The wind is gentle and the fun is endless

For several days in a row, Mrs. Xie not only took the initiative to exempt Huanhuan from her daily greetings, but also brought Xiangyue to Xinyuan to visit Huanhuan every day. She was afraid that Huanhuan would have a poor appetite during her illness, so she sometimes brought a plate of red date cakes, sometimes a plate of pea cakes, and also gave Huanhuan a small mountain ginseng, saying that it could be used to replenish Huanhuan's qi after she recovered.

During the past few days, Huanhuan took the medicine on time and in the right amount every day, and with proper rest, he soon recovered.

Huanhuan felt that she was well again, so she got up early and dressed up. She thought that since she was well again, it would be inappropriate to let Mrs. Xie, an elder, visit her, a junior, and she should resume her greetings to Mrs. Xie.

She arrived at Mrs. Xie's Jingyuan before Mrs. Xie's usual time to come to Xinyuan. Mrs. Xie was really surprised when she appeared. She quickly helped her up and put her on the seat. She held her hands and looked her up and down. Only when she saw that she was in good spirits and her body was back to normal did she believe that she was really well. She couldn't help but sigh, "Young people are different. They are well in just a few days."

After a few days of leisurely recuperation, Mrs. Xie invited Xu Qu and Huan Huan to have lunch at her place. During the meal, she mentioned that Huan Huan had been ill for many days and had stayed in the house for a long time. She should go out for a walk to relieve her boredom. Mrs. Xie suggested that Xu Qu take Huan Huan out for a few days. Xu Qu nodded and said that he would arrange the things at hand and stay in Yonghe Village for three or two days. He should be able to leave in two days.

Huanhuan heard about Yonghe Manor for the first time, so she asked Xu Qu about it on the way back to Xinyuan. Xu Qu explained to her that Yonghe Manor was a courtyard of the Xu family on Yuantai Mountain on the south side of Lianling. Huanhuan had never been to the manor on the mountain, so she didn't know what it was like. She was curious and looking forward to it.

Xu Qu quickly arranged the things he was dealing with. Early in the morning of the third day after Mrs. Xie said this, she took Huanhuan, Xiaoyu and Youcheng and set off for Yonghe Village in two carriages.

Along the way, the carriage moved briskly, the breeze brought a warm feeling, the windows were full of greenery, the scenery was lush, and the mountains and rivers were beautiful. It was truly a beautiful and pleasant scene on earth.

After leaving Shanghuai City, the carriage continued along the gently rising winding mountain road. At this time, it began to drizzle, the ground was wet, and the fresh warm wind carried the misty rain, stained with the misty moisture, gently caressing everything, and the plants with sufficient vitality also showed their heads one after another.

After walking for more than an hour, the carriage finally stopped at a very vast flat land. It was only halfway up the mountain, but there was a large piece of land. The terrain was very flat, just like a flat land. Huan Huan was surprised that there was such a large piece of flat land on the mountain. No wonder this mountain was called Yuantai Mountain.

Looking ahead, a small courtyard with green bricks and tiles is built against the mountain. In the middle of the low courtyard wall is a tall double-leaf wooden door. On top of the wooden door is a wooden plaque with three large characters "Yonghezhuang" written on it. The courtyard seems to have been washed by rain. In front of the courtyard is a gurgling stream. Beside the stream are a few weeping willows with newly cut green leaves. Their soft branches are quietly reflected in the small puddles beside the stream. A few swallows fly through them. Not far away, peach blossoms are in full bloom. You should know that the peach blossoms at the foot of the mountain have already withered at this time. This really corresponds to the poem "The fragrance of April on earth is gone, and the peach blossoms in the mountain temple are in full bloom."

Breathing in the fresh mountain air slowly and forcefully, Xu Qu tilted his head back and squinted his eyes at the plaque on top of the wooden door, as if this small courtyard nestled in the mountains and beside the water and the plaque touched up certain memories in his heart, making his thoughts sink into them for a long time.

Suddenly, with a creaking sound, the wooden door opened, and a hearty male voice came out, "Hey, sir, you are here!"

Huanhuan looked carefully and saw a middle-aged man dressed as a farmer pushing open the wooden door. He was wearing brown clothes and a navy blue belt around his waist. He had thick eyebrows and broad eyes and looked energetic. Behind him followed a middle-aged woman dressed as a farmer, wearing dark red clothes and a triangular scarf on her head. The two of them had sincere smiles on their faces. One of them opened a wooden door and stood in front of it to greet Xu Quhuan and his group of people and carriages.

"Uncle Ye! Aunt Ye!" Xu Qu also greeted the middle-aged couple. The tone of their voices was something Huanhuan had never heard before. It was a voice that was filled with genuine joy and without any guard put down.

Xu Quhe and his group slowly walked into the gate of Yonghe Manor. There was a row of five blue brick houses facing south in the yard. The big windows extended three or four feet upward from waist height. All the windows were propped up and neatly lined up in a row. The bamboo curtains in the windows were rolled up, and one could seem to feel the fresh air slowly flowing into the house. The warm sunlight passed through the windows and scattered on the blue bricks in the house, making the house more warm and comfortable.

On both sides of the main house are the east and west wing rooms, which look like places to store things. There are many kinds of flowers and plants in the yard, and there is a cobblestone path between the flowers and plants winding to the window, where there is a round stone table with a chessboard painted on it and chess pieces placed on it. There are several stone benches around the stone table for people to sit and rest.

The man whom Xu Qu called Uncle Ye went to the backyard to set up the carriage, while the middle-aged woman called Aunt Ye led Xu Qu, Huan Huan, You Cheng, and Xiao Yu into the house to rest. "Sir, Madam, You Cheng, and this little girl, you must be tired after the long journey. We have already made tea and have been waiting for a long time."

Xu Qu and his party entered the main hall. Unlike ordinary main halls with seats for the host and guests, this hall had only a round table in the middle with a circle of round stools placed around the table. It can be seen that Yonghe Manor is actually a place for leisure.

Xu Qu and Huanhuan sat down. Aunt Ye picked up the teapot from the table and poured two cups of tea for Huanhuan and Xu Qu. While pouring the tea, she said, "Sir, Madam, this is the Mingqian Longjing tea that Madam sent over earlier. It won't be good if it's left out any longer. Try it while it's still fresh."

Xu Qu and Huanhuan took the teacups. Huanhuan took a sip of tea and could smell a rich fragrance. She couldn't help but exclaimed, "What a great tea!" Aunt Ye looked at her with a smile and said, "Right, Madam, come, have another cup." As she spoke, she poured Huanhuan another cup of tea.

"That's enough, that's enough. Thank you Aunt Ye." Huanhuan said while looking at Xu Qu. He didn't look at Huanhuan and Aunt Ye, so he naturally didn't know about the interaction between the host and the guest. He just looked absent-mindedly at the teacup, without saying a word, with a thoughtful look in his eyes.

Aunt Ye poured tea for Youcheng and Xiaoyu, and warmly told them not to be polite and to get more after they finished. When she handed the tea to Xiaoyu, she said in a happy tone, "Oh, this little girl is round and plump, and she is really lovely." Xiaoyu rarely became shy, and smiled and said, "Thank you, Aunt Ye, my name is Xiaoyu." Aunt Ye immediately said, "Xiaoyu, this name is not bad either."

At this time, Uncle Ye settled the carriage and the driver and came into the house. His cheerful voice rang out again, "Sir, we haven't seen each other for some time since your wedding."

Xu Qu looked at him quietly and responded, "Yes, how are Uncle Ye and Aunt Ye these days? Is everything going well in the farm?"

Uncle Ye replied, "The spring rains were good this year, and the fruit trees on the mountain are growing well. We have reclaimed some land and planted fruit trees. In addition to the regular farmhands, we also hired some people from the village at the foot of the mountain to do temporary pruning during the busy spring season. We will probably have to hire them again when the fruits are ripe. From mid-summer to early autumn, the fruit trees will bear fruit one after another, and we will send the best fruits to the mansion as usual. My lord and my lady, just wait for the juicy peaches and pears to be eaten."

At this point, Uncle Ye laughed heartily, "Oh, yes, we hired two beekeepers this year, and honey will be delivered to your house in a while."

Xu Qu took a sip of tea and said, "I feel most relieved to leave Zhuangzi to Uncle Ye and Aunt Ye. Uncle Ye and Aunt Ye should not work too hard and should pay more attention to their health."

"Haha, okay, okay!" Uncle Ye laughed even more happily when he heard that, and Aunt Ye also covered her mouth and laughed.

Huanhuan thought to herself, my husband is so good at talking. He can make Uncle Ye and Aunt Ye, who are looking after the farm, very happy with just a few words. Then this couple will naturally take better care of the farm.

It was almost noon, and Aunt Ye stood up and said to everyone, "Young Master, Young Madam, please sit down for a while. I will go to the kitchen to make some arrangements."

Hearing this, Youcheng continued, "Aunt Ye, I like the green jade radish shreds and mountain pepper alfalfa that you make the most. Do you have these two dishes today?"

Aunt Ye said with a smile, "Yes, yes, I will cook the food myself today, I guarantee you will enjoy your meal."

Youcheng said, "If you make it yourself, I will eat a lot today."

Aunt Ye added, "Don't worry, don't worry. We have homemade crabapple preserves that can cure food stagnation and abdominal distension. Just eat as much as you want."

After saying that, Aunt Ye stopped walking out, patted her forehead, and said, "Look at my memory. I was so busy talking that I forgot to get you some preserved crabapple fruit."

Afterwards, Aunt Ye walked out quickly and came back soon with a plate of preserves in her hand. She said, "Master, Madam, this is the crabapple preserves we made ourselves. Please try some." Then she handed the plate to Huanhuan.

Uncle Ye also said, "Madam, Miss Xiaoyu, this is your first time eating it. I'm not exaggerating, the crabapples are grown by us, and the candied fruit is made by us. I guarantee you'll want to eat more after you've tasted it. Haha."

Huanhuan took the plate, looked at the candied fruits on the plate, reached out to take the largest one, turned around and handed it to Xu Qu. Uncle Ye and Aunt Ye saw her actions and were happy in their hearts. They looked at each other tacitly, then turned to look at Huanhuan and Xu Qu with a smile.

Xu Qu's eyes fell on the round candied fruit. He hesitated for a moment, then reached out to take the candied fruit from Huan Huan's fair hands and said lightly, "Thank you, ma'am."

He then slowly picked up a very even-looking candied fruit for himself, and then handed the plate to Xiaoyu.

Xiaoyu's round eyes had never left the plate of candied fruit since it appeared. She quickly took the plate, picked up a candied fruit and put it in her mouth, her mouth bulging, and then passed the plate to Youcheng.

Youcheng said with a smile, "Uncle Duoye, Aunt Ye, I won't be polite." He took the plate with his right hand, and at the same time picked up two candied fruits from the plate with his left hand, quickly stuffed them into his mouth, and began to chew happily.