Mu MingTang finally took Xie Xuanchen for a walk in the open. The arrival of Ms Jiang and Jiang Mingwei yesterday had reminded her that they owned the whole manor. They could go anywhere they want and should not confine themselves indoors.
Mu Mingtang truly understood the difference between being indoors and outdoors. Xie Xuanchen was very pessimistic about his illness. Maybe it was because he felt guilty about the things he had done, it could also be because no one had been there for him when he was helpless. No matter what, Mu Mingtang wished that Xie Xuanchen could live a long life.
People who were sick, especially those with mental illness like Xie Xuanchen, only drinking medicine was far from enough. Most of the time, they had to think of a way to save themselves. In order to recover, they have to get out of the house and get some sunlight, or maybe talk to someone or even dress up. All these could help them recover faster. Hence, Mu Mingtang forced Xie Xuanchen to have walks in the flower garden. She took advantage of that stroll and tried to explore routes to get to the Imperial Physician. The two of them slowly walked past Yun Rui Study, past the moon gate, and passed through the bamboo forest. An autumn breeze blew, and the dead leaves resembled a child’s cry. Through the whirling bamboo shadows, Mu Mintang saw a familiar building.
Mu Mingtang pointed at the direction of that building, and said: “Look, isn’t that the Temple? I was locked in there for a few days.”
The incident didn’t bother Mu Mingtang anymore, she said it out just for the sake of soothing her emotions. Xie Xuan Chen, on the other hand, fell deep into thought.
Mu Mingtang held Xie Xuanchen and walked forward: “I remember that there’s a lake not far away. Look, it’s right there!”
The sound of running water could be heard, and as the autumn wind blew, waves of ripples formed. Mu Mingtang saw the lake, and said: “Wow! With such a huge lake, we can raise some fish there. Why would you say that it was just a small pond?”
Her tone was serious, Xie Xuanchen was amused by the phrase “raise some fish”, and said: “It would not be a problem if you really wanted to raise some fish in the lake, but they won’t grow. It’s better to raise them in the running water right in front.
Mu Mingtang shook her head: “I’m just saying, I’m too lazy to bother. By the way, where is the direction to the study hall that you mentioned before?”
Xie Xuanchen pointed to a direction. Mu Mingtang craned her neck and took a look, she then nodded slightly : “I think I know where it is. Alright, we should probably head back.”
“Are you going back now?” Xie Xuanchen was surprised, “You’ve been talking about this lake for such a long time, why not go have a look?”
“I’ve decided not to.” Mu Mingtang, who seemed to have a whirlpool of ideas, smirked at Xie Xuanchen, “If we take a look now, you won’t accompany me afterwards. I am going to leave that for another time.”
This didn’t bother Xie Xuanchen anyway and he allowed Mu Mingtang to have control. Mu Mingtang, having achieved her goal today, didn’t want Xie Xuanchen to be in this chilly weather for any longer and quickly helped him back to the manor.
After they got back, Xie Xuanchen felt drained and his fingers were ice cold. Mu Mingtang quickly poured him a glass of hot water to warm his hands, then got him to bed.
Xie Xuanchen was exhausted and fell asleep as soon as he touched the pillow. Mu Mingtang sat beside him, she had nothing to do and did not want to be too far away from Xie Xuanchen. Hence, she sat near the dividers and instructed the maids to send over the gift list to do the final checks.
Yesterday, the Emperor sent over many gifts.The Empress and the Emperor Dowager also did so, for the sake of their reputation. However, as Mu Mingtang was too busy, she only roughly went through the list and instructed the maids to bring all the gift boxes into the storeroom. Mu Mingtang understood the importance of detailed asset management. If there was no detailed list, the servants might secretly steal and sell the items outside, in exchange for money. After all, the storeroom was massive, it was impossible for Mu Mingtang to remember all of it and no one would find out if one or two of the items were missing.
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