Chapter 63 The Great Stubborn One
"Wow, this kitchen is so big and spacious after the renovation. They even have so many stoves. It's not crowded even if more than a dozen people are cooking together."
"There's a row of ovens here, big and small, each with a chimney. Haha, the opening of this oven is on the side, just like the ovens in a roast duck restaurant."
"These stone pools are well-made. When you pour dirty water in, it just splashes away through the drain below. It's much easier than using a swill bucket."
"..."
Sheng An was most concerned about the kitchen renovation, so he went straight to the kitchen as soon as he entered the house.
Hearing her grandparents' exclamations of praise, she couldn't help but smile.
The kitchen's location hasn't changed; it's still in the same spot.
Following Sheng'an's blueprints, the craftsmen opened a door in the partition wall in the middle, connecting it to the room next door and doubling the size of the kitchen.
Seeing the kitchen, which was exactly the same as the drawings and even exceeded my expectations, I was instantly relieved after days of worry.
The kitchen renovation was of utmost importance. Sheng'an used to come over every few days to check on the progress, and I was very worried that the final result would not be satisfactory. Now I won't have insomnia at night.
Grandma Sheng especially loves this big kitchen. She pulls Grandpa Sheng aside to praise everything she sees, feeling that cooking in such a kitchen makes her feel good.
Xu Chenglin couldn't tell the difference, but seeing that the two elders had looked at it enough, he walked over with a warm smile and reminded them:
"The wonton shop has also been renovated by the chefs. Let's go over there and see if it works. If not, we'll have to make them redo it."
Grandpa and Grandma Sheng's eyes lit up, and they urged Xu Chenglin instead: "This yard is too big, we don't even remember where the room is, so you'll have to lead the way."
Xu Chenglin quickly replied, "An'an has allocated two rooms for us in the northwest corner."
The three of them were so focused on those two rooms that they couldn't wait to go and see them. They forgot to say goodbye to Sheng An and Xu Jinnian and left in a hurry.
After three months of careful recuperation, Grandma Sheng is now able to walk again, and fortunately, she has not been left with any limp.
Seeing the three elderly people walking briskly, Sheng An, who had fallen behind, was both amused and exasperated. He said to Xu Jinnian, who was receiving the same treatment, "It's right to leave two rooms for Grandpa and the others to sell wontons, since they are so happy."
With no one else present, Xu Jinnian took his wife's hand and walked out, saying, "An'an's decision is naturally correct."
Sheng An hooked his hand around her palm, unable to suppress the smile on her lips: "You just know how to say nice things to coax people."
If it weren't for her strong will, she would have been coaxed into stopping the development of her cerebellum sooner or later.
The sugar-coated bullets of language are truly hard to resist.
The two walked and looked around, and found that the modified parts, like the kitchen, were perfect and didn't need to be redone.
There should be no problem with Shengyuan opening to welcome guests in September.
Sheng An felt relieved and followed Xu Jinnian to the garden. They climbed the newly built platform, where the entire Sheng Garden was laid out before them.
Directly in front of them was the shimmering Ming Lake. The two had excellent eyesight and could see not only the green willows along the shore, but also the birds flying across the lake.
It's no exaggeration to say that just standing here and gazing into the distance will brighten your mood.
After spending some time on the high platform, the two then went to the two-story house where their family would live in the future.
This two-story building is located in the northeast corner of Shengyuan Garden. It has a small garden in front of it, and there is a gate on the east side of the courtyard wall. Going out from here and passing through a corridor, you can reach the front gate of the courtyard.
This way, the family's privacy can be guaranteed without affecting normal entry and exit.
The small building has three rooms on the first floor. The middle room serves as the hall, while the rooms on the left and right sides are the rooms of the two elders of the Sheng family and Xu Chenglin.
The bed, cabinets, table, and chairs are all ready-made; there's no need to hire a carpenter to build them separately.
The layout of the second floor is exactly the same as the first floor. The room on the left is the bedroom for two people, the room on the right is used as a study, and the large room in the middle is temporarily empty.
This small building has its own small kitchen, which makes cooking and boiling water very convenient, without having to go all the way to the large kitchen in front.
Sheng An was very satisfied with the place. The only drawback was that it was a bit far from Xu Jinnian's school, and it would take almost an hour to walk there and back.
After thinking for a moment, Sheng An asked, "Are ordinary horses expensive?"
Xu Jinnian nodded: "It's very expensive. Even the most ordinary horse won't cost less than forty taels."
Sheng An breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank goodness, I thought it would cost several hundred or even a thousand taels."
It was simply because Master Jiang's daughter, Honghong, was so valuable that she looked up to her and assumed that even ordinary horses were expensive.
Xu Jinnian explained, "There is a big price difference between a fine horse and an ordinary horse, but there are not many horses with such a high price as Honghong. Most fine horses cost around a thousand taels."
The Great Wei does not produce horses; whether they are warhorses or civilian horses, they must be purchased from neighboring countries at high prices.
However, neighboring countries restricted the number of horses they could sell to Wei, limiting the number to no more than five thousand per year, which kept horse prices high year after year.
Sheng An understood immediately.
Horses are important strategic resources. Historically, neighboring countries that were frequently attacked did not want to see the Wei army become strong and well-equipped, which is why they implemented the purchase restriction policy.
The neighboring country dared to do this because its national strength was not much different from that of the Great Wei.
If one day the power of the Great Wei far surpasses that of its neighboring countries, then it will be the neighboring countries begging the Great Wei to buy them.
Sheng An, who knew nothing about horses, shook their clasped hands and said, "If you're free tomorrow, let's go to the horse market and take a look."
Seeing that she was interested in buying horses, Xu Jinnian agreed without hesitation: "Let's go tomorrow morning."
This afternoon I'm going to Confucius's house to listen to his lectures.
As the two were discussing buying horses, Grandpa Sheng and the others arrived.
Looking at the spacious, clean, and fully furnished two-story house, the three elders couldn't be more satisfied.
Xu Chenglin said with a smile, "Thanks to An'an, we can all live in big houses. We'll pick an auspicious day to move when we get back."
Sheng An asked another question: "After you move in here in a while, will our little yard be empty?"
Xu Chenglin nodded: "Leave it empty. I've lived here for over ten years and I'm attached to it. I can go back and visit when I have time."
The older he gets, the more sentimental he becomes, and he doesn't want to sell that little courtyard unless absolutely necessary.
Sheng An had no objections at all: "Keep them. Our grapes are delicious, and I'm thinking of going back to pick them every year."
Xu Chenglin laughed heartily: "What's so difficult about that? Just transplant it."
Sheng An quickly waved his hand: "That grapevine is quite old. Let's not mess with it. If it doesn't adapt to the soil and water and the fruit rots, we won't be able to eat it anymore."
Xu Chenglin felt that his daughter-in-law made sense, so he had to give up the idea of transplanting the plant.
After looking around the yard, the family didn't stay long, locked the gate, and left.
The next day, Sheng An and Xu Jinnian arrived at the horse stable early, only to find that there were only four or five horses in the huge stable, and they were all the most ordinary horses.
Xu Jinnian had anticipated this outcome and was not disappointed.
Sheng An refused to give up and went to the horse trading company manager to ask, "When will the next batch of horses arrive? I can pay extra for the ones in better condition."
The shopkeeper shrugged and said, "The next batch will be the same. Horses of slightly better quality won't make it to me."
Sheng An: "..."
I thought the horse wasn't growing well, but it turns out the shopkeeper is useless and can only get this kind of inferior horse.
Sheng An, feeling dejected, pulled Xu Jinnian away, muttering to herself as they walked, "I never thought I'd have a day when I can't spend my money."
Xu Jinnian comforted her, "There aren't any good horses in Qingzhou. I'll take you to Jinling to see some next time."
Sheng An bought the horse to transport Xu Jin. He was just about to discuss going to Jinling with him when he inadvertently saw a teenager riding a small donkey past. His eyes lit up instantly.
Yes, if you can't buy a top-quality horse, you can buy a top-quality donkey.
Without hesitation, Sheng An, pulling the clueless Xu Jinnian along, plunged into a nearby hiking trail.
When she came out, she was holding Xu Jinnian's hand with her left hand and the little donkey's hand with her right, and her smile was radiant.
Xu Jinnian looked at his wife, then at the little donkey, opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing.
An'an bought it especially for him, how could he let An'an's good intentions go to waste?
Besides, the little donkey is so cute, he would be sad if he didn't like it, right?
Xu Jinnian comforted himself and his gaze softened as he looked at the little donkey.
When the two of them led the little donkey home, Grandpa Sheng touched it again and again, even prying open the donkey's teeth to examine it closely, praising it repeatedly: "This donkey is a good buy, you can tell at a glance that it's strong."
Sheng An casually remarked, "As long as he's not a stubborn type."
Of the dozens of donkeys, she immediately took a liking to this one.
Like Xu Jinnian, she is exceptionally good-looking.
The Xu family didn't have a donkey shed, and there wasn't enough space to build one. After lunch, Xu Jinnian carried a food box full of pickled cowpea and pork dumplings and rode his little donkey to Master Jiang's house.
The dumplings filled with pickled cowpeas and pork were the boarding fee for the little donkey.
Xu Jinnian returned quickly, her hair slightly disheveled, and her shoes covered in barely noticeable dust.
Sheng An, unaware of these details, asked in bewilderment, "Weren't you going to ask the Master for instruction? Why are you back so early?"
Xu Jinnian remained calm and spoke in a clear voice: "The teacher ate an extra serving of dumplings and was so full that he let me come back."
They laughed at him for being thrown off a donkey; wasn't it because he ate too much and was feeling bloated?
Sheng An believed it and couldn't help but laugh out loud: "How come Master Jiang is like a child? He can eat until he's stuffed when he finds something he likes to eat."
Xu Jinnian pinched her cheek: "It's because An'an's cooking is too good."
Sheng An gave him a reproachful look: "Keep bragging."
Xu Jinnian kissed her lips: "Everything I say to you comes from the bottom of my heart."
Upon hearing this, Sheng An drew a circle on his firm chest with her index finger: "Is the heart and lungs here, or here?"
Xu Jinnian grasped her hand, his voice deepening: "Yes, it is."
Sheng An chuckled and tiptoed back to kiss her: "A reward."
A reward to make her happy.
After the two spent some time together, Sheng An was called away by Grandma Sheng.
Xu Jinnian got up, closed the door, took off her dusty shoes, and removed her socks to check the back of her feet. Sure enough, she saw a ring of purplish marks.
It was trampled by the little donkey.
Who would have thought that Sheng An's words hit the nail on the head: the little donkey is a real stubborn bastard.
She was fine when she left home, but was startled by a child who suddenly darted out halfway. She then threw a tantrum and threw Xu Jinnian off her back. While he was in a flustered state, she deliberately stepped on his instep.
If Xu Jinnian hadn't been quick-witted and managed to dissipate the force of the fall in time, he would have been seriously injured.
Xu Jinnian sighed, resignedly opened the drawer, and took out the medicinal oil that Sheng An hadn't finished using last time...
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