Chapter 138: Two People's Surname
The group walked inward.
Yun Chu led the children walking in front, with Chu Yi following a step behind, trailed by over a dozen servants and attendants.
They soon arrived at the hot spring area, which was originally a wild spring but had now been fully developed into bathing pools. There were large open-air pools as well as partitioned private hot springs.
"There are thirty-six pools in total, both large and small," Chu Yi spoke up. "They all need to be named. As a rough man, I'm not skilled in such matters, so I can only trouble Madam Xie with this task."
Although Yun Chu's martial arts were not refined, her reading and writing skills were outstanding even among the entire Yun family. She nodded in agreement.
As they walked along, they arrived at the entrance of a small courtyard. Both sides of the gate were filled with flowers and plants, blooming vibrantly in this midsummer season.
Entering the courtyard, various flowers were in full bloom, with a small path embedded among the flower beds, making one feel as if they had stepped into a secret garden, instantly lifting their mood.
"Madam Xie, this courtyard was personally created by our prince," Cheng Zhuangzhu spoke from the side. "Please see if there are any areas that need improvement."
The entire manor had many separate courtyards built, each equipped with one male and one female bathing pool. While the other courtyards generally looked similar, only this one was particularly unique. Not only was it filled with exotic flowers and rare plants, but the edges of the bathing pools were actually inlaid with various colored stones that looked like gemstones, dazzling and brilliant.
Yun Chu thought this was a hot spring pool specially built by Prince Pingxi for Yin Pin.
She was just about to speak when Chu Hongyu exclaimed, "Wow, there are so many crabapple trees planted over there! So this is what Father meant when he asked me what flowers Aunt Yun likes."
All around the corners of the walls were crabapple trees, identical to those in the Sheng Residence where Yun Chu lived.
She was somewhat startled. Could this hot spring pool be...
"Madam Xie is the mistress of the hot spring manor, so the most unique pool naturally belongs to you," Chu Yi said without any extra expression on his face. "There's still an empty space here. Whatever flowers Madam Xie likes, I'll have people transport them here for planting."
Yun Chu pursed her lips.
In her first year of marriage into the Xie family, she had planted a large area of crabapple trees in the Sheng Residence. She used to love crabapple flowers very much, but at some point, she gradually developed disgust for them in her heart.
She very much wanted to escape from crabapple flowers, just like she wanted to escape from the Xie family.
After a moment of silence, she said, "Please transplant these crabapple trees to another courtyard. We can plant orchids or jasmine here instead. Ting Shuang, you handle this matter."
How could she trouble a prince with such trivial matters...
Ting Shuang was standing in the back. Hearing her instruction, she immediately stepped forward: "Yes, Madam."
Chu Yi paused for a moment but said nothing more.
"Changsheng, come quickly! The water here is warm, so comfortable!"
Chu Hongyu couldn't resist dipping his small hand into the hot spring pool and quickly called for his sister. The little girl pattered over.
The two children sat by the edge of the Hot Spring Pool, simply took off their shoes, and put their four pale little feet into the water, splashing each other.
"Yu Ge'er, don't do that," Yun Chu said gently. "Changsheng has a weak constitution. If her clothes get wet, she might catch a cold."
The little boy's eyes shifted, and he moved his bottom to change direction. Bending over, he scooped up water and splashed it toward Chu Yi.
The little girl followed her brother's example, happily splashing water from the hot spring pool outward, with most of it landing on Chu Yi.
Chu Yi's entire outfit was completely soaked.
His face darkened.His attendant standing nearby silently took a step back.
When the prince had left the house this morning, he had spent nearly fifteen minutes carefully selecting this particular outfit—all black. Though the attendant couldn't see any difference from his other clothes, the prince had painstakingly chosen it after much deliberation. And now, it had been completely soaked by the Young Son...
"Changsheng, run quickly! Father is going to hit someone!"
Chu Hongyu grabbed his sister's hand, climbed out of the hot spring pool, and dashed away barefoot.
A large group of servants hurried after them.
"Young Son, wait! Slow down!"
"Young Lady, don't run barefoot! Let this old servant put your shoes on..."
In an instant, the crowd had dispersed, leaving only Yun Chu, Chu Yi, and Yun Chu's maidservant.
Chu Yi coughed lightly and said, "Madam Xie, please don't misunderstand. I rarely hit the children normally."
Yun Chu nodded. "Yes, I know."
Chu Yi felt that the more he explained, the worse it sounded.
Just as he was about to say more, Yun Chu spoke first: "Your clothes are wet, Prince. You should change first."
Chu Yi had no choice but to leave and change his clothes.
Yun Chu continued to admire the small courtyard. It was evident that great effort had been put into it—every aspect was flawless.
She stepped into the house. The main hall contained a central room and an inner chamber, with side rooms on both wings and a study. Though small, it had all essential facilities.
Sitting at the desk, she had Ting Feng grind ink and began writing names for each hot spring pool. This was something she could do with ease...
As she was writing, the two little ones came running over after their round: "Auntie Yun, what does this character mean? And this one..."
Chu Hongyu asked question after question curiously, and Yun Chu patiently taught him to recognize the characters without showing any annoyance. The little girl also blinked her big eyes, listening attentively.
"Yu Ge'er, what do you think would be a good name for this hot spring manor?"
She had already named all the hot spring pools—only the manor's overall name remained, which was truly a headache.
Chu Hongyu swung his short legs, pondering deeply for a while: "How about 'Above Chu Yun'? Chu Yun refers to the clouds in the sky. Soaking in the hot spring feels like bathing among clouds—so comfortable and enjoyable. It would definitely attract many people."
"Above Chu Yun..." Yun Chu repeated it several times, a smile appearing on her face. "That's really good."
"I also think this name is suitable." Chu Yi, now changed into fresh clothes, walked in and looked at the paper on the desk. "Madam Xie's calligraphy is elegant yet majestic. Would you write these four characters? I'll have someone frame them to make the manor's plaque."
Chu Hongyu clapped happily: "Great, great! Auntie Yun, you write it!"
He really was clever—combining his surname with his mother's surname created "Above Chu Yun." He hadn't expected both his mother and father to like it.
The little boy leaned over the desk, overjoyed to see "Chu" and "Yun" written side by side.
Only after Yun Chu finished writing the four characters did she belatedly realize—wasn't this name a combination of her surname and Prince Pingxi's?
She glanced at the man before her. His expression remained normal, as if he hadn't noticed anything unusual.
If she pointed out the inappropriateness, it would make her seem overly sensitive like a petty woman.
Just then, Cheng Zhuangzhu, who had been waiting at the door, entered and took the calligraphy away, immediately arranging for the best craftsman to frame it into a plaque.
Yun Chu's lips parted slightly, then closed again.She took out the names she had chosen for the hot spring pools and presented them one by one for Chu Yi to review.
Chu Yi examined them carefully and said, "Everyone praises Lady Xie for her outstanding beauty, hence the title of the capital's number one beauty. But in my opinion, Lady Xie truly deserves to be called the capital's number one talented woman."
Yun Chu: "..."
Well, that might be a bit of an exaggeration.
Chu Hongyu tugged at Chu Yi's sleeve: "Father, since Aunt Yun is so remarkable, could she become my teacher?"
Yun Chu couldn't help but laugh: "Yu Ge'er, don't speak like a child."
It was impossible for the prince's residence to hire a woman as a teacher, and as a married woman, she absolutely could not take up a teaching position there either.
Just as they were speaking, Cheng Zhuangzhu approached and said, "Your Highness, Lady Xie, lunch is ready. Please proceed to the flower hall for the meal."
Yun Chu hadn't planned to stay for the meal, but with the two children pulling at her sleeves on either side, their big eyes looking at her expectantly, she found herself unable to refuse. She could only follow them to the flower hall.
OpenNovel