Siheyuan: Relieve stress and relieve worries

Chapter 862 An unexpected surprise
The weather in August changes suddenly. An autumn rain came suddenly. Wang Zhan was reading a book in the study room in the backyard, with Jin Bao lying next to him. Not far away, Wang Li was studying a new textbook. When she had questions, she would run to Wang Zhan and ask him directly.

He Yushui went out. Ever since Sha Zhu and He Yushui reconciled their past grudges, the brother and sister began to let themselves go. One didn't want to go back to the yard every day, and the other always wanted to brainwash her brother. It happened that the two of them were wandering around the city, and Sha Zhu took He Yushui to visit some of his own fellow apprentices, as well as his father He Daqing's fellow apprentices, all of whom were uncles and aunts of the same generation.

At this point, He Yushui felt even more homesick. All his fellow apprentices and uncles and aunts, when they saw He Yushui, would show off their special cooking skills, which made He Yushui very happy. This was especially true for Sha Zhu's two masters. Although their relationship with He Daqing was average and they only had a master-disciple relationship, they could not help but treat her as their apprentice's sister and spoiled her.

The construction at the East Cross Courtyard was proceeding step by step. As it was raining today, Master Lei gave his apprentices and workers a day off, but he came here with Wang Zhan's drawings, mainly to discuss the layout of heating and bathroom.

Master Lei had renovated this yard before, and he knew about toilets and ceramic sinks, but now he couldn't get them. He asked Wang Zhan what to do. Wang Zhan thought for a while and said, "I'll ask my master to think of a solution. If it doesn't work, we can demolish this yard and build a dry toilet here."

As for heating, this time Master Lei didn't mind making a ground fire dragon. He recommended a heating equipment that combined a heater and a small boiler. It was said that it had been popularized in the compound. Wang Zhan had never seen it, but he believed in Master Lei's ability and agreed.

After discussing most of the things, the two began to drink tea and chat. What they talked about most was the affairs of the underworld. Master Lei was also very knowledgeable about this aspect, but he never participated in it. He made a living by his skills, and never said much when encountering anything.

Master Lei also told Wang Zhan a lot of hidden things about the palace buildings. Wang Zhan suddenly had an idea and pulled Master Lei to the secret room in the small garden. The last time Master Lei was repairing the yard, he did not find this secret room. Wang Zhan thought that he was going to move anyway, so this secret room was of no use to him and there was nothing to hide.

Master Lei was also very curious about the secret room that could hide from his eyes, so he followed Wang Zhan to see it. When he entered the secret room, Master Lei was stunned. He turned to look at Wang Zhan and said, "What was in there when you came in?"

Wang Zhan did not shy away from Master Lei and said, "There is nothing here. There are just a few boxes of gold and silver in the east room. Master Lei, do you want to go take a look?"

Master Lei waved his hands and said with a wry smile: "You call this a secret room? Blind Chen didn't teach you Feng Shui layout, and Taoist Wang should have told you too. Don't you know what this is for?"

Wang Zhan first looked at Master Lei in confusion, thinking about some Feng Shui knowledge that Taoist Wang had told him. Suddenly, Wang Zhan widened his eyes and looked carefully at the secret room. Then he suddenly realized that it was no wonder that Master Lei became weird. What kind of secret room was this? This was a tomb for the living. It must be a ghost. When Wang Zhan thought about how he used this place as a warehouse and brought his sister and Yu Shui in and out, he felt a chill on his back.

Wang Zhan decided that no, they had to move the things here away quickly as this place was unlucky. He turned around and pulled Master Lei out.

Master Lei and he returned to the garden and came to the pavilion. Dayu called out to Wang Zhan twice when he saw him, but Wang Zhan ignored him and said, "Master Lei, please help me design a secret room for the East Cross Courtyard. My requirements are not high, just big enough, preferably well ventilated and dry. I plan to put some food in addition to other things, is that okay?"

Master Lei was happy and said, "It's a piece of cake. I'll do it for you when the house is ready. I guarantee you'll be satisfied. And I don't want any money. I'll give you money."

Wang Zhan looked at Master Lei in confusion, not knowing what he meant. Master Lei sighed and said, "You only saw the main tomb chamber. Have you ever thought of anything else, even though there is nothing in it?"

Wang Zhan really couldn't think of it this time, so he shook his head. Master Lei said, "It seems that Taoist Wang really didn't teach you anything about this. There should be two sealed underground tombs in this yard, which are burial tombs. There must be something in them."

Master Lei pointed to the two sides of the rockery. On one side was the small bridge, and on the other side was a well, the sweet water well where he often soaked watermelons. Master Lei said, "Leave this to me. I only want 30% of the goods, and the rest is yours. I just want to save some money and help my apprentice. This place is yours, so you should take the lion's share."

Wang Zhan didn’t really care. What he lacked the least now were money and tickets, so he agreed. However, the two of them also reached an agreement that after the east wing was almost repaired, they would come here to handle the matter on the pretext of demolishing and renovating the bathroom.

After Master Lei left, Wang Zhan sat by the window, drinking tea from his purple clay teapot and looking at the rain outside. He felt very comfortable. He himself did not expect that there would be an unexpected surprise today, but he was even more impressed by Master Lei's honesty and sincerity. Wang Zhan was determined to be friends with this man.

He Yushui came back in the afternoon holding an oil-paper umbrella and a lunch box in her hand. As soon as she entered the backyard, she saw Wang Zhan standing in a daze by the window. He Yushui did not go back to her room, but went straight into the study.

As soon as He Yushui entered the room, Wang Li stopped moving, staring at He Yushui's food box. He Yushui was happy to see Wang Li's expression and said, "Lili, you are in for a treat. I brought you the authentic Shandong cuisine Jiuzhuan Large Intestine and Dongpo Pork Knuckle."

Wang Zhan was also amused and asked, "Who did it? Could it be your brother?"

"My brother's chef made this, and my brother helped cook it. Brother Zhan, come and try it too. This is Fengze Garden's signature dish." He Yushui boasted.

Wang Zhan got down from the bed, put down the purple clay teapot, walked to the desk, and tidied it up with He Yushui. The three of them took out the dishes from the food box at the desk. As soon as Wang Zhan saw it, he knew that this was truly an authentic dish made by a descendant of the Lu school, and even the presentation of the dish was so exquisite.

Wang Li started eating right away with big mouthfuls, praising the food for being delicious as she ate. Wang Zhan only tasted a little because he was not hungry. Another reason was that he was a skilled cook and had a very picky taste. The two dishes had been left for a while, so the flavor had lost a bit. Wang Zhan thought they were still excellent dishes.

Wang Zhan ate a few bites and then stopped. He Yushui ate very little after finishing her meal, so she gave the rest to Wang Li. Wang Zhan asked, "Where's your brother? Did he not come back, or did he go home?"

"He went on a blind date. The master's wife introduced him to her. We met this afternoon. He was still hesitant, so Master Huang kicked him a few times. Then he obediently went to take a shower and get a haircut. I guess he will stay at his master's house tonight." He Yushui picked up the kettle, found a teacup, and poured himself a cup of tea.

Wang Zhan was thinking about Sha Zhu. Is this guy thinking normally now? Has he really figured it out? Wang Zhan didn't think so. Wang Zhan always felt that Sha Zhu was still living in a muddle-headed way and just believed whatever others said. Wang Zhan suddenly thought of an idea and looked at He Yushui with a sly smile.

He Yushui was shocked by Wang Zhan's look and said, "You are not going to do anything bad to my brother, are you? Don't do that. He is stupid to begin with, and he can't beat you."

Wang Zhan shook his head and said, "That's definitely not the case. I plan to turn your brother into a hardworking young man. What do you say?"

(End of this chapter)