Egret Manor

Seeing the house sitting empty, unable to be rented out because it was located in the village, and impossible for her to live in herself, Zhao Ruxi felt a pang of heartache.

People who are burdened with mortgages in modern times can't stand seeing their homes empty and abandoned.

"Was this house built by the Wei Family?" she asked.

"No, Miss, it wasn't. It was built by the Qin Family before. Their elders lived here back then, which is why so many houses were built," Qian Duoduo said.

"Just call me 'Miss' from now on." Zhao Ruxi didn't like being called "Miss" at all.

After correcting her form of address, she asked curiously, "What about the Qin Family?"

"In reply to your question, young lady, it has fallen into ruin."

Upon hearing the word "decline," Zhao Ruxi understood.

He must have done something similar to Wei Qiu, and his property was confiscated and sold off. Otherwise, such a good estate wouldn't be put up for sale.

Qian Duoduo said this to avoid offending anyone. After all, the place had changed owners twice in just over a decade, which seemed rather unlucky.

Apart from some essential furniture, there was nothing else in the house. The group quickly toured the house and then returned to the front hall to sit down.

Wu Zong said to Zhao Ruxi, "First, give the estate a new name and replace that plaque."

"Good."

Zhao Ruxi thought for a moment, recalling the flock of egrets she had seen when she came in, and said, "Let's call it Egret Manor."

"Good, very good, this name is quite elegant," Wu Zong praised.

When they're into art, even a name they give to Zhuangzi can't be too vulgar, otherwise wouldn't that tarnish their reputation?

Qian Duoduo was also very Gao Xing.

He was the one who told the young lady about the egret, and that's why she named the manor. You could say the manor's name came from him. That's definitely an affirmation of him.

He asked solicitously, "Miss, no, young lady, we have writing materials in the room. Would you like to write down your name now so I can have someone make a plaque? If you pay extra to speed things up, we can probably get the plaque back and put it on in half an hour."

"Bring out the writing materials," Zhao Ruxi instructed, then turned to Wu Zong with a fawning smile, "Senior brother, I'll have to trouble you with this writing matter. Besides, I'll borrow your name to intimidate those who might do this."

Although she practices calligraphy every day, earning six points for each piece, it's still not presentable. Besides, writing large characters is different from writing small characters. Someone who writes small characters well may not be able to write large characters on a plaque.

Besides, even if her handwriting is good, how can it compare to the handwriting of a high-ranking official from the Court of Judicial Review? With Wu Zong's calligraphy hanging on the estate, countless demons and monsters would be kept at bay.

Wu Zong understood her intention and nodded with a smile, saying, "Alright, then I'll Yuchi Gong for once."

Although Wu Zong had introduced them at the beginning, Qian Duoduo still didn't understand the relationship between the two.

Seeing Zhao Ruxi address Wu Zong as "Senior Brother" and the two speaking to each other in a very familiar manner, like family, he knew what was going on.

Neither noble Earl of Suiping's Residence nor officials from the Court of Judicial Review could be people he could afford to offend.

The writing implements were probably left here by the Wei Family; they are of fairly good quality.

Zhao Ruxi fawned over his senior brother, grinding ink for him. Wu Zong faced the blank paper, held his breath, and wrote three large characters, "Egret Manor."

Zhao Ruxi stared in astonishment at the three large characters.

It is said that calligraphy and painting are inseparable. Wu Zong learned painting from his master, and in ancient times, people practiced calligraphy from a young age. Zhao Ruxi knew that his calligraphy must be quite good.

But I never expected it to be so outstanding and beautiful.

Wu Zong's calligraphy is extremely elegant and light, just like him—unbelievably handsome, even possessing an ethereal quality. Yet, amidst its elegance, it also exudes a grand and majestic air.

In short, in Zhao Ruxi's eyes, the calligraphy was beautiful. The two characters "White Egret" resembled a real white egret flying in the sky, perfectly matching the name of the plaque.

"System, if I master this, how many points can I get for each painting?" she asked in her mind.

The system is not responding.

"System, system..." Zhao Ruxi became anxious when the system didn't respond.

She practiced calligraphy regularly, and the system would announce her scores every day, so she never thought the system might malfunction.

Looking back now, the system hadn't popped up to chat with her or make its presence known for a long time. Especially with such a big event as Xiao Ke recognizing her, the system should have been chattering away, but it remained silent the whole time.

Zhao Ruxi had been so busy lately that she hadn't noticed this. Now she realized something was wrong.

Although she often complained that the system was stupid and full of feudal remnants, she couldn't deny that having it around was quite nice. It made her feel like she wasn't completely disconnected from modern life, and she also really coveted the things in its shopping mall.

By accumulating points through studying, one can purchase amazing items beyond the realm of science, such as Agility Pill, Great Strength Pill, and Beauty Pill. This kind of good fortune is not something everyone can encounter. Especially for a studious high achiever like her, it feels more like a reward.

"System system system..."

Seeing that the system hadn't responded yet, she couldn't care less about Wu Zong anymore. She was about to make an excuse to go somewhere deserted to cheer wildly when she heard a little noise in her head, the kind of sound of someone moving a chair.

She immediately focused her attention and softly called out in her mind, "System, are you there?"

"Not here." Finally, the system's reply echoed in my mind, and judging from its tone, it seemed quite angry.

Don't touch me.

Holding a grudge!

Zhao Ruxi: "..."

She finally realized that her mentally challenged family member was angry, and the consequences would be severe.

"Baby, don't be angry." She remembered that the system liked this form of address, so she quickly coaxed, "I was busy when we were at the Court of Judicial Review, wasn't I? I didn't have time for you, it was my fault, please forgive me, okay?"

"Hmph!" the system responded with a nasal sound.

"Don't be angry, don't be angry. Look, I'm asking you for help now, aren't I? Once I improve my skills, I'll give you lots of points. I really like your Agility Pill, and I want to save my points to buy it. Anyway, all these points will be yours eventually, it's just a matter of sooner or later, right?"

The system finally spoke, its tone aggrieved. "You call me 'Sweetie' when you need something, but call me 'idiot' when you don't, and then you just ignore me whenever you want."

Zhao Ruxi: "..."

It's impossible not to criticize them for being mentally challenged. A sweetheart is acceptable.

"Then I'll call you Sweetie from now on?"

"Uh, let's not. Anyway... anyway, you can't ignore me in the future."

Hearing these awkward words, Zhao Ruxi suppressed a laugh and agreed, "Okay."

At this moment, Wu Zong had already signed the plaque. He took out a seal from his purse, stamped it with ink, and Wu Zong's servant Wu An, brought out a basin of water for him to wash his hands.

Zhao Ruxi quickly stepped forward and showered him with compliments, expressing her boundless admiration.