Chapter 197 - 99: Lian Yan Mountain Villa_2

Words : 1292 Updated : Sep 27th, 2025

Chapter 197: Chapter 99: Lian Yan Mountain Villa_2 Passing through the peach forest, one can only marvel at the fiery red in front of them, as large pomegranates like red lanterns dangle from the branches, laden with heavy fruit. Sang Wan couldn’t help but praise with a smile, "The soil and fruit here are truly excellent; these pomegranates are growing so well!" "Madam! Young master!" Seeing them arrive, Cui Ling hurried over with a basket that held a dozen pomegranates, each as large as a fist, and red all over. She took one, wiped it on her clothing, and offered it to Sang Wan, "Madam, you must try this, it’s really sweet!" Then she carried on chattering with a laugh, "But the fruits are not at their sweetest yet, wait until after a few frosts in October. By then, each pomegranate will be so red it seems as if they’re dripping with blood, and that’s when they are the sweetest and most delicious! Each and every pomegranate seed will be thoroughly red!" "Let me do it." Shi Fengju took the pomegranate from Cui Ling, pinched and broke it open with a "snap" in the middle, then handed one half to Sang Wan, "Be careful, don’t get your clothes stained!" Seeing this, Cui Ling couldn’t help but burst into a chuckle, spontaneously saying, "Young master is really so good to Madam! I’ve never seen the young master—uh, Madam, does your foot still hurt?" Cui Ling originally wanted to say "I’ve never seen the young master treat anyone so well, even Miss Gu in the past didn’t get such treatment," but recalling her mother’s stern glare and the scolding, she abruptly held her tongue. "It’s nothing serious! Oh, your handkerchief, make sure you keep it safe!" Sang Wan said with a smile and a shake of her head, pulling the handkerchief from her sleeve to return to Cui Ling. Cui Ling gratefully accepted it with a smile, and the three of them casually strolled around before heading back, passing through a forest planted with various fruit trees, and Cui Ling carefully picked two clusters of ripe purple grapes, saying she would wash them later for Madam to try fresh. Seeing them return, Aunt Cui greeted them with a smile and helped Sang Wan, saying with a laugh, "Madam, young master, you’re back! Rest a bit and then have lunch!" She also inquired with a smile, "Are you tired, Madam? Was the road difficult to walk?" Sang Wan said it was nothing and the group entered the house. Before long, Aunt Cui brought the servants to set up the meal. All were local wild flavors, with vegetables from the manor, home-raised chickens, ducks, fish caught from the lake, as well as bamboo shoots, mountain mushrooms, wild vegetables, and more. The manor didn’t have a master chef; Aunt Cui, along with two servants, personally took to the cooking. They used simple, rustic cooking methods familiar to farmhouses, relying solely on oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar without any other spices. Yet Sang Wan enjoyed the meal immensely, finding the flavors very similar to what she used to eat at home, and couldn’t help but heap praise on Aunt Cui’s cooking, saying she hadn’t eaten such good food in a long time. While the chefs from Shi Mansion wouldn’t dare claim to be the best in Qingzhou, they certainly were among the top, and the mansion lacked nothing in good ingredients. Aunt Cui didn’t quite believe what Sang Wan had said, but hearing her praise made the cook extremely happy and feel a sense of accomplishment, so she jokingly said, "It’s good if Madam likes it! Maybe when Madam goes back, she can take this old servant with her, and I could cook for Madam every day! I’m just afraid that Madam might get tired of it after a couple of days!" Sang Wan replied with a smile, "Really? I would love that! I’m just afraid you wouldn’t want to leave this place, Aunt Cui!" "Not to hide anything from Madam, but speaking of it, I really am quite reluctant to leave here indeed!" Aunt Cui laughed heartily without pretense, causing everyone to laugh along. Aunt Cui couldn’t help but scrutinize Sang Wan privately, thinking that this Miss from the Sang family was so dignified and gracefu and treated people kindly, appearing to have an extremely good temper as well. No wonder the young master was so good to her! She had previously felt sorry for young master not ending up with Miss Gu, but now it seemed, Madam was not at all inferior to Miss Gu! The young master was truly fortunate! She couldn’t help but feel puzzled, thinking it strange that Miss Gu didn’t come this time – she wondered how Miss Gu was doing now. Thinking of that bright and cheerful Miss Gu, with her radiant smiles, Aunt Cui suddenly felt a complex mood, uncertain whether to side with Madam or Miss Gu. She had felt before that Miss Gu and the young master were extremely well-matched, but now she felt that the couple before her were truly meant for each other! After a while, Shi Fengju and Sang Wan sat in the hall having tea, while Aunt Cui busied herself cleaning the freshly picked fruit like pomegranates, pears, and grapes, as well as various aquatic produce like gorgon fruit, lotus seeds, lotus pods, and crispy lotus roots to offer them. "These are all produced by the manor, and though they’re not worth much, Madam can try them for their freshness!" Aunt Cui said beamingly. Sang Wan nodded and replied with a smile, "You’re so considerate! It’s quite rare to have such freshness!" "That’s true, the lotus roots from Ling Lake are especially crispy and sweet. Here, have a taste!" Shi Fengju used a toothpick to pick up a piece of fresh and tender crispy lotus root and offered it to Sang Wan. Sang Wan, not quite accustomed to his intimate gestures in front of others, couldn’t help but feel her face warm up, yet it wasn’t appropriate to refuse and lose face, so she could only smile and take a bite. The bite was crispy, sweet, and juicy, with the unique fragrance of lotus root, making Sang Wan turn to him with smiles of praise. Seeing that she liked it, Aunt Cui also beamed with delight, constantly laughing and praising Ling Lake. Shi Fengju then inquired, "How come there are no water chestnuts? There should be plenty at this time!" Aunt Cui laughed, "Young master is attentive! We picked a lot of water chestnuts this morning, but they were a bit old and not as crispy and sweet, so I didn’t bring them over. I’ll have Cui Ling pick some more later so young master and Madam can try them too!" Shi Fengju’s eyes brightened as he laughed, "That’s perfect, the weather is good today, let’s go with Miss Wan later! We can also take a boat ride!" He added with a smile to Sang Wan, "Ling Lake is known for having the best crabs and water chestnuts; since you’re here, you must try them!" "As young master says," Aunt Cui quickly responded with a smile, "Then the young master and Madam can rest for a bit first; I’ll go arrange for a boat." Shi Fengju laughed, "No need for trouble, the small wooden boats we usually use for picking water chestnuts will do!" Sang Wan agreed with a smile and added, "I’ve never been on such a boat before! It must be quite unique!" Aunt Cui laughed, "That’s fine too! But the boat is a bit dirty, it needs a good cleaning!" Saying that, she instructed someone to handle it.

Chapter 197 - 99: Lian Yan Mountain Villa_2

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