eurekapd Chapter 311 The village's hope is going into seclusion.
Chapter 311 The village's hope is going into seclusion.
Da Niu woke up groggily from his bed, got dressed, and started practicing his basic skills in the yard, doing horse stance.
But then they heard a noise at the door.
He quickly stopped what he was doing and stared at the doorway, where he saw his father carrying a lantern and his mother coming in.
"Father, Mother, why are you back from outside?"
Da Niu was startled and quickly ran over to take the lantern from his father to help light the way.
It was only when he looked that he noticed dew still clung to the ends of his parents' hair.
He immediately stuck the lantern in the yard, ran back into the room, and took out a handkerchief to wipe the hair of the two of them.
Lin Xi took out a large basin and poured the shrimp out of the wooden bucket: "Hehe, your mother said you're going to stay at the academy for a month. I was worried that you'd miss the food from home while you were away."
So while we still had some time, we caught a bucket of small river shrimp. Dad's going to make you some snacks, you can eat them slowly at the academy."
"Father, mother..."
Upon hearing this, Da Niu realized that his parents had gone out specifically to catch river shrimp for him.
The river water was icy cold at night, but the love from his parents was heavy and warm, bringing tears to his eyes.
Seeing his son's red eyes, Lin Xi wiped the water stains on his clothes with his large hand, then patted Da Niu's head: "Silly boy, why are you crying? Catching shrimp is much easier for Dad than memorizing your lessons!"
He's absolutely right. Although classical Chinese is a headache, he's not at the age where he needs to study, so he couldn't be happier!
After Lin Xi finished speaking, she turned around and went into the kitchen to pry open the coal fire.
As soon as the coal was released, red and blue flames shot out, illuminating the room with warmth.
"mother……"
Seeing his father busy, Da Niu called out in a hoarse voice.
Gao Mengli patted Da Niu's head and pushed him away: "Go practice your martial arts quickly, don't delay me from washing shrimp."
"??"
Da Niu thought his mother would say something comforting to him, but to his surprise, she disliked him instead.
However, this disdain warmed his heart.
Da Niu scratched his head, retreated to the stone block in the yard, and picked up the gleaming jujube wood stick.
Moonlight spilled onto the blue brick ground. He steadied himself in a horse stance, his staff casting gleaming arcs in the night wind.
The sounds of bowls and chopsticks clattering in the kitchen could be heard from time to time.
Gao Mengli lowered her head to wash the shrimp, a knowing smile on her face.
As dawn broke, Lin Xi's river shrimp were ready.
Gao Mengli brought over an oil-paper bag, filled it with all the river shrimp, and called out to Da Niu through the kitchen window:
"Da Niu, hurry up and wash up. After you eat the noodles, your father and I will take you to the North City Academy!"
"Hey! Mother, I'm going right now!"
After Da Niu finished his set of punches, he quickly finished his movements and went to wash up.
After the meal, Zhao Chen drove the horse-drawn carriage to the entrance of the courtyard house.
Watching Lin Xi and Gao Mengli carrying large and small bags of things onto the carriage, he asked with a puzzled look, "What's this?"
Gao Mengli stuffed the last oil paper package filled with shrimp floss into her bundle without looking up and said, "My Da Niu will be staying at the academy for a month. Next month, Da Niu will take the preliminary examination. These are snacks that Xi Xi made for him."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Chen excitedly jumped down from the carriage: "Next month? Da Niu is taking the imperial examination next month?!"
"Yes! That's right!"
Lin Xi wrapped the bundle tighter and nodded in response to Zhao Chen.
“The other day my dad asked Da Niu when the exam was. Brother Lin, as you know, there are no children in the village who go to school, so we don’t know anything about scholars.”
He asked me, and I didn't know either. I was just about to come and ask you.
This is a big deal! The most important event in the village!
Zhao Chen ran as he spoke, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
As the sound faded into the distance, Lin Xi looked up and saw Zhao Chen running towards the village entrance.
He only had time to shout at his retreating figure, "Hey, Da Niu, why are you running away?"
This man was even more excited than his own father.
Gao Mengli patted Lin Xi on the shoulder, a smile playing on her lips: "Don't you know him? He's probably gone door-to-door to tell everyone."
Before the words were even finished, a cacophony of noise rose from afar, and the village chief's special gong banged loudly.
As expected, it was exactly as she had predicted.
I originally wanted to enter the city discreetly, but the villagers are making a fuss, so I'm afraid they won't allow it.
The village chief, in particular, took a gong, found a high spot, and banged it loudly.
The villagers were jolted awake by the sound of the gong, and as they woke up, they ran and put on their clothes and shoes.
Those who were working in the fields and those who were going to work all ran over when they heard the sound.
They chased each other, and in the blink of an eye, they arrived in front of the courtyard house.
The village chief, also out of breath, arrived, coughed heavily, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "We've come to see Da Niu off—"
The white-haired old woman tremblingly stuffed the boiled eggs and pancakes she had prepared that morning into Da Niu's hands.
Even the village's dog squad wagged their tails and squeezed into the crowd, barking and joining in the fun.
"Ah this..."
Suddenly, Da Niu's arms were stuffed full of things by the enthusiastic villagers, leaving him at a loss.
Gao Mengli saw Da Niu looking into her eyes and nodded: "Keep it, it's all from the village's heart!"
"Yeah, yeah, Da Niu, don't be so polite with us!"
"Yes, Da Niu, you're the only one in the village who's going to take the imperial examination. If you actually pass, you'll be the only one in our Wangyue Village to achieve that!"
Gao Mengli glanced at the sky; it was getting late. She quickly gestured with her hand, "Da Niu has only been studying for a short time, and it's still unknown whether he can pass the exam. We appreciate everyone's kindness. It's getting late, so let's take Da Niu into the city first."
"Yes, everyone, make way and don't block the way. Let Da Niu get into the city and go to the academy first."
At this moment, the village chief quickly stepped forward to maintain order.
Of all things, nothing is more important than a great scholar's reading.
Upon hearing the noise, the villagers quickly made way for them.
Seeing this, Lin Xi and Gao Mengli quickly got Da Niu into the carriage.
They thought the villagers would just drop them off at the village entrance and then go back home, but to their surprise, the villagers turned back home, each taking a basket of "local specialties," and boarded the village's horse-drawn bus, ready to go to the city together.
Today is not what it used to be.
Everyone had extra money, and all the village's horse-drawn carriages were booked.
A dozen or so horse-drawn carriages followed Gao Mengli and her companions into the city.
Chen Dada and Sang Shang waited at the entrance of the academy early in the morning.
"Hey, why hasn't the boss arrived yet? It's already this late."
Chen Dada glanced at the sky and nudged Sang Shang's waist with his elbow.
Sang Shang rolled his eyes back: "You're asking me? Who should I ask?"
He was getting really anxious waiting.
But just as he rolled his eyes, he caught sight of the familiar carriage out of the corner of his eye.
"I'm coming!"
He exclaimed in surprise and quickly ran towards the carriage.
Upon hearing this, Chen Da didn't even need to figure out the direction himself; he simply started running after Sang Shang.
"You two are waiting for my Da Niu!"
As soon as Lin Xi got off the carriage, she saw two little rascals next to it.
"That's right, Uncle Lin, we're waiting for Da Niu to go to school together!"
Chen Dada quickly chimed in.
If he had wiped away the suspicious moisture from the corner of his mouth, Lin Xi might have believed him.
Lin Xi chuckled softly and quickly helped Gao Mengli down from the carriage.
As soon as Da Niu lifted the curtain, he saw his two good brothers, who were also beaming with joy.
"Hehe, let me tell you, my dad made me some snacks this morning. I'll share them with you two when we get back to our place!"
"real!"
Chen Dada's mouth was watering the moment he saw Lin Xi.
He was so excited that he sprayed Da Niu's face with saliva every time he spoke.
Upon seeing his "masterpiece," Chen Dada quickly covered his mouth, attempting to urgently retract a voice message.
Sang Shang, standing to the side, remained silent, only swallowing his saliva repeatedly.
The two quickly got into the carriage and helped Da Niu move his things.
The gatekeeper of the academy, seeing the commotion, kept glancing over in this direction.
Gao Mengli waved to him and said, "Young man, could you please call Dean Yu and the two tutors?"
The gatekeeper was filled with questions upon hearing the noise.
But in just a moment, it was shattered by the carriages that arrived one after another.
He ran excitedly into the academy, shouting as he ran, "Dean, Master, the 'bread and butter' of Wangyue Village are here again!"
The voice cracked and became sharp with excitement, possessing extremely strong penetrating power!
This scene seemed familiar, just like Da Niu's first day at school.
So when Yu Mengmeng came out with the two teachers, she was surrounded and fed by the villagers of Wangyue Village!
As soon as the village chief saw her come out, he quickly came up, shook Yu Mengmeng's hand, and stuffed a basket of eggs into her hands: "Dean Yu, thank you for taking care of our Da Niu!"
Wang Gougou quickly tied up the two large roosters and hung them around Yu Mengmeng's neck.
Wang Gougou chuckled and scratched his head, revealing a set of white teeth: "Dean Yu, this chicken is free-range in our own yard, the meat is firm! We'll make soup for the teachers to nourish their brains!"
Yu Mengmeng felt a sudden weight on his neck, and suddenly two large roosters appeared on his body, flapping their wings and "slapping" him.
"Get out of the way. You want to improve your brain? I think you're the one who needs to improve your brain more. Dean Yu is a scholar. How can you hang a chicken around your neck?"
Seeing this, Er Gouzi quickly took the chicken down, turned around, and casually hung it around the neck of the elderly scholar next to him.
Master: ...
You're so high and mighty, you think you're so great, you treat me like a Japanese invader.
But despite the complaints, he was genuinely happy because an auntie had hung a basket of salted duck eggs on his arm!
The elderly scholar, both amused and exasperated, shook the rooster swaying around his neck, its feathers fluttering down onto his shoulders. Just as he was about to refuse, the cured meat that the old woman forcefully stuffed into his arms silenced him.
There were also dried wild mushrooms, which the villagers would grab and stuff into their sleeves!
"Oh dear, no, no, that's too much!"
The two teachers repeatedly refused, but if they hadn't pulled their sleeves up so wide, Lin Xi and Gao Mengli would probably have believed them.
You can't blame them. This academy was run by Dou Weiyi, and he hasn't paid wages for two or three months.
That's a divorced man; he's dirt poor.
I don't know what Dou Weiyi has been doing lately, but she's getting poorer and poorer.
Fortunately, the villagers of Wangyue Village occasionally feed and provide relief to them; otherwise, they would have run away long ago because they wouldn't have been able to get food.
As more and more villagers gathered, Gao Mengli and Lin Xi were squeezed out of the outer circle.
They could only wave goodbye to their beloved son, Da Niu, across the sea of people.
The two had been busy all night and all morning, and were exhausted. They quickly got into the carriage and told Zhao Chen to drive back.
Since most of the villagers had gone to the Chengbei Academy, the two of them got a good night's sleep after returning home.
When I got up, it was already afternoon.
Villagers gradually came to sell crabs.
After Da Niu left, their busy lives left them no time to catch their breath.
Gao Mengli is busy building the greenhouse every day.
Rice cultivation is essential for food security, and it is of utmost urgency and importance.
Gao Mengli pushed open the door of the old house next door and found Lin Yong: "Dad, I want to make some large shelves and wooden plates. Here are the blueprints, take a look."
When Lin Yong saw Gao Mengli hand him the blueprints, he quickly stopped his woodworking. Seeing that it was the same design he had seen, he nodded and agreed, "Eldest daughter-in-law, this is simple. You wait here, I'll get some people to make it, and I guarantee it will be finished for you this afternoon!"
Of all the things in the world, the affairs of the eldest son's family are the most important to him.
No matter how much work there is, it has to be put on the sidelines. The affairs of the eldest son's family are major issues concerning people's livelihood.
Gao Mengli nodded, then took A Li to the cellar behind the old house, brought out all the rice seeds, and began to sift them with a winnowing basket.
Gao Mengli bent down and grabbed a handful of rice. The withered yellow grains slipped through her fingers, occasionally mixed with a few shriveled and blackened chaff.
"These seeds need to be carefully sieved three times."
She lifted the winnowing basket, flicked her wrist gently, and blew away the few light impurities.
Because it was screened with a grain blower, the rice was clean.
"Ah Li, choose the plumpest ones; they'll grow stronger and produce larger ears of rice."
Ah Li squatted on the futon, carefully arranging the selected plump grains into the ceramic basin: "Sister-in-law, is the next step to soak the seeds?"
Gao Mengli nodded.
At this moment, Lin Xi placed a bucket of warm water next to Gao Mengli. "Mengli, try it and see if the temperature is right?"
After Gao Mengli reached out to test the temperature, she lifted the wooden bucket and poured warm water into the wooden tray: "The water temperature should be kept at around 30 degrees Celsius. The water should be changed every two hours for the next three days so that the grain seeds can fully absorb the water."
"30 degrees?"
Ah Li was completely bewildered. What did this mean?!
"It's all about the water temperature. If it's too hot, it will kill the rice seeds; if it's too cold, they won't sprout."
Lin Xi explained as she rummaged through the grain seeds.
However, Ah Li still didn't understand what "temperature" meant, but she understood Lin Xi's next sentence.
Martial artists have very keen senses, so she stretched out her finger to test the temperature and noted down how hot or cold the water was.
There's always a way to overcome difficulties, and Ah Li has her own methods for learning.
Gao Mengli didn't offer much explanation for A Li's actions.
After all, if you explain too much, your identity will be exposed!
Three days later, the grains burst open and turned white. Gao Mengli, along with Lin Xi and A Li, moved the wooden tray into the greenhouse.
The three-tiered shelving unit made by Lin Yong came in handy at this moment.
The bottom layer was covered with damp straw, the middle layer was a wooden tray lined with burlap, and the top layer was a semi-transparent oil paper.
“When cultivating rice seeds, they need to be spread out evenly, and the thickness should not exceed two fingers.”
As Gao Mengli demonstrated and explained, the rice seeds fell onto the burlap with a soft rustling sound: "During the day, you need to lift the oil paper to let it bask in the sun, cover it up to keep it warm in the evening, and then sprinkle it with warm water again at night to encourage germination."
Ah Li curiously leaned closer to observe, and saw that the surface of the grain seed was covered with tender sprouts like fuzz: "Sister-in-law, the sprouts have already emerged!"
Gao Mengli used a bamboo strip to pick up a grain seed, its tender green sprout covered with water droplets: "Once the sprout grows to half an inch, it can be transplanted into a seedling tray."
Cultivating grain seeds is actually quite similar to growing cat grass!
Speaking of catnip, Gao Mengli thought of maltose.
Sugar is not only a rare commodity here, but it's also extremely expensive.
After the rice is cultivated, she plans to germinate barley and make some maltose.
Especially the candied fruit; just thinking about it made her crave it.