Ying Xiong watched the half-grown child run towards him excitedly. His already warm heart gave another sudden leap. Smiling, he looked at the rosy, smiling face before him, flushed with excitement. He gently stroked Yao Yao's head and said with a smile, "Good, you're just in time, I can teach you some business experience so you can avoid making mistakes!"
This made Fan Yao so happy he could hardly contain himself. Without a word, he got onto Ying Xiong's carriage.
The two carriages slowly pulled out of the Yuelai Inn, one after the other, heading straight for the outskirts of the city, the place everyone called Wuli Po.
Along the way, the sound of the child's laughter could be heard from the carriage from time to time, interspersed with gentle reminders to the child to be safe!
Fan Zehao and Zhao Jiaqi in the back carriage exchanged glances and shook their heads.
"Are we considered to have struck it rich? Two children, both finding the right mentors at the right time. If I told you this was a coincidence, would you believe me?"
Fan Zehao chuckled and pinched her waist. "Who told you we have good hearts? This must be heaven hearing our wishes and specially arranging two people to be our children's mentors!"
Zhao Jiaqi smiled wryly. Heaven might not have heard her wishes, but her child had found a mentor they admired, and she, as a mother, had fulfilled her child's wish.
However, Fan Zehao felt uneasy. "Wife, what do you think of this Ying Xiong?"
He was not a good judge of character. Having never interacted with him, how could he know if the man was good or bad?
Even after interacting, people have two sides. What they want you to know, they will show you. What they don't want you to know, they will wear a mask and hide it forever!
Therefore, asking for another person's opinion was always wise!
Zhao Jiaqi was not very clear about this Ying Xiong either, and he didn't show much on the surface.
If she relied on her intuition, she felt he was not simple!
But today, when he spoke of having no parents or family, his desolate look didn't seem fake. And no one would send away their own family just to lie.
Secondly, this man was the richest man in the Yun Kingdom. He must have countless amounts of money, so there was no need to deceive them. What benefit would it bring him to deceive them?
One had power, the other had wealth. Once the two combined, it could only accelerate the development of all matters. Based on these thoughts, she felt he would not be a person of great malice or evil!
Of course, as for selfish motives, Zhao Jiaqi felt Ying Xiong probably had them, but what kind of selfish motives they were, was unknown.
"You'll be together often in the future. Pay more attention when you have time. For now, I don't see anything unusual about him!"
Fan Zehao nodded. This was in line with his own thoughts. He actually liked Ying Xiong quite a bit.
In their idle chat, the carriages soon arrived at Wuli Po.
Wuli Po had a pavilion with these words written on it. When Zhao Jiaqi saw these three words, she realized that the so-called Wuli Po did not mean five li from Jinzhou City at all!
Their group arrived here, but they did not alert the horse caravan. Zhao Jiaqi looked back at their low-key but luxurious carriage, then at the carriage behind it, its entire body shimmering with a magnificent glow.
At the four corners of the carriage, golden Qilin-shaped auspicious beasts were perched.
The curtains were made of moonlight silk. This silk allowed a clear view from the inside out, but from the outside in, one could only see emptiness. It was said to be lightweight, felt cool when worn, and emitted a strange glow under the moonlight, a treasure that was hard to come by.
The carriage curtains and window drapes were made of this silk. If an ordinary person didn't recognize the fabric, they might mistake it for ordinary silk. However, the use of large, smooth pearls as decoration for the curtains must have made even those who didn't know the fabric realize that such large pearls would be invaluable.
Yet, here they stood safely, and no one had tried to rob them!
Fan Zehao and Zhao Jiaqi exchanged a look, finding it somewhat unbelievable. On the other side, Ying Xiong led Fan Yao over, looking quite disappointed at not being able to see the horse caravan today.
He said, "My medicinal estate is just ahead. Why don't you come to my estate to rest for a while? I can send my subordinates out to investigate. Brother, Sister-in-law, what do you think?"
Fan Zehao looked around for a place with little cover and felt that the horse caravan would not be hiding here. It was better to stay at the medicinal estate for a while and see what they planned to plant.
He nodded. "Wife, I guess these horse caravans might be active at night and rest during the day, or perhaps they only come out in the afternoon as evening approaches. Why don't we go and see Ying Xiong's medicinal estate? You are more familiar with farming, and you might even be able to help him. When we set up our own medicinal estate later, your experience will be even more valuable!"
What he said was reasonable, and Zhao Jiaqi had no way to refuse, so she nodded in agreement.
She had been a little moved by what her brother Fan had just said, but when she heard the end, she shook her head slightly. This brother, couldn't he say a few less words? He always spoke the plain truth.
The group got into the carriages and soon left the place.
The Medicinal Estate.
Two gilded characters were inscribed on the heavy wooden gate. It was natural wood, without any color, giving it an antique feel.
The gate slowly opened, and to Zhao Jiaqi's surprise, there was no creaking sound, which made her curious about the carpentry on his side!
Logically speaking, such a wooden door would always emit a jarring sound when opened. Zhao Jiaqi stared at the wooden door for a moment, then sighed. In this world, all capable people hid themselves among the common folk.
Entering the estate, they found a small courtyard, elegantly arranged with a small bridge, flowing water, rockeries, and pavilions. Though small, it had everything. Such a refined place perfectly matched Ying Xiong's calm demeanor.
Soon, Ying Xiong led them to the estate outside the courtyard. As far as the eye could see, it was all land, barren and bare, with only soil. Not a single weed remained. At that moment, the laborers in the field were diligently turning the soil.
Zhao Jiaqi had an inexplicable fondness for the land.
She turned to Ying Xiong beside her and asked, "Judging by the look of this land, it must be around five hundred mu, right? What medicinal herbs do you plan to plant?"
Ying Xiong looked at the vast expanse of land, his lips cracking into a smile. "Of course, I'll plant some more valuable medicinal herbs. But I don't expect to succeed all at once. In the early stages, it's about putting it into use and letting my subordinates who grow medicinal herbs try planting them."
Zhao Jiaqi was quite sensitive to the words "valuable medicinal herbs."
She also yearned for precious medicinal herbs like ginseng, reishi mushrooms, dendrobium officinale, and cordyceps sinensis, which were rare and hard to find.
However, these herbs had their peculiarities, and not every place or plot of land was suitable for planting them. This was why, even though the project of planting ginseng and reishi mushrooms was discussed last year, she had been hesitant to proceed.