Mr. Zhuang was worried, and then Bai Dalang ca back wearing a bamboo hat.
He had just gotten off the carriage and was about to pass through the courtyard to their own quarters, but the courtyard gate here was wide open...
Well, it’s normal for the courtyard gate to be open, unless it’s nightti, otherwise, all the courtyard gates are open, especially this courtyard where Zhou Wulang and his family stay, because Ms. Fang and Ms. Lu are there with the children, so they often co in and out, of course, it’s impossible to close the courtyard gate.
He was about to walk over when he vaguely heard the voices of Mr. Zhuang and Bai Er talking, so he ca in.
Mr. Zhuang has recently been obsessed with the library at Chongwen Pavilion and hasn’t been out for a long ti. Seeing Bai Dalang wearing the bamboo hat, he took an extra glance, "Why are you wearing that?"
Bai Dalang laughed, "The weather has been getting hotter lately, and sohow, it beca popular for n to wear bamboo hats when going out, and won to wear veils."
Mr. Zhuang wasn’t concerned about these things and asked, "What have you been busy with lately, running outside all day?"
Bai Erlang turned his head to look at Manbao, Manbao then turned her head to look at Bai Shan, realizing Bai Shan also raised his head, staring at her, Manbao pondered for a while, uncertain, she pointed at her nose, "?"
Bai Shan and Bai Erlang both turned their heads to look at Ms. Fang who was busy in the kitchen, remaining silent.
Bai Dalang didn’t notice their interaction. After saluting Mr. Zhuang, he also sat on the railing, casually heaving up Batuan who was trying to stand up by grabbing the railing, and sitting him on the railing as well, then answered Mr. Zhuang, "Nothing much, just made a few new friends. The literary examination is over, they didn’t pass, waiting for the imperial exam in August to retake it, so just discussing poetry and literature with them."
Everyone looked up together at the sun which hadn’t quite reached the sky, with faces full of surprise. Bai Erlang asked, "Brother, don’t you eat lunch before coming back from your gatherings?"
Bai Shan asked, "Big Cousin, did you get into a fight with soone?"
Bai Dalang said, "Can’t you think a bit better of ?"
He said, "In this big heat, I just didn’t want to drink with them, so I found an excuse to co back."
Mr. Zhuang nodded approvingly, "While wine is good, it shouldn’t be drunk in excess, especially in such scorching weather. It’s right for you to co back."
Bai Dalang glanced at Bai Shan and Zhou Lijun who were grinding dicinal materials, and curiously asked, "What are you doing?"
Manbao said, "Making ointnt. Bai Er said he’d give you a jar, it’s specifically for facial application."
Bai Dalang touched his face and asked, "Is there sothing wrong with my face?"
"No problems..." In this intense heat, there weren’t any other places to go, the porch was sowhat cooler, so simply while pounding dicine, they sat and chatted.
Manbao and Bai Shan demanded their reward, "You said, as long as I cured His Majesty’s illness, you’d take to play at Liu Huan’s manor."
When the Emperor was ill, Bai Shan had promised her as an encouragent that if she managed to overco the Emperor’s illness, he would take her to pick lons at the manor.
However, last ti during their vacation, they went to attend a wedding instead, and during this sumr break, they also went for a wedding yesterday, and today half the day had passed...
Bai Shan thought for a mont and said, "I’ll have Daji send a ssage to Liu Huan, we’ll go tomorrow."
Bai Erlang imdiately said, "I’ll go too!"
Zhou Lijun was originally uninterested, but upon hearing that Liu Huan’s cousin might also be there, she imdiately said, "Aunt, I want to go too."
Manbao looked over at Bai Shan.
Bai Shan, who only wanted to bring Manbao, paused and then said, "Alright."
Since so many were going, Bai Shan didn’t mind inviting more, "Mr. Zhuang, would you like to stay overnight at the manor as well? It’s surely cooler there."
Mr. Zhuang thought for a bit, smiled, and said, "Sure, but I won’t join you all, I’ll head to Mr. Jiang’s manor on the western outskirts to relax, it’s not too far, I think."
Not just not too far, it’s practically next door.
There are many small manors on the western outskirts, all belonging to the noble families in the capital, regarded by the people as vegetable gardens of the officials’ hos.
Many households grow their vegetables in their small manors on the western outskirts, Mr. Jiang also has a small manor there, not far from the Liu family’s manor.
Who knows how Feng Zongping and the others heard about them going to the manor for vacation, but they were waiting at the street gate early in the morning.
Yesterday, Manbao and the others were simring ointnt all day, and they managed to finish making the ointnt by nightfall, mixing it with refined mutton oil, and then cooling it by hanging it in the well.
Early in the morning, as they pulled up the bamboo basket filled with ointnt, it had already cooled and set, feeling cool to the touch.
Manbao scraped a bit onto her hand to rub, and after slling it and confirming no issues, Zhou Lijun put so into a few fine little wooden boxes.
These wooden boxes were originally for earrings, they cleaned them up to use.
Zhou Lijun packed five wooden boxes, handed the rest to Fourth Sister-in-law, and holding the five boxes, she and Manbao headed to the manor.
Leaving the capital, there were more green shades along the road, gazing around, were lush trees, with so sprawling branches shading the road, making it much cooler as the carriage passed beneath.
Manbao and the others didn’t take a carriage but rode horseback, deliberately choosing shaded paths, with the wind blowing, it was actually quite nice.
Bai Dalang also ca along, right now he was sitting in the carriage, feeling a bit drowsy.
In his drowsiness, he thought how comfortable it was to live on a manor. If his father could buy a manor on the outskirts of the capital, that would be great.
While he was just thinking about it, Bai Shan had already turned back to discuss with Daji, "Later, check around if anyone is selling their manor nearby, or even if local people are selling fields, no matter the size, just buy it first, even if it’s just seven or eight acres, it’s enough to build a sumr manor."
Daji agreed but still reminded, "It might not be easy to buy."
Bai Shan certainly knew it wasn’t easy, otherwise, his grandmother wouldn’t have bought a manor all the way near Yongzhou.
That was more than ten years ago, even then it was hard to get good land, now it’s likely even harder.
But their schooling and lives are centered around the capital now, having a nearer manor would be better.
When they reached the Liu family’s manor, Liu Huan was the first to jump off the horse and asked the steward who ca to greet them, "Are the rooms ready?"
"Yes, since receiving Master’s letter yesterday afternoon, they’ve all been prepared. Would the young masters and ladies like to rest in their rooms first?"
Of course, they would, at least to put down their luggage first, right?
So a group of them excitedly went inside.
Mr. Zhuang followed them inside too, but it wasn’t long before soone from the neighboring manor ca to fetch Mr. Zhuang. Bai Dalang felt he had nothing much to say with the bunch of kids, so he went off with Feng Zongping, Yi Ziyang, and the others...
Zhou Lijun also started chatting with the ladies of the Liu family along the way. They were quite interested in the moisturizing rouge in her hand, so they dragged her to their rooms.
By the ti Manbao and the others happily finished settling their luggage and ca out, they found that the large group had already dwindled down to just a few of them left.
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