Chapter 248 Moving
Luo and Dou were indeed paralyzed with fear. Looking as pale as death is the reaction of young people. The old man who is the head of Luo family was stunned for a long time. His lips moved, but he couldn't even utter the word "Luo is over". When he opened his mouth, a mouthful of blood spurted out, and he leaned back and fell straight down.
Needless to say, there was war and chaos.
…
Sang Luo had no way of knowing what was going on in the court or how Luo and Dou would react. At the end of May, the Shen family's mansion, which covered an area of nearly three acres, was completed in three months with the help of many villagers from nearby. Because there was an imperial inscription, the government also built an inscription pavilion outside the house. Since there was a pavilion, some open space in front of the house was naturally left, which also occupied some area, so the total area was just over three acres.
An acre of land in Da Qi is about 500 square meters, that is to say, including the pavilions and open space outside the house, the total area of the house built by the Shen family is about 1,600 to 1,700 square meters. Of course, the living place is not exaggerated, it is just the main house and the east and west wings, and the main area is occupied by several courtyards, especially the backyard and a row of houses in the backyard.
Outsiders don’t know why the Shen family, which does not have many members, built such a big house. People in Daxing Village all know more or less that Sang Luo can make a lot of things. This is a preparation for future business, especially when people heard that Sang Luo even bought a shop in the city.
However, Sang Luo still underestimated the cost of building a blue brick and tile house. Even though the land and labor were free, the house was built with good materials such as blue bricks and tiles and was very simple. The yard was even a dirt yard. But even so, the cost of materials alone far exceeded Sang Luo's initial estimate.
Bricks and stones are not cheap, and there is no cement in this time and space. Brick houses have to be glued together with glutinous rice juice and egg white, so the price cannot be low. The family had more than 20 taels of savings, plus the emperor's reward, and spent 120 taels on buying the shop, leaving a little over 100 taels. Sang Luo thought that 80 taels would be enough to build the house and buy simple furniture, and she would still have more than 20 taels left. In the end, it cost a total of 90 taels just to build the house, buy bricks and stones, and provide meals for the villagers who came to help.
It was because Sang Luo had a very good reputation that the brick and stone shopkeeper, when he heard that it was Miss Sang, the lady from Daxing Village who had presented the curved plow and was commended by the emperor, bought bricks and stones for building her house, he discounted the price a lot, otherwise it would have cost more than a hundred taels.
But she was not nervous. The sweet vetch could be harvested from April, and the Zhao brothers were also diligent. They had planted vegetables and soybeans in the more than 40 acres of mountain land and fruit trees, and many vegetables could be harvested. In addition to providing meals for the helpers, Shen Ning, Shen Jin and even Qin Fangniang often went to the East Market to sell the extra money at the morning market. Each of them sold their own products, and they made 60 to 70 cents a day. So when the house was built, Sang Luo still had 17 taels of silver in her hand.
She was very open-minded. Seventeen taels was enough for a family of four. She could just buy some furniture she needed and still have some left over. After the house was built, she would have time to run the shop. Why would she worry about money?
Sang Luo didn't think about the fact that she didn't spend any money on the furniture at all. She was just planning to wait for a few days when Chen Lie and Shen An took their ten-day holiday and then go to the furniture store in the city with her family to choose furniture. Concubine Fan had already asked someone to deliver the furniture.
In order to avoid suspicion, the two have not met privately since Sang Luo secretly handed the recipe to Concubine Fan. However, it is no secret in the officialdom and big families of Shezhou that Concubine Fan was conferred the title of third-rank lady because she paid for the construction of Shezhou out of her own pocket. It is impossible for Zeng Ziqian to seek credit from the emperor for such a thing. Only the imperial envoy who came to Shezhou to convey the imperial edict to Sang family of Daxingzhuang might have heard about it and reported it to the emperor. In addition, Sang family should be commended for presenting the plow, and it also added luster to the political achievements of Governor Zeng. Therefore, it was very normal for Concubine Fan to give a generous gift to the Shen family when they built a new house.
Because not only Concubine Fan, but also the Wang family and the Chu family have prepared gifts and will send them over on the day of moving.
Therefore, Concubine Fan's sense of proportion was impeccable.
But when Sang Luo heard that Concubine Fan said she was sending a housewarming gift, she was still dumbfounded when she saw the long line of people carrying furniture: "Why are you sending so much?"
Concubine Fan said, "How can it be too much? I calculated the number of people in your family and only prepared furniture for the main house and the east and west wings."
Before Sang Luo could refuse, Concubine Fan held her hand and whispered, "Don't refuse. The water mill was given as a reward by His Majesty. Please let me spend some money. If it's not too eye-catching, I will get you some boxwood ones."
This caused Sang Luo to chuckle, but she did not refuse anymore and thanked Concubine Fan.
However, Sang Luo's belly was already showing. Concubine Fan hadn't seen her for nearly three months, so she was quite surprised when she saw her again: "You are pregnant? You must be four or five months pregnant, right?"
Sang Luo smiled: "The pregnancy pulse was detected in the first month of the year, so it should be almost six months. I haven't gained much weight, so my belly doesn't look big."
If the baby in her belly hadn't been so active recently, Chen Lie would have worried that it was because she was too busy building the house at home. He stewed three chickens for her in May and also gave her a lot of boiled goat milk to drink on weekdays.
Concubine Fan was very happy to see Sang Luo was pregnant. She and Sang Luo got along very well and had done such a big thing together. Even though they avoided seeing each other, they were very close in their hearts. She also had a child, but she just couldn't bring him with her. Her eyes were shining at this moment, and she also shared her experience: "It's better not to be fat. It will be easy when giving birth and recover quickly. Don't think that you have to eat a lot when you are pregnant. In fact, it's enough to eat almost. If you are too fat in the late pregnancy, you have to pay attention to restrain yourself, otherwise you will suffer. I have a nanny who is good at this. I will ask her to visit you more often in the two months before delivery."
"Can you deliver a baby?" Sang Luo asked subconsciously. In ancient times, there were no doctors to deliver babies, so Sang Luo was not nervous.
Concubine Fan smiled and said, "Yes, she was the midwife when I gave birth to my son Heng'er. If you trust her, I will let her live with you during the delivery period."
"This is really the best thing, how can I not believe it?" Sang Luo was really happier than anything else. She shook Fan Fei Niang's hand and said, "To be honest, I am a little nervous."
Concubine Fan probably knew that there were probably not many people left in the Sang family. To be more precise, Sang Luo was probably the only one still alive. She felt sorry for Sang Luo because she didn't even have a family member around her. She patted Sang Luo's hand and said, "Don't worry, this is my old nanny. My mother specially made her a companion for me."
The two chatted for a few words and then stopped standing by the door. Sang Luo, with her small body, was afraid that the people moving the furniture would bump into them again while walking. She looked at which set would be placed in the main house, and let Shen Ning choose which set would be placed in the east and west wings. She led the craftsmen in to move the furniture and install it, and left it to Shen Ning. She and Concubine Fan sat down in the pavilion outside to rest for a while.
Looking around Daxing Village, you can see fields of flowers in many places. Concubine Fan was curious when she came here. She didn't know Chinese astragalus, but she seemed to have seen similar flowers in the countryside, like weeds in the fields? Now it was the right time to ask Sang Luo.
"A field of astragalus flowers." He told Concubine Fan about the purpose and said, "On the one hand, it is economical. On the other hand, more than 70 acres of the 100 acres of good land that Your Majesty has granted me are not in good condition after being cultivated. Planting astragalus flowers is just right. When I open my shop, I will have honey to sell."
In fact, Sang Luo was not the only one who grew Astragalus. Because Chen Dashan led several skilled workers to the mountains, each family in Daxing Manor had obtained a lot of mountain land. Sang Luo was pregnant, and building this house depended entirely on the help of each family in the manor. The daily meals for dozens of helpers were prepared by groups of three or four old men and women from each family in the manor. After several years of mutual support, Sang Luo did not hide the method of beekeeping from several good families in the manor, so each family planted a lot of land for a good deal, which led to the scene that Fan Fei Niang saw when she entered Daxing Manor.
It was also very interesting to hear Sang Luo talk about the economics of farming and breeding, but Concubine Fan knew her limits. She would not try to find out about this kind of recipe for making a fortune, let alone ask Sang Luo to teach it to others. She just smiled and said to Sang Luo: "With your personality, it's only a matter of time before the entire Daxing Manor becomes prosperous under your leadership."
Concubine Fan sent a lot of furniture, but she also brought a lot of people. In addition, Sang Luo and her companions lived in the south room which was built first. The main room and the east and west wings were originally empty, so it was quick to arrange and decorate. Everything was ready in just over a quarter of an hour.
Sang Luo told her that there would be a buffet for the housewarming on the tenth day of June. Concubine Fan thought about it and shook her head and refused: "If I come, others will feel uncomfortable eating. I won't come on that day."
She told Sang Luo to work less and rest more, and Concubine Fan did not stay long and took her people back.
As soon as she left, other people in the manor dared to come over to watch the fun, and took a walk around the main house and the east and west wings. Needless to say, they were envious.
Wei Lingzhen knew what was good, and she went home to talk about it with her mother-in-law, saying, "The furniture the governor's wife sent today probably cost more than what Aluo Gai spent on that house."
Old Madam Xu did not find it strange and said, "How can this be more valuable than that box of Shangshu Annotations? That is something that aristocratic families only teach their children and do not pass on to others. If you ask me, our family and the families in Daxing Village are really lucky. Even Yun Zheng has benefited a lot from it."
…
That afternoon, Chen Dashan and his gang came back, along with a man in his thirties. Sang Luo and Zhou Ge were sitting together making clothes for their unborn babies when they heard Chen Dashan, who had just returned, say that Shi Erlang's wife's family had been found.
"That's really good hiding. The whole tribe lives in a big cave. Although it's not as secret as Yungu, it's also in a deep valley. Normally, no one would go down there."
He was dirty, and did not approach the place where Zhou Ge and Sang Luo were staying. He just fetched water to wash himself, and said, "We will not go into the mountains anymore. We have found almost everything we can. There are quite a few people outside Shezhou City now. If there are still people who have not come out, they can come out on their own after seeing the situation outside. No one needs to persuade them. So, we will stop working for the government until today."
"It's almost good enough. How can I eat and sleep well if I run around in the mountains all day?" Zhou Ge didn't feel disappointed because he didn't make any money. He was quite happy. His family earned more than 30 taels of silver and got the right to use nearly 100 acres of mountain land for 20 years. What else was there to be dissatisfied about?
Sang Luo also laughed and said, "Don't worry, you won't be idle. Take a break for two months and then come back to fence off the yard. You will be busy after that."
Chen Dashan and his wife's eyes lit up, knowing that Sang Luo was talking about the two families opening a shop together. Chen Dashan asked Sang Luo: "Doesn't the yam have to wait until winter?"
Sang Luo smiled: "There are other things, so I won't delay."
The Shen family moved to a new house on the tenth day of June. Two days in advance, Shen Lie and Shen An started to invite guests from every house. Except for Chu Qichang and a group of classmates from the provincial school who had greeted them early and said they would come to congratulate them, the rest of the guests were all neighbors who had helped build the house in the past three months.
Sang Luo and Shen Ning were also busy. They cut rush grass and dried it for a few days. The women in the village who knew how to weave mats came to help Shen's family and made three new mats. There was no place to buy cotton at the moment, so they asked Zhoucun's wife to help. They took out the old quilts at home, fluffed the cotton inside, and used it to fill several mattresses and quilts. They replaced the quilts with new ones and laid them out.
On the eleventh day of the first lunar month, chickens and rabbits were slaughtered. Chen Lie and Chen Dashan and his gang went into the mountains early in the morning and got two wild boars. They set up a buffet with sixteen tables to thank the villagers for helping build the house over the past few months.
There was enough meat and vegetables on this day, and the villagers were invited to come with their families.
For three months, at least one or two people from each family in the surrounding villages came to help, and the shortest one helped for more than ten days. The neighbors helped to build the house, but they had never been paid a penny, so on this day we had to do our best to entertain them.
Wang Maolin asked his sixth brother, who was a classmate of Shen Lie, to come and congratulate him. Behind him, the housekeeper led the servants and carried several loads of gifts, including fine cloth and silk, which were currently hard to buy. Chu Qichang also arrived, leading a servant, and also carried a red envelope worth ten taels. Those who were familiar with Shen Lie in the provincial school also arrived today. Unlike the villagers who rushed to sit down first, this group of people went straight to the imperial edict inscription in the pavilion. More than a dozen scholars, and Wei Qinghe, Wang Yunzheng, and Chen An who were responsible for receiving them, stayed in the pavilion for more than a quarter of an hour before going to the main hall to sit down.
If the imperial edict and the emperor's calligraphy were not placed separately, I would even want to take another look at the emperor's calligraphy and get a taste of the dragon's aura.
Of course, there were those who had never seen Sang Luo. In fact, they really wanted to see what kind of person this Mrs. Shen Lie was. However, it was a futile thought. Sang Luo was now pregnant, and there were too many people coming in and out of the house today, including some who brought their children to the banquet. How could she dare to come out? She listened to Mrs. Chen and stayed in the room obediently.
When the dishes started to be served, it was fine at first. Most of the people at the two tables were Chen Lie's classmates. They were the first year students to be admitted to the provincial school. Few of them were from poor families. The worst were also wealthy families in Shezhou City in the past. Although they were not rich enough in terms of social class, they had enough money and food. Therefore, chicken, fish, wild boar meat and so on were served. Now that the order in Shezhou was gradually restored, they were not so eye-catching. There was also dried rabbit served, which was made by Chen Ning and Sang Luo early in the morning. Needless to say, it was delicious and it was a good luck to have a table. So far, it was normal.
Until several dishes they didn't recognize were served on the table, one of which was tofu.
Tofu.
No, these people don’t know that this thing is called tofu. In the eyes of those who know it, it is called Li Qi.
Chu Qichang: Oh my!
He lowered his eyes and thought quickly. When he visited the Shen family that time, did he tell Shen Lie that Li Qi was unique to the Zheng family in Shezhou, and that the Zheng family always liked to use him to show off their status when entertaining guests?
Like? Didn't say?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
