Chapter 68: Bringing the Manor Back to Life
Chapter 68: Bringing the Manor Back to Life
The sun shone brightly in the sky, casting intermittent shadows as clouds drifted across the sky. The temperature in the afternoon was comfortably warm, with a gentle breeze rustling through the air. The clouds added texture to the blue sky, creating moments of shade and sunlight that danced across the landscape.
It’s a tranquil scene, perfect for enjoying outdoor activities or simply taking in the beauty of nature. However, instead of reading and enjoying the day, Xiang Ling was busy cleaning her courtyard along with the group of servants who were working tirelessly with her.
"My Lady, you shouldn’t tire yourself out. Let us take care of the cleaning." Fu Xiao made another fruitless attempt to make Xiang Ling stop working.
"I will feel much better if I help you all as well and don’t worry, I’m not going to get tired that easily. Let’s not waste time and keep working. This courtyard is way too big for some reason." Xiang Ling was unable to keep herself from complaining.
After lunch, they all had busied themselves in cleaning her courtyard, and while it had already been an hour since they started, they weren’t even twenty percent done with the cleaning.
There were a total of seven chambers in her courtyard - four in the inner courtyard and three in the outer courtyard. While the biggest chamber was already occupied by Xiang Ling, the rest were empty and could be used by the Young Masters.
But the actual place that needed the most attention was the garden between the outer and inner courtyard. The pond was almost dry, the peach blossom tree was in bad condition, and the railing of the bridge was broken.
Xiang Ling personally supervised the cleaning process and made sure that each of the seven rooms was thoroughly cleaned. She even used her powers to make sure that the rooms were as good as possible. Once the courtyard was clean, the servants started arranging furniture and bedding in the chambers.
Xiang Ling was enjoying a short break along with the servants in the garden of the outer courtyard when the men decided to finally move into her courtyard. Though only Dao Ming agreed to her request to move into her courtyard, all five men were standing in front of her at the moment.
It took quite some effort on Xiang Ling’s part to not smile as she invited the men and asked them to pick their rooms according to their preference. What surprised her was how easily they solved the issue of who was going to stay in the inner courtyard and who would be living in the outer courtyard.
Wei Guang, Li Xian, and Xin Cheng got the rooms in the inner courtyard while Dao Ming and Zhe Yuan got the rooms in the outer courtyard. As for one room that was left empty, Xiang Ling decided to change into a common room for everyone to gather and relax.
That night when Xiang Ling returned to her courtyard after dinner, she realized just how much that place changed within hours. Lanterns were hanging all around the courtyard, illuminating every corner in a warm glow. All the rooms were occupied and her husbands’ presence made the place livelier.
The days after that became busier as Xiang Ling fell into a routine. Every morning, she woke up and got ready for the day. She then helped Fu Xiao and the An sisters in the kitchen to prepare breakfast for everyone. In the process, she made sure to teach them a thing or two about cooking. After breakfast, she and the servants spent most of the day cleaning and renovating the manor.
Days slowly turned into weeks and the last part of the manor that was left for renovation was the small garden between the outer and inner courtyard in Xiang Ling’s place. Two whole days were used to rearrange that place and by the time they finished, everyone was shocked to see the result.
"My Lady, this place is looking wonderful." An Xi was unable to hold back her excitement as her gaze scanned the little garden that was undoubtedly the most beautiful place in the entire Chen Manor.
Xiang Ling nodded her head in agreement as her eyes took in the beauty of the garden that she had so painstakingly rebuilt. The pond was filled with water while lily and lotus plants covered most of its surface. There were fish in the pond as well.
The huge plum tree had returned to life and was filled with leaves. No one knew that the tree looked so lively because Xiang Ling watered it with the spiritual water from the stream.
The bridge was also restored and the wooden platform was polished until it sparkled. A wooden table was arranged in one of the corners of the platform, next to the plum tree, and seven chairs were arranged around it. On the other side of the garden sat a huge rock with shrubs growing around it.
After working tirelessly for nearly two weeks, the Chen Manor had finally returned to its previous glory. Every corner of the manor looked clean and well-attended. All the gardens were brought back to life and all the courtyards were redecorated.
"My Lady, what are we going to do tomorrow?" Xiao Hao, the youngest one, asked when he realized that there was no more cleaning left to do.
Xiang Ling chuckled at the expression of crisis that the kid held on his face. She softly patted his head before she answered, "Tomorrow, we are going to grow vegetables."
"Huh?" The kid was clearly surprised by her response as well as the other servants who heard her.
Instead of explaining anything, Xiang Ling disappeared inside her bedchamber to rest after the long tiring day. She had already planned to use the empty land at the back of the manor to build a small vegetable farm. The empty land belonged to the Chen family and it was time to put it to some use.
She was about to enter her space to take a bath when she heard someone knocking on her door.