Renovation in Progress

Xiaoguo stopped moving when she heard the voice. Jiang Danhe then put her down.

The two of them stood rooted to the ground and looked in the direction of the voice.

A handsome man dressed neatly in a clean robe was standing against the light. Accompanying his appearance, a faint floral fragrance could be detected in the air.

Xiaoguo and Jiang Danhe looked at each other and thought to themselves, “Who is this big brother?”

The conclusion was that he was a stranger.

Xiaoguo and Jiang Danhe shrugged and got ready to leave on their horses.

They couldn’t associate this handsome man with the sloppy Shu Botong at all.

Shu Botong’s eyes were filled with shyness. After all, he had not shown his true self for several years. He was really not used to this sudden change.

He didn’t have time to feel moved for long before he was ruthlessly interrupted by those two heartless people.

The courage that had surged up in an instant vanished instantly together with the profound emotions in his heart.

“Hey.”

Seeing that the two of them were going to leave, Shu Botong didn’t have time to indulge in his emotions. He quickly ran forward to stop them.

“It’s me.”

Looking at Xiaoguo and Jiang Danhe’s suspicious expressions, Shu Botong once again felt powerless.

However, it had been a long time since he had called out his own name, and he felt a little shy and embarrassed to say it out loud. He kept repeating the words, “It’s me, It’s me”, hoping that the two of them would recognize him.

In the end, he was left with no other choice. Xiaoguo and Jiang Danhe took a long and careful look at him before they got ready to leave again.

In a moment of desperation, he finally said the three words that he had been avoiding.

“It’s me. I’m Shu Botong!”

Xiaoguo and Jiang Danhe stopped what they were doing and smiled at each other.

Then, they turned to look at him and said with a smile, “You finally admit that you’re Shu Botong.”

Shu Botong was stunned and looked at Xiaoguo in disbelief. As smart as he was, how did he not realize that they were pretending not to recognize him?

“You guys…”

Jiang Danhe helped Xiaoguo off the horse and went to the side to tie up the horse.

Xiaoguo stood rooted to the ground with a smile and sized Shu Botong up in satisfaction. “Not bad. You were indeed the top scholar who was known for both your looks and talent.”

As she spoke, she observed his reaction.

When Shu Botong heard this, he only smiled. He didn’t seem hurt by Xiaoguo’s words, unlike the last time. Instead, he nodded graciously and accepted Xiaoguo’s scrutiny.

Jiang Danhe’s hand twitched as he tied the horse. Hearing Xiaoguo praise Shu Botong made him feel a little jealous for no apparent reason.

He quietly tied up the horse and sized up the man from the corner of his eye. He realized that Shu Botong was indeed quite good-looking, but he wasn’t as masculine as him. In that aspect, he definitely won him hands down.

Feeling a little proud, he came to Xiaoguo’s side and stuck close to her, wanting to assert his dominance.

His actions successfully attracted Xiaoguo’s attention.

The corners of Jiang Danhe’s mouth started to curl up. When he felt Xiaoguo’s gaze on him, he immediately flashed a proud smile at Shu Botong.

“See? I will always be the center of Xiaoguo’s attention. She will never look at another man.”

Shu Botong didn’t quite understand what Jiang Danhe was thinking. Besides, he didn’t have that kind of feelings for Xiaoguo. Therefore, when he saw Jiang Danhe’s smile, he subconsciously thought that he was trying to show his friendliness. Without a second thought, he immediately returned the smile.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Danhe’s face suddenly darkened. Just as Shu Botong was feeling puzzled, Xiaoguo came out to be the peacemaker.

“Let’s go. It’s noon. Let’s have lunch.”

Neither of them had any objections to her words. They nodded and started walking together.

Since Shu Botong had made the right choice, she would have to go ahead with the renovation of her two-story building. After lunch, she would fetch the craftsman over to do some sketches.

However, this meant that the three young children at home would have to suffer again. After this busy period was done and dusted, she would have to spend some quality time with the kids.

—-

After dinner, Jiang Danhe left to bring the two craftsmen over. Xiaoguo and Shu Botong returned to the two-story building.

“By the way, this silver is for you.”

As soon as they entered the building, Shu Botong handed her the money that he had kept for the entire journey. There was a hint of embarrassment in his voice.

Xiaoguo looked at the silver in his hand in surprise and asked, “Why are you giving it to me?”

“I am paying you back.” Shu Botong scratched his head and explained in embarrassment, “This is the silver for the returned fabrics, clothes, and shoes. I couldn’t get refunds for the other items, so this is all I’ve got.”

“I have used part of it to buy some clothes and for taking a bath. This is all that’s left.”

Shu Botong thought for a moment and explained further.

Xiaoguo shook her head when she heard that. “Keep the money for yourself.”

Although she didn’t know why he had bought all those items, she knew now that Shu Botong wasn’t a fool. He must have some use for them.

“All right, then.”

The corners of Xiaoguo’s mouth twitched. She didn’t expect him to be so straightforward. Although she was indeed prepared to give him the money, she suddenly felt that something was amiss. What could be the reason for that?

Shu Botong ignored her expression and put away the silver. He had offered it sincerely just now, but the other party refused it. That was just as well—it was good to have some silver in his pocket.

After a moment of silence, Xiaoguo pointed to their surroundings. Shu Botong’s mind suddenly went into overdrive, and he nodded at Xiaoguo, solemnly declaring, “I understand!”

Xiaoguo nodded in relief. Shu Botong finally understood human language. That was quite an unusual feat.

While he was working hard, Xiaoguo sat leisurely on a chair in the corner, keeping herself out of his way. She took two apples from the table and went out to take a look. She borrowed some water from another house to wash the fruits clean before sitting down again.

Shu Botong wiped the sweat from his forehead and said shyly, “I’m not eating.”

The only response to his words was a crisp and crunchy sound.

Xiaoguo nibbled on the apple and looked at him calmly. She had no intention of giving him the apple in the first place.

Shu Botong knew that he had misunderstood. He continued packing up awkwardly and did not dare to look up at her.

At this moment, Jiang Danhe arrived with the craftsmen. Xiaoguo took out a handkerchief and wiped away his sweat before handing him the other apple in her hand. “Have an apple.”

Jiang Danhe took the apple happily and took a small bite, feeling all sweet and fuzzy in his heart.

“Delicious…”

“Of course. I picked it.”

Shu Botong’s proud voice shattered his fantasy.

He forced herself to swallow the apple in his mouth and said with difficulty, “That’s only because my wife had washed it clean.”

Xiaoguo was happy to hear those words. She smiled and gave Jiang Danhe a nudge.

She then handed the half-eaten apple to Jiang Danhe because she was going to bring her sketch and view the house together with the craftsmen. It was impolite to eat while speaking with them.

After Shu Botong threw away his pigpen, he ran over to ask Xiaoguo for further instructions.

“Take the silver and buy a new set of bedding.”

In any case, she didn’t want to see the grimy bed set that he was using.

Shu Botong also agreed strongly with her. Now that he was clean, he didn’t want to go back to being dirty again. He had gotten himself all clean and nice-smelling today, there was no way he was going to get stinked up again.

“We can’t come here so often so you will have to help us watch over the renovations. From today onwards, I’ll hire you and give you two taels of silver every month. After this place is open for business, we can renegotiate your monthly salary.”

Shu Botong nodded heavily. “Okay, okay, okay.”

This was an awesome arrangement. There was food, accommodation, and a monthly salary. How carefree it was to stay here every day.

Xiaoguo knew that he had misunderstood, but she didn’t explain herself. She would leave it at that for now. When this place opens for business, he will be swamped with work.

The craftsman went back right after they were done with the sketching. They agreed to start work the next morning. Since the workload was greater than they had imagined, they did not state a specific time for completion. They only gave Xiaoguo a rough estimate, and that would be after the New Year.

It was just as Xiaoguo had thought. After the New Year was fine with her. It would still be in time.

When there was nothing else, Xiaoguo and Jiang Danhe got ready to leave.

As soon as they got on the horse, Shu Botong ran out.

“Hey, don’t forget our agreement…”