Chapter 99 Peach Garden
  After lunch, everyone took a short break at the farmhouse before continuing on to the next attraction. At that time, the nearby attractions were not yet fully developed. The more famous ones were the nearby imperial mausoleum and the surrounding orchard.

  The mausoleum was not very far from the Great Wall. After driving for about half an hour, everyone saw a beautiful landscape with clear water and mountains. Tang Xiaoyu was a little reluctant to go when she heard it was the imperial mausoleum, but the tour guide's rave reviews piqued her curiosity. She figured she was out this time anyway, so she followed the others into the mausoleum gate, carrying her small bag.

  Inside the exhibition hall, in addition to telling the history of the royal families of past dynasties and the kings buried there, there were also some very interesting anecdotes. But Tang Xiaoyu was not really interested in these things. She followed Fang Qing closely, trying to find ways to make Fang Qing uncomfortable.

  If she saw Fang Qing showing interest in a historical piece, she'd comment on his lack of education. If she saw Fang Qing showing interest in some small decorative items, she'd cross her arms and tease him about his ignorance, saying, "Aren't they just some purses and pendants?"

  Even when she saw someone snapping photos of everyone, Tang Xiaoyu would pick at the sleeves of their clothing, remarking disapprovingly, "I don't know how many people have worn them, and they've never even washed them."

  The repeated provocations finally wore off. A male student said impatiently, "You're not from our class. It's fine if you come to play with us, but you're being picky. Can you be reasonable?"

  Tang Xiaoyu was used to being flattered, and this was the first time she encountered such a lack of respect. So she got angry, crossed her arms, and glanced at the male student. "You think you're qualified to talk to me? Do you think I want to come to your lousy team? If it weren't for Fang Qing from your class who insisted on asking me to come, I wouldn't be happy to come! What are you looking at? If you have any objections, go find her."

  Fang Qing saw that her classmates and Tang Xiaoyu had started arguing, and hurried back to mediate. While apologizing repeatedly to her classmates, she pulled Tang Xiaoyu aside.

  "Xiaoyu, I know you have a problem with me, but it was you who said you wanted to follow me. Now that you're out, even if you don't want to be with us, you should at least enjoy this trip. If you really don't like it, I'll find a car now to take you back to school."

  Tang Xiaoyu raised her neck and snorted, "You want to get rid of me and then be happy by yourself. I tell you, Fang Qing, I just want to follow you and make you uncomfortable. If you want to get rid of me, no way."

  After that, Tang Xiaoyu saw a stall selling popsicles not far away, and walked over arrogantly, ordered the most expensive popsicle, and then looked at Fang Qing in the distance, "I'm thirsty, I want to eat popsicles, but I don't have any money."

  Feng Qing sighed and stepped forward to pay the bill. Thinking that everyone had been together for so long, Fang Qing fortunately paid for a box, and each person in the class got a popsicle, which eased the somewhat unpleasant atmosphere.

  But some boys couldn't stand Tang Xiaoyu's behavior. Thinking that the imperial mausoleum was full of eerie and spooky places, they followed Fang Qing and Tang Xiaoyu, reciting folk tales.

  "I've heard that ancient people were buried with accompanying figures, and the souls of those buried with them have been trapped in this underground palace for thousands of years, unable to escape. They prefer to hide in dark corners and possess those with bad character."

  At this point, the boy glanced at Tang Xiaoyu next to him and smiled meaningfully. "Girls, in particular, have a strong yin energy. If they have bad tempers and don't practice good deeds, they're most likely to attract these evil spirits."

  Tang Xiaoyu didn't take it seriously at first, thinking he was just exaggerating and trying to scare people. But when they reached a dimly lit area, she felt a chill on the back of her neck. She looked back, but there was nothing there. Recalling the boy's words, she felt a sudden fear. She quickly ran to Fang Qing's side, clinging tightly to his arm, refusing to stay there any longer.

  Feng Qing had no idea what Tang Xiaoyu had seen. It had frightened him so much. All he could do was hold his arm and whisper words of comfort.

  Following behind, Wang Nan and the male classmate glanced at the hidden air conditioner in the corner, exchanged a smile, and quickly left the place, stifling laughter.

  When everyone finished touring all the attractions and emerged, they saw a stone archway outside. The tour guide joked, "It's an old saying: entering the imperial mausoleum is like entering the underground palace. Therefore, when those in the mortal realm pass through this gate, they must shout out "I'm back" to declare themselves alive, and those ghost messengers won't come looking for you."

  Everyone laughed at the joke, then crossed the threshold and jokingly repeated the same line. But Tang Xiaoyu had been frightened. Even now, he still felt a chill on the back of his neck and arms. Hearing this, he honestly shouted out.

  Everyone around him glanced at him in confusion, and Tang Xiaoyu realized her voice was a bit too loud, but she didn't care. She followed Fang Qing, feeling safer in the crowd. For the rest of the trip, he never left the group again, nor did he say anything to spoil the fun.

  Seeing him like this, it was difficult to tease her anymore. The male students started telling jokes and then singing along, which finally made Tang Xiaoyu feel less afraid.

  In the afternoon, everyone went to a nearby orchard. The fruit here is famous far and wide, and many people come here to pick it. And this season is the time when peaches are just coming off the trees. When they arrived at the peach orchard, the vast orchard was filled with a variety of fruit trees. Looking at the branches laden with fruit, everyone was drooling.

  The class monitor saw a thatched shed outside the garden and the picked fruit. In addition to the bowl-sized peaches, there were also plums, apples, grapes, and other fresh fruits. The students all paid for them. Even Fang Qing couldn't help but want to buy some to take home.

  Fang Qing stood beside a basket of peaches, covering her nose with a handkerchief, and looked at them from a distance. Although she liked them, she didn't dare to touch them.

  "Boss, how long can these peaches keep?"

  the boss replied expressionlessly. "In this cool, shady weather, they'll keep for about eight or nine days..."

  The peaches were large and sweet. Although he hadn't eaten them yet, the lingering aroma of peaches was already noticeable. Thinking that his mother and sister-in-law loved these peaches, Fang Qing paid for a basket.

  "Then give me a basket of firm ones. I want to take some back home."

  Tang Xiaoyu, standing behind him, immediately rolled her eyes. "You've never seen anything good. A few rotten peaches, and you're treating them like treasures!"

  But the boss behind him got anxious when he heard this, "Broken peach? Explain clearly to me, what's wrong with my peach? If you can't explain it clearly, you can't leave today!"

  (End of this chapter)