It’s Polling Time again! 🙂 I have added TWO new ones, one about the Table of Content and the other the pictures I included for time to time. The polls apply to both of my books.
As my favorite saying goes: Speak now or forever hold your peace! 🙂
Poll #1: TOC Format
Poll #2: Embedded Pictures
Once again, you do NOT need to be a patron to vote, but you will need to have a free patreon account.
Now onto our main feature below —
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Chapter 148 – Shameless Family; Taking a Trip Alone (1)
“Interesting! That is very interesting! This Cheng Xiao Xiao is so interesting! Hmm, no, I should say, too amazing!”
After hearing Deacon Bai’s words, Zhu Xiangyu applauded.
“Eldest Young Master, the folks from the School of Divine Condor has yet to return!”
“HOHOHO…” Laughed Zhu Xiangyu lightheartedly. He squinted his eyes, they are full of sparkles, “If I have to guess, it will be a while before they return. If that’s the case, I am in no rush to interrupt her fun. I will let her have her fun first, before she will have time to entertain me!”
“……”
The corners of the two deacons’ mouths twitched, but they dare not ask any questions about what was going through their young master’s mind.
“Alright, you are dismissed. Keep your eyes peeled about what’s going on at the Cheng’s. Don’t miss anything, otherwise, there will be consequences to deal with!”
“Yes, we shall retire now!” The two of them cupped their hands in response.
Zhu Xiangyu waved his hands, “Okay, dismissed!”
Inside the Cheng’s new courtyard, Cheng Xiao Xiao was directing a few villagers to dig a pond. After all, in addition to raising fish, it being aesthetically pleasing was also quite important.
Right then, Innkeeper Zhu was on a break and walked over to her. He noticed that the pond of the Cheng’s looked almost like a small lake in that it was long and windy. If all went well, that would become a very nice scenic spot.
He couldn’t help but smiled at the person in front of him and said, “Miss Cheng, this pond is beautiful!”
“Beautiful?” said Cheng Xiao Xiao while raising her brows. She asked, “How could Innkeeper Zhu tell it is beautiful? You don’t think it’s just a wannabe?”
“You must be joking, Miss Cheng. How could you say this pond is a wannabe? It’s prettier than any other ponds. I trust that Miss Cheng has it all thought out!” smiled Innkeeper Zhu.
“I don’t have any specific plans. You have any suggestions, Innkeeper Zhu?” Naturally Cheng Xiao Xiao wouldn’t share her ideas with him.
Now that the Cheng’s are expanding and building from the ground up, most of the architecture were built based on Cheng Xiao Xiao’s ideas. She had visited many courtyards in Suzhou in the past, naturally she had some ideas of her own. She planned to have most of them built out here.
When she drew out the blueprints, even her father Cheng Biyuan was surprised. After all, in this world, there were no such thing as picturesque architecture. Mostly they were of grand and solemn style used for living spaces for wealthier families, nothing exquisite or elegant.
Using several loads of soil to build a platform, build a fake mountain with peddles, and make a ring like pond
Platforms from soil, fake mountains from peddles, and ring-like ponds were the techniques used by in Suzhou courtyards to embody the theme of “natural beauty”. They adopted different designs basing on the surroundings. Other techniques included borrowing, facing, separating, and isolating the sceneries to organize the space, resulting in windy and ever-changing sceneries. Allowing one to see larger views from a small opening, and mixture of virtual and real landscapes.
Even as worldly as Cheng Biyuan had never seen these kind of style before. Granted, he liked it a not, as well as Mrs. Cheng, so the family decided to adopt Cheng Xiao Xiao’s ideas when building their new home.
Since most of the structures were only in the early phase, nobody could really tell what the structures would look like. Contrarily, all they could see were holes scattering all over the place and a mess overall and they couldn’t understand.
Even Patriarch Liu asked them once whether they were building a house or digging for treasures. Otherwise, why would they be digging all over the place!
Cheng Xiao Xiao had long since been aware of others’ opinions. She hadn’t expect Innkeeper Zhu would have an appreciate for this and was surprised by that.
Facing Cheng Xiao Xiao’s question, Innkeeper thought it through for a second and said, “I have a small suggestion – build a few small kiosks around this pond and grow different colors of lotuses in the pond. I trust that it will provide an amazing scenery in the summer time!”