Qin Dehua happily trotted back, holding the small wooden box.
Ge Yan had already prepared hot water and brown sugar, expecting Qin Dehua to return empty-handed, but surprisingly, he actually managed to get it.
Moreover, the tea bags were individually packaged in small pieces. The ginger powder was finely ground and enveloped in rich brown sugar, with two slices of red dates sandwiched inside each piece. The brown sugar seemed mixed with something else—its texture felt like donkey-hide gelatin when pinched.
It seemed that household must have a lady of the house; otherwise, such a comprehensive selection of women’s beverages wouldn’t be available.
Ge Yan was overjoyed—this was truly a treasure!
Ge Yan had once traveled deep into the mountains of Guizhou for a photoshoot and had brewed brown sugar herself. Brown sugar combined with donkey-hide gelatin was a premium tonic, and judging by its meticulous preparation, it was definitely handmade.
However, given their level of acquaintance, it was unexpected for him to gift such a large package right away…
Qin Dehua had no idea how troublesome it was to make this stuff. He simply picked up a piece, steeped it in a cup, and handed it to Ge Yan.
After taking a couple of sips, Ge Yan immediately felt warmth spreading throughout her body.
Qin Dehua casually tossed the small wooden box aside, but Ge Yan instinctively glanced over, her gaze lingering.
“Brother Hua, bring that box over for me to see.”
Qin Dehua paused, then bent down to pick up the box he had just discarded.
“What’s so interesting about this thing? It’s just a shabby wooden box.”
The more Ge Yan looked, the more something felt off. After taking the box, she slowly ran her fingers over every corner and crevice, her eyes growing brighter.
“Brother Hua, this is a Mortise and Tenon Structure!”
Qin Dehua didn’t understand: “What kind of structure? Some kind of bamboo shoot thing?”
“It’s the Mortise and Tenon Structure, an intangible cultural heritage of China. It means the wooden pieces are joined together without using any external fastening tools, relying entirely on the wood’s own interlocking design. And judging by its appearance—this box is made of Huanghuali Wood.”
Qin Dehua’s expression gradually turned vacant, as if he were listening to a teacher’s lecture in class, feeling inexplicably drowsy.
“Knowledge is entering my brain in such a sneaky way.”
But Ge Yan grew more and more enthusiastic: “Huanghuali Wood—it’s practically extinct nowadays. This item must have been passed down since the Republican era, worth at least five figures.”
At least five figures.
That part Qin Dehua understood.
He instantly perked up, his eyes widening: “What? Five figures? That guy… Are you sure you’re not mistaken? How could he casually give away such a valuable box?!”
There was absolutely no chance of a mistake. Ge Yan’s knowledge of the Mortise and Tenon Structure wasn’t something she’d picked up overnight.
It seemed this peculiar “neighbor” was becoming more and more intriguing.
“Brother Hua, leave the box here. Once I’m fully recovered tomorrow, I’ll go return it to him.”
Qin Dehua immediately reacted, looking mysteriously serious: “Then you’d better be careful! Their butler seems quite amiable—but the master is eerie, like a vampire who hasn’t seen the sun for years. Who knows if he’s some kind of mental patient. If you’re going, make sure to take me along. I can protect you.”
Ge Yan thought this made sense and nodded hurriedly.
Her curiosity was mostly piqued.
She wondered why such a wealthy person would suddenly come to the countryside to grow vegetables. She was even more curious about how he possessed such a rare Mortise and Tenon box.
After settling Ge Yan, Qin Dehua prepared to leave. Just as he turned around, Ge Yan called out to him.”Hey, Brother Hua, where did all these grass leaves on your back come from?”
Qin Dehua snapped out of his daze, his ears slightly flushed, and deflected, “I was in too much of a hurry earlier and took a tumble.”
“Oh! It’s so dark out, be careful on your way back.”
“Mm.” Qin Dehua was unusually quiet now, hastily making his exit.
The horizon broke into the pale light of dawn, and the sun began to peek over the edge.
The room move last night had been a bit rushed, and many things inside were still not properly arranged.
Feeling somewhat better, Ge Yan decided to tidy up the room, hanging the dismantled items back in their original places.
After working for a while, only a pot of still-damp Baby’s Breath remained.
Opening the window, she placed the Baby’s Breath back in its original spot.
The morning air was refreshing, with a gentle breeze—Ge Yan loved watching the scenery here most.
“Ah!”
Suddenly remembering something, Ge Yan turned and crawled under the bed.
Thankfully, it was still there.
She pulled out the few “garlic” bulbs she had been hydroponically growing.
She had almost forgotten these little treasures; luckily, Cen Yan hadn’t thrown them out as trash.
However, after these few days, the garlic had grown quite quickly, already sprouting green shoots.
But the way they sprouted seemed different from regular garlic sprouts.
Could it be because this was Dutch “garlic”?
Ge Yan’s eyes paused, landing on the box from last night.
Right!
Today, she was going to meet the owner of this box—why not ask him if there was anything special about this garlic? She didn’t want to waste his thoughtful gesture.
After a quick wash and tidy-up, Ge Yan prepared to head out.
To her surprise, as soon as she opened the door, she ran straight into some bad luck.
Shen Yuanming was at the entrance. The production team had specially set up a rustic wooden tea table for him, and he had brought over his set of purple clay teaware, already brewing tea early in the morning.
Walking over, Shen Yuanming was holding a tablet, watching the stock market.
You could say he was diligent—he left his company to come here and accompany his girlfriend on vacation.
But you could also say he wasn’t—here he was, holding video meetings and checking stocks first thing in the morning.
Just making things difficult for the employees below.
Ge Yan didn’t understand it, truly didn’t.
Glancing around, she noticed there were no live-streaming devices set up today.
Probably Shen Yuanming, afraid of any mishaps, had them removed.
Come to think of it, the edited version from the past two days had already aired, gaining quite a few organic fans. The little cabin was now filled with various sponsored products, and she’d heard even Song Xiyuan’s rundown cottage had been repainted.
Sister Zhang had even called Ge Yan, saying that as soon as the recording for “Not Longing” ended, she could immediately join the cast for filming.
Looking at the lush green mountains of the countryside, Ge Yan suddenly felt her future was just as bright.
It was probably for the best that the live stream was removed—no need to watch her words so carefully.
Though she had never really watched her words anyway…
Stretching, she picked up the wooden box and prepared to visit the neighbor’s house.
Shen Yuanming didn’t even glance her way, not expecting her to ignore him like this.
“Where are you going?”
Ge Yan paused mid-step and turned back. “V me 50, and I’ll tell you.”
Shen Yuanming’s expression clearly faltered for a moment.
Ge Yan realized that with people like him, you couldn’t be too polite.
Feeling smug, she turned and hadn’t taken two steps before a refreshingly pleasant sound chimed from her pocket.
“Alipay payment received: ¥500,000!”
Ge Yan slowly turned back, a smile spreading across her face without her even realizing it.”What instructions does President Shen have?”
“Fifty is yours, come back.”
He spoke without looking up, his expression indifferent, his fingers sliding across the screen as if manipulating something.
But Ge Yan felt he actually seemed a bit more agreeable now!