Chapter 628: Lying Down Together? (Two chapters combined)
Hearing this, everyone watching and playing the game looked over and saw that smoke was indeed rising from the neighboring house not far away.
"Should we go over and take a look?" one of them asked.
The other person was speechless: "It's on fire, is it really reasonable for us not to go and check on it? What kind of question is that! Let's go! Let's go and see what's going on. Caddies, you guys go get some fire extinguishers!"
Both the young master and Long Yu were busy today, so Wu Chong was quite bored. Just then, a few guys in the compound said they were coming over to play ball, and Wu Chong thought that it was a good time to get some exercise and warm up on such a cold day, so he came over.
Wu Chong took off his hat, observed the smoke not far away, and calmly said, "It shouldn't be a fire, it should be someone starting a fire. Whoever runs fast can go and take a look. The smoke doesn't look very big. Does anyone know what's on the other side?"
One of them immediately stepped forward and said, "Second Young Master, that's a newly opened farm, but it's not the kind that's open to the public. It should be private. If that's what you're saying, then the farm owner must be playing there."
Upon hearing this, Wu Chong nodded and said, "To avoid any accidents, let's send someone over to check it out."
Since Wu Chong had said so, everyone arranged for two caddies to go and take a look.
The two caddies arrived shortly afterward.
"Reporting to Second Young Master, it was people from the neighboring farm who were cooking. It wasn't an accidental fire or anything like that."
Wu Chong nodded upon hearing this: "That's good then. Let's keep playing. Whoever loses treats us tonight!"
The crowd started making noise again.
On the other side, Gu Yin listened to the noise from the golf course and looked at Chu Yan: "I've never seen you play golf before."
Chu Yan chuckled as he tended the fire, “I don’t like playing that stuff, but I was required to learn it from a young age, along with horseback riding and such. For kids from families like ours, learning these things is supposed to cultivate their character and improve their temperament, but frankly, it’s just a way to do business. For example, if you want to close a deal, you have to invite people to play ball or go horseback riding. In the eyes of those people or some officials, these VIP venues are high-quality meeting places, which are prestigious. But we can’t deny that some people really do like them. If you know what’s what, it’s easier to close a deal than to eat at a restaurant.”
Gu Yin nodded. Having reached a certain status in the Chu family, she no longer needed to cater to others.
"By the way, haven't you gone to see the horse that Ah Le gave you before?"
Gu Yin sighed, "I've been so busy, I haven't had time to learn to ride a horse. I almost forgot about it if you hadn't mentioned it!"
Chu Yan chuckled: "When I come back for the New Year, you'll be on holiday too. Let's find some time to go to the horse farm. I'll teach you. If you have time later, I'll take you to the grasslands. Horse riding is a very therapeutic and liberating sport. You'll like it."
In the TV dramas Gu Yin acted in in her previous life, there were many scenes of riding horses, but they were not the ones they rode themselves. Instead, there were instructors leading the horses in front, and then special effects were used to process the horses. She could only mount the horses, and she was not very good at running.
So he nodded and said, "Sure!"
The two chatted for a while longer. Gu Yin noticed that the upper part of the sweet potato kiln was completely red-hot. She asked Chu Yan to keep the fire low while she went to find the old man and the others to see how the preparations were going.
Gu Yin had only taken a few steps when the old man and the old woman came over, each carrying two chickens wrapped in tin foil.
"I knew it should be ready by now! I killed four chickens in total, and stuffed them with seasonings, mushrooms, potatoes, and the like. They'll definitely smell better if left out for a while! I also prepared some lamb legs and chicken legs, as well as a few fish, which I'll put out together later!"
"Grandma knows how to eat!" Gu Yin smiled as she took the things. Then she watched as Grandpa Gu poked a hole in the top of the sweet potato kiln, slowly breaking up the red-hot clay with a wooden stick. After a while, he put the chicken in, then pushed the red-hot clay down several layers, continuing to break it up. After covering all the meat, he finally put in the sweet potatoes, taro, and potatoes.
In the end, a mound of earth was formed, still steaming, and the old man covered it with more soil.
"Alright! We can eat in about forty minutes! I'll make two more on the side, and by the time we finish eating, these two will be ready too, so we can give them to the others to try!"
Chu Yan was very interested in these things and followed the old man to dig up clods of earth.
Gu Yin picked some strawberries, then sat on a deck chair by the lake, eating and fishing at the same time. Before long, she became drowsy from the sun.
Seeing his sun was so comforting, a rare treat, a stolen half-day of leisure. Thinking this for a while, Gu Yin fell asleep.
After the two kilns were finished and the fire was lit, Chu Yan got up and looked around, but did not see Gu Yin.
Seeing his reaction, the old woman pointed towards the fishpond: "It's the fishpond over there."
Chu Yan smiled, washed his hands, and got up to walk over there.
Stepping onto the wooden steps, Chu Yan saw Gu Yin fast asleep in a recliner.
With the hood of her cotton-padded coat on her head, the white fur of the brim covered her face, making Gu Yin look like a fairy.
Chu Yan tiptoed to Gu Yin's side, sat down on the ground, and quietly watched her. A gentle breeze stirred the downy hair on Gu Yin's face.
When Chu Yan saw her eyelids twitch, he immediately reached out and brushed the fur off her hat to the side, then gently picked up the blanket next to him and covered her with it.
Because she was outside, Gu Yin wasn't sleeping very soundly. She felt shadows moving on her face and beside her, and slowly opened her eyes.
"Is it done?"
When Chu Yan saw that she was awake, he said softly, "Did I wake you up? Do you want to sleep a little longer? It's not ready yet, Grandpa is tending the fire over there."
Gu Yin rubbed the soft fur around her hat and shook her head: "I'm not sleeping anymore. If I sleep any longer, I'll catch a cold."
After saying that, she noticed his sitting posture and chuckled, "Why are you sitting on the floor? There's a chair right next to you."
Because the elderly in the family like to fish here, as long as it doesn't rain, the people at the farm will set up deck chairs, chairs, small tea tables, blankets, and other items early in the morning, aiming for a leisurely and comfortable atmosphere.
Chu Yan looked at the fishpond, leaned his head against the armrest of the recliner, and said in a deep voice, "I want to get closer to you."
Gu Yin: "..."
Gu Yin looked at the recliner, which was quite large, enough for two people to sit together, so she moved over and said, "Come on up and sit with me."
Chu Yan immediately raised his head: "Really?"
Gu Yin raised her eyebrows: "If you're willing, sitting on the ground isn't out of the question."
Chu Yan grinned, immediately got up and carried Gu Yin to the chair next to him. Then he took off his coat, spread it on the recliner, carried Gu Yin over and put her down, and lay down himself. Luckily, the blanket was big enough to cover both of them.
Chu Yan smiled and said, "It's quite warm when you're squeezed in." His words were full of laughter.
Gu Yin touched the coat underneath: "That's a coat worth tens of thousands of yuan, and you're just using it as a pad?"
Chu Yan leaned her head against Gu Yin's shoulder and nuzzled her: "That's its honor. The weather is nice today, so sleep a little longer."
Gu Yin turned her head slightly, looking at the fluffy head on her shoulder. Okay, she'll sleep a little longer.
Listening to each other's heartbeats, Gu Yin soon fell asleep again. This time, perhaps because someone was beside her, she slept more soundly.
Seeing that the soil was already red-hot, Gu Jianguo nodded: "It's time. Go and call Ayin and Ayan to come and help. We need to put the things in together, otherwise the soil will cool down too quickly and the top won't cook properly. Once we're done, we'll dig the first kiln."
After packing everything up, the old lady got up and walked towards the fishpond.
As you walk up the steps, you see the two of them asleep in the chairs, their faces flushed from sleep.
The old lady smiled. It was midday, and the sun was strong. If she slept any longer, her face would get sunburned. She didn't even open the parasol. She shook her head and woke the two of them up.
"Ayin and Ayan, get up and dig the kiln!"
The two opened their eyes and saw the old lady standing beside them, smiling. Chu Yan blushed with embarrassment.
Although his family knew they were dating, he was still a little embarrassed to be seen being so intimate with them.
Seeing his embarrassment, Gu Yin smiled and reached out to pinch his cheek: "Did you get sunburned?"
Chu Yan coughed lightly, sat up, and looked at the old lady: "I'll be right there. Is the kiln fired yet?"
Knowing he was embarrassed, the old lady walked back and said, "Yes, it's already hot. Come over quickly."
When Gu Jianguo saw his wife return alone, he asked in confusion, "Where are the two children? Haven't you found them?"
The old lady jogged over and said mysteriously with a smile, "I just got to the fishpond and saw the two children sleeping soundly on a deck chair!"
Gu Jianguo frowned: "Then why aren't you calling them? No, two people sleeping on one recliner? One?"
The old lady smiled and nodded: "It's so heartwarming!"
Gu Jianguo: "...Are you out of your mind? That's our granddaughter! They're not even engaged yet, and they're already so close, why are you so happy?!"
The old lady's smile vanished, and she slapped Gu Jianguo across the face: "They're a couple! As long as they don't do anything too outrageous, what's wrong with lying together in broad daylight? It's not like they're lying in the same bed! Do you think I'm stupid? Gu Jianguo, you kissed me on the very first day we got together! When my mom was chasing you and beating you, why didn't you say I was stupid!"
Gu Yin and Chu Yan had just approached when they heard the old lady's words and immediately looked at the helpless old man.
The old man stood up, pulled the old woman in, and said in a deep voice, "The children are all here! Can't you give me some face? It's been so many years, how come you still remember it so clearly! I was wrong, okay?"
The old lady felt a little embarrassed when she saw Gu Yin and Chu Yan looking at them curiously. She pointed to the earthen kiln and said, "Well, it's about to collapse from the fire. Hurry up and put your things in!"
Upon hearing this, Gu Jianguo ignored Gu Yin and the others, picked up the stick, and began to operate it.
Gu Yin and Chu Yan smiled and followed along to put the things away.
After both earthen kilns were completed, the four men took small sticks and began to slowly dig the kilns.
As soon as Gu Yin lifted a clod of earth next to the kiln, a fragrant aroma wafted out!
"It smells so good! I can smell sweet potatoes and grilled fish!"
Chu Yan chimed in, "I smell something like roast chicken!"
The old man smiled and said, "After we dig everything out, the soil will even smell fragrant!"
The old lady nodded: "Yes, when I was a child, we were poor. We could only build a sweet potato kiln after we harvested sweet potatoes. My dad would catch field mice and roast them inside. The smell was so good that we would pick up dirt and lick it! Haha, and then we would get caught and beaten!"
"The soil still looks warm. If I put some sweet potatoes in it and bury them for a while, they should cook." Chu Yan said as he took the things out, getting burned by the hot soil.
"Yes, it'll smell like meat later!" The old lady nodded.
The golf course next door.
A strong fragrance wafted on the wind.
"When did the club change its chef? This smells...it must be Chinese food!"
One of the young men took a deep breath, rubbed his stomach, and said, "I arrived early this morning and went to the restaurant. It's a Western-style restaurant. Are we having barbecue today? It's already noon. How about we go eat first and fight in the afternoon? Second Young Master! Are you hungry?"
Wu Chong also smelled the domineering aroma. He hadn't eaten anything that morning, so he was fine if he didn't smell the aroma of food, but once he did, he couldn't resist it.
"Then let's rest first, go get something to eat, and come back later." After saying that, he put down his golf club and took off his gloves.
Before everyone had left, the club manager came over.
"Second Young Master, lunch has been prepared at the restaurant. Would you like to go there for lunch, or should we have it delivered?"
Wu Chong waved his hand: "Let's eat at the restaurant. By the way, what dishes are served today? They smell so good!"
The manager smiled and said, "Today's ingredients are all air-freighted from abroad. There are various seafood sashimi platters, sea cucumber soup, as well as some fried fish and desserts."
Wu Chong frowned: "Is it all Western food? No Chinese food?"
The manager nodded: "This club has always served Western food." There's a big hotel right outside with excellent Chinese chefs. It would be pointless for their club to serve Chinese food as well. Most importantly, the hotel owner is someone their club can't afford to offend; he's a relative of the Zhao family!
The others didn't believe it: "Smell it! Smell the aroma in the air, isn't it roast chicken? Isn't it roast fish? Don't tell me this aroma is coming from a hotel outside!"
The manager took a deep breath and frowned, saying, "That's true, but the restaurant doesn't have any Chinese food today."
Wu Chong frowned and looked around. Could it really be coming from the hotel outside? But that's too far away. It would take five minutes to drive there!
"Is that coming from the farm next door? When we went over this morning to see what was causing the smoke, we saw that they seemed to be building a sweet potato kiln."
One of the two caddies who went to check on the cigarettes in the morning whispered.
Upon hearing this, Wu Chong frowned and said, "Let's go take a look." He then turned and walked towards the next room.
After taking a few steps, he looked at the club manager and said, "You follow too."
The manager nodded quickly: "Yes, Second Young Master."
As Wu Chong walked, he asked, "Whose farm is that next door?" Most of the land here has been sold, and this suddenly appearing farm can't be bought without connections.
"It was bought by the richest family in Chuxiong. I often see two elderly people from their family coming here to fish, pick vegetables and fruits, etc. However, there are two other elderly people we don't recognize. Later, I arranged for someone to check and found out that they are a couple surnamed Gu."
Wu Chong frowned: "Gu?"
The manager nodded: "They are the grandparents of Zhou Guyin, the one who has been making a big fuss online recently."
Wu Chong suddenly realized, "Oh, it's her! I know her. We even went to her house for barbecue with the young master last time! This taste, it must be them! Come on, let's go eat something delicious!" He quickened his pace after saying that.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com