Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Li County New Year
The kang in Shi Jin's house has been built. Ding Pu and Zhao An are responsible for the final inspection. As long as they nod, the kang can be used.
Tao Yanghui swore that he had never been so nervous in his short seventeen years of life. He watched Ding Pu hammering away at the inspection and finally nodded.
Tao Yanghui relaxed instantly.
When Ding Pu was chosen to be in charge of the kang, Tao Yanghui had joined a few leaders in saying a few harsh words to him. Fortunately, Ding Pu was not a person who held grudges and did not make things difficult for him.
The mission was completed, and Tao Yanghui and Guo Zi had to leave. Kang Zhuqing and Shi Tu didn't dare to send them anything more, but just kept pulling Shi Jin and Shi Tou to express their sincere gratitude.
This was the first time that Tao Yanghui was thanked sincerely by someone. He felt it was a good feeling. Before leaving, he asked Kang Zhuqing and Shitu to explain again how to pile the bricks and some key points of the pile.
He turned around and added, "If you encounter any special situation that you don't understand, come to the County Lord's Mansion to find me."
Guo Zi returned to the manor and did not go with Tao Yanghui. Tao Yanghui endured it for several days, but finally said before parting: "Young Master Guo, my performance this time was not bad."
Guo Zi smiled at him and said, "Mr. Tao is serious and responsible in his work, so he is quite good."
With Guo Zi's words, Tao Yanghui felt completely at ease.
This time when they went to guide the people in building kangs, the county lady said that there would be subsidies. At first, Tao Yanghui didn't know what the subsidies were, but later he heard Ding Pu say that it meant giving them money.
Tao Yanghui naturally took things seriously as long as there was money to be made.
Not only is the food good in the County Lady's Mansion, but you can also get paid more for your work. Tao Yanghui likes life here very much.
Kang Zhuqing and Shitu couldn't be idle either. There were many people living in their alley, so they discussed with Sun Chang that one of them would be responsible for the left side and the other for the right side, and they should hurry up to speed up the construction of the kang in the entire Li County.
Strive to ensure everyone has a good new year.
Shi Tu and Kang Zhuqing did not dare to be negligent. The structure of the kitchen of one family was very different from their own, and the method taught by Tao Yanghui did not seem to work.
Shi Tu thought about it and remembered what Tao Yanghui said before he left, so he went to the county lord's mansion with a nervous mood.
Shi Tu had never been to the County Lord's Mansion before. He was carefully considering his words along the way and didn't know whether the people in the County Lord's Mansion would listen to him.
However, when he was three meters away from the county lady's mansion, two strong and sturdy maids stopped him and questioned him.
Shi Tu's hands were shaking with nervousness as he told her the future goal.
Nan Shuang and Nan Qiao understood what he meant as soon as they heard it and pointed forward, "For this matter, go to the side door in front. Remember to queue up."
Shitu didn't understand what queuing meant, but he didn't dare to ask more, so he could only walk forward.
After walking a few steps, Shitu finally understood what queuing meant.
At the side door of the county lady's mansion, there were nearly twenty or thirty people standing in a row.
So this is what queuing is, Shitu thought.
Shi Tu stood silently at the end of the team. Li County had a small population and most people were familiar with each other. The man in front turned around and chatted with Shi Tu.
"You look very familiar to me. Could it be that you live in Shuijing Lane?"
Shi Tu nodded, "Exactly."
"No wonder, no wonder. I seemed to have seen you when I went to see Craftsman Sun."
The two chatted and realized that those who lined up like this were looking for the servants of the county lord's mansion.
Shi Tu also sighed, "This responsibility is so overwhelming, I have to be very careful."
The young man in front also agreed, "That's exactly the point. Besides, being selected as a pilot is not easy. I don't want to lose face."
When he arrived at Shitu, he reported Tao Yanghui's name, and then saw Tao Yanghui coming out in a hurry.
"I've been worried these past two days, thinking everyone else has someone looking for them, but not me."
........
After much hard work, the kang was finally completed before the Chinese New Year.
Zhao An and Ding Pu checked one by one and were so tired that Ding Pu even slept for a whole day and night.
Shi Jin was sitting on the warm kang at this moment, threading the needle with his nimble fingers.
It feels so good not to be frozen, Shi Jin thought.
Kang Zhuqing and Shitu came back from the fields and felt the warmth as soon as they entered the house.
Kang Zhuqing sighed, "After having this kang, the whole room is really warmer."
Shitou rolled around comfortably on the kang, "I never thought it could be this warm in winter."
The family of four was having a great time. Shi Tu was about to go to the kitchen to continue cooking when he heard someone knocking on the gate.
Kang Zhuqing and Shi Jin became alert instantly, fearing that it was Madam Jiang and Mr. Liu from next door.
Shi Jin said, "If someone really has something urgent to do and no one answers the door, they will definitely speak up."
Sure enough, the knocking continued for a long time, but no one answered. Seeing that no one responded, the person knocking seemed to give up.
Kang Zhuqing was annoyed: "This year's New Year is colder than in previous years. There is no fire pit, only the charcoal distributed by County Magistrate Liang. I wonder how they will survive."
Shitou shuddered and shuddered. "It's so cold, and with only a little charcoal, I'll freeze to death."
"Today is New Year's Eve, and they have the nerve to knock on the door. If I open the door, they will not only want to use the kang, but also the food." Shi Tu now saw how shameless his neighbors were.
In order to have a good meal on New Year's Eve, Kang Zhuqing went to the butcher's stall two days ago and picked out two pieces of meat, one big one with fat and lean meat, and the other one for making lard.
Yesterday, Shi Jin and Shi Tou had rice mixed with lard residue and they enjoyed it very much.
Today, Shi Tu made two dishes with another piece of fat and lean meat, one steamed meat and one stuffed meat. He added the soup used to cook the meat, some vegetables, and two vegetarian dishes fried with lard. This is the family's New Year's Eve dinner.
The four of them gathered around the kang. Shi Jin rarely complained, "Why are there so many dishes? We won't be able to finish them." Kang Zhuqing just stared at the two meat dishes on the table and smiled, "What's the big deal if we can't finish them? They won't go bad if they're cold. We can heat them up and eat them tomorrow."
Shitou's mouth was almost watering. "I haven't eaten meat in a long time. It smells delicious."
Shi Jin patted his head and said, "We have to thank Princess Anping for all this. If it weren't for her, how could we have eaten so well this year?"
Kang Zhuqing and Shitou both nodded in agreement, "We should thank the county lady."
*
Liang Nian told Lin Si that it snows in Li County every New Year, and this year is no exception.
This was the first time that Lin Si had celebrated the New Year in the world of this book. Unlike the lonely life he had lived alone before he traveled through the book, the County Lady's Mansion was full of the festive atmosphere of the New Year.
The servants had already bought New Year's goods in advance, and the entire county lord's mansion was filled with a light-hearted atmosphere. Even the servants' work meals today were very sumptuous, and everyone received money.
The county lady said this was called a year-end bonus.
The servants didn’t understand what the year-end bonus meant, but they were happy to get the money.
It was the first time that Lin Si saw snow, and he was very surprised. He even made two snowmen with the feeling of spring.
Chun Yi was puzzled by the strange appearance of the snowman that Lin Si built. "County Lady, why is the nose of this snowman so long?"
It was the first time for the southern children to see snow. Lin Si built several snowmen in one breath. Then he heard the maid come to report that Liang Nian and Zuo You came to pay New Year's greetings.
The two of them were carrying a few oil-paper bags, and the first thing they said when they saw Lin Si was...
"Happy New Year, County Lady."
Lin Si also replied Happy New Year.
Zuo You handed the oil-paper bag to Lin Si, with a rare shy look on his face. "I heard that the county lady loves snacks, so I made some snacks myself and sent them over."
The three of them were chatting, and soon the topic turned to people's livelihood.
Liang Nian sighed deeply, "I have no way to repay the County Lord's kindness to Li County."
Lin Si blinked. "Mr. Liang has already reported back."
Liang Nian knew that Lin Si was talking about concealing the news, but he didn't look embarrassed at all. "The harvest in Li County has been like this every year, so no one would be suspicious if we concealed the news. I am a nobody, so I don't have much influence in Xihe Road."
If he suddenly became more productive, it would definitely attract attention, which would be very dangerous for Lin Si's current situation.
Besides, Lin Si held her and her mother's lives in his hands, so she had no reason to refuse.
Zuo You then went on to wish everyone a happy new year and report his weekly work to Lin Si.
After saying this, he seemed to be a little worried.
"Grandma Qian will take them to celebrate the New Year, and everyone will receive lucky money." Lin Si replied.
At first, Zuo You agreed to be a teacher for these children because he was threatened by Lin Si, but in the process of getting along with these children, Zuo You was sincerely worried about them.
When talking about the children in the manor, Liang Nian praised them highly.
Liang Nian worked with this group of little kids twice, once on a fertilizer experiment, and another time on popularizing kangs. The little kids were serious and responsible in their work, and Liang Nian liked them very much.
"The children in the manor are not very old, but in the future they will all be able to read and do math, and even Bai Zhi (1) will be able to do it," Liang Nian praised.
If it were in Lin Si's original world, children under the age of eight would be spoiled by their parents, but the children in the manor are different. They have experienced a lot at a young age. In order to survive, they are more sensible and hardworking than ordinary children.
Lin Si took a sip of hot tea. "I spent so much energy to train them, and they only become Bai Zhi? Isn't it a waste of talent?"
Liang Nian and Zuo You looked at each other and stopped talking.
The mother and son have never been able to understand Lin Si's purpose, and at this moment they dare not think too deeply about it.
The topic returned to the Chinese New Year.
Liang Nian raised the corner of his mouth and said, "If Li County can do this every year, it would be perfect."
"That won't work." Lin Si immediately retorted.
"Why does the county lady say that?" Liang Nian was puzzled.
Lin Si put down the tea and said, "Of course, every year will be better than the last. This year, we can just eat enough and wear warm clothes. Next year, we will eat more meat and wear new clothes. The year after that, we want all our children to go to school."
Liang Nian just thought Lin Si was joking. It was really difficult to do what Lin Si said.
"Thank you for your kind words, Lady County." Liang Nian said with a smile.
"I'm serious. Magistrate Liang, please wait and see." Lin Si raised his head and looked at Liang Nian with burning eyes.
*
Zhong Diyan almost forgot what it felt like to celebrate the New Year.
He vaguely remembered that every Chinese New Year, his mother and father would always make a lot of new clothes for him, and there would always be endless sweet cakes, kumquats, frosted jade bees, and milk cakes on the table.
Grandpa would say to him earnestly, "Da Lang is very intelligent and a good student."
Zhong Diyan came to his senses and found that the snow outside was getting heavier.
Guo Zizai yelled outside the door, "You're so annoying! You're slacking off here! Everyone is hanging up New Year pictures with Grandma Qian, why don't you come and help?"
Zhong Diyan turned around and said, "I'm coming."
Today's meal is very rich. There are not only rabbit and pork, but also pork lung soup, and fresh fruits on the table.
Perhaps because it was the New Year, Qian Sui's usually serious face softened a little as he distributed New Year's money to the children one by one.
Lin Si specially asked the maid to string the copper coins together with a red rope. This is the custom of Dachen, also known as centenary coins.
The children excitedly took the strings of red ropes and said, "It's money, it's really money."
Qian then explained, "It's customary for elders to give children lucky money during the New Year. Although you have no parents, since you have been bought by the county lady, it's natural for her to give you lucky money."
The children were so moved that they said, "We must study hard and repay the county lady."
After distributing the lucky money, the children ate their meals in an orderly manner. The little ones were young and they all smiled from ear to ear when they ate the delicious food.
Zhong Diyan had a good appetite and ate an extra bowl of wheat rice.
Guo Zi's appetite exploded, but when he wanted to eat the third bowl, Qian Sui stopped him.
"Be careful of stomach upset."
Guo Zi felt wronged. "Grandma Qian, when Madam Zhu came to see me for the free clinic that day, she said that my appetite is bigger than that of ordinary people. I just eat a lot."
Qian Sui smiled faintly, "That being said, you've already eaten a lot of rabbit and pork, and even drank two bowls of pork lung soup. You can't eat any more."
The other children laughed at Guo Zi's expression of wanting to eat but not being able to, and the table was filled with joy.
Zhong Diyan also laughed. After laughing, he stared at the hundred-year-old coins strung together with a red string in his hand, and thought that this year was not bad.
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(1) Baizhi: low-level officials or menial workers, mainly engaged in basic work such as document recording, delivery, and miscellaneous items. They usually do not have formal official positions and are temporary auxiliary staff.
Sugar cake, kumquat, sugar frosted jade bee, and milk cake. From "Searching for History: Food in the Song Dynasty"
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