When Chen Nian came back in the evening, Xia Tian told her about going shopping with Madam Cao and Madam Wang today.
"That's fine." Chen Nian nodded. "Go ahead if they invite you, but pay for everything yourself and don't let them get any leverage."
"Well, don't worry." Xia Tian came over, "I paid for the jewelry today myself. Although there was a discount, it was still within a reasonable range."
Of course she understood this. Today, Mrs. Cao took her shopping and brought her to her own shop. She probably wanted to give her jewelry.
She has her own money, and Shen Nian has a lot of private property. They are not short of money, so there is no need to take advantage of this. It would be bad if someone accuses them of corruption later.
"Brother Shen, how are things going over there? Have you found any problems?" She knew that he went to the yamen early this morning just to find out about the current situation in Linzhou as soon as possible.
"On the surface, there's nothing to show." Shen Nian pondered for a moment, "The account shows that the disaster relief food and silver have been distributed. At present, there is no problem from the surface account."
Today he went to the governor's office and summoned the provincial governor, provincial judge and other officials. He checked the projects of grain and silver allocated by the court for disaster relief last year and this year, but found no problems.
It is still unclear what the emperor wanted him to investigate.
It seems that I still need to go downstairs for a walk.
"Then don't be anxious. Just figure it out slowly first before doing anything else." Xia Tian comforted him.
"Yeah." Shen Nian nodded, "Rest early!"
It was getting late, so they both went to bed.
The next day, Xiatian didn't have breakfast at home. He took Ningxiang, Ningxue, Cuiyun and Cuiling to the morning market.
Yesterday morning, I followed Mrs. Cao and Mrs. Wang and took a carriage directly to the rouge and powder and jewelry shops to have a look. We didn't go anywhere else on the street.
Today, a few of them simply went out early, took a horse carriage to the morning market, got off early and walked and strolled around.
There are many varieties of food on the roadside snack stalls, including wontons, rice balls, sesame cakes, rice noodles, buns, pot stickers, etc.
A few people bought one of each, tried a few bites, and had almost finished their meal by walking from the beginning to the end of the street.
"Madam, there are so many snacks in the south." Cui Ling sighed while eating.
"Yeah, the taste is quite different from that in the capital."
"Well, madam, didn't they say there was a disaster here? Why does it feel so lively?" Ningxue came over quietly and whispered.
Before they came, they had imagined many scenes of people having nothing to eat or drink here, thinking that it was a disaster and the aftermath of a plague, and that the people here must be living in extreme misery.
So when packing, he wanted to take everything he could, and if the carriage really couldn't fit it, he would even take the toilet.
"This is Sangluo City in Linzhou. Even if there's a disaster, it won't be noticeable in this city!"
Xia Tian explained to them quietly, "If you want to see how the people here live, you have to go to the slums or the villages outside the city."
If a state's capital is poor and dilapidated, I wonder what life will be like for the common people there.
Besides, this is Linzhou, one of the richest places in the Dagan Dynasty, and it is a famous land of fish and rice.
If there are no other problems, being an official here is much better than in other states.
The few of them walked around, looked, and bought things. Soon they bought a lot of things they needed. Every time they bought a lot of things, they asked Fu Gui to take them and put them on the carriage, and then they continued shopping.
He didn't come back at noon and went out to eat before coming back.
It's November now, and it's still very cold in the south at night. As a northerner, I'm not used to the damp and cold weather in the south in summer.
Every time I go to bed, I miss the kang in the warm room in the capital. It is so comfortable to sleep on it.
Otherwise, even though we burn charcoal basins here during the day and at night, I still don’t feel it is as comfortable as sleeping on a kang.
In the summer, I thought about building a kang in the house here so that it would be comfortable in the winter as well.
Ningxiang, Ningxue and the others also grew up in the north and slept on kangs since childhood. When they heard that she wanted to sleep on a kang, they immediately agreed with both hands.
Xia Tian found Fu Gui and asked him to find a craftsman who could make a kang.
I just don't know if I can find someone who knows how to make a kang in this southern city.
Fu Gui asked around for two days but couldn't find a craftsman who could make a kang.
I was planning to just make do with it this summer, or just direct someone to make one myself based on the videos I’ve seen before.
As a result, the wife of the Censor somehow found out about this and brought people to the house.
"Mrs. Xia, I heard that you are looking for someone to build a kang for your home, right?" Mrs. Li asked with a smile as she came in.
Xia Tian was secretly shocked. How did Madam Li know about this?
But he didn't ask directly, and explained with a smile, "Yes, I'm from the north. It's my first time in Linzhou, and it feels so damp everywhere. I thought of just making a kang. I'm still not used to sleeping on it."
"Oh, what a coincidence!" Madam Li clapped her hands. "I'm also from the north, and I'm used to sleeping on a kang in winter. The kang in my house was made by the steward in my mansion. If Madam Xia doesn't mind, let him make it for you."
"Is Madam Li also sleeping on the kang in this house?"
Xia Tian was even more surprised. She knew that Lord Li and Madam Li were both from the north, but she didn't expect that there were people who had the same idea as her.
"Yes, just like you. I couldn't adapt in the first year. Later, someone in the mansion happened to know how to do it, so we just made a kang. It's more comfortable to sleep on a kang in winter." Madam Li shared her experience when she came here.
They came here in the summer. The weather in the south was hot and they were not used to it at first. After the summer passed, they thought that winter would not be as cold as in the north.
I didn't expect it to be so cold and wet. It felt like no matter how much clothes I wore, it was useless. It was my first winter and I had no experience, so I just got through it like that.
The next year, speaking of the kang in the north, it just so happened that there was a steward in the mansion who was also brought from the north and knew how to make a kang. The following winters felt much more bearable.
Since they had common experiences and needs, they started talking more.
When Mrs. Li came over today, she brought people with her. After thanking Mrs. Li, Xia Tian directly asked Fu Gui to connect with him and told Fu Gui to arrange everything that was needed.
The manager acted quickly, and in less than ten days, she had a warm kang to sleep on.
Ningxiang and her friends chose a room that belonged to one of the four people and made a large bunk bed that could accommodate all four of them. When it was cold in winter, they could sleep on the same kang, and when it was hot in summer, they could sleep back in their own rooms.
This makes it convenient to heat the kang.
In the study room in the front yard of Chen Nian's house, two kangs were set up for the rooms of Aunt Zhang, Ningyue and Ningshuang.
Mu Feng and his friends also picked a larger room in the front yard and made a large bunk bed like Ningxiang and her friends.
Anyway, there is no shortage of firewood in the south, so heating the kang is not difficult.
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