Chapter 225 Firefly Chicken Feather Vegetable
What's going on?
At the door of the inn, Su Ruojin stopped and turned to ask, "Are you on vacation?"
Zhao Lan walked slowly, looking up at the starry sky, and replied to the young lady, "Almost!"
What's the meaning?
Could it be that her disappearance caused punishment from the court or the emperor?
The dark sky was filled with shining stars, which looked particularly dazzling. A bright moon hung high in the sky, and its faint light enveloped everything like a thin veil, making it hazy and beautiful!
The summer night breeze blows gently towards you, feeling especially fresh and cool.
The frogs in the pond croaked non-stop, the cicadas in the grass chirped, and not far away, the fireflies flashed and flew towards this side, which was very beautiful.
Zhao Lan reached out and grabbed one, then placed it in front of the young lady. He slowly half-opened his slender fingers, revealing a tiny, twinkling firefly.
"For you, Jin!"
Su Ruojin didn't take it, and frowned, "I'm asking you a question? Is it because of me?"
The young lady's eyes were full of concern and anxiety. Zhao Lan smiled gently, took her hand, and put the firefly in her palm, "Hold it, don't let it fly away."
This guy is so calm and relaxed, it's hard to tell what's going on. Su Ruojin reached out and held the firefly. We've been walking for most of the day, let's go into the inn first.
"Do you want to catch a few more?"
Su Ruojin: ...
You're almost starving to death, why are you still catching fireflies? Su Ruojin didn't have the energy to do it: "If you want to catch them, go ahead." Then, he turned around and went into the inn.
Zhao Lan: …
He actually reached out and caught a few more.
Shuangrui stepped forward and, like a magician, took out a cage woven from grass stems and put a few fireflies in it. The fireflies shone out through the small holes, which was quite interesting.
Zhao Lan carried it and walked happily into the inn.
Hua Ping: ...Does it mean that in order to capture the heart of a young lady, first you need a servant who can weave a straw cage?
Ye Huaizhen: ... How unreal it seems that the noble, cold and aloof young master, who is not interested in worldly affairs, even catches fireflies for the sake of his young lady?
Shuangrui followed his master and was pulled aside by Hua Ping, "Arui, help me weave one too." He also wanted to catch fireflies for Ye Huaizhen, maybe he could marry her home during the Chinese New Year this year.
Shuangrui glanced at him and gestured with his hand, meaning, one tael of silver for a straw cage.
Hua Ping glared at him and asked why he didn't go and rob the money.
Shuangrui smiled triumphantly and walked into the inn with his head held high.
Hua Ping looked at Prince Zhao again in disbelief. Not only was he of noble status and outstanding looks, but he also knew how to please young ladies. Fortunately, he only liked Su Er Niang, this crooked little tree, otherwise, it would be a problem for ordinary people like them.
It was a cold August day, with chilly mornings and evenings. When Su Ruojin entered the inn lobby, the heat and cold collided, causing her to sneeze three times in a row. "Who is saying bad things about me behind my back?"
Hua Ping outside the door: ...
"Ajin, what are you mumbling about?" Zhao Lan didn't hear the young lady mumbling to herself. She walked closer to her and raised her hand. A beautiful straw cage shining with light appeared in her sight.
"(*@ο@*)Wow~, you made that up?"
Zhao Lan avoided the question: "Do you like it?"
Who wouldn't love these exquisite little gadgets? The young lady had long forgotten her hungry stomach and reached out to take it. She held the small cage and twisted the rope with her fingers, turning it around.
Zhao Lan lowered his head, looking doting.
A god-like guest suddenly came to the gray little inn, and the owner came out to greet him personally.
Shuang Rui stood in front of his master and said, "Let's have a meal. The room and food must be the best."
The owner of an inn on the official road in the capital was also worldly-wise. Knowing that he was the manager of an important person, he nodded and bowed quickly to agree, and asked his waiters and servants to quickly entertain the guests.
Enjoying the convenience brought by the young prince's stewardship, Mao Ya now can't even blink. She is really grateful for the favor.
The more angry the skinny girl got, the more Shuangrui asked them to stay away and give the young master some time alone with Su Er Niangzi. Mao Ya wanted to knock them out with a stone.
Ever since Zhao Lan confessed his love, Su Ruojin stopped being deliberately distant. The equality she had in her previous life was unconsciously released, and she treated him as a friend rather than a condescending little prince.
While eating, I chatted with him, "Brother Jin, how many days do you want to rest?"
Having known the young lady for seven years, he had always called her Little Prince Zhao or Little Prince Zhao. She would only call him "Brother Zhao" when intimidating or trying to please him. Suddenly, she changed to Brother Jin. Zhao Lan smiled as he heard it.
"Ajin wants me to rest for a few days?"
Seeing the young man laughing, Su Ruojin's eyes widened, "I'm talking to you about serious matters."
"Oh." Zhao Lan deliberately dragged his voice, "It depends on my mood."
Su Ruojin: ...Okay, you’re awesome.
She thought that Zhao Lan was probably only reporting good news and not bad news, and had no intention of telling her how bad the situation was.
It's all for her!
Su Ruojin couldn't help but pick up a piece of food for him, "Brother Jin, eat more."
This was the first time that the young lady took the initiative to pick up food for him, and she didn’t use serving chopsticks!
Zhao Lan was so happy that he immediately ate the food that the young lady had brought. He looked so happy, and there was still a trace of his past. If they hadn't grown up together, Su Ruojin would have really suspected that he had become a different person.
A simple and rough dinner in the inn was turned into a delicacy and fine wine by a pair of young lovers.
At the next table, Hua Ping was almost jealous. Can an excellent person be excellent at everything? How can he live? No wonder he still hasn't found a wife at the age of 30. He deserves it!
After dinner, Su Ruojin wanted to rest, but Zhao Lan pulled her out to catch fireflies.
Su Ruojin didn't want to go, but he held her back: "It's August now, there shouldn't be any fireflies. It's rare to see one, so why don't we catch a few more."
Are all young men so romantic? Su Ruojin didn't know if other people were like this, but Zhao Lan dragged her out to have some fun for a while before she took Lu Shui back to her room to rest.
I slept till the next day, and when I woke up, I saw that the fireflies in the straw cage were almost dying, and I couldn't bear to let them all go.
Hua Ping asked in surprise, "This is the gift from the young prince, why did you let it go?"
"I have taken his feelings to heart. Is there any problem?"
Put...in your heart...
Are all the young ladies nowadays so straightforward and vigorous?
Zhao Lan was a little angry when he saw the young lady releasing the fireflies, but when he heard the young lady say "keep it in your heart", he couldn't suppress the smile on his face and walked over happily.
"Set off."
At noon, the group arrived in Weizhou County.
Su Ruojin discovered that in other places, most of the land was barren due to drought, but in Weizhou, many fields were growing vegetables. She went to the fields and took a look. They were all vegetables with a short growing period, such as Chinese cabbage, cabbage, coriander, and peas, all of which were lush green.
Zhao Lan didn't know much about farming, so he just took in the scenery along the way.
Su Ruojin was pleasantly surprised. Her father was a good parent!
When she got home, it was time for dinner. Su Yanli happened to be at home. He was so happy to see his daughter come back that he called out "Ajin...Ajin..." several times before stopping.
"Dad, Mom, I'm back."
Cheng Yingzhen laughed and said, "You kid, why didn't you send someone back to say hello in advance so that Qiuyue could buy more vegetables."
Su Ruojin went forward and hugged her mother, and said to Su Yanli, "Dad, the young prince is on vacation, come over and play for a few days."
Su Yanli had already seen Zhao Lan. He stood up with a smile and bowed to greet him.
Zhao Lan walked ahead of him and saluted, "Zi Jin greets the teacher and the master's wife."
Cheng Yingzhen patted her daughter, asked her to let go, and came over to return Zhao Lan's gift.
"There's nothing at home, just eat something casually, and please don't mind, little prince."
"You're welcome, Master's wife."
Su San, Si Lang, and Su Xiao Mei all got down from the table and bowed, "Greetings, Brother Zhao."
While they were greeting each other, Qiuyue quickly cleaned the table and rearranged the dishes and served them.
After they had paid their respects, although there were only a few dishes, they were all clean and tidy and ready to serve guests.
Everyone exchanged polite words again before finally sitting down to eat.
They had a casual meal at noon because Mother Dong was back, so in the evening Qiuyue brought the maids and servants to prepare a nice welcoming banquet.
Later, Su Yanli did not rush to the government office to do his work, but chatted with Zhao Lan alone in the study for a long time. No one knew what they talked about, and Su Ruojin did not ask. Anyway, Zhao Lan really stayed there.
At dinner time, Su Yanli came back from the yamen and brought Mr. Pei, Shangguan Yu and others. They sat at a large table and had a sumptuous dinner.
After dinner, Su Yanli took all the men to the study.
Su Ruojin arranged for Mother Dong to live, and told Cheng Yingzhen about Su Dalang's arrangements in the capital, "It's safe and sound living in the Imperial College, don't worry, just wait for my brother to pass the imperial examination in three years."
"That's not that easy." Cheng Yingzhen scolded her daughter.
Su Ruojin smiled and said, "Of course an eighteen-year-old scholar can give birth to an eighteen-year-old scholar."
Cheng Yingzhen nodded her daughter, "You are making trouble here."
Su Ruojin rested her head on her mother's shoulder and laughed. Su Xiaomei was jealous and came over to squeeze in, trying to grab her mother's arms and shoulders.
"You are also making trouble." Cheng Yingzhen pointed at her younger daughter, "You don't want to learn good things, but you are just imitating your sister's mischief."
"I want to learn." Su Ruyi said mischievously and confidently, grabbing Cheng Yingzhen's legs and snuggling into her arms.
The mother and her two children were in a mess.
Chunxiao called out at the door, "Jinniang, the master is calling you."
"What did Dad ask me to do?"
"I don't know."
Cheng Yingzhen urged her, "Your father must have something to ask you."
Su Ruojin stood up and said, "Mom, how is Mr. Pei?"
Cheng Yingzhen said, "Your father said it was good."
Oh, then she felt relieved. She tidied her clothes and went to the study.
Su Wumei wanted to go too, but Cheng Yingzhen stopped her, "Your father has some serious business to attend to, don't go and make trouble."
"Why can my sister go?" The little girl was not convinced.
Cheng Yingzhen wanted to reason with her, but Su Ruojin smiled and said, "Mom, let her follow."
Regardless of whether she is a younger brother or a younger sister, Su Ruojin hopes that they can all receive education. No matter whether this education is in a formal private school or academy, or just the little bits and pieces in daily life, it is all accumulation.
She lowered her head and said to her sister, "Sister can take care of you, but you are young now, just listen and don't talk nonsense, understand?"
As long as she could enter her father's study, Su Xiaomei was very happy. She agreed to everything and jumped up and down to go to her father's study with her sister.
Cheng Yingzhen sighed happily, these two children.
In the study, Mr. Pei said to Zhao Lan, "The young prince is qualified to attend the court. I wonder if the court has mentioned the food shortage. The autumn planting season is coming soon, but the farmers don't have a single seed. If they don't plant in time, there will be a serious famine in the spring of next year."
Zhao Lan had never been involved in farming. Besides, even if he understood, it was not his responsibility. He had no right to talk to him about these things. On the surface, he sat there steadily, with the look of a superior listening.
Hearing footsteps, he opened his eyelids and looked towards the door. When he saw the young lady, his stern face instantly softened and he showed a slight smile.
Su Ruojin came in and bowed before asking, "Dad, you're looking for me."
"Ajin, on the way back, did you see what was planted in the field?"
She nodded and smiled, "I was just thinking that dad is so wise and powerful that he even planted vegetables on the wasteland."
Su Yanli was embarrassed by his daughter's praise, "Dad has collected vegetable seeds from several counties around here, but these vegetables cannot be eaten as meals, and they still cannot solve the food problem. Dad would like to ask the young prince to help me with the seeds for autumn planting."
Su Ruojin: ...Maybe her father found the wrong person?
She looked at Zhao Lan.
Zhao Lan nodded in agreement, "I'll find a way."
Su Yanli quickly stood up to express his gratitude.
Mr. Pei and Shangguan Yu also followed suit.
How could Zhao Lan let his future father-in-law perform such a great ceremony? He stood up and helped him up, "Teacher, you're welcome."
Unexpectedly, once his daughter came back, his big problem would be solved. Su Yanli was very happy and asked with a smile, "Ajin, how much of the vegetables grown by the farmers can our shop absorb?"
That's tens of thousands of acres. Her father is really bold in his thinking.
"Dad, I only have two shops, I can't absorb much."
“That young prince…” He then set his sights on Zhao Lan’s restaurant and hotpot restaurant.
Zhao Lan: …
Su Ruojin didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Dad, don't worry. No matter how many vegetables the people in Weizhou County have, I will be responsible for selling them so that they can have money to buy seeds for autumn planting."
Su Yanli did have this thought, but he felt sorry for his daughter if she really said so. "Ajin, it doesn't matter if we can't sell it. We can let the farmers eat it as food. Anyway, I didn't leave the land empty."
Su Yanli is not a genuine farmer. Although he is a bastard's son, the Su family is also a wealthy country gentry. He has almost no contact with farming. Logically, he should not be so sensitive about farming. But his daughter planting vegetables in the yard inspired him, otherwise, he would not plant vegetables on the wasteland.
Logically speaking, farmers should not leave their land idle, but in this dynasty, land used for growing crops was used to grow crops. If farmers used it to grow vegetables, they would be punished by the government. So in this situation, even if someone wanted to grow vegetables, no one dared to.
As a local official, Su Yanli ordered the planting and personally purchased seeds for farmers to plant, so Weizhou County was full of lush green.
When Su Ruojin saw these dishes, she had actually already set her mind on ordering them, but she didn't expect her father to bring it up first.
This time when I returned to the capital, because of the drought, the huge city of Bianjing was actually in short supply of food, meat, and vegetables. In the hot summer, not to mention ancient times, even in modern times, there is a shortage of vegetables. The vegetables that Su Yanli brought to the city to clear the wasteland are so good!
What are you waiting for? Just do it.
The first thing to move is of course the cabbage, which has the shortest growth period!
Bianjing City, we are back again!
(End of this chapter)
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