Chapter 67: An Unexpected Offer
Chapter 67: An Unexpected Offer
Xiang Ling followed Wen Zhe Yuan inside his courtyard which was located a two-minute walk from her own courtyard. Her other husbands also followed behind the two of them. For some weird reason, these men had decided to not leave her alone ever since they returned to the manor.
Since Xiang Ling wasn’t doing anything secretive, she decided to stay silent and to let them be. Instead of focusing her attention on them, her brain was busy calculating the amount of work she had to perform in the coming days.
The previous time when Xiang Ling entered Wen Zhe Yuan’s courtyard, it was a dark night while rain was pouring crazily. She barely had any time to properly check the place. But now in the brightness of the day, she was finally able to see how well Zhe Yuan had been taking care of the place.
Upon entering, they were greeted by a meticulously manicured garden, featuring bonsai trees, delicate flowering plants, and a peaceful koi pond adorned with water lilies. A stone pathway led straight to the chambers ahead.
The courtyard was surrounded by rooms on all three sides with the garden in the center. There were a total of three rooms in this courtyard and only one was currently occupied by Zhe Yuan.
The courtyard’s architecture was characterized by graceful curves, elegant wooden beams, and tiled roofs adorned with upturned eaves. The main pavilion, with its intricate lattice windows and ornate wooden doors, served as the focal point of the space, offering shelter from the sun and rain. Unlit lanterns hang from wooden pergolas.
"Your courtyard is beautiful." Xiang Ling found herself saying as she enjoyed the warm air and the beautiful view.
Zhe Yuan smiled widely at the compliment as if he was feeling proud. "Let’s go and sit inside." He offered and Xiang Ling followed him into the front chamber. The room was huge and was divided into two parts - the sitting/study area and the sleeping area.
Five of them settled down in the sitting area while Zhe Yuan went to get the map of the manor. After a very short moment of searching through the scrolls and books that he had piled up on a wooden shelf, he returned with a big scroll in his hand.
"Here’s what you are looking for." He said while offering the scroll to Xiang Ling who immediately accepted it. She opened the scroll and placed it on the study table next to her before she placed wooden sticks at the corners to keep the scroll from closing.
Her eyes started studying the map closely. Upon entering the manor from the front door, there was a big garden leading to the main hall. Attached to the main hall was the Master’s study and in the back was the Master’s bedchamber. On the left of the entrance, at the end of the garden, were Servant Quarters. A corridor joined the Servant Quarters to the Kitchen and the dining hall which were located right behind the Main Hall.
Then came a smaller garden and attached to it were two courtyards of the same size. These courtyards belonged to the elder brothers of the previous owner of Xiang Ling’s body. On the west of the Kitchen was the Madam’s beautiful courtyard.
Then came the small courtyard where Wen Zhe Yuan was staying. At a distance of a two-minute walk, Xiang Ling’s courtyard was located and just one look at the map made her realize that she was indeed occupying the biggest courtyard in the entire manor. What she was surprised to see was that attached to the left side of her courtyard was another small courtyard which was shared by Wei Guang and Li Xian. Finally, a garden separated this small courtyard from another small courtyard that was shared by Xin Cheng and Dao Ming.
The Chen Manor might not be as big as the manors of the noble families in the Capital City but it was still one of its kind, huge and splendid.
"Why are you all staying in different courtyards?" She asked the men as she continued to study the map. Between the two courtyards of the four Young Masters, the back door of the manor was located. Xiang Ling studied the area outside the back door and realized that it was an empty land.
A moment or two later, she realized that none of the men had answered her question yet. Confused, she looked up in their direction only to find them silently studying her.
"What?" She asked while shifting her gaze between all five of them one after the other.
"Your parents gave you that courtyard after you married Xin Cheng and Dao Ming as the previous one wasn’t big enough for all five of us. But when we tried to move in, you stopped us and sent us to live in the other courtyards. That’s why we all are living in other courtyards." Wei Guang finally revealed another dark past of the previous Chen Xiang Ling.
A deep sigh escaped Xiang Ling as she cupped her forehead in her palm and kept her eyes fixed on the map. Wheels were turning in her brain as she thought of several ideas the more she studied the map. While still lost in her thoughts, she made a new offer to the men. "If you all don’t mind, you all can move into my courtyard."
The next moment was filled with silence but Xiang Ling kept her calm as she looked up in their direction and added, "Those courtyards were initially built as either guest courtyards or for other matters. It’s not right for us to keep them occupied."
She waited - seconds and minutes of deep silence passed but none of the men spoke. She almost started regretting her offer when Dao Ming finally broke the silence. "When can I move in?"
A bright smile bloomed on Xiang Ling’s lips as she quickly answered, "I will ask the servants to clean the courtyard. If everything goes right, you can move in this evening."
* * *
A/N:
Thank you so much, dear MelPastor, for the Golden Tickets and all the love you are showing to the story. It means a lot to me. Lots of love from this author.