Chapter Eleven: Mu Doesn't Want to Show Off in the Forest
With a creak, the courtyard gate was pushed open.
Tang Huaya, carrying a basket on her back, was a little surprised to see Wang Cuihua, but she quickly adjusted her attitude and greeted her, "So Sister Cuihua is here. I heard that Brother Ashun was looking for you."
“He’s looking for me? I have to go back and see.” Wang Cuihua said hurriedly, and took a step to walk out. When she reached the courtyard gate, she turned back to Shen Zhiyi and said, “Zhiyi, it’s settled then. I’ll be going now.”
"Hey, it's not settled yet!" Shen Zhiyi hurriedly chased after her, but Wang Cuihua ran even faster.
"What did you agree on?" Tang Huaya asked curiously, as it was the first time she had seen Zhiyi in such a hurry.
Shen Zhiyi was extremely troubled by this; the debts of gratitude she owed were piling up!
“Sister Cuihua, she…” Shen Zhiyi briefly summarized the unexpected turn of events, then looked helplessly at her best friend Tang Huaya.
"Wow, Zhiyi, you're really popular," Tang Huaya said in agreement.
Another day of being praised, and Shen Zhiyi's thick skin was almost giving way. She quickly changed the subject: "Those three rabbits have been a bit irritable lately, so I separated them for now. In two months, I'll feed them more to help them gain weight, and then I'll put them together again, and they'll have baby rabbits."
"Then I'll go and clear the grass for them later," Tang Huaya replied earnestly.
"Use the cabbages from my yard, try to make the meal as varied as possible," Shen Zhiyi said. "I have too many cabbages here. If we don't help eat some, they'll probably rot in the ground, which would be a real waste."
Ever since they learned that her cabbage seed was a "new seed," it's as if they've given it a halo.
Since they are vegetable seeds, the purpose of growing them is to use them.
Shen Zhiyi didn't want to put the cart before the horse.
"Alright," Tang Huaya said slowly. "You don't need to mix any more soil. Wait for my dad to do it later."
Having already reached the limits of her body after struggling with the mud, Shen Zhiyi stopped pushing herself and said, "Okay. I'll go wash my hands first, and then we'll go see the rabbits together."
Tang Huaya was already looking at the cabbage leaves, which were not growing well, but after picking and choosing, she couldn't figure out where to start.
When Shen Zhiyi returned after washing her hands, she saw Huaya circling around the cabbage patch. She went over and picked a cabbage that looked good to her, urging, "Let's go, we still need to clean the rabbit burrow."
The three little rabbits caught in the trap have grown a bit bigger now. Their burrow is a small area built with stones in the corner of the house. Tang Huaya comes to clean it every day. Watching them grow up little by little is a very satisfying thing.
"Zhiyi, once they have baby rabbits, can I move them to my house?" Tang Huaya said slowly. "I'm afraid they might bother you if they stay here."
“Even if you hadn’t said anything, I still had to remind you. Once the adobe bricks dry, I’m going to start building a kang (heated brick bed) in this house, and the noise will definitely scare them, so you have to move the rabbits by tomorrow at the latest,” Shen Zhiyi said. “Raising rabbits requires a quiet, clean, and warm environment. Have you thought about where you’d like to keep them?”
"Yes." Tang Huaya nodded earnestly, "I will take good care of the rabbits so that we all have rabbits to eat!"
Shen Zhiyi had previously worried that Tang Huaya might develop feelings for the rabbits, but now it seems that those concerns were completely unfounded.
The village's collective work of making adobe bricks continued until the moon appeared. Given the current humidity, it would take at least five or six days for them to dry completely. The county magistrate, who had set the time, arrived precisely the next day.
The village chief, with Shen Zhiyi by his side, stood at the front of the crowd, waiting at the village entrance for the carriage to arrive.
Looking up, all that could be seen was a cloud of dust, and the sound of a carriage approached from afar. Lu Jingbai, dressed in a black and tight-fitting outfit, walked out from inside, exuding a cool and aloof aura.
His gaze fell on Shen Zhiyi, and he immediately asked eagerly, "Miss, I thought about it carefully yesterday. If it's made into a bed, it can be laid on the floor or the wall, which will also keep the room warm."
When Shen Zhiyi saw Lu Jingbai suddenly appear in front of her, with dark circles under his eyes, he probably hadn't slept all night and had been thinking about this problem.
"It's possible, but the materials used are much more sophisticated, which means the price is too high and not something ordinary people can afford," Shen Zhiyi analyzed seriously.
Lu Jingbai frowned as he listened; this was clearly not his original intention.
“But…” Shen Zhiyi’s mind raced, and she came up with the idea of using the kang (a heated brick bed) to support the kang.
The village chief had already instructed the villagers behind him to step back while they were talking, leaving enough space for them to converse.
"Please speak, young lady," Lu Jingbai asked earnestly.
“Yesterday we thought of using the most common adobe bricks for the kang (heated brick bed), but what if we changed it to red bricks, blue bricks, or stone slabs?” Shen Zhiyi reminded her.
Lu Jingbai frowned and said, "The common people can't afford it anymore!"
"What about the local gentry?" Shen Zhiyi prompted. "You, Lord Lu, think about it. The gentry live in big houses and mansions, and they have so many people in their families. If they need heated kang beds, they'll definitely need more than one. Should we let the gentry build their own kang beds? Obviously not! Thinking about it this way, by changing the materials, we can sell them for a higher price, and at the same time, more people can make money from it..."
Lu Jingbai fell silent, and Shen Zhiyi also stopped speaking.
During this time, Lu Jingbai's thoughts were racing. Something flashed through his mind that he immediately grasped and said, "What you said is absolutely right. Since that's the case, we should first make a heated kang (traditional Chinese bed).
"This will probably take four or five days," Shen Zhiyi said helplessly. "The adobe bricks need to be dried thoroughly before they can be used. The whole village worked hard on it yesterday, but unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate."
"Do we need to wait even if we use bricks?" Lu Jingbai asked.
Shen Zhiyi was slightly taken aback, suddenly realizing that the Lord Lu in front of her seemed to be unfamiliar with administrative affairs, and said, "Bricks need to be fired, and once fired, they can be used. As for whether brick merchants have any in stock, I don't know."
"Okay, I understand," Lu Jingbai said gently. He turned around and saw the person standing next to the carriage. He gave a few instructions, and the carriage left.
Lu Jingbai spoke up again: "How about I talk to the young lady about how to lay heated floors and walls?"
“Sure!” Shen Zhiyi responded quickly. When she handed over the heated kang, she wanted to see if she could find something else to use. Now that the idea of underfloor heating was right in front of her, how could she give up so easily!
Lu Jingbai took out several sheets of paper with drawings from his sleeve, and the two began to talk about the contents.
However, Shen Zhiyi's knowledge was limited, and she could only offer guidance; the conversation was not as clear as it had been with the heated kang bed last time.
After this was all said, Shen Zhiyi belatedly realized that there were only the two of them in this area. She glanced at the village chief a few arms away and said, "Lord Lu, the village chief is over there."
“Miss Shen, you may call me by my name directly,” Lu Jingbai said earnestly. “To me, you are already half a teacher to me. At the same time, on behalf of all the people of the county, I sincerely thank you for your kindness.”
After saying this, Lu Jingbai respectfully bowed to Chen Zhiyi.
"Lord Lu!" Shen Zhiyi quickly stepped aside, genuinely startled. However, after spending time with him several times, she could tell that this was not a magistrate who was just putting on a show.
Considering her own circumstances, she didn't want to be the one to take the lead.
Having figured this out, Shen Zhiyi spoke up again: "Lord Lu knows that I am just a country girl and am certainly not worthy of such a title. It's like a child carrying a gold brick through the market; it won't end well."
“I understand,” Lu Jingbai said solemnly.
After several nods from Shen Zhiyi, the village chief tentatively stepped forward and said, "It's almost noon, why don't you come to my humble abode for a meal?"
"Okay, thank you, Village Chief Li," Lu Jingbai said politely, showing no airs of a county magistrate whatsoever.
Only after the village chief led Lu Jingbai away did Shen Zhiyi stand there and let out a very light sigh of relief.
This county magistrate has an exceptionally strong learning ability; it's as if his brain has been completely emptied of knowledge.
However, when she turned around and saw Tang Huaya coming over, she immediately remembered what important things she had to do today, and her mood instantly changed: "Huaya, it's time to move the rabbits!"
"Okay!" Tang Huaya replied with a smile, bringing her younger brother with her.
The midday sun seemed to have finally managed to dodge the white clouds, revealing only a few streaks of light in this area, shrouding the entire village in a misty haze, like a traditional Chinese ink painting.
Lu Jingbai came out of the house, knowing that this meal was the best this family could offer, but he couldn't help feeling a little sad when he thought about what other farmers ate.
A single meal at the Imperial City Restaurant is enough to cover the expenses of a local farmer for two years.
He was gazing into the distance when his thoughts were abruptly interrupted by several bursts of cheerful laughter.
"Is that Chen Yatou and Hua Ya?" Although Grandma Qin couldn't see outside the courtyard, she couldn't help but look in that direction when she heard the voice. "Hearing their laughter makes me feel like there's nothing that can't be solved, and I feel full of energy!"
The woman under the eaves in the courtyard also laughed.
It's really powerful.
Lu Jingbai thought silently.
"Hey, it's over there! Don't let it get away, I'm coming!" Shen Zhiyi shouted, her voice sounding very anxious.
Grandma Qin stood up abruptly and said to her daughter-in-law, "Go and see what's going on outside that's making the girl so anxious."
"Okay, all right," Zhou Wan Niang replied, and went to open the courtyard gate.
Just then, Lu Jingbai, who was standing near the courtyard gate, opened the gate first and then moved aside. Zhou Wanniang quickly lowered her head and walked past.
As soon as she stepped outside, she saw Shen Zhiyi, Tang Huaya, and Tang Erleng frantically searching for something on the ground. Zhou Wanniang called out, "Zhiyi, what are you doing? I could hear you from far away."
"It's Auntie! This rabbit almost got away, but thankfully we caught it!" Shen Zhiyi gestured as she picked up the white rabbit. "It's a female rabbit, I cherish it!"
"It's good that he's caught me. I'll head back now," Zhou Wanniang said gently. She turned and went back into the courtyard. Seeing that Lord Lu was still standing there, she also lowered her head and hurried past. When she reached Grandma Qin's side, she softly described the scene she had witnessed.
Grandma Qin listened with a smile, and exclaimed, "Children should be full of energy like this so they can grow up well."
This also reveals the hidden worries in the hearts of farmers.
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