After Su Xingze left, Zhou Gu rubbed his chin in thought. Su Xingze, a seemingly as distant as the moon, was a keen mind, thoughtful and well-prepared. If he were to score high on the imperial examination and enter the officialdom in the future, he would surely go far. Quite a rare breed indeed.
The Crown Prince would be delighted to have an aide like Su Xingze in the Eastern Palace.
Thinking of the Crown Prince, Zhou Gu immediately called Zhou Xi and asked, "Have you found the person that the Crown Prince asked me to find?"
Zhou Xi shook his head and replied, "Young Master, there’s no clue. We’ve searched everywhere and there seems to be no such person. Could the Crown Prince have made a mistake? There isn’t a single fishing girl who fits the bill."
Zhou Gu frowned and said, "Extend the search radius and continue looking."
Zhou Xi nodded and said, "We might have to turn the entire Jiangning County upside down. Will we attract unwanted attention? That would be contrary to the Crown Prince’s original intention."
Zhou Gu agrees and decides, "Let’s keep the search under the radar like before, but just widen the search area. I will write a letter to the Crown Prince asking for his advice."
Zhou Xi agreed, "That is for the best. Despite being a small place, searching for an unknown person in Jiangning County is like looking for a needle in a haystack; there is no need to rush."
Zhou Gu nodded.
Upon learning that she no longer had to learn etiquette and Zhou Gu no longer had to be accompanied by Su Xingze, Su Rong was delighted and planned to visit Zhou Gu.
Upon leaving the house, she turned back and asked Yuewan, "Have you sent the watermelon that Uncle Xie sent, to Zhou Gu?"
"Should be sent!" Yuewan wasn’t sure, "Young Master Zhou is our valued guest, if there are good items, the mistress surely would send it."
"That makes sense. But with so many guards in his residence, I bet they would have finished it all." Su Rong instructed Yuewan, "Go to the cellar and bring another watermelon. I’ll take it to Zhou Gu."
With a nod, Yuewan left.
Soon after, Yuewan returned with a watermelon, "Miss, would you like me to accompany you?"
"No need," Su Rong took the watermelon and left.
Zhou Gu was spotting Su Rong’s arrival, he spent a while waiting and started wondering why she hadn’t shown up yet. He picked up a book, reclining lazily on a chair, reading while waiting.
After reading just a couple of pages, someone notified him, "Young Master, the seventh Miss has arrived!"
Zhou Gu immediately lifted his gaze from behind the book, looking out the window, he saw Su Rong carrying a large watermelon. The watermelon looked like it weighed more than ten kilograms, but she carried it without effort, at ease.
Reminded of their first meeting, when he feared she would be toppled over by a gust of wind, he realizes he was too naive to complain about her being too weak.
He put down his book and came to the door, watching Su Rong and asked, "What are you..."
Su Rong who was a little blinded by his relaxed demeanor asked, "I heard that you didn’t leave the Duke Residence today, so I came over." She weighed the watermelon in her hand, "Let’s eat this watermelon together."
Zhou Gu thought about how he had never seen a young lady hold a huge watermelon and suggest, "Let’s eat this watermelon," he silently moved aside to let her in.
Upon entering, Su Rong instructed a little boy who was cleaning the courtyard, "Go and get a knife and two spoons."
The boy responded and immediately went off.
"What are you going to do with the knife and spoons?" Zhou Gu was puzzled.
"You’ll find out soon." Su Rong placed the watermelon on the table and rubbed her wrists, "Uncle Xie brought back this watermelon a few days ago, it’s especially sweet. Mother must have sent one to you, right? Have you tried it?"
Zhou Gu nodded, "I have, it is very sweet indeed."
The boy quickly returned with a knife and two spoons.
Su Rong took the knife, skillfully cut the watermelon in half, laid the knife down, stuffed the two spoons into the fruit, pushed one half to Zhou Gu and kept one for herself. She lifted her half of the watermelon and scooped out a large chunk and ate it up, "Here you go, eat!"
Zhou Gu was dumbfounded.
Watermelons were rare in the Capital City, with high cost due to long-distance transportation. An ordinary family could hardly afford it, but of course, it wasn’t a burden for the Duke Residence, they had access to fruits year-round, no matter how expensive, they could afford it. As for the Eastern Palace, there was even less to say, Zhou Gu never lacked fresh fruits.
Before, Zhou Gu ate watermelon cut into half-moons or chopped into small chunks skewered with bamboo sticks. This was the first time he had seen such a bold way of eating watermelon.
"Was I able to shock you?" Seeing Zhou Gu frozen for a long time, Su Rong sincerely recommended, "It’s really delicious when you eat it this way. You’ll know once you try it."
Zhou Gu was feeling quite mixed, "This watermelon is about ten kilograms, right? Half for each of us, so we are having five kilograms each..."
He wanted to express his thought; he doesn’t have that much of an appetite.
What is the concept of five kilograms?
Although Zhou Gu felt he could manage to eat that much, seeing Su Rong’s slender stature, he doubted if she could finish her portion. He feared it would be wasteful if she ate a little and threw the rest away.
"Oh my, there is still a whole day left! We can finish it for sure. Today we need not drink water." Su Rong scooped out another chunk of watermelon, "Nothing beats the watermelons just brought out from the cellar, crisp and chillingly sweet. It helps beat the summer heat. Jiangning also produces watermelons, but they were out of the market a month ago. Uncle Xie knew I loved them and specially brought them back. As they are grown on sloping fields with ample sunlight, they taste much sweeter than the ones grown in ditches."
Zhou Gu reluctantly nodded his approval. Seeing Su Rong happily eating, he mirrored her action, scooped out a chunk and ate it; instantly, a burst of cool sweetness filled his mouth. He took another spoonful, after the third spoonful, he said to Su Rong: "Eating it this way is rather refreshing, indeed."
Su Rong laughed, "Well naturally, it doesn’t lose its juices."
The dazzling smile on Su Rong’s face made Zhou Gu’s eyes dazzle for a second, as he silently continued to eat. He thought, Su Rong seemed to enjoy food a lot, she always seemed to make regular food taste better. Wondering where she gets all her unique ideas from; she is really something.
Zhou Xi came looking for Zhou Gu with a letter and upon seeing both of them seated casually, laughing while eating scooped out watermelon, he was taken aback. Thinking he should not interrupt, he decided to come back later. Just as he decided to leave, Zhou Gu saw him, "What’s up?"
Zhou Xi had no choice but to turn around, smiling he greeted, "Miss Su!"
Su Rong returned Zhou Xi’s greeting with a nod and a smile.
Only then did Zhou Xi add, "Young Master, a letter from the Crown Prince has arrived."
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