Volume 3: Dragon and Snake Movement Chapter 396: Errenzhuan?
Nangong Yi came quickly and left just as quickly. He had witnessed with his own eyes that the Second Young Master was really... good at farming, and Zhang Shou was also doing his utmost to encourage the Second Young Master to be self-reliant and strong, so what else did he have to worry about? As for Zhang Shou, he didn't need to worry about his ability, and as for his character, Zhu Tingfang, the eldest brother who loved his sister the most since childhood, would keep a close eye on her.
Moreover, after this trip to Cangzhou, he felt that his understanding of Zhang Shou had been further refreshed, so he naturally hurried back to report to Zhu Jing.
After the messenger from the Duke of Zhao's mansion in the capital left, Zhu Tingfang and Zhang Shou felt fine, but Zhu Er felt alive again, so refreshed that he almost wanted to sing. As soon as he recovered, he immediately asked Zhang Shou to stay in the county government office to "cool off" on the grounds that the weather was too hot, and he went to visit the countryside himself. In a few days, the white Zhu Er was tanned into a black Zhu Er.
However, the eldest son Zhu, who used to look at his younger brother as if his nose wasn't a nose and his eyes weren't eyes, was unusually warm to Zhu Er. Seeing Zhu Er busy with work without fear of hardship or fatigue for the first time, how could he, who had always wanted to beat Zhu Er three times a day since he was a child, feel relieved and... sad? When people were learning literature and martial arts, why didn't they have this perseverance and persistence?
Zhang Shou was also very surprised that Zhu Er could actually endure such hardship. Although his future uncle was not his future daughter-in-law and he didn't need to show off his cooking skills to express his appreciation, he still ordered people to prepare cooling tea, honeysuckle tea, mung bean and lotus seed soup in the kitchen at any time... Not only to comfort Zhu Er who was exhausted from traveling around, but all the servants and clerks in the county government also had to share.
Although it was just a small summer benefit, it still received a lot of praise - when Xu Cheng was in power, even the top officials had to be stripped , so he still wanted to give out benefits? It was completely wishful thinking!
Xu Cheng's property was confiscated before, and Zhu Tingfang specially submitted a memorial, saying that Cangzhou needed money everywhere and needed to rebuild everything, so he intercepted part of it as capital. Therefore, in addition to this small summer expense, everyone in Changlu County Office also received a summer subsidy for the first time - ranging from 300 coins to 800 coins per person, from doormen to clerks, everyone got a share.
For a while, even the doormen who were just trying to look dignified by sticking out their chests and bulging their bellies to avoid being taken away by the imperial envoys, now really took it seriously. As for the doormen's bag, because in the past, even if they got it, Xu Chengyan would take it away, and even more so, the old senior with the longest qualifications and the strongest background would take it away, so they didn't get much. Now that it's gone, they just grumbled for a while.
At noon, the two guards on duty drank a large bowl of cooled mung bean and lily soup to cool off. When they came out to take over from their companions, they couldn't help but sigh and say, "Although a bowl of mung bean and lily soup is not worth much, General Zhu and Dr. Zhang are really willing to put sugar in it. It's so sweet! I heard from Lao Fang in the small kitchen that the amount of sugar purchased by our kitchen these days is ten times that of the past!"
"Not just white sugar... I heard that Dr. Zhang said last time that maltose is delicious. Why not make some maltose and give it to us? It can be considered a summer benefit. Later, General Zhu objected and said that no one except children could eat it, so it was changed to only give it to families with children..."
"That's right. Those single people who haven't found a wife yet are missing out on another benefit. The vegetable soup they distributed these days is a little salty, but it's strange. After drinking it, I feel stronger. Dr. Zhang said we should eat more salty food in the summer!"
"Hey, if you can get this and that just by working hard, who would want to rip off the land? General Zhu is strict with the rules, but if you don't break them, you'll be fine. Dr. Zhang is thoughtful and amiable, and he takes everything into consideration. The two of them complement each other!"
The four guards talked quietly for a while, and then the two who were on duty took over, and the two who had been on duty for an hour went back to rest temporarily - this is also a special benefit in summer. Because Dr. Zhang said that summer is too hot, those who work outdoors in the sun for a long time are prone to heatstroke.
Of course, when Xu Cheng was in power in the past, none of them would be willing to stay under the scorching sun, and they would have gone to the shade to cool off.
The two had just stood there for a while when they heard the sound of horse hooves. There had been a lot of noises like this recently, so they were not surprised. Sure enough, when they got closer, they saw a young man wearing a bamboo hat and a frosty white shirt jumping down. In the past, they would have been suspicious, thinking that it was a young man from a family who was carrying a funeral to the government office, but now they all greeted him with smiles on their faces.
"Second Young Master, are you back? You've been out for two nights, you've worked so hard!"
Zhu Er took off his hat and saw sweat dripping from his bronze face. He wiped it with a soft towel on the back of his hat and said nonchalantly, "It's a waste of time to rush back every day. I can spend two days outside to meet more people. It's just that the weather is too hot. If I hadn't listened to my future brother-in-law and wore a hat and white clothes, I would have been sunburned!"
After Zhang Shou reminded him, he thought the hat was ugly and the white color was depressing. As a result, he was sunburned and his skin peeled off. That was really scary. Seeing that his elder brother didn't mention any taboos, he obediently went out fully armed. Now, except for the heat, he sweats more, but when he is thirsty or tired, he follows Zhang Shou's instructions and drinks some light salt water. After a few days, he got used to it.
It’s much better than those cotton farmers who work in the fields every day without any shelter!
As he spoke, he threw the reins to the two gatekeepers and was about to go inside when he suddenly heard someone calling him. He turned his head and saw an old man in a white turban rushing over. He was wondering who this was when he saw the man pull his turban, revealing his old, wrinkled face. This time, Zhu Er burst into laughter.
"Hey, Old Salty Fish, with that headscarf on, I can't recognize you!"
"It's so hot, Second Young Master, you've already worn a hat and white clothes, so I'll save some trouble and just tie a white headscarf on. It protects you from the sun and can also wipe away sweat, the best of both worlds!" Old Salted Fish was still chattering as usual, smiling as he pulled Zhu Er inside, "I was called here by Dr. Zhang, you're going to see him this time too, right? Come on, let's go together!"
"Who wants to fight with you!" Zhu Er has been dealing with old farmers these days, so he doesn't look down on people, but when he thinks about how badly the old salted fish cheated him, he gets angry. However, after struggling twice, he failed to break free of the other party's hand. He remembered that Zhu Ying had repeatedly reminded him how difficult this old salted fish was, so he could only frown.
"Just say what you want to say. Don't argue! This is the county government office. If you continue to argue, I will call for help!"
"Second Master, we are in the same boat and share life and death. Can't you show some kindness?"
Seeing Lao Xianyu retract his hand with a pitiful look on his face, and looking at the servants and clerks around who were leaning in to watch the fun, Zhu Er felt the veins on his forehead throbbing so fast that they seemed to be about to burst his temples!
He had indeed been in the same boat with this old guy... He had even jumped into the sea and almost drowned, but was this a life and death situation? He was forced to join the pirate ship! He was implicated without knowing why and almost lost his life!
When he was glaring at people, he only heard Lao Xianyu whisper: "The second young master is now famous in Cangzhou as Zhu Erlang, the righteous man. You can't just cross the river and destroy the bridge, right?"
At this moment, Zhu Er's head, which had just been a little dizzy from the sun, suddenly became clear.
It is true that he walked on the brink of life and death with Lao Xianyu, but if he had not rushed into the Cangzhou Palace, encountered many spinners and cotton farmers, and persuaded the eldest prince to "repent and turn back" and break up with Xu Cheng, he would not have gained the reputation of being righteous.
Without that Jedi adventure, the cotton farmers would at most respect him as General Zhu's younger brother and Dr. Zhang's future second uncle, but they would not really respect him. Although he still had to pull Zhu Tingfang and Zhang Shou out to support him from time to time, at least others would not regard him as a purely insignificant dandy like they did in the capital.
What did he want from going out in the scorching sun these few days, running around without feeling the heat? Wasn't it just to make people sincerely thank him and believe him? Word spread, and everyone believed that Zhu Erlang was a righteous and responsible person, a feeling he had never experienced in the capital. If he was reluctant to stay in Cangzhou before, now he really didn't want to leave!
Therefore, after taking a deep breath, Zhu Er calmed down, glared at Lao Xianyu with a fierce look and said, "You are the only old man who has so many tricks! If you have something to say, just say it... Don't stand here and talk, talk while walking!"
Seeing Zhu Er finally gave in, Lao Xianyu smiled even more. He was a tough guy and didn't care about harsh words or scolding. When he followed Zhu Er into the room, he whispered, "Dr. Zhang asked someone to ask me for peppers, and he wanted the small and pointed ones. I asked him later, and he wanted spicy peppers, but there aren't many peppers grown in Zanghai Xiayuan..."
"Because Cang Hai didn't know how to use that stuff to cook. I was thinking, even if Dr. Zhang likes it, and Miss likes it too, they wouldn't need to dry eight or ten kilograms of it, right?"
Zhu Er immediately snorted contemptuously: "What exactly are my sister and brother-in-law thinking? Only a mortal like you can figure that out?" Even I don't know what they are thinking!
Old Salty Fish coughed twice and said, "I just want you to ask for a favor. I really collected all the dried goods from there. Not to mention eight or ten kilograms, there's not even five kilograms. After all, Zang Hai doesn't like this..."
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly felt something strange in front of his sight, and when he looked up, he saw that Ah Liu had suddenly appeared in front of them, and was looking at them with a dim gaze... No, it should be just him!
Even though Lao Xianyu was well-informed, he was still instinctively scared when he saw Ah Liu. Last time, he could still feel Ah Liu approaching, but this time, perhaps he was too engrossed in talking to Zhu Er, and he didn't notice him coming. He didn't know how much of what he just said was heard. At this moment, he was about to explain quickly, but Ah Liu shook his head gently at them.
"The young master is meeting a guest."
Meeting guests?
This time, even Zhu Er was surprised. If it was Zhang Chen, then he certainly couldn't be considered a guest, and now Zhang Shou had separated cotton planting, spinning and weaving into his, Zhang Chen, and that Young Master Jiang, and Zhang Shou didn't seem to care about the rest, leaving it all to his eldest brother Zhu Tingfang, so what kind of guest would he be meeting now?
The most important thing is, there don’t seem to be many people who are qualified to be called guests by Liu?
Zhu Er's curiosity suddenly piqued, and he quickly stepped forward to Ah Liu with a drooling face and asked, "Sixth Brother... Sixth Master! Who is this guest that is so important that you have to send you to stop me and Old Salty Fish? We are not outsiders, right?"
Seeing Zhu Er, who just despised him, now said the word "we", Lao Xianyu sneered in his heart, but smiled and said, "If it is Dr. Zhang who is meeting a guest, we should wait outside. The second young master is just curious about who is inside, and he has no intention of prying. After all, there are many people in the county government, and if you don't say it, others will..."
If he used this to trick others, it would be very effective. However, Ah Liu looked at him and said calmly, "If the person didn't announce his name, how could you find out who he is?"
Seeing that Lao Xianyu was speechless, he stretched out his hand and asked, "Where's the chili?"
He had hoped that Zhu Er would help him intercede, and then he would say a few , so that he could get away with it. However, he met Ah Liu, who was the most difficult to talk to. Lao Xianyu immediately complained inwardly, but still smiled and took off the bag on his body and handed it over with both hands. He thought that Ah Liu would weigh it and then say something awkward, but who would have thought that after he took it, he actually asked another question.
“Are there any seeds?”
The old salty fish was stunned at first, then he said happily: "Yes, there are quite a few!"
"As long as there are a lot of them," said Ah Liu, who usually doesn't like to talk much. He tilted his head and thought for a while, then pointed at Zhu Er and said, "Young Master just mentioned that cotton fields can be intercropped with peppers and potatoes, or peanuts."
Zhu Er had also tasted the peppers and felt that the taste was peculiar, but he didn't quite understand what intercropping meant. When he heard what Ah Liu said, he quickly explained, "Sixth Brother, I asked the cotton farmers. After they planted cotton, some of them were afraid that the land would run out of fertility, so most of them would take a half-year break to let the land recover..."
Before Zhu Er could finish his words, Ah Liu shook his head and said, "Young Master said that intercropping means planting two crops on the same piece of land at the same time. This will not only not exhaust the land's ability, but will also fertilize it. For example, if you plant corn and potatoes together, they will grow better."
"Anyway, if you're worried, you can try it out on a few plots of land first. But the peppers must be planted as soon as possible !"
Seeing Zhu Er who was confused, Ah Liu emphasized: "Xu Ba, who sells rice noodles, adds chili peppers to the rice noodles. He does a good business at the canal wharf. Many people buy from him even if he adds ten cents to the price. Chili peppers can be grown everywhere. Farmers can also benefit if they can be sold at a good price. The young master wrote a summary of chili seedling cultivation and transplanting. Haven't you two been in the same boat before? It's a good opportunity to perform a duet." Zhang Shou mentioned the duet a lot, so this is what he meant, right?
