Chapter 336: Chapter 314, Change of Attention_1
“Why are you here again?”
Daohua looked at Xiao Yeyang in astonishment.
Xiao Yeyang smiled lightly, “I thought about it after I went back. Your master indeed did me the favor of giving me books, and as the road repair was my own suggestion, since I’ve already put my word out there, naturally I should follow through.”
Daohua smiled brightly, “Xiao Yeyang, I didn’t expect you to change your mind. However, since you’ve come to help my master and Granny Gu repair the road, I thank you on their behalf.”
Xiao Yeyang gave Daohua a sidelong glance and turned his head to smile, “I’m not repairing it for you, what are you thanking me for?”
Daohua immediately said, “I will have to walk on it in the future, won’t I? Since you’re repairing the road, doesn’t it also make it convenient for me? Come on, let me take you to meet my master and the others first, then we can discuss how to repair the road.”
Xiao Yeyang nodded his head and followed Daohua with a smile as they ascended the mountain.
For the repeated visit of Xiao Yeyang, Lady Yan and Granny Gu were overjoyed, and although Gu Jian kept a straight face, one could still see from his gleaming eyes that he was somewhat touched.
Daohua said with a smile, “Master, Xiao Yeyang has come to repair the road for you and Granny Gu. How do you think we should go about it?”
Gu Jian glanced at Xiao Yeyang, “Are you going to repair it by yourself?”
Xiao Yeyang nodded, “As it’s Master Gu’s request, the junior shall naturally comply.”
Gu Jian frowned slightly, somewhat discontentedly saying, “So what you mean is, you only agreed to repair it by yourself because of my request? In your heart, you never thought of personally repairing the road for us?”
This statement made not only Xiao Yeyang somewhat uncomfortable, but even Daohua felt her own master was being rather unreasonable.
Isn’t that obvious?
Xiao Yeyang, who grew up in the lap of luxury, has always had everything handed to him. Would he take the initiative to repair a road for others?
They’re not blood relatives or elders; why would he need to expend such effort?
Seeing that her master seemed to be waiting for Xiao Yeyang’s answer, Daohua showed a helpless expression and had to step forward to tug at his sleeve.
To the side, Granny Gu also ‘coughed’ twice.
Upon hearing Granny Gu’s cough, Gu Jian immediately stopped fussing, “Alright then, if you want to repair it, go ahead; we don’t have any particular requirements, as long as it’s passable.”
Daohua immediately smiled, “Good, then I’ll take Xiao Yeyang down the mountain to prepare.”
At this moment, Granny Gu spoke up, looking at Xiao Yeyang with a smile, “May I call you ‘Young Yang’ like Taohua’s grandmother does?”
Xiao Yeyang hastened to say, “Of course you can, Granny, as you please.”
Towards this old granny with a burnt face yet very gentle eyes, he still held respect.
Granny Gu’s smile deepened a bit, “Young Yang, we’re really happy that you’re willing to repair the road for me and Master Daohua.”
Hearing this, the joy in De Fu, who was standing behind Xiao Yeyang, surged.
Was this old lady trying to stop the master from repairing the road?
What a kind soul!
However, the next moment, the smile on De Fu’s face instantly stiffened.
“Take your time with the road repair, there’s no rush to finish, just don’t wear yourself out.”
Glancing at the old lady whose eyes were kindly watching his master, De Fu sighed inwardly. As expected, he had been too hopeful.
The honor of having the master personally repair the road for them was something not even the Emperor had enjoyed, nor the Empress Dowager, nor the Prince or the former Princess Consort. It was these two country elders who had lucked out.
What could he say?
Such good fortune!
Just as Daohua was about to lead Xiao Yeyang down the mountain, De Fu suddenly spoke up, “Master, the road definitely can’t be fixed in a day or two. Where will we stay during this time? On the boat?”
Xiao Yeyang looked towards Daohua.
Daohua immediately said, “My estate is not yet completed, but there’s definitely no problem clearing out a couple of rooms for you to stay temporarily.”
Xiao Yeyang was about to nod when he heard Gu Jian coughing. When he looked over, he saw the old man awkwardly saying, “The newly repaired house is too damp, it’s not suitable for living in right away.”
He paused, then, seeming reluctant, glanced at Xiao Yeyang, “I have an empty room next door. If you really have no place to stay, you can stay there.”
Daohua lit up with joy, “Really? That would be perfect.”
Xiao Yeyang was also elated.
To live in Taohua Temple meant he could wake up to see Daohua first thing in the morning, right?
…
Daohua took Xiao Yeyang to inspect the room he was about to move into.
Seeing the room was quite clean and spacious, Xiao Yeyang nodded his head, then instructed Defu to go down the mountain to fetch his everyday clothes and other necessary items.
Afterward, Daohua took Xiao Yeyang for a tour around Taohua Mountain.
“Have you figured out how to construct the road?”
Xiao Yeyang pondered for a moment, “This road is being built for your master and Granny Gu; both elderly, so naturally it must be gentle.”
“If it’s to be gentle, we can’t build it straight from the foot of the mountain to the top. It will have to wind around. As a result, the total length will be much longer. If I work on it alone, I can’t say for sure how long it will take.”
Daohua said, “Take your time; there’s no rush.” Then, pausing, “Right, do you have the time for this? Aren’t you going to classes at the Academy?”
Xiao Yeyang glanced at her, “You just thought of this now?”
Daohua shrugged her shoulders, “I don’t attend the Academy, so how would I remember that clearly. It’s all right, isn’t it?”
Xiao Yeyang replied, “I had notified the Academy before I came; it’s fine.”
Daohua nodded and pointed towards the eastern riverbank, “While roaming around earlier, I saw many Goose Warm Stones there. Let’s go pick some to lay on the road, that way, even if it rains, we won’t have to worry about slipping.”
Xiao Yeyang smiled and nodded, “Sure, a stone-pebble road is indeed much easier to construct than a stone-stair road.”
No sooner said than done, Xiao Yeyang, a man of action, borrowed a carrying basket from the head of the village and headed straight for the riverbank where the Goose Warm Stones were located.
Daohua followed suit, carrying a smaller sized basket on her back.
“Your master tasked me alone with repairing the road; what does this count as?”
Seeing Daohua follow along, there was a clear sense of amusement in Xiao Yeyang’s eyes.
Daohua said, “I’ll just help transport some Goose Warm Stones. My master won’t say anything about it.”
Xiao Yeyang asked, “And what if he does?”
Daohua lifted her chin, “Then I have my own words to block him with. This road is to be used by him and Granny Gu. As his disciple, what’s wrong with offering some filial piety?”
Xiao Yeyang laughed and walked briskly on the muddy mountain path.
Soon, they reached the riverbank.
“There are really a lot of Goose Warm Stones here.”
Daohua exclaimed and seeing Xiao Yeyang starting to pack them swiftly, she too rolled up her sleeves and got to work.
“Alright, that’s enough, no more packing!”
The basket was only one-third full of Goose Warm Stones when Xiao Yeyang began to voice his stop.
Daohua ignored him and continued to fill the basket with Goose Warm Stones, saying while doing so, “What’s good about that? The distance from the foot of the mountain to the riverside isn’t short. I need to pack more to avoid running back and forth.”
Seeing this, Xiao Yeyang felt a bit helpless and hurried to fill his own basket, then walked over to stop Daohua.
Seeing that she had filled her basket two-thirds with Goose Warm Stones, he simply started pouring them out.
“What are you doing?”
Xiao Yeyang was too fast, and by the time Daohua reached out to stop him, only half the Goose Warm Stones were left in her basket.
Seeing Daohua glaring at him, puffed up with anger, Xiao Yeyang patiently said, “I’m already happy that you’re willing to help me; there’s really no need for you to carry the Goose Warm Stones.”
Daohua frowned, “I’m idle anyway, and helping you carry some will make things easier for you, won’t it?”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yeyang immediately smiled knowingly, “You are helping me, look, there are still so many Goose Warm Stones in the basket, aren’t there?”
Daohua grimaced, “That’s hardly any at all!”
Xiao Yeyang laughed and said, “Girls have delicate skin, do you think you’re as tough-skinned as I am? If I really let you carry a full basket of Goose Warm Stones, your shoulders would be swollen and red by tonight.”
“Alright already, I still have the strength. Carrying some Goose Warm Stones required for the path is not a problem for me.” After saying this, he lifted the basket onto Daohua’s shoulders, “Come on, carry it; don’t waste my time.”
Thus, Daohua could only walk back with a basket filled to about one-third with Goose Warm Stones.
At the top of Taohua Mountain, Gu Jian silently watched the two figures moving back and forth from the riverbank, transporting Goose Warm Stones. A rare smile surfaced on his usually unsmiling face at some point.