50 Chapter 50
◎Take over 100 acres of land◎
Gui'er brought back several large blocks of ice from Santou River. Yu had already cleaned the water tank and, except for the ice blocks for offering to the gods, she broke up the rest and put them into the water tank.
The house is warm, the ice has melted into water, and we can cook Laba porridge tomorrow.
Xiaoliu returned from the river with a lot of news. "Tomorrow, Uncle Shitou and Uncle Que'er are competing to carry the first bucket of water. Mom, they both want a fat baby next year."
Guier glanced at her mother, and quickly covered Xiaoliu's mouth.
"Children should not speak without thinking."
Yu glared at Guier.
Xiaoliu broke free from Guier's hand and said, "Mom, why did I give birth to a fat baby just by carrying the first bucket of water? Can I give birth to a baby just by drinking the water from that big well?"
That's not the water from the Zimu River, Cheng Mu said. "Both uncles got married this year. They're just competing with each other. It has nothing to do with the water."
"Oh, you really love to compete in everything. Just now, when you were taking ice, you were competing to see who could get the biggest piece of ice."
"Even though they are uncles, in the eyes of older people, they are still children, just like how your mother looks at you two."
Xiaoliu: "Mom, I'm not a child anymore. You taught me how to sew purses. Aunt Hua just heard that I have red bean buns that can cure diseases and bring good luck, and she asked me to buy two. Mom, I can earn money now."
"Wow!" Cheng Mu's eyes lit up. "You can make money now? How much do you sell her for?"
"Two for ten cents."
"But Xiaoliu, every woman in the family knows how to sew a purse, and every family doesn't have red beans. Why would she ask you to buy them?"
"Mom, this purse of mine is different. It was blessed at Wufu Temple." Xiaoliu said seriously, "My little dad brought it back."
That's really a lie.
However, if Cheng Mu hadn't known that Mu Yun didn't bring anything back, she would have believed it.
Tomorrow is the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. Why hasn’t Mu Yun come home yet?
He wouldn't... follow me to the capital, right?
Cheng Mi had this worry and a strong premonition.
Xiaoqi is sick and feels a little weak, looking listless.
Yu: "Madam Cheng, please give the Seventh Young Master a few bites of sweet rice."
The so-called sweet rice is steamed with soaked and fermented glutinous rice and red dates. Some families also boil the ingredients of Laba porridge with water. Because of the addition of glutinous rice, yellow rice, sorghum rice and persimmons, the porridge is very thick. This thick porridge is called sweet rice, also known as Laba rice.
We start eating it as soon as the twelfth lunar month begins. There are many ingredients, and you can add any dried fruits or grains, and make it in a different way every day.
What Yu made today is also delicious and sweet.
Cheng Mu tasted it to test the temperature and gave some to Xiaoqi.
Xiao Qi ate two bites and couldn't eat any more, "Mom, I want to eat bean buns."
"Mom will make it for you."
Xiaoqi loves the red bean buns she makes. It's rare that Xiaoqi still wants to eat them even when she's sick, so Cheng Mu is naturally very happy to make them for her.
"Xiaoqi, eat this sweet rice obediently. You can have the bean buns made by your mother tomorrow morning."
After Xiaoqi fell asleep, Cheng Mu took the beans that had been soaked for two hours outside to freeze them.
Yu was teaching Xiaoliu how to sew a purse on the kang in the west wing.
Gui'er came in from outside and said solemnly, "Madam Cheng, the people from the Wuwei Escort Agency are back."
The four people from Wuwei Escort Agency, together with Mu Yun, delivered the military rations to the front line and then went around.
What Cheng Mu was worried about finally happened. "You said—uncle joined the army?"
Yu's needle suddenly pricked her finger, and blood spurted out. "What's this kid thinking? He's really fearless. Does he think anyone can go to the battlefield?"
The Wuwei Escort Agency representative reiterated, "Fortunately, Young Master Yun is with his master, who is the commander of the vanguard and can look after him. Uncle Qi—he was worried about him and went along. We all have families and jobs, so it's not convenient for us to join the army. So we brought back a message for Young Master Yun."
Cheng Mu: "Qi Bo has difficulty walking and is old, how can he join the army?"
"As long as the commander nods, we can provide food, equipment, and war horses. We can do anything except charging into battle."
This time, Mu Yunrang brought back only a verbal message. He had written a letter last time, but he didn't write one this time.
"I heard the Yanbei Army has already invaded the capital," the escort consoled him. "The disparity in strength between the Imperial Army and the Yanbei Army is immense. The Yanbei Army is advancing with unstoppable force. If it weren't for our lives and our families, we wouldn't have let such a good opportunity slip away. There's no need to worry about Master Mu Yun's safety; perhaps even greater good fortune will arise."
Cheng Xi sighed.
She paid the escorts the balance and gave them some thank-you gifts, saying, "These are just small gifts, don't think they are too little."
The escort said with a smile, "Madam Cheng, Young Master Yun is a good man, not an ordinary person. He will definitely become successful in the future."
"It all depends on your care."
I worried about Mu Yun for several months, but in the end he joined the army without saying a word.
Yu was still worried, but Cheng Mu could no longer hide her anger.
He had been in a relationship with Mu Yun for several years, but he didn't even ask for her opinion on such a big matter. He just joined the army and went to build an empire for the Xu family.
Although the Xu family's conquest of the world is the trend of the times here, a rolling torrent that is unstoppable, but - the Xu family - cannot be said to have a grudge against her. The original body's grudge is in her own family, against her father, her elder sisters, and her elder brother-in-law - maybe because her elder brother-in-law's family is the Xu family, so she doesn't like them very much.
It is one thing to dislike someone, and it is another to go against the current. She cannot reverse the tide of history.
She could only go with the flow.
But she was still upset about Mu Yun abandoning her.
It is normal for a young person to be passionate and want to achieve great things. She understands Mu Yun. Understanding is one thing, and forgiveness is another. If you have different paths, you will go your separate ways.
Yu: "Madam Cheng, Young Master Yun has been through a lot of fighting. Why don't you pray to him and ask the gods to bless him and return safely?"
Cheng Mu: "You just heard what the escorts said. Although he is joining the army, you don't have to worry about his safety. He is still lucky. Life and death are determined by fate, and wealth and honor are in the hands of God. Let him go. He will pursue his future, and we will live our lives."
Yu: ...
Yu could sense that Madam Cheng was angry with Mu Yun, so she stopped talking about him.
She had said before that she would make a tray of tofu and freeze it for Mu Yun so that he would have something to eat when he came back. But now she didn’t keep any of the tofu, and took the extra ones to the back mountain to share with Sao Hu and the others.
It was said before that Mu Yun's clothes would be worn out after this trip, so she made him two new sets of clothes, and the velvet flowers she chose were all of the best. However, she took the clothes apart halfway through and turned them into her own winter clothes.
The shoes she made for Mu Yun were also given to several people in the back mountain.
Whenever Yu mentioned Mu Yun to her, she would say something like, "He has his bright future, we have no right to interfere, just take care of yourself."
Madam Cheng was unhappy, and gradually no one mentioned Mu Yun anymore.
In the first month of the year, Mr. Song came to see Cheng Mu.
He came to ask Cheng Mu if she wanted to buy the hundred acres of land on his farm.
He and his family were going to the capital. "It's not easy to find a place to stay in the capital. I'll sell all the land here and scrape together whatever I can."
Cheng Mu was puzzled. "Rice is expensive in the capital, and it's hard to live there. Why would you want to move your whole family there? There's a village here that provides a way out."
Mr. Song lowered his voice and said, "To be honest, Madam Cheng, my nephews are in the Yanbei Army. Now... the dynasty has changed. Many families in the capital have lost their heads or fled. It's a good time to go and get a piece of the pie. My nephews have already bought several houses. I was anxious to leave when I heard the news. After thinking about it, I think you, Madam Cheng, are the only one around here who can easily acquire a hundred acres of land."
He was also aware of Cheng Mu's situation. "You don't have your own land in Zhaojia Village. Madam Cheng, someone like you, who can improve the brine and cultivate good crops, should have a vast farmland. Now I'm anxious to sell it. According to the market price, one acre is at least three taels of silver. I'll give it to you for two taels. How about it?"
Cheng Mi was moved.
Mr. Song's fields were not bad; a large area would be good for machinery, and he could also negotiate a lower price, so he said, "It's worth two taels, but unfortunately, I donated a lot of grain last year, and I don't have much money. If you're willing to pay one tael per acre, I'll buy yours."
"I'm in a hurry to leave too. If you really want it, I'll give you five cents. I really want one and a half ounces."
"One or two, I'll buy it."
Mr. Song took a deep breath and sighed, "Forget it! Forget it! Sell it, sell it!"
After the two of them decided, they asked the village head and the township chief to act as middlemen, and then they signed the contract, paid the money, and measured the land.
Everything progressed very quickly. Within ten days, Mr. Song took his entire family to the capital.
Cheng Mu took over Mr. Song's land and property and seven or eight long-term workers.
She was staying at the Yu family's house for the time being, so she asked the seven or eight farmhands to renovate Mr. Song's house. She planned to make it a seedling nursery.
The construction of the nursery base was fraught with difficulties, akin to her needing to bring the functionality of the space laboratory to light and expose it to others. In this era, many equipment and materials were difficult to procure, forcing her to devise and build them herself. However, to maximize her capabilities, this was a necessary step.
She drew a floor plan of the house and pondered it for half a month before taking the first step to clarify the layout.
The layout is not something that can be drawn casually. Because it is located in the north and the temperature is not high, she has to use the existing heating in the house. On this basis, how to heat and cool, how to add light and ventilation must be considered together. As for water and fertilizer integration, disinfection and sterilization, these have been abandoned.
Of the one hundred acres of land, thirty acres are located by the Santou River. At the beginning, Mr. Song was very smart. He followed County Magistrate Huang to clear the land and plant seeds bought from the people in Zhaojia Village. The harvest was decent. Cheng Mi planned to continue planting rice on the thirty acres, and the seedlings would still be bred in her own greenhouse.
There were twenty acres of land planted with alfalfa. Cheng Xi asked someone to plow the land and replace the seeds with her own good seeds.
The remaining fifty acres are all used to grow regenerated wheat. There is no need to worry about the regenerated wheat.
Cheng Min had already done most of the cultivation and experimentation of grain varieties in the early stages. Limited by the conditions in the north, she could only do this, so she built a new seedling base and planned to do some research on fruits and vegetables.
Fruits and vegetables, especially vegetables, can be planted and harvested three times a year under the premise of having a greenhouse. The greenhouse here of the Yu family is very effective, and many families with spare capacity have also learned from them to build greenhouses to grow some vegetables. The main thing is that there are still great deficiencies in seed cultivation. If Cheng Xi's seedling base is built, they will directly transplant seedlings from her, and they will have fresh vegetables to eat for at least half a year.
In February, agricultural officials were encouraged to go to the countryside, and County Magistrate Huang came again.
He brought the news that the new emperor would ascend the throne next month and change the country's name to Yan.
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