HBWMA -Chapter 49 Plain and Unremarkable Jiang Huashan

Jiang Huashan slept soundly through the night. The next morning she woke up refreshed and full of energy. After breakfast, she took the “little poor thing” out for a stroll around the garden.

Thanks to being quite favored by her new owner, the little poor thing had basically “ascended in life”—it was now wearing a custom-made pink ruffled dress hand-sewn by Aunt Zhang and was lying by the pond basking in the sun.

As soon as Shen Guiling entered Qinyuan, he saw a short, chubby girl and a turtle sitting in a rocking chair in the flower hall, gently swaying back and forth. Their state of comfort was even more leisurely than retired old men in the park.

Jiang Huashan said, “Little poor thing, is the sun too strong? Want an umbrella?”

The little turtle stretched its neck slightly.

Jiang Huashan immediately pulled out a tube of sunscreen from the diaper bag beside the chair. “The sun’s really harsh this morning. Should I put some lotion on you?”

Shen Guiling: “……”

The little turtle shook its head and tucked all four limbs and its head back into its shell. Without hesitation, Jiang Huashan squeezed out a pea-sized amount of sunscreen, rubbed it warm in her palm, and carefully applied it over the turtle’s shell.

“Good. This way you won’t get sunburned. Another day full of love. Little poor thing, do you feel my overflowing affection?”

“……”

For some reason, Shen Guiling suddenly felt a chill run down his spine and couldn’t help shivering.

The old master came out from the inner courtyard after breakfast. Seeing him standing in the flower hall holding a potted rose, he greeted him warmly.

“A-Ling, you’re here so early?”

Jiang Huashan lifted her eyes at that moment, and her gaze happened to collide with Shen Guiling’s. Before she could react, Shen Guiling calmly looked away again, his slightly upturned eyelids soft and gentle, wearing an expression as warm as spring breeze.

“Grandpa.”

Jiang Huashan curled her lips, unconcerned, and squeezed out another pump of sunscreen, casually applying it to her face.

Shen Zhuang walked into the flower hall. His gaze swept between the two of them, understanding everything without saying it. Smiling, he pointed at the potted plant in Shen Guiling’s arms.

“Here for gardening advice?”

Shen Guiling nodded slightly, a little embarrassed. “Grandpa, will I be disturbing you?”

“Oh!”

Before the old master could respond, Jiang Huashan cut in coldly from the side.

“Since you know you’re disturbing him, why did you still come?”

Fake green tea!

Shen Guiling lowered his eyelids, his gaze dimming slightly.

Seeing this, the old master immediately shot Jiang Huashan a glare and took the potted rose from Shen Guiling’s hands.

“Don’t listen to this girl’s nonsense. I find these flowers and plants boring when I tend them alone. Having someone willing to share them with me makes me happy—it couldn’t be better.”

Jiang Huashan pouted and climbed up from the lounge chair, wrapping her arms around Shen Zhuang’s arm in a spoiled manner.

“Grandpa, I’ve never thought your flowers are boring. I like growing flowers too! You don’t know this, but later I even grew peonies—there was a whole sea of them. That’s the real meaning of ‘only peonies are true national beauty; when they bloom, they shake the capital.’”

Later? Shen Guiling’s gaze flickered slightly as he glanced at Jiang Huashan without drawing attention.

“Oh? You even know poetry now. Looks like you haven’t been wasting your time reading these past few days,” the old master chuckled, not taking it seriously and assuming she was just trying to make him happy.

Jiang Huashan grew a little dissatisfied and shook his arm vigorously.

“Grandpa, be serious! I’m telling the truth! I really can grow flowers. Didn’t you say you’d believe anything I say?”

Shen Zhuang was shaken until his head spun and quickly waved his hand. “Alright, alright, I believe you.”

Jiang Huashan’s lips curved in satisfaction—but before she could feel proud, a ceramic pot was placed into her hands.

Shen Zhuang said, “Perfect then. Since you know so much, you can teach A-Ling. I’ll watch from the side.”

He wanted the two little grandchildren to spend more time together while they were young.

Jiang Huashan’s mouth twitched. She almost wanted to slap herself—teach Shen Guiling gardening? Was she that free?

Shen Guiling curled his lips slightly. This chubby girl really had no facial control at all—her eye rolls were practically going to the sky.

In his entire life, no one had ever disliked him this much before.

And Shen Guiling was not someone who liked forcing warm faces onto cold shoulders either. He turned to Shen Zhuang, his expression gentle.

“Grandpa, it’s really not necessary. I—”

The old master sighed helplessly and immediately cut in, glaring at Jiang Huashan.

“Then Grandpa will do it—”

At that moment, Jiang Huashan’s eyes lit up as an idea struck her.

No, wait! Shen Guiling was clearly using gardening as an excuse to get close to Grandpa. She couldn’t let him succeed.

Thinking this through, she tightened her grip on the seedling in her arms and put on an unwilling expression.

“…Fine. I’ll teach him then.”

Shen Guiling glanced at her, barely managing to hold back the line that almost slipped out—you should really read more books.

The old master looked very pleased. He patted Shen Guiling on the shoulder and pushed him toward Jiang Huashan.

“Start.”

The push was not light. Shen Guiling was completely unprepared and lurched forward. Barely steadying himself, he lifted his head—and met a pair of clear, bright peach blossom eyes.

Like blue water meeting a spring sky, one gaze reflecting a whole season of blooming light.

Shen Guiling calmly looked away.

At that moment, Shen Zhi walked in from outside the garden.

“Old master, the son-in-law from the Fu family has come to visit. He says he’s here to take the young miss and Miss Sui’er back to the Fu family.”

The smile on Shen Zhuang’s face faded a little. Because the two children were present, he held back any unpleasant words.

“No seeing him. Not seeing him.”

Shen Zhi understood and was about to leave when he was called back again.

“Send someone to Winter Garden to inform them. After all, he’s Sui’er’s father. Making things too ugly wouldn’t be appropriate. Whether she goes back or not—let the young girl decide herself.”

“Yes, old master.” Shen Zhi nodded and left toward Qin Garden.

Jiang Huashan looked up at Shen Zhuang and gently tugged at his sleeve.

“Grandpa~”

Shen Zhuang forced himself to perk up again, smiling once more.

“It’s fine. Come, let’s continue.”

Jiang Huashan nodded, placed the flower pot back onto the stand, and examined it back and forth with exaggerated seriousness. She even pinched the soil a couple of times as if she truly understood what she was doing.

Seeing her so earnest, Shen Zhuang shook his head with fond amusement.

Jiang Huashan lifted her head and pointed at the seedling.

“It’s fertilizer damage.”

Shen Zhuang froze.

He had originally thought the child was just playing around—but he hadn’t expected her to actually hit the problem right on the mark.

Jiang Huashan continued:

“Newly repotted seedlings need time to adapt to a new environment. So to stimulate root growth, it’s actually not suitable to water or fertilize too often. Normally, you just need to observe and keep the top three centimeters of soil slightly dry. That way the roots will naturally grow downward in search of water. The solution is simple—do nothing. Let it get more sunlight and grow freely.”

She lifted her chin, hands on her hips, and looked provocatively at Shen Guiling.

“Grandpa, am I right or not?”

“Right, right, right! Our little Hua’er is so smart! Smarter than grandpa!” Shen Zhuang, who had always practiced encouragement-based education, was already used to praising her to the skies—even more so now.

Shen Guiling had been paying attention to Shen Zhuang the whole time. He could sense that the old man had not fully recovered from the matter with the Fu family. Yet the moment Jiang Huashan tugged his sleeve, his mood visibly improved, even willing to patiently play along with her.

The children of the Shen household were all outstanding. Compared to them, this chubby little girl seemed plain and ordinary in talent—so why was the old master especially fond of her?

Shen Guiling truly couldn’t understand it.

Seeing that Shen Guiling had no reaction, Jiang Huashan turned to complain.

“Grandpa, look at him! He wasn’t even listening. He doesn’t want to learn at all.”

Shen Guiling snapped back to attention and replied smoothly.

“I heard it. Water control and root cultivation.”

The old master nodded approvingly and gave him a thumbs-up.

“A-Ling summarized it very well. That’s exactly what it means.”

Jiang Huashan clicked her tongue softly. What kind of brain did this guy even have?

The old master was in high spirits. He patted Jiang Huashan’s head.

“When did you secretly learn all this? Grandpa didn’t even know.”

Jiang Huashan pursed her lips and smiled.

Back when she was driven out of Shen Garden by Shen Lanxi, she had lived alone in the small garden. When a wall falls, everyone pushes it—aside from Fu Sui’er who came to pick fights every few days, all those wealthy ladies and so-called friends who once flattered her cut ties immediately.

With nothing to do and no one around, she started growing flowers. At first, everything she planted died. Only later did she slowly figure things out.

But she couldn’t tell Shen Zhuang that.

So she lifted her chin proudly.

“There are plenty of things you don’t know about me, Grandpa. I’ll show you slowly in the future.”

Shen Zhuang laughed so hard he couldn’t close his mouth.

He was about to praise her again when Shen Zhi returned with a rather grim expression. Shen Zhuang immediately composed himself and reached for the cane beside the flower stand.

Shen Zhi had already arrived.

“Old master…”

Noticing Jiang Huashan and Shen Guiling were present, he hesitated.

Shen Zhuang spoke calmly.

“Say it. We’re all family here.”

Shen Zhi lowered his voice.

“Old master… the Fu family’s young master and the young miss started fighting in Winter Garden!”