In order to finish the work as soon as possible, the six people worked all morning and finally completed the last step of Lu Xunji's design drawings.
Xie Ji stood in the courtyard and looked up at the small villa.
Actually, the villa isn't very big. Apart from the small yard in front, it only occupies about 200 square meters. Including the yard in front, it occupies a total of about 300 square meters, which is far from being a real luxury villa.
But it was very sunny and exquisite. The flowers, plants and ponds in the courtyard were arranged just right. There was a large lawn surrounded by roses. Even the varieties of roses were very particular. The colors were rich, but not a single flower looked out of place.
More importantly, the interior design of the villa was quite different from the high-end luxury and minimalist style that Xie Ji had imagined. The entire interior was made of solid wood, with pear wood and yellow wood everywhere. All the fabrics were made of soft, skin-friendly linen with good light transmission.
The entire villa is especially suitable for summer. When the sunlight shines through the door and windows, the whole building will appear very bright, while the white gauze curtains and gray-black pear wood will give the villa a refined and elegant feel.
If I had to use a metaphor, the entire Chinese-style villa would probably resemble a wealthy and beautiful woman from the Ming and Song dynasties—understated, luxurious, elegant, and aloof, yet radiating brightness in every smile and gesture.
Lu Xunji cleaned up and threw away all the construction debris. When he got home, he saw Xie Ji standing in the courtyard, looking up at the house, lost in thought for a long time.
"What's wrong?" Lu Xunji walked over and reached out to rub Xie Ji's neck. "Did you sleep in with a stiff neck last night?"
Xie Ji's eyes sparkled. He slowly shook his head, then looked at Lu Xunji with adoration, gesturing wildly. "I love that! I love the display shelf too. It looks like it can hold a lot of valuable things. And I love that vase in the living room too. What kind of flowers are in it?"
Looking at his lively eyes and brows, Lu Xunji patiently explained, "It's a 'thousand-gold smile'."
Xie, the illiterate, asked, "What is that?"
Lu Xunji looked down at him, then suddenly raised her hand and touched his brow bone. "Long eyebrows like distant mountains, slender waist like willow branches, standing in the spring breeze after makeup, a smile... worth a thousand pieces of gold."
Xie Ji: "... Huh? What do you mean?"
I don't understand it, but it sounds very sophisticated.
Shang Yan stood at the door and knocked on the arched pear wood entrance door, saying, "What I mean by 'teasing you' is... don't be so stingy, come help me set up the barbecue grill first, Xie Little Ji."
Xie Ji quickly responded, "Oh! Oh, oh!"
After he finished speaking, he turned to look at Lu Xunji: "Why are you flirting with me again?"
Lu Xunji chuckled lightly, changing the subject. "Do you like it?"
Xie Ji nodded. "I like it."
These people are really strange; they always ask him if he likes it or not, as if his liking or disliking it is very important.
"Yes, I'm glad you like it." Lu Xunji responded without saying anything more.
"When I buy a house in the future, I'll ask you to design it too." Xie Ji patted him on the shoulder. "My brother said you're very professional, and it's actually true!"
Lu Xunji narrowed his eyes. "I'll buy it."
Xie Ji: "Huh?"
This guy's words are completely nonsensical.
Lu Xunji didn't speak, but Shang Yan urged him again. Xie Ji didn't have time to play games with this guy, so he helped Shang Yan move the barbecue grill and other things out.
Ji Shi came out carrying a toolbox and exclaimed, "Wait, this barbecue grill doesn't come with an instruction manual? How do I use it without an instruction manual?"
Lu Xunji took the toolbox from him, manually set up the barbecue grill, and connected the gas.
Ji Shi watched in stunned silence, occasionally letting out some embarrassing sounds.
"Aww...?"
"Oh...!"
"Holy crap, so that's how it is!"
"Holy crap, who would have thought of this without instructions?!"
After the barbecue grill was set up, Ji Shi immersed in its ingenious structure and couldn't come back to his senses for a long time. Half a minute later, he suddenly realized—
Did he just act like a country bumpkin who's never seen the world, bragging to his rival for ten minutes straight?
Shang Yan and Mu Yao were setting up a tent on the side, wondering how someone could be so versatile, and how someone could be so shameless.
Zhou Heyu and Xie Ji were preparing ingredients when Xie Ji glanced at Zhou Heyu's face and suddenly said, "Why are you so happy? Do you really enjoy working?"
Zhou Heyu: "...?"
How did he find out?!
Xie Ji: "As long as you're happy."
Zhou Heyu: "..."
Zhou Heyu: "Hmm."
How did he tell Zhou Heyu was happy?
[I just took a screenshot of Zhou Heyu's face and compared it with a normal screenshot, and sure enough... there's absolutely no change! Where's the happiness in Zhou Heyu?!]
[ Zhou Heyu is truly expressionless; I suspect he's wearing a human skin mask, otherwise he wouldn't use the same expression for all the cameras.]
[Are we, the "Grain Offering Party," finally at the table for dinner?]
[The "Sacrifice to the Rice Seeds" pairing is such an obscure pairing; I've never heard of
[Go check out the Jihe Party's supertopic, it's full of Phoenix-themed fanfiction and pictures, it's so good!]
[Just got back from the supertopic, damn it, what kind of conditions are these? Do they expect us to eat meat every day? Draw one for us Shiji fans too!]
[The colder the fandom, the more explicit the content; when the fandom cools to the Arctic Circle, the content becomes so explicit it's almost obscene.]
[Draw one for our Machine Sacrifice Party too!]
[Bro, stop thinking about that lewd CP name. Change it. Look at Lu Xunji, so indifferent, like he's looking at everyone like they're dogs. His eyes are practically screaming, "You bunch of fools, you think you can even touch a finger of mine!" "Drawing a Phoenix Picture"? That's out of character, bro!]
[The Machine Sacrifice Party has died on the spot.]
[I really hate him! Xie Ji such a stunning beauty, how can he not be tempted by her? He's so cold-hearted! If it were me, I would have pounced on him long ago!]
[Our Lu Xunji is a pure and aloof beauty, you've never seen a stunningly beautiful and cold woman who's lustful! No way!]
If Xie Ji himself saw the netizens' comments about Lu Xunji, he would probably silently curse in his heart, "You pretentious bastard, you've succeeded in pretending again."
On the surface, he appears calm and aloof, uninterested in women, and possesses a cool, noble, handsome, and upright demeanor.
He knows perfectly well who he's kissed so hard his lips have scabbed raw in private!
As night fell, the preparations for the barbecue were finally completed.
Xie Ji sat side by side with Lu Xunji in front of the barbecue grill, imitating Lu Xunji by turning the skewers in his hands back and forth.
Mu Yao rocked back and forth in his little rocking chair, next to a bucket of fish he had brought back from the fish farm.
A-Qiang rubbed against his feet, then he was lifted up by the scruff of his neck, placed on his stomach, and stroked his head.
" Qiangzi, let's just sit and wait for our food. Don't go and join the fun, it's tiring." Mu Yao sighed leisurely in the evening breeze, "You're ugly, you'll get bullied over there, understand?"
A-Qiang: "Aww!"
It nestled obediently against Mu Yao's chest and licked his fingertips.
Mu Yao clicked his tongue, casually rubbing his fingertips against A-Qiang's furry body, and continued to hug him as if nothing had happened, "Are you hungry? If you are, go to sleep. You won't be hungry when you're asleep. How about I sing a lullaby for our Qiangzi? Two mongrel dogs, two mongrel dogs, running fast, one has no ears, one has no eyes, how strange..."
Qiangzi: "Eek...?"
Any affectation would vanish without a trace after a month and a half of rigorous training by Young Field.
As for the slight germaphobia, apart from Lu Xunji, everyone else had been thoroughly disciplined by Qiangzi and Gangzi.
At first, everyone had to wash their hands after petting the dog, but later they started petting the dog while eating steamed buns with relish.
At first, if I saw dog hair in my water glass, I had to pour out the water, wash the glass, and refill it. Now, I just pick it up and drink from it.
What? Dog hair?
It doesn't matter.
It's poisonous but won't kill you.
It will come out sooner or later.
Shang Yan walked over and threw Gangzi at Mu Yao as well. "Sing one for her too, she's got guts, she even dared to bite the barbecue grill."
Mu Yao took the opportunity to pull Gangzi close, grabbing her by the neck. "Two little mutts, flying among the flowers, flying, flying, slap, slap, two big slaps, slap, slap, two more big slaps..."
Gangzi had been forced to endure four slaps across the face. "..."
Zhou Heyu snatched the aggrieved Gangzi from his arms and hugged him tightly. "That's enough."
Mu Yao pointed at him. "A doting father produces a spoiled daughter."
Zhou Heyu paused for a moment, then slowly said, "... The child is still young."
Ji Shi squatted down beside Xie Ji, staring at the basket of duck eggs at his feet, and asked suspiciously, "Are there any Little Jia or Little Bird in here?"
Xie Ji: "... Who are Little Jia and Little Bird?"
The two eggs you gave me.
"My dear dad, you even named them? And you haven't eaten them yet?"
I said I wouldn't eat it.
"Okay, don't worry, it's not in here."
"That's good."
"After all, your Little Jia and your Little Bird bird are already smelly."
"I don't believe it."
"You'll behave when I break your bed."
"Are you sick in the head?"
"What's wrong? You have a medical license now?"
"No," Ji Shi said, "But I have a mouth, and if I say you're sick, then you're sick."
Lu Xunji didn't say anything, but silently handed the skewers in his hand to Ji Shi.
Ji Shi was taken aback for a moment. "... You're suddenly being so nice to me, I'm a little unaccustomed to it. This first skewer is for me?"
"Um."
"You're really acting strange." Ji Shi was a little suspicious, but still naively believed Lu Xunji. She grabbed a skewer and took a bite. "... Ugh!! Lu Xunji! I knew you were up to no good! What is this?! Tell me, what is this?!"
Lu Xunji looked at him. "This one is Little Jia's."
He then pointed to the other side. "This is Little Bird."
Ji Shi: "... Are you crazy, Lu Xunji! Come out here! Come here, today I'm going to avenge my dead Little Jia and Little Bird!!"
Lu Xunji didn't move, but handed Xie Ji a roasted tiger-skin chicken foot and said softly, "Sweetie, have a taste."
Xie Ji glanced at him. "Brother, this isn't some kind of Little Jia Little Bird or armor, is it?"
"No," Lu Xunji said calmly, "I don't have Little Bird, only big birds. Do you want to eat them?"
Xie Ji: "..."
I'm fucking speechless.