A couple of days ago, she went to that place to collect seeds. Now, at this time, all she needed to do was dry them properly.

After that, she would soak them before sowing.

Of course, she had asked Keke about it, and Keke told her that soaking the seeds beforehand would increase their germination rate.

Finally, she would spread the seeds evenly across the soil and cover them with a thin layer of earth. As long as the soil remained adequately moist, that would be enough.

Using this method, she could plant them in May or June.

It was the perfect time for it now.

Another method was to pick the fruits in August or September and dry them.

Once the fruits were dry enough to crack open, she could take out the seeds and let them air dry.

This method required planting in early spring the following year.

(The above information was summarized by the author after researching. If anything is incorrect, feel free to leave a comment!)

Originally, the second method was the most convenient. However, since there wasn’t enough time now, she had no choice but to go with the first one.

Just as Rong Zhihe walked in, Jian Xiu was about to soak the seeds in water.

She looked up and saw Rong Zhihe staring at her with a look of utter disdain.

“Oh my, Young Master Rong has graced my humble abode with his presence. What an honor!” Jian Xiu said with a mischievous smile.

After spending a lot of time with Rong Zhihe, she had grown used to joking around with him occasionally.

“Enough of that. Tell me, how did your life end up like this?” Rong Zhihe couldn’t help but ask.

“What’s wrong with it? Isn’t it pretty good?” Jian Xiu continued to smile.

“This…” Rong Zhihe gestured at the thatched-roof house.

“Yes? I think it’s great!”

“Forget it, forget it. I can’t be bothered to argue with you.” Rong Zhihe sighed helplessly.

Then he turned to the servant, Rong Yi, and instructed, “Bring in all the things I had you purchase earlier.”

At that moment, Rong Yi was holding the oven that Jian Xiu had designed last time.

Hearing the order, he immediately placed the oven in front of Jian Xiu before hurrying off toward the carriage.

The carriage was parked right outside their courtyard, so Jian Xiu only needed to glance up to see it.

But the moment she saw it, she couldn’t help but laugh.

Just from its exterior, she could tell the carriage was very much in Rong Zhihe’s style.

If she had to sum it up in two words: extravagant and flashy.

The entire carriage was covered in exquisite carvings.

Upon closer inspection, she realized they depicted a majestic horse galloping across rooftops.

The engravings were incredibly lifelike, proof of the craftsmanship that had gone into them.

The most extravagant detail was the golden rods sticking out from the golden lotus-shaped ornaments on both sides of the carriage— a perfect display of Rong Zhihe’s ostentatious nature.

Seeing Jian Xiu’s reaction, Rong Zhihe unfolded his fan, let out a light cough, and said,

“Don’t laugh at this young master’s carriage. It was custom-made at great expense! Do you think just anyone can buy something like this?”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Rong Yi came running in, carrying a pile of fabrics.

“Miss Jian, where should I put these?”

Jian Xiu: “…..”

Seeing her dazed expression, Rong Zhihe took it upon himself to answer.

“You can’t leave them in the courtyard. Put them inside the house!” he instructed.

“Yes, Young Master!”

Without hesitation, Rong Yi quickly carried the fabrics inside.

Rong Zhihe followed closely behind.

“These bolts of cloth go here. Be careful not to get them dirty. And put the food on the table,” he continued giving orders.

His casual demeanor made it seem as if he were in his own home.

Jian Xiu: “…..”

“And that oven—move it to the kitchen!” Rong Zhihe added.

Then, without a care, he grabbed a stool and plopped down.

For some reason, seeing him like this made Jian Xiu want to laugh.

Just imagine—a man dressed in luxurious silk robes, sitting in a run-down thatched house.

No matter how she looked at it, the scene was utterly ridiculous.

“What are you standing around for? Won’t you pour this young master a cup of tea?”

Before Jian Xiu could respond, Zhang Zixuan entered and overheard the unfamiliar man’s words.

“Xiu’er, who is this?” he asked.

“This is Rong Zhihe, the owner of Caifang Zhai,” she introduced him.

Then, turning to Rong Zhihe, she added, “And this is my husband, Zhang Zixuan.”

“Wait a minute, didn’t I hear that your husband’s legs were…”

“They’re fine now,” Jian Xiu cut him off.

“I thought so! No wonder there’s no one lying on the bed,” Rong Zhihe said knowingly.

Jian Xiu: “…..”

Zhang Zixuan: “…..”

To be fair, the house was small enough that he could see everything at a glance.

As he spoke, he got up and circled the room.

Then he asked, “Are you two really planning to live in this thatched house forever?”

“Of course not!”

“Then why don’t you build a proper house?”

“We are. Didn’t you see?”

“That’s yours?”

“Yes, why?” Jian Xiu asked curiously.

“There’s a big problem! How many courtyards does it have?”

“Seven,” Zhang Zixuan replied.

“Then that’s fine. Make sure to set aside a tea room for me!”

“Why?” Both of them asked at the same time.

“You’re going to have guests, aren’t you? And didn’t you say you have a lot of recipes? Obviously, I’ll be coming over frequently,” Rong Zhihe said matter-of-factly.

Was he seriously not treating himself as an outsider at all?

Seeing their reactions, Rong Zhihe suddenly had a bad feeling.

“You wouldn’t have forgotten to prepare a tea room for me, would you? Jian Xiu, and uh… Zhang… Zhang Zixuan, right? Listen, if you don’t prepare one, I’ll… I’ll…”

“You’ll what?” Jian Xiu raised an eyebrow playfully.

“Don’t worry, there is a tea room,” Zhang Zixuan said helplessly.

He hadn’t expected the owner of Caifang Zhai to have such a personality.

And even more surprising—Rong Zhihe was so young.

Back when he worked as an escort guard, he had heard Rong Zhihe’s name many times and had even helped transport valuables for him.

But he never thought he’d meet the man in person.

Hearing Zhang Zixuan’s words, Rong Zhihe swallowed back whatever he had been about to say.

“At least you two have some sense. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have let this go!” he huffed.

“Well, you’re mistaken. I didn’t build the tea room for you—I simply needed one for myself,” Jian Xiu teased.

As expected, Rong Zhihe’s face turned a mixture of red and green in frustration.