously smiled. Lin Fanxiang praised her so gently and sincerely, and even peeled the orange for her. For a moment, the girl was a little embarrassed.
"Okay, we're both great."
Bathed in the orange glow of the setting sun, the passionate young woman spoke with a mixture of shyness and pride.
Seeing this scene, Lin Fanxiang said to Qingyu in a light but sincere tone, "Qingyu, thank you for taking care of me along the way... and also thank you for speaking up for me last night."
Lin Fanxiang lowered her eyes, recalling the night before when she didn't know how to say that she actually had nowhere to go, it was Qingyu who took the initiative to give her a way out.
Qingyu tilted her head, realizing she would have forgotten about it if Fanxiang hadn't mentioned it. "It's nothing. We've been taking care of each other all this way."
Fan Xiang was a medical practitioner, and he often took their pulses along the way. He reminded them to be careful in their cultivation regarding old ailments and hidden injuries. He would also prepare suitable medicinal incense in the carriage to help their bodies rest and recuperate in a subtle way.
Lin Fanxiang lowered her head and smiled without saying anything. After all, her family situation was a bit complicated. Seeing her like this, Qingyu secretly leaned towards her and whispered something in her ear.
Lin Fanxiang's expression remained unchanged, but when she lowered her eyes slightly, she was still somewhat surprised by what Qingyu had told her.
Thinking about it, she leaned close to Qingyu's ear and whispered something to her.
As Qingyu listened, her pupils dilated. She silently exclaimed "Wow!" and then looked at Lin Fanxiang with bright eyes, as if to ask if what she was saying was true.
Lin Fanxiang smiled and nodded at her. The two of them said something and then laughed together.
Under the orange tree, the girls, who had been busy all afternoon, sat and chatted softly and quietly, occasionally eating a segment of orange, enjoying a rare moment of peace.
As they were talking, Qin Tianshu walked out of the kitchen door to avoid getting his clothes dirty; both he and Wen Chuan were dressed in black today.
Qin Tianshu: "Dr. Lin, do you have any more wood ash? Wen Chuan said we need some more for the iron pot in the kitchen."
Lin Fanxiang frowned slightly upon hearing this, "This... I really don't have any left. It might be too late to buy some now."
As they were talking, Wen Chuan came out and said, "The kitchen won't be ready for another couple of days, so there's no rush."
Upon hearing this, Qingyu stood up, smiling, and handed the oranges she had just picked to Wen Chuan and Qin Tianshu. Wen Chuan had just washed his hands and accepted the oranges with a smile. Qin Tianshu, seeing this, pouted and ran into the kitchen to wash his hands.
Qingyu looked up, her eyes crinkling as she spoke to Wen Chuan, "It's already evening, I'm so hungry, let's get ready and go out to eat."
Wen Chuan nodded gently. Qin Tianshu walked out, shaking off the water. As a scholar, he had been busy with physical labor all afternoon, and he unconsciously felt hungry when he heard about the meal.
He casually took the orange from Wen Chuan's hand. As the water droplets splashed, Wen Chuan took a few steps back. Qing Yu reacted even more strongly, even though the water didn't touch her at all.
Qin Tianshu: "..."
Lin Fanxiang stood up with a smile and gently approached them.
"In that case, how about I treat you to authentic Shengjing cuisine?"
She was from Shengjing and had been taken care of by them along the way. Now that she was staying at Qin Tianshu's house, it was only right and proper for her to treat them to their first meal in Shengjing.
Qin Tianshu, Wen Chuan, and Qing Yu exchanged a glance. The scholar smiled and said, "If that's what Doctor Lin says, then we'd be too impolite to refuse."
Before Lin Fanxiang could speak again, Cai Cai ran to them.
"Gurgle! Gurgle!"
They were hungry, and so was Cai Cai.
"Hahahaha," Qin Tianshu scooped up the vegetable and even took it into the kitchen to wash its feet with water—otherwise, he wouldn't have put it in someone's arms.
...
As darkness fell, the group prepared to leave. Qin Tianshu turned his back and locked the door—he had owned a house at a young age, and for safety, he had bought the highest-grade lock in Shengjing.
Good evening!
The boy's passionate and sincere voice rang out behind them, and the group smiled helplessly.
Zhang Xuan changed into a gorgeous pale yellow robe, with a lustrous jade pendant hanging at his waist and a Blood Moon Sword that was clearly of extraordinary quality. Just looking at him, he exuded wealth and nobility. Not to mention, the young man had his hair tied in a high ponytail, and his sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes were full of spirit and laughter, making people sigh, what a golden branch and jade leaf, a dashing and noble young man.
Wen Chuan and Qin Tianshu, dressed in drab black, were speechless.
Still beautiful, but the dress was still a bit dusty. Qingyu and Lin Fanxiang: "..."
Because her wings were filled with dust, Cai Cai was ultimately abandoned on the ground: "..."
The atmosphere seemed a little awkward. Zhang Xuan waved to them, "Are you too surprised to see me? Good evening!"
Qin Tianshu smiled. "...It was quite unexpected."
Qingyu: "...Good evening."
Lin Fanxiang: "...Have you eaten?"
Zhang Xuan straightened his back and said loudly with a smile, "No, I came here specifically to find you guys. How about we have dinner and stroll through the night market?"
Wen Chuan: "...That's good."
Cai Cai: "...Gurgle, gurgle!"
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