Oh no! My grandmother made me shoulder the responsibility for eight households!

Chapter 288 Trip to Dongshan

One hour later.

The group stopped at the foot of Dongshan Mountain.

Lin Chen, carrying Lin Nian'er, was the first to jump out of the car, then turned around and helped Zhao Mingyue down.

Then he jogged over to help Liu Ruyan.

Liu Ruyan waved her hand, "I can manage on my own."

Lin Chen wouldn't let go. "It's your business if you can walk, it's my business if I support you."

Liu Ruyan smiled slightly, holding Lin Chen's hand, her eyes filled with happiness.

The others also got off the carriages behind.

Xiao Yulou stretched his arms and legs before jumping down, saying, "I've been sitting for so long, my bones are stiff."

Chu Yueyao helped herself down from the carriage, and smiled helplessly:

"Fourth sister, slow down, be careful not to upset the baby."

Wen Ruoxi was the last to come out, straightening the wrinkles in her dress while muttering to herself:

"This dress costs three thousand taels, so don't sit on it and wrinkle it."

Qin Shuyan rolled her eyes from the side: "Can't you have some self-respect?"

A group of people stood at the foot of the mountain, looking up at it.

Nine hundred and ninety-nine feet high, piercing straight into the clouds.

The mountain was shrouded in mist, and the buildings on the summit could be vaguely seen, gleaming golden in the sunlight.

Everyone remained silent for a full three seconds.

"Holy crap!" Lin Chen was the first to exclaim.

He really couldn't resist.

This is even more awesome than those 5A-level scenic spots in my previous life.

The key point is that he knew how high the mountain originally was—less than eight hundred feet.

It was Zhuge Liang and Li Chunfeng who suggested raising the mountain.

The old lady stood beside Lin Chen, looking up at him for a long while before murmuring:

"Chen'er, this...this is ours?"

Lin Chen nodded: "Ours."

The old lady took a deep breath and slowly exhaled: "Good, good."

Su Wanqing's eyes were a little red. She held Lin Chen's hand, unable to speak.

Zhuge Liang had already met up with Li Chunfeng and they were standing together by the roadside.

Upon seeing Lin Chen approach, the two greeted him with a bow.

Lin Chen waved his hand: "Stop with the formalities, lead the way, take me upstairs to take a look first."

Zhuge Liang nodded and led the way.

A wide stone staircase winds its way up from the foot of the mountain, each step polished smooth as a mirror, with exotic flowers and plants growing on both sides, filling the air with their fragrance.

Li Chunfeng explained from the side: "My lord, this main path has a total of 9,999 steps, which symbolizes the return to oneness."

The trees on both sides are planted with rare and precious medicinal herbs and flowers, collected from all over the world.

Lin Chen nodded and blurted out, "Is there a cable car? It's so high, climbing up would be exhausting."

Li Chunfeng was taken aback: "Cable... cable car?"

Zhuge Liang, standing nearby, explained, "Does my lord mean, is there any convenient way to ascend the mountain?"

Li Chunfeng suddenly realized and quickly said:

"Yes, yes! But for safety reasons, only the welcoming pavilions at the top of the mountain and halfway up the mountain have small teleportation arrays."

To allow everyone to enjoy the scenery along the way, I haven't started the engine today.

Lin Chen waved his hand: "Then let's walk up slowly, there's no rush anyway."

He turned to look at the group of women behind him: "Are you all up to the task?"

Chu Yueyao was the first to raise her hand: "I can do it! It's a good opportunity for the child to get some exercise."

Xiao Yulou nodded, "I don't need to say anything!"

Qin Shuyan nodded in agreement: "I'll just walk slowly."

Wen Ruoxi said with a pained expression, "My dress..."

Lin Chen glanced at her: "Shall I carry you up?"

Wen Ruoxi immediately waved her hand: "No need, no need, I'm leaving."

Ye Qingying said coldly, "If you can't walk anymore, I'll carry you."

Wen Ruoxi: "...What you're saying sounds more like kidnapping than helping."

Blue Phoenix laughed out loud, her silver chains jingling.

Liu Shengxue's lips curled up slightly, revealing a rare hint of a smile.

The girls, including Qing'er, chattered excitedly: "We can run up there!" "Me too!"

Qin Xin and the other three stood gracefully to the side.

Huayi asked softly, "Sisters, are we able to walk?"

Shuyu calmly replied, "Even if we can't walk, we still have to walk. We can't let others carry us."

Lin Chen looked at Zhao Mingyue and Liu Ruyan: "Where are you two?"

Zhao Mingyue smiled and said, "I'm fine, I'll just walk slowly."

Liu Ruyan nodded, "I'll walk slowly too, you don't need to worry about us."

Lin Chen nodded and said nothing more.

……

Keep going uphill.

The scenery is indeed beautiful.

On both sides are lush forests, and occasionally you can see a few small animals running by. In the distance, you can hear birds chirping, which is crisp and melodious.

Lin Nian'er ran ahead, picking a flower one moment and chasing a butterfly the next, having a great time.

Liu Ruyan called out from behind, "Nian'er, slow down, don't fall!"

Lin Nian'er turned around and made a face: "Mommy, I can run really fast!"

Lin Chen smiled as he looked at the little girl, thinking that in the near future there would be children running all over the place, he felt both excited and worried.

Lan Fenghuang walked beside Lin Chen and whispered, "Husband, was this mountain raised later?"

Lin Chen nodded: "Yes, the formation set up by Mr. Zhuge and Daoist Li used spiritual veins moved from elsewhere."

Blue Phoenix exclaimed, "No wonder I felt the spiritual energy was much denser than outside!"

Liu Shengxue nodded silently beside him.

Qing'er leaned closer: "Young master, young master, are there any hot springs on the mountain?"

Lin Chen was taken aback and looked at Li Chunfeng.

Li Chunfeng turned around and smiled, "Yes, there are nine hot springs on the mountaintop, all of which are drawn from underground with fresh water."

Qing'er's eyes lit up: "Wow!"

The other girls also got excited.

Wen Ruoxi's eyes lit up: "Hot spring? Can we soak in it?"

Li Chunfeng: "Yes, the hot spring pool has been repaired."

Wen Ruoxi immediately perked up: "Hurry up, hurry up!"

Qin Shuyan chimed in from the side, "I was just feeling sorry for the dress."

Wen Ruoxi retorted confidently, "Which is more important, the dress or the hot spring?"

Qin Shuyan: "...Hot springs."

Wen Ruoxi: "Then that settles it."

……

After walking for an hour, we finally arrived at the welcoming pavilion halfway up the mountain.

The pavilion is built on a protruding rock, surrounded by sheer cliffs, offering a wide and unobstructed view.

Standing in the pavilion, you can see the capital city in the distance, lying there like a small box.

"Wow—" Lin Nian'er leaned on the railing, her eyes wide open, "Uncle Ba! I can see our house!"

Lin Chen walked over and looked in the direction she pointed.

Indeed, the roof of the Prince's Mansion can be seen, with its red walls and green tiles, standing out conspicuously among the gray residential houses.

"Is it pretty?" he asked.

"It's beautiful!" Lin Nian'er nodded vigorously. "Uncle Ba, can we live upstairs?"

Lin Chen smiled: "Sure, I'll stay upstairs tonight."

Lin Nian'er cheered.

Others followed, and each one looked at the view with amazement.

Wen Ruoxi murmured, "This place... is truly a paradise on earth."

Qin Shuyan nodded, "It's even more beautiful than the painting."

Lan Fenghuang stood on the edge of the cliff, the wind blowing her skirt. She squinted slightly, a smile playing on her lips.

Standing next to her, Liu Shengxue unusually spoke up, "She is indeed very beautiful."

Lan Fenghuang turned to look at her and smiled.

The two looked at each other for a moment, then looked away.