Chapter 66

But no matter what, a donkey cart must be purchased eventually.

Just when Gu Ran was wondering whether to buy a donkey directly from a household in the village or to look for one in the carriage and horse shop in the county town, Mrs. Lin Er came to visit with Xiaolan, carrying New Year gifts.

"Gu Er, where were you on the first day of the new year? I came to find you to go to Donglin Township, but you weren't home. What were you doing..." Lin Ersao had just walked to the courtyard when she saw Pei Liuniang sitting under the eaves with a big orange on her knees. Her eyes lit up immediately: "When did Liuniang come?"

"On New Year's Eve, she came to visit me in our village. Since she was also alone in Qinghuai Village, we just spent the New Year together."

Gu Ran naturally didn't dare to tell the real reason. She had agreed with Pei Liu before that if the people in Xiaxi Village asked when she came, she would say that they were both alone, and since they knew each other, Pei Liuniang came to Xiaxi Village to celebrate the New Year with her.

"Yes, Pei Liu, you live alone in Qinghuai Village anyway, so why not just move directly to Xiaxi Village!" Mrs. Lin said happily.

Hearing this, Gu Ran looked at Pei Liu, and Pei Liu also looked at Gu Ran. Their eyes happened to meet, and they smiled at each other and then looked away.

Pei Liu's hand fell on Daju, and he touched it subconsciously, his heart beating fast.

Gu Ran was in a dilemma: This is not a good idea. With so many people around, it would not be as convenient for her to live alone.

"Look, Daju has become very familiar with Liuniang."

When Mrs. Lin reached out to touch the big orange, Gu Ran gave Xiaolan five cents in a red envelope. Xiaolan took it with a smile and said, "Thank you, Sister Gu." Then she also went to the side to look at the big orange.

Seeing how happy they were, Gu Ran smiled and continued to squat aside to fiddle with the batch of konjac she had brought back before the New Year.

Sister Lin walked over to her curiously, watching her take out an unknown object from a bucket full of water and wash it, and asked, "What is this?"

"Konjac!"

Mrs. Lin immediately took a few steps back: "Didn't they say this thing is poisonous? You, you better be careful."

"Don't worry, this is the konjac I processed. It's no longer poisonous." Gu Ran looked at Mrs. Lin and said, "By the way, since you've come to wish us a happy new year, how about we have some konjac soup?"

"Is it really non-toxic?" Mrs. Lin had heard of konjac. It was said that only experienced people could remove the poison from konjac, and the non-toxic konjac was a delicacy.

Because few people know how to remove the toxicity of konjac, foods made from konjac are very expensive.

Gu Ran nodded and said, "You guys play with Liu Niang, I'll call you guys to eat after I finish cooking."

"OK!"

After soaking the konjac in alkaline water, wash it clean, peel it and slice it, then blanch it in boiling water, and then soak it in warm water. What you get is edible konjac slices.

It can be used for cooking or making sweet soup.

The papaya that Lin Ersao and her mother-in-law had sent over was still stored in the space compartment, so Gu Ran took it out, peeled it, cut it into pieces, put it in a jar and started to boil it, adding sugar. He remembered that he had bought milk in the county town, so he took some out and poured it in to heat it until a sweet smell came out. He stirred it evenly, cut the konjac slices in half, poked a few small holes with a skewer, and put it in.

After the hot sugar water boils, turn off the heat and a full jar of papaya and konjac sugar water is ready.

When it was brought to the table under the eaves, each person was served a bowl. The white milk base set off the red papaya and transparent konjac slices, making it look tempting.

"So beautiful!" Xiaolan and Lin Ersao exclaimed as they looked at their bowls of sweet soup.

"Of course it looks good, because I made it!"

Only Pei Liu, looking at another bowl of papaya-containing sweet soup, became embarrassed and slightly red in the face, but he still took the bowl and started eating.

The other three were busy drinking sugar water and didn't notice his abnormality.

"Are you planning to take it to the county town to sell?" asked Mrs. Lin Ersao, who had tasted the roasted grass jelly.

The roasted grass jelly sold by Gu Er is also displayed so beautifully.

"It's not impossible to consider it." Gu Ran, who had never thought of selling konjac before, hesitated for a moment before saying.

Konjac is too troublesome to process. Although her labor is not valuable, there is no need to continue to reduce costs in terms of manpower, right?

Besides, she didn't find much konjac, and the amount was too little to use for her livelihood.

Unless, the konjac she planted in the field can grow next year!

While eating the sweet soup, Gu Ran asked Lin Ersao how the families in the village who owned donkey carts bought them and who had a ready-made donkey for sale.

"Do you want to buy a donkey cart?"

Gu Ran nodded and said, "I'm currently working with a family in the county town. I need to deliver goods to them, so it's more convenient to have my own donkey cart."

"Oh, I remember there's a family in my brother's village that raises donkeys. Do you want me to ask them for you?"

"That would be great."

"After you buy the donkey, you have to go to Master Huang to have a cart frame custom-made." Mrs. Lin explained to Gu Ran in detail the ordering and use of the donkey cart. Finally, she said, "You also have to build a shed for the donkey at home. Raising a donkey is also very particular. You have to have fodder and beans available."

"Okay, then if I need something I don't know, I'll ask you."

"Hey, just ask!"

When Mrs. Lin arrived, Gu Ran generously gave her some processed konjac and three large winter bamboo shoots.

"Winter bamboo shoots? Where did you dig them? I remember there is no place to dig bamboo shoots in our village?" Lin Ersao was surprised.

"I dug it in the woods." Seeing that it was Lin Ersao, Gu Ran did not hide it.

"There is a bamboo forest in the miasma forest?" Mrs. Lin was surprised.

Gu Ran nodded.

So when Mrs. Lin went out, she glanced at Dayu Lin from afar and sighed with regret.

In the village, only Gu Er was brave enough to enter the miasma forest. She also wanted to dig winter bamboo shoots, but she didn't dare!

Two days later, Pei Liuniang's injuries were healed.

She was young to begin with, and her body was at its most vigorous. In addition, Gu Ran had been taking good care of her these days, so of course she recovered quickly.

Seeing that the person who was originally injured and coughing up blood actually recovered after a few days of rest, Gu Ran couldn't help but admire Pei Liu's strong vitality.

As for Pei Liu, after he recovered, he consciously took on many odd jobs.

For example, every day I would go to the stream to fetch water, fill the water tank and the wooden barrel, and then chop wood.

Every time Gu Ran entered the miasma forest, she would not forget to pick up some dry firewood and dead branches, all of which were small poles and thick branches, whole pieces of dead wood. After she brought them back, she would just pile them up next to the kitchen. She had an axe with her, but it took a lot of effort to chop wood every time. So she simply took the boat back to the village, and when she passed Donglin Township, she would pick up the thin firewood from the woodcutters to burn, so that the dead tree branches were left alone and hardly moved.

Pei Liu was strong. Seeing the unsplit tree trunks, he picked up an axe and cut them into strips.

Later, when Gu Ran went to get firewood, he was very satisfied when he saw the neatly stacked firewood.

Gu Ran also noticed that Pei Liu had recovered from his injury recently. She had a slight guess about the fact that Pei Liu did not take the initiative to ask to return to Qinghuai Village, and she was also weighing the matter herself.

Do you want Pei Liu to stay?

Having lived in Xiaxi Village for so long, she had actually long been accustomed to living alone, but it seemed that having Pei Liuniang along with her was not impossible.

These days, as Pei Liu recovered from his injuries and shared a lot of work with her, Gu Ran was also weighing the cost-effectiveness of letting Pei Liu stay.

First of all, Pei Liu can share many of the heavy work at home because she is strong. Besides, she also knows this, so she takes on the work at home that Gu Ran cannot do without saying a word.

Secondly, because of his great strength, Pei Liu also has a high fighting power, which Gu Ran fully understands, especially after experiencing the night attack by bandits on New Year's Eve, he can still rely on Pei Liu as a guard.

Not to mention, she is very good at sewing. Now she has received four well-made menstrual belts. If Pei Liu is around, she will not have trouble finding someone to make these, as well as clothes and shoes for her.

Finally, if Pei Liu stayed, there would be one more person in the cottage. That would be worse than the rumors outside that he lived alone. Some people with ulterior motives would think twice if they wanted to do something bad to the cottage.

Of course, there are advantages and disadvantages.

First, she can no longer use her space grid anytime and anywhere, and second, Pei Liu is definitely not an ordinary person.

However, they are accomplices. Although Pei Liu's temperament is a bit unpredictable, he is not bloodthirsty, so they can live in peace like today.

When Gu Ran was considering whether to invite Pei Liu to stay, she calculated the time and thought that if she didn't go to the bamboo forest to dig up the late-sprouting winter bamboo shoots, they would probably become old bamboos. Moreover, in order to raise a donkey, she had to cut some bamboo to build a livestock shed, so she planned to go into the mountains and let Pei Liu look after the house.

Unexpectedly, seeing Gu Ran carrying a bamboo basket and a hoe, Pei Liu also picked up a sickle and said, "I'm going too."

"Can……"

"Big Orange is guarding the house."

When Daju heard his name being called, he responded obediently.

"Daju agreed."

Gu Ran: ...

Well, with Pei Liu's skills, even if he really went into the forest, nothing should happen easily. What's more, the severe cold has not yet subsided, and the miasma in the Dayu forest has disappeared without a trace.

But, just in case, Gu Ran still gave Pei Liu two spare masks he had made, motioning her to put them on, while demonstrating how he had tied his cuffs and trouser legs.

Pei Liu took a glance and did the same.

Gu Ran gave her another basket, thought for a moment, and put the axe for chopping firewood into the basket. After closing and locking the door, the two of them quickly headed towards the miasma forest.

The miasma forest in winter is still colder than it was before the New Year, but after experiencing a winter, the air in the miasma forest is also fresh and clear, and it is obviously much more comfortable to breathe than on hot and humid days.

However, she still took caution as the top priority and did not take off her mask.

After entering the forest, Gu Ran took Pei Liu straight to the bamboo forest.

Pei Liu was no longer surprised by Gu Erniang's ease in the woods, so he just followed quietly behind her until he saw the bamboo forest, then he stopped.

Bamboo is an evergreen plant, so the bamboo forest they saw was still lush and green, just like other trees in the forest that are not afraid of the cold winter.

Gu Ran stopped in the bamboo forest. Before he could tell Pei Liuniang how to choose bamboo shoots, he saw her bending over and picking the bamboo shoots that had just emerged from the bamboo forest.

It usually takes about a month for bamboo shoots to sprout, so it is best to dig them after the winter solstice and before the beginning of spring.

With more helpers, more winter bamboo shoots can be dug, but because they cannot be stored in the space openly, Gu Ran deliberately chooses a place that is some distance away from Pei Liu to dig. In this way, he digs two, puts one in the bamboo basket, and then stores one in the space.

She planned to pick more winter bamboo shoots, which she could use to make several types of pickled bamboo shoots with different flavors, or to dry them, so that she would have more food to eat!

The winter bamboo shoots were big in size, with skin and mud wrapped around them. Soon, the bamboo basket that Gu Ran was carrying was full.

Pei Liu had already filled the basket she brought with her and began to select bamboos of suitable sizes and cut them down one by one.

Gu Ran had to admire someone who was so considerate in working for him.

There is more to appreciate.

After Gu Ran came over to pick bamboo, he originally planned to chop it himself with a hoe, but it was not effective. So he changed to the sickle that Pei Liu used to dig winter bamboo shoots, but it still didn't work. He could only slowly grind the bamboo poles.

Pei Liu glanced back, quickly chopped down the few bamboos he had chosen with an axe, came over and asked Gu Ran to chop down all the bamboos she had chosen as well.

Seeing how easy it was for her, I had to admit defeat even if I didn't want to.

There are probably not many women in the world who are as strong as her, right?

When they returned, Pei Liu neatly tied up all the cut bamboos with ropes, and then easily dragged the bamboos out of the forest with the ropes. Gu Ran was completely convinced.

This is such a good helper!

With one more person to help, they dug winter bamboo shoots and cut bamboo. It was still light when they returned to the cottage. For the first time, Gu Ran felt the benefit of having a capable partner and began to consider the possibility of taking Pei Liuniang in.

But before she could say anything, when she was about to peel the bamboo shoots from the bamboo basket outside the kitchen in the courtyard, Pei Liu came over and said, "I want to go back to Qinghuai Village."

"Huh?" Gu Ran was stunned.

"I've been away for too long, and I'm afraid the village chief will misunderstand and think I've run away." Pei Liu explained seriously.

"oh!"

Gu Ran looked at the pile of bamboos placed in the yard, and suddenly felt a little confused.

Now that Pei Liu's injury has healed, she needs to go back to her village. It's almost the Lantern Festival. She has indeed lived in Xiaxi Village for too long, but...

"No, can you help me build the shed before you leave?" Gu Ran asked tentatively.

"I..." Pei Liu glanced at her, his eyes also falling on the pile of bamboo. "Second Lady Gu, can I rent your side room?"

"Huh?" Gu Ran was stunned again.

"I'm in Qinghuai Village, also renting a room in a wing of a family. If you're willing, I can..."

"I'm willing." Gu Ran nodded repeatedly, waving his hand, pretending to be generous, but actually secretly relieved. "Hey, don't talk about renting it. I'll hire you as a clerk, and we can do business together. How about that? The west wing of the small house is for you to live in, and then every month I'll give you... for now, how about five hundred coins?"

Gu Ran thought about it. Aunt He was going to open a separate stall, and she had to cook too much grass jelly. It would be too tiring for her to cook the amount for two stalls by herself. Pei Liunang could share the burden. Besides, if she wanted to deliver the goods to the county town, even if she had a donkey cart, she couldn't load the goods and drive there by herself, right?

Pei Liu should be very powerful, so she can go with him and act as his bodyguard.

Then, since she is so skilled, she will be a great helper when hunting in the island forest in the future. If they catch a big animal, they can say that it was the joint efforts of the two of them, and they can sell the skin and meat openly.

Gu Ran was calculating on his abacus and looking at Pei Liuniang expectantly.

Pei Liu pretended to think for a moment, then made a request: "If that's the case, it's not impossible, but you have to allow me to go out and take a few days off. I have other things to do."

"Yes, that's absolutely fine."

According to the working hours of employees in the first life, they can work five days and rest two days. Pei Liu's condition was reasonable for Gu Ran, so Gu Ran and Ma Shan agreed to it.

So the next day, Pei Liu returned to Qinghuai Village by himself.

Gu Ran continued to stay in the small house to process the newly dug winter bamboo shoots.

It was said that we were going to make dried bamboo shoots, but it was not suitable at this time because there was no sunlight. Even when the winter sun came out, there was no sunlight, so the bamboo shoots that were eaten fresh and dried were stored in the space first. We only took the bamboo shoots that were carried back from outside to make pickled bamboo shoots.

Pickled bamboo shoots can be made sour or spicy, depending on personal taste.

Of course, Gu Ran had to prepare everything.

Slice the peeled winter bamboo shoots. You can slice them thinly or thickly according to your preference. Boil a pot of water with some oil and salt. Then put the sliced ​​bamboo shoots into the boiling water and cook them. Then remove them from the water and soak them in cold boiled water for a while to remove the astringency of the bamboo shoots.

The next step is to prepare the sauce for pickled bamboo shoots. After mixing salt, green sauce and oyster sauce, add chili peppers, vinegar, sugar, etc. depending on what flavor you want the pickled bamboo shoots to have.

Gu Ran added nothing to one dish, added chili peppers to another, and mixed vinegar and sugar in proportion to make a sweet and sour sauce for the other.

After mixing the three flavors of sauce with the bamboo shoots, pour them into a jar and place it in a cool and ventilated place - the cool temperature now is just right for pickling.

The first three to five days are for the sauce to seep into the bamboo shoots and ferment, so you need to turn it over every once in a while. After five days, you can eat it directly.

Of course, such a large jar, or three large jars at that, cannot be finished in a short period of time. At that time, you can separate what you want to eat and what you want to store. After sealing the jar, it has a storage period of about two months, or you can directly store it in the space grid without any worries.

Gu Ran had just put the three jars of pickled bamboo shoots in place when Xiaolan called out from outside, "Auntie Gu, are you home?"

"Yes, wait a moment, I'll be right there."

Xiaolan came here because Gu Ran wanted to buy a donkey.

Lin Ersao's parents' home was in Donglin Township. Coincidentally, the donkey-raising family had already gone to the market to sell their donkeys. After Lin Ersao inquired about it, she got the correct information.

"A good donkey would cost fifteen or sixteen taels, and a poorer one would cost thirteen or fourteen taels. Which one do you want?"

"Of course I want good ones, but I'm not good at picking!"

"I knew you wouldn't be able to choose, so I asked my brother to help you choose. But do you trust me?"

"I can trust it, of course I can trust it." Gu Ran nodded.

Village Chief Wu’s family are all decent people. Even if they want to cheat her, they won’t do it too deeply!

With this idea in mind, Gu Ran followed Lin Ersao to the Donglin Township Market, where he met Lin Ersao's brother and the family that sold the donkey.

The market opens early, and there is no rule that it must be open after the Lantern Festival. Anyway, seeing that the weather is good, people who have been bored for more than a month can't stay here anymore, so they come early to set up stalls and make a living, and every sale is a success.

Lin Ersao's brother had already picked a donkey for her. In his opinion, a good donkey for pulling a cart is one with a strong body, strong limbs, shiny and smooth hair, and a gentle temperament.

Gu Ran took a look and nodded in agreement.

Lin Ersao's brother then bargained with the villagers on behalf of his sister's friends and finally bought it for fourteen taels.

It just so happened that Master Huang's home was not far from the market, so he simply went directly to Master Huang's home to demonstrate his newly purchased custom-made donkey frame.

Gu Ran was planning to have people sit in the front, at least two, so he asked Master Huang to make a better shaft. Then, he didn't make the frame of the vehicle just a big piece of wood with two railings like others did, but made it into a semi-enclosed compartment, just like a mini truck, with two more seats for people inside and a railing on the open rear end.

Of course, four wheels are also required.

This cost another two taels of silver, and it was a discount given by Master Huang because they were old acquaintances.

Master Huang was very proud of the windmill he built. In a short period of time, he was promoted to the best craftsman in the area and received so many more jobs.

Master Huang was very grateful to Gu Erniang for helping her, as she was the one who asked him to make the windmill.

If she hadn't asked him to make the windmill by chance, and he hadn't made that ingenious device that could be installed high in the air and still rotate according to the design drawings, he would still be an ordinary craftsman in a corner of Donglin Township. How could he be treated like this today, with people respectfully calling him "Master" wherever he goes?

Gu Ran accepted Master Huang's gratitude with a smile, agreed to come back to pick it up in three days, and then led the donkey back to Xiaxi Village.

When she returned to the village, she remembered that the shed to house the donkey had not been built yet, so she turned to the home of Village Chief Wu and sent the donkey to her house first.

When he returned to the cottage and took out his purse, the purse, which had been quite full, had visibly deflated.

Now that's bad. I only have a little over two taels of silver left in cash, and I'm almost penniless again.

At noon the next day, when Gu Ran was worrying about the pile of bamboo, Pei Liu came over in a donkey cart.

The one who sent him here was still the young man from the Liu family.

Just like last time, Liu Silang helped Pei Liu take the things down - just a bundle and two bamboo baskets. Gu Ran had already come out of the door when he heard the noise outside. When he saw that it was Pei Liu, he immediately came over to help.

"Are you Liu Niang's friend? Gu Er Niang?" Liu Silang asked Gu Ran.

"Yes, it's me. Are you the family that Liu Niang rented the house from?" Gu Ran asked while looking up.

"Hey!" Liu Silang smiled, "I'm the fourth child in my family, and they all call me Si Yazi."

Father Liu slapped him on the head from behind and said, "Fourth Brother, can you speak?"

Gu Ran smiled and didn't call Liu Silang "Sir Boy". He said politely, "It's Liu Jia Silang, right? Isn't it, Uncle Liu?"

Father Liu nodded to Gu Ran, "It would be good for Liu Niang to live with you from now on. You can take care of her."

"Of course." Gu Ran nodded in agreement. "Well, Mr. Liu, you've come all this way here, why don't you come in and have a cup of tea?"

"No, no." The Liu family father and son waved their hands repeatedly.

"Well, sit down for a while. There are tables and chairs here. You can rest for a while. It won't delay your return." Gu Ran waved at Pei Liu. "Pei Liu, you come and take care of things. I'll go in and get some cookies and candies."

Gu Ran not only took out some cakes and candies, but also quickly brewed a pot of hot tea. When he brought it out, he saw that Liu*shi* and his son were indeed sitting next to the table under the osmanthus tree.

Gu Ran served the two of them hot tea and invited them to eat fruits and cakes. Then he found a bamboo basket and filled it with some homemade dried vegetables, two strips of smoked meat, and six winter bamboo shoots - fresh winter bamboo shoots are a rare vegetarian dish at this time, and there are still some in the woods.

Giving two is too stingy, giving four is unlucky, and giving six is ​​just right.

After all, they are the family Pei Liuniang has lived with for more than half a year, which means they are the family Pei Liuniang is most familiar with in Fujian. She might visit them again in the future, so she has to treat them well.

The Liu family, both father and son, were kindhearted people. They drank tea but rarely ate cakes and candies. Seeing Gu Ran packing up all the festival gifts for him, he waved his hands repeatedly: "No, no, we are just sending Liu Niang here. Liu Niang gave us money. Madam Gu, there is no need to be so polite."

"Of course I should. It's a rare occasion for you to send Liu Niang here. It's New Year's Day, so you can be considered as visiting my home. We will be acquaintances in the future. If you want to see Liu Niang in the future, just come and sit with her."

"Okay!" Liu Silang chuckled and was slapped on the head by his father again.

Gu Ran's hospitality made the father and son feel at ease. He talked about how Pei Liu was led by the village chief to rent his yard after arriving in Qinghuai Village, as well as his daily life after settling down. Gu Ran listened from the side, glancing at Pei Liu from time to time.

Pei Liu was quite calm and listened quietly, but never interrupted.

When the father and son left, Liu Silang, who had seemed energetic, seemed listless and looked at Pei Liu secretly again and again.

Gu Ran noticed it and couldn't help but say: Oh, it's a young man who has been fascinated by Liu Niang.

"Originally, we were worried when Liu Niang was leaving. Although Liu Niang's personality is... well, that's just her personality. She can take care of herself. Madam Gu is also a good person, so we are relieved."

Gu Ran smiled and glanced at Pei Liu.

Pei Liu still had a wooden expression on his face, but he quietly placed the New Year gift prepared by Gu Ran on the donkey cart.

"Sixth Mother, if there is anything that you girls can't handle, remember to go to Qinghuai Village to find our Liu family. We will support you." Father Liu shouted to Pei Liu before he whipped the donkey to leave.

Pei Liu's face was moved for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. Seeing that both the father and son were looking at him, he finally nodded slightly to indicate that he understood.

□□ immediately smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. They said goodbye to Gu Ran and hurried back to Qinghuai Village.

Xiaxi Village is quite far from Qinghuai Village. Now the days are short and the nights are long, so we have to hurry.

"It seems like you're living quite well at the Liu family! They're all very nice to you."

Unexpectedly, when Pei Liu heard Gu Ran say this, an expression of disgust appeared on his face.

"I didn't say that, did I?"

Pei Liu did not respond. He quietly packed up the food box under the osmanthus tree and moved the things back into the house.

On the way back to Qinghuai Village, Liu Silang said to his father with a smile: "Gu Erniang seems to be a good family. Dad, we can come to visit Liuniang in the future."

"Qinghuai Village is so far away from Xiaxi Village. What are you doing here? Just to take a look at Liu Niang?"

Liu Silang chuckled and said nothing. He touched his head and thought that if his father was not busy driving the donkey, he would have been hit on the head again.

"Give up your little tricks." Father Liu glared at his son and said with disdain.

"Why?"

"Looking at Liu Niang's appearance, she's not someone our Liu family can keep. Do you want to marry her? You should first consider whether you have the ability to do so."

"Ah!" Liu Silang, who had been happy at first, became depressed again, and then he said, "What if Liu Niang really likes me?"

Father Liu snorted coldly.

"What if Liu Niang left Qinghuai Village just to avoid trouble like you?"

Liu Silang was completely silent.