Chapter 697: They are indeed very, very rich...
Early the next morning, Sang Zhixia packed up and prepared to go out. Xu Mingyang and Sang Yanyou looked at Sang Zhixia eagerly, like two puppies left at home.
Xu Mingyang said pitifully, "Sister-in-law, can't we really go with you?"
"We promise not to cause any trouble, we'll just follow along without saying a word!"
Before they left, the old man in the family repeatedly reminded them that the most important thing for them on this trip was to protect Sang Zhixia.
Even if Xu Yu was with them, they would still feel uneasy!
Xu Yu changed into an ordinary attendant's outfit, stretched out his big hand and grabbed Sang Yanyou who was stretching his neck forward.
Sang Yanyou glared in dissatisfaction: "Brother-in-law, I..."
"You haven't even grown all your teeth yet, and you dare to show your teeth in front of me?"
Xu Yu raised his hand and gave Sang Yanyou and Xu Mingyang a chestnut each, then waved his hand as if he thought they were in the way: "Get lost, you have no part in today's fun."
Sang Yanyou and Xu Mingyang covered their foreheads and continued to blink pitifully at Sang Zhixia.
Sang Zhixia suppressed a smile and said, "It's inconvenient to take you with us today. You can follow your brother Chen and go for a walk. We'll bring you some delicious food when we come back."
Chen Jing'an, free from Tian Ying'er, who wanted to tear him into pieces every day, felt the fresh air and refreshed. He hooked his arm and pulled the two little brats to his side, pouting and saying, "Go ahead."
"You two can do whatever you want. I'll take care of the kids for you."
Xu Yu winked at Lin Yun, then walked out and helped Sang Zhixia onto the carriage, whispering, "Zhizhi, don't be afraid."
Sang Zhixia got into the car and sat down. She saw Xu Yu riding a horse beside her through the window and smiled silently.
In fact, she didn't feel scared at all.
But if Xu Yu thought so, she didn't mind.
The carriage moved forward steadily all the way. Today, Xue Liu accompanied Sang Zhixia to visit Gui Sheng.
The carriage changed its route three times in a row according to the previously arranged route. Xue Liu couldn't help but grit his teeth and said, "This old fox."
Sang Zhixia casually flipped a page of the book in her hand and said without surprise, "He doesn't want others to find out that he has contact with me."
"Hasn't this already been known to us?"
Guisheng is used to increasing his bets on both ends, focusing on one thing without offending anyone.
If people found out that the person whom they had invited several times but failed to invite had first had contact with Gui Sheng, there would be a lot of suspicion, both overt and covert.
Gui Sheng really doesn't want to take any risk at all.
Sang Zhixia said with a half-smile, "But with a personality like that, it's troublesome to deal with him."
If you want to make someone who is used to being a fence-sitter and fickle-minded to be your whetstone, you must kill him with one strike. It will probably be impossible.
The journey, which was originally planned to take no more than an hour, ended up taking two and a half hours due to the many twists and turns.
Seeing the villa not far away, Xu Yu's eyes flashed with sarcasm.
Xu Yu said softly, "I've heard that southern merchants are wealthy. Seeing them today has really broadened my horizons."
Sang Zhixia held her chin up and looked at Xu Yu outside the window: "What do you mean?"
Xu Yu raised his chin towards the gradually clearing outline of the villa and said delicately, "Zhizhi, the last time I saw such a magnificent house perched on several hills was the imperial palace in Kyoto."
Sangzhi Xia said silently, "Ouch."
Xu Yu scoffed, "The Emperor's summer palace is probably a bit less imposing than this place."
"and……"
"This is just a small courtyard."
If this is the case with just a small courtyard, then other places must be even more shocking.
Sang Zhixia had not seen much of the world, but the moment she got off the car in front of the villa gate, she subconsciously felt that Xu Yu had spoken too early.
This villa is much larger than the Lingnan Palace, and is probably not much different from the imperial palace.
Upon learning that Sang Zhixia had arrived, the doorman hurried in to inform her, and soon it was Gui Lianzhi who came out to greet her.
Gui Lianzhi was a big man with a fat, round face and a smile on his face. When he saw Sang Zhixia, he was stunned at first, as if he had not expected that the person who made his father so afraid was actually such a young and beautiful woman.
Sang Zhixia had a smile on her lips, and her expression did not change at all.
Xue Liu said unhappily, "Master Gui, this is the owner of Sanyou Trading Company."
"You should respectfully address me as Mr. Sang."
Gui Lianzhi raised his hand and patted his forehead as if realizing something, then immediately bowed politely: "Gui Lianzhi, greetings to Mr. Sang."
Sang Zhixia accepted his gift without flinching. She glanced over Gui Lianzhi's shoulder and said calmly, "I've had a lot of trouble getting here today. It took me a while to get here, and I'm tired. Master Gui must have been waiting for a long time."
When Gui Lianzhi heard that this was dissatisfaction with the detour, he quickly smiled and said, "Mr. Sang, you are joking."
"It was originally our fault for not making good arrangements that we had to make you suffer from the bumpy ride. It's all our fault. If the Sang family doesn't mind, then we are honored."
Sang Zhixia laughed but it was hard to tell whether she was happy or angry.
Gui Lianzhi bowed his head slightly, leaned sideways, and made a gesture of invitation, saying politely, "I apologize for the poor hospitality today. I will personally offer a toast to Mr. Sang as an apology after the banquet."
"My father has learned that you are coming today and is already waiting inside. Mr. Sang, please follow me."
Gui Lianzhi was very polite and walked in front to lead the way, but he was still a little step behind Sang Zhixia.
After turning the outer door, what was waiting inside was actually a sedan chair.
Gui Lianzhi explained, "The road ahead is built along the mountain and has many twists and turns. It's really hard to walk there. I'd like to ask Mr. Sang to get into the sedan chair to avoid any more fatigue."
Sedan chairs are for the masters to enjoy, and followers do not have such benefits.
Sang Zhixia readily enjoyed it, and after bouncing around in the sedan chair for half an hour, he got on the small pleasure boat pulled by servants, and once again sighed inwardly.
It turns out that I am really too short-sighted.
What’s the point of carved beams and painted buildings covered with gold and jade?
What’s the big deal about riding in a sedan chair at home?
First take a sedan chair and then change to a boat, this is the real meaning of having a large family and a great business!
Sang Zhixia had never seen such a large pleasure boat anywhere else except on the river.
Sang Zhixia casually brushed aside the willow branches that had fallen outside the boat window. Noticing the people busying around on the shore, she asked in surprise, "What are they planting?"
Gui Lianzhi explained with a smile, "Winter is over now, and these willow trees are empty and not very pleasant to look at, so I just pulled them out and transplanted flowering peach trees instead."
"After a while, the peach blossoms will bloom and their petals will fall into the water, and the whole road will be covered with pink and white. That will be a pleasant sight."
Sang Zhixia secretly took a deep breath and laughed, "What about the peach blossoms? Are we going to enjoy the peaches?"
"Mr. Sang is joking."
Gui Lianzhi said nonchalantly, "Spring flowers and autumn moons are both beautiful sights, but when the flowers fall and only the fruits remain, there's nothing much to see."
"After the spring peach blossoms have bloomed, summer flowers are planted, red maples are planted in autumn, and winter plum blossoms are planted in winter. Only by rotating the four seasons can the garden have a touch of elegance."
Sang Zhixia estimated the route the pleasure boat had taken in her mind, and couldn't help but gasp once again at the Gui family's wealth.
Apart from anything else, the interest in enjoying the scenery as the seasons change is all elegance built on money.
Not to mention...
They also have a hunting ground that is so fenced off that you can't see the bottom of it, right next to the mountain behind the villa.
Gui Lianzhi was nonchalant about this: "It's called a hunting ground, but in reality it's just a place to keep some wild animals. It's just a place to go for a ride in your spare time. It's nothing special."
Sang Zhixia nodded with a polite smile, so as not to make people think that she was unworldly.
After Gui Lianzhi left to order the boat to land, Sang Zhixia's eyes fell on Xu Yu, who was following closely behind him, and she mouthed silently, "Compared to the palaces you've seen, how does this place compare?"
Xu Yu pursed his lips in an ambiguous manner and whispered, "This place is much bigger than the palace."
Sang Zhixia was amused by his strange tone. She glanced sideways at the tree being dug out and transported away by the river bank, her eyes filled with sorrow.
It seems that the real emperor far away in Kyoto lives a less comfortable life than the local emperor in the south.
No wonder Jiang Yubai regarded this place as a place to earn military pay.
They are indeed very, very rich...
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