Shen Zhixiu was stunned. He only glanced at the prince's carriage and did not look at it carefully.
"who?"
"Su Xiangling from my second uncle's family is in the prince's carriage."
Shen Zhixiu sneered, "There are countless women in the capital who want to enter the Eastern Palace. I'm not surprised by who is in the prince's carriage."
Su Qingyu remembered what Su Xiangling showed to Concubine Xian at the Lotus Banquet that day.
If the second branch of the Su family rose to prominence, it would only harm her. So she had to find out what had happened that day, and how the Crown Prince and Su Xiangling had become involved.
After the prince entered the city, the city gate was quickly cleared. Su Qingyu took a special look, but didn't see her second uncle Su Chengyan, and she felt a little disappointed.
The Shen family's courtyard is located at the foot of the West Mountain. Not only is it filled with spring water from the West Mountain, but the garden was also meticulously renovated by a master from the south of the Yangtze River. Unlike the gardens in the north that are so conventional,
The flowers, plants, gardens, pavilions and waterside terraces are arranged in an orderly manner and have a unique charm.
The main courtyard, Shuiyun Pavilion, is warm in winter and cool in summer, with a small garden behind it. Further back, hot spring water is drawn in, creating a hot spring pool. In front of it is a small Jiangnan-style bridge, where you can see schools of koi below.
This villa has six courtyards. I heard that each courtyard has hot spring water and each has its own style.
It was once considered part of the Shen family's public property. Later, Shen Zhixiu often entertained colleagues and friends here, saying that the mountain spring water in the garden made tea that tasted better. A few years ago, the garden was allocated to Shen Zhixiu, and it was considered his private property.
Shen Zhixiu took Su Qingyu's hand and walked into Shuiyun Pavilion, followed by a group of maids and old women.
After entering the courtyard, everyone went about their business, busying themselves with their own tasks. Some were decorating the house, some were boiling water and making tea. It was just like when they were at the Shen family's, except that they were happier. They looked around with interest.
Su Qingyu also found everything new. She opened the back window of the main room and saw an endless sea of flowers in all colors.
"I finally understand what it means to be dazzled. It's such a wonderful place, why did Third Master bring me here for the first time?"
Su Qingyu said half complaining and half jokingly.
In her previous life, she knew that the Shen family had this villa in the suburbs of Beijing, but this was her first time here.
Shen Zhixiu hugged her from behind, resting his chin on her neck.
"It's my fault. If you like, we can come often."
Although Su Qingyu was happy, she also knew that she probably wouldn't be able to come here many times a year. Whether it was the court or the inner chambers, there were a lot of things waiting for them.
Both of them cherished this hard-earned relaxation and stood there hugging each other for a long time.
Afterwards, Shen Zhixiu took Su Qingyu for a walk again. When they returned to Shuiyun Pavilion again, lunch had already been served.
There were four simple side dishes: stir-fried spinach, salad with shredded lotus root, candied yellow sprouts, and stir-fried bok choy. The only meat dish was a large bowl of crucian carp and tofu soup.
They were just a few light side dishes, but they whetted Su Qingyu's appetite and she couldn't help swallowing.
He picked up a piece of green spinach with chopsticks and put it into his mouth.
"Third Master, why does this spinach taste better than the one in the mansion?"
Shen Zhixiu smiled indulgently, "You're the only one who's picky. This spinach is grown in the vegetable patch behind the courtyard. I just picked it and stir-fried it. How could it not be delicious?"
Su Qingyu's eyes lit up. "The food in this courtyard is so good, I should send some back to my mother." She took another bite of lotus root and said, "This lotus root was also dug from the pond in the courtyard, right? I saw it just now."
Shen Zhixiu raised his eyes to look at Su Qingyu. Ever since arriving at this villa, the smile on her face had never stopped. His Qingqing seemed to be more lively than when she was at the Shen family.
"This villa doesn't produce much vegetables, only enough for the servants in the garden to eat."
"Is it really that delicious? It's just fresh vegetables."
As Shen Zhixiu spoke, he also picked up a piece of cabbage with chopsticks.
"It's indeed sweeter than ordinary cabbage."
Su Qingyu wiped her mouth and picked up the bowl of soup to drink.
Then Shen Zhixiu said, "This soup is definitely better than the one in the mansion. It's made with spring water from the mountain. It comes from the same place as the water used to make tofu at Huguo Temple."
Su Qingyu's mind moved when she heard this, and she put down the bowl in her hand.
"Does our entire villa use mountain spring water?"
"yes."
"And the water used for watering vegetables?"
Shen Zhixiu nodded, "That's right."
"Third Master, is there any space left in the courtyard? Let's turn it all into a vegetable garden, and build a greenhouse so we can grow vegetables in the winter."
"Vegetables grown with mountain spring water are definitely better than those grown with ordinary water. If my mother eats the vegetables grown here all year round, she'll live longer."
Shen Zhixiu didn't follow Su Qingyu's thoughts and was stunned for a moment.
"You mean, this dish is delicious because of the spring water?"
Su Qingyu nodded and said, "I think so. My mother also had a dowry farm in the suburbs of Beijing. I have eaten freshly picked vegetables, but they were not as delicious as this."
Even the Lin family's old house in the suburbs of Beijing is not far from here, but it doesn't have mountain spring water, so the food there isn't as delicious.
Shen Zhixiu thought about it and felt that what Su Qingyu said made sense. "Madam is right. I will order someone to do it today."
The vegetables she grew were also a manifestation of Su Qingyu's filial piety, so he naturally wouldn't stop her.
There were four dishes and a bowl of soup, and the two of them finished everything.
After finishing the meal, Su Qingyu leaned back in her chair and touched her belly. "This is the best meal I've had since I married into the Shen family."
After thinking for a moment, he changed his words, "No, it's the most delicious dish I've ever eaten since I was a child."
This sentence pleased Shen Zhixiu, "Come here, give two months' wages to the servants who served in the other courtyard today."
In less than half an hour, the entire courtyard knew about it. Because of the Third Madam's compliment, they received two months' salary. Naturally, they served Su Qingyu even more attentively than before.
After lunch, Su Qingyu lay on a lounge chair under a tree in the yard, drowsy.
Shen Zhixiu sat on a small stool beside her and peeled lotus seeds for her.
Half asleep and half awake, Su Qingyu suddenly remembered what happened between Su Xiangling and the prince, and sat up abruptly.
"Third Master, can I let my fourth sister stay here for two days? Keep me company."
Shen Zhixiu smiled and said, "Why not? There are many houses in this villa, so she will have a place to stay when she comes. I have to go back to Beijing frequently to handle official business, and I am worried that you will be bored here alone during the day."
As she was speaking, a lotus seed was stuffed into Su Qingyu's mouth.
Su Qingyu rocked on the recliner, watching the mottled shadows of the trees sway overhead. At this moment, the word "happiness" suddenly took on a certain meaning.
An hour later, the people sent by Shen Zhixiu took Su Shunci to the villa.
Accompanying her was Lin Wuchen, the third young master of the Lin family.
"Third cousin, why are you here?"
Su Qingyu was a little surprised.
Lin Wuchen was dressed in a light blue, narrow-waisted brocade robe and held a silk folding fan. If someone didn't know him, they would definitely mistake him for a noble son from a scholarly family.
When Su Qingyu asked, Lin Wuchen raised his eyebrows.
"You're so biased. Why do you only think of calling your fourth cousin in such a nice place?"
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