The old man of the Tiehuai family went on to say, "This hot spring water comes from Qingliang Temple and flows around Qingliang Mountain, following the Qingliang River all the way down. One and a half miles below is the home of Mr. Zhuo, an elderly gentleman who is highly respected for his virtue. He built a free school that doesn't charge tuition, teaching poor children to read and write without asking for anything in return. When he sees us, he's also extremely humble. His wife, Mrs. Zhuo, is a kind-hearted person who often makes offerings to the old nuns at Qingliang Temple. Speaking of which, this dowry estate of hers, nestled between mountains and rivers, is truly a blessed place..."

  "Is it Mr. Zhu? Is it Mr. Zhu Mengyu?" Lin Jingrong's eyes lit up again, wasn't he the most renowned scholar in Pingzhou?

  How could it be the neighbor again? Lin Jianrong tiptoed and looked west, trying to see something.

  But the small hill behind Qingliang Temple, which is not very high, completely blocked the scenery on that side. She could only see that in the distance, there were ripples of water sparkling under the sunlight.

  Lin Jiner changed into boots and put on a hooded cloak, following the lead of Tiehuajia's family from the back door.

  The countryside house is simply decorated, unlike the high walls and large courtyards in the city. The backyard leads to a row of willow trees, and not far away is a large expanse of rice fields. Now that winter has arrived, the water in the rice fields has long since dried up, and some unknown wild grasses have grown in the ground, with a yellow color still retaining a hint of green, shining with a warm, pale yellow light under the winter sun. There are hardly any people coming and going, only a few gray and white wild birds flying up and down, very quiet. The sky is a deep blue, with not a cloud in sight, and the air is cool and crisp, completely different from the atmosphere of the Lin family's large courtyard.

  Lin Jinyong took a deep breath and revealed a heartfelt smile.

  Tie Huaijia's original was a second-class maid by the side of Tao Shi, who knew what to do and what not to do. She knew that the young masters from the city liked to hear about interesting rural events, so she would tell Lin Jinyong some fun stories about the countryside, occasionally picking up a grass bud or a dry leaf from the ground and showing it to him, explaining which wild herbs and leaves were edible, which were not, and which season they tasted best in.

  The village affairs were nothing to be concerned about, but Lin Jinrong was particularly fond of the wild vegetables she mentioned. She carefully wrapped a pomelo in a handkerchief and said that she wanted to take it back to study it carefully, which made everyone burst out laughing.

  A group of people were chatting and walking along the ridge, before they knew it, they had walked a long way. Lin Jingrong was thinking of leading Tiehuajia's family to take her further away when someone shouted loudly from behind: "Tiehuajia's family, Chang Dage and Danni have come to visit Lao Ye and Tai Tai. Tai Tai asked you to quickly lead the girl to meet the guests. How could you lead the girl so far away, making me search for a long time?"

  Tie Huai's family turned back to take a look, the house behind had already become a small piece, and they had gone much further than expected. She couldn't help but slap her forehead and exclaimed: "Oh dear, my brain! I should have known that his family would definitely make someone come over to pay their respects, how could I still lead the young lady so far? I was only concerned with talking to the young lady about these wild herbs and vegetables, it's hard for the young lady not to be annoyed with me, able to listen to my chatter for so long."

  Lin Jinyu said in a soft voice: "Mom doesn't have to be humble, I'm also gaining experience. Maybe one day it will come in handy, who knows."

  Tie Huai's family's Huan Xiao looked at Lin Jian Rong with a glance, feeling that this gentle and beautiful little girl was really pleasing to the eye: "Fourth Miss, your words are truly comforting. I suppose you don't know who Chang Dàye and Chang Dànǎi are?"

  "Early rising, I heard Gong Mama mention it briefly. Is it the uncle and aunt of our clan?" Lin Jingrong's tone became even more gentle: "In the future, my mother will be recuperating here, and we can't help but trouble them frequently, so Mother told me about their family matters, so I can remember them in my heart and avoid being rude."

  "Two years ago, he came to visit his relatives and Master Lao helped him settle down. Coincidentally, there was a field for sale near the estate of Madam, so they bought it nearby." Yeshi's family pointed vaguely in the southeast direction: "From here, about seven or eight miles away, is their home. Their land is adjacent to Madam's land. Just remember, Chang Dainai is a stepmother, and neither the eldest nor second young master are her biological sons, only the third young master is hers."

  Lin Jinrong gazed far into the distance, but all he saw was a vast expanse of fields stretching out in the southeast direction. A few rows of bare willow trees stood quietly on the horizon, and in the distance, there was a small hill blocking his view, making it impossible to see Lin Chang's house. He then withdrew his gaze and asked the Tiehuajia family: "Isn't there supposed to be a hot spring nearby? Where is it?"

  "Girl, be careful not to trip over the iron wire grass roots." Fuding Lin, from the Iron Locust family, pointed westward: "Look, girl, there's a Cool and Refreshing Temple over there, with a spring inside."

  Lin Jinyong narrowed his eyes to take a closer look, and indeed saw a small temple with pink walls and black tiles hidden among a row of dense cypress trees. He casually asked: "I heard Uncle say that Auntie can still go soak in the hot springs..."

  Tie Huai's family listened and immediately knew what she was asking about, so he said: "It's a nunnery, with only two elderly nuns inside. The place is not big, the incense is not prosperous, the houses are old and dilapidated, and the two old nuns are too honest and lazy, so they don't show off. Otherwise, the ladies and girls in the city would probably come to play often."

  Lin Jirong thought to himself, it's true that the place is not big and the incense is not strong. The houses inside are naturally not good either. That's why even if there are hot springs, people don't like to come here. For example, the Tao family probably didn't know about this hot spring, but they never brought their children here to play. If it wasn't for Tao Shunqin mentioning it this time, I'm afraid the Tao family wouldn't have thought of coming here either.

  The iron lotus family's chatterbox continued: "This hot spring water flows from the Qingliang Temple, around the Qingliang Mountain, and along the Qingliang River all the way down. About a mile and a half downstream is the home of Mr. Zhuo, an elderly gentleman who is highly respected for his virtue. He built a free school that doesn't charge tuition, teaching poor children to read and write without compensation. When he sees us, he's also extremely humble. His wife, Mrs. Zhuo, is a kind-hearted person who often makes offerings to the old nuns at Qingliang Temple. Speaking of which, this dowry estate of hers, nestled in the mountains and by the water, is truly a blessed land...""Mr. Zhuo? Is that Mr. Zhuo Mengyue?" Lin Jingrong's eyes lit up again - wasn't he a renowned Confucian scholar from Pingzhou? How could it be that they were neighbors? Lin Jingrong tiptoed to look westward, hoping to catch a glimpse of something. However, the small mountain behind Qingliang Temple completely blocked the view, and she could only see the distant water sparkling with glittering light in the sunlight.

  "Fourth sister, Mr. Zhu planted a large peach and pear tree on Qingliang Mountain. When the flowers bloom in spring, white pear petals and pink peach petals flow down the river with the water. The fish in the river will jump out to eat the petals. At that time, set up a good net, use a willow branch to scoop the water, the fish will escape in all directions, and accidentally fall into the net, becoming crispy fried fish. It's really delicious and fun! Are you and your wife staying until spring?" The voice was crisp and urgent, vividly painting a beautiful picture for Lin Jingrong.

  Lin Jinyong turned around, but saw a little girl about his own age wearing a half-old pink blouse and skirt, with a braid tied up, peeking out from behind the iron locust tree's back, looking at him with a smile, her dark face had a particularly distinct dimple.

  "You little scamp! Who told you to be so mouthy? No respect for your elders, even in front of the young mistress!" Iron Locust's words were harsh, but the amusement and affection in his eyes couldn't be suppressed. "You've made a laughingstock of yourself, this is our Third Daughter, she's the youngest, and has been spoiled rotten."

  "It doesn't matter, I think she's quite likable." Lin Jiner smiled at the girl and asked: "What's your name?" The girl replied straightforwardly: "My name is Miao Xia."

  "Guiyuan burst out laughing, 'How can I call myself a slave and be with you, my girl?' Her eyes fell on the girl's feet and she discovered that the girl had unusually large feet, unlike ordinary people. She couldn't help but cover her mouth to stifle a giggle."

  Miao Ya's face turned red at this time, and she pulled her feet under her skirt. Seeing Lin Jin Rong smiling warmly without any blame, she stuck out her tongue at Gui Yuan and happily ran forward with a whoosh: "I'll lead the way for you, miss."

  Still the carefree "me".

  Lin Jinyong suddenly felt that she had fallen in love with this place, and she turned back to ask the Tiehuajia family happily: "Mom, when I came here, I passed by a river, and there was a large piece of salt alkali land on the riverbank. Whose is it?"

  It took the iron locust tree's family a good half day to react and ask which piece of land she was referring to. He smiled and said, "I don't know, that land has always been deserted like that, I'm afraid it's ownerless."

  Lin Jin frowned: "Ownerless?" She remembered that in this dynasty, there were laws, ownerless land could be reclaimed and the taxes were very low, and some lands didn't even require paying taxes. But for others, this was a good thing, while for her, it was more troublesome.

  What reason can she use to move the Tao family and arrange for someone to go with her to reclaim the wasteland? That salt alkali land is barren, how can it be reclaimed?

  As expected, Tie Hua's family followed with a smile: "Who would want that kind of land?"

  Lin Jinrong smiled and asked her: "I made a bet with my uncle. Would you please ask Iron Mama to find out whose house is in that place? Ask carefully, I will have to thank you if it's not done." He thought for a moment, then said: "There may be many such places around here, let's ask about them all at once."

  Tie Huai's family was very curious about what kind of bet Lin Jinrong and Tao Shunqin had made, but they didn't dare to ask in detail, so they just agreed not to mention it. Lin Jinrong was afraid that she would also treat herself like a child and dismiss the matter, so he repeatedly reminded her before putting it down.

  A group of people returned to the Zhuangzi, and Chang Danni was still accompanying Tao Shi, sitting there drinking tea and chatting: "The days are difficult, and the place is unfamiliar. Last year, thanks to the blessing of the Fu family, we finally settled down and even married a daughter-in-law for Lao Da, and had a grandson. Lao Er is almost twenty years old but still has no prospects, the betrothal gift is too expensive, and my three sons are going to get married again... Another one is in the belly, his father is worried to death..."

  Mr. Tao expressed his deep sympathy: "It will all be well."

  Seeing a group of people surrounding Lin Jinyong, Chang Dainai immediately stopped talking and was helped up by her servant. She smiled politely and said: "Is this the fourth young lady? You look really good."

  "Stop bothering her, she's younger than you, just sit down."

  "Nothing's wrong, nothing's wrong."

  "Auntie, good fortune." Lin Jinrong performed the courtesy with precision, waiting for Chang Dainai to sit down before standing behind Tao Shi and taking in her appearance at a glance.

  The woman was about thirty years old, with a plain but refined appearance. She had a bun adorned with a gold hairpin and wore two pearl flowers on her head. Her body was clad in a half-new pale blue satin jacket, tied with a green skirt, the most striking thing being that unusually protruding belly.

  Next to her was an old woman who had gone through the years, and a little girl who was only eight or nine years old. The old woman's half-old and half-new jacket still had creases on it, while the little girl was dazed and only cared about eating fruit.

  Lin Jianrong couldn't help but think that his clan uncle's family was not very well-off, and their days were not going very smoothly.

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