Song Dynasty Dreams: Marrying Zhao Pan’er at the beginning

Chapter 39 “What’s So Interesting About Watching a House Get Demolished?”

“Do you have a fever?”

Gao You reached out his left hand to feel Zhao Pan’er’s forehead.

Hey! Don’t touch me!

Zhao Pan’er screamed internally, but her body had no strength to resist. She could only stand there obediently, letting Gao You check.

“You don’t have a fever.”

Gao You casually shook his left hand and then lowered his head, preparing to check her temperature with his own forehead.

That’s way too intimate!

Zhao Pan’er quickly pressed a towel against his forehead.

“Wipe yourself!”

“I’m going out first!”

Forcing Gao You away, Zhao Pan’er hurriedly ran out of the cabin.

“Whew…”

Standing by the lake, she took a deep breath, gazing at the distant water.

Good thing I ran fast—otherwise…

“Is that you, Pan’er?”

A familiar voice called from afar.

Zhao Pan’er looked up and saw Sun Sanniang standing on the shore.

“Sanniang!”

She waved her arm excitedly and quickly instructed the boatman to steer toward the shore. As the boat approached, Sun Sanniang suddenly jumped into the water with a splash, swimming rapidly to the side of the boat.

“Pan’er, something terrible happened!”

Soaking wet, Sun Sanniang climbed aboard in a hurry.

“The tea house has been demolished!”

“What?”

Zhao Pan’er’s eyes widened in shock.

The Zhao Family Tea House was her foundation for survival, and now it had been torn down!

“Who did it?”

Song Yinzhan rushed over in alarm. Sun Sanniang glared directly at Gao You, who had just stepped out of the cabin.

“It was Fu Bo!”

Then, she turned to Gao You angrily.

“Why did you order Fu Bo to tear down the tea house?”

“Are you trying to destroy Pan’er’s ambition to do business?”

“You talked so sweetly before—saying you wouldn’t restrict her from doing anything, but now you tricked her into coming on this trip just so you could demolish the tea house behind her back!”

Sun Sanniang’s accusations were sharp, and honestly, not without reason.

In this era, very few men respected women enough to allow them to run their own businesses.

“I’m renovating it.”

Gao You explained casually.

Seeing that Zhao Pan’er and the others still looked worried, he walked over to the table, picked up a brush, and sketched out his rain curtain renovation plan. Before transmigrating, Gao You had worked in landscape architecture and renovation.

He had done many similar water-powered designs, where water was pumped to the rooftop to create a cooling rain curtain effect. Since the Zhao Family Tea House was near the river, this setup would be both aesthetically pleasing and practical for keeping the place cool.

“What is this?”

Song Yinzhan stared at the blueprint, confused.

Zhao Pan’er analyzed it carefully and said, “Gao Lang is probably thinking of pumping river water to the rooftop to lower the temperature.”

“Smart!”

Gao You gave Zhao Pan’er an approving nod. “Yes. We’re taking down the old roof to install waterproofing first.”

“So that’s what it is!”

Zhao Pan’er let out a sigh of relief.

“But Pan’er…”

Sun Sanniang still looked worried.

“Are you sure this will work?”

“I know you love Gao You, but you can’t just let him tear down your house on a whim!”

Zhao Pan’er chuckled.

“I trust Gao Lang.”

“If he thinks it’ll work, then it will.”

“And even if it doesn’t, it’s no big deal. We’ll just build another tea house.”

Faced with someone this recklessly indulgent, Sun Sanniang could only sigh.

Fine.

She went into the cabin to change into dry clothes, deciding to join them for the boat ride instead of leaving.

_____

Meanwhile, in Qiantang, the demolition of the Zhao Family Tea House’s roof quickly attracted the attention of neighbors. At first, people thought Zhao Pan’er was simply renovating.

But after asking around, they found out that Gao You had ordered the demolition. That fool really tore down the roof!

News spread like wildfire, and soon, all of Qiantang was talking about it. By morning, a large crowd had gathered outside the tea house, eager to watch the drama unfold.

“Make way! Move aside!”

A loud, commanding voice suddenly rang out. The spectators turned to see Qiantang County Magistrate Zheng Qingtian leading a squad of imperial guards straight toward the tea house!

The crowd quickly parted to clear a path.

Zheng Qingtian’s arrival sparked even more rumors.

“Look, the roof really is gone!”

A short imperial guard at the front smirked.

“You wanted me to make history?”

“Well, don’t blame me for what happens next!”

“Lord Zheng!”

The short imperial guard turned to Zheng Qingtian.

“Summon the Qiantang County Gazette scholars!”

“We must record this scandal in history!”

“Understood!”

Zheng Qingtian nodded solemnly and immediately sent his men to fetch the historians. The gathered townspeople watched in astonishment.

Why was the magistrate listening to this little guard?

But no one dared to ask. Before long, a group of scholars dressed in long robes hurried over. They were the local historians responsible for writing the Qiantang County Gazette.

“Start writing!”

The short imperial guard ordered them directly.

One of the scholars frowned and retorted, “Historical records must be based on facts.”

“We need to investigate properly before writing anything.”

The short guard scowled.

“The roof is already gone! What else is there to investigate?”

“This is just Gao You, that fool, acting out again!”

“Write it down immediately!”

______

As soon as Gao You arrived at the street corner, he noticed a massive crowd gathered around the tea house.

“Make way! Move aside!”

Xiao Lingdang shouted as she led the way.

Upon seeing Zhao Pan’er’s family returning, the spectators quickly stepped aside. After all, they were waiting to see Zhao Pan’er’s reaction when she discovered her tea house was missing its roof!