The prefect was stuffed because today's dishes were even more lavish than last time. Xiao Luobei, on the other hand, didn't control his appetite. Seeing that Sanwa and the others had big bowls, he also took a big bowl and had no choice but to eat it in order not to waste food.
Although Sanwa asked him to share some of his food with him halfway through, he couldn't bring himself to do it and ended up eating it all by himself.
After digesting his food, Prefect Xiao stood up and said, "Thank you for your hospitality, Madam An. We'll take our leave now and come again another day."
Seeing him stand up, Li Shi and Xiao Luobei and his sister also stood up.
Xiao Luobei asked, "Dad, are we going back now? Can I stay here and play for a few more days?" He didn't want to go back yet. He had finally met some fun friends. If he went back so early, he didn't know when he would be able to go back again.
“No,” Magistrate Xiao refused without even thinking. “Everyone in the village is busy. They don’t have time to entertain you. Come again next time. Next year is the autumn examination, which is held every three years. You will have to participate. You can’t spend all your time playing.”
Knowing he couldn't stay, Xiao Luobei was disappointed but didn't say much. "Alright then, I'll come find them again next time!"
An Shuyi followed them out and called over a few people to carry the prepared boxes onto the carriage. "If the Prefect's wife needs any more skincare products in the future, she can send someone to the village to get them. Please take care."
Madam Li nodded, "You two ladies don't need to be so formal. My name is Yue Shu, you can call me that. We'll be going now, but you can come to my residence if you need anything."
Although she was still unclear about the relationship between Xia and her husband, her upbringing prevented her from behaving rudely when others treated her with courtesy.
"You can call me Shuyi, and her Xia Hua. If you have time, you can come to our village to play more often, even if you stay for a few days."
"Okay, I'll come when I have time. Let's go then." After saying that, he was helped into the carriage.
After watching them leave, An Shuyi turned around and said, "Third brother, come here for a moment."
"Mother, why did you call your son here?" The third son ran over with a grin, as if no one could tell he was happy.
"Three days from now, a group of civilians will be going to join the army. You will go with them. I have already asked the prefect to make arrangements. However, once you get there, you will have to rely on yourselves for everything. So you have three more days to consider."
"Hehe," the third son laughed, "Mother, don't worry, your son is not one to give up easily. I will definitely go. When the time comes, I will also earn you an imperial title, even more prestigious than the sixth son's."
An Shuyi patted him lightly, "Just don't cause me any trouble. I can't afford that title. If you dare to gamble without me by your side, I'll chop you up."
"Mother, it's been so long since I gambled. That's all in the past. You can't bring it up again. Besides, there's no place to gamble in the military camp. And I wouldn't dare."
"You know that's good. If I catch you, you'll be sorry. Hurry up and get some more training. Don't take this sandbag off until you're on the battlefield. Keep it tied up properly." Although it's just sand, it has a great effect.
"I understand, Mother, don't worry." After saying that, she ran off into the distance.
After he walked away, Xia Hua said, "Let's go for a walk and digest our food. We need to go to bed early tonight. Tomorrow we'll go to Jinnan City to buy some more fabric, food, fruit, and other things."
"After Sanwa and the others join the army, we'll go up the mountain for a few days to find some flowers and herbs, and some ginseng." As for hunting, we'll have to wait another two or three months. The animals in the forest are breeding now, so it's not a good time for hunting.
An Shuyi nodded in agreement. Although she wanted to go up the mountain tomorrow, her third and fourth brothers were going to join the army in a few days, so it wouldn't be appropriate for her to go now. She decided to wait a few more days.
The two walked around the village for a while, and when it was still light, they returned to their house. At noon today, Changwu brought back the bath tubs they had ordered, but he only brought back four. This time, not only did they buy them, but many women in the village saw them buying them and wanted to buy some too.
Now that the bathtubs have been brought back, she and Xia Hua each have one. The other two bathtubs are given to An's father and the Zhao family, and to Zhao Shi. If anyone else wants more, they'll have to wait a few days. As for the two of them, they decided to take a good bath as soon as the bathtubs were brought back.
Although there was a kitchen in the house, the two of them did not use fire to heat water. Xia Hua took out a generator, the kind that was very quiet, and placed it in the kitchen. She then put the bathtub in the kitchen, filled it with more than half water, and then put in a few water heaters, hot water sticks.
This is a great thing. Not only does it require little electricity, but it also heats up very quickly. If you put three pipes in each bathtub, it won't take long to heat up a tub of water. To avoid scalding the bottom of the tub, you can hang the pipes on top.
Although they could wash up in the side room next to their room, it was too cramped to fit two bathtubs and a generator at the same time. The kitchen was better, since it was empty and had no furniture.
Because all the clan members eat in the canteen, no matter which household it is, the kitchen is unfurnished. Of course, this is not always the case; some families may have some furniture, but not much. It is mainly for the elderly and children, in case they are hungry. If there is food available, they can cook something for them.
While the hot water was heating up, the two prepared their clothes and toiletries. Once the water was hot, they put away the generator and the hot water heater and could then take a shower.
Although they had soaked in the hot spring a few days ago, that wasn't a proper bath; it was more like a quick soak. This was a proper bath, and they didn't come out until their skin was rubbed raw and red.
After changing into the pajamas that had already been made, An Shuyi exclaimed, "This is so comfortable. This is what life should be like." Before, she always rushed through taking a shower and then had to wear dirty clothes afterward.
Fortunately, she could change her underwear every day without anyone noticing. Otherwise, if she only changed her underwear every few days, she would have worried that she might get gynecological diseases.
"That's good, as long as you're comfortable. Move over a bit, I'll empty the water and clean and dry the bathtub." Xia Hua waited for her to move over, then poured the water from the bathtub into the drain. There's a small drain in the kitchen, just so you can empty the water.
"Let's go to the room and sit for a while until our hair dries before we go to sleep."
An Shuyi nodded and went to the room with her. "The hair in ancient times was so long. If it weren't for the fact that people would say it was too short, I would like to cut it shorter."
Xia Hua glared at her, "Don't cause trouble. Our bodies and hair are gifts from our parents. Don't challenge the bottom line of those old guys in the village, or you'll anger them to death, and we'll both be sinners."
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