Oh no! My grandmother made me shoulder the responsibility for eight households!

Chapter 289 Trip to Dongshan

The group continued uphill.

After walking for another hour, we finally reached the top of the mountain.

When you climb the last step, a bright and open view suddenly appears before you.

Everyone was stunned.

Pavilions, terraces, bridges, flowing water, carved beams, and painted rafters are arranged in a harmonious and orderly manner.

The main hall is nine stories high, and its golden roof shines brightly in the sunlight.

There are also side halls, wing rooms, gardens, training grounds, libraries, and other facilities of various sizes nearby.

The most outrageous thing is that there's even an artificial lake!

The lake water is clear and rippling. In the center of the lake is a small island with a three-story pavilion. A winding bridge stretches across the shore.

After a long while, the old lady murmured:

"This...this is our house?"

Lin Chen smiled and nodded, "Yes, it's from our family."

Although Lin Chen came up with the design, he didn't expect it to have such a good effect.

The old lady took a deep breath and then smiled:

"Good, good! Chen'er, you're really... so capable."

Su Wanqing held Lin Chen's hand, speechless.

Lin Nian'er had already run out, chasing a butterfly all over the place.

Liu Ruyan called after her, but she didn't listen.

Lin Chen smiled and said to Zhuge Liang:

"Let me show them around and let them get acquainted with the place."

Zhuge Liang nodded and waved his feather fan: "Please follow me, everyone."

The group followed them inside.

Upon entering the gate, there is a wide bluestone path, lined with colorful flowers and trees of all colors, red, yellow, and purple, blooming vibrantly.

The younger children, including Qing'er, chattered excitedly as they identified the flowers:

"That's a peony!" "That's a peony!" "What...what flower is this?"

Li Chunfeng explained from the side: "This is a Fire Cloud Flower that was moved from the Southern Wilderness. It only blooms once every three years, and the flowering period lasts only seven days."

Qing'er stuck out her tongue: "So precious?"

Li Chunfeng smiled and said, "There are more than three hundred kinds of flowers like this on the mountain."

Everyone: "..."

Wen Ruoxi murmured, "More than three hundred kinds... how much would that cost..."

Qin Shuyan chimed in from the side, "That's enough for you to buy half of the capital."

Wen Ruoxi: "...I'll shut up."

Continue walking, and you'll pass through a bamboo grove.

The bamboo is entirely purple, shimmering faintly in the sunlight.

Xiao Yulou asked curiously, "What kind of bamboo is this?"

Li Chunfeng: "Purple Spirit Bamboo can be used to make high-grade arrows. It is sold by the root in Zhongzhou City for five hundred taels."

Xiao Yulou paused, and his gaze towards the bamboo forest changed.

Seeing her like that, Lin Chen couldn't help but laugh: "What, want to cut a few?"

Xiao Yulou hesitated for a moment: "Can I cut it?"

Lin Chen waved his hand dismissively: "Chop away as much as you want, they're all our own property."

Xiao Yulou's eyes lit up.

Passing through the bamboo forest, you come to a wide-open training ground.

The ground was paved with huge blue stones, as smooth as a mirror, and was as big as five football fields.

The training ground was lined with all eighteen kinds of weapons, including knives, spears, swords, halberds, axes, hooks, and forks.

Xiao Yulou's eyes lit up even more.

Ye Qingying also raised her head and took a few more glances.

Lin Chen smiled and said, "Come anytime you want to practice martial arts. This place is prepared for you."

Xiao Yulou nodded, already thinking about when to give it a try.

Behind the training ground are rows of side rooms.

Li Chunfeng explained, "These are the guest rooms, a total of ninety-nine, each with its own private hot spring bath and courtyard."

Wen Ruoxi asked curiously, "What about the main courtyard?"

Li Chunfeng pointed to the small island in the center of the lake:

"Over there, on the island in the middle of the lake is the main courtyard, which has a total of eighteen courtyards. It is laid out according to the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams, with each courtyard connected to the others, yet also having its own independent space."

Everyone looked toward the island in the middle of the lake.

The buildings on the island are partially hidden by green trees, with only a few corners of their eaves showing.

Wen Ruoxi murmured, "What's it like living in there...?"

Qin Shuyan: "You'll find out tonight."

Wen Ruoxi: "That's true."

Li Chunfeng continued, "There are 999 kinds of fish in the lake, all of which were transported from various places. You can fish for them or catch them to eat."

Lin Nian'er, with her sharp ears, immediately turned around: "Can it catch fish?"

Li Chunfeng nodded with a smile: "Yes, there are fishing rods and nets in the pavilions by the lake."

Lin Nian'er grabbed Liu Ruyan's hand: "Mother, Mother, I want to catch fish!"

Liu Ruyan patted her head: "Okay, I'll have your eighth uncle take you later."

Lin Chen chimed in from the side, "No problem, Uncle Ba will catch the biggest one for you."

Beyond the training ground is a nine-story pavilion.

Li Chunfeng began by introducing the library: "The first to third floors contain martial arts techniques, the fourth to sixth floors contain various classic texts, the seventh floor contains rare books, the eighth floor contains unique books, and the ninth floor... is currently empty."

Lin Chen asked curiously, "Why is the ninth floor empty?"

Li Chunfeng glanced at Lin Chen meaningfully:

"Wait until the lord releases something even more precious later."

Lin Chen nodded, understanding.

Next to the library is a large hall.

Li Chunfeng: "This is the council hall, which can be used to receive guests or hold family meetings."

The old lady nodded, very satisfied.

Further on, there is a medicinal herb garden.

Even before you get close, you can smell a strong medicinal fragrance.

Chu Yueyao paused, her eyes lighting up.

The medicinal garden covers a full ten acres, divided into plots, planted with various medicinal herbs. Some are in bloom, some are bearing fruit, and some even have leaves that exude a spiritual aura.

Li Chunfeng: "This is a medicinal herb garden, where all the herbs planted are over a hundred years old."

That red one over there is a thousand-year-old blood ginseng.

That purple one over there is a 500-year-old Ganoderma lucidum.

That golden patch over there is fifty-year-old golden thread lotus…”

Chu Yueyao was no longer listening to anything; her eyes were fixed on the medicinal herbs, and she unconsciously walked further inside.

Lin Chen grabbed her arm: "Don't worry, it's all yours, it won't run away."

Chu Yueyao then came to her senses, her face slightly flushed: "I...I was just looking."

Lin Chen laughed: "You can look, but you're not allowed to eat any."

Chu Yueyao glared at him: "When have I ever stolen food?"

Lin Chen: "You said that last thousand-year-old snow lotus was for testing its medicinal properties."

Chu Yueyao: "..."

Everyone burst into laughter.

After visiting the herb garden, it was already getting late.

As the sun sets, it bathes the entire manor in gold.

The lake surface shimmered, as if sprinkled with a layer of broken gold.

Standing by the lake, everyone looked at the scenery and felt a little dazed.

Wen Ruoxi murmured, "Now this is what a mansion should be like..."

Qin Shuyan, unusually, did not refute, but simply nodded slightly.

Looking at the training ground in the distance, Xiao Yulou was already thinking about getting up early tomorrow.

Chu Yueyao looked back at the direction of the herb garden, reluctant to leave.

Lan Fenghuang leaned against the railing, the wind blowing through her long hair. She squinted slightly, like a lazy cat.

Liu Shengxue stood beside her, quietly watching the lake, a faint smile playing on her lips.

Qing'er and the other girls had long since disappeared, no one knew where they had gone to explore.

Qin Xin and the other three stood a little distance away, talking softly, with occasional soft laughter.

Looking at this group of people, Lin Chen felt that building this house was the right thing to do.

The old lady walked over and patted him on the shoulder:

"Chen'er, well done."

Lin Chen chuckled: "Grandmother, this is nothing. There will be even better things to come."

The old lady smiled: "Alright, Grandmother will wait."

Lin Nian'er ran over and tugged at Lin Chen's clothes.

"Uncle Eight, Uncle Eight, when are we going to catch fish?"

Lin Chen looked down at her; the little girl's face was flushed, and there were beads of sweat on her forehead.

He knelt down and wiped her sweat.

"We'll go fishing tomorrow. It's getting dark today, and the fish are all asleep."

Lin Nian'er tilted her head: "Are the fish still sleeping?"

Lin Chen said seriously, "Of course we need to sleep. How can we grow taller if we don't sleep?"

Lin Nian'er thought for a moment and nodded: "Alright then, we'll catch them tomorrow."

Liu Ruyan watched from the side, a gentle smile on her lips.

Su Wanqing walked over and asked softly, "Chen'er, where will you stay tonight?"

Lin Chen stood up and pointed to the island in the middle of the lake: "Over there, the main courtyard."