Magistrate Qin and Junyan followed Su Hua to the end of the village. Looking at the black plaque with gold lettering that read "Family of Benevolence and Righteousness" hanging high above the gate, they bowed and saluted before entering the courtyard.
Upon entering the hospital, a cool breeze carrying the fragrance of fruit greeted me.
Magistrate Qin wiped the sweat from his forehead, his refined face full of smiles. "Hua'er, this place is simply a summer paradise. No wonder my rascal came here yesterday and didn't want to go home until it was completely dark."
This was Junyan's first time here, and he was quite surprised as he looked at the clean and tidy blue brick house.
It's not necessarily cool in the mountain village. He had been waiting in the carriage for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, and his clothes were almost soaked with sweat. Moreover, there were one or two ice basins in the carriage, and even though it was almost noon, the sun was still so hot that it made people feel uneasy.
But this Su family courtyard, though it looks ordinary on the outside, has a lot of secrets inside.
Not only was it not scorching hot at all, but the trees in the front yard were so full of fruit that it was hard to look away. He had just glanced at them briefly. Most of the trees in the village had withered and curled leaves, but in the Su family's yard, every tree was lush, vibrant, and full of energy. Under the leaves, clusters of juicy fruit weighed down the trees.
It was like two different worlds from the unbearable heat outside.
His thoughts raced, but in the blink of an eye, a hint of a smile appeared in the man's peach blossom eyes. "Magistrate Qin is right. Miss Su's place here is far superior to the summer resorts in Qingshui County and Tangshan Prefecture. It can be called a summer paradise in Tangshan Prefecture."
"Uncle Qin and Young Master Yan are too kind. How can a farmhouse be called a summer paradise?" Su Hua smiled and pointed to the eaves and the ground.
"It's just that the design was cleverly incorporated during the construction of the house, allowing a through-draft mountain breeze, and with these ice basins, it can be a bit cooler."
The two looked in the direction she pointed and indeed saw that the eaves of the front and back yards were of different heights, forming a triangle with the main gate.
And in every corner of the ground, there were two... large ice basins.
The reason it's called a giant ice basin is that it's not an ordinary basin, but a large foot basin used for washing clothes. Inside the basin are stacked blocks of ice, which are releasing cold air.
Magistrate Qin had heard Qin Yucheng mention it once, so he was already prepared, but Junyan was even more surprised when he saw this scene.
Ice in the height of summer is an extremely precious commodity, especially now that it's hot and there's no rain. The price of ice has doubled in just one month. An ordinary ice basin costs ten taels of silver, and these dozens of large ice basins would cost at least a thousand taels.
Moreover, the hotter the weather, the faster the ice basin melts. An ice basin can only last for an hour at most before it needs to be replaced. In a day, even excluding the cooler times in the morning and evening when ice is not needed, it is necessary to replace the ice at least ten times to keep it cool.
Even if the Su family restaurant makes a fortune every day, using ice like this is really too extravagant!
Could it be that the Su family knows how to make ice?
"Oh dear, what wind has blown the magistrate here today! It just so happens that I dug up half a basket of matsutake mushrooms in the bamboo forest today. The magistrate will have to have a good taste of this matsutake mushroom and chicken soup later."
A hearty laugh rang out.
Junyan turned his head and saw a woman carrying a vegetable basket striding in from the backyard.
"Although I didn't get to eat the pork stew today, I'm still quite fortunate to have chicken soup with mushrooms!" Magistrate Qin stroked his beard and laughed. He wasn't usually a big eater, but the dishes from the Su family had never disappointed him; in fact, each one was more amazing than the last.
The brat in my family has mentioned this chicken soup with mushrooms to me countless times.
As they got closer, a hint of curiosity flashed in their eyes as they looked at the fresh and juicy mushrooms in the basket. "In this weather, how could Sister-in-law Su still be able to dig up such good mushrooms?"
"There is a bamboo grove behind the house, which happens to connect to the mountain stream of Fuhu Mountain. Although the sun is strong these days, it is still quite shady in the bamboo grove." Su Bai put down the vegetable basket and was about to instruct Danqing to serve tea and wash the fruit when she saw the man next to Magistrate Qin and was taken aback.
Although this man had an ordinary face, his demeanor was completely different from that of these peasants, and he was even comparable to Magistrate Qin in every way.
"May I ask who this young master is?"
Jun Yan smiled gently, “Greetings, Madam. My surname is Yan, and I am the third son in my family. I am a friend of the Princess of Le’an County. You may call me Yan San.”
After saying this, he called the servants to present the congratulatory gifts one by one, saying, "I have come here today to congratulate the Princess of Le'an on her wedding. I hope I have not disturbed her!"
"No trouble at all, no trouble at all. It's good that Young Master Yan has come. Why did you bring so many gifts?"
Looking at the gifts that were almost piled up like a small mountain, Madam Su couldn't help but glance at her daughter. When did Hua'er have such a friend? She had never heard her mention it before.
Su Hua herself was also completely confused. When did she and he become friends?
Including today, they've only met three times. This person is also a distant relative of Liu Lin, and their relationship with the Liu family can hardly be described as good.
"It's just a small gift, nothing much, just a token of my appreciation." Jun Yan opened her folding fan with a swish, her peach blossom eyes looking at the blue figure, her smile deepening. "It's Yan San's good fortune to be friends with the Princess of Le'an County."
Xiao Jinhan's eyes darkened slightly. He stepped forward subtly, blocking the man's view. "Hua'er, it's getting late. Magistrate Qin must have important business to attend to today. Why don't we go to the study first?"
"Yes, General Zhennan is absolutely right. I have come today precisely because of the sweet potato matter."
Magistrate Qin snapped out of his daze and awkwardly touched his nose. This Third Young Master Yan, whom he had encountered on the way, seemed to be someone who had come to steal someone else's partner.
The General of Zhennan's leg has healed, and it's unclear whether the toxins have been completely neutralized. With another person trying to steal his son's place, his brat probably has no chance at all.
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