Traveling to Daliang Kingdom starts from falling into the water

Chapter 1053 Traveling along the mountain road
Leaving the main courtyard and backyard, following the winding mountain road to the depths of the peach grove, Taoyuanju, located halfway up the mountain, is the true secluded residence of the main family.

It is said that the previous owner, County Magistrate Huang, spent a lot of money to renovate the secluded mountainside residence when Taozhuang came into his possession.

In other words, Taoyuanju, which originally did not need repair, has caused the couple to lose another sum of money after rounds of searches.

This expense, because it was located halfway up the mountain, and although it was just a small courtyard, the inconvenience of moving it still cost three hundred taels of silver.

In Ma Shan's words, three hundred taels of silver could be enough to demolish and rebuild a large courtyard, and the place would be in ruins after being ransacked by the yamen runners.

This definitely needs to be investigated in person. There might be some treasures inside. No, I mean, since the money has already been spent, I definitely need to go and see how it's done in person.

"good idea!"

Gu Wenxuan suppressed a laugh and gave a thumbs up, making no mention of his original plan to hold the "biggest surprise" for this afternoon, just to make his daughter-in-law smile.

If he dared to say that Taoyuanju was located halfway up the mountain and that it would be a long climb to get there, he should eat something first to replenish his energy before climbing.

His wife didn't think she was still weak after giving birth. He dared to say that she would definitely do the opposite and wouldn't be herself if she didn't climb halfway up the mountain in one go.

The Buddha said, "It cannot be spoken, it cannot be spoken, to speak of it is to err."

The mountain behind the mountain doesn't look very high, but it's actually quite difficult to climb it.

Zhou Banxia thought to herself that she had underestimated her current physical condition. Not to mention the time when she could run all over the mountains without getting out of breath when she was young, even the later...

Later, perhaps because of regular exercise, I could climb Huangshan Mountain without any problem, no matter how busy I was at work. So, I was actually a little weak in the knees on this small hill.

Fortunately, the scenery along the way was beautiful.

As you walk along the mountain road, the peach blossoms on the hillside are in full bloom, causing the wild vegetables on the ground to burst into clusters and patches of colorful flowers, vying for attention.

Even butterflies and bees, not wanting to be left out, fluttered their wings between the two from time to time, rising and falling as if greeting each other.

A single peach blossom adds a touch of spring's color, while countless peach blossoms capture the full splendor of spring.

Being there, smelling the fragrance of flowers, and with the strong visual impact of the scene, other senses can be completely ignored; my legs don't ache, and my back doesn't hurt anymore.

"No, this is just a mountain path, no problem!" Zhou Banxia secretly stretched her legs, determined not to let someone carry her like Pigsy carrying his wife.

Gu Wenxuan suppressed a laugh, stood up, took the water pouch, and then took her hand in his. "Let's talk as we walk. If we get tired, we can sit down for a while. There's no rush."

You promised to accompany me to Gaoyang County today, didn't you? Zhou Banxia nodded with a smirk, "Okay, remember to tell me if you can't walk anymore, I won't laugh at you."

You know what I'm thinking now. Once I'm older and can finally let go of all the household chores, this place would be a perfect, quiet place to retire.

"That's what my grandmaster said too. According to my uncle-master Cheng, if I stay at the manor for a couple more days, I'll insist on going back to the academy. Once I'm back at the academy, I absolutely have to stay at the mountain lodge."

This time, Uncle Cheng was so overwhelmed by the commotion that he and his eldest nephew secretly took a shortcut under the cover of darkness to reach the old man's mountain hut!

"Haha..." Zhou Banxia didn't want to laugh, but she couldn't help it. "The contrast is too big. In my impression, Uncle Cheng was an old-fashioned person."

I've met him a few times, and each time he's been so serious, practically wanting me to recite the "Admonitions for Women." Who would have thought he could be so willful?

Hearing her say that, Gu Wenxuan couldn't help but laugh. "He's not just serious in front of you. It's only because I'm familiar with him that I'm not afraid of him."

Even now, Senior Brother Zheng and the others are still quite afraid of him. Many times, his master would just cough without smiling, and they'd freeze in fear. "Of course," said one student. "Master Cheng is, after all, their headmaster. Few students aren't afraid of their teachers, let alone a headmaster whose status is equivalent to our master."

"Too."

Gu Wenxuan, while holding Zhou Banxia's left hand and keeping an eye on the road, was both concerned that she might not be paying attention to her footing and was the first to express his approval.

However, before he could finish speaking, his wife immediately chimed in, "That's right, Heaven, Earth, Parents, Ruler, and Teacher. These days, the relationship between teacher and student is no less important than that between father and son."

Otherwise, with so many disciples and grand-disciples under Master Cheng, why would he bother to tutor a mere grand-disciple of one of his fellow disciples? It's all about sharing the same master and lineage.

This is a forwarded quote!

Gu Wenxuan looked down at his wife, "Could it be that my martial uncle was tempted by something? No, could it be that he was attracted by my personal charm?"

With a "pfft," Zhou Banxia laughed, "You might as well say that your face itself exudes righteousness, which is more convincing."

"Born with righteousness?" Gu Wenxuan looked completely puzzled as he took her hand and touched his face. "Could it be that I have a square face?"

"Anyway, it's not a V-shaped face." Zhou Banxia took the opportunity to pull his face and couldn't help but laugh, "I must say, this skin is really tender."

"Does it feel good to touch?" Gu Wenxuan firmly denied that he had only realized what his wife meant after his words left his mouth. "What's there to be embarrassed about? Just touch it if you want."

"Who are you? My wife. There's really no need for you to beat around the bush and expect me to touch you. I'm not afraid of you touching me until my skin is bald. Is there anything else you want to touch?"

"..." He's being indecent again. He dismissed the servants. No one around could hear him, but he could make sure that no one from a high or low place would see that a gentleman uses words, not fists.
Zhou Banxia immediately jumped up a stone step. "Speaking of which, does Jingshan Academy have an orchard? I only heard you mention a plum grove before, right?"

"Yes!" Seeing that she had abruptly changed the subject, Gu Wenxuan readily granted her wish, "You have a good memory. There is indeed a plum grove inside Jingshan Academy."

As for the orchard, it seems there isn't one. If there is an orchard, it's not inside the academy. Even if there is a plum grove inside the academy, it couldn't possibly be as large as Peach Manor.

As far as I can see, inside the academy, apart from a few plum trees planted in the corners of several courtyards, there is only a plum grove with less than a hundred trees on flat ground by a mountain stream.

That flat area was less than half an acre, but there were quite a few pine trees. Basically, from the foot of the mountain to the top, the most common trees along the roadside were pine trees.

Next, the second most common tree species is the osmanthus tree. It's said that despite all the protection efforts, many die from frost every year, and new seedlings are always needed every spring when they bloom.

"I know that. Besides the meaning of 'to pluck the laurel in the moon palace,' it's also related to the considerable economic value of osmanthus. I've already reserved half of the osmanthus flowers for their academy this year."

"Is there still this?"

Gu Wenxuan wasn't surprised that his family, with so many estates, still needed to purchase hanging flowers from outside. Of course, the consumption of just one type of soap was not small.

To his surprise, the osmanthus flowers from Jingshan Academy, apart from the osmanthus wine brewed by the master himself, were only supplied to shops owned by Jingshan Academy.

"The pastry shop went out of business?"

"Pretty much. It's said that self-operation is less profitable than collecting rent."

"According to whom?"

"Naturally, it's Master Cheng."