Chapter 278: You dug the hole too close to the wall
Although the Chai family is having a hard time now, both the construction of the house and the overall layout are much better than those of the Sang family.
The architectural style of their house is similar to that of other families in Shangcun, with brick and stone walls surrounding it, and courtyards and flower beds.
At this time, Que'er led them through the courtyard and came to the wall next to the study behind the house. Chai Yuanwei was digging a hole with a shovel and rolled up his sleeves.
There is also a cluster of emerald green dwarf bamboos on the ground next to it. Judging from the tender green color of the bamboo joints, they must have grown out not long ago.
Hearing the sound of the sparrow, Chai Yuanwei paused, stuck the shovel into the soil, held the shovel sideways and looked back.
"Brother Sang, you come here so late, do you have something to talk to me about?" He recognized Sang Yongjing at a glance, who had left a deep impression on him.
"Haha, Brother Chai, uh, well, I..." Sang Yongjing couldn't finish the words, and finally managed to utter, "Brother Chai, are you planning to plant bamboo?"
Seeing some embarrassment and difficulty in his expression, Chai Yuanwei remained calm and answered with a smile.
"Yes, this place is close to the study. Planting some bamboo here will not only make it look nice, but will also remind the children to learn the spirit of bamboo. It's a pity that there are no Xiangfei bamboos in Lingnan."
The so-called Xiangfei bamboo is actually spotted bamboo, which is common in Huguang, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Central Plains. Many local literati like to plant some at home.
Chai Yuanwei, whose hometown is in Huguang area, is naturally no exception. When he first built his house, he thought about planting some Xiangfei bamboo, but he didn't expect that this kind of bamboo was not produced in Lingnan.
He looked at and picked out other varieties of bamboo, but he disliked them all because they were too thick and sparse, and did not have the character and strength that scholars required, so he gave up and decided not to plant them.
Now that I have opened a private school, I plan to plant a few trees for the children who come to school.
"Brother Chai, there is something I have to say." Sang Yongjing looked at the deep pit he dug, then at the wall next to the pit, and he really couldn't help it.
"Brother Sang, please feel free to speak frankly." Chai Yuanwei was not surprised at all. After all, he must have something to ask for since he came to him at this time.
But Sang Yongjing's next words were unexpected: "You dug the hole too close to the wall."
Sang Yongjing doesn't understand other things, but he understands these pretentious things better than anyone else.
There is a saying that goes "I would rather eat without meat than live without bamboo." How could he, who claims to be a scholar, miss out on bamboo, a decoration that makes him look particularly elegant at first glance?
Before the Sang family was ransacked, there was a rockery and square bamboos specially transplanted from the southwest outside his study window.
Unlike the common round bamboo, the square bamboo poles are blunt and quadrangular, feel strange to the touch and are very rare.
Whenever Sang Yongjing invited his friends to his home for a chat, he could hear their exclamations and praises as he wished by simply opening the window.
Sang Yongjinghua was able to grow and survive the square bamboo, a specialty of the southwest region. He put in as much effort as the servants, and his understanding of bamboo increased day by day.
"Your bamboo looks tall. When it's fully grown, it'll probably be much taller than the courtyard wall. But that's not a problem. The swaying bamboo shadows are also a beautiful sight."
"But...at the rate bamboo grows, I'm afraid within a year, the wall will be toppled down by the newly grown bamboo shoots."
The "year" in Sang Yongjing's words was even a loose term. Although bamboo looks tall and hard, it is actually a herbaceous plant.
Its growth rate is extremely amazing, especially when new bamboo shoots sprout in spring and winter. It can grow from nothing to more than one meter high in just half a day.
With the current level of construction, if Chai Yuanwei really planted bamboo next to the courtyard wall, he would be able to hear the sound of the courtyard wall collapsing after a spring rain.
"Is it that exaggerated?" Chai Yuanwei was shocked and turned to look at the pit he had dug. It took him a long time to dig it out.
"Then I should plant it further out? How far from the wall should I plant it?"
He didn't think Sang Yongjing was lying to him. It was obvious that he had come to ask for something, and he was eager to say nice things to him so that he would agree.
"I'm afraid this bamboo needs to be more than half a meter away. How about Brother Chai try a different kind of bamboo?"
Sang Yongjing recognized the bamboo on the ground, which was the most common green bamboo in the mountains.
It grows unrestrainedly, so you have to regularly check and clean the land between it and the wall to see if there are any new roots growing and trying to get through.
"Change bamboo? What kind of bamboo?"
Chai Yuanwei was stunned. He had wandered around Qingxi Village. Although he didn't dare to go too far, he had searched several nearby mountains, but there were only green bamboos.
"When I went into the mountains earlier, I saw a forest of Cixiao bamboo. The bamboos were graceful and beautiful, and there was no need to worry about the walls collapsing, making them perfect for garden planting."
When Sang Yongjing went to the swamp before, he saw a small area of Cixiao bamboo on the road, and thought about transplanting a few of them after his own house was built.
But when the house was actually built, there was no space left for him to plant bamboo. Any piece of land had to be arranged with something, and the planning was clear and concise.
If he wanted to plant bamboo, he could only do so along the fence, but the fence itself was made of bamboo, so planting another piece of bamboo would be redundant.
Unexpectedly, I met Master Chai today who wanted to plant bamboo, and his bamboo forest of filial piety bamboo could come in handy.
"Cixiao Bamboo?" Chai Yuanwei's eyes lit up. He had naturally heard of the beautiful name of this bamboo.
If he really transplanted some bamboo back, he could also use this piece of bamboo to teach the children a lesson about filial piety.
Since you want someone else's bamboo, you can't pretend to be ignorant about some things even though you know the truth.
Chai Yuanwei coughed lightly, suppressed his smile, and said seriously, "Brother Sang, I'm afraid you didn't come here today just to help me suggest what kind of bamboo to plant. If you have something to say, just tell me directly."
As soon as he mentioned this, Sang Yongjing, who had just been speaking clearly and fluently, suddenly stuttered and couldn't say a word for a long time.
Knowing that it was his turn to perform, Sang Yongjing stepped forward and saluted Chai Yuanwei from a position half a step behind him.
"Uncle Chai, my nephew and I have come here to ask for something."
He glanced at Que'er who was standing beside him with a curious look on her face. Seeing that she had no intention of leaving, he gritted his teeth and told her his plan in full.
After he finished speaking, he bowed to Chai Yuanwei again and said, "I hope Uncle Chai will help me."
"No." Chai Yuanwei refused without much hesitation.
To lie to someone and claim to be their teacher was ridiculous.
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