Chapter 139 138. Eat some mutton to nourish the kidneys and strengthen the yang...
The appearance of the halo seems to be a real warning sign.
In previous years, after the May 5th Festival, the sun would become so scorching that it would make people feel uncomfortable.
Just after the Cold Food Festival this year, the sun was so strong that even the drought-resistant sweet potatoes in the fields could not bear it. They had to be watered every day in the early morning or late evening. Drought-intolerant peppers, water-intensive rice, and summer vegetables required even more care.
The demand for water has increased, and the original canal is no longer sufficient.
The villagers dug the field channels wider, brought more water from Sanli River for irrigation, and chopped bamboo to pad the channels to prevent excessive water loss during flow.
A bamboo mat is also placed on the channel to block the sun and reduce evaporation, and it is used at certain times.
Fortunately, Sanli River is large enough, and the water level has dropped a little visibly, but it is still sufficient for now. If there are a few heavy rains in May and June, there will be no worries.
The few acres of dry land on the slope that Lei Li bought were not in good condition. The water drawn from the mountain by bamboo was dry, so water had to be carried up from the bottom of the slope for watering.
Xiaohua, now called Lei Jingsheng.
She is a grown-up girl, and as a grown-up girl, she should avoid suspicion. Last year, she stopped living in the staff dormitory with Huang Qinglou and moved into the Lei family because of her good relationship with the Lei family.
After renovation and expansion, the Lei family's house became much larger, with four or five bedrooms.
Liu Ye'er and Lei Dashan sleep in the main house, Lei Li and Zhou Yi sleep in the second bedroom on the right, and Lei Jingsheng sleeps in the second bedroom on the left. When the baby grows up, he will have his own room.
Except for spring plowing, autumn harvest and Cold Food Festival, when they worship their ancestors, the Lei Li family all live in a house in the county town and rarely come back. Lei Jingsheng lives in the Lei family's house, so naturally he has to take care of the Lei family's fields.
It's too dry today.
Lei Li asked Lei Jingsheng to take good care of the vegetable garden and leave enough for her own consumption. She would ask others to take care of the paddy fields and pepper fields, and abandon the other land or rent it out to those in financial difficulty. She would only be able to harvest 10% of the grain from one acre of land.
In addition to paying 10% tax to the government for one acre of land, hired farmers also have to give 20% to 30% of grain to the landowner, but they don't have to pay silver. Most landless farmers are willing to do this job.
"You live alone in the countryside. Although your neighbors are close, you're still a girl. It would be bad if you were robbed by someone with bad intentions. Having two dogs can help you guard the house and keep you company."
After hearing what Lei Li said, Lei Jingsheng went to a house that had puppies for sale last year and brought back two. He raised them and they have grown into majestic big dogs.
Usually, Lei Jingsheng would take one with him when he went out and leave one at home. He would lock the gate of the courtyard, and the villagers would keep an eye on the dogs when they passed by Lei's house, so they wouldn't be afraid of thieves or hooligans.
The villagers saw that Lei Jingsheng was old, worked as the manager of the Lei family in the chili garden, and was registered in the Lei family, making her Lei Li's adopted sister, so they started to worry about her marriage.
With Lei Li’s reputation for ferocity in mind, no one dared to introduce a worse person to Lei Jingsheng.
On the left is the eldest son of a wealthy family in the town, on the right is the youngest son of a landlord, and there is also a scholar who is looking for her, saying that if she is preparing to take the examination for the title of Tongsheng, she will have a high chance of passing.
There are also people who shamelessly promote their own sons, but fortunately they are good-looking and work hard, otherwise the villagers would poke their spines and laugh at them.
"They're so annoying."
Lei Jingsheng had some free time, so she took a carriage to the county town to look for Lei Li. Frowning, she complained to him, "I told you I don't want to get married, but you keep pushing me like I only have two years left to live."
"Even if I hadn't married in 1954, I'd still be in my early twenties. According to what my sister-in-law said... I'd be in the prime of my life!"
"If you're not happy, just reject it."
Lei Li's mouth felt a little salty from cracking melon seeds. He took a sip of tea and continued, "When you waste your time talking to them, they think you're shy and want to get married but are too embarrassed. After all this time, they think you're indecisive and hard to control."
"I know."
Lei Jingsheng also took a sip of tea and said, "If I get tired of talking, I'll just send Big Yellow and Big Black out to scare them. After scaring them a few times, they won't have so many concerns about life anymore."
"But if you have a good one, you have to keep an eye out for me. My brother has the best taste. Even if I haven't met the person yet, I would be happy to marry her right now, even if I cover my head with a veil."
"My husband, of course, wants you to choose for yourself."
Lei Li was a little amused. "You might not like the one I like, and if you're not happy with your marriage, you'll come back to me and make trouble. I don't have the time to mediate between you two."
"That won't work. Brother, you have to mediate. How can you just marry someone and not care about the aftermath?"
Lei Jingsheng had been hanging out with Lei Li for a long time, and had picked up some of his bad habits of being playful and smiling. He laughed and played with the brother for a while, and when he heard the baby wake up, he ran to play with the baby.
She even poked her head out and said, "Brother, I've finally come back, you must ask Auntie to make me some soybean stewed with pig's trotters. There's no cold drinks in the countryside, so I want a big glass this time, soaked in kumquat snow."
"We asked you to come up and live with us. You should live in the country. Wouldn't it be better if you could drink every day in the city?"
"No, I have to show you the pepper garden!"
—
It is very hot in May.
There were only a few light rains throughout May, and the sun became even hotter.
The water level of the river used for cargo transportation at the port has dropped by several points. Fortunately, it has not affected the traffic yet. However, if the sun continues to rise like this, not only people but also livestock and crops will not be able to bear it. We can only hope that there will be some heavy rains in the rainy June.
The dog days are hot and humid.
The dog days are between the Lesser Heat and the End of Heat. The first, middle and last dog days are collectively called the three dog days, so some people also call summer the three dog days.
June 6th is the Sheep Festival.
Meat is expensive these days. Mutton is three or four times more expensive than pork, and wild sheep in the mountains are even more expensive.
But the old saying goes, "A bowl of mutton soup in the dog days of summer is enough to save you from the need for a doctor's prescription." Eating mutton in the dog days of summer to heat up, eliminate sweat and detoxify is an old tradition in Qingmi County.
Rich families in the county town all like to eat the Fuyang Banquet, and the Lei family is no exception.
There were many more people selling sheep on the street, and there was also a hunter selling wild black goats. The meat of this kind of goat was tender, delicious, and had little smell of mutton, so it was sold at a high price of sixty cents per pound.
This is much more cost-effective than the pheasant that was sold for fifteen cents per pound at the town market two years ago.
"It just so happened that my husband and I saw it on our way home from get off work. We stopped the sheep before it was slaughtered and bought the whole thing. It cost five taels of silver."
Lei Li dragged the stubborn black goat to the backyard. Liu Ye'er and Lei Dashan saw them on the way and explained with a smile.
Mutton can also nourish the kidneys and strengthen yang.
Lei Li glanced at Zhou Yi's lower body teasingly without saying anything. Zhou Yi had already realized what he meant and his face suddenly became red.
Lei Li chuckled in amusement.
Seeing that the baby was not bad, he touched his chubby little face and said, "It's a pity that our ginger is still young and can't eat mutton. When ginger grows up, daddy will get you dragon meat if you want to eat it."
“Ahhh!”
The baby nodded excitedly, and I didn't know whether he understood or was just grinning because his father coaxed him into happiness.
It's hot today.
Children are more afraid of heat than adults.
The baby was only wearing a light-colored embroidered bellyband, and his bare butt was held by his grandma. However, because he was active and playful, a thin layer of sweat still appeared on his back.
The baby is almost nine months old now. Aunt Fang said, "Sit at seven, crawl at eight, and be weaned at nine." He can already sit steadily without help, and crawl quickly and smoothly. However, when it comes to changing clothes and diapers, he is like a loach.
Fortunately, the baby was quite obedient. After a few words of coaxing and praising, he obediently let me take off his clothes and change them.
Not picky about food either.
I have been slowly adding complementary foods to my baby since he was four months old, and now he is almost ready to be weaned. There is nothing that he doesn't like to eat, even vegetable puree he eats obediently.
Some children are sensitive to taste. They think vegetables have an earthy or irritating smell, so they don’t like to eat them. Or they think eggs and meat are fishy and don’t like to eat them.
But the baby should be like Lei Li and Zhou Yi. He eats whatever he is given and is easy to raise. He eats a combination of precious grains and vegetables. The baby is raised to be rosy and cute, and he even giggles with his eyes curved when he sees people.
Not noisy either.
It's just that children are more lively by nature. They love to crawl and roll around on the mat and couch. If given a few toys, they will play by themselves for a long time. When they are hungry or have diarrhea, they will whimper.
Still a little chatterbox.
He doesn't even know how to call out "Daddy". He just talks and chats with people in an "ahhh" manner, and dances with his hands and feet. He is so adorable.
Such a little doll is really loved by everyone who sees it.
Especially Mengluo.
He has been having emotional problems recently. He has brought the girl into his house and raised her for half a year, but he has rarely seen her in a good mood, let alone kissed or hugged. He doesn't know when he will have a baby.
Every time he sees the baby being so well-behaved and cute, Mengluo feels itchy in his heart like a cat scratching, and he likes the baby even more. Most of the baby’s toys are given by him.
"Mengluo gave the baby a pair of Yu Linglong two days ago, so he should be invited to the Fuyang Feast today."
Lei Li discussed with Zhou Yi, "Call Chen Xiangrang too. This black goat is rare, let Uncle Chen have a taste of something new. Also, call Zhu Zhuer and her godfather, Jingsheng, Miao Fulang, and Liu Xiaocao's family."
"Give the carriage that Grandpa and his family brought to the academy to use. Ask our coachman to pick them up. Then rent another carriage to pick up Jingsheng and Liu Xiaocao's family, and we'll be all set."
"If it's not enough, buy another sheep, or kill a chicken or a duck. If it's hot, buy some cold drinks and wine. That will make everyone happy."
"become."
Seeing that he had made up his mind, Zhou Yi nodded and said, "I'll go light the fire first. When you have arranged to slaughter the sheep, they will come and knead the dough and cook."
Miao Fulang and Zhu Da Hu lived nearby and arrived the earliest. They did not sit idle waiting for food and drinks, but rolled up their sleeves to help Lei Li and Zhou Yi make a fire and cook.
Miao Fulang and Zhu Zhuer did not go to the kitchen with their children. They were picking vegetables and talking with Liu Yeer in the main room, watching the two children playing with the baby on the couch.
Yuan's maternal family and Lei Jingsheng and Liu Xiaocao's family of three also arrived. A large group of people worked together, using several boilers at the same time, and their efficiency was much higher while they talked.
Clear soup lamb head, flavored braised lamb, stir-fried lamb with green onions, crispy lamb chops, spicy stir-fried lamb offal, lamb pan-fried buns, and a whole roasted lamb made from a half-grown lamb, all crispy and juicy.
Vegetarian dishes were naturally indispensable. Liu Guo brought up a lot of green vegetables from home. The leaves were still green with water droplets sprinkled on them, so she stir-fried them with garlic and put them on two plates.
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