Xu Zhi and Feng Wan'er stayed together all the way to Yuezhou. It wasn't until they reached Shili Pavilion outside Yuezhou that Xu Zhi met the people Zheng Boyuan had sent to pick her up.
Zheng Boyuan had already arranged for a mansion to be purchased in Yuezhou City. It was a large mansion with five courtyards. Because Yuezhou was an important port, the price of mansions in the city was very high. It turned out that Zheng Boyuan had really gone to great lengths to buy such a mansion.
After Xu Zhi broke up with Feng Wan'er, she followed a servant boy of about fifteen or sixteen years old sent by Zheng Boyuan into Yuezhou City. They walked south and stopped in front of a black lacquered gate in a quiet alley.
Xu Zhi got off the carriage and stood in front of the gate. Looking at the newly painted gate, Xu Zhi felt a surge of pride rising from the bottom of her heart and rushing to her head.
Zheng Yuanyuan had already been helped down from the carriage by Granny Wang. After getting off, she saw her sister-in-law standing in front of the gate, seemingly lost in thought. Somewhat puzzled, she went over and asked, "Sister-in-law, what are you looking at?"
Xu Zhi turned around, looked at Zheng Yuanyuan, and said, "Little sister, I'm looking at our home. From now on, this will be where we live."
Zheng Yuanyuan was very happy to hear this and said, "Sister-in-law, can I decorate my room myself?"
Xu Zhi said, "Let alone the rooms, you can decorate the yard yourself, okay?"
Upon hearing this, Zheng Yuanyuan's face lit up with a wide smile. She took Xu Zhi's hand and said, "Sister-in-law, shall we go in now?"
Xu Zhi said, "Okay, let's go and take a look at our new home."
The courtyard to the south is small and exquisite, lacking the spaciousness and grandeur of the north.
Xu Zhi and Zheng Yuanyuan both came from the north. After entering the courtyard, they stood in front of a hanging flower gate and looked at the exquisite corridors and wood carvings in the small courtyard, finding them quite beautiful.
Zheng Yuanyuan said, "Sister-in-law, this courtyard is really small."
Xu Zhi said, "It is quite small, but very exquisite. Look at these pillars and these covered walkways. Such exquisite wood carvings are rare in the north."
Zheng Yuanyuan sighed and said, "And this courtyard looks so small. Sister-in-law, look, why is this well so shallow?"
In the corner of the courtyard, there is an octagonal well. Standing by the well, you can see the water in the well when you look down. The water is really shallow.
Xu Zhi stood by the well, looking around, and felt a surge of joy in her heart. From now on, this would be her and Zheng Boyuan's home. Although she didn't know how many years she would stay here, she was filled with hope.
Granny Lu looked around the courtyard and said to Xu Zhi, "This kind of courtyard is not bad to live in."
Xu Zhi nodded and said, "Granny, let's unload the luggage and settle in properly."
Granny Lu nodded. Uncle Qing had already opened the side gate and quickly led the carriage carrying the luggage through it. There was a stable on the west side of the courtyard where the horses they had brought would be kept, as would the carriages.
Xu Zhi walked from the front yard to the back yard of the five-courtyard house, carefully examining everything.
The entire courtyard was built of polished blue bricks, with many wooden structures inside. Upon entering the main gate, there was a rectangular courtyard – the front yard. Three rooms faced south, with a central passageway. Beyond the passageway was a small courtyard with potted plants in a corner. The southern climate was mild, and some flowers bloomed year-round, looking particularly vibrant and lovely. The three main rooms in this small courtyard served as the main hall of the mansion. The three rooms were combined, and most were wooden structures. When Xu Zhi entered, she saw that some furniture had already been placed inside.
To the east of the main hall is a moon gate. Beyond this moon gate is a passageway, and behind it are three small courtyards, each with a two-story building with wooden floors and wooden stairs.
The courtyard was built very compactly. There was a rear building next to the main house, and a row of rear buildings behind it. There were also side rooms in the three courtyards behind, which could be used as living quarters for servants.
Xu Zhi looked around but didn't see the kitchen, so she asked the person who had brought her there.
This man, named A-Ming, was a servant Zheng Boyuan bought after arriving in Yuezhou. He was a local from Yuezhou and spoke Mandarin with a slight accent, which Xu Zhi could understand.
Amin said, "Grandma, the kitchen is to the east of the main hall, in a separate courtyard."
Upon hearing this, Xu Zhi walked over to the kitchen.
The kitchen was quite spacious, and there were already two people standing at the kitchen door, one with a woman's hairstyle and the other with a girl's hairstyle.
Amin said, "Grandma, this is my wife, Xia, and this is my sister, Ying."
Xu Zhi wanted to ask what kind of contract Ah Ming and the other two had signed, but felt it wasn't quite appropriate since they had just arrived.
Seeing Xu Zhi's expression, Granny Lu knew what she was struggling with, so she asked A-Ming, "A-Ming, where is your master?"
Amin said, "Our master is training by the sea right now. He's now the most capable lieutenant under General Gan." Amin seemed very proud when talking about Zheng Boyuan.
Granny Lu asked again, "Ah Ming, did you sign a contract with your wife and sister, or a contract that was permanent or permanent?"
Ah Ming smiled and said, "Granny, we were originally fishermen by the sea. Last time, when the Japanese pirates came to raid us, my master not only drove them away with his troops, but also chased them far away and captured a pirate leader alive. If it weren't for my master, our whole family would have died under the pirates' swords. My father said that people should be grateful and wanted me to become my master's servant. But my master said that if I signed a contract of servitude, I would not be able to take the imperial examinations in the future. Who knows if our family will produce a literary genius in the future? So he signed a contract with me. My wife is a good cook, so my master asked us to come and clean this house."
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