Early the next morning, Madam Zhang sent Butcher Zhang and his companions out. She and her daughter-in-law were both carrying bags and food boxes, looking particularly neat.
She asked her husband politely, "The land we bought is near Lao Miao Village. It's quite far to get back, right?"
Butcher Zhang said, "That's not right. It will take at least an hour to walk back."
"Oh, has Dazhi and his men finished building the house?" Madam Zhang asked again.
If the two old masters Zhang and Wu were to take the four strong young men including Adun to live there permanently, they would only need to use two rooms.
One room is for sleeping, and the other is for cooking and storing farm tools.
Zhang Sanzhuang, no longer having to go to the fields, couldn't help but grin. "It was supposed to be a few days away, but yesterday, as soon as the composting pond slabs were moved away... Hehe, anyway, we weren't done yet, and they put up the beams for the roof, had Ada check it out, and then they rushed off without even having lunch."
Zhang Erzhuang understood his uncle's feelings very well. He took the food box from Yang's hand. Although there was the aroma of meat inside, it was hard to say whether he could eat it.
Madam Zhang breathed a sigh of relief and handed the things over. "That's good. Sanzhuang and the others aren't going. You'll probably be busy for a few days. Don't come back these days. Stay over there to save yourself the hassle of going back and forth. I really feel bad for you."
Everyone: “…”
Butcher Zhang couldn't even smoke his pipe. "Are you feeling sorry for us or... Ouch!"
Before he could finish his words, Madam Zhang stepped on him and crushed him. At that moment, Miao Wan came over with Taotao in her arms.
Taotao originally stretched out his hand and wanted to follow. A child of his age has just been exposed to the outside world. Not only is the light brighter, but there are also many more colors. It is the time when he likes to go outside.
As soon as we reached the door, Taotao was stunned for a moment, turned around and hid his head in his mother's neck, hugging Miao Wan tightly, as if no one could separate us.
Mrs. Zhang found it funny. The most important thing in the family was this baby who couldn't sit or crawl yet.
"Look, aren't you afraid that Taotao will get so stinky and cry when you come back? You clean up the fields in one go, then go soak in the bathhouse before coming back."
Zhang Dazhuang thought Am was dreaming, "Will they let us in?"
Madam Zhang thought about it and said, "That's true. Then when you come back, I'll make you some fragrant soup to soak in. Even pig intestines can become fragrant when braised. I'm sure you won't have any problem with that."
Everyone: “…” Nothing wrong.
After Butcher Zhang and his men left, Zhang Sanzhuang remembered that he was dizzy from the stench yesterday and forgot to say something.
"Awan, the floral mattress in the kang room is all dirty. Should we make a new set and use them in rotation? That way we can have it washed at home."
Miao Wan thought of the felt blanket she had made a while ago. "Why don't you take the mattress apart and wash it slowly, then put a washable quilt cover on the outside and save it for when the weather gets colder? Now we're all switching to colorful felt blankets, right? This one's easy to wash. If it gets dirty, just wash it and put it on the kang to dry overnight. It'll be dry the next day."
Because the wool that Qiao Ruichen sent back the first time was of different thicknesses, soft wool and hard coarse wool were mixed together, it was particularly difficult to spin it with a spindle.
Both Mrs. Geng and Aunt Geng's hands were swollen, and they only managed to spin a soft ball of yarn, which was not enough to knit a scarf.
Miao Wan was still in confinement at the time, and Geng didn't allow her to do it. After she was out of confinement, Miao Wan tried it.
Facts have proved that she has clumsy hands and is not as good as Mrs. Geng and Aunt Geng.
However, if softness and comfort are not required, it is relatively easy to spin it into thick thread. Miao Wan had an idea and changed to a larger spindle and spun the two large bags of wool into thick thread.
Then she went to Wa City and bought some brightly colored dyes. She dyed the coarse wool in different colors and used the method of weaving wool carpets to weave the coarse wool, mixing in fine soft hair to make many colorful felt carpets.
The felt carpet made in this way has the hardness of coarse wool and is also very soft because of the soft hair on the surface. Everyone in the family likes it very much. At first, two complete pieces were placed on the chairs on both sides of the eight-immortals table in the main hall.
Later, Qiao Ruichen collected a lot of wool. She kept the soft hair on her neck and belly, and turned the rest into felt blankets.
After she had covered the east room and the main room where Qiao Shengwen and the others lived, she also wove twenty blankets and placed them in the empty room next to hers.
It's just the right time to use it.
Zhang Sanzhuang went inside to take a look and was a little reluctant to part with it. "Northern Mongolian felt rugs are expensive. A patterned blanket half a person's height costs one guan of cash. This thing is also light. Who knows, someone might take it away."
"Tell the waiter to keep an eye on it. With such bright colors, it's easy to tell whether it's still there when the customer leaves. If we use it in the kang room, we'll just treat it as a treat for our naughty customers. If anyone spends a full guan of silver in a month, we'll give them a piece."
In fact, Miao Wan had wanted to get a membership card for a long time, but after asking her father-in-law, she felt it was unrealistic.
Xining Town is different from other places. There are many people willing to spend money, but the staff turnover is too high, so there are definitely few people willing to join the membership program.
Unless what she brings out can attract those merchants to come to Xining Town year after year.
Thinking of this, Miao Wan became energetic again.
The most profitable businesses are nothing more than two things: food and beauty, among which beauty is particularly profitable. No matter what era, women are the main force of spending money.
"Mom, do you have any mutton fat at home?"
Geng thought for a moment, "Didn't I make a pot of mutton soup the day before yesterday? It's all gone. If you need it urgently, I can make you some more."
Miao Wan: "Then you take care of Taotao, I'll do it myself."
The northwest area close to Xifan, not far from Mount Everest, has a generally high terrain and a dry and cold climate.
No matter what season it is, there is little rain and strong winds and sand. You can't see very thick trees here, probably because the land is relatively thin due to the wind.
Since the land is like this, human skin is of course extremely dry and sensitive. This is why many people get high altitude red on their faces.
Miao Wan was busy making money before, and she had a lot of things to do after giving birth, so she had no time to make facial cream. She relied on fragrant soap to survive.
In the past, she watched a lot of things on live streaming apps, and she became addicted to DIY. She has made fat with lard and mutton fat.
Lard facial fat is more suitable for use in cold weather, while sheep oil facial fat with a lighter texture is suitable for hot spring and summer.
The recipe she learned in her previous life was called White Jade Dragon Paste.
According to the host, this is a beauty recipe passed down from the palace during the Northern Song Dynasty. It can fragrance the skin, invigorate the senses, moisturize and whiten the skin. It is similar to a certain Lei's seven-in-one cream, and one bottle is equivalent to seven bottles.
Add a bottle of loofah water, and it will be enough for Miao Wan to use for half a year in spring and summer.
The recipe requires boiling water with Patchouli, Tonka Balsam Powder, Kaempferia galanga and Nardostachys grandiflora. Just like decocting medicine, three bowls of water should be boiled into one bowl of water.
In addition, white hyacinth, cimicifuga, angelica dahurica and angelica sinensis need to be ground into powder and soaked with wine. Boil and remove the residue, then pour into mutton fat. If conditions permit, add a little honey, which can sterilize it just like white wine.
Then add the previously boiled water to the mutton fat and simmer over low heat until it becomes a paste. Pour it into a sealed small jar and dry it in the cellar until it becomes a paste. Then it is done.
Because the host is from the northwest, I don’t know whether the medicinal herbs used have been improved. The medicinal herbs needed can be found in pharmacies in the northwest.
Uncle Geng and the others had gone to the fields, so Miao Wan had no choice but to ask Aunt Geng to accompany her to the pharmacy to buy all the herbs.
Aunt Geng couldn't bear to see her little face covered in dust, so she put down her work and came to help. Miao Wan made half a pot of facial cream in one go.
There are eighteen jars in a palm-sized earthenware jar, which is enough for at least one jar for each woman in the family.
After slowly solidifying, it turned into a slightly transparent facial cream, a beautiful milky white color without a trace of impurities. Miao Wan specially put two layers of gauze to filter it, and added rosemary essential oil to remove the fishy smell. It only smelled of a faint fragrance and medicinal aroma.
Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Miao Wan felt a special sense of accomplishment. "Aunt Geng, you see, I'm quite capable too. I made the same facial cream that my mother made before I was four years old in just one try. Don't you think I'm smart?"
Anyway, no one knows how many times she failed in her previous life. If you ask, she's a genius hahahaha...
Aunt Geng looked at the medicine residue on her forehead and couldn't help laughing. "Yes, yes, our Awan is the smartest. Although I helped you filter the medicine juice, crush the herbs, mix the sheep oil evenly, and help you put it into the earthenware jar, but when it comes to credit, it's still our Awan who did the most."
Miao Wan: “…”
She pouted secretly, so she also made medicine. Miao Shiren touched the tip of his nose in dissatisfaction, leaving a trace of gray powder.
After going out, he was seen from a distance. Geng was shocked and asked, "Are you trying to get close to the bottom of the iron cauldron?"
Miao Wan looked in the mirror and fell silent.
Okay, she’s not the best, but she’s good at talking, okay?
The temperature in the cellar was low, making it easier for the cream to solidify into a paste. So when Butcher Zhang and his men came back from the field half-dead, they were forced to soak by Madam Zhang and her men for two days, and her facial cream was ready.
The first wave of people to use it were actually the men of the Zhang family.
"How do you feel, Ada?" After Butcher Zhang came out of a hot bath, Miao Wan gave Am the facial cream. She did not forget to be filial to Ada and earnestly asked Butcher Zhang to try it.
Butcher Zhang touched his face, which was still as rough as before, but could he really say that?
"Hmm... smells good!" He thought for a moment and grinned, "I can't smell my own stench anymore."
There was a faint smell of medicine under his nose, and he even forgot what the faint smell was like. He suddenly felt hungry.
"This stuff is amazing!" Butcher Zhang stood up and hurried to the kitchen. "It works better than digestive tea. After applying it, I think I can eat two bowls of Ga noodles. No! Three bowls!"
Miao Wan: "..." Filial piety is in vain.
Madam Zhang laughed at the side, "Hahahaha...just let your sister-in-law and the others try it for you. It would be a waste to give it to Ada."
The old couple really weren't that interested in this kind of skin care cream. They had been like old tree bark for most of their lives. Instead of trying to make the old bark more moisturized, it would be more satisfying to chew a few more pieces of meat.
But Yu and her family were all very interested, and the three sisters-in-law Yang and Sun responded actively.
"Let me try it, how long will it take for the effect to show up?"
"Can these two red spots on my face really go away?"
"Can we give it to the braised eggs? They smell like they've been drugged?"
Miao Wan thought about it. Sister Chenxi's baby also used it. It's pure natural and has no side effects. "You can use it on braised eggs. I applied some to Taotao and she liked it."
This little guy is only a hundred days old and he has already shown his love for beauty.
She likes fragrant things like aromatic oils and water, and facial creams, and she also likes those brightly colored cushions. However, Taotao doesn't even look at the solid-colored felt rugs pressed using traditional methods, although they are more comfortable to sit on.
She will definitely be a conceited person in the future.
Qiao Ruichen was promoted to the rank of Captain of the Imperial Guard, an eighth-rank military officer position. The officers were recorded in the military register, which was higher than the rank of Captain of the Benevolent and Brave position, which was the ninth-rank equivalent to a centurion. He was in charge of five centurions.
It is only slightly worse than the people under the command of a centurion. A centurion has basically eight or nine hundred soldiers under his command, and it is rarely fully staffed.
Chen Wu, who was promoted to the rank of captain of a thousand men, came to see Qiao Ruichen before he returned home.
"Brother, if you hadn't helped me kill so many Xiban bandits, I wouldn't have been promoted so quickly even if I had connections. Don't say you're ungrateful." Chen Wu laughed and threw a booklet to Qiao Ruichen, winking.
"These are all good things. If you don't have enough, my brother has more. I'll send them to you after I finish looking at them."
Qiao Ruichen: "...No, these are enough."
Chen Wu waved his hand and said, "Don't be polite with me. We are close friends. I have tried it for you and it works very well. I can handle that Xifan concubine my niece's husband gave me without any temper."
Qiao Ruichen's eyes flickered, and he asked calmly, "Brother Chen, I heard that the general will be back soon. Leaving so many Xifan slaves in the mansion, will it be..."
"Well, what's there to be afraid of? Even though he's not in the general's mansion, he's just gone to someone else's mansion to wait for someone to be filial to him..." Chen Wu stopped talking halfway, and a cold sweat broke out on the back of his neck. Damn, he almost let it slip.
He quickly changed the subject, "Ahem... Anyway, you don't have to worry about me, brother. A short absence is better than a new marriage. Hurry back and kiss your sister-in-law. That's the real thing."
Qiao Ruichen used his inner strength to force out a faint blush, and stood up impatiently, "Thank you very much, Brother Chen. I'll go home first. Since we have changed guards, Brother Chen, please take good care of my men. I will stay at home for a few more days... that..."
Chen Wu laughed, "I know, I know. She's so sweet and soft, wow... My sister-in-law is really amazing. Let's go back!"
As soon as Qiao Ruichen left the house, his face turned grim. After hearing the stories his wife had told him, the word "filial piety" did not sound like a good word.
Since the Xiban people are not in Chen's mansion, they must be the twelve family generals who have adopted him as their sons.
"Dad, what do you think? How about I learn from my wife?" Qiao Ruichen thought for a long time after arriving home and asked Qiao Shengwen, "For example... finding a godfather?"
Qiao Shengwen kicked Qiao Ruichen and scolded him with a smile, "What's the matter? You think I'm not a good father to you and you want to change me? Why didn't you do that earlier?"
Qiao Shengwen then seriously analyzed, "The family generals around Chen Sixu were all raised by him since childhood. Even so, he might not trust all of them, let alone you, who was adopted as his godparent."
It would be a miracle if that old thief Chen believed it.
Qiao Ruichen shook his head and said, "Dad, you've got it wrong." "This is not what I want to learn from my wife. Didn't we analyze that starting from the backyard is the fastest and most likely way to break through? If I can become one of his adopted sons, going to the backyard to be filial to my godmother and those little girls, wouldn't that be natural?"
Qiao Shengwen: "...Does your wife know how smart you are?" Anyway, he couldn't bear to hear his children say the word "filial piety" from now on.
Qiao Ruichen stood up immediately and said, "I was just about to tell Awan that it would be hard for Mom and Dad to look after Taotao tonight."
Qiao Shengwen thought, that would only work if you don’t get kicked out.
Unexpectedly, not long after, Geng came over with Taotao in her arms.
Behind her, Qiao Rui was holding the things Taotao needed and laughing.
Although she had her own room after the new house was built, Qiao Rui was still young and afraid of sleeping alone. Most of the time, she slept with her parents, since Taotao was there anyway.
"What are you laughing at?" Qiao Shengwen didn't want to ask about his son and daughter-in-law's bedroom affairs, so he had to ask his daughter in a tactful way.
Anyway, her daughter inherited this from Qiao Shengwen's parents. She is very smart and gossipy, and there is no secret that she can't spread.
As expected, Qiao Rui lay on Qiao Shengwen's knees, laughing so hard that her stomach hurt. "Dad, you don't know, as soon as my brother came in, he righteously said he wanted to discuss something important with my sister-in-law. My sister-in-law was stunned. She put her hands in her pockets and behaved like a good boy. Then my brother secretly stuffed some silver into my mother and me and told us to bring Taotao out. Before we came out, my sister-in-law hadn't reacted yet and was biting her fingers nervously."
Qiao Rui felt that although she was only seven years old, her sister-in-law was probably not as smart as her.
Miao Wan said, "Little girl, you know nothing about marital love and acting."
At this moment, she clung to Qiao Ruichen's arm and secretly looked into the main hall, "Taotao shouldn't be able to see it, right?"
A cat will hate its owner if its balls are cut off. Taotao is even more of a cat than a cat. If she doesn't want her daughter because she wants to be close to Qiao Ruichen, Taotao will probably hold a grudge against her until she gets married.
So just now she looked like something really bad had happened and she was so nervous that she couldn't take care of Taotao. The little guy must have inherited her timidity, and he went out quietly anyway.
Qiao Ruichen calmly hugged Miao Wan from behind. Since his wife agreed to pretend to send Taotao to the main room, she must... ahem, miss him, right?
Just as he was about to carry his wife to the kang, Miao Wan happily jumped onto the kang herself.
She took out a booklet and waved at Qiao Ruichen, "Husband, come quickly. How many days can you stay at home? You don't know how much work is waiting for you. No one else can do it except you. Come quickly, let's make a good plan."
Qiao Ruichen: “…” Very good, she is still my dear daughter-in-law.
In the next few days, Qiao Bailao was given clear arrangements.
It was he who went to the fields to check their fertility wearing a mask. Because the smell was too bad, he was asked to sleep in the west row house that night.
He was the one who collected large amounts of wool, sheep dung and cow dung from the northern Mongolians. Because they still smelled bad, he was asked to sleep in the west row house that night.
He bought all kinds of seeds and discussed with the two old farmers Zhang and Wu about using the hilly land to plant more flowers and plants. This time it didn't stink, and he got back three days' meals. He was still the one who was kicked to sleep in the west row of houses.
Just when Qiao Ruichen had been sleeping alone for several nights, busy every day, and wondering whether he should return to the barracks, a large group of dusty bronze-armored guards knocked on the door of the Qiao family.
"The general wants to see Mr. Qiao Shengwen. Captain Qiao, please come in!"
He said the word "please", but as soon as he finished speaking, the handle of the knife moved, and the blade was dazzling and cold in the afternoon sun.
The author has something to say:
Northern Song Dynasty Jade Dragon Cream. The recipe is from Baidu, not very accurate, but it does exist. It's too cold, my hands are a little stiff, and I'm typing a little slowly. I'll wear gloves tomorrow.
See you tomorrow at 6 p.m.
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