Chapter 829: Inspecting the Cabin

Editor: Henyee Translations

By the vegetable garden’s pond in Chu Village, the village children gathered around to watch Chu Qingzhi harvest lotus roots.

Despite its small size, the pond was rich in resources, with lotus roots, fish, shrimp, clams, water chestnuts, and water celery all reaching harvest season.

However, unable to consume everything at once, Chu Qingzhi planned to harvest and eat fresh produce gradually.

Standing by the pond, Chu Qingzhi grabbed a lotus stem and pulled, bringing a plump white lotus root from the mud to the water’s surface, where it gently swayed, shedding its mud.

The children cheered, “Wow, Sister Qingzhi is so skilled!”

Chu Qingzhi continued her efforts, bringing another tender root to the surface.

After harvesting six or seven roots in succession, each root was intact, with four to five nodes, looking incredibly pleasing.

Chu Qingzhi carried the lotus roots to a stream to wash them, then broke them into sections to distribute among the children, “Eat up, one for each of you.”

“Thank you, Sister Qingzhi.”

Keeping a section for herself, Chu Qingzhi ate it and took the remaining long roots home.

The lotus root was sweet and crunchy, with a fruity aroma, a delightful surprise from the seeds she had casually sown.

Entering the kitchen, Chu Qingzhi suggested, “Mother, how about pork rib stew with lotus root for dinner?”

Li Qingyu readily took the roots, “Sure, I’ll make it. You go rest.”

“Thanks, Mother.” Chu Qingzhi headed upstairs.

She had finalized the menu for the academy’s dinner event. After one last review to ensure no issues, she could start preparing the actual dishes tomorrow, just in time for Zhuo Yanhai’s inspection.

In the medicinal herb room at the herbal shop, Chu Qingzhi asked Li Ziyun for help, “Can you get me two taels of thistle?”

“Sure.” Li Ziyun hurried to the storage, asking Sun Xiaolan for thistle.

Sun Xiaolan impatiently responded, “The herbs are in the drawer. Can’t you fetch them yourself? I’m not here to serve you, really troublesome!”

Ye Qingfu gently tugged at Sun Xiaolan’s sleeve, “Don’t say that. If Sister Qingzhi finds out, she won’t be pleased.”

Sun Xiaolan dismissed it, “Sister Qingzhi is broad-minded and won’t fuss over us. Plus, she asked Li Ziyun to fetch herbs, not us, so it’s none of our business.”

Li Ziyun, on the verge of tears from Sun Xiaolan’s words, felt extremely wronged.

Although the herbs were in a drawer, with so many drawers and her inability to read, how could she know which one to take? What if she picked the wrong one and caused a problem?

Not wanting to delay Chu Qingzhi’s work, she pleaded, “I can’t read. Could you please help me fetch it?”

“I’ll help you.” Ye Qingfu, seeing Li Ziyun’s pitiful state, intended to help, but

Sun Xiaolan blocked him, “Do your own thing.”

Ye Qingfu reluctantly said, “Why make things difficult for her?”

Sun Xiaolan huffed but remained silent, inwardly resentful that Li Ziyun had taken the assistant position she had aspired for, unable to accept it.

Yet, with no alternative, she vented her frustration on Li Ziyun.

Ye Qingfu, worried Chu Qingzhi might get upset, directed Li Ziyun, “The fourth row on the left, third drawer has the thistle. Take what you need.”

“Thank you.” Li Ziyun, grateful, went to fetch it.

The drawer contained both large and small thistle, visually similar. Unable to distinguish, she decided to take both to let Sister Qingzhi choose.

Watching Li Ziyun’s departing figure, Sun Xiaolan’s eyes filled with envy.

Ye Qingfu advised, “Li Ziyun is Li Zhangjie’s sister, and Li Zhangjie is dearly liked by Sister Qingzhi. Don’t target her.”

Sun Xiaolan clenched her fists, “I’m not targeting her. I want to compete with her.”

“If it’s a fair competition, I support you,” Ye Qingfu said.

Sun Xiaolan snorted, “Just you wait and see.”

In the Pharmacy, Li Ziyun brought both types of medicine to Chu Qingzhi, “Sister Qingzhi, I couldn’t distinguish between the two medicines, so I brought them both.”

Chu Qingzhi didn’t comment but asked, “Have you memorized all the characters I taught you?”

Li Ziyun immediately responded, “Yes, I’ve memorized them all.”

Chu Qingzhi nodded, “That’s good. Go on with your work.”

“Okay.” Li Ziyun quietly left the pharmacy room, only to go outside and cry.

She hadn’t expected to feel so aggrieved in this small herbal shop. It wasn’t her fault she couldn’t read; why did they have to make it so hard for her?

Ye Qingfu came out, “Ziyun, don’t take what Xiaolan said to heart.”

Li Ziyun quickly wiped her tears, “I’m fine, 1 didn’t take it seriously. Qingfu, you go on with your work. 1 just need a moment to calm down.”

“Alright, but don’t take too long. There’s a lot of work to do,” Ye Qingfu kindly advised.

“Okay.”

After some thought, Li Ziyun made a resolution to learn to read diligently. She didn’t want to be looked down upon.

With renewed determination, she went back to the herbal shop.

Li Ziyun’s father called Chu Qingzhi to inspect the bamboo cabin, “Miss, the bamboo cabin is finished. What do you think?”

Chu Qingzhi entered the cabin, noting the layout. The entrance led to a waiting room, with doors leading to four separate offices. Each office had an adjoining room for storing documents and necessities.

Chu Qingzhi walked into the office opposite the entrance, noting an additional door leading to the backyard, which contained a separate storage room for seeds and grains, a document room, and a spare room.

The layout was satisfactory, and the light filtration through the bamboo ensured privacy while allowing minimal light inside. Opening the windows brightened the rooms considerably.

Testing the sturdiness of the structure by shaking a support beam, Chu Qingzhi found it immovable, indicating excellent craftsmanship.

“Uncle Li, entrusting the cabin to you was the right choice.”

Li Ziyun’s father smiled, “I’m glad to be of help, Miss.”

Chu Qingzhi inquired, “Do you have any tasks at the moment, Uncle Li?”

“Nothing right now,” he quickly added, “Whatever you need, Miss, just let me know. I’ll do whatever I can.”

Chu Qingzhi didn’t hesitate, “Then, I need your help to bring some people to Chu, the carpenter’s house, and move the custom-made cabinets, tables, and chairs over here.”

Li Ziyun’s father agreed promptly, “Right away.”

Chu Qingzhi also headed to the carpenter’s house to make the signboard herself since the carpenter couldn’t do it to her satisfaction..