Chapter 60 Jiang Liu and Jiang Yu buy mule carts, so they can jump around during the autumn harvest...
Only when Jiang Ji's mule cart was completely out of sight did Jiang Tong turn the cart around and prepare to go home.
The oxcart swayed and rattled into the city. Although it was already bright outside, the sun had not yet risen, and the wind carried a slight chill that felt very comfortable on the skin.
Ye Li sat in the middle of the oxcart, holding Jiang Ya in her arms, with Jiang Mai sitting next to her.
The two little ones both looked dejected.
My older brother is going to such a far place; it really means I won't see him for a whole month.
Although Ye Li was also quite reluctant, as an adult, managing her emotions is a basic skill.
He smiled and pinched Jiang Ya's chubby little face, then looked at Jiang Tong, who was sitting on the carriage shaft driving the cart: "Brother Datong, your family is going to build a kang (heated brick bed) in a couple of days, right?"
“Yes, we’ll build the kang (heated brick bed) after we finish laying the bricks on the ground.” Jiang Tong nodded.
“Perfect timing. I need to ask the craftsman who builds the kang (heated brick bed) for advice. Let me know when he arrives.”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Tong turned his head and asked, "Are you going to build a new kang (heated brick bed)?"
Jiang Dahe was also puzzled: "Where are you going to build it?"
Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya's attention was drawn to him, and they both tilted their little heads to look at him.
Ye Li smiled gently and explained, "I plan to extend the western wall of the courtyard and build a few new houses next to the vegetable garden."
"You're going to build a house?!" Jiang Dahe exclaimed in surprise.
Before Ye Li could answer, he hurriedly asked, "Have you discussed such a big matter with Xiao Ji?"
Jiang Tong, Jiang Mai, and Jiang Ya were all surprised.
“I was afraid he would be distracted, so I haven’t told him yet,” Ye Li said.
That's a perfectly valid reason, Jiang Tong nodded: "That's true."
Jiang Dahe also fell silent.
But in his heart, he couldn't help but mutter to himself, "My nephew-in-law is too ambitious."
Such a big decision was made all by himself without consulting Xiao Ji.
However, he dared not say this aloud. He only asked, "Why did you decide to build a new house? There aren't enough rooms for the four of you right now?"
Isn't this just a waste of money?
Ye Li explained with a smile, "Second Uncle, the old house is not as warm as the new house. Since I have money now, I thought of building a few new houses. I will build a big kang (heated brick bed) so that it won't be cold in winter."
"Besides, Xiaomai and Yage'er are growing up and should sleep in separate rooms in a couple of years. We'll build three new houses, one for Jiang Ji and one for the two of them, so no one will bother anyone else."
Jiang Mai, that little guy, knows that children under seven shouldn't sit at the same table; he's very particular about it.
Jiang Mai was taken aback when she heard this: "Ya Ge'er and I are also living in the new house?"
“Of course, we’re a family. If we build a new house, the whole family will move in.” Ye Li said, pinching his little cheek while he was in a daze.
Jiang Mai: "..."
He was a little shy.
Ye Li rarely even rubbed his head, let alone pinched his cheeks.
However, his immense joy outweighed his slight shyness; not only was he going to live in a new house, but he would also have his own room!
He looked at Ye Li with bright eyes: "Brother Li, let's use the wages that Ya Ge and I saved to build a house."
Jiang Ya also came to her senses and hurriedly said, "Yes, yes, Brother Li, you can take them all."
"Don't worry, I have enough money. We're not building much, so it should only cost a dozen or so taels."
That's his monthly income.
He can really afford to spend that money.
Seeing that Ye Li had made up his mind, and that Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya also strongly supported it, Jiang Dahe shut his mouth and dared not interfere.
Sometimes, this second uncle really feels frustrated to have such a domineering nephew-in-law.
He's an uncle, not a father.
Why doesn't he have his own son?
well.
Jiang Dahe returned home dejectedly. When he arrived, Jiang Liu and Jiang Yu were making preserved eggs.
This morning, Liang Erxiang's nephew brought over several baskets of eggs, so Jiang Liu and Jiang Yu haven't gone to the fields yet.
Even now, people in the village still frequently go to the county town to buy eggs, hoping to earn more money before winter arrives.
They didn't have an oxcart, and Jiang Liu had to go grind grain every day, so he really didn't have time to go to the county town every day. So Liang Erxiang asked her nephews to help her collect eggs in the village.
In this way, the nephew from the maternal family can earn some money running errands.
Jiang Liu and Jiang Yu did not lose much money.
The two of them didn't need to give Ye Li a cut, so they earned more than any other family in the village.
Each person could earn four or five strings of cash a month, which would amount to nearly ten taels of silver. In the past, Jiang Dahe would never have dreamed of such a good thing.
But what's the use of making so much money?
Sooner or later it will all belong to someone else, and this money will naturally become someone else's money too.
Jiang Dahe, with a long face, didn't speak to Jiang Liu or Jiang Yu, and pushed the cart down to the field.
The corn should be harvested in the next couple of days, so he went to check on it.
Jiang Liu and Jiang Yu pretended not to see his sour face and continued making preserved eggs.
However, it would be a lie to say that I didn't feel even a little bit sad.
Ye Li only waited three days before the craftsman who built the kang (a heated brick bed) arrived.
Over the next three days, Ye Li shared his ideas with the two little ones, who were very satisfied with his design. The whole house was made of heated brick beds, so it would definitely not be cold in winter!
In winter, they don't need to go out to cut pig feed; they can roll around and play on the heated brick bed as much as they want.
But with such a large kang (heated brick bed), how much firewood must be burned every day?
Jiangmai and Jiangya were worried.
So he put in even more effort when gathering firewood.
Ye Li wasn't worried about firewood at all; he could just buy it.
It's not like we don't have the spare money.
But the kang (heated brick bed) builder said that his idea was a bit difficult.
They had never built such a large kang (heated brick bed).
If the middle room were built smaller, only the size of a large kang (heated brick bed), then there wouldn't be any problem.
Upon hearing this, Ye Li immediately agreed.
He wanted to build a heated pavilion, which is definitely smaller than a normal room.
He only lives there in the winter and moves back to his old house in the summer.
As long as it keeps you warm, that's fine.
However, you can't cover the whole room with a kang (heated brick bed). You have to leave a place to put the bath tub. There's no air conditioning or heating here, so if you don't keep warm while taking a bath, you'll catch a cold.
With this matter settled, Ye Li had no major worries.
Every day, I do business and raise my child. I try to guess what Jiang Ji is doing by counting on my fingers.
Unbeknownst to them, Jiang Ji had been gone for three days. If nothing unexpected happened, Jiang Ji would arrive in the prefectural city today.
well.
Ye Li sighed.
Time seems to pass so slowly.
In the afternoon, when Ye Liang left with the tofu puffs on his back, the two little ones hadn't returned from gathering firewood yet.
These past two days, the little guy was worried that there wouldn't be enough firewood in winter, so he put all his effort into collecting it. He didn't come back until evening yesterday, and the firewood he dragged back was taller than him.
Ye Li sat under the shed, listening to the cicadas chirping louder and louder, feeling only annoyed and irritable.
He grabbed the palm-leaf fan and waved it, but the weak breeze couldn't extinguish the rage in his heart.
He stood up, walked around the yard, and finally sat back down under the shed.
He stared at the vegetable garden not far away, feeling empty and uneasy.
Yes, Jiang Ji was indeed only away for a month this time, but before he could go to the private school at any time, but now...
After a long while, he sighed.
Never mind, he's too idle. Let him go to the field to pick corn tomorrow.
It's corn harvest time now. Jiang Dahe's family and Ye's family harvested their own corn first, and then came to help harvest Jiang Ji's two acres of corn.
The time between when he finishes making tofu in the morning and noon is entirely his own.
Although he has housework to do, he can finish it in fifteen minutes.
The rest of the time, he could lie down whenever he wanted, or do whatever he wanted.
After seeing Ye Liang off in the afternoon, he had about half an hour of free time.
The original sense of freedom was now replaced by emptiness due to Jiang Ji's actions, and he could only escape by going to the fields to pick corn.
...
That's terrifying.
Despite his laziness, he was so tormented by longing that he actually had to go to work!
Just as he was inwardly berating himself for being so useless, he heard the clattering of hooves and Jiang Dahe's hearty laughter coming from outside the courtyard.
He then stood up and walked towards the courtyard gate.
Before they even reached the gate, Jiang Dahe drove a mule cart into the yard, with Jiang Liu and Jiang Yu sitting on it.
"Hey, Second Uncle, what brings you here at this hour?"
Whose mule cart is this?
Ye Li asked curiously.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Dahe smiled before even speaking, his smile smoothing out every wrinkle on his face.
Jiang Liu and Jiang Yu also laughed.
The three men's laughter left Ye Li completely bewildered. Just as he was about to ask again, Jiang Dahe patted the cart shaft with delight and said loudly, "This mule cart was bought by Xiao Liu and Yu Ge'er together."
“The two children felt sorry for your second aunt and me, so they pooled their money to buy a mule cart before the autumn harvest.”
"Wow, Xiao Liu and Yu Ge bought a mule cart? That's amazing, and they're so filial!"
Ye Li was surprised. He looked at Jiang Liu and Jiang Yu, who had already gotten off the mule cart.
His surprise was genuine.
He never imagined that such a large item was paid for by Jiang Liu and Jiang Yu, two minors.
Jiang Liu was a little embarrassed by the praise: "Yu Ge'er and I were able to afford the mule cart thanks to Bian Dan. You're the one who's really amazing, Li Ge."
"Don't be modest. Those eggs were made by the two of you. Besides, no one in the surrounding villages, including me, can compare to you two when it comes to having this kind of dedication."
Previously, Ye Liang had suggested that he buy a mule cart so that it could be kept at Jiang Dahe's house. This would be convenient for Jiang Dahe's use and would also help reduce the burden on Jiang Dahe's family during the busy farming season.
But he didn't have enough money at the time.
But to everyone's surprise, just a few days later, Jiang Liu and Jiang Yu bought the mule cart.
He couldn't help but look at Jiang Dahe: "Second Uncle, Xiao Liu and Yu Ge'er are no worse than the boys, are they?"
Jiang Dahe was feeling quite pleased with himself at the moment, and nodded upon hearing this: "That's right, the two of them have this kind of heart, it's not like we've been supporting them for nothing."
Ye Li: "..."
Jiang Liu smiled helplessly, but she wasn't angry at all.
Although her father always complained about her being a "money-losing child," he had never mistreated her and Yu-ge over the years.
Her father was all talk and no action; he never hit or scolded her, nor did he deliberately push any heavy or tiring work onto her.
In the morning, she went to grind grain, and even though it was only a short walk, he insisted on personally escorting her there.
Therefore, although she had felt wronged, cried, and complained over the years, she had never truly hated her father.
Therefore, on the day Jiang Ji set off, seeing that Jiang Dahe looked unwell, she decided to buy a mule cart.
Her family has a lot of land, and the autumn harvest is coming soon. With so much corn, if they rely solely on a handcart to haul it, her parents' shoulders will surely be worn raw and bleeding.
Every autumn and wheat harvest, her parents not only lose weight, but their shoulders are also always chafed raw by the ropes.
She harbored the idea of finding a son-in-law so that her father would know that even without a son, he would have someone to take care of him in his old age.
While a son-in-law may not be found in the short term, buying a mule cart is an option.
Moreover, buying this mule cart will save the whole family a lot of effort.
So she discussed with Jiang Yu that they should work together to buy a mule cart.
She earns money from grinding grain, and over the past few months, she has saved more than a thousand coins.
She had been making preserved eggs for a long time, but she only had seven strings of cash in total. Worried that it wouldn't be enough, she could only ask Jiang Yu for one or two strings.
She has no intention of getting married.
She's going to stay in this house, so she'll definitely have to pay for most of the money for such a large item.
However, Jiang Yu disagreed. No matter what she said, Jiang Yu refused to let her take the lion's share.
Having no other choice, she and Jiang Yu each contributed half the money and went to the county town today to buy the mule cart back.
Jiang Yu wasn't angry at this moment; he had become numb to such words after hearing them so many times.
Ye Li took in the expressions of the two people and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
As a junior, he shouldn't criticize Jiang Dahe.
Moreover, even modern people spend their entire lives planning for retirement, so it's perfectly normal for an ancient person like Jiang Dahe to have such thoughts.
He stopped praising Jiang Liu and Jiang Yu, lest Jiang Dahe ramble on about nonsense.
He only said that he also planned to go and pick corn.
Jiang Dahe was very happy to hear this; his nephew-in-law was finally willing to work in the fields.
He instructed, "The corn is too heavy for you to carry. After you pick the corn, put it all at the edge of the field, and I will drive the mule cart to pick it up at noon."
Ye Li thought for a moment and agreed.
He really couldn't carry it.
However, the next morning, he gave up after spending less than 15 minutes in the cornfield.
This work was too tiring—the corn stalks were taller than him, and he couldn't feel a breeze while he was in the cornfield. But the late summer heat was fierce, and it was both stuffy and hot. So he made a quick decision and carried two baskets of corn home.
Fine, he'll just stay home and feel the emptiness inside.
Farming is tough.
Jiang Dahe: "..."
Never mind, my nephew-in-law is so good at making money, what does it matter whether he works in the fields or not?
Having personally experienced the hardships of farm work, Ye Li raised the food rations significantly when Ye Liang and Ye Wen arrived in their newly bought oxcart to help. Every meal consisted of two meat dishes and one vegetable dish, which made Ye Liang and Ye Wen both satisfied and distressed.
We're all family, how can we eat like this?
Moreover, Ye Li will be building houses in the fall!
But Ye Li looked at their sun-darkened faces and the wrinkles that had accumulated on their faces, and still ordered two meat dishes and one vegetable dish.
Actually, one of the two meat dishes was an egg, along with some stir-fried meat and a mixed vegetable dish. The meal was just average.
Fortunately, two mu of corn wasn't a lot, and Jiang Dahe also came to help for half a day, so it only took two days to harvest all the corn cobs.
The corn stalks will remain in the ground; they will be cut down when there is free time.
Ye Liang and Ye Wen breathed a sigh of relief.
The meals are finally back to normal.
Ye Li also has a new job: peeling corn cobs.
Taking advantage of the good weather, we need to peel off the corn husks so that we can quickly dry the corn, thresh it, and put it into storage.
This job was relatively easy. Ye Li slowly peeled some corn each day, and by the time Jiang Ji started his exam, he had just finished peeling all the corn.
It rained the next day.
The autumn rain drizzled down, and as soon as it fell, it immediately extinguished most of the power of the late summer heat.
The rain lasted for two days, and everyone looked worried.
The crops in the fields haven't been harvested yet.
Ye Li's tofu puffs were also suspended for a day.
Fortunately, although Jiang Ji's examination lasted for two days, he was able to leave the examination hall and return to his temporary residence after the first day.
Candidates who are lightly dressed can put on more clothes.
If it were like the provincial examination, which lasted for three days, with students eating and sleeping in the examination hall, then in this kind of weather, many of the candidates would probably catch a cold.
When the rain stopped and the sun came out again, the temperature never returned to what it used to be.
Autumn has truly arrived.
Jiang Ji's provincial examination has also ended.
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