Weiyu Mountain

Early the next morning, Liu Xiaolou and Su Jiuniang came to visit Liu Family Manor.

After welcoming them inside, Madam Liu asked why they had come. Liu Xiaolou replied, "Ninth Mistress and I are making a trip to Weiyu Mountain. At the shortest, we'll be gone ten days or half a month; at the longest, we may not return for one or two months. No one is on the mountain now. Xiaofang is in Lingnan, and Tong'er went out on a case with Officer Zhou of the Qingyu Sect. Who knows when either of them will return..."

Madam Liu looked at Liu Xiaolou, then at Ninth Mistress beside him, her eyes brimming with delight. She hurriedly said, "Easy enough. We're all family. You young people just go out and have your fun. With your sister-in-law here, nothing can go wrong. Your elder brother still hasn't returned from Pingdu Mountain, and I have nothing to do at the moment anyway. I might as well move up the mountain and watch over your home for you."

Liu Xiaolou said, "Then I'll have to trouble you, sister-in-law... I also went to Xingde Manor just now. Their manor has only recently been completed, and there are still many loose ends to tidy up, so they may not be able to help you much. But if anything happens, just send word, and there definitely won't be a problem."

Madam Liu said, "I went there just a couple of days ago. The houses, Courtyard Walls, pavilions, and terraces have been built, but they haven't even been whitewashed yet, and the ponds haven't been dug out. How can that count as completed? It's still far too early. Not to mention reclaiming the wasteland—they're recruiting manor hands everywhere, but who knows how many they've found? My family's manor