Hongli smiled but remained silent, letting her continue reading.
Su Yushan then noticed a piece of paper under the key. She unfolded it and was shocked to discover that it was a land deed!
A birthday gift that turned out to be a land deed? Su Yushan was puzzled, and Hongli didn't explain either, saying that he would take her out of the mansion today, and the carriage was already prepared outside the gate.
On the way, Yu Shan couldn't help but ask, "Where are you taking me?"
The land deed had the location written on it, but she couldn't understand it and didn't know where it was.
Hongli smiled mysteriously, refusing to reveal anything, saying he wanted to give her a surprise.
The carriage traveled for nearly half an hour before slowly coming to a stop. Hongli got off the carriage first, then stood to one side and raised his hand to help Yushan.
Su Yushan raised her slender fingers slightly, lifted her skirt, stepped off the carriage onto the stool, and stood still. Only then did she realize that what was in front of her was not an ordinary house, but a villa.
Most villas have names, but this one didn't have a plaque in front of the gate. Su Yushan asked in surprise, "Why isn't it named?"
Looking at her sideways, Hongli smiled indulgently, "This is for you, and you should decide on the name."
She had followed Hongli for so many years, yet she hadn't learned any literary skills such as composing poems. "I'm not good at these refined things, so you should decide for me!"
There's no rush. Hongli suggested we go in and take a look first; maybe we'll find some inspiration then.
So the two walked forward together, and the key was in her hand. Hongli asked her to open it herself.
She was filled with curiosity about everything in the courtyard, and turned the key with anticipation to remove the lock.
When she pushed open the door, she found that there were people inside; the servants were all waiting at the door and bowed in unison.
Su Yushan chuckled in surprise and nodded in acknowledgment. After walking a little further away, she asked, "There are people inside, why did you lock the door?"
"I just wanted you to unlock the door yourself and experience what it's like to be the lady of the house!"
Su Yushan smiled, put the key back in the box, and handed it to Yunfang for safekeeping. "Alright! This feeling is indeed very good."
It is said that Hongli often gave her silver notes and gold and silver jewelry, and also gave her elder brother and younger brother a house each. This is the first time he has given her a separate courtyard.
She was still wondering why he would suddenly think of sending her a house, until she walked around the artificial hill and saw the hot spring behind the bamboo forest. Then she suddenly remembered that three months ago she had casually mentioned that she would not go to the hot spring that Lan Rong had been to. At that time, Hongli said he would find a hot spring for her, but she refused.
Su Yushan took it as a joke he was making to coax her, but she didn't expect him to actually be looking for her. "You're here for this hot spring?"
Nodding, Hongli smiled and replied, "It's hard to find a place with hot springs and good feng shui. This place was originally a forest with hot springs but no courtyard, so I bought this land and ordered people to rush to build this villa within three months as a birthday gift for you. I hope you like it."
"You never mentioned this to me!" At the time, she told him not to bother looking for hot springs, and he agreed, saying he would listen to her. Who would have thought that he would be busy with this matter for the past three months!
"If I had told you beforehand, why would I feel so surprised today?" In fact, Hongli really liked to share with her, telling her everything, big or small. But this time, in order to surprise her, he had kept it a secret for three months.
Looking around, Su Yushan exclaimed in admiration, "The scenery and houses in this villa are arranged in a harmonious and natural way, which is extremely beautiful."
Having received her praise, Hongli's hard work was not in vain. "You come from Jiangnan and have not returned to your hometown for many years. I imagine you must miss your hometown very much. So I asked craftsmen who are good at building Jiangnan gardens to plan this villa. I hope that when you are here, you will feel like you are coming home."
She wasn't the original owner of this body, nor was she a true native of Jiangnan, but Su Yushan sensed Hongli's feelings and was deeply moved.
"Thank you so much for building this villa for me. I love it."
He waited so long just to hear her say she liked it. As long as she was satisfied, he would be at ease. But she didn't need to be so polite. "Do we need to thank each other? Why are you being so formal?"
"Thanking you is not a formality, but I am truly grateful for what you have done for me." As their eyes met, Su Yushan's eyes reddened slightly. She took the initiative to hug him and leaned against his chest, her heart churning with a multitude of emotions.
She has always been shy, and she would never be so affectionate with him in front of others. But today she disregarded these rules and hugged him in front of everyone!
Overjoyed, Hongli embraced her and whispered, "I'm glad you like it. If you really want to thank me, why don't you join me for a hot spring bath tonight?"
Tears were about to fall from her eyes, but this remark made her both laugh and cry. Su Yushan lightly punched her fist and said coquettishly, "So that's why you went to find the hot springs?"
"Hot springs are for bathing, otherwise wouldn't it be a waste?"
He spoke with righteous indignation, leaving Su Yushan speechless. She then changed the subject, saying, "The scenery here is beautiful; I'd like to wander around."
Hongli would not let her off easily. "We haven't finished talking about what just happened. Don't change the subject."
Although she did not explicitly agree, the two did not return to the mansion that night, but stayed in the villa.
Even though they had been together for many years, Su Yushan was still too embarrassed to undress in front of him. After taking off her cloak, she went down to the hot spring wearing only her undergarments.
It's late autumn now, but the water temperature is just right, not cold at all.
As it turned out, her clothes were useless; as soon as Hongli approached, he would untie them for her piece by piece.
Her plain white shirt, soaked in water, floated in the hot spring. Su Yushan, with her eyes closed and leaning on his shoulder, had a blush on her cheeks. The moonlight shone quietly on her, and she was like a beautiful peony, blooming only at his fingertips.
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