Chapter 63 [VIP]
Liang Boqing was even more anxious about this than Wang Ying. He was the one who sent the seeds to the capital. What if the growth wasn't as good as described in the letter? Wouldn't that be a waste of time and effort for the two children?
He called Wang Ying to his side and inquired about the specific measures to prevent a late spring cold snap. He then wrote two letters overnight, one to the capital and the other to Changting County, where his son lived.
As a county magistrate, grain tax and poll tax are both important matters. It is hoped that Wang Ying's method can save the people of Changting County from disaster and make his son's career smoother.
Wang Ying has been checking on the fields every day recently, and it will be December in a few days.
The old saying goes that you can walk on ice during the third and fourth nine-day periods of winter, which is the coldest time of the year. This year, the river hasn't even frozen over, with only a thin layer of ice on the riverbank. The warmth is really abnormal.
Wang Ying was almost certain that a cold snap was coming, so she quickly told the villagers to start irrigating the fields.
The principle of irrigation is that water has a greater heat capacity than air and soil. Irrigation increases the soil's heat storage, raises soil temperature, and reduces the damage of low temperatures to wheat. ①
The common people don't understand these scientific principles; they only know that if the young master wants to flood the area, there must be a reason, so they'll listen to him and they're sure to be right!
Those living near the river started irrigating their fields, while those further away fetched water to irrigate their land. They worked tirelessly until the end of the year, when all 300 mu of land in the village was irrigated.
Other villagers tried to water their plants the same way, but were ridiculed by their fellow villagers.
"Watering the fields in the dead of winter, won't all the wheat seedlings freeze into ice blocks? It's no wonder the wheat won't turn green again next year. Whoever came up with this terrible idea is really despicable."
Those who were mocked were also uneasy, but the autumn harvest in Chenjiazhuang was a real bounty, and their own millet had been cured of disease by their young master, so they decided to take the gamble no matter what.
He never expected that his gamble would actually pay off! Most of the wheat in the village was frozen to death or damaged, and only the few households that irrigated their fields were spared from the disaster.
These are all stories for later. Now, with only ten days left until the New Year, Liang Shuo sent someone early to fetch his father to Changting County for a family reunion.
Everyone was a little reluctant to part, as they had originally planned to take Old Liang to town to celebrate the New Year together.
Chen Qinghuai tugged at Liang Boqing's sleeve and said, "Teacher, please come back soon..."
"I know, you'll be taking the county exam next February, and I'll have to go with you."
Chen Qingyan said, "Please be careful on the road."
"Don't worry, you three shouldn't just think about having fun during this time. When you come back, we'll test your studies. If any of you can't answer the questions, I'll give you a good spanking!"
The three nodded repeatedly, promising that they wouldn't dare to be playful.
Wang Ying had her attendants load all the prepared New Year's goods onto the car. Baskets of fresh vegetables and fruits, as well as mountain produce, wild pheasants, and wild rabbits collected from the village, filled half the car.
"Why did you bring me so much food? It'll all go bad if we can't finish it!"
"Take this to Brother Liang to try. It won't be easy to find these dishes over there."
Liang Boqing smiled as he boarded the carriage, waved to the children, and rode away with an air of nonchalance.
*
Old Liang wouldn't be back until after the Lantern Festival, and Chen Qingyan locked up the villa and led the group back to town.
The family had prepared all the New Year's goods long ago, and with Chen Rong's help this year, Li Shi was much less worried. Everything they needed to eat and use was provided, and they even made two new sets of clothes for each of the children.
Just like last year, everyone tried on new clothes in Li's room. Wang Ying was pregnant, so the clothes made for her were particularly large and a bit too big for her.
Chen Rong held the fabric and said, "Take this off and I'll alter it for you later. You're about seven months pregnant, aren't you?"
"Exactly seven months."
Wang Ying's belly was already showing, round and plump like an upside-down ladle, and she looked somewhat cumbersome.
Li said, "It's good that it didn't snow this year, otherwise the roads would be slippery and it would be easy to slip and fall when going in and out."
When wrestling was mentioned, Chen Rong recalled an old story: "Sister-in-law, do you remember when you were pregnant with Qingyan, it was winter and you were heavily pregnant? Second sister-in-law deliberately splashed water on the steps of your yard, causing you to fall."
Li also recalled this incident and spat, saying, "That family is heartless. Back then, when the old man was planning to divide the family property, the second wife had just given birth to the eldest son six months ago, and she was already thinking of causing me to miscarry. Since the second wife only had one eldest grandson, my father-in-law could give them a larger share."
"Fortunately, that winter was very cold, and my sister-in-law was dressed warmly. She fell but was not hurt at all, and gave birth to Qingyan safely in March of the following year."
Li held Wang Ying's hand and said, "Judging by the time of birth, this child will be born in February or March. I hope he will be born safely."
Wang Ying gently touched her belly. As the months went by, she became increasingly anxious and worried, saying, "I'm afraid this baby won't be healthy when it's born."
"What do you mean?" Li and Chen Rong asked in unison.
"What if you lose an arm or a leg, or become deaf or blind...?"
In her past life, Wang Ying had seen many children with congenital defects on her phone, including celebrities, such as those with cleft lip and palate, deafness and muteness, and Down syndrome. Just thinking about it was terrifying.
In addition, there were no prenatal checkups in ancient times, and having a child was entirely a matter of luck. If a child was born with a disability, how could the family bear it?
Chen Rong patted his hand and said, "No, you two are so healthy, the baby will definitely be fine."
Li also said, "Your thoughts are just like Qingyan's father's back then. When Qingyan was about to be born, he was so worried that he couldn't sleep all night, fearing that he would give birth to a mentally challenged child."
Most parents start worrying about their children even before they are born. When they are young, they worry that their children will get sick; when they are young, they worry that their children will suffer; when they are middle-aged, they worry that their children will not be able to establish themselves in society; and when they are old, they worry that their children will suffer. They can't rest easy for the rest of their lives.
Wang Ying said, "I also want to go to a Buddhist temple to pray after the New Year." He was originally an atheist, but after having this little guy, he suddenly understood his mother-in-law. The so-called worship of gods and Buddhas is just to put one's mind at ease.
“Okay, when the weather gets warmer, I’ll take you to the temple.”
"Has Qiu sent any messages lately?"
"Here I am. I was planning to come back after the second day of the Lunar New Year, but—" Chen Rong covered her face and laughed, "I'm pregnant. I didn't dare to let him travel back and forth because it was too early in the pregnancy."
Wang Ying exclaimed in surprise, "Those two are incredibly fast!"
Chen Qingyan, who was sitting to the side, glanced at him upon hearing this and thought to herself, "If we had slept together earlier, the baby would have been born by now."
“I was thinking of taking Lin Sui to the county town for a short stay after the New Year to take care of him after he gave birth before we came back.”
"Perfect timing, I'll go with my cousin then."
After the New Year, Chen Qinghuai had to go to the county town in advance to prepare for the exam. The county exam started on February 12th every year. The long journey would definitely take a toll on his condition, so he needed to rest for a few days after arriving in the county town.
When the county examination was mentioned, Li glanced cautiously at her eldest son, and only felt relieved when she saw that Chen Qingyan's expression was normal.
It seems that the trials and tribulations of the past year have not been a bad thing; at least my son's personality has matured a lot.
*
Amidst the crackling of firecrackers, the old year departs, and the warm spring breeze brings new life to the New Year's wine.
New Year's Eve arrived in the blink of an eye. The sky was overcast early in the morning, and light snow began to fall in the afternoon. This was the first snow of the year, and also the last snow.
Chen Qingyan stamped her feet as she entered the house. "They said it wouldn't snow this year, but it happened to snow today. I wonder how it is at the other courtyard. Before leaving, I told Dashun to go back and help feed the cats and dogs."
Wang Ying frowned, her heart filled with worry for the wheat fields on the farm. "I just hope it snows a few more times now, and then it stops after spring."
"Don't think about those things. Mother wants you to stay up late in the front yard to celebrate the New Year."
"Why."
The two went to the front yard together. When they entered the house, Chen Rong was playing cards with the three children. Seeing Wang Ying come over, she quickly got up and said, "You've come at the right time. Come and play with them. I'm going to chat with your mother for a while."
Wang Ying took off her coat and handed it to Chen Qingyan, "Why isn't Qinghuai playing?"
"My cousin is preparing for the county-level exam and isn't in the mood to play."
Wang Ying sat down and played with the three children. This leaf card game is similar to mahjong, with bamboo, characters, and dots, and you can eat or pong.
The children got more and more excited as they played, and then pulled out their New Year's money to gamble for real. Wang Ying thought to herself, "I'm going to make you little brats cry from winning so much!"
The stakes in the leaf card game weren't huge, but each hand still yielded a few coins. Soon, Chen Qingsong, who had initially insisted on playing for real money, had lost quite a bit.
He received a total of 130 coins in lucky money this year. He originally planned to buy two new calligraphy brushes after the New Year, but after an hour, he lost all but 40 coins.
With a long face, he said, "I'm not playing anymore, I'm not playing anymore."
Wang Ying pulled him back from the table, saying, "You can't not play; you have to finish this round at least."
Helpless, Chen Qingsong had no choice but to continue playing cards. In the end, he lost so much that he only had twenty coins left. Lin Sui lost sixty coins, Qingyun lost thirty coins, and Wang Ying was the only winner.
Looking at the children's worried faces, Wang Ying weighed the money bag in her hand and said, "Take this to heart, all of you. Nine out of ten gamblers lose. Never touch the word 'gambling' again."
"I understand..." Seeing that Chen Qingsong was about to cry, Wang Ying stopped teasing him, returned all the money she had won, and gave each person an extra fifty coins as New Year's money.
The three children cheered up again instantly, but from then on, Chen Qingsong never touched the leaf cards again.
*
Uncle Si probably felt that leaving his son here had caused his sister-in-law a lot of trouble, so he sent the New Year's gifts much earlier than in previous years, on the first day of the Lunar New Year.
The New Year's gifts were plentiful, filling a whole cart. In addition to Shanzhou's specialty sheep's milk cake, there were several bolts of fine wool cloth, kneaded sheepskin and cowhide, and utensils and spices exchanged with the Hu people.
Cashmere fabrics are all undyed off-white; you can take them to a dye shop and dye them yourself whatever color you like.
The only downside is that it has a faint muttony smell, but there's nothing that can be done about it. At that time, herders hadn't yet mastered methods to remove the smell, so they could only wait until the weather was warm to take it out to dry.
Chen Rong touched the woolen cloth and kept praising it, "This is a good thing, it's so soft and warm, it's perfect for making clothes for the children!"
Li said, "Later, take two bolts of cloth and make some clothes for Xiao Qiu's children. These two children were born at the beginning and end of the year, respectively, and they were born during the cold season, so they can use the clothes."
Chen Rong grinned from ear to ear, "Then I'll take advantage of this." She wouldn't want it herself, but for her grandson, she would swallow her pride and ask for a piece.
Chen Jing learned from a letter that his nephew was expecting a child and even sent him a silver lock.
This lock is only the size of a child's palm, but it is exquisitely crafted. The front is engraved with auspicious cloud patterns, and the back has the words "May you live a long and healthy life." Below it hangs a row of twelve lifelike zodiac animals, each the size of a bean, clearly indicating its high value.
Li wrapped the cloth in a handkerchief and handed it to Wang Ying, saying, "Keep this safe. Wear it after the baby is born."
In the same year, a long letter from home was also sent as a gift.
The letter mainly recounted events that occurred after he took office. In August, Chen Jing ordered the annihilation of the largest bandit stronghold in Shanzhou and the opening of a section of the Longxi official road, which led to a sudden surge in the number of merchants in Shanzhou.
People from pastoral areas brought their own goods to barter, and the commercial tax revenue was much higher than last year.
Secondly, he instructed his son to study hard and not to embarrass him in the county examination. He also inquired about the health of Li Shi and Chen Rong, hoping that he would have time to return to pay respects to their ancestors the next day.
Of course, this was just his wish. Shanzhou was more than 2,000 li away from Jizhou, and it would take more than two months to make a trip there. As the governor of the prefecture, how could he travel there so easily?
Just as I finished reading the letter, the doorman came to announce that a guest had come to visit.
Chen Rong stood up and asked, "Who came on the first day of the Lunar New Year?"
Everyone got up and went out to greet him. The newcomer was an unfamiliar face. He cupped his hands and said, "I, Li Cai, greet you, Madam. I have been entrusted by Master Li to deliver a message to you. Your father, Old Master Li, is not feeling well and wishes to see you."
Upon hearing this, Li's face turned pale instantly. "Father...is he unwell?"
A note from the author:
Note ① Prevention and Control of Late Spring Frost in Winter Wheat
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