Ren Yaoqi got off the carriage and saw Pei Zhiyan squatting in the grass by the roadside, doing something unknown. He couldn't help but be stunned.
"Mr. Pei?" Ren Yaoqi called softly.
Pei Zhiyan looked up when he heard that, and was a little surprised when he saw Ren Yaoqi. Then he stood up, took out a towel and wiped his hands, and said with a smile: "Miss Ren, are you here to see your husband?"
Ren Yaoqi nodded and glanced at the clump of grass where Pei Zhiyan was squatting before.
Pei Zhiyan noticed her gaze and smiled, then pointed towards the bushes and said, "I just saw an orchid in the bushes. Can you take a look? Am I blind?"
Upon hearing this, Ren Yaoqi walked over and bent down to look at the plant that Pei Zhiyan was pointing at. It looked like a Jianlan orchid, but it had not yet bloomed. It was inconspicuous growing in the weeds. No one knew how Pei Zhiyan found it.
Ren Yaoqi carefully examined the Jianlan orchid for a while, frowned, and said, "It does look like a Jianlan orchid, but this place faces the sun and the soil is dry, which isn't ideal for orchids. This one is growing quite well...it shouldn't be an orchid, right?"
Pei Zhiyan raised his eyebrows, looked at her and smiled: "If it's not an orchid, then what kind of flower is it?"
Ren Yaoqi was about to say she didn't know either, but when she saw a thin, inconspicuous rhizome growing out of the middle of the plant, she exclaimed, reached out and touched the rhizome, then said happily, "This plant shouldn't be an orchid, but a harrier brocade, a type of Lycoris radiata. I once saw it in a book called 'Herbs Supplement'."
Pei Zhiyan said thoughtfully, "'Supplement to Herbal Medicine'?"
Hearing Pei Zhiyan's words, Ren Yaoqi suddenly remembered that he had seen the book "Herb Supplement" in Pei Zhiyan's study. He had read all the books in Pei Zhiyan's study, so he knew for sure that this was not an orchid.
Is this a test for her? Ren Yaoqi couldn't help but glance at Pei Zhiyan in surprise.
Pei Zhiyan smiled slightly and praised: "Yes, it is indeed Yaojin. Miss Ren is indeed well-read."
Ren Yaoqi blushed a little when her husband praised her for being "well-read"... She had read those books under Pei Zhiyan's urging. She really had no right to admit that she was "well-read" in front of Pei Zhiyan.
As if noticing Ren Yaoqi's discomfort, Pei Zhiyan smiled, turned around and ordered his followers to dig out the harrier plant from the grass.
Seeing this, Ren Yaoqi reluctantly tried to dissuade him, "Sir, Mr. Xu also likes flowers and plants. If he knew, he might not be willing to let you dig up this harrier brocade."
Literati all love flowers and plants. Pei Zhiyan did, too, but he didn't care for orchids, chrysanthemums, or the like. He was too lazy, and unwilling to let others do the work, so no matter what precious species, he would raise one and then die, only to save one. Others might not know, but Ren Yaoqi understood it perfectly. Pei Zhiyan's preference for this harrier brocade wasn't just because it was rare, but also because books said it was easy to care for, requiring only watering every ten days or half a month, not the same care as orchids.
However, Xu Wanli, also a scholar, also liked flowers and plants. He might not agree with Pei Zhiyan digging up the flowers in his garden.
Pei Zhiyan thought seriously for a moment after hearing this: "What you said makes sense."
Ren Yaoqi breathed a sigh of relief, thinking Pei Zhiyan had given up on stealing Xu's flowers. Unexpectedly, Pei Zhiyan then said with a leisurely smile, "I'd better go play chess with Xu Wanli first. After I beat him, I'll come back to steal his flowers. He won't be able to say anything."
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