Chapter 217: Eyesight
When Sang Luo and Mrs. Chen returned to Daxing Village and passed by their own fields, they saw that the fields were already full of work.
She went over to say hello, didn't say much, and went home to boil some water.
Shen Ning heard her coming back and came over from behind the house: "Sister-in-law, have you invited someone?"
Sang Luo nodded: "Yes, they are our former neighbors from the mountains. They will come to work in two days, but seven of them came today to help us turn the soil."
"Seven people?" Chen Ning was stunned for a moment, then asked Sang Luo: "We need to prepare food, right?"
"Well, but there's no need to do it so early. We can still prepare it later." Sang Luo said as she took out a jar from the cupboard. Inside was jujube syrup made from jujubes picked in the mountains in early winter. She scooped a spoonful into the empty pitcher, waited for the water in the pot to boil, and poured a jar of hot water over it. A faint sweet fragrance filled the air.
In winter, drinking water needs to be kept warm. There is a thick nest made of cattail at home, a rice steamer, and a water jar. Put a jar of hot water in it and cover it tightly with the straw lid. After an hour and a half, open it and the water inside will still be warm.
Sang Luo put the jar of boiling hot sugar water into the water nest, covered it tightly with straw, took a bowl, and carried the water nest to the edge of the field, telling everyone to pour themselves a bowl of water if they were thirsty.
The eldest son of the Zhao family was a dark-skinned man with a round face and a round head, about thirty-four or thirty-five years old. He looked like a typical farmer. He must have lived a hard life in recent years and was a bit thin. However, because of his body and frame, his head and face were round, and he looked quite solid. Seeing Sang Luo bringing water, he paused his hoe and said, "Mrs. Sang, we have already had breakfast at home. You don't have to worry about us. We will go back before feeding time and come back tomorrow. I think we can finish it in two days."
They didn't know that Sang Luo had already agreed with their parents to hire two people from their family to work, and that they had to go back before feeding time because they were afraid that the Shen family would have to take the trouble to entertain them with meals.
Sang Luo smiled and said nothing more, "Thank you for your hard work, Uncle Zhao."
A group of people waved their hands and said in unison, "It's not hard, it's not hard, Madam Sang, you can go back."
Sang Luo was still thinking about making paper, so she didn't stay long. She thanked them and went back. She calculated the food intake of the Zhao family, added her own family, measured some beans and soaked them, then went to the back of the house to see the four pots of boiling bark.
Shen Lie and Shen An hurried home. They didn't see anyone in the house, but they vaguely heard some noises behind the house. When they went over to take a look, they saw four stoves on behind the house!
"What are you doing?" It seemed too early even for lunch.
Chen Ning's eyes were bright, especially since Chen An had helped peel the bark. She was so excited that she had to suppress her voice: "Making paper, sister-in-law is trying to make paper!"
Shen An suddenly became excited and took two quick steps. He subconsciously wanted to lift the lid of the pottery cauldron closest to him, but he was not sure if he could lift it. He stopped and asked Sang Luo: "Sister-in-law, what's in here?"
Sang Luo said: "You helped peel the bark."
Chen An's eyes widened slightly: "Can bark be soaked and then boiled to make paper?"
Chen Lie was the most confused. He looked at the four cauldrons and then at Sang Luo: "Can you make paper?"
Sang Luo shook her head and answered all the brothers' questions: "No, I just thought that cloth is also woven with hemp, and there is no ramie, so I found some similar bark and tried it randomly according to the methods of weaving cloth. Let's see, the four pottery cauldrons are made in four different ways, and there are four bundles of bark left. Try different methods. It depends on luck if you can succeed."
Look, how frank.
However, this did not prevent the brothers Shen Lie and Shen An from being deeply moved.
A Luo does everything for me and Xiao An.
My sister-in-law does everything for me and my brother.
Sang Luo looked at the two brothers and changed the subject: "Have you all signed up? Are there many applicants?"
Chen Lie nodded: "It's done. I don't know if it's a lot, and it hasn't been announced, but the page we signed up for was almost full."
Sang Luo did not ask any more questions and waved her hand: "Then go review your lessons and get used to the pens, ink and paper. Good handwriting will also give extra points to the examiner when he is marking the papers."
Chen An agreed with a smile. Chen Lie looked at Sang Luo and wanted to shake her hand. Chen An and Shen Ning were still beside him, so he just moved closer and said, "I heard from Grandma Chen about hiring someone when I came back. Don't just hire someone for a month. Just hire them. I'll take a walk in the woods after the exam. That's enough for everything."
He felt that he was a bit foolish and should have hired someone earlier. But when he thought about it, the people living nearby were also brought up by him, so he really didn't know where to find the right person at the beginning.
"Anyway, don't be reluctant. You and Aning can cook something at home, read or write, or think about something if you like. Just be happy."
As soon as Sang Luo's lips curved, Shen Ning started to giggle and looked at Shen An.
They all know that the eldest brother loves his eldest sister-in-law.
The little girl was too clever, so Sang Luo pinched one of her cheeks.
Shen Lie smiled, asked Sang Luo if he would arrange lunch for the Zhao family, thanked her for her hard work, and then went back to the house with Shen An.
…
To boil the bark, you only need enough water and firewood, and you don't need to watch it all the time.
At noon, Sang Luo and Shen Ning returned to the kitchen and steamed a pot of five-bean rice, steamed the semi-finished vegetarian tripe that was originally prepared for their own consumption today, and mixed it with seasoning oil. They also washed a piece of bacon and steamed it, cut it into thin slices, blanched winter bamboo shoots, and prepared ginger and garlic to stir-fry two large plates of winter bamboo shoots and bacon.
The fragrance made Shen Lie, who had been running around in the mountains for nearly two months, feel a little hungry while reading, and Shen An's mind began to wander.
In the kitchen, Sang Luo divided all the ingredients into two portions. The small portion was for her own consumption, and the large portion was put into a large basket. She also asked Chen Ning to prepare ten sets of bowls and chopsticks and put them in another small basket, then turned around and called Chen Lie.
Chen Lie entered the kitchen and knew what was going on after just one look: "Delivering food? I'll be there soon."
With a basket in each hand, Sang Luo and Shen Ning didn't need to follow. Sang Luo only said, "Call the three brothers Xiao Jin and take their portions. You should also come back early to eat."
"Okay, you guys eat first, I'll be back soon."
Sang Luo asked Shen Ning to call Shen An without mentioning it.
…
At the Shen family's field, the Zhao family only had two meals a day even during the busy farming season, and they never thought about having lunch. They were so tired from working until now, and they were actually hungry. At this time in the past, if they were hungry, they would just drink some water, take a break, and then continue working.
The eldest brother of the Zhao family was about to call his brothers and children to put down their hoes and drink some water when he saw Chen Lie striding over from afar. This martial artist was tall and had long legs, and he walked very fast. It didn't take long for him to get close. When he got close, the winter wind blew and he seemed to smell the aroma of meat.
“Master Shen?”
The eldest son of the Zhao family looked at the two baskets in Shen Lie's hands. He smelled the aroma of bacon which became more and more pleasant. He couldn't help swallowing his saliva, and his dark face felt slightly hot.
Chen Lie had already reached the edge of the field. He put down the basket and said with a smile, "Uncle Zhao, thank you for your help. My Luo cooked some food. Come over and eat first, then take a rest before you continue working."
It turned out that lunch was really prepared for them.
The Zhao family's father, son, uncle, and nephew looked at each other, not forgetting that they came here to help. They were eating, and even bringing meat...
The second son of the Zhao family said, "Master Shen, it's not the time to have lunch this year. We've already eaten in the morning, and there will be food prepared at home."
Having said that, my stomach growled twice, which was particularly appropriate.
The second son of the Zhao family felt embarrassed and covered his stomach.
Chen Lie laughed: "Uncle, no one works on an empty stomach. Feed you and go home to eat. Allow us to treat you to a meal at noon. This is courtesy."
He also called Shen Jin and his brothers to wash their hands and come over to eat.
During the busy farming season of more than a month, no matter who cooked, Sang Luo and Shen Ning would always bring out the food for the three brothers. After two meals, Shen Jin would carry some rice, meat and vegetables over, and gradually they started to work together during the busy farming season.
Hearing their eldest brother calling them to eat, the three younger ones happily put down their hoes and ran away quickly. Only the seven people from the Zhao family did not dare to move and went to see the eldest brother of the Zhao family.
Chen Lie smiled and said, "Uncle Zhao, eat now. Otherwise, how can I dare to ask you to come and help with the work tomorrow? I have to go home too, otherwise the food at home will get cold."
He then called out to the young men he knew by name: "Zhao Da, Zhao Er, Zhao San, hurry up."
Some of the boys were more familiar with Shen Lie. Zhao Dalang smiled and touched his head: "Then we won't be polite. It smells so good. I'm really hungry."
His stomach growled in response, and the boy grinned.
Shen Lie laughed: "You're welcome, eat, I'm going back too, I'll come back with the basket later."
Shen Yin said, "Brother, you don't have to run. Xiao Tie and I will take you back in a while."
Shen Lie patted his head: "Okay."
Afraid that the Zhao family would feel uncomfortable, he just said goodbye and left.
The Zhao brothers thanked them and went to the edge of the field. When they saw the two appetizing dishes in the basket, all seven of them swallowed their saliva.
Shen Jin smiled and handed him the bowl: "Uncle, come and have some rice. My sister-in-law cooks the most delicious dishes."
The seven members of the Zhao family washed their hands in the water beside the field, and took the bowls and chopsticks handed over by Shen Jin, Shen Yin, and Shen Tie. While thanking them, they said, "It's true. It looks good and smells good."
He added more bean rice, and didn't even dare to put his chopsticks on the plate of bacon.
They are not the Shen family, and hunting is not an easy thing. The children have learned to play with sticks from a distance, but when it comes to hunting, they are no match for Shen Yin's kid.
Without a master to lead the way, it would have been extremely difficult to navigate the chasm. Fortunately, the people in Chen Lie's village were quite considerate of their neighbors. In the first year, they would sometimes ask them if they wanted to trade in live pheasants they caught.
He exchanged some mountain products for them and allowed them to live on, and the family gradually got back on track.
So, meat.
The seven members of the family swallowed their saliva together, but they were too embarrassed to take more food. So they took a piece of vegetarian tripe with chopsticks in a very neat manner.
The third son of the Zhao family looked at the vegetarian tripe that was soaked in sauce with chopsticks and was so moist that it trembled when he touched it, and said, "Is this made of konjac? This lady Sang has such a skillful hand, and hers is much more exquisite than the ones we make."
Looks very different.
Try one, it's really different.
The brothers studied the vegetarian tripe. It seemed that the color was more transparent and the cutting skills were more exquisite. They were thinking about going home to tell their mother and wife about the konjac tofu made by Mrs. Sang that they had eaten today, and ask them to learn from them to see if they could make it more delicious.
Seeing that they were only interested in eating the vegetarian tripe, Shen Jin called out, "Uncle, you guys eat meat. My sister-in-law made this dish to treat you. Don't just eat the vegetarian tripe."
Oh, so this is vegetarian tripe.
I heard that it was Madam Sang's own business and she taught me this at the beginning. I guess there was something that they didn't do carefully enough at home, so the food didn't look as good and delicious as this.
The eldest son of the Zhao family responded, "Yes, I will eat it. Yes, I will eat it. Madam Sang is really polite."
Meat, salty and especially fragrant bacon.
At this moment, the eldest son of the Zhao family even felt that this help was more like their family coming to eat the rich man's food.
He picked up a piece, not wanting to stuff it all into his mouth. He took a small bite, and the unique aroma of bacon made his mouth water like crazy. He was just a little hungry originally, but this small bite of meat aroused his appetite, and the hunger surged up all of a sudden, he wanted to wolf it down.
I feel happy just by eating it.
When the eldest son of the Zhao family picked up his chopsticks, the other six people in the family also dared to pick up some food, and then... they could only shovel rice and eat with their heads down.
Eat, eat this meal, do your best in the afternoon! Dig deeper with the hoe, and cover the grass better! The soil will be fertile in the spring next year.
There was enough mulberry bean rice, and people who only eat half full for a long time will gradually have smaller appetites. After finishing all the food she brought, the three brothers Shen Jin were fine, but the father and sons, uncles and nephews of the Zhao family were all full.
Seeing the Shen Jin brothers carrying baskets and about to leave, the eldest son of the Zhao family hurriedly stopped them and called his two sons: "Go to the mountain spring, wash the dishes and chopsticks, and then send them back."
Shen Jin waved his hands: "No, no, there is a well next to my eldest brother's house. I'll go to the wellhead to wash."
The Zhao brothers then stopped following.
Shen Jin sent the dishes and chopsticks back, and the Zhao family sat on the ridges of the field for more than a quarter of an hour before they recovered.
Zhao Erlang was used to drinking water at noon. Now that he had rested, he took the bowl and poured some water. The water was still warm, not cold. He took a sip and tasted a little sweetness on the tip of his tongue. He was stunned: "Dad, this seems to have honey added to it."
The second son of the Zhao family took the bowl and took a sip. He was also stunned. He turned to his eldest brother and said, "It's really sweet."
The old man of the Zhao family said, "Mrs. Sang is a very kind person. We should do our job well so that her hospitality will not be in vain."
"Brother, what you said is true. Without these treats, we can't do anything." The fourth son of the Zhao family said this, and he laughed. He sighed: "Mrs. Sang is really kind. Brother, did my parents agree to hire workers when Mrs. Sang said she wanted to?"
If there is a master like this, he would be happy to work for him for a lifetime, not just for a month.
Among the four brothers, Zhao Silang was the most grateful to Sang Luo and Shen Lie. He got married the latest and could not marry as well as his older brothers. When he fled into the mountains, his children were still young, only five or six years old, and they could not withstand hunger or danger.
The eldest brother of the Zhao family heard what he said and said, "They should agree, right? That's because Madam Sang wants to hire someone. Not to mention that our family has extra labor, even if we don't, my parents will still ask us to come."
The brothers' hearts warmed up, and Zhao Lao San said, "I wonder who is coming."
The eldest brother of the Zhao family laughed: "If Master Shen and Madam Sang choose, then I don't know, whoever they want will be the one. If parents are asked to choose, then there is no doubt that the one who does the best farm work and can endure the most hardship will be chosen."
The four brothers are all good at farming, but there is one who stands out.
Who suffered the most? The eldest brother of the Zhao family.
Who is the best at farm work? The fourth child of the Zhao family.
The second and third sons of the Zhao family looked on with envy.
…
At the Shen family's side, Shen Jin carried the clean dishes into the kitchen. Sang Luo and the others hadn't finished eating yet. As he put the dishes on the table, he asked with a smile, "Sister-in-law, I heard from Grandma Chen that you want to ask the Zhao family to help you?"
Sang Luo looked at him: "What's wrong?"
Shen Jin said: "I looked around quietly this morning. The one who works the hardest is Uncle Zhao, but the one who does the most detailed work is Fourth Uncle Zhao."
Sang Luo exclaimed, "Okay, you spent the whole morning looking at them carefully, and you figured out their ranking?"
Shen Jin chuckled: "That's because I heard what Grandma Chen said to my brother. If you want to hire someone, I have to pay attention to it."
Sang Luo burst out laughing and praised, "That's great."
Don’t mention it, this kid feels dizzy when studying, but this eyesight is definitely useful in doing business.
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