Chapter 278 The First Day at the Farm
It was agreed that the whole estate would be sold, including the houses and all the remaining items.
No wonder Gu Xixi had to go into the city that day to get the land deed from the seller.
He Jinglan grinned and said, "Just this pile of stuff under the felt is worth half a farm, right?"
Materials that can be made into nail plates, utensils, and weapons must be fine iron and fine copper.
Even if you can't use it yourself, you can still sell it for a considerable amount of money.
Gu Xixi smiled and did not deny it.
But this is only one of the reasons.
When Gu Xixi saw the spiked board among the miscellaneous items, she thought of her and He Jinglan's situation as "prepared hostages".
As the saying goes, a cunning rabbit has three burrows, so perhaps this place can be turned into another refuge for the two of them.
I just didn't expect that this day would come so soon.
He Jinglan frowned again and thought, "I don't know who the previous owner of this farm was. Who would spend money to buy these things? And they are hidden in the farm, and even the housekeeper doesn't know about it."
"You're not planning a rebellion, are you?"
Gu Xixi said, "If they had this plan, they would have surrendered to General Huo long ago. Why would they have to move their entire family?"
"Besides, the most common items forged during a rebellion are swords, spears, and halberds. These things..."
"I guess it was used by the manor to protect against bandits in the past."
As she spoke, she pulled out a long five-tined iron fork.
This thing is quite common. It is used to turn over and dry the wheat straw after the wheat harvest.
He Jinglan asked the secret guard to take out the iron fork, "It would be nice to set up a mechanism to stab the bad guys."
The secret guard looked at the five tips of the iron fork and nodded in approval.
"Young lady is very smart. This item is indeed a rare and powerful weapon."
He Jinglan was encouraged and worked harder to rummage through the garbage.
By noon, everything usable in the utility room had been dug out.
The two most powerful large crossbows and a number of iron-rod feather arrows.
Two fine iron nail plates, three meteor hammers, six bronze pots, five iron forks, a bundle of long sharp iron hooks as thick as clotheslines, several copper bells, several iron chains of different thicknesses, several bronze pots, and several thick hemp ropes.
There are also wooden barrels, iron barrels, hatchets, axes, shovels, etc. for daily use.
Among the He family's secret guards, there are people who are familiar with various skills.
When Gu Xixi and He Jinglan came out of the utility room, some of the mechanisms had already been set up.
The focus is on the front and back entrances of the farm, as well as the two houses in front of us.
Bells are hung in multiple hidden places and tied with thin wires. Once an outsider breaks in and touches the mechanism, the alarm will sound.
At the front and back doors, intruders would encounter nail boards falling from the sky.
There are iron forks hidden under the eaves on both sides of the bedroom next to the utility room.
The secret guards carefully explained the location of the mechanism to prevent their own people from accidentally touching it.
It is the hottest time now.
He Jinglan had just finished her work and felt her mouth was dry, so she fanned herself vigorously with a palm-leaf fan she had just found.
"Have you got some water? Take some water!"
The driver, Lao Li, smiled and said, "I know that Miss works hard, so I have prepared food and water."
He bowed to Gu Xixi and said, "Please come over and have dinner with Miss Gu."
Gu Xixi glanced at He Jinglan.
I almost forgot that so many people need to eat, and I have to worry about food and drink when I come to the farm.
Gu Xixi apologized to Lao Li, "I'm sorry, I invited you to my farm to help out in such a hot day, but I didn't take care of your food and drink. You have to do everything by yourselves."
Old Li smiled and said, "Boss Gu, you're welcome."
“These are the little things we do every day.”
When secret guards go on missions, survival in the wild is a necessary skill.
Finding something to drink and making something to eat is no problem at all.
It’s just that the choice of ingredients and whether it tastes good or not are two different things…
Not far from here there is a thatched pavilion, which is open on all sides and has a stove inside. It was where people working on the farm used to cook.
The secret guards were scattered in the pavilion and in various shady places outside, some sitting or squatting, and had already started eating.
When they saw He Jinglan coming, they all stood up and saluted.
He Jinglan waved her hand, "Now that we are outside, there is no need to bother with these false formalities."
"You've worked hard enough, it wouldn't hurt if you all took it easy."
There is a cherry tree next to the pavilion. It is past the fruit-bearing season and the tree is full of lush green leaves.
A table was set up under the tree, and the food and drinks on it were prepared for Gu Xixi and He Jinglan.
He Jinglan was already very thirsty, so she picked up the water pitcher and poured two full bowls of water.
She picked up the bowl and drank it all in one gulp, as if she had obtained nectar.
Gu Xixi was also thirsty. After drinking half a bowl, she tasted the fishy smell of grass leaves.
Seeing that the water was clear and colorless, she couldn't help but wonder what was put in it.
He Jinglan had already asked, "Uncle Li, has anything been soaked in this water? It smells like grass."
Old Li was stunned and ran to the pavilion to ask a young secret guard.
After a while, he came over again and said with a smile, "It's willow leaves. This thing can clear away heat and reduce internal heat."
"When boiling water, add a little bit. It has a fresh fragrance and tastes better than plain water."
There is a clear water channel in the farm. When the hot water in the can is placed in the channel, it will cool down after a while.
He Jinglan's mouth froze, and she quickly smiled, "Oh, it's really delicious!"
In fact, compared to Gu Xixi's almost never-repeating tea and sugar water every day, how is this thing any better?
But when you are thirsty, it is good to have this jar of cool willow leaf water to drink.
He Jinglan refilled her bowl and drank it in small sips before looking at the food on the table.
A few pieces of stiff unpasteurized bread, still black on the edges.
Another plate of dark brown sprinkled with salt...
Why are there claws and eyes?!
I watched Gu Xixi calmly grab something with claws and put it into her mouth. There was a crunching sound when she chewed.
He Jinglan's scalp tingled, and she asked in disbelief, "Is this... a bug?"
"Yeah." Gu Xixi nodded. "A cicada before it sheds its skin and grows wings. This is a good thing. It is fragrant and crispy after being roasted. Eating it can replenish your physical strength."
As she spoke, she took another bite of the biscuit, drank some water, and chewed hard.
"Look at what they eat. They have already saved the best for you and me."
He Jinglan glanced around and found that the pancakes in everyone's hands were more or less burnt.
The cake on her table was the least burnt.
He Jinglan silently reached out and took a pancake, then plucked up the courage to pinch a roasted cicada, closed her eyes and stuffed it into her mouth.
Even though he has been spoiled since childhood.
She didn't want to show any squeamishness at this time.
Fortunately, Gu Xixi also brought some wheat flour, corn, mung beans and tea in the car.
Everyone drank mung bean soup in the afternoon.
That night, someone was spying outside the front door of the farm, and the secret guard immediately shot a feather arrow with a powerful crossbow to warn him.
The people outside were just checking out the situation first, and they didn't know the true situation inside the village, so they didn't dare to get any closer for a while.
Gu Xixi and He Jinglan slept in the same room.
Neither of them could sleep.
He Jinglan said, "Will they come to our house to arrest people and force us to submit?"
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