Chapter 50 [VIP]
After a bumpy two-hour journey, just as Liang Boqing was about to vomit, they finally arrived at the village. Everyone got off the car and accompanied him on foot towards the village.
Just as he had imagined, the village was simple and the people were honest and kind; in other words, it was an inconspicuous, poor mountain village.
As a wealthy young man who grew up in Yangzhou, he had never been to such a place before, so this was quite a novel experience for him.
Along the way into the village, they encountered many farmers who greeted Chen Qingyan and Wang Ying with utmost respect. However, most of them inquired about Chen Qingyan's husband and asked him about matters concerning the crops.
"My lord, I followed your method to mix the ash and manure, and poured some into the vegetable garden a few days ago. As a result, the vegetables have been infested with a lot of bugs. What should I do?"
"It's probably because the manure wasn't properly treated during composting, and insect eggs have appeared in it. You should add some quicklime to the ash fertilizer, the ratio is about 30 catties of fertilizer to 1 catty of quicklime, sprinkle water, stir well, and let it sit for a few days. When you use it, dissolve it in water beforehand to avoid burning the crops in the field."
"Ah, that saves me the trouble!"
“My lord, many wheat plants in the western fields have developed yellow stripes, and some of the wheat leaves have withered.”
Wang Ying frowned upon hearing this, thinking it sounded like someone had contracted rust disease. "I'll go take a look later."
After everyone left, Liang Boqing said, "Young master, you even know about farming?"
I know a little bit about it.
Liang Boqing didn't say anything, but instead felt a sense of goodwill towards the young couple.
Finally arriving at their lodgings, Chen Qinghuai stared incredulously at the large house. "Cousin, this, this is where we're staying?" He had assumed that houses on a country estate would be simple and shabby, but this one looked even nicer than the ones in town.
Upon hearing the noise, Uncle Chen in the courtyard quickly opened the gate. "Young master, the young master is back." Seeing that there were quite a few guests outside, he knew that they must be the people mentioned in the Fourth Master's letter, and he hurriedly welcomed them in.
Stepping into the courtyard, Liang Boqing finally smiled, stroking his beard and nodding in satisfaction.
The five main rooms are flanked by kitchen rooms and side rooms, all connected by a corridor. Two rocking chairs are placed under the corridor, perfect for enjoying the view on rainy days.
The courtyard is planted with many flowers, trees and shrubs, and decorated very elegantly.
What's most remarkable is that there's a stream in the courtyard, with a small arched bridge over it. This flowing water brings the courtyard to life, transforming it from a conventional four-cornered space into a vibrant space.
Stepping inside revealed a whole new world. The modern sofa and chairs in the living room immediately caught Mr. Liang's eye, and he unconsciously leaned back in them.
Although it's not very elegant to sit in, it's really comfortable. The old man couldn't help but sigh. "This chair is nice; I've never seen one like it before."
Wang Ying made up a story: "This was made according to the method of the Hu people. There are no special requirements for home use. Just do whatever is comfortable."
"Not bad, not bad." After sitting for a while, Liang Boqing got up and started to tour the house again, visiting every room except the couple's bedroom.
Seeing the pool in the bathroom behind the house, I couldn't help but reach out and touch it. The water was actually hot!
"Wonderful, wonderful! I never imagined there was such a treasure trove in the mountains!"
Back in his own bedroom, Liang Boqing touched the kang (a heated brick bed) and couldn't help but say, "The North is indeed different from the South. They even use stones to build beds. Isn't it cold to sleep on them?"
Wang Ying said, "There was a stove hole left at the back. After adding firewood to start a fire, the kang (heated brick bed) is very warm."
Liang Boqing's eyes widened upon hearing this. "Won't that roast people alive?"
Wang Ying was amused. "No, the stone slabs insulate against the heat, and there's a flue built in the middle so that any excess heat escapes through the chimney. The kang (heated brick bed) won't get too hot."
"Wow, I guess I'll have to give it a try!"
When Chen Qingyan first saw this heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed), he asked the same question, but after sleeping on it, he realized how good it was.
Especially on rainy days, sleeping on a warm kang (heated brick bed), I don't want to get up in the morning.
The attendants unloaded the luggage from the carriage and placed it in the two bedrooms in the northeast. Since Chen Qingsong had also come, they arranged for him and Qinghuai to share a room.
The two brothers huddled together to discuss knowledge from the moment they got off the bus. Whenever Chen Qingsong had a question, he could always get an answer from his cousin, and they quickly became acquainted.
After settling in, Old Liang wanted to rest, so Chen Qingyan pulled Wang Ying to the backyard and said excitedly, "Ying, do you know who he is!"
"I remember you mentioning Liang Liufang, a talented scholar from Jiangnan."
"He's not just known as a talented scholar!" Chen Qingyan began to recount what he had learned about Mr. Liang from books and people's words.
"It is said that he began his studies at the age of seven, and by the following year he had memorized all the Four Books and Five Classics. At the age of nine, he could write the poem 'The mountains are hidden and the waters are far away; autumn ends in Jiangnan and the grass has not yet withered.' At the age of sixteen, he debated the classics with Bai Shuowen, a great scholar from Jiangnan. The two debated for three days and three nights. In the end, the great scholar Bai was ashamed of his inferiority and called him the pride of heaven. He was regarded as the number one talent in Jiangnan."
Since ancient times, there has been no first place in literature, but there is no second place in martial arts. To be praised as the first by those proud scholars, one's talent is naturally beyond question.
"Unfortunately, he was found to have cheated when he took the imperial examination the following year and was disqualified. In anger, he wrote dozens of poems satirizing the imperial examination, which caused a huge uproar throughout the country at the time."
"Ah Ying, Master Liang wants to take me as his apprentice!"
"This is great news!" Wang Ying was overjoyed. She hadn't expected this person to be even more amazing than she had imagined. Perhaps his masterpieces would be among the ancient poems that students would memorize in future generations!
Chen Qingyan continued, "Master also said... he also said that the imperial court had actually allowed him to continue taking the imperial examinations long ago, but he didn't participate because he was too proud to do so!"
"Really?!"
"Um!"
This undoubtedly gave him a glimmer of hope, reigniting the fire in his heart that had long been extinguished, and making him clearly aware that he still had the opportunity to participate in the imperial examination.
Chen Qingyan's previous melancholy vanished, his eyes sparkling with life, his dazzling appearance captivating Wang Ying. She'd always known he was good-looking, but now he was becoming more and more charming…
She couldn't hear what he was saying at all; she was only staring at his constantly opening and closing lips, wanting to kiss him.
Wang Ying thought it and did it, hugging his neck and kissing him.
Chen Qingyan held the back of his head and kissed him passionately, her joy turning into desire that made her want to devour the man in her arms alive.
When the kiss ended, both of them were a little out of breath, and Chen Qingyan couldn't help but rub against his lower abdomen.
Wang Ying pushed him away and said, "We'll do it tonight... I'll go prepare food to entertain your master."
"By the way, Master likes to eat meat, how about we make him a hot pot?"
“Okay, I’ll have Uncle Chen go buy some mutton, and you go pick some vegetables and wash them. I’ll prepare the hot pot base seasoning.”
There were few servants on the estate, only Uncle Chen was there, and the two of them usually prepared the meals together.
Wang Ying is a pretty good cook. After his maternal grandparents passed away in his previous life, he lived alone and could cook simple meals.
This time, Wang Ying decided to make a tomato broth to broaden the horizons of her father-in-law.
First, blanch the tomatoes in boiling water to remove the skin, then dice them and stir-fry them to extract the juices. Set aside. Next, stew pork bones, ginger slices, star anise, bay leaves, and peppercorns together to make a broth for the hot pot.
Liang Boqing was awakened by the aroma from the kitchen. When he opened his eyes, he found himself lying in an unfamiliar room. It took him a while to remember that he had come to his hometown in Zhenghe and had even taken his nephew as an apprentice on a whim.
The old man followed the aroma out of the house and saw the young couple busy in the kitchen. He couldn't help but swallow hard, wondering what delicious food they had made that made him so hungry he felt like he had swallowed a worm.
The ingredients were finally ready, and Chen Qingyan went to call everyone over for dinner.
The weather was nice this year, so we set it up right in the yard.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
