Zhong Cai gave Chen Miao an address in the suburbs of Shannan City, in the opposite direction from the district Chen Miao was in.
After another hour of driving, Chen Miao finally arrived at Zhong Cai's home.
Most of the homes in the suburbs were farmhouses with their own courtyards. Zhong Cai was waiting at the entrance to his.
When he saw Chen Miao arrive, Zhong Cai immediately smiled.
"You haven't eaten yet, have you? I've just made a whole table of food. Come on in."
At the mention of food, Chen Miao realized he really was a little hungry.
He had spent the whole morning driving, and his stomach was empty.
The moment he stepped through Zhong Cai's gate, Chen Miao's eyes lit up.
Although the farmhouses in the suburbs all looked much the same from the outside, Zhong Cai clearly hadn't followed the crowd. He had put careful thought into designing his courtyard.
The courtyard wasn't large, but it had flowers, trees, vegetables, and even a two-meter-high rockery. Below the rockery was an irregular pond roughly three meters across, with a few withered lotuses that had nothing left but shriveled seedpods.
"Zhong Cai, this courtyard of yours really is... wonderful!"
Chen Miao wasn't just talking about its appearance and layout. There was also a feeling he couldn't quite describe.
After entering Zhong Cai's courtyard, he felt much of the irritation and fatigue from his travels melt away.
It wasn't simply that the promise of a meal had lifted his spirits. This was a very peculiar sensation.
"Zhong Cai, is there something special about this courtyard?"
Seeing that Chen Miao had noticed, Zhong Cai smiled. "No rush. Let's eat first, and I'll explain it all."
Chen Miao's eyes lit up at that.
So there really was something to it.