CHAPTER 867: CHAPTER 849: TOURING THE SUMMER PALACE WITH HER! (PART 2)

Later, under Huo Feng’s insistence, Ye Xi reluctantly agreed to have dinner with them, even though Ye Xi didn’t want to get involved between them.

After finishing the call, Huo Feng handed the phone back to Pu Sangzhi and plopped down, casually grabbing a cup of milk tea to drink.

Pu Sangzhi quietly put away the phone and asked, "Are you sure you want to have dinner with Brother Ye Xi tonight? Are you sure?"

"Absolutely!"

Huo Feng raised an eyebrow, biting the straw with a displeased look, "He’s butting in where he shouldn’t, I just want to break his heart completely!"

Pu Sangzhi pursed her lips and asked, "What do you plan to do?"

"Show off our love, of course."

Huo Feng arched his eyebrow, "We must flaunt our love fiercely! He has to back off! Tonight, is the stage for Huo Feng!"

Pu Sangzhi: "Oh..."

She didn’t quite know what to say to Huo Feng.

She just saw how smoothly Huo Feng handled Ye Xi earlier, so whatever he plans to do next, he probably knows what’s up...

"Eat, finish the sandwich, we’ll take a stroll, it’s getting late."

Huo Feng picked up the unfinished sandwich from the table and handed it to Pu Sangzhi, complaining, "It’s a good day for a date, and there’s always something unpleasant happening. We never have a smooth date as planned. From now on, during dates, we’ll turn off our phones, post on Moments afterward, these people are so annoying!"

Pu Sangzhi took a bite of the sandwich and silently patted him on the back without saying a word.

Today was indeed a lousy date too, probably her fault for slipping and talking too much with Brother Ye Xi!

Now, not only is there the trouble of having an extra lunch, but also the trouble of having dinner, watching a movie as three, and Huo Feng finding a reason to go to a bar...

Something that was so simple is now this complicated.

Pu Sangzhi also felt quite apologetic.

"I’m telling you, tonight, whatever I say or do, you have to go along with me!"

Huo Feng bit into the sandwich hard, looking displeased, "I must make that dog Ye Xi realize, who is your boyfriend!"

Seeing his strong sense of revenge, Pu Sangzhi could only agree, "Do as you see fit, just don’t go overboard."

Huo Feng: "Alright!"

Huo Feng’s guideline is to strike! Strike! Hit him hard!

Don’t let that dog Ye Xi have the slightest thought at all!

...

In the Summer Palace, they strolled around for about three hours.

The garden is large, at first glance, it’s grand Qing Dynasty architecture. But after walking around, you find... it’s just Qing Dynasty architecture!

The Summer Palace, the best-preserved royal resort and imperial garden, is known as the "Museum of Royal Gardens."

This place, back in the day, was renovated by Emperor Qianlong for his mother, Empress Xiaoshengxian, then called the Garden of Clear Ripples, modeled primarily on Hangzhou West Lake. Hence, the scenery here is quite similar to Hangzhou West Lake.

It is said that because back then, after Emperor Qianlong traveled to Jiangnan and was captivated by the beauty of Hangzhou West Lake, upon returning to the capital, he initiated large-scale renovation work, modeling this place on the West Lake.

After the end of the Ming Dynasty, starting from Emperor Qianlong, successive Qing emperors enjoyed it to the fullest. Emperor Qianlong’s seven trips to Jiangnan are a heavy mark in history.

As dynasties changed, by the time of the Guangxu period, the Garden of Clear Ripples was renamed the Summer Palace, and it became the royal summer retreat.

Every midsummer, the emperor of the time would bring the consorts and the Empress Dowager to the Summer Palace to escape the heat.

This is the historical story behind the Summer Palace.

Walking together in the quaint Summer Palace, Pu Sangzhi learned a lot of knowledge beyond textbooks.

Huo Feng was busy taking lots of beautiful photos with her.

There were many tourists in the Summer Palace, and many guided tours. Although it’s not peak tourist season, in Beijing, there are many of these groups, almost every day.

Pu Sangzhi and Huo Feng walked around drinking milk tea, occasionally learning bits of Summer Palace related history from guides.

For example, the story of the luxurious lifestyle of Empress Dowager Cixi.

For example, the strategic placement of a particular stone in the Summer Palace in Feng Shui and its elemental significance?

So they were also forcibly enlightened a bit.

Pu Sangzhi and Huo Feng spent about three hours here, listening to quite a bit about the extravagant life of Empress Dowager Cixi.

After being steeped in these historical stories, Huo Feng put his arm around Pu Sangzhi’s shoulders and started talking with her.

He asked Pu Sangzhi, "If I were to build a royal garden for you in the future, would you need to live in it and enjoy it like that old woman Cixi?"

"No way."

Pu Sangzhi’s small hand was also wrapped around Huo Feng’s waist as they strolled along the small paths in the Summer Palace, saying, "Cixi was too extravagant. Who has over a hundred dishes at a time, tasting just a bite of each one? That kind of imperial era shouldn’t exist, turning emperors and empress dowagers into something, aren’t they just people too?"

"Hey, think of it another way. If it weren’t for the extreme extravagance of the last few Qing emperors, how would we transition out of such an imperial era, right? Although that old woman Cixi is scolded by later generations, she did contribute a little bit."

Huo Feng raised a hand and spoke emphatically, "At least, she helped bring down the Qing Dynasty! She laid a good foundation for the new era! Otherwise, how many more years would such an imperial era last, you see?"

"Mm~"

Pu Sangzhi nodded, "So actually, the prosperity of a family depends on how the individuals manage it. In the big picture, it’s a dynasty, in the small, it’s any family, even a small family, it’s the same principle. No matter how much wealth is passed down, if a prodigal descendant comes along, it could lead the whole family to decline."

"Yeah."

Huo Feng somehow got into this topic with her, then he said, "So leaving money for future generations is useless. If I earn big money in the future, I’ll give it all to you. When we’re ready for the great beyond, donate it to society, not leaving a cent to the son."

"Eh?"

Pu Sangzhi looked at Huo Feng amusingly, "Didn’t you just say, you wanted your son to be a rich second generation? Why are you changing your tune now?"

Huo Feng clicked his tongue, "As long as it’s a child born from you, he’d be a rich second generation because his dad is the rich first generation. So even if his dad doesn’t leave him a lot of money, he’s still a rich second generation! I’ll make him wear the rich second-generation title and create his own rich first-generation success, that’s the right educational approach!"

Pu Sangzhi glanced at him, "You’ve already planned how to educate your son?"

"Of course."

Huo Feng proudly raised his chin, "I’ve planned the next five years. Get married in the third year, pregnant right after graduating the fourth, then you first have a chubby baby, and then go for a master’s degree. Then I’ll take care of the child, or send him back home for my parents to look after! How perfect, right?"

"Not good~"

Pu Sangzhi pouted, "That’s too early for having a child. How old would I be then?"

"You’ll have to have one sooner or later. Anyway, you’re going to do research~"

Huo Feng patted Pu Sangzhi’s shoulder, "Don’t think I don’t know, you researchers, once your foot’s in the door, you’re there for decades. If I waited for you to achieve something before having kids, I’d probably be gray-haired by then~"

"It’s not that exaggerated!"

Pu Sangzhi lightly punched his chest, "At most, get pregnant after master’s graduation, or after PhD graduation."

Huo Feng replied with one word: "Nah."

Pu Sangzhi punched him again, "Hey!"

Huo Feng, however, only laughed widely, "Graduate or PhD, you can forget about it. I’m telling you, once we’re married, even if you don’t want kids, you’d still end up pregnant. Look at my physique, my energy, see these muscles? Guess how many times in a night..."

Pu Sangzhi couldn’t help but grimace and understood Huo Feng’s meaning immediately, "So gross..."

However, Huo Feng didn’t feel gross at all, but rather laughed out loud, "Haha, let’s get married sooner~ I’ll definitely work hard to earn you a royal garden~ Guaranteed to be more grand than the Summer Palace!"

Pu Sangzhi reminded him, "Do you know how big the Summer Palace is?"

Huo Feng said, "I just said more grand, didn’t say bigger. More grand, got it! What’s wrong, you’re a Civil Engineering Department student! Aren’t you going to design it? The grandeur depends on you!"

Pu Sangzhi: "...Oh."