Chapter 575: Don ‘t Lie to the Heavens
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Li Yu smiled and said to Mr. Wen, “I’m relieved that you came back to take a look. ”
Mr. Wen smiled and said, “As long as he doesn’t have a fever and doesn’t have diarrhea, you don’t have to be afraid. I have pills in my medicine box. I’ll write a few notes and paste them on the jar later. If anything happens, take them to the child.’
“Yes!” Li Yu thought for a moment. “Sir, you can make some pills and put them in the pharmacy. This way, it’ll be convenient for the patient to buy them and use them. It’ll save the child from feeling unwell and delaying the treatment if he can’t find a doctor.”
Mr. Wen shook his head. “It’s fine if it’s used at home. If it’s sold in the pharmacy, it won’t be stored for long. The patient will think it’s not worth it.”
“That’s true. Sir, we dug bamboo shoots today and caught a few bamboo rats. How do you like to eat them?”
When Mr. Wen heard this, he smiled and said, “Bamboo rats are good. Just let Auntie He do it. Tell Auntie He to boil the bamboo rat oil and put it away. It’s not bad to treat burns.”
Auntie He came in with some side dishes and heard Mr. Wen’s words. “Sir, I know! The five bamboo rats are all quite fat. We dug out the bamboo rat oil and boiled it in a jar. I’ve kept it well. Steam one later, braise two, and marinate the remaining two. I’ll bring them back for Master and Young Master to try.”
Li Yu smiled and shook her head. “Auntie He, cook them all for everyone to try. That bamboo forest is very big. There will definitely be a lot more if we look again.”
Auntie He nodded happily. “Alright, bring fresh ones back for Master.”
Li Yu saw that Mr. Wen and Old Master Zhou had brought the children. They took their hats and called Zhao Cai to go to the field. From the entrance of the manor to the foot of the mountain, there were fields bought this time. The fields were filled with busy tenants and servants.
Li Yu calculated in her heart. Coupled with the manor outside the city and Wang Family Village manor, she felt that the fields in the capital were enough. She thought that if she encountered a suitable one in the future, she would help Ah Qing and Zhao Cai buy it.
Zhao Cai pointed at the empty space behind the manor. “Madam, there’s a well there. Originally, a few pieces of land and the homestead belonged to the three families this morning. Now that we’ve bought them, I plan to settle Tang Yong and the others nearby and build the pig pen and chicken pen on the wasteland on the other side of the bamboo forest. What do you think?”
“I haven’t gone to the wasteland yet. There’s a ditch in the bamboo forest. It’s best to raise livestock.” Li Yu thought for a moment. “It’s best to tell Ah Lian and the others and ask for their opinions. Don’t affect the unity.”
Zhao Cai shook his head and said, “It’s not convenient for me to go. I’ll get
Auntie He to tell them later.”
Li Yu nodded. “It’s good to let Auntie He go. She’ll talk to them. Even if they have something in their hearts, they’re too embarrassed to say it.”
Zhao Cai smiled and said, “Actually, Aunt Ah Lian and the others are not bad. They’re not like some farmers who are petty. They kept the fertilizer they prepared last year for their own use and gave the extra to us. I think the method they used to fertilize was the one you taught them. It seems that the people from the Imperial Manor taught them all of this.”
Li Yu sighed and said, “That’s right! No matter what we do, we need food. This large piece of land produces a lot of food a year.”
Tang Yong’s wife, Madam Su, walked over with a basket of wild vegetables.
“Alright, thank you. What do you think of the fields here? Is the soil still fertile?” Li Yu asked with a smile.
Madam Su’s dark red face was filled with smiles. “Alright, the land here is good, and the soil is black and oily. The best thing is that there’s also a lot of land. My family has tenanted 50 acres of land this time.”
“50 acres?” Li Yu calculated the population of Tang Yong’s family. “Your eldest son is in Wang Family Village. Including your daughter, you only have five laborers. Can you finish them?”
“Yes.” Madam Su felt energetic. “Madam, don’t worry. We can plant them all.”
Li Yu looked at her and smiled. “I’m relieved. You still have to take care of your bodies to prevent overwork.”
Madam Su smiled and said, “Thank you for your concern, Madam. My family asked Aunt Ah Lian about renting two cows. The head of the family and Second Brother will plow the fields. I’ll bring the girl and Third Brother to fertilize the soil. Madam, Aunt Ah Lian is really a good person. She gave us the fertilizer she prepared. It depends on whether the heavens will give us face. It’s also a bumper year this year.”
Fertilizers was the top priority for farmers. Ah Lian was really generous to let everyone use her fertilizers.
Li Yu smiled at her. “Alright, I won’t delay you from going back to cook.”
“Madam, take your time.” Madam Su smiled and nodded before walking away quickly.
Li Yu asked Zhao Cai to go back first and went to the vegetable field behind the manor.
The rapeseed scattered in the vegetable field had already grown moss. Li Yu picked a few and tied them with straw ropes before carrying them back to the manor.
When Aunt Zhang saw the vegetable moss in Li Yu’s hand, she hurriedly took it and said with a smile, “I forgot that Madam likes to eat such vegetable moss.”
Li Yu smiled and nodded. “I saw it, so I picked some and brought them back. We just need to add some chili and garlic to stir-fry.”
“Hey! Go wash your hands. There’s going to be food.”
Aunt Zhang took a basin and washed it twice before carrying it into the kitchen. Auntie He opened the first steamer. It was filled with golden and chubby pumpkin steamed buns. The bottom layer was steamed bamboo rats, and the bottom layer was rice.
The food was brought out of the steamer one by one. Aunt Zhang began to set up the food. Mr. Wen came in from outside and said with a smile, “The sun isn’t high. Let’s carry the table to the courtyard to eat.”
Aunt Zhang smiled and said, “Alright, the courtyard is spacious.”
Zhao Cai helped carry the table to the courtyard. Li Yu smiled and said, “It’s good to eat in the courtyard. We won’t hide anything from the world.”
Auntie He was still busy in the kitchen. She blanched the wild vegetables and squeezed out the moisture. She poured some sesame oil, sesame oil, and chili oil. She slapped a few garlic cloves and chopped them up. She poured them into the seasoning and mixed them before putting them on a plate.
The stir-fried bamboo shoots with streaky pork, braised bamboo shoots with bamboo rats, steamed bamboo rats, stir-fried rapeseed and cold wild vegetables, and a basin of radish soup were all served.
Old Master Zhou looked at the dishes on the table and the two children sitting beside him. He smiled happily and said, “The food in the manor is fresh, after all. Zhao Cai, go get a pot of wine and drink two cups with us.”
Zhao Cai smiled and stood up. “Okay, I’ll drink a couple of cups with you.”
Mr. Wen picked up a piece of bamboo rat meat and placed it in his mouth. “Not bad. The meat is delicate and delicious. Aiya! I haven’t eaten it in years.”
Auntie He smiled and said at the other table, “At that time, Old Master liked to eat bamboo rats and often asked someone to capture them and send them to the manor. Old Master taught me how to make bamboo rats.”
Zhao Cai smiled and nodded. “Yes.”
After dinner, Li Yu brought the two children out to digest their food. When she walked under the big banyan tree, she saw two ox carts approaching..
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