Chapter 271 271. Renovation of the yard
After boiling the pot, add water and boil enough noodles. Beat a few eggs, sprinkle some green vegetables and dinner is ready.
In addition to noodles, there are two simple cold dishes tonight. After a bowl of noodles, several people felt very comfortable.
Cheng Xi rubbed his stomach to think, "Do you have any plans these days?"
Shen Xingluo pondered for a moment, "I'm going to visit Mr. Du's house in two days, please. Madam and I will go together.”
"Is he the son of Mr. Du, your senior?"
"Yes, Mr. Du is now the Minister of Rites, from the third rank."
"It is appropriate to visit at home."
Cheng Xi has already begun to wonder what to give as a gift, "Qin Zheng lives next door, do you have to go to Qin's house?"
"This is not urgent. Uncle Qin and Aunt Qin are not in Beijing. We will talk about it later. ”
"That's right. We have some friendship with the third brother of the Qin family, but not with the rest of the Qin family."
The Qin family is a big family in the capital. What if we come to visit if we don't have any friendship and are treated as a quarrel? Besides, they don't know each other from the Qin family in Beijing, so they can't talk to each other.
Shen Xingluo was very interested when he saw her talking about him, "Is there anything you need to buy, Madam?"
"That's not true, I don't need anything now"
< br>Cheng Xi looked at the yard and paused, "This flower seems to have no use, and you are not an arty person. Why don't you change it?"
"Growing vegetables?"
"Hey, can you guess this?"
"." It's just a lesson learned from the past.
***
Cheng Xi is a pragmatist. Even though he had huge wealth in his previous life, he did not change it. Instead, he developed the habit of maximizing profits when doing everything.
Since this yard is owned by my family, I can only change it according to my comfort.
So after resting the next day, she took her sister and Wang Shu and started to pry bricks in the backyard.
"Pry bricks? Madam, are you sure you want to pry bricks?"
"Of course, how can you grow vegetables without prying bricks?"
"."
Wang Shu's expression was dull, and when he saw that the young lady also had a matter-of-fact look on her face, she could only squat down and pry the bricks.
Cheng Xi found a piece of white lime and drew rectangles of the same size in the yard. Each rectangle was an equal distance apart. Soon the courtyard was neatly planned.
“Here, just follow the marks and pry one by one.”
What else can Wang Shu do?
I can only work hard with her.
Of course, growing vegetables is not as simple as prying bricks. The soil under the green bricks in the small courtyard has not been used for a long time and has lost some activity. She also asked people to bring a lot of soil from outside the city and spread it on the ground. She waited until the soil was moist before spreading it. Plant seeds.
The small courtyard in Beijing is not big, and even a courtyard with two entrances can only be used to a limited extent.
However, Cheng Xi has her own way.
What should I do if the land area is not enough? Of course it’s stacked high!
Since the flat land cannot be widened, then expand upwards. The sky is huge.
As a modern person, Cheng Xi said that her thinking cannot be limited by the two-dimensional plane. If it were not for the lack of opportunities, she would be able to make use of the four dimensions.
So when Qin Zheng came to the door again two days later, he saw that the backyard with flowers had changed drastically. The green bricks of the small courtyard had been pried and divided into six rectangles of equal area.
And it’s not even on the first floor.
There is a layer of wooden troughs of the same area half a meter above each rectangle. There are three layers stacked up like this. Each layer of wooden troughs is covered with thick soil, which seems to be gestating something. .
Although the original layout of the yard was completely destroyed, the way it was tidied up was somewhat elegant.
It was really eye-opening.
Qin Zheng suddenly felt that this scene seemed familiar.
“Sister-in-law, what are you doing?”
“Growing vegetables.”
Yes, it does seem familiar.
Qin Zheng suddenly realized when he thought of the small green vegetables placed in the warm living room in Shenjia Village in early spring.
This sister-in-law is really good at it. She even used her yard to grow vegetables, and she even came up with a variety of planting methods. This kind of planting method is simply unheard of.
So creative.
Seeing that he was stunned, Cheng Xi reminded him, "Are you looking for my husband? He is in the study."
"Thank you, sister-in-law, I will go find Brother Shen right now."< br>
Qin Zheng and his party were indeed here specifically to look for Shen Xingluo.
It is now mid-August, and students from other places in Dayan are arriving in Beijing one after another. The bustling main street is more lively than before because of the number of students from all over the world.
With the scientific examination coming soon, everyone gathered together to visit the officials of the DPRK and the Central Government or make friends. Some restaurants even held poetry gatherings to invite talented people. In this situation, they stayed at home and ignored what was going on outside the window. Something is wrong.
As a candidate in the same subject, you always know yourself and your enemy, right?
"Xing Luo, come with me out quickly and introduce me to a few of your friends!"
Qin Zheng didn't see anyone outside at all. He greeted Su Zhan at the door and entered the study, "Are you reading? Why are you working so hard? With your knowledge, what are you reading?"
"Travel Notes and Miscellaneous Books."
Shen Xingluo held the "Twenty "Four Histories" was put aside, "What friends?" "Oh, yes, friends, they are a few friends I met in Beijing when I was a child. Come on, I will take you to watch the fun!"
< br>"Brother Qin, please wait for a quarter of an hour. I'll go change my clothes and let you go."
Qin Zheng waved his hand carelessly, and after he left, he picked up the legendary miscellaneous book of travel notes, "Strange, how did this text be typed? What Jin Dynasty. It is indeed a miscellaneous book."
It's still a word. of this category.
After turning a few pages, he was no longer interested. When he saw Shen Xingluo changing into a sky-blue cloth, he led people out of the small courtyard.
***
After Cheng Xi finished working on the yard, he started working on the kitchen.
The kitchen in the second courtyard was originally located in the west wing of the inner courtyard. Now she didn't plan to make any major changes, so she simply renovated it in place.
"Didn't Su Zhan go out with the young master?"
"Wei Zeng, the young master went with Mr. Qin. Before leaving, he said that he would leave Su Zhan behind to help his wife."
If you strike, she won't be polite.
"Ask him to go outside and find some better loess. I can use it."
"Yes."
Wang Shu's notification was in place. Su Zhan was now doing things more efficiently, and within half an hour a small cart of loess was delivered.
"Add water and mix the mud."
Su Zhan rolled up his sleeves and started to work obediently, adding straw and salt to the yellow mud according to Cheng Xi's request, and then looked at the drawing she drew Squat in the kitchen and build what’s called a natural oven.
"What is Madam using this oven for? I remember that we always use a barbecue grill and charcoal for barbecue at home."
Moreover, he had never seen such a semi-circular oven in the drawings in Shenjiacun. There were two iron ovens in the living room that were used last year. Everyday, he put a few steamed buns in them and baked them to make them full of flavor.
"The Mid-Autumn Festival will be in a few days, so of course it's time to bake mooncakes."
A few people suddenly realized that the Reunion Festival was coming soon.
Cheng Xi walked around the semi-finished yellow clay oven for a long time, looking at Wangshu while making suggestions.
"Do you miss your brother? I don't know where he is now. Write him a letter and try to come over during the Mid-Autumn Festival to celebrate the festival with you."
A hint of emotion appeared on Wang Shu's usually expressionless face, "Thank you madam, but my brother is now doing things for the young master."
"You have to have a holiday to do things, and you can't miss the Mid-Autumn Festival and New Year's Eve."< br>
As for other days?
Not important.
Cheng Xi waved his hand, "Go and write a letter to Fuguang."
She can't care about others and doesn't want to care about them. Now that Wangshu is with her, they are her employees, and the welfare must be the best in Great Yan Dynasty.
Hmm. The occupational disease happened again.
Cheng Xi thought that she had to write a few letters to Cheng Daqian and Mr. Xu to say that they were safe. It was okay that Mr. Xu had been staying in Shenjia Village. I wonder where Cheng Daqian and his bodyguard had followed them?
After working for a long time, the oven was completed.
Su Zhan lit the fire in order to dry it as soon as possible. When the sun set, he could no longer feel the original moisture of the yellow mud.
It’s done.
"Let's try baking it first. Wangshu, go to the kitchen to prepare some flour and fillings."
It has been three days since I arrived in the capital, and it's time to go out for a walk.
As one of Mr. Du’s favorite students, Shen Xingluo came to visit his son as a matter of course.
It is basic etiquette for juniors to come to your home and prepare gifts. However, as the third-grade Minister of Gifts, the Du family is in need of money and exquisite things. The Shen family is just an ordinary farming family in Lin'an Prefecture. Tai It is not appropriate to give away anything that is too valuable.
So gift giving is a science.
No money?
Then win by surprise.
Now that the Reunion Festival is approaching, it is most suitable to pair a few jars of fruit wine with cakes that will not look shabby and satisfy the appetite.
That evening, Cheng Xi gave Su Zhan some gift box drawings and mooncake molds and asked him to find a carpenter to customize them. Then he took the two girls to the kitchen to prepare mooncakes.
Since the main purpose was to test the function of the oven and the heat control, the few people worked for a long time and only made three fillings: five kernels, bean paste and jujube paste.
The autumn wind blew through the oven, and a sweet smell filled the entire courtyard.
“So sweet, so fragrant~”
The round mooncakes were pressed into small cakes without patterns, and placed in a yellow clay oven for a while to turn orange. The taste is even more amazing.
“This oven is well made and can be used.”
Cheng Xi greatly appreciated, "I'll make a list and Wangshu will go to the market tomorrow to buy some materials. Let's make a few more mooncakes to suit the occasion."
***
After In the past two days, Shen Xingluo continued to go out to drink tea. The few people at home were not idle at all. A strong and sweet smell came out of the small courtyard one after another, causing the boy next door to climb up the wall and drool.
The day when Shen Xingluo and Cheng Xi went to Du Mansion was a clear breeze and a bright moon, and the climate was cool.
Autumn is a favorite season. Firstly, people gain something, and secondly, the temperature is suitable and it is very convenient to wear.
The two of them were walking on the streets of the capital city, turned two alleys, and entered a wide street with merchants and vendors on both sides. There must be a majestic red gate at intervals.
Most of the residences around here are official residences. Although Du Mansion is the residence of a third-grade official, it seems ordinary among the towering buildings.
Shen Xingluo carried two jars of fruit wine and handed the greeting card and the letter from Mr. Du to the servant of the Du family, and was quickly welcomed in.
"Master Shen, I have been waiting in the house for a long time. Please come with me."
(End of this chapter)