Why Were We Sleeping on a Field Ridge?

Shen Wanjun angrily cursed:

"Uncle, I didn't ask you to avenge me, so why did you have to lock her in the woodshed?"

Release her now.

Lord Shen slammed his hand on the table and said:

"You have no respect for elders, you're a coward, how could our Shen Clan have raised such a good-for-nothing like you?"

She's just a 6-year-old girl, 10 years younger than you. What are you afraid of her for? She's not going to bite you, is she?

Shen Wanjun stomped his feet in anger and turned to go to the woodshed.

He walked to the door of the woodshed and said, "Boss, boss, are you in there?"

Zhou Wanwan was sleeping and didn't bother with him.

But how could Shen Wanjun possibly give up?

"Eldest brother, it's all my family's fault. I apologize to you. My uncle is a clueless person."

"Let me in!" Shen Wanjun shouted at the guards at the gate.

The guards at the gate looked at him and said, "The master said that no one is allowed to approach here; they must stay for at least three days."

Shen Wanjun frowned and said, "Three days without food or water, how can a six-year-old girl endure that? Has my uncle gone mad?"

After saying that, he ran away.

Zhou Wanwan slept until evening. She stretched and said, "I'm so bored! Let's go for a walk! We can also enjoy the beautiful scenery of this Jiangnan water town."

The Shen Clan truly lives up to their reputation as the richest family in Jiangnan; the mansion they built is truly exceptional.

Sitting on the boat, Zhou Wanwan looked at the river view and said, "This river is full of water chestnuts and lotus roots, and there must be a lot of fish in the water too!"

The branches of the Old Scholar Tree stretched into the water and gently scooped it up a few times.

Before long, a large number of fish were scooped up, including crucian carp, common carp, grass carp, and a few small whitebait, all lively and jumping around.

Zhou Wanwan smiled and praised the Old Scholar Tree, "Uncle Scholar Tree, you're so kind! Then let's have grilled fish for our midnight snack tonight!"

The Old Scholar Tree beamed with joy and said, "Alright, let's have grilled fish tonight."

The Old Scholar Tree had someone clean the fish and then went to the kitchen to get a lot of seasonings.

Zheng Xing'an started grilling fish right there in the woodshed, and the aroma filled the air.

That night, Shen Wanjun secretly took the key and, with two servants, opened the door, saying, "Boss, you'd better leave quickly! I'll send the guards away."

But when he opened the door, he saw a grill inside, filled with fish.

Zhou Wanwan greeted him, "Shen Wanjun! What are you doing here? Are you here to return the money?"

Shen Wanjun nodded and said, "I received ten thousand taels of silver this month, so I brought this with me."

Zhou Wanwan looked at him and said, "Ten thousand taels? You get ten thousand taels a month? Your Shen Clan is really rich!"

Shen Wanjun scratched his head and said:

"Not everyone gets this. My father manages the family business, so I receive a lot of money."

Also, my grandparents dote on me a lot, and they give me some every month.

Zhou Wanwan didn't stand on ceremony and accepted the silver notes, saying, "You're quite sensible, kid! Since you're here, why not eat something before you leave!"

Shen Wanjun looked at her and said, "How could I possibly accept that?"

Zhou Wanwan chuckled and said, "What's there to be embarrassed about? Try it and see how the grilled fish tastes!"

Shen Wanjun picked up a skewer of grilled fish, took a bite, and his eyes lit up. "Wow! This grilled fish smells so good! My chef can never grill fish like this."

Zhou Wanwan nodded and said, "I put some spices that I developed myself inside, so it smells especially good."

Zhou Wanwan ate several skewers of grilled fish and was so full she could barely contain herself. "I'm so thirsty, if only there were..."

Before Zhou Wanwan could finish speaking, she saw that the Old Scholar Tree had secretly placed watermelon juice and orange juice on the windowsill outside.

These watermelon and orange juices are all freshly squeezed from fruit, and Zhou Wanwan especially loves to drink them.

She drank a glass of watermelon juice and orange juice, then said contentedly, "Shen Wanjun, you should go back now!"

Shen Wanjun looked at her and said, "My uncle has indeed offended you in many ways, but don't worry, you'll be able to leave in three days."

Zhou Wanwan quickly nodded and said, "Alright, alright, let's go back. Don't keep me from sleeping."

After Shen Wanjun left, the Old Scholar Tree softly said:

"Our people have already started working. The houses in this Jiangnan water town are truly beautiful."

However, it takes quite a while to dismantle it; it will take about four hours.

But it should be ready by tomorrow morning.

This house, built in the style of a Jiangnan water town, is exquisitely constructed. Fortunately, it is entirely made of mortise and tenon joints, so it doesn't require a single nail or rivet, making it relatively easy to disassemble.

The mansion was simply too large, and every beam, pillar, brick, and tile had to be moved with care.

More than three thousand tree spirits and vine monsters worked in an orderly manner, some carrying beams and others carrying tiles. They made more than a dozen trips back and forth before they had almost completely dismantled this entire Jiangnan courtyard house.

The Old Scholar Tree gazed at the empty foundation, its tone tinged with regret:

"It's a pity that this pond with flowing water can't be moved, otherwise it would be perfect to move it back and have flowers and trees with it."

However, I moved all the artificial hills and strange rocks back here, as well as that waterside pavilion, its connecting corridors and carvings, all intact.

I even took the whole stone bridge over the river with me.

Zhou Wanwan's eyes lit up as she listened:

"Grandpa Scholar Tree, you're amazing!"

Once we get back and put it all together, we'll have our own Jiangnan courtyard!

The Old Scholar Tree nodded and said, "Don't worry! Go practice your boxing, and after you're done, take a shower and go to bed early."

Zhou Wanwan finished her boxing practice, the bathwater was already prepared.

I had just boiled several pots of water on the kitchen stove and was about to scoop them up when I discovered that all the pots of water had disappeared.

The people working at the stoves gathered together and said, "Our kitchen is acting so strangely today. Why are we always missing things? More than a dozen dishes are missing today."

"The water I boiled is gone, and so are the bowls of bird's nest soup I was supposed to have for dinner."

Madam Shen started investigating the matter late at night, but she couldn't find any clues no matter how hard she tried, so in the end she could only let everyone go to sleep.

Zhou Wanwan went to bed early.

The next day, she was sound asleep when she heard the housekeeper exclaim, "Good heavens! How come we only have a few houses left? And they're all servants' quarters!"

Madam Shen and Lord Shen went to bed quite early yesterday. As soon as Lord Shen opened his eyes, several bubbly toads suddenly appeared in his line of sight, squatting next to his face and staring intently at him.

Before he could react, several toads simultaneously tilted their heads back, their long, wet tongues darting towards him, almost licking the tip of his nose.

"Ah!"

Lord Shen was so frightened that he shrank back, almost scared out of his wits.

He then realized with a start that he was lying on the edge of a field outside the house, surrounded by rows of vegetable seedlings.

He reached out and shoved Madam Shen, who was beside him, awake, saying:

"Madam, Madam, wake up!"

What happened? How did we end up sleeping here?

Madam Shen looked around, her face instantly turning deathly pale, and she screamed, "Ah? How did we end up sleeping on the edge of the field?"

Lord Shen felt a chill run down his spine and shook his head with forced composure. "We... we couldn't be sleepwalking, could we?"

Madam Shen waved her hands frantically, trembling with fear. "Impossible! We've never sleepwalked!"

The two stumbled and staggered toward the main courtyard.