Chapter 146 Zhuangzi
Rong Ye looked at Xie Shuangbai and wondered where he had hidden.
He looked around and saw him holding Rong Chi with his head down, as if he was...crying?
Rong Ye's heart trembled.
Xie Shuangbai felt that Rong Ye’s surprise today was a bit too big.
Suddenly his voice came to my ears:
"Auntie, please make some noodles for our family of three."
The lady who was entrusted to make noodles said in surprise, "I didn't expect that Your Highness would still remember me!"
"How could I not remember the noodles you made? I want to bring my family to try your cooking!"
"Okay, okay, okay, I'll do it now!"
Rong Ye: "Just take your time!"
"Hey, my lord, please go back inside and wait. I, an old woman, am very nimble!"
After saying that, she went to knead the dough with great energy.
Rong Ye walked through the crowd to Xie Shuangbai, took Rong Chi, gently pulled his hand, and followed Zhang Dachuan into the house.
The houses are very ordinary, similar to those in Xiaoshi Village, all made of mud.
But the room is very big, with many tables and chairs inside, and it looks like a place where everyone eats.
Rongye seems to be very used to this place.
He sat on the wide bench beside the table.
Everyone in the village gathered around.
Rongye looked at everyone and said, "You all should get busy."
"We don't have much to do, and we can't even farm right now!"
Xie Shuangbai looked at the young and old standing in the room. Everyone was looking at them with a simple smile.
Although he was a little uncomfortable, he understood after seeing everyone's innocent smiles.
They just saw that Rong Ye was so happy, but didn't know how to express his happiness, so they could only stand there and watch them stupidly.
Seeing how shabby the conditions were and how many elderly people were there, Xie Shuangbai asked, "Are you usually self-sufficient?"
Zhang Dachuan saw Xie Shuangbai's appearance and how close he was to the prince, so he thought he must be the prince's man, and said respectfully:
"Yes, we can't find any work outside, so we can only grow some food.
But the land in the north is barren and the harvest is average, so the prince often asks Guard Rong to bring us supplies."
After a while, the old woman prepared three bowls of noodles and a young woman brought them up.
The old woman beside him said warmly, "Your Majesty, please try it and see if it still tastes the same as it did back then."
Rong Ye looked at the full bowl of noodles in front of him, took a bite, and said lightly: "It's as delicious as before!"
The old woman's eyes narrowed into slits as she smiled: "As long as Your Highness likes it, that's good."
Seeing that everyone was gathering closer and closer, Zhang Dachuan called out, "Everyone, please sit down. If you stand, the prince won't be able to eat his noodles properly!"
Everyone then found a place to sit down and watched the three of them eat noodles.
The scene was indeed a bit awkward, and Xie Shuangbai could only eat his noodles in silence.
Rong Ye just praised the noodles for being delicious, so they should be good. After taking a bite, his face changed.
This...this is too salty!
The noodles were quite chewy, but the taste was just average.
However, Xie Shuangbai didn't show it and ate most of it silently.
He really couldn't eat the rest. The bowl was too big and eating half of it was already his limit!
While he was struggling, Rong Ye picked up his noodles without hesitation and ate all the rest.
Rong Chi only ate a few bites, and the rest of the noodles went into Rong Ye's stomach.
When the old woman saw that Rong Ye had eaten all three bowls of noodles, she laughed so hard that her teeth showed.
Xie Shuangbai asked quietly, "Can you show me around the manor?"
Rongye nodded and looked at Dachuan: "Dachuan, take us around. Let's go back. It's cold, don't let them get cold."
Zhang Dachuan said in embarrassment: "Your Highness, it's not easy for you to come here, and it's rare for others to see you. Why not just let them do what they want?"
Xie Shuangbai looked at the situation and said:
“How about Brother Dachuan and I go, and you wait for me here.
It's cold outside, and if you go out these uncles and aunts will definitely follow you, so why don't you and Chi'er wait here."
Seeing everyone's enthusiasm, Rong Ye could only nod.
Zhang Dachuan walked through the crowd and took Xie Shuangbai around the village.
He saw that although Zhuangzi was not small, it did not look like it was producing a lot of crops. He asked:
"Brother Dachuan, do you usually use fertilizer?"
"Yes, but there's a lot of wasteland and little fertilizer, so we can't use it all."
Xie Shuangbai asked again: "How do you make compost?"
After Zhang Dachuan briefly explained it, Xie Shuangbai understood the crux of the matter.
"You guys have some problems with composting, so I'll write a recipe for you to try."
Zhang Dachuan didn't expect that the handsome and refined young man could ferment fertilizer. He said quickly, "Then I'll have to trouble you, young master."
Xie Shuangbai smiled and waved his hand. He looked around again. There was nothing around except wasteland and some dried vegetables that he had dried at home.
Xie Shuangbai saw that although the manor was dilapidated, it was quite clean and tidy.
"Brother Dachuan, are there many women on our farm?"
Zhang Dachuan didn't know why he asked this, so he replied honestly:
"There are about a hundred of them. They weave cloth. All the clothes people wear in the village are woven by them."
Xie Shuangbai asked again: "How many males are there?"
"There are less than a hundred people who can do manual labor. Most of the people in this village are old, weak, and disabled."
Xie Shuangbai understood why the grain production was so low.
It’s because there are not enough strong laborers, and the technology and tools are not mature enough.
"Okay, I understand. Thank you, Brother Dachuan, for today."
Zhang Dachuan said respectfully, "You are too polite, sir. If it weren't for the prince, my brother and I would have died long ago!"
Xie Shuangbai comforted him: "As long as we are alive, there is hope!"
He saw that Dachuan looked healthy, unlike most people in Zhuangzi.
"I see you've recovered well."
Zhang Dachuan did not hide it: "My physical injury is not serious, it's my heart that is hurting."
Xie Shuangbai didn't expect him to be so direct.
The mental illness he mentioned should be what we call post-war stress in modern times.
Xie Shuangbai had read similar news before. Soldiers after the war would often suffer from insomnia, nightmares, high alertness, lack of concentration, panic, tremors, etc.!
He knew that it was no less painful than physical pain, and might even be more painful.
He patted Okawa gently.
Zhang Dachuan smiled and said, "Don't worry, sir. I like my life now!"
Xie Shuangbai saw that he was not pretending. Perhaps only in such an atmosphere could he slowly come out of it!
The two of them chatted before going back, and Xie Shuangbai wrote down the prescription for him.
The recipe he gave was very simple. Just choose dry ground, shovel it flat, dig drainage ditches around it, dig air ducts, lay branches on the ditch, and put up wooden sticks.
Finally, add chopped straw to manure and urine, stack them layer by layer, and seal them with wet mud after forming a trapezoid. After 2 to 3 days, pull out the wooden sticks to form a ventilation duct. It can be used about 15 days after the pile temperature rises. It is highly efficient and produces more fertilizer.
Zhang Dachuan was illiterate, so Xie Shuangbai explained to him how to operate it.
When the old man, who often farmed, heard this, he knew it was a good idea and immediately expressed his willingness to do it well.
After that, they stayed for a while. Seeing that it was getting late, Rong Ye said goodbye to them and took Xie Shuangbai back.
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