Miss Du laughed, "You are my honored guests, how could I let the servants handle that? Hurry back to the villa, I’ve cooked lotus seed and mung bean soup, both are perfect for cooling off."
Xie Qinyun chuckled as she pulled Lin Qianqing along and whispered, "I’ve been here for two days now, staying at this villa. They have a stone mill in their yard, and the bean juice it produces is so delicious—much better than what my family makes for me."
"Really? My grandmother’s yard also has a stone mill; I wonder if it’s the same."
The path through the rice paddies was narrow, accommodating only one person at a time. Gu Youyou and her three companions walked in single file, with her at the rear, holding an umbrella, but her gaze was turned back towards the person behind her.
After a moment’s hesitation, Gu Youyou turned back, handed the umbrella to Jin Zijin, and said, "I don’t mind the heat. You use it."
Jin Zijin didn’t refuse and took the umbrella.
He was indeed suffering from the heat. Accepting it also spared Youyou the worry.
"I’m hot too!" Yue Rujing dragged out her voice, smiling in a way that begged for a teasing response.
"Suffer through it!" Gu Youyou retorted, unamused.
The three girls ahead stopped when they heard the commotion behind them and turned to look.
Xie Qinyun asked Lin Qianqing curiously, "Who are those two? Gu Youyou actually gave her umbrella to that person?"
She had taken a casual glance at the two men, assuming they were just laborers dressed as attendants, brought by Gu Youyou and Lin Qianqing as a ruse. But seeing Gu Youyou’s concerned gesture of offering the umbrella, she realized their identities must be out of the ordinary.
Therefore, when Xie Qinyun and Miss Du looked at the two men again, their gaze no longer resembled that of looking at servants.
Miss Du nodded slightly in greeting, "Xintong has been remiss. May I ask who the two of you are..."
She stopped mid-sentence as Yue Rujing raised a hand to signal Miss Du not to ask further.
Miss Du was smart and instantly understood, saying, "Please, gentlemen."
The willow sitting area had several well-arranged tile-roofed houses; the courtyard was sunning a variety of half-dried vegetables, and by the side of the house, a chicken coop housed several chickens.
A simply dressed middle-aged woman came out to greet them, holding a basket that was half-filled with picked vegetables.
A yellow dog lazily slept under the eaves of the house. It glanced at the newcomers half-heartedly before closing its eyes and dozing off again.
This scene was very much in the spirit of a rural homestay.
The middle-aged woman bowed to Miss Du, saying, "Miss, are these the guests you were expecting?"
"That’s right, just these few," Miss Du replied. "Chen’s mother, please prepare a few of your specialty dishes."
"Of course, of course, I’ll go right away," said Chen’s mother with a busy smile.
Xie Qinyun, with Lin Qianqing in tow, went off to where the tofu was being freshly ground, while Jin Zijin gave Gu Youyou a meaningful look, prompting her to eagerly follow him out of the courtyard.
"Where to?" An opportunity to meet Jin Zijin during the day was a rare treat. Gu Youyou glanced at the expanse of lotus flowers in front of her, an idea striking her, and said, "To the river?"
Jin Zijin smiled, leading her to the riverbank.
Approaching, they saw a small boat under the willow trees, Jin Zijin untied the rope securing it to the trees, tossing it into the boat before turning to extend a hand to her, "Come, be careful."
Just what was needed at the moment.
Carefully, Gu Youyou stepped onto the boat and asked, "How did you know there was a boat here?"
"I saw it when we arrived earlier."
The waves shimmered, and the small boat quickly reached deep into the lotus bloom. The low houses of the villa receded further away, and on the river, other boats were out of sight. Only the lotus leaves could be seen swaying lightly in the wind, some flutters growing a bit more intense.