Dad, open the door. I'll bring your mistress back for you.

When Wang Hongwen heard that Shen Chuning did not directly refuse him, he became bolder.

"That night-blooming cereus will bloom in three to five days. Chu Ning hasn't answered yet. Will Mr. Wang have the chance to invite you to appreciate the flowers again?" He asked with a smile.

When Shen Chuning heard Wang Hongwen calling Chu Ning, she felt nauseous.

She suppressed her nausea, pouted and shook her head, "Not coming."

Wang Hongwen became anxious. "Chu Ning obviously likes that Epiphyllum, so why doesn't she want to come? If I wasn't worried about it blooming if I transplanted it suddenly, I would definitely transplant it to Chu Ning's yard."

Shen Chuning looked at the sky and said, "It's too dark all the way to your house. There are only a few lights. Just now in the garden, I could still make out the general outline in the afterglow of the setting sun, but look at you now, I can hardly even see the road."

Wang Hongwen said hurriedly, "Then I'll ask the servants to add a few more lamps."

Shen Chuning glanced around with disdain. "What's the point of adding a few more lights? It's still so dim, I can't see clearly at all. When I was in the capital, my family would carefully set up small iron basins on stands, and fill them with boiling kerosene. The fire was strong and bright. Even in the dead of night, the blazing kerosene could still illuminate the house as if it were daytime."

Wang Hongwen was surprised when he heard this. He widened his eyes and asked, "You actually just burn kerosene?"

After hearing this, Shen Chuning raised the corners of her mouth slightly, and smiled sarcastically. A trace of disdain flashed in her eyes, and she said, "My mother owns a kerosene shop, so naturally, the kerosene is brought to the mansion as if it were free. I was careless for a moment and forgot to consider your situation."

Wang Hongwen coughed lightly and waved his hand, saying, "After all, my father is a third-rank local official. Why would he care about a small amount of kerosene money? Don't worry, when the night-blooming cereus blooms, I will definitely set the entire garden ablaze with lights."

However, Shen Chuning still shook her head, a helpless look on her face, and said softly: "Young Master Wang, please stop busying yourself. I won't come."

Wang Hongwen frowned upon seeing this, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes as he asked, "What is Chu Ning not satisfied with? Can't I change it?"

Shen Chuning slowly lifted her sleeves, revealing her fair wrists, which were covered with several red and swollen bumps.

She pointed at the small bumps and said with a wry smile, "The pond in your west courtyard is really too big. The rippling water is beautiful, but it also breeds mosquitoes. And the large water tanks everywhere have become a gathering place for mosquitoes. Look at my wrists, they've got several bites on them. It's extremely itchy and really frustrating."

Wang Hongwen stared blankly at the small pink bags on Shen Chuning's fair wrists.

They look like a few small and exquisite pink pearls, emitting a faint luster.

Compared with her originally fair wrist, it made her wrist look even weaker and thinner.

Wang Hongwen's throat tightened involuntarily, and an inexplicable feeling quietly rose in his heart, making his thinking a little confused, so that without thinking it through, he subconsciously prepared to raise his hand to hold it, wanting to feel the temperature and touch of that skin.

However, Shen Chuning was extremely perceptive. She quickly withdrew her arm and then slowly straightened her sleeves, as if everything that had just happened was just an illusion.

Wang Hongwen's raised arm just stayed awkwardly in mid-air, and an indescribable sense of loss surged in his heart.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something to ease the awkward atmosphere, but found himself at a loss for words, not knowing where to start.

After a while, Shen Chuning finally lowered her eyes slowly. Her long eyelashes were like a delicate little fan, casting a deep shadow on her face and covering the emotions in her eyes.

She said softly, "Prince Wang, I'm asking for too much."

Upon hearing this, Wang Hongwen quickly waved his hands and said anxiously, "It's not too much, it's not too much. No matter what Chu Ning asks, it's not too much."

At this moment, Shen Chuning suddenly raised her head, pointed ahead and said, "Master Wang, there is a pavilion ahead. I'm a little tired and want to rest there."

"Okay, we'll go there right away." Wang Hongwen opened his arms and protected Shen Chuning vaguely, fearing that she would fall accidentally.

As soon as she sat down in the pavilion, Shen Chuning sighed and started pounding her calves.

This series of actions made Wang Hongwen stare blankly. He wanted to help Shen Chuning massage her legs, but he knew that this was a bit abrupt. However, it also increased his determination to defeat Shen Chuning.

"The road from the East Courtyard to the West Courtyard is a bit far. Why don't we have someone open another door in the backyard tomorrow? This way, Chu Ning won't have to go such a long way to get to the West Courtyard." Wang Hongwen said with concern.

"Hey, what's the point of opening the door? My legs hurt because I walked in your garden. The uneven stones not only hurt my feet, but also my legs. I really don't want to take another step." Shen Chuning said.

"This...this...isn't every garden like this?" Wang Hongwen asked hesitantly in confusion.

In his impression, most of the gardens in Shandong were like this. In addition, he had visited his ancestral home outside the capital when he was young, but he never paid attention to what the garden looked like.

Shen Chuning frowned. "Who said that? The gardens of people in the capital are all paved with antiseptic wooden planks. They are smooth and blend in with the flowers and trees in the garden."

Shen Chuning sighed as she spoke, "If I were to marry into a family with a garden like the Wang family, I wouldn't marry. My legs would ache for days after just one stroll in the garden. Wouldn't that mean I'd have to stay indoors and not go out?"

Wang Hongwen was no longer thinking about anything else at this moment. His mind was full of Shen Chuning's words about getting married.

"Don't worry, Chu Ning. I'll have people lay wooden planks along the road tomorrow."