Chapter 327: Chapter 306, Staying Overnight at Taohua Temple_1
After chatting with the old grandmother at Taohua Temple, Daohua prepared to leave with Wang Manman, “Old Grandma, Strange Master, I will come to see you next time.”
The old grandmother nodded with a smile, “Be careful on the road.”
“Mhm!”
Daohua, with Wang Manman, stepped out of the house, and Gu Jian also followed them out.
As they stepped out of the courtyard gate, Daohua turned to Gu Jian, “Strange Master, the mountain road is treacherous. You must be careful when you go up and down the mountain, especially since you are not young anymore.”
Listening to these words filled with concern, Gu Jian’s eyes flickered and he grunted ‘Mhm’ with an expressionless face.
It was only after Daohua and her servant’s figures had disappeared from view that Gu Jian returned to the house. Upon entering, he saw his sister savoring the sweets that the girl had brought, and his gaze immediately softened.
“You should try some too. I don’t know how Daohua makes these sweets, but they are somehow tastier than those from other places.” The old grandmother said with a smile, pushing the treats to the side.
Gu Jian walked over, picked up a piece, and savored it carefully before nodding, “It is good. Sister, if you like it, I will buy some from that girl next time.”
The old grandmother shook her head in disapproval, “Don’t be like that. It’s the thought that counts when someone offers a gift. If you go and buy it, it’s as if the girl is just a cook. Treats like sweets are just that—treats, meant to be enjoyed occasionally.”
Gu Jian remained silent, his head lowered.
However, the next day, Daohua appeared once again at Taohua Temple with Wang Manman.
“What brings you here again so soon?”
Seeing Daohua and her servant, Gu Jian was truly surprised.
Wang Manman held up the earthen jar she was carrying, “My young mistress has come to deliver pickled pears for Old Grandma.”
Upon hearing the voice, the old grandmother slowly walked out of the house.
When Daohua saw her, she quickly walked up and supported her arm, “Old Grandma, let’s go inside and sit. You shouldn’t stay by the door. The weather is still quite cold, and the mountain winds are blowing. It’s easy to catch a chill.”
Without refusing, the old grandmother, leaning on Daohua’s support, returned to the house, saying as they walked, “Child, why trouble yourself with another trip? This cough of mine hasn’t been a matter of just a day or two; it’s not urgent at this moment.”
Daohua said with a smile, “It wasn’t that I wanted to make the trip, but after I went home and told my grandmother about you, she learned that you often cough and insisted that I hurry over with the pears. With orders from my grandmother, how could I, as a granddaughter, not obey?”
The old grandmother smiled in appreciation, “Thank your grandmother for her kindness.”
After helping the old grandmother get comfortably seated, Daohua took the four earthen jars Wang Manman was holding, “These jars contain honey, which comes from my own garden. Although it’s not as good as wild honey, the taste is still quite decent.”
“This jar contains rock candy.”
“These two jars have the pickled pears.”
Daohua turned to Gu Jian, “Strange Master, you must make sure Old Grandma eats the stewed pear with rock candy and honey!”
Ordinary stewed pear with rock candy and honey might not do much for the old grandmother’s cough, but the pears she brought were pickled using pears from her own space.
Gu Jian replied with a ‘Mhm’, his demeanor much softer than before.
Worried that the old grandmother and Gu Jian wouldn’t take it seriously, Daohua thought for a moment and decided to cook a pot herself.
Half an hour later, Daohua watched intently as the old grandmother drank a bowl of stewed pear with rock candy and honey soup, immediately asking, “How is it?”
Seeing her eager look, the old grandmother chuckled, “It’s quite tasty.”
Gu Jian said irritably, “She just drank it; how could the effect be immediate? Do you think this is an elixir?” Although his tone wasn’t pleasant, there was a hint of amusement in his eyes.
“Oh, right!”
Daohua sheepishly smiled, patted her forehead, and realized she had been foolish.
Grandma Gu said with a smile, “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to drink it up.”
After sitting for a while longer, Daohua took her leave with Wang Manman.
When they reached the courtyard, Gu Jian took the initiative to ask, “The Medical Book I gave you, have you had a look at it?”
Daohua nodded hurriedly, “Of course, I have, but there are many parts I don’t quite understand.”
Gu Jian coughed twice and said casually, “That… if there are parts you don’t understand, you can come and ask me.”
Daohua was first taken aback, then burst into a radiant smile, “Thank you, my peculiar master.”
Watching Daohua and her maidservant skip merrily down the mountain, Gu Jian’s face softened a bit, and then he shook his head and returned to his room.
…
In the blink of an eye, it was the middle of March.
After nearly half a month of rushing work, the five thousand mu of wasteland was reclaimed, and Xiaoliu even brought several batches of farm manure from the town, scattering it across the fields.
During this period, Daohua often ran between Taohua Village and the city. Now that they were starting to plant yams, she became even busier.
Seeing her busy running around, Grandma Gu thought for a moment and invited her to stay at Taohua Temple, “The east wing of our place has always been empty. If you don’t mind, you and your maidservant can stay on the mountain.”
Daohua nodded hastily, about to agree, but she glanced at Gu Jian beside her.
Gu Jian ‘hmphed’ and turned his head away.
Seeing he had nothing to object, Daohua happily accepted, “Then I might have to impose on Grandma Gu and peculiar master for a while.”
Others didn’t know how to plant yams properly, and in order to have a good harvest in the fall, it was necessary for her to pay close attention. Moreover, this batch of yam seeds came entirely from her own space; she had been saving them for several years and did not want them to go to waste.
Daohua still went home that day, first, to inform her family and second, to prepare some change of clothes.
After Daohua left, Grandma Gu said to Gu Jian with a smile, “That girl seems quite afraid of you.”
Gu Jian was speechless, “What’s there to be scared of? I haven’t hit her or scolded her, why would she be afraid?”
Grandma Gu shook her head helplessly, “You should frown less. After all, she’s a young girl. Even I get scared when you have that stern look on your face sometimes.”
Gu Jian originally wanted to retort, but thinking of how his sister’s cough had improved a lot after drinking the pear soup that girl had brought, and how she could now sleep through the night, he swallowed back his words.
…
Yan Residence.
After hearing Grandma Gu’s invitation, Old Lady Yan fell silent for a moment then spoke, “I’ll go with you. It’s not proper for a young lady to stay at someone else’s place without an elder present; it wouldn’t sound good to others.”
Daohua hadn’t thought of this, but she agreed with her grandmother coming along. On the one hand, the blossoming peach flowers on Taohua Mountain were already in bloom, which would be perfect for her grandmother to enjoy.
On the other hand, Grandma Gu and the peculiar master were too solitary staying up on the mountain by themselves. The occasional monk might come down to shop, but Grandma Gu always stayed on the mountain. It would be good for her grandmother to have someone to chat with.
Thinking of how the diet of the two living on the mountain relied solely on the peculiar master carrying things up, Daohua thought it over and directly brought two large carts of food. One cart held rice, flour, and cooking oil, while the other was filled with fresh vegetables and fruits.
The next day, seeing that Daohua had brought not only her grandmother but also a heap of food, Gu Jian didn’t know which expression to greet her with.
This girl, was she planning to stay at his place indefinitely?