Chapter 384 - 371: Tread Carefully

Chapter 384: Chapter 371: Tread Carefully

“Of course.” Fan Wenxuan was the first to nod his head.

This was his proposal in the first place, and it was something he really wanted to do.

Seeing Fan Wenxuan’s agreement, Chu Jinzhou excitedly asked Zhuang Qingsui and Zhuang Mingli, “Shall we go leaf peeping together?”

Chu Jinzhou had lived in Qingzhuyuan for many years and, although he had many people looking after him, most of them were adults. Even those who constantly accompanied him were somewhat boring. Having spent these last few days reading and playing with Zhuang Qingsui and Zhuang Mingli, Chu Jinzhou was elated and wished to spend every waking moment with his friends.

This included the upcoming excursion.

“Alright…” Zhuang Qingsui blurted out, but suddenly held her tongue and turned to look at Zhuang Qingning.

She was embarrassed.

She had been so excited about the outing, especially with Chu Jinzhou, that she nearly forgot to ask Zhuang Qingning for her consent.

“I need to ask my parents,” said Zhuang Mingli, scratching his ear. “Only if they agree can I go.”

“Alright.” Chu Jinzhou, aware of Zhuang Mingli’s health condition, nodded, “Ask your parents if they agree. If not, there’s no harm done. We can go boating together next time.”

Even though the journey to Cuiwei Mountain was accompanied by servants, it was still a strenuous effort. However, boating was different. A carriage could take them right there, and they could simply get on a boat, requiring no physical exertion.

Zhuang Mingli understood Chu Jinzhou’s meaning and grinned, saying, “Okay.”

“Then, you and Qingsui need to enjoy the red leaves and pick some for me. I can take them home, dry them, and put them in a vase by my bed.”

Her words made it sound like she could join them on the mountain.

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Zhuang Qingsui looked at Zhuang Qingning, checking to see if she agreed.

“If you want to go, then go,” Zhuang Qingning rubbed Zhuang Qingsui’s head.

Having been cooped up at home for so many days, it was time to go out for a walk.

“Mr., may my sister accompany us?” Asked Zhuang Qingsui gently.

She really wanted to go, but she wanted Zhuang Qingning to go with her even more.

“I?” Zhuang Qingning chuckled, “I will…”

Not go.

“Let’s go together,” Fan Wenxuan giggled, “The red leaves of Cuiwei Mountain are quite famous. You only get to see them once a year.”

More importantly, Zhuang Qingning was a creative thinker and capable of cooking a variety of dishes. Perhaps she could find some interesting and delicious food on the mountain.

Just thinking about it made him happy.

Therefore, Fan Wenxuan was eager to approve of Zhuang Qingning accompanying them to Cuiwei Mountain to see the red leaves.

“Thank you, sir.” Zhuang Qingsui hastily thanked him.

Zhuang Qingning let out a low chuckle.

Well, it seemed like she had to go.

But the red leaves on Cuiwei Mountain…

Zhuang Qingning blinked. A vision of a mountain full of vibrant red leaves stretching out under a mass of changing autumn colors filled her mind. The sight was so enchanting and delicate that she couldn’t help but nod slightly.

Ever since she had arrived here, she had been busying herself with making a living, planning for the future, and now paying off her debts. She never seemed to have a moment’s rest.

An occasional outing to relax and enjoy quality time seemed like a pretty good idea.

The most important thing was, Zhuang Qingsui was happy.

Zhuang Qingning gently caressed Zhuang Qingsui’s head, smiled, and replied to Fan Wenxuan, “It would be rude to refuse Mr. Fan’s generous invitation.”

“Then let’s plan for the thirteenth,” Fan Wenxuan said.

Chu Jinnian’s letter indicated that he would be home by the fourteenth at the earliest, or the fifteenth at the latest. They couldn’t let Chu Jinnian’s return disrupt their pleasant trip. They had to avoid Chu Jinnian completely, finishing their excursion before he returned!

“OK.” Zhuang Qingning nodded.

The Cheng family was opening their shop in the county town on the twelfth, and they had promised to be there for the opening. It was a good opportunity to visit the county town, review the shop’s conditions, buy some items, and prepare some cakes and pastries in the afternoon. This would allow them to set off for their excursion on the thirteenth in a relaxed mood.

After agreeing to go leaf peeping on Cuiwei Mountain, Fan Wenxuan taught the three of them for a while. He asked Chu Jinzhou to supervise Zhuang Qingsui and Zhuang Mingli’s homework until the sun set, and then he left with Chu Jinzhou.

Before leaving, he specifically visited Zhuang Mingli’s house to ask for some cabbage rolls to eat that evening.

Mrs. He was flattered by this and quickly wrapped up all the remaining cabbage rolls, which she had prepared for lunch, and let Fan Wenxuan and Chu Jinzhou take them all away.

Looking at the satisfied expression on Fan Wenxuan’s face as he left, Mrs. He was still shocked. It wasn’t until the carridge of Fan Wenxuan and Chu Jinzhou had gone far away that she was able to let out a sigh of relief, placing her hand on her beating chest.

“Oh, my goodness!”

Mrs. He leaned against the jujube tree beside her, panting, “Who would have thought that Mr. Fan, who seems so intimidating, is so amiable?”

“That young master Chu also seems very elegant. From such a good family, he must eat very finely prepared meals every day. Who would have thought he’d be willing to eat these cabbage rolls? I thought Mingli was just joking when he came in and told me about it earlier.”

“Mr. Fan is very amiable, and Young Master Chu is very well-versed. Their liking your cabbage rolls means you’re a skilled cook, Auntie,” joked Zhuang Qingning with a smile.

“You silly child, stop teasing me. I know my own cooking skills. I suppose Mr. Fan and Young Master Chu are just not picky.”

Having calmed her nerves a bit, Mrs. He brought over a bench for Zhuang Qingning to sit down and talk, “You’ve been so busy these days, leaving early and returning late. I didn’t want to bother you further.”

“As for Mingli, he’s just a kid. I didn’t want to ask too much and make it awkward. And I certainly wouldn’t dare to speak to Mr. Fan or Young Master Chu.”

Mrs. He hesitated for a moment before gingerly asking, “How is Mingli getting along with Mr. Fan during this period at home? He hasn’t gotten into any trouble, has he?”

Initially, when Mrs. He heard that Zhuang Qingning had invited a tutor to teach Zhuang Qingsui and Zhuang Mingli, she didn’t think much of it and decided to just go along with it. She planned to ask Zhuang Qingning about the tutor’s fees and cover their portion so as not to take advantage of Zhuang Qingning’s goodwill.

What was unexpected was that this tutor appeared to be quite influential. Furthermore, the child who came every day with Fan Wenxuan seemed to be the younger brother of some high official from the capital city.

In all her life, Mrs. He had never even seen what the county magistrate looked like. Even her encounter with the county chief, Master Ding, was due to Zhuang Qingning’s connection that allowed her to sit at the same table with him to have a meal. The excitement of that encounter kept her awake for many nights.

Now, her son was actually studying with the young master of a wealthy family from the capital city. This reality kept Mrs. He tossing and turning at night, unable to sleep. She was afraid that Zhuang Mingli, not knowing any better, might offend Chu Jinzhou or say something wrong and get himself into trouble..

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