Chapter 69

After all the purchases, including oil, salt, rice, vegetables, clay pots, clay stoves, bowls and chopsticks, although not expensive, they still cost a lot of money.

Seeing that it was already 3 p.m., Yu Ying bought a broom and dustpan to clean the house.

When I was making the bed today, as soon as I opened the doors and windows, the dim room suddenly became bright. I also saw that the room was full of dust and cobwebs after not being cleaned for a long time.

Yu Ying cut off a few pieces of cloth. She folded two square pieces into triangles and used them as a mask. She then used a square scarf to cover her hair to prevent dust from settling on it.

Both wore masks and cloth towels.

When Yu Ying saw Fu Wei's outfit, she couldn't help but laugh out loud.

He originally had a handsome figure and an elegant face, but after covering his face and hair, he looked a bit funny no matter how you looked at him.

Fu Wei looked at her and smiled faintly.

The two of them swept the dust from several rooms together, and then brushed away the cobwebs at the foot of the house. Then Yu Ying stewed the herbs she brought from home in the corners of several rooms, including the kitchen and toilet, which had the effect of repelling insects and removing dampness.

Seal all doors and windows when stewing to ensure the effect.

After stewing for half an hour, she had just finished clearing the weeds and clothes drying area in the yard. She got up and opened the doors and windows to disperse the smoke in the house.

The corners of the walls were covered with the corpses of many insects. After living in the poor conditions of the village for so long, Yu Ying had long since adapted to the situation, so she could calmly sweep these insects away.

Fu Wei was picking up the weeds in the yard. When he saw the insects she swept out, he dug a hole and buried the insects without Yu Ying saying anything.

After they worked together to clean up, the courtyard and the house finally looked habitable. It was already dusk and time to prepare dinner.

Since they rented the ox cart themselves, Yu Ying brought everything she could.

In addition to some medicinal herbs, he also brought several cabbages that had not fully grown but were ready to be picked, and even a small handful of firewood.

It is not allowed to cut down trees at will in the city, so firewood is needed, which can either be bought outside or cut outside the city.

There is firewood, and then there is the problem of water.

There is a well at the back of the alley, and all the water for the entire alley is drawn from there.

Yu Ying went out with the bucket, and Fu Wei said to her, "You've been busy all day, don't do too much. I'll do it after nightfall."

It was dark at night, and even if someone walked through the alley, it would be difficult to tell who was who. Besides, Fu Wei was planning to go fetch water halfway.

Living together, Yu Ying wouldn't blindly take on all the work herself. Besides, Fu Wei would be living in the county town with Fu An and Luo Shi, one old and one young, so he had to be responsible no matter what.

Since he said so, she would just pump three times, which would be enough for tonight.

For the first meal in this new home, Yu Ying didn't want to compromise too much.

Half a pound of pork with alternating fat and lean meat is used to make braised pork, while half a pound of fat is used to make oil.

In order to make braised pork, Yu Ying specially bought two taels of sugar.

First blanch the vegetables with wine, ginger and scallions, then remove them and set aside.

Put a clean pot on a ceramic stove to heat it up. When the pot is hot, add sugar and some lard. After the sugar and oil melt into it, put the pork into the pot and stir-fry until it changes color. Add soy sauce and stir-fry until fragrant, then add a bowl of boiling water.

After adding water, add a little salt and wild star anise, five-fingered ginseng, and fennel, and finally simmer until the sauce is reduced.

When Yu Ying was collecting herbs, she discovered wild star anise, five-fingered ginseng, wild fennel and other herbs.

These herbs can be used as both medicinal herbs and spices.

Since there weren't many, only two or three pounds in total, Yu Ying didn't plan to sell them and kept them for now.

A dish of braised pork and a dish of green vegetables was their dinner tonight.

Their yard was so quiet that only the sounds of busyness could be heard, but soon the yard next door became noisy, with children crying and adults scolding.

Compared to the quiet Lingshui Village, Yu County has a strong atmosphere of fireworks.

Perhaps it was because Lingshui Village was very far away from everyone, so even if someone howled in the middle of the night, it would probably only be heard by a few nearby households, so it seemed deserted and quiet.

Yu Ying likes quietness, but she also doesn't like quietness.

In such turbulent times, silence will scare people, so it is always better to have some liveliness.

The food was served on the table, and only Yu Ying and Fu Wei ate together.

Fu Wei's eyes fell on the brightly colored braised pork. After taking a piece and tasting it, a look of astonishment appeared in his eyes. Then he raised his eyes and looked at Yu Ying opposite him in surprise.

Seeing his expression, Yu Ying asked, "Is it soft and glutinous, rich but not greasy?"

Fu Wei nodded: "I've never seen pork cooked this way before."

Yu Ying thought that this braised pork became famous because of Su Dongpo, but it appeared earlier in "Qimin Yaoshu".

It’s just that the braised pork recipe in the book did not include the spices she just added.

The current dynasty was in chaos, more like the Northern Dynasties. The dishes during that period were not that complicated, and she had never seen an iron wok, so stir-frying was definitely rare. It was normal that Fu Wei had never seen one.

Yu Ying decided, "We're inviting Huo Yacha over tomorrow, so let's make this dish."

For the housewarming party, Yu Ying only planned to prepare two tables.

After all, almost all of my close neighbors are in Lingshui Village.

There are a few people from my family, as well as the owner and waiter of Wu Ji Restaurant, Uncle Chen. Two tables are enough for so many people.

Huo Yacha invited Fu Wei alone so that he could inquire about the information and avoid suspicion at the same time.

Fu Wei, who had never been particular about food, could not help but taste another piece of meat and nodded: "This dish is excellent. If we add some wine, we don't have to worry about Huo Yacha getting dizzy."

Yu Ying: ...

He didn't avoid telling her about his plans. That must be how much he trusted her.

After thinking for a moment, she added, "In addition to the braised pork, make another braised fish and crispy pork, and finally some green vegetables and stewed tofu. Even if there are two more people, there will be enough food."

After this meal, we also decided on the menu for tomorrow.

After dinner, Yu Ying took out the medicinal herbs she had pounded at home and soaked them in wine. She could use them to make facial cream directly after buying sheep tail oil tomorrow.

Winter is approaching and the demand for facial cream will be even greater. She doesn't want to waste too much time, so she has to hurry up and make better facial cream.

After it was done, the hot water was also warm.

Yu Ying went to wash up first.

After taking a shower, I felt warm all over. When I entered the house, I found that the window was slightly open and there was a ceramic basin with burning firewood under the bed.

The originally cold room was now warmed by the fire even with the windows open.

You don't have to think about it to know who placed this brazier.

They slept in separate rooms tonight.

A quilt was prepared at home, originally intended for Fuan. Since Fuan was going to Yu County, he brought it with him.

There are two beds and two quilts, so of course we won’t sleep together.

She spread the mattress on the bed. Although it was a little small, it was big enough for her to lie on.

After the bed was laid, the room was warm enough. Yu Ying remembered that there was no brazier in Fu Wei's room, so she wet a handkerchief and carried a small brazier to his room.

When I came out after putting it away, I happened to meet Fu Wei who had just come back from taking a shower.

She said, "My room is warm enough, so I'll bring the brazier to your room. Remember to take it out and put out the brazier with water before you go to bed."

Fu Weiqing hummed, thought for a moment, and said, "If there is anything, call me."

Yu Ying nodded: "You should get some rest early, because you have to get up early to go to the government office tomorrow."

"You should go to bed early too." He whispered. The light coming from the room reflected on his face. Under this dim light, his eyes looked at her with extraordinarily gentle eyes.

The two looked at each other, and there was a hint of subtlety in their eyes, a subtlety that made people's hearts beat a little faster.

It was obvious that the two of them often slept on the same couch before, and there was no such strange subtlety. Instead, it felt ambiguous after they separated.

Yu Ying coughed lightly and said, "Then I'll go back and rest."

After saying that, he turned and went into the house.

When he turned around to close the door, he saw Fu Wei still standing at the door. His upright posture was completely different from the way he lay on the bed before. Even if he was just wearing coarse linen clothes, it could not affect his outstanding temperament.

Eyes as bright as stars and as graceful as orchids and jade trees, nothing can surpass this.

Good-looking people with good character always make people happy.

Yu Ying gave him a faint smile before closing the door.

After closing the door, the smile on her face faded, and she couldn't help but touch her heart.

She must have been somewhat moved, but this was not enough for her to make a decision.

Even if we have to make a decision, we have to wait until she has truly adapted to this era.

This is a responsibility to yourself and also a responsibility to others.

Yu Ying did not cause trouble for herself and quickly put the matter deep in her heart.

After getting on the bed, he took out all the silver and money and counted them carefully.

After all this purchase, the seven hundred coins he brought with him and the five hundred coins he earned from the government office now only had less than two hundred coins left.

She has to prepare a table full of dishes tomorrow, and she also needs to buy some sheep's tail oil to make facial cream. What about the housewarming party the day after tomorrow?

Yu Ying just felt overwhelmed.

I should have just bought one bed.

But what can I do now that I have already bought it?

I can only see how much money I have left tomorrow. If it's not enough, I'll wait until my elder brother and his wife come to Yu County and then shamelessly ask them to lend me some.

After Yu Ying put all the copper coins away, she lay down.

I have to say that the thatched house is cool in summer, but not warm at all in autumn and winter.

This house is not only draft-proof but also soundproof, making it safer.

When she first came to this world, what impressed Yu Ying the most was the roar of wild beasts coming from outside the house. Even inside the house, she could hear it clearly. She always felt that a wild beast would break into the house at any time, and she was always worried.

Later, as there were more people in her family, she was not so afraid anymore.

This sturdy and warm house and wooden bed allowed Yu Ying to fall asleep quickly without any shyness.

But in the second half of the night, Yu Ying had a dream.

She dreamed that after Fu Wei arrived at the yamen to take up his post, he was bullied by the people there.

They deliberately knocked over his wheelchair and snatched it away, leaving him lying on the ground unable to get up. People surrounded him, pointing and mocking him for being a cripple.

Fu Wei lay on the ground, isolated and helpless, like a big abandoned dog.

Yu Ying couldn't bear it anymore and was about to go forward to pull him up when she woke up from the dream.

Yu Ying sat up and looked around blankly at the unfamiliar environment before she realized that this was a newly rented house.

Just as I was about to recall my dream, I heard the faint sound of water outside.

She walked to the window and pushed it open halfway, and saw a familiar figure busying around in the dim yard.

Thinking of Fu Wei's pitiful appearance of struggling on the ground, isolated and helpless in her dream, Yu Ying smiled when she saw his figure standing in the yard.

She just liked to worry about nothing. Fu Wei was not really lame, and there was a yamen runner named Huo in the county government office who could look after him. Even if he was in trouble, he would not be as miserable as in her dream.

Putting aside her worries, Yu Ying put on her coat and tidied her hair before leaving the house.

She looked at Fu Wei who was adding water to the pot and asked with a smile, "What are you doing?"

Fu Wei looked at her and said, "I plan to make porridge."

After thinking for a moment, he showed her the rice in the pot and asked, "Is this enough?"

Yu Ying looked at the rice in the pot, chuckled, and replied, "Enough, of course it's not enough, it's enough to call my brother and sister-in-law to come and eat."

Fu Wei knew he had put too much rice in. He hesitated for a moment and asked, "Scoop out half of it?"

Yu Ying stepped forward, glanced at the water jar that had been filled to the brim at some point, and said, "Not only that, even a handful of rice from your hand is enough for you and me to eat."

When Fu Wei heard this, he had an idea in mind and went into the kitchen to pour out extra rice.

Yu Ying taught him how to wash rice and add water, and also told him how much rice and water were needed to cook rice.

Thanks to Yu Ying's guidance, this breakfast was prepared in an orderly manner.

After breakfast, Yu Ying and Fu Wei went out together.

She wanted to go to the East Market as soon as possible to see if there were any freshly slaughtered sheep. If there were, she would have a source of sheep tail oil.

After sending Fu Wei to the yamen, she went straight to the East Market.

The East Market was even more lively in the morning than when she usually arrived, with crowds of people jostling each other and the noise boiling.

Not only is it more lively, but the things you buy are more complete.

Medicinal wine made from wild centipedes and black scorpions.

The wild centipede was thicker than a thumb and about four inches long. It was sold together with a small clay pot for twenty cents a pot, making it perfect for treating injuries.

Yu Ying took a look at the quality of the medicinal wine. It was very good and could not be bought for hundreds of dollars in later generations.

Although it was twenty cents a jar, one or two people still bought it. She was quite tempted, but she held back and planned to buy it later when she had enough money.

There was a stall selling mutton in the morning, and soon after the stall opened, half of it was sold out.

If mutton is not handled properly, it will have a strong smell, but compared to pork, people prefer mutton, not to mention in this kind of weather, a bowl of mutton soup is particularly warm.

Lamb is more expensive than pork, but not by much.

Pork is twelve cents a pound, and mutton is sixteen cents a pound.

After thinking about it, Yu Ying decided not to make crispy pork because it was too oily. Instead, she made lamb and radish stew, which was warming and nourishing and warmed the stomach.

As for sheep tail oil, perhaps most people use pork fat to make oil, so sheep tail oil is priced the same as pork fat, 18 cents per pound.

This is a pleasant surprise. Even if we switch from lard to mutton fat, the cost of facial cream will not increase much.

Yu Ying bought a pound of mutton and a pound of sheep tail oil.

Then there was a pound and a half of pork, a fish weighing about two pounds, and a few pieces of tofu.

I spent sixty-eight coins in the morning, and I still have more than one hundred and thirty coins left, which is still enough for two sumptuous banquets tomorrow.

Yu Ying returned to her home and began to work on her facial cream.

Repeat the previous steps of making facial cream, but replace lard with sheep tail oil.

After finishing her work, it was not yet the hour of Si. Fu Wei had three quarters of an hour at noon for rest and lunch, so she only needed to prepare lunch then.

Yu Ying came out of the kitchen and looked towards the county government office thoughtfully, secretly hoping that everything would go well for him.

*

County government office.

After Fu Wei reported in, he was left in a side hall. No one assigned him any work, and people who passed by looked at him strangely.

Fu Wei faced it calmly and waited with a calm expression.

An hour passed until the magistrate, who was sitting in the court, saw him when he went to the toilet.

County Magistrate Zhou asked, "Did Mr. Qian assign you any work?"

Fu Wei said calmly, "Maybe I was too busy to remember."

County Magistrate Zhou knew in his heart that his staff were trying to intimidate him, but he saw through it but did not say anything.

After a moment's silence, he said, "Today is indeed a busy day. You should go to the back of the courtroom and listen to today's trial. Tomorrow, you should write down your opinions on all the cases today."

Fu Wei changed his place to sit in meditation, but it also meant he had something to do.

Inevitably, he met Director Luo's younger brother, Luo Dianshi.

When Luo Dianshi saw Fu Wei, his brows furrowed.

The moment their eyes met, Luo Dianshi's face showed disgust. As he walked past, he seemed to mutter to himself, "The government office has become a place where cats and dogs are taken in."

Fu Wei tapped the armrest lightly with his fingertips, his face calm, pretending not to hear.

Fu Wei was left out for the whole morning and was not allowed to leave until noon.

But when he pushed the wheelchair to the side door, he stopped.

——The two stone slabs that were put up just yesterday were still visible this morning, but now they are nowhere to be seen.

You don't have to think about it to know that someone did it on purpose.

This was within Fu Wei's expectations.

Fu Wei was silent for a moment, then heard the unhappy voice of Huo Yacha behind him: "These people actually moved the stone slab away!"

Fu Wei turned back and said with a helpless smile: "I was just guessing, but I guessed it right. I'll trouble Huo Yacha to help me."

Huo Yacha walked behind him, held the crossbar of the backrest with both hands, and with a slight force, let the sedan chair tilt backward. After the small wheel in front passed the threshold, he lifted the rear wheel slightly with force.

After some operations, Su Yu was successfully pushed over the threshold.

"I'll retrieve the slate and put it back when I'm on duty in the afternoon," said Huo Yacha.

Fu Wei thanked him: "I'm really sorry to have troubled Huo Yachai today."

Huo Yacha: "This is just a small favor, not a big deal."

Madam Yu has some skills. Mr. Fu has broken legs, but the Lord is still willing to accept him as his aide. There must be a noble person helping him from behind.

Both husband and wife are extraordinary people. Making friends with them will bring you only benefits and no harm.

If we insist on saying that it is harmful, it is that it may offend Luo Dianshi.

However, Huo Yachai had been in the yamen for more than ten years and was already a veteran. He could see through the twists and turns in the yamen.

Although Luo Dianshi was not dismissed because of his brother's affairs, he had already displeased the county magistrate and it was difficult for him to be reused in the future.

Although Fu Langjun's legs were crippled, his brain wasn't the only thing that was crippled. After twenty years as the son of a prefect, his knowledge and perspective were certainly beyond the reach of someone from a smaller place.

With these thoughts in mind, Huo Yachai naturally treated Fu Langjun well.

He planned to send Fu Langjun back and then have some lunch nearby.

After sending the person to the entrance of the alley, Madam Yu came out of the alley in a hurry.

Seeing Fu Wei and Huo Yacha returning together, Yu Ying was slightly startled, but soon smiled: "Erlang, how could you trouble Huo Yacha to bring you back?"

Huo Yacha said: "It's just on the way, it's nothing serious."

Yu Ying said, "Since you're all here, why don't you come to my house for lunch, Mr. Huo?"

Huo Yacha said: "No need, I will go back first."

Yu Ying knew he wouldn't stay, so she added, "My husband has instructed us to host a banquet for Mr. Huo tonight. The food has been bought. Mr. Huo must come after he finishes his shift today."

She particularly emphasized the words "private banquet".

Huo Yachai understood, nodded in agreement, and then turned and left.

After Huo Yachai left, Yu Ying did not ask Fu Wei too much because there were people walking in the alley.

When they arrived at the door, Yu Ying went into the house first, then took out two triangular slopes made of wood, placing one outside and the other inside.

Fu Wei asked, "Where did this ramp come from?"

"I paid the craftsman twenty cents for the bed I bought yesterday. He made two according to my instructions. Now try to see if you can get in by yourself."

Upon hearing this, Fu Wei gave it a try.

Fu Wei had been practicing martial arts since he was young, and his arms were strong. He managed to get the wheelchair into the yard in no time.

When the courtyard gate was closed, before Yu Ying had time to ask why it was Huo Yacha who sent him back, Fu Wei stood up and went to the toilet.

Yu Ying: ...

Sitting in this wheelchair all day pretending to be disabled must have suffocated him.

After he came out and washed his hands, he was still the calm and composed Fu Wei.

Yu Ying asked him, "Why did the Huo yamen escort you back today?"

Fu Wei smiled faintly and didn't tell her about the troubles in the yamen. He just said, "I met him when I was leaving the yamen. He happened to be going in this direction, so he came with me."

Yu Ying didn't doubt him and said, "Hurry up and eat first, then take a nap after eating."

Three quarters of an hour is forty-three minutes, and the round trip takes about one quarter of an hour, so he only has two quarters of an hour to eat and rest.

While eating, Yu Ying recalled her morning dream. After pondering it for a moment, she tentatively asked, "Did anyone give you any trouble in the government office?"

Fu Wei: "Just ignoring me is not a problem."

After hearing this, Yu Ying felt a little relieved.

After finding out that they were on duty at 3:00 PM, Yu Ying counted on her fingers and found that the yamen was only open for four hours, which was no different from later times.

Since she got off work so early, she had to prepare for tonight's dinner in advance.

After lunch, Fu Wei took a short nap and then continued to work.

In the yamen, he was still too idle to listen to those trivial cases in the back hall.

Most of these cases were reported by residents of the county seat, and there were almost no people from villages and townships reporting to the authorities.

Apparently, the villagers were all wary of the government office, and all matters, big or small, were resolved by the village head. In the end, big matters became small, small matters became nothing, and even a life lost would likely become a small matter.

Fu Wei heard that when he was on duty, the biggest case was just the owner of the house stealing the chicken of the other house.

During this period, whenever the magistrate came down from the hall to stretch his muscles, he could see the impatience on his face.

Fu Wei smiled faintly.

With such a boring life, it’s no wonder that County Magistrate Zhou was moved when he heard that he could help him get promoted and leave Yu County.

I'm not afraid that County Magistrate Zhou has ambition, I'm afraid that he doesn't have it. Only with ambition can he go further, and he can use County Magistrate Zhou's influence to protect the people behind him.

When Fu Wei was off duty, he called out to the yamen runner Huo.

Yacha Huo called the younger yacha who was quite considerate to him to go with him.

After all, they were a group of grown men eating and drinking together, and it was inconvenient for Yu Ying to sit at the same table with them, so she left some food for herself in the house.

When Huo Yachai saw the table full of delicious food and wine, he knew that the couple valued him very much. He was very pleased and could not hide his joy on his face.

The young yamen runner who had come with him was looked down upon by the other two staff members in the yamen, and had always been ordered around without knowing their names. Today, despite being treated to such hospitality, he still developed a liking for the new staff member and secretly decided that when he followed Yamen Runner Huo in the future, he would also follow Mr. Fu.