"Okay, I understand." After saying that, Zhu Qiang started leading people to transport the straw outside.
Xu Han and Lu Chuan strolled around their neighborhood for a while, feeding the chickens, ducks, and geese. They also picked some pomegranates and dates from the orchard. After the walk, they felt much better and were no longer feeling down.
After dinner, the servants went home early, leaving the whole family sitting in the courtyard enjoying the cool air.
Lu Chuan said, "Tomorrow morning, Xiao Han and I will go to the county town to order a batch of ceramic jars. We'll also have someone carve out the designs we drew today. It'll probably take until very late, so we won't be back tonight."
Grandpa Zhao nodded. "Alright, you all go about your business. You don't need to worry about the house."
The Taoist priest said, "When you come back, why don't you buy some bricks and tiles on your way back? I went to the valley tonight and saw that there aren't many bricks and tiles left. I guess it won't be enough. There's still a kitchen that hasn't been built yet. We'll need them for many more places in the future. Bringing some back every time we go out will save us the trouble of going out to buy them later."
Xu Han said, "Yes, I understand. It's just that buying it this time will be a bit more troublesome. We can't transport too many by ship at once. I should have bought more last time."
Lu Chuan smiled and held Xu Han's hand. "It's alright, we'll transport it back by boat. We can have them go to the boat's dock and use a cart to pull it up."
It's not much at a time, and it'll be done in a few trips. Besides, we'll be doing this every time we buy things home or transport things out, so it's good for them to get used to it sooner rather than later.
Grandpa Zhao added, "No one walks on that road for years. It's overgrown with weeds on both sides, and now carts can't get through at all."
"Tomorrow, have the Taoist priest take some men to clear the road. That way, by the time you return the day after tomorrow, the road will be almost completely cleared, just in time to use a cart to haul bricks and tiles."
Xu Han pondered that this was indeed an important matter, and said, "The road over there needs to be cleared. There will definitely be more and more people using it in the future, and even if we can manage this time, it will still be difficult to walk on next time. We might as well take this opportunity to clear it all at once and build the road directly."
The trees along the road that needed to be cut down were removed, and the potholes were filled with soil. With regular maintenance, the road won't continue to fall into disrepair.
Lu Chuan agreed, "Yes, Xiao Han is right. But we definitely can't finish it in one day tomorrow. Let's just do a rough cleaning tomorrow, just enough for one bus to pass. When we have some free time later, I'll take them to fix it properly. Let's try to get it fixed as soon as possible so it won't delay our future use."
Xu Han had no objection to Lu Chuan's statement, since it was indeed impossible to repair such a long road in just one day.
After everyone had finished speaking, the Taoist priest said, "Alright, after you leave tomorrow, I'll take some people to clean it up. We'll do a rough cleanup first, just enough to make sure the carts can pass through without tipping over, right?"
“Okay, we’ll be back by the day after tomorrow at the latest. Master, you can bring people and an oxcart and a donkey cart to pick us up then.”
After everyone discussed and agreed on the plan, Xu Han and Lu Chuan went back to rest. They planned to set off for the county town before dawn the next day. They needed to go to bed early tonight, otherwise they wouldn't be able to get up in the morning and would waste time.
The Taoist priest and Grandpa Zhao were enjoying the cool air in the courtyard, chatting idly...
The next day, after Lu Chuan woke up, he called Xu Han to get up. The two got up together to wash up, and set off early without even having breakfast.
Upon arriving at their destination, Xu Han brought out the large boat, and the couple boarded it and went to the county town.
I hastily ate a couple of bites of breakfast on the boat, and we kept traveling without stopping until we reached the county town a little after nine o'clock.
Lu Chuan asked, "Would you like to go back to the house and rest for a while?"
"No need, let's take advantage of the cool weather and find someone to carve the seal first, and then we'll inquire where we can find a place to fire ceramic jars."
"Okay, let's go ask first."
The couple were unfamiliar with the county town and pondered for a long time, unsure of who to ask.
So Xu Han said, "Why don't we go to the official broker's office and ask Broker Wei? Maybe he can tell us!"
After the last transaction, Wei Yaren had become an acquaintance of the couple in the county town, so asking him would be the most appropriate thing to do.
After all, he's a dentist, so he's well-informed and knows a lot of people.
"Okay, let's go ask."
"Wouldn't it be inappropriate for us to just go there empty-handed? How about we bring a bag of pastries? After all, we're asking for their help, it wouldn't be right to go empty-handed."
Lu Chuan pointed to the pastry shop in front and said, "Let's go to that shop then, and buy some extra to take back for the two kids."
Xu Han looked in the direction Lu Chuan pointed and saw that it was the shop she often bought from. The pastries there were quite delicious, so she nodded and agreed.
The two went to the pastry shop together. Xu Han picked and chose and bought ten packs of pastries, eight of which were for her own children, and they were all snacks that Mu'er and Ze'er liked.
For the other two packs of Xu Han, I chose two classic, mainstream options that are always a safe bet when giving gifts.
After buying the goods, the two went straight to the official market. After nearly a month of changes, the market was noticeably more lively than before.
When the two arrived, Wei Yaren was just seeing off a customer at the door. He was a little surprised to see the couple, but he only paused for a moment before smiling and greeting them.
"So it's Mr. Lu and Mrs. Lu. We are so sorry for not greeting you properly."
Lu Chuan went up to greet Wei Yaren, who then led Xu Han and Lu Chuan into the hall. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Lu Chuan got straight to the point, saying, "We've come today to ask Wei Yaren about something. Does Wei Yaren know where in this county town someone can help carve seals?"
Upon hearing this, Wei Yaren pondered seriously for a while before speaking, "There really is one. There is a carpenter named Wang in the alley of South Street. His craftsmanship is first-rate. The things he carves are lifelike, and his prices are very fair."
I happen to be free right now, so how about I take you there?
Hearing Wei Yaren say this, Lu Chuan thought that the two of them had been walking all morning and his wife must be tired by now, so he asked, "Is it convenient?"
Wei Yaren chuckled, "Look at what you're saying, that's definitely convenient. Please wait here for a moment, I'll go get the oxcart."
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