After some playful roughhousing, Jin Qianqian "contributed" several more large buckets of water before Ancient Wen Heng finally let her off the hook.

"You stay here and read. I’m going to organize our supplies." She really didn’t dare stay alone with him any longer, so she seized the opportunity to pull open the room’s only door.

Watching the door close again, Ancient Wen Heng shook his head with an amused smile, straightened his clothes, and sat at the desk to continue reading.

Out of habit, Jin Qianqian pushed against the other tightly shut doors. Finding they still wouldn’t budge, she wasn’t discouraged. She turned, walked into the storage room, found her laptop, and looked for the movies she had downloaded earlier, beginning to enjoy this rare moment of leisure.

When she got hungry, she would bring out the large meal they had packed earlier and eat with Ancient Wen Heng.

When she got tired, she would flop onto her bed and sleep until she woke up naturally.

They had no idea how long they’d been inside. Only when Ancient Wen Heng suggested it was time to leave did the two of them reappear in the original guest room.

They had spent such a long time inside, but out here, the entire process of going in and coming out took only an instant.

"I should be heading back, too," Jin Qianqian said, her brows furrowing as she looked at the two food boxes on the table. "I prepared two portions, originally thinking you could share with your fellow students, but then I thought better of it."

During a critical time like this, it was best not to be giving out food items.

"What did you bring?" Ancient Wen Heng was a little curious. When he left, Jin Qianqian had already prepared some homemade deep-fried instant noodles for him. After all, nothing was quicker or easier than instant noodles.

"Some dry bread I baked last night, and some crackers. You can soak them in milk for breakfast." Jin Qianqian pulled open the bottom layer, revealing a neatly arranged tier of fruit: apples, pears, and even oranges and grapes.

These fruits, which were commonplace to Jin Qianqian, were exceptionally precious in this era. "If you can’t eat vegetables, you have to at least eat some fruit. There isn’t a rule against bringing these in, is there?" 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

’The fruit itself isn’t an issue, but it’s far too valuable. It’ll probably attract unwanted attention.’ Ancient Wen Heng thought to himself, but he didn’t refuse Jin Qianqian’s kind gesture.

"The other things are fine, but I’ll send this fruit over to Dean Lv and the others in a bit. As for how they distribute it, that’s their problem." Ancient Wen Heng picked out the out-of-season fruits and had Jin Qianqian take them back.

"Come on, I’ll see you out," Ancient Wen Heng said, gathering the pastries. "Have Hong Da and the others eat these on the road. If you leave early, you won’t have to travel at night."

Jin Qianqian walked over and opened the door to find Hong Tianbao and Qing Mei standing far outside, staring at them in shock.

Jin Qianqian asked curiously, "What’s with that look on your faces?"

Qing Mei, being outspoken, blurted out, "Mrs. Gu, how are you out already?"

’I’m sure I just heard the door being bolted. How did they come out?’

’Could it be that Mrs. Gu didn’t trust the bolt???’

Jin Qianqian shot Ancient Wen Heng a look and said irritably, "If we don’t head back now, it’ll be dark soon. Let’s go."

Qing Mei scratched her head. ’I don’t think I heard any arguing... It’s probably not that the Master made Mrs. Gu angry. So what’s this all about? I can’t figure it out.’

Before Qing Mei could think any more about it, Ancient Wen Heng handed her the food box. "Go tell Hong Da to bring the carriage to the main gate. Ask the Shopkeeper for some hot water. You all can make do with a meal on the road. Try to get home before dark."

Liu Qingmei didn’t dare delay. She grabbed Hong Tianbao and headed out.

"Why are you grabbing me?"

"I don’t know the way..."

"..."

"That girl is getting quicker on the uptake." Ancient Wen Heng turned back, picked up the fruit he had set aside, and said, "Come, I’ll walk you out."

The two arrived at the main hall, just as Dean Lv and the others were finishing their meal.

They were a bit surprised to see the two of them emerge again so soon, but they didn’t ask any questions.

After seeing her off into the carriage, Ancient Wen Heng then took the fruit and went straight to Dean Lv’s room.

＆

"Mrs. Gu, Foreman Ding and his men will be finished with their work today." Although Housekeeper Fu had been busy lately, he was full of energy and vigor.

"Then take Qingzhu and settle the accounts with him. Also, have Qingzhu prepare a red bonus envelope for them to thank them for all their hard work." Jin Qianqian knew that for such a large compound to be built so quickly, Ding Er had clearly put his heart into the work.

Especially with the new-style toilet. Based on her blueprints and descriptions, he had been willing to revise the design again and again.

He had even personally supervised the ceramics factory for the septic tank and pipes. Not only did he get the pipes fired, but he also acquired many unwanted ceramic shards to meticulously tile the inside of the septic tank.

When the finished product was revealed, however, Ding Er himself was thoroughly impressed. He declared that as soon as this job was done, he would definitely have to install one in his own home.

But the housekeeper had not been gone long before he ran back in, a troubled look on his face. "Mrs. Gu, Ding Er is here to see you."

Jin Qianqian found this a bit odd. "Is there an issue with the accounts?"

’That shouldn’t be it. Qingzhu is incredibly meticulous; she checks the accounts several times over.’

"No, he has a favor to ask," Housekeeper Fu prompted. "It’s probably about the toilet."

Speaking of which, Housekeeper Fu was feeling an ever-stronger sense of belonging to this household. Not only were the master and mistress on good terms, but their treatment of the servants was impeccable.

Not only did every servant have their own room, but one of those novel, clean toilets was also installed in the servants’ quarters.

"There shouldn’t be anything wrong with the toilet, should there?" Jin Qianqian thought back carefully; her blueprints and the construction process had all been perfectly normal.

She decided not to dwell on what she couldn’t figure out. "Well, bring him in then!"

After a few pleasantries, Jin Qianqian got straight to the point. "Master Ding, was there an issue with my maid’s calculations?"

Standing to the side, Qingzhu secretly rolled her eyes. ’I can’t speak for anything else, but I know for a fact my accounts are flawless.’

"Mrs. Gu, this is actually a matter of my own greed," Ding Er said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "The dry latrine built from your blueprints is just so good, Mrs. Gu. I was wondering... could I take on jobs like this for other clients in the future?"

Fearing a misunderstanding, Ding Er quickly stood up. "Mrs. Gu, please rest assured. For every job I take on, I’ll give you a twenty percent cut of the profit.

And as for my payment for this project, except for the wages for my men, I’ll forgo my own share. Please take it as a gesture of my sincerity."

Jin Qianqian said, "This is what you came to see me about?"

Ding Er nodded. "I know I may be asking too much, but it’s just so practical. So clean and convenient.

It’s not just me. All the men who work for me are saying they want to build one for their own families when they get back."

Jin Qianqian, however, thought this was an excellent idea. ’If this really takes off, the sanitary conditions around here will improve dramatically, and many diseases could be prevented.’