071 If You Want to Be Rich, Plant Fruit Trees
There were hundreds of trees in the grove, such as locust, white poplar, fir, willow, and bamboo. The trees were worth a sum of money if they were cut down and sold. Qin Mian suggested buying several baskets of eggs to gift to the villagers. Whether it was an elder in his 70s or 80s, or even a newly born baby, he would give two eggs to each person that should be considered as him buying these trees, so as to avoid future disputes.
The villagers were quite happy. These trees had been there for a long time and they did not plant them. It was a surprise that they could get benefits from it. People in a farmer's household were particular about "the more sons, the more happiness". The smallest family of three members could get six eggs, and a large family could get more than 20 eggs. They could eat two eggs per meal lasting for several days.
After the land deed was obtained, Qin Mian and Lei Tie prepared tea and snacks, and put writing brush and paper on the short-legged table. Their heads were next to each other as they planned the new farmland.
"What do you think?" Qin Mian just casually asked. Lei Tie did not have high requirements for many things and the things he often said were "listen to you" or "you decide".
Surprisingly, Lei Tie opened his mouth and pointed to a place in the square drawn by Qin Mian, "It's convenient to dig a pond here to raise fish and plant lotus root. It's also convenient to water the vegetables."
Qin Mian's eyes lit up. "That's a brilliant idea. The so-called "face south with the back to the north", when the wall is built on this piece of land, the entrance gate should be right in the south. The trees can't be planted from the house to the gate to avoid blocking the view. This is the most suitable place to dig a pond."
Lei Tie nodded, "I've seen a gourd-shaped lake in the south. Our pond can imitate that with a bridge at the waistline."
Qin Mian gave him a thumb up. After drawing the pond and the small bridge with his writing brush according to what was said, he pointed to a corner with the tip of the brush. "We'll have our hands full with farming and planting vegetables and fruit trees. We'll hire people later, right? Keep a piece of land next to the wall here to build a servant's quarters."
Looking at his cheerful and energetic appearance, Lei Tie's eyes softened. In that year when he was forced to marry a man soon after he returned home, his heart felt a part of sadness and three parts of humiliation, but in fact, he still had six parts of willingness. During his twelve years at home, nobody cared about him; during his ten years away from home, nobody genuinely put him in their heart, and even nobody could step into his heart. Moreover, he was used to seeing all kinds of darkness. Therefore, he longed for someone who belonged to him completely, belonged only to him, and that he could love with all his heart. At that moment, Qin Mian appeared. Although he was dark, thin, timid, and weak, he had no parents and no support. After Qin Mian married him, the boy could only rely on him. So, no matter what, he would not agree to divorce. In spite of Qin Mian was a man, (LT) he did not at all like women as he had been abused by Du Shi for many years. It was good that Qin Mian was a man. Men understood men better. At first, he only wanted to possess and control Qin Mian; now Qin Mian was the one he loved.
"Am I talking to you?" Qin Mian knocked on Lei Tie's forehead with a writing brush.
Lei Tie held his left hand, and his deep and low voice brimming with magnetism, "I'm listening. You keep talking."
Qin Mian's brush continued to slide on the paper, "This piece of land for planting vegetables, this one for flowers, this one for grapes, this one for peaches…. and this one for Sichuan peppers. This piece of land can be used flexibly depending on the season to plant watermelon, cantaloupe, and so on. The grove is reserved for the time being. It can be turned into a small garden in the future."
"You planned it very well." Lei Tie said.
They went out with a bundle of slender sticks and divided a large area of uncultivated land into pieces of smaller areas. After working for more than two hours, they were sweating.
Only when the weather was warmer could the fruit trees be planted.
After the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month, the New Year was considered over. The weather was getting warmer and a few trees had grown small knots alike and had yet produced tender shoots.
Qin Mian and Lei Tie went to their shop. After arranging all the general affairs, they focused on the newly bought land.
They first hired good tree planters in the village, and then went to the orchard in the neighboring town to buy fruit trees. Instead of buying seedlings, they bought adult trees, namely, fruit trees that had previously borne fruits. A transplanted adult tree hardly survived, but Qin Mian had a magical space. He was confident.
He bought twenty peach trees, ten yellow peach trees, ten pear trees, six cherry trees, six jujube trees, ten plum trees, twenty sweet oranges trees, and two pomegranates trees. Common people were not willing to spend money to buy fruit to eat. In addition, people at this period of time were not very skilled in taking care of fruit trees, and so the taste of fruits was very ordinary. Therefore, there was not a big market for fruits, and fruit trees were also sold cheaply. Nearly a hundred trees, Qin Mian spent less than 4 silver taels. On his way back to the village, he passed by the town and changed 10 silver taels to copper coins in the town's bankfor the convenient of paying the workers.
Dozens of donkey carts and ox carts carrying trees drove into the village. The mighty procession attracted the villagers to come and watch the bustling scene.
"It seems that Lei Tie is really rich. He has just bought more than ten mu of land and now bought so many fruit trees." There was a villager said with envy.
Another villager said in bewilderment, "Fruits don't make a profit. Why do they buy so many fruit trees? It's strange."
Yet another villager said with a smile, "Won't we able to buy fruit cheaper in the future?"
There was even a villager said in pleasant surprise, "I've taken care of fruit trees. Maybe I can find some job in Lei Tie's orchard."
Qin Mian and Lei Tie had no time to deal with this. They directed the cart drivers to transport the fruit trees to the planned areas. On the spot, they hired ten people among the villagers who were watching the scene to dig silt in the village's ditch, river ditch, and pond. The silt contained duck's, goose's, and cow's excrement as well as fish's and shrimp's waste. It was relatively fertile. After the fruit trees were planted, Qin Mian would surely use the spiritual spring water to improve the quality. He did this just to cover up the spiritual spring water. The farmers of the Great Xia Dynasty did not know that the silt could fertilize the farmland. No one ever dug it out and used it. Therefore, it was convenient for Qin Mian.
Qin Mian hired Zhang Dashuan, Wu Di, Lei Xiangyi, Lei Xiangli, and Li Zheng's two sons; a total of six people. After digging the tree pits, they first laid a layer of silt on the bottom of the pits before planting the trees. Finally, the pay was settled according to the number of trees planted per person, which was 10 Wen per tree. The pay was quite high. With six people, each person could plant fourteen trees on average and could earn more than 100 Wen.
When Lei Tie called Lei Xiangyi and Lei Xiangli over, Lei Xiangren also followed. After hearing Qin Mian say that he would settle the pay according to the number of trees planted, he found an excuse to slip away.
Qin Mian deeply sympathized with Lei Xiangyi, Lei Xiangli, and Lei Xiangzhi. If they did not separate from the family in the future, they would have to continue to support Lei Xiangren, the "young master".
Lei Xiangyi looked at Lei Xiangren's back, and his face darkened. He looked at the expressionless Lei Xiangli and secretly made up his mind that after Lei Xiangli married a wife, he would split up with Lei Daqiang. Lei Xiangli and Lei Chuntao had not been matched with a partner because Lei Daqiang and Du Shi had already said that after Lei Xiangzhi became a Xiucai, their value would increase accordingly and that they would have a better choice when matched. Fortunately, it would not be long before Lei Xiangzhi would take part in the county level imperial exam. Lei Xiangyi could afford to wait.
Qin Mian and Lei Tie did not participate [in the work]. They brought tea and water to the tree planters.
While digging a hole, Zhang Dashuan asked Qin Mian curiously, "Fruit is not worth money. Can you make money by planting so many fruit trees?"
Qin Mian joked, "It's fine if it can't make money. The flowers of so many fruit trees are also beautiful."
Wu Di was listening at the side and could not help rolling his eyes, "Sister, Brother Zhang is serious."
"'If you want to be rich, plant fruit trees'. Lei Tie learned how to grow fruit trees from outside, so we're trying it." Qin Mian kept a straight face when he told the lie.
Lei Tie was next to him. He raised his hand to stroke Qin Mian's ear without saying anything.
Qin Mian had a smile on his face. What's wrong with relying on Lei Tie's connivance towards him?
Zhang Dashuan and the others all laughed at his verse of jingle. They did not take this sentence seriously. Planting fruit trees required money and skills. Even if they were willing to follow suit, they dared not take the risks.
Zhang Dashuan and the others were able-bodied farmers. With their great strength, the works were highly efficient. Before dark, they had finished planting all the trees. Each tree had its own mark, which made it easy to count. Qin Mian and Lei Tie gave out their wages on the spot and gifted each of them a bag of sweet guozi that they could bring back for the children at home.
Zhang Dashuan and the others felt that he was very thoughtful. They all thought in unison that they would still come if the Lei Tie Family wanted to hire in the future.
The few idle villagers, who were watching at the side, were quite envious upon seeing them each carry a heavy bag of copper coins and a bag of snacks. They were determined to be on good terms with Qin Mian and Lei Tie in the future.
After all the others had dispersed, Qin Mian and Lei Tie were preparing to go home when a bulky dark man came over, "Brother Qin, Brother Lei."
Qin Mian had a good memory. He immediately remembered who this was. He had seen him several times before but had never talked to him. They only exchanged a few words during the New Year's greetings. "You're Xiao Hu's father, Big Brother Fang."
Fang Wu said with a smile, "Yes, Brother Qin has a good memory."
Qin Mian had a favorable impression of Fang Wu. When he asked Xiao Hu to watch over the rice grains, Fang Wu did not forbid Xiao Hu. It could be seen that Fang Wu did not have any disgust towards them just because he married Lei Tie.
"What's it?" Lei Tie asked.
Fang Wu said, "It's like this; I'd like to ask if your orchard needs to be cared for by people. My father used to help a landlord to take care of the fruit trees for several years. He's experienced. Now that he is getting old, my older brother and I want to let him live in ease and comfort at home, but he can't stay idle and still follows us to cut firewood. I thought, since he's good at taking care of fruit trees and it's easier than farming, I want to ask for this job for him."
Lei Tie held Qin Mian's shoulder, "Wife, you decide."
Qin Mian asked Fang Wu, "We really need people, but how old is uncle this year? Is he in good health?"
Fang Wu said with ease: "My old man is 61 years old this year. Brother Qin can rest assured that he is in good health."
With that, he asked tentatively, "Why don't I ask him to come and take a walk tomorrow?"
Qin Mian nodded with a smile. "Yes. According to Big Brother Fang's words, Uncle Fang really suits our requirement, but it also depends on the old man's opinion."
072 Digging Pond (1)
Back at home, Lei Tie went to the well and directly scooped water from the well to pour on his face.
Qin Mian frowned, "The water in the well now is still very cold, careful or you'll catch a cold."
"Unlikely, my body's strong." Lei Tie pulled off the towel on the clothes-drying pole to wipe his face.
Strong body?Qin Mian's gaze slipped from his broad shoulders to his thick chest, to his narrow waist, to his buttocks, and then to his long legs. He coughed and looked away.
"Did you see White Spot?"
Lei Tie said, "Probably went to the mountain."
White Spot had not lost its wildness just because it lived with two humans. From time to time, it went to the mountain alone. Sometimes for two to three days and occasionally brought back a small prey. At first, Qin Mian was worried that it would not return home at night. Later, seeing that it was dirty, tired, and had never been hurt, he let it had its way.
Qin Mian lit up the oil lamps in the house. He went into the kitchen to take a bowl and filled it with spiritual spring water. He carried it out to Lei Tie. "You get two buckets of water, mix this bowl of water in it, and then pour some on each fruit tree."
Lei Tie did not ask a word as he nodded and went out with the bowl.
Qin Mian could see from the kitchen's window that he bent down to lift water from the well. His arms and shoulders imbued with power, and his back, waist, and hip outlined a charming curve. When Lei Tie's back disappeared outside the courtyard, he suddenly realized that he had been watching Lei Tie all the time. He rubbed his face to pull himself together and calmly scooped out rice to rinse. They had made certain of their intentions and Lei Tie belonged to his family. Wasn't it normal that he could not help staring at Lei Tie?
When Lei Tie came back from watering, Qin Mian grabbed his neck without warning and forced a kiss on his lips. He was a little puzzled. Upon seeing his wife walk away leisurely to continue cooking with lively movement and good mood, Lei Tie was relieved and sat quietly in his usual position in front of the stove, watching the fire and adding firewood.
"How many people should we hire to start digging pond tomorrow?" Qin Mian ladled up the well-fried twice-cooked pork into the plate, which smelled extremely savory. He picked up his chopsticks and clipped a piece of meat to eat. Then he clipped another piece of meat and sent it to Lei Tie's mouth. "Have a taste."
Lei Tie held the chopsticks and looked at him as he bit at the meat.
Qin Mian suddenly remembered that he had not changed the chopsticks.
"Thirty people. Twenty-two people dug up soil and eight people pick up the soil." Lei Tie spoke after swallowing the meat in his mouth.
Qin Mian began to make the second dish, which was stir-fried lean meat with dried red pepper. Nowadays, even without meat tenderizer or cornstarch, he could still fry lean meat to be tender and delicious. When he was making dumplings on the evening of the ninth day of the first month, he inadvertently remembered that there was a time in his previous life when he was cooking, the cornstarch at home was used up and he forgot to buy it. Then, inspiration struck him to use flour. After mixing with flour, the cured lean meat was very soft and tender, not tough at all.
When the oil in the wok heated up, Qin Mian stir-fried the cured lean meat and ginger together for a while before adding dried red pepper. The spicy aroma made him want to sneeze, so he quickly turned his back to the wok.
"Digging a pond is also a big event. Do you want to go to Deng's Village and tell the grandparents? There are two uncles and three cousins, too. If we don't ask them to help us dig the pond, they may feel that we don't take them into consideration. As for whether they'll come or not, depends on them."
Country folks were very particular about this. They would inform their relatives and friends of any big events at home to show respect, which also meant that both sides were in good terms.
His wife was considerate, Lei Tie nodded, "I'll go early tomorrow morning."
The next day, at dawn, Lei Tie drove to Deng's village. Qin Mian had prepared breakfast, but Lei Tie had yet come back, so he ate alone. He had just washed the dishes and tidied up the house when Lei Tie came back. Eldest Uncle Deng, Second Uncle Deng, Deng Quan, Deng Zhong, and Deng Xiao jumped down from the cart with shovels and baskets.
Qin Mian was surprised and said, "Eldest Uncle, Second Uncle, Eldest Cousin, Second Cousin, and Third Cousin are here. Come in, please."
Eldest Uncle Deng was still indifferent as he nodded.
Second Uncle Deng had a smile on his face and very kindly said, "Brother Mian, thanks for the hospitality."
Deng Quan, Deng Zhong, and Deng Xiao all greeted Qin Mian with a smile. It was not good to call him "cousin's wife", so they called him "Brother Mian".
It was their first time here. Entering the house, they could not help but look around curiously.
Deng Quan said with a smile, "Your house is well-organized."
Deng Zhong nodded in agreement. The most noticeable thing in the central room was the wall. Unlike the wall of the common villager's house where there were a lot of dried mud lumps between the bricks due to extrusion, theirs was all polished and leveled. On the wall opposite the door was a pair of calligraphy and painting, a small wall-mounted flower basket symmetrically on the left and right. There were also two "Happiness" characters pasted opposite each other, and four exquisite wall-mounted bamboo candlesticks in the four corners of the room that reached up to shoulder-height the several exquisite objects with elaborated arrangement could easily attract the eyes of anyone entering the door, thus weakening their concern for the wall itself.
Taking another look at the furniture in the central room, the dining table was covered with reddish-brown and white checker tablecloth with a complete tea set placed on it, and the two high-back chairs placed side-by-side were padded with two finely tailored gray fur seats. On the spotless tea table, there was a fruit basket with a few apples and oranges in it. The four big leaning cushions on the settee looked soft. On the right side of the settee was a three-layer wooden rack which was neither high nor low. A wooden knife holder was placed on the top layer, on which was placed a smoothly polished wooden knife, and beside it was a small bow. In the middle layer, there were pairs of wooden carriage models and sailing boat models. At the bottom layer, there were two snack plates, containing melon seeds and peanuts, which were convenient for the owner to take when sitting on the settee.
Continuing to look to the right, there was a waist-high cupboard beside the settee, with a vase on it. There were several bright flowers in the vase, full of vitality. It made people feel refreshed. A closer look, one would discover that the red flowers, yellow flowers, green leaves in the vase and the flowers in the wall-mounted basket were all made of cloth. It made people marvel at the ingenuity of the maker. The whole central room was very warm and elegant.
Deng Xiao joked, "It's arranged so neatly that we dare not to sit down."
Qin Mian took out the best tea from the cupboard to make tea for them. He said modestly, "Only fiddling around while idle."
Lei Tie took the snack plates into the kitchen. After a while, he came out with several plates of snacks. The snacks in the plates were piled high.
"Eldest Uncle, Second Uncle, and cousins, please make yourself at home." Lei Tie succinctly said.
Deng Quan hastily said that there's no need to stand on ceremonies.
"Eldest Uncle and Second Uncle, it's warm now. Why don't you bring the children here to play?" Qin Mian asked. Lei Tie was too tight-lipped; he could not count on him for this kind of domestic trivia.
Speaking of the children, Eldest Uncle Deng's face softened, "We're here to work, what do we bring them for? They're too noisy." Be that as it may, he had no disdain in his eyes and obviously loved his grandchildren.
Qin Mian said, "It's good for children to be lively. The pond we're going to dig is very large. It's estimated to take two or three days to completely dig up. It'd be better to bring the children tomorrow. Aren't boys at that age like to play with soil and mud? Running and jumping more often makes the body healthier. As for the little girls, I can let little sister watch over them. It's the right time for the girls to go out and have a look while they're still young."
He arranged it very carefully and said it sincerely. Second Uncle came around first, "Well then, we'll bring them here tomorrow."
Eldest Uncle Deng also nodded.
The three Deng cousins' expressions were even gentler. For Qin Mian to attach importance to their children was the same as attaching importance to them.
Qin Mian also added, "As for grandpa, grandma, Eldest Aunt, Second Aunt, and the three cousins' wives, I'm afraid we won't be able to welcome them well at present. When the flowering and fruiting season of fruit trees is up, I'll invite them to have a good time."
Eldest Uncle Deng and the others' faces were brimming with smiles.
"That's a deal," Deng Zhong said with a laugh, "When the fruit trees blossom, we'll bring them to see the flowers."
"That's settled then." Qin Mian nodded with a smile, "At that time, I'll let Lei Tie pick you all up."
After chatting for a while, Deng Quan took the initiative to say, "It's getting late. Shall we go now?"
Qin Mian waved a hand, "Eldest Cousin, no hurry. You all can sit down a little longer, I'll call the others first."
After Qin Mian left, there was a moment of silence in the room.
Deng Quan looked at his tight-lipped cousin and shook his head helplessly. He thought to himself:based on temperament, cousin and Brother Mian are quite compatible.
Second Uncle Deng was bored sitting, so he stood up. "Tiezi, please take us there first and have a look at your orchard by the way."
The few men carried their shovels and baskets and went out with Lei Tie.
They needed to hire thirty people in total. In addition to the five members of the Deng Family, Qin Mian found another twenty-five people in the village.
The digging work was harder; 80 Wen a day. The picking up work was relatively easy; 50 Wen a day. It was fairer to pay according to the amount of soil dug up and the amount of soil picked up, which could prevent people from being lazy. Considering that they were all fellow villagers, Qin Mian did not do so. Being excessively calculating in everything was not the way to deal with things.
The high wages made villagers swarm up. If Lei Xiangyi, Lei Xiangli, Zhang Dashuan, and Wu Di were not informed in advance, they would not be able to seize the quota.
Qin Mian also hired two married women to move the stove to the field with the purpose of boiling water and deliver tea. The wage was 20 Wen a day.
The two married women were too happy, they grinned from ear to ear. What a wonderful thing that just by sitting there boiling water could earn 20 Wen.
After Qin Mian called people, he returned home. The gate was locked, so he did not enter and went directly to the field.
Just after two steps, an old man with his hands behind his back came across. His eyes were bright and his body was thin, but his pace was steady. One could see that he was hale and healthy.
Once Qin Mian saw that the old man resembled Fang Wu by half, he greeted with a smile, "Uncle Fang."
"Hehe…" Uncle Fang squinted as he laughed and beckoning him to walk together, "This youngster's eyes are very sharp."
Qin Mian looked at him and shook his head. "Second Brother Fang said that you're 61 years old this year. He's surely fooling me. I think you're 50 at most; hale and hearty despite the years."
"Hahaha…" Uncle Fang laughed, "You boy! He's not fooling you. I've agreed to what Fang Wu said. I'll have to ask this youngster to take care of me later."
"Uncle Fang overwhelms this junior with more than what I deserve." Qin Mian politely said, "It's Lei Tie and me who want to ask Uncle Fang to take care of us."
Old people liked people who were modest and polite. Uncle Fang stroked his beard and nodded, "Well said."
Qin Mian said, "I don't know"
Knowing what he was going to say, Uncle Fang waved his hand, "Let's go and see the trees first."
Qin Mian readily accepted all good advice and made a gesture of "please".
When they came to the orchard, Uncle Fang was a little excited when he saw the fruit trees. He quickened his pace and walked to the front unconsciously.
Based on his expression, he really understood fruit trees. Qin Mian's heart was truly at ease and quietly followed him.
Uncle Fang used his fingernail to pick out a small piece of bark from a branch. He looked at the color of the core under the bark and went on.
After turning around in the fruit trees, he stopped, turned back to Qin Mian, and said, "You bought a lot of fruit trees. There are three trees withered a little, I'm afraid they'd be hard to survive. The other trees are well chosen. However, the transplanted adult trees are difficult to survive. Now they'd only been transplanted for a day, so there's nothing to see. If, after five days, these trees don't show signs of withering, there's basically no big problem."
Qin Mian was not worried about this. He had confidence in the spiritual spring water.
"Later on, I may trouble Uncle Fang with the labor." Qin Mian pondered for a moment, "Generally, the fruit season is three months. During the fruit season, I'll pay Uncle Fang 200 Wen a month. Outside the fruit season is 50 Wen a month, what does Uncle Fang think? This junior doesn't know about the market situation of this business. If the arrangement is unfit, please let me know."
Uncle Fang waved his hand with happy laughter, "I don't need so much. Pay 100 Wen per month during the fruit season and 20 Wen per month outside the fruit season. It's a deal."
After that, without waiting for Qin Mian to speak, he went back to the place where the pond was dug up.
073 Digging Pond (2)
Qin Mian also went that way. The area of the pond was marked with branches, and the workers were divided into two groups, digging from the waist of the "gourd" towards both ends. If one group's progress was too far behind the other, it would certainly look bad for that group. Each took off their cotton-padded clothes and only wore a single unlined garment with rolled-up sleeves. They stepped on the shovels as they dug the soil, working in full swing.
Lei Tie stood not far away, glancing over the crowd without expression.
"Your idea?" Qin Mian came to his side and asked in a low voice.
Lei Tie nodded, "Has the matter of Uncle Fang settled?"
"En." Qin Mian suddenly saw Lei Xiangren carrying a shovel on his shoulders and swaggering towards this side. He felt disgusted in his heart, "Why is he here again?"
Lei Tie's eyes turned sterner, "No one called him."
Lei Xiangren came over very quickly and chose a position before stepping on the shovel to dig the soil, seemingly to be full of energy.
It was just that, when he dug a shovel of soil, others had already dug three.
Not far from him, Second Uncle Deng happened to notice this and scornfully frowned.
Qin Mian raised his eyes to look at Lei Tie, and said in a low voice, "[I'm] upset."
Lei Tie pressed on his shoulder and motioned him to watch again.
Lei Xiangren slowly dug the soil with his heart blooming happiness. He could earn more than 200 Wen if he mingled with these people for two or three days, just like picking up money.
At this time, he suddenly felt a pain in his right knee and fell to the ground.
"What's wrong?" A villager next to him asked kindly.
"It's nothing. It's nothing." Lei Xiangren rubbed his knee. Perceiving that there was nothing wrong with it, he quickly got up from the ground. Who would have known, he had yet stand firm, his knee felt numb and totally unresponsive, and his bottom sat on the ground once again.
Lei Xiangyi was perfectly clear of Lei Xiangren's mind, so he said in annoyance, "Second Brother, if you're not well, go home to rest."
"Ifine. I'll come to help the Eldest Brother some other day." Lei Xiangren choked back his unwillingness, afraid that there was some hidden ailment with his leg. He had to use the shovel as a crutch as he left sluggishly.
A few villagers who were close to him breathed a sigh of relief. Although it was not them who paid the wages, if they did more and got the same wage as Lei Xiangren, who had done less, they would naturally feel uncomfortable.
"Did you do it?" Qin Mian approached Lei Tie with his eyes sparkled.
Lei Tie looked steadily forward and raised his hand to hold his head down.
Qin Mian looked at Lei Xiangren's back. If Lei Xiangren dared to take advantage of his family again, he would set offLei Tie!
Not wanting to make the workers felt that he and Lei Tie were not at ease and monitored them here, Qin Mian and Lei Tie intended to leave.
"Everyone, we'll leave it to you here. Work in the morning until the beginning of the horse periodand continue at the end of the horse period. Take a rest when you're tired. It doesn't have to be too rushing."
It was two hours from the beginning of the horse period to the end of the horse period, which was enough for them to go home to eat and rest. All the villagers responded happily.
Qin Mian also told the two women who made tea not to cut off the tea supply and left with Lei Tie.
Nevertheless, even if they were not there, most people would not be lazy since Lei Xiangyi, Lei Xiangli, and the Deng family were all there.
Qin Mian and Lei Tie drove the oxcart to the town. Qin Mian wrote a list and asked Lei Tie to buy snacks and fruits that children liked to eat, to prepare for the coming little guests. Meanwhile, he went to Eating Savory Restaurant.
It was not the shop's open hour yet. The tables had not been moved out and the door was half-opened.
Qin Mian entered the door and saw that Yue Dong was leading Zheng Liu, Wang Shun, and the others to wash vegetables, skewer food, and make food balls. In the past few months, the staff had become skilled; their movements were swift and quick. In particular, Chen Si and Shi Tou were the quickest. They put a ball of meat in their hands, closed their thumbs and index fingers, and a ball popped up and fell into the bamboo sieve. In a short time, they could make eight to nine balls. The speed was as fast as a snapshot.
With a smile in his eyes, Qin Mian looked directly at everyone, letting them see his satisfaction, "Everyone has been working hard all the time. Yue Dong, you'll lead everyone to have dinner in the shop this evening before going off work. After you all finished with these, pick out the dishes you want to eat for dinner before opening the shop. In the evening, you'll have a hot pot; eat till your stomach bursts. My treat."
Wang Shun, Chen Si, Shi Tou, and Zheng Liu all stood up happily and said, "Thank you very much, small boss."
Yue Dong also smiled, "Small boss can rest assured." Qin Mian saying "My treat" was precisely that. However, he still needed to charge it on the account to make it easier later when he needed to balance the accounts.
Qin Mian raised his hand to signal them to continue working and went around the shop. The kitchen and the shop were very clean. It could be inferred that the staffs were not lazy just because he and Lei Tie reduced the number of visits to the shop. He became more satisfied and planned to appropriately increase their wages after a period of time.
He wrapped some freshly made food balls in oiled paper and let Yue Dong charge it into account, too. When Lei Tie finished shopping, they went home.
At noon, Qin Mian and Lei Tie treated Eldest Uncle Deng and his party to lunch. They also invited Lei Xiangyi and Lei Xiangli over. Qin Mian cooked a large hot pot and stir-fried five to six dishes. It was quite a sumptuous meal.
Deng Quan, Deng Zhong, and Deng Xiao were especially fond of hot pot. They kept dipping food into the hot soup and rarely moved their chopsticks to the stir-fried dishes.
After the food balls in the pot were gone, Qin Mian put in another sixty to seventy balls.
After drinking a mouthful of water, Deng Quan continued to clip the savory and spicy food ball to eat as he asked Qin Mian, "Brother Mian, did you invite Zhao Sifa and Zhou Erhao?"
"No." Qin Mian used the serving chopsticks to serve Eldest Uncle Deng and Second Uncle Deng. "When we called people, they were just there. They'd spoken, so I couldn't say no. Are they dishonest?" There was no surprise in his eyes.
Deng Zhong shook his head. "They're more than dishonest. I think they purposely came to muddle along."
Eldest Uncle Deng said slowly, "Brother Mian hasn't thoroughly considered this matter. After living in the village for such a long time, you and Tiezi should have a general understanding of the villagers' behaviors? You should find people in private."
Lei Tie defended Qin Mian, "It's me who asked my wife to call people directly."
Eldest Uncle Deng glanced at him and said nothing more.
Second Uncle Deng however, did not think Qin Mian was such a careless person.
Qin Mian secretly patted Lei Tie's thigh and helped Eldest Uncle Deng to clip a piece of flesh on the stomach of the fish. "Thank you for your concern. Actually, I deliberately said that I wanted to invite people to dig the pond in front of so many people today. Eldest Uncle, do you think that if I find people in private, will the uninvited villagers have any opinions about me and Lei Tie? The invitation is made public. Although there may be one or two people who are lazy and slippery, the initiative is in the hands of the villagers, and they can't blame me and Lei Tie for not having a spot. The development of our house will not stay at this stage. In the future, the number of times we need to hire people will be more. As it happens, we can see who're honest and dishonest. Anyone who is dishonest can be seen by others. If we're going to invite people to do some work next time, no one will say anything if we don't invite these lazy people. Our family doesn't run a charity hall to let them take anything for free."
The faint smile on Qin Mian's face was full of self-confidence with the manner of having a card up his sleeve.
Eldest Uncle Deng slightly nodded his head and took a profound look at him.
Second Uncle Deng laughed out loud and patted Qin Mian hard on the shoulder, "I knew you boy have a clever mind!"
Deng Quan and Deng Zhong looked at each other with a smile, "You can think so thoroughly, we can be less worried."
Deng Xiao, whose mouth had not stopped as he engrossed in eating, only spoke at this time, "I'd said that Brother Mian and cousin can take care of their own home. Do you believe me now?"
Lei Xiangyi and Lei Xiangli were absorbed in thought and vaguely learned something from Qin Mian.
In the afternoon, Eldest Uncle Deng and his party continued to dig the pond. After Qin Mian and Lei Tie checked the progress, they went home and took hoes and baskets to work in the vegetable field.
There were some radishes and a lot of cabbages in the vegetable field. One person dug up and the other picked up the vegetables to transport home. When the weather was warmer, new vegetables would be planted in the vegetable field.
The red radish could be made into shredded pickled radish, and the cabbage could be made into pickled cabbage. These two dishes went well with rice. In particular, the pickled cabbage could be used to make dumplings with pork and pickled cabbage, boiled fish with pickled cabbage and chili, stewed meat with pickled cabbage, and even egg fried rice with pickled cabbage.
Lei Tie saw Qin Mian licking his lips with sparkling eyes unbeknownst to him what delicious thing Qin Mian was thinking of and he could not help but grab Qin Mian's head and drop a kiss on his lips.
Qin Mian blinked his eyes and conveniently picked up a basket to cover their heads and separate from the eyes that might exist in the distance.
A fleeting smile flashed in Lei Tie's dark eyes. He only intended to have a little taste but changed his mind and deepened the kiss.
After the kiss, they looked at each other in silence before lowering their heads and continued to work.
Eldest Uncle Deng and his party had dinner at Qin Mian's house and were sent back by Lei Tie in an oxcart.
Eldest Uncle Deng said that he did not have to pick them up tomorrow. They would borrow two carts to take the children over, so Lei Tie did not have to run back and forth.
The next day after breakfast, Lei Tie went to the pond. At home, Qin Mian tidied up, took out all kinds of snacks and fruits, and put seven to eight plates on the table.
Two donkey carts stopped at the gate of the courtyard, and several children dressed in new clothes jumped out of the carts like dumplings. Deng Quan's children were Xiya and Kunzai; Deng Zhong's children were Manya and Yuanzai; Deng Xiao's children were Xuanzai, Yuya, and Lanya. There were a total of seven children. The oldest was Xiya, ten years old; the youngest was Yuanzai and Lanya, both five years old. The children shouted at Qin Mian: "Cousin-uncle Mian!"
Eldest Uncle Deng and his party did not enter the house.
Second Uncle Deng said, "Brother Mian, the children are handed over to you. We'll go there directly."
"Rest assured, Second Uncle." Qin Mian led several children into the house.
The children just arrived at a new place, so they were still a little shy and did not speak. When they saw the snacks on the table, they relaxed and the small children ran over to eat snacks. Xiya had the demeanor of an elder sister and spoke less. Her eyes had been paying attention to the youngest Yuanzai and Lanya.
Qin Mian carried Yuanzai and Lanya onto the chair and moved the snack plates towards them. He smilingly said, "Take whichever you like."
"Thank you, Cousin-uncle Mian!" Yuanzai, who looked dignified and strong, said out loud.
074 The Leisurely Farm Residence of Qin Mian and Lei Tie
Kunzai and Xuanzai had a general interested in snacks. When they saw a wooden knife, sailboats, and carriages on the wooden rack, they ran over excitedly and reached out for them.
Qin Mian walked over and gently said, "These are the gifts your cousin-uncle gave to me. You can play with them, but be careful, alright?"
Kunzai nodded and took the sailboat down to have a look. He fondled it admiringly.
Xuanzai then held the model of the carriage without loosening his grip and expectantly said to Qin Mian, "Cousin-uncle Mian, I like this carriage very much. Cousin-uncle Mian, give it to me."
"Er…" Qin Mian avoided making any reply and euphemistically said, "If you like it, I can ask your cousin-uncle to make another one for each of you." These were the New Year's gifts from Lei Tie. He was unwilling to give them to others.
Xuanzai held the carriage tightly, pouting without speaking.
Xiya frowned and went over. She spoke harshly, "Xuanxuan, didn't Third Auntteach you not to ask for other people's things? If I want your favorite bamboo dragonfly, will you give it to me?"
Xuanzai bared his teeth and cried out, "No! That's mine!"
"In that case, how can you ask for other people's things?" Xiya sternly asked.
Qin Mian saw the situation was turning bad and hurriedly said, "How about this. Let's go to your cousin-uncle and ask him to make a slingshot for each of you. We'll go to shoot birds, alright?"
Xuanzai immediately put down the carriage and said happily, "Good, good! We'll go to shoot birds."
"I'm going too!" Kunzai also put the sailboat back.
Even Yuanzai slipped down from the chair and tottered over, "I'll go too!"
At long last, they were coaxed into behaving for the time being. Qin Mian secretly wiped his cold sweat and nodded his head to express his thanks to Xiya. He did not know how to entertain these few little girls appropriately. While he was embarrassed, Lei Xiangzhi and Lei Chuntao came in together.
"We're here, eldest sister-in-law."
"Perfect timing." Qin Mian breathed a sigh of relief, and welcomed the two people inside, "Little sister, I'll have to trouble you to watch over these girls."
Lei Chuntao chuckled and lifted the small basket on her arm. "Eldest sister-in-law can rest assured to leave it to me. Last time I saw these flowers in your house and thought they were very beautiful. I tried to make some myself. I'll teach them how to make cloth flowers today, they'll like it. Look, I've brought everything."
In the basket were bits of cloth in various colors.
Lei Chuntao took the girls to the settee. After Qin Mian brought the snacks to the tea table, he had time to talk to Lei Xiangzhi, "Fifth brother, are you on break today?"
"Yes." With a smile on his lips, Lei Xiangzhi looked at a room full of children. "Ten days later, there will be another two days off followed by the county-level imperial exam."
"Based on fifth brother's look, you seem prepared." Qin Mian said with a smile, "I wish you all the best."
"Thank you very much. I don't dare say that I'll be on the top, but I'll do my best." Lei Xiangzhi said modestly.
Kunzai pulled Qin Mian's sleeve. "Cousin-uncle Mian, let's go to find cousin-uncle."
"Alright." Qin Mian asked Lei Xiangzhi, "Do you want to go there for a walk?"
Lei Xiangzhi nodded, "Let's go."
Qin Mian informed Lei Chuntao that he was taking Kunzai, Xuanzai, and Yuanzai to the orchard.
Lei Tie saw Qin Mian and he went over.
"Why come over?"
"They…" Qin Mian looked back. The three children were gone. He turned around and saw that the three children had already slipped into the dug pit, climbing up and down. They were having fun. He could not help shrugging. Children were playful and forgetful.
Lei Tie followed his gaze in confusion.
Qin Mian pulled his wrist and said, "Let's hurry back while they haven't come back to their senses. You make a slingshot for each of them."
"How did you come to think of making a slingshot?" Lei Tie asked.
Qin Mian said, "They're interested in my sailboats and carriages."
Lei Tie immediately responded, "Don't give."
Qin Mian amusingly looked at him, "That's why I'm asking you to make the slingshots."
The neglected Lei Xiangzhi shook his head helplessly. He walked neither hurry nor slow to the pond to take a look at the bustling scene and then strolled around.
Children were really forgetful, but they also had a good memory. They came back at noon for lunch, and when they saw the carriages and the sailboats, they remembered the slingshots. They all turned to look at Qin Mian, not daring to glance at Lei Tie. Lei Tie was always expressionless and looked very frightening. The three of them could act like overlords at home, but they dared not be presumptuous in front of him.
Qin Mian gave a wee smile and turned towards Lei Tie expectantly.
Lei Tie took out three slingshots from the cabinet and handed them over to Kunzai, Xuanzai, and Yuanzai without saying a word.
The size of the slingshots varied according to the age of the three children. The three children loved it at first glance and were all smiles.
Deng Quan saw that the rubber band of the slingshot was very thin and not strong enough to hurt people. He understood that Qin Mian and Lei Tie had taken it into consideration. He patted Kunzai's forehead, "Don't you thank cousin-uncle and cousin-uncle Mian?"
"Thank you, cousin-uncle and cousin-uncle Mian!" Xuanzai first said, "Cousin-uncle Mian, let's shoot birds this afternoon."
Qin Mian glanced evilly at Lei Xiangzhi, who he had asked to stay for lunch. "Alright, let your cousin-uncle Xiangzhi take you all." He was really not good at looking after children.
Lei Xiangzhi was surprised, "Eldest sister-in-law, me?"
"Exactly you." Qin Mian said righteously, "Aren't you going to take the county-level exam soon? Relaxing before the exam will be beneficial to develop ideas when sitting on the exam."
Lei Xiangzhi readily accepted [the task].
Eldest Uncle Deng, Deng Quan, and the others were very happy. Lei Xiangzhi was a scholar. The children of their family could get some influence from the contact with a scholar to some extent, which was good for their future enlightenment.
Qin Mian's conjecture was wrong. It took thirty people four days to completely dig up the pond, occupying over a muarea and about two meters deep. Such an area and depth were enough for fish-farming and growing lotus roots.
Lei Tie invited two experienced carpenters from the town, with four apprentices, to build a wooden arch bridge on the waist of the "gourd" that could allow carriages to pass. Thanks to the mountainous area near the village, Lei Tie found the strongest ironwood to make the arch beam. The two ends of the arch beam were sunk into the ground, so it was firm and safe. On the top of the arch beam, there lay sawed boards of ironwood which were even carved with decorative patterns for skid-proof. Every pillar of the railing was embedded into the arch beam, making it very secure.
After the bridge was built, Qin Mian and Lei Tie dug canals to divert water from the river. In less than a day, the pond was filled with muddy water. It would be clear in two or three days. Qin Mian asked Lei Tie to dig some silt to put into the pond while he sneakily poured some spiritual spring water into the pond.
The fruit trees were planted, the pond was dug, the bridge was built, and the wall could be built next.
This time, Qin Mian only bought over two hundred greenish-black bricks, and the rest were red bricks. It was because he thought that red brick and green trees set off each other more beautifully for artistic mood.
The Green Mountain Village seethed with excitement again, and the villagers were anxiously waiting for Qin Mian to announce the news of inviting people to build the wall.
However, this time, Qin Mian did not announce it in public but invited people one by one. Soon, it was discovered that most of the people invited this time were those who had done well in digging the pond last time. Lei Xiangren, Zhou Erhao, and Zhao Si were not among them.
It was not a simple thing to enclose 15 mu of land. Qin Mian spent 10 silver taels just to buy bricks. A total of fifty people were invited to build the wall in sections according to the marks made earlier. Several sections of the wall could be carried out at the same time. Because there were too many people, they did not provide food, so the wages were 6 Wen higher than the pay of when they built the house.
Uncle Fang had nothing to do, so he enthusiastically helped to guide and supervise. His two sons were also helping to build the wall.
"Tiezi," Uncle Fang asked Lei Tie while looking at the pile of greenish-black bricks, "what are these greenish-black bricks used for?"
Lei Tie said, "My wife said that the greenish-black bricks will be embedded in the red bricks to write down the words Leisurely Farm Residence."
Uncle Fang patted his thigh and looked at Qin Mian, who was talking to a villager carrying bricks, not far away. He said, "This is a good idea! Ah, I really don't know how your wife's brain develops."
A light flashed past Lei Tie's eyes. That was his wife. Of course, he was different from ordinary people.
He went to Qin Mian and handed him the bamboo cup in his hand.
Qin Mian was thirsty. He took the cup, raised his neck, and drank it in one breath. "I want more."
Without demur, Lei Tie went to the boiler, filled the cup with cooled water, and then handed it to him.
Qin Mian smiled at him, drank two mouthfuls, and returned the cup to him, "Let's go to the south wall and have a look."
At this time, in the old house, Zhao Shi sat by the well, rubbing the clothes in the wooden basin every once and again. It was unknown what she was thinking as she kept frowning hard. She would look up to the west of the village from time to time and did not even notice the water splashing on her body.
Qian Shi passed by and kindly reminded, "Second sister-in-law, your shoes are wet."
Zhao Shi regained her senses and looked at her trouser legs and embroidered shoes uncaringly. She stood up and stretched out her hand to pull Qian Shi. "Third brother's wife, that family in the west is becoming livelier. Do we just sit still like this? Let's go take a look. Qin Mian invited a few outsiders to boil water and deliver tea but didn't invite the two of us. This is inexcusable."
Qian Shi avoided her hand seamlessly and said: "Second sister-in-law, you can go by yourself. I've something else to do." Then she turned and went into the room. Her husband told her that as long as they did not provoke Qin Mian and Lei Tie, the two men would naturally think of them if there was any good thing. Persistently pushing forward would only incur their annoyance. Previously, it was because she was stupid that she followed Zhao Shi to make trouble with them.
"Ah?" Zhao Shi was rather baffled as she thought, "Qian Shi's changed?"
Like Zhao Shi, there was another person who could not sit still, Lei Daqiang. He went out for a stroll after breakfast in the morning. He wanted to go to the west of the village several times but backtracked several times. In any case, he could not have imagined that the eldest son, who he had not taken seriously, could now become so promising. The more promising Lei Tie was, the more he regretted that he was not good to Lei Tie; and the more he regretted, the more he realized how stupid he was. He would never admit it, but in fact, his face was burning with shame, and he was also angry. Lei Tie invited so many villagers to move bricks and build the wall, but he did not ask him, his father! It was not that he did not think of making trouble, but when he thought that Lei Xiangzhi was going to participate in the county-level examination, he did not dare to act rashly.
County-level examination?
His heart skipped. Yes, he could use the county-level examination as an excuse to go to Lei Tie. His youngest brother was about to take part in the county-level examination. Wasn't it normal to ask him, the eldest brother, for some money?
Thinking of this, he rushed to the west of the village.
Qin Mian and Lei Tie stood beside the south wall, making clear to the bricklayers that they must not "write" the three words "Leisurely Farm Residence" wrongly and askew, or they would have to redo it.
"Rest assured little brother." The nearly 40-year-old bricklayer said with a smile, "You'd make it clear how many bricks are used for each stroke, how many bricks are high from the ground and how far apart between the characters are. If we still make mistakes, we won't have to do this business in the future."
Qin Mian touched his nose, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
Lei Tie cupped his hands in obeisance and said, "Uncle isn't to be blamed. My wife just pursues perfection."
"Haha, understandable." The bricklayer gave a tolerant smile and said to another bricklayer, "We also want to see what it looks like after doing it perfectly."
"Yeah." Another bricklayer put up a brick and scraped off the extruding slurry with a masonry knife. "It's the first time I heard that you can write like this; don't even need to hang a plaque."
Lei Tie saw the sweat on Qin Mian's forehead, "Go home and have a rest." His wife had been under the sun for most of the day.
Qin Mian was really tired. He nodded and turned to walk home.
"By the way, I thought I would see Lei Xiangren again. Surprisingly, he didn't come."
Lei Tie looked ahead as he said, "Sick."
Qin Mian could not help laughing, "Your doing?"
Lei Tie said, "He came. I poked his numb acupuncture point."
Qin Mian laughed heartily, "Deserve it."
Note:
075
Lei Daqiang came over with a slight cough.
Qin Mian and Lei Tie halted and politely greeted him.
"Father."
Lei Daqiang looked at the back of the bricklayers in the distance and affectionately looked at Lei Tie. "Do you need any more hands here? Your father, I, still have a lot of strength."
Qin Mian was about to open his mouth when his hand that was held tightly by Lei Tie was pinched.
"There are enough hands."
Such an attitude made Lei Daqiang angry, and his face turned cold. He endured it and changed the topic, "Have you already known about your youngest brother's going to participate in the county-level examination? You said you're going to provide money."
Qin Mian understood it clearly. He came for money.
Lei Tie nodded, "I did. It's written in the separation document that whether it's the fifth brother's examination or the fourth brother's, fifth younger brother's, and little sister's marriage, we'll give one share to father's five shares."
Lei Daqiang choked, "How can the situation be the same now? You're well-off now, so you should give more money. It also shows your care for your younger siblings."
Lei Tie said with a cold face, "We'll give that share of money and also give the fifth brother some pocket money, but we won't hand the money to you."
Lei Daqiang was very angry and said harshly, "What do you mean? Am I, the father, greedy for my son's money?"
Lei Tie said indifferently, "You know yourself."
"You…" Lei Daqiang could not help but feel guilty when he thought of the 20 silver taels that Lei Tie gave him.
Lei Tie looked at him just like looking at a stranger as he said, "I'll increase your monthly money later, but if you all ask for trouble…"
Lei Daqiang was shocked by the look in his eyes. He very much wanted to courageously say "I don't want your money", but he could not give up the money. His lips wriggled for a long time, but his tongue failed him. He snorted, swung his sleeve, and strode away. The sight of his back cut a sorry figure.
All of a sudden, Qin Mian laughed.
Lei Tie looked at him inquisitively.
Qin Mian said, "I suddenly think that it'd be a good relief to tease them once in a while."
Lei Tie touched his head, "Go home."
Five days later, the wall of the Leisurely Farm Residence was completely built and their house became an independent small manor. Then they began to work on some details.
Before they knew it, the last ten-day of second lunar month ushered in. Two days later, Lei Xiangzhi would take part in the county-level examination. The overall atmosphere of the old house became tense. Even Lei Dagang went to the old house to visit for a while and gave Lei Xiangzhi 500 Wen so that he could take the exam properly and be at ease. He was the only scholar in the old Lei Family's generation; they could not help but attach importance to him.
All in all, it was their younger brother, so Qin Mian and Lei Tie come to the old house together.
Before they sat down, Du Shi brooked no delay as she said, "Your fifth brother will take the county-level examination for three days this time. The old man and I gave him 10 silver taels pocket money. You give him the money, too."
Lei Xiangzhi sighed silently, "Mother."
Qin Mian and Lei Tie looked at each other in silence.Is it necessary to ask for money in such a hurry?
Qin Mian had no intention to argue with Du Shi. He took out a silver ingot of 50 taels from his purse and handed it to Lei Xiangzhi, "Fifth brother, keep it. The knowledge that has been truly mastered will not be easily forgotten; the knowledge that has not been mastered is too late to review now. In these two days, just have a proper relaxing time. Only by maintaining the best condition can you perform better than normal in the examination room."
Everyone looked at Qin Mian in surprise.Didn't he forget his past? How could he understand this and say it clearly and logically?
Lei Xiangren and Zhao Shi fixedly stared at the silver, wishing that the silver was for them.
"Many thanks, eldest brother and eldest sister-in-law." Lei Xiangzhi received the silver with both hands. If he refused to accept it, Du Shi and Lei Daqiang would make trouble again. It was better to accept it generously and repay their kindness later.
Du Shi's and Lei Daqiang's faces looked much better.
Lei Tie asked, "You'll be going together with other scholars?"
Lei Xiangzhi was flattered by his eldest brother's rare concern. He straightened his back a little more, "Exactly. The two teachers in the school will personally lead us."
Lei Tie nodded and resumed his indifferent appearance.
Wei Shi suggested, "It's hard to get together today. The eldest and eldest daughter-in-law should stay for lunch. Two days later, Old Five will have an exam, and gathering with his brothers can also be a great encouragement. What do you think, Old Five?"
Naturally, Lei Xiangzhi could only nod his head, "Eldest brother and eldest sister-in-law, let's have lunch together."
Qin Mian however, felt that Wei Shi's smile was very reluctant today. Her right hand always touched her abdomen unintentionally, and there was some imperceptible haze hidden under her eyes.
Du Shi gave Wei Shi a triumph look. She even gave Qin Mian and Lei Tie a kind smile, and her voice was very gentle, "Stay for lunch. At noon, I'll make you stewed pork with dried vegetables."
Qin Mian looked at her in horror and could not speak for a moment.Is this really Du Shi?
Lei Chuntao guessed what he was thinking. She was amused and said, "Eldest sister-in-law, mother's stewed pork with dried vegetables is a special dish. It's a pity to miss it."
No one wanted to spoil everyone's fun on a day like this. Qin Mian nodded with a smile, "Then we can have a taste." As for why Wei Shi and Du Shi were so strange today, he did not care, as long as theheatdid not reach him and Lei Tie.
He agreed, and Lei Tie also did not object.
This one time of Du Shi's rare generosity, she cooked a large wok of delicious dried vegetables stewed pork, loaded on two large plates. The taste was really good. Qin Mian ate three bowls of rice, while Lei Tie ate four bowls. Du Shi and Lei Daqiang also did not give them attitude.
This meal was the most enjoyable meal in the old house.
When they were leaving, Lei Tie motioned Lei Xiang Zhi to send them off.
Out of the courtyard gate, he said to Lei Xiangzhi faintly, "You only need to concentrate on examinations and learning. Don't have to worry about money. Your eldest sister-in-law and I will support you in the future prefectural exam and college exam."
Qin Mian nodded with a grin.
Lei Xiangzhi deeply bowed with hands folded in front, "Many thanks, eldest brother and eldest sister-in-law."
Qin Mian thought about it and added, "It'd better not to mention it to other people, so as to avoid other incidents."
Lei Xiangzhi replied, "I understand."
A few days passed in a flash.
Lei Xiangzhi came back from the county and brought back good news. He had made a good achievement of being first place. The Lei's family members were all elated. Although it was only a county exam, obtaining first place was extremely hard to come by. It was clear that Lei Xiangzhi was indeed a good seedling at learning. After a day's rest at home, Lei Xiangzhi went back to school to prepare for the prefectural exam in the fourth lunar month. After he passed the prefectural exam, he would be an entry-level examinee. If he also passed the college exam, he would be settled a Xiucai.
Under the care of Qin Mian and Lei Tie, the Leisurely Farm Residence changed from day to day. Only by the third lunar month did the two men be thoroughly busy and the Leisurely Farm Residence was officially completed.
Cacti were planted on the wall of the manor, which could be used for ornamental purposes and also to prevent thieves. The entrance gate was a vermilion lacquer gate with a width that could accommodate two carriages and reached up to 8 chi. On the red wall on the right side of the gate were the two words "Leisurely]" composed of greenish-black bricks, and on the left side were the two words "Farm Residence]". It was of a person-height, neat and eye-catching. There was a duty room on the left side of the entrance. The manor was too big, so it was inevitable to hire a porter. It was empty at present. To the left of the duty room, was a row of servant's quarters facing south and backing north, all of which were three-room style with a total of four sets. To the north of the servant's quarters was the plum forest.
There was also a row of building on the right side of the gate. Among these was a warehouse used for storing firewood, farm tools, and putting the oxcart. The other four were ox house, pig house, chicken house, and stables. Ten pear trees were planted in front of this row of buildings.
Straight ahead into the gate, one could see the wooden arch bridge and the pond at a glance. There were peach trees at both ends of the wooden arch bridge; one on the left and one on the right. The newly hatched fish had already been put into the pond and lotus roots had been planted. The small lotuses only revealed pointed shoots. A stone path that could accommodate two people walking side by side surrounded the pond and three to five willows trees were scattered next to the pond. Under a willow tree near the north head of the bridge, there was a long wooden chair, and under another willow tree not far away were a round stone table and four stone benches. The gourd-shaped flowerbed, which had been carefully managed, was almost completely parallel to the path. Inside were winter jasmine, magnolia, tree peony, herbaceous peony, camellia, gardenia, and so on. Some of them were dug out from the mountain and some were smuggled out of the space by Qin Mian. There was a small path in the east and west of the flowerbed for people to walk along.
To the north of the pond was the peach forest. From the west of the forest to the northwest corner, there were large vegetable and pepper fields. Qin Mian thought that the smell of Sichuan pepper was unpleasant. Moreover, he sometimes needed to irrigate the manure in the vegetable field, so he specially arranged the vegetable field and pepper field in the corner. To the east of peach trees were the house of Qin Mian and Lei Tie. There were two additional trees in front of the house; a ginkgo tree about 20-year-old and a maple tree about 40-year-old. Qin Mian and Lei Tie found them on the mountain and dug them out especially. It took a lot of effort to carry them. Ginkgo and maple trees were wonderful choices for ornamental plants.
There were some open spaces around the house for future expansion.
Beyond the peach forest to the north, there was a grove, which had not been transformed for the time being. Twenty sweet oranges, six cherry trees, six jujube trees, and two pomegranate trees were planted to the north and east of the grove.
It was now the third lunar month. Flowers bloomed in the Farm Residence. The white plum and pear flowers were like snow on the branches in winter. The delicate and charming peach blossoms were like pink clouds contended in beauty and fascination with the pink-purple cherry blossoms There were also white magnolia, yellow winter jasmine, pink peony, red camellia, and so on in the flowerbed. The splendid beautiful purples and brilliant redsattracted butterflies to dance lightly and gracefully, and bees to buzz for a long time, unwilling to leave.
Qin Mian looked at the manor he created. With his hands clasped behind his back, he faced up and looked at Lei Tie with a satisfied and complacent smile.
"How is our new home?"
Lei Tie embraced the person beside him, bowed his head, and kissed Qin Mian's lips. He said in a low voice, "Home is where you are."
The smile in Qin Mian's eyes deepened, feeling pleased as well as sweet, "Lets go there and sit down."
White Spot's body, like Qin Mian, had been nourished by the spiritual spring water for a long time that its black fur appeared more black and shiny. It had drilled out of the flowerbed and nimbly dodged the angry bees. Upon seeing its two masters walking away, it went to catch up with them.
Note:
076 Buying People
Qin Mian and Lei Tie planned to fill up the manor with staff. The town's brokerage was too small, and the people they were selling were jagged and lack of basic quality. The two men went to Zhaoyang County Town to survey and stroll around in passing.
The county town and outskirts town were different. The level of liveliness alone was incomparable to that of Running Water Town. The gate of the county town was full of incoming and ongoing people and an endless stream of horses and carriages. After storing the oxcart at the carriage station, the two men walked into the town. Qin Mian looked at the spacious streets, the beautiful clothes of the pedestrians, and the rows of shops; it was somewhat too much for the eye to take in.
"To Changmen Street? It's lively there." Lei Tie sought his wife's opinion, taking pity on him. It was his little wife's first time to come to the county town, so he ought to let him have fun.
Qin Mian said, "No, let's just casually roam around." As a transmigrator, he only saw the ancient-styled towns and cities on television and films before. Now that he was personally on the scene, it really perked his interests a bit.
The things in the county town were more exquisite, more upscale, and more diverse than those in the town. Qin Mian animatedly went to a cloth shop, a jewelry shop, an iron shop, and entered a large restaurant. After walking around inside and scanning the food on the table, they came out. The waiter, who had enthusiastically introduced them all kinds of cuisine until his mouth dried up, gloomily rolled his eyes behind their backs.
Lei Tie had been walking beside Qin Mian in silence. While Qin Mian looked east and west with interest, he looked at the various expressions on Qin Mian's face.
If the waiter also transmigrated, he might be tempted to scold both of them: "Snake spirit disease!"
One would not know the other, and Qin Mian by no means would care about what the waiter was thinking. He once again pulled Lei Tie to two snack shops, looking carefully and asking attentively, but he did not buy anything.
Lei Tie could see that he was thinking of some money-making ideas.
After strolling for nearly two hours, Qin Mian asked the owner of a shop the location of the brokerage and went directly with Lei Tie.
The brokerage in the county town was more stylish than in the town and there were many more choices here. As soon as the owner of the brokerage heard that they wanted to buy people, he called all the people out and arranged them into several rows, giving free rein to Qin Mian to choose.
Qin Mian was not used to choosing people like goods, but he had to do so. If he carelessly chose people with health and behavioral problems, it would be troublesome.
He first selected a couple under 40 years old. Their clothes were old and patched, but they were clean and not sloppy. The man was called Uncle Fu, who was healthy and good at farming; the woman was Aunt Fu, who could farm, cook, sew and mend, and make clothes. She could help washing dishes, washing clothes, and feeding chicken in the manor.
Qin Mian had thought that since Lei Tie was his person, he should be good to him and should not let him wash the dishes for a lifetime.
He also picked a young chap who could drive a cart, named Gou Wa. He was 20 years old. There was a drought in his hometown and he was the only one left in the family. He sold himself and stranded in Zhaoyang County.
Qin Mian chatted a bit with Gou Wa and felt that he was very smart. He could farm and drive a cart. So Qin Mian bought him as a cart driver. When he did not have to drive a cart, he would help to do farm work and miscellaneous work.
The three people were bought for a total of 300 taels silver and all of them signed an irrevocable title deed.
When they went back, it was Gou Wa who drove the oxcart, steadily.
"Gou Wa, what's your formal name? Dog Baby is too unpleasant to hear." Qin Mian asked.
Gou Wa grinned, "Answering to the little young master, this little one doesn't have a formal name. Please bestow a name, little young master."
Qin Mian was a little awkward, "Bestow or whatever. Anyway, the name Gou Wa is really unpleasant to hear. How about I name you Xile?"
Gou Wa happily said, "Many thanks, little young master. It's a nice name. Afterward, this little one is called Xile."
Qin Mian said, "Don't use little one and just use I. Your eldest young master and I are very easy to get along with; you all don't have to be too formal. After all, if there is no mishap, you'll stay in our manor for the rest of your life. I hope we can get along well. As long as you do your duty well and don't make any mistakes, we won't slight you."
"Please rest assured eldest young master and little young master, I'll do a good job." Xile did not comment on the "eldest young master is very easy to get along with". He did not even dare to open his eyes to take a look at the eldest young master, but he thought Qin Mian was a kind master.
Uncle Fu and Aunt Fu looked at each other and felt a little uneasy about the future, but they were also a little relieved. Although they were not free, they wished to settle down.
Qin Mian thought for a moment and said, "In a little while, buy some tableware, pots, shovels, and whatnot in the town. Before Xile gets married, he'll join Uncle Fu and Aunt Fu for meals. The future matters will be discussed in the future."
Aunt Fu immediately answered, "Yes, little young master"
Neither she nor Uncle Fu seemed to be talkative, which was more in line with Qin Mian's intention.
"Tie, do you have anything to add?" Qin Mian asked Lei Tie.
Lei Tie was taken aback, "What did you call me?"
Qin Mian raised his eyebrows, "Tie. Can't I?" He did not think it was kind enough to call his full name.
"Anything you like." Lei Tie put his arm around his waist and pressed his lips on his forehead, "Nothing to add."
Qin Mian did not push him away and paid attention to the reaction of Uncle Fu and Aunt Fu.
Aunt Fu did not seem to think much; Uncle Fu was shocked and immediately lowered his head.
Qin Mian smiled and relaxingly leaned on Lei Tie, no longer talking. He did not expect the three people to immediately accept that he was together with Lei Tie, but at least they should not discriminate against them.
When the oxcart arrived in the town, Qin Mian bought more pots, tableware, ladles, and basins. Uncle Fu, Aunt Fu, and Xile had no baggage with them. He bought three sets of coarse cloth garments, some fabrics, and other daily necessities for each of them.
While at it, Qin Mian also bought some flour and rice. He and Lei Tie both like to eat rice, and the rice at home was consumed fast.
When the oxcart drove into the farm residence, Uncle Fu, Aunt Fu, and Xile were shocked to see the beautiful scenery in the farm residence.
This was where they were going to live? They would live in such a beautiful place?
Qin Mian chuckled, "First, follow me to your living place. After you've sorted things out, you can stroll around the farm residence and get familiar with the new environment."
Uncle Fu and his party quickly withdrew their gazes.
"Yes, little young master."
Following Qin Mian into the servant's house, the three people were dumbfounded again. The house was newly built, not a thatched house or a wooden house, but a house with red bricks and black tiles. The inside of the house was bright and clean, with no shortage of household furniture, and the bed was even covered with a brand-new cotton-padded mattress and cotton-padded quilts. It was several times better than they used to be in their own homes!
Qin Mian made arrangements, "Uncle Fu and Aunt Fu, you two live in the first house. Xile, you live in the second house. If another servant comes in later, you'll share the house with him. Of course, if you get married in the future, you can also live in a house like Uncle Fu and Aunt Fu."
Xile could not hide his excitement and said, "Yes, little young master! Many thanks, little young master!"
After Qin Mian explained the work contents of the three people clearly, he said, "You'll be provided with food and shelter. The monthly wage is tentatively set at 50 Wen, which will be increased at every festival, New Year, and busy farming season. You'll have three meals a day. Breakfast and lunch are noodles, dumplings or buns, and dinner is cooked white rice. Eat until full. But of course, no waste is allowed. Vegetables are homegrown, which you can take whenever. You'll be given 10 jin of meat every month and it's up to you whether to eat at all in one meal or save to eat for a month."
Uncle Fu, Aunt Fu, and Xile looked at each other in astonishment and felt a little uneasy.
Xile spoke first, "Little young master, this arrangement is a little too good. As servants, two meals a day are enough for us."
Qin Mian said with a faint smile, "When you enter our house, you follow our rules. You don't have to think you're unworthy, just work harder."
Uncle Fu and his party answered "yes" in unison.
Lei Tie went to look at the oxcart. Xile cleverly carried a sack of flour and a sack of rice down.
Qin Mian said, "You don't have to do anything today. Go walk around. Start working tomorrow."
"Many thanks, eldest young master and little young master!"
After what should be made clear was made clear, Lei Tie led the ox, preparing to leave with Qin Mian.
Xile walked over quickly and said respectfully, "Eldest young master, let me. Is the ox house over there? I'll take the oxcart to its house after I send the things over."
Qin Mian looked at him with approval.As expected, he is really smart.
After the outside wall was built, the courtyard wall of the house was demolished a few days ago. The view became wider. At the door of Qin Mian and Lei Tie's house, Xile quickly moved the things on the cart into the house.
Qin Mian grabbed a piece of bacon weighing about 10 jin from the kitchen and let Xile take it back. He started to prepare his and Lei Tie's lunch.
"Wife, what are you going to do with these?" Lei Tie came in with three small bells.
Qin Mian took a look, "Oh, I almost forgot. It's too far away from the servant's quarters, so inconvenient to find them. Didn't I also buy three different colors of rope? You tie the three bells to the ropes and tie them inside the house of the three with the other ends tied to our side. If you need to find them, pull the rope here and the bell will ring there. The black rope is Uncle Fu, the red rope is Aunt Fu, and the gray one is Xile."
"Wife is very clever," said Lei Tie.
"It's necessary." Qin Mian turned his head proudly and was accurately kissed by Lei Tie. Before he had time to say anything, Lei Tie took the bells and ropes and walked out without delay.
"Mensao." Qin Mian muttered and then hummed a song as he trimmed vegetables for cooking.
After Lei Tie came back, he tied three ropes to the window lattice of the central room.
Qin Mian mentioned another thing, "Do you remember that we said we would invite the grandparents and aunts to come and see the flowers last time we dug the pond?"
"Yes." Lei Tie asked, "These days?"
Qin Mian nodded, "Invite them over a day earlier, so as not to think about this matter all the time."
Lei Tie said, "I'll go to Deng's Village tomorrow morning."
After Qin Mian made the fried noodles in soybean sauce, Lei Tie carried it out in passing.
Qin Mian smiled and followed with two pairs of chopsticks.
He sat down on the chair physically and mentally at ease, feeling that today's fried noodles were particularly aromatic. "So far, things in the manor have been basically handled, and we can relax for a few days."
Lei Tie said, "After grandpa and the others leave, I'll take you to the mountain."
"Alright." Qin Mian nodded while eating noodles. "It's spring now. The scenery on the mountain must be very beautiful. Bring the bow set, we can go hunt while at it."
Lei Tie nodded and suddenly asked, "Do you remember your birthday?"
"28th of the third month." Qin Mian raised his head and looked at him with a smile, "Why? Do you have a gift for me?"
"En." Lei Tie did not deny it.
"Your" Before he finished, he suddenly remembered that Lei Tie's mother died of difficult labor, which was to say, Lei Tie's birthday was Deng Shi's death anniversary.
Without waiting for Lei Tie to speak, he said, "You'll have your birthday on the same day as mine."
"Alright." Lei Tie raised his hand and wiped the sauce from the corner of Qin Mian's mouth with his thumb.
After lunch, Lei Tie washed the dishes.
Qin Mian took out his notebook and a writing brush and wrote on the tea table.
Lei Tie came out of the kitchen after washing the dishes and sat down beside him with an arm around Qin Mian's waist.
"What are you writing?"
"Accounts." Qin Mian said, "Previously, we didn't have to keep accounts. But now there are three more people in our family, so it'd be better to keep a good record of our income and expenditure to be sure. If anything goes wrong in the future, there is a basis."
"Sell them if they make mistakes." Lei Tie indifferently spoke.
Qin Mian nodded, "If they make a big mistake, I certainly won't tolerate them."
Note:
077 Want to Be Closer To You
Brought to you by Ellie()
Lei Tie took along Xile to Deng's Village to let him know the way. If there was a need to go to Deng's Village in the future, Lei Tie did not have to do it himself.
Qin Mian was alone at home. Finally, he had plenty of time to go into the space and bring along White Spot. Since he transmigrated over, the number of times he had entered the space was very few. It was not that he did not want to enter, but he did not have the chance. At first, it was because he was guarding against Lei Tie that he did not dare to enter easily. Later, it was because he was too busy in real life. Every day, he thought about how to make money and how to improve their lives, so he could not manage the space. He only entered occasionally and stayed for a short time to take more spiritual spring water or pick some fruits and vegetables. Now though, he had decided to tell Lei Tie about the space. He was just waiting for a suitable opportunity.
As soon as he entered the space, Qin Mian keenly noticed that the space was somewhat different from before. He looked around carefully and found that the area of the space had expanded. Previously, when he stood at the gate of the quadrangle houseand looked into the distance, the scenery in the distance was always hazy with smog. Now when he looked again, the green hills were clearly visible. He suddenly had a guess,is the space expanding?
To be honest, although he had owned the space for nearly two years, he did not know much about it. However, what was certain was that the space did not have any malice towards him. He could feel that he and the space were "interlinked". When he occasionally encountered a few beasts in the space, they would be very docile and automatically avoid him.
Qin Mian pondered for a while, but he could not think any. He first watered the flower bud he named "Pink Ball", and found that it had not changed in any way compared to before, but he was not disappointed. He turned to pick up the eggs in the chicken coop and duck cage and put them in the small warehouse of the quadrangle house. The preservation function of the space would not let them go bad.
It was White Spot's first time in the space. It looked around for a moment before darting out like an arrow and disappeared into the woods.
Qin Mian did not worry about it. He found two baskets and loaded a basket with eggs, then went to the vegetable garden and picked a basket of fresh vegetables. He shouted, "White Spot, let's go!"
Not a while later, White Spot jumped out of the bushes, rubbed against his legs, and let him hug its neck.
The next moment, they returned to the central room.
Qin Mian gnawed on an apple while pulling the red rope on the window lattice.
Aunt Fu quickly appeared and knelt respectfully, "Little young master."
Qin Mian pointed to the vegetable basket by the well, "Aunt Fu, there are guests today. You go wash these vegetables."
"Yes."
Qin Mian stood aside and watched for a while. Aunt Fu was very quick and neat. He chewed on the apple and moved out to the recliner to bask in the sun.
White Spot suddenly jumped up and rushed forward.
Qin Mian was startled. He thought that White Spot found something threatening. He quickly jumped up from the rattan chair. However, he saw that White Spot's two forepaws pressed a stone with its teeth bared and growled a few times before releasing the stone. Next, it leaped over the stone and sprinted back with a twist of its waist. Then it pounced again with its mouth opened and bit the stone.
Qin Mian gaped for a moment before feeling relieved.White Spot is practicing hunting prey!
With a head full of black lines, he glared at White Spot for quite a while. He wanted to ask: White Spot, does your big master aware of your "craziness"?
Thinking that White Spot did not understand, he reluctantly laid back, crossed his legs, and then chewed the apple, watching White Spot continue to practice crazily.
Aunt Fu warily looked at White Spot as she walked around a bit farther to Qin Mian's side. "Little young master, the vegetables are ready. It's sunny today, why don't I take out your quilts and cotton-padded clothes to leave out in the sun?"
Qin Mian sat up and said, "Aunt Fu is very attentive. I'd forgotten about it. It's fine though, I can do it myself. There's nothing more to do here, you can go to your duty."
"Yes, little young master."
There were four cloth-drying poles in front of the house, similar to two parallel bars.
Qin Mian took out all the quilts, mattresses, bolsters, and cotton-padded clothes in the wardrobe, as well as the settee's seat and leaning cushions in the central room. Then, he brought out the tea set and snacks and placed them on the stone table under the maple tree before leaning back on the recliner.
White Spot was still hunting the "prey". It jumped over and scuttled away with all its limbs kicked off the dust to fly. Qin Mian was glad that he was situated in the wind direction.
Lei Tie led a group of people to approach and the little chubby kid at the forefront quickly ran over.
"Cousin-uncle Mian!"
"Yuanzai." Qin Mian got up to greet the guests.
There were quite a lot of people; Old Master Deng, Old Madam Deng, Eldest Uncle Deng, and his family, and Second Uncle Deng and his family. As the group of people walked and looked around the manor, they all felt that their pairs of eyes were not enough. In particular, the few women could not move their eyes when they saw a variety of flowers.
Kunzai and Xuanzai mischievously jumped up and grabbed the branches of the pear tree full of flowers. Yuya and Lanya picked two flowers in the flowerbed before running over.
Qin Mian saw Lei Tie holding two small puppies, "These are?"
Lei Tie handed the puppies to him, "Eldest Uncle gave them."
Qin Mian delightfully went to thank Eldest Uncle Deng, "Eldest Uncle is very thoughtful. To be honest, this farm residence is too big. We do really need a few watchdogs."
Eldest Uncle Deng waved his hand. "They were given by others. It's not worth a dime."
Qin Mian looked at White Spot, who was watching the two puppies. He felt a bit worried. If White Spot was not a wolf, it certainly could accommodate two dogs.
Lei Tie noticed his concern, "Grandpa said they were born of wolfhound parents."
Qin Mian's apprehension slightly loosened, "You entertain grandpa and the others first."
He did not dare to let White Spot touch the two puppies. He carried the puppies into the house, filled a bowl with some rice porridge left in the morning, mixed some spiritual spring water in, and temporarily locked the two puppies in the utility room.
When he came out of the house, he saw Lei Tie sitting at the stone table alone. The snacks and hot tea on the table were all untouched.
"Where are the people?"
Lei Tie motioned to the fruit forest, "Wandering."
The eldest aunt snapped a flowering branch from the peach tree and handed it to Xiya; Xuanzai jumped up and stretched out his hand to pat the peach branches vigorously, and laughed as he watched the petals fall down.
Seeing this, Qin Mian frowned. Alas, this was something he had anticipated.
Lei Tie rose to his feet.
Qin Mian stopped him, "Forget it, let them. They can't destroy all the flowers. This year is our first year of planting fruit trees. Inviting them to come and have fun is considered a dedication. Afterward, we can make excuses. Shall we go to accompany them?"
Lei Tie shook his head, "Grandpa said no need to accompany."
Qin Mian sat still.
The two men drank tea and chatted.
They did not know that Uncle Fang was in the peach forest at the moment.
After seeing the peach branch in Xiya's hand, Uncle Fang glanced at the petals on the ground and said to Xuanzai, "Kiddy, this tree will bear less fruit due to your doing. It's a pity."
Deng Xiao and Deng Zhong were chatting. When they heard that, they quickly walked over, and embarrassingly stopped Xuanzai. "This old man is?"
"Hehe. Are you Lei Tie's guests? I was hired by Lei Tie to take care of the fruit trees." Uncle Fang said.
Xuanzai raised his chin and glared at Uncle Fang defiantly, "This is my cousin-uncle's orchard. I can play however I want!"
Deng Xiao harshly reproached, "Xuanzai!"
Uncle Fang shook his head with a smile. Without saying anything, he turned to another direction.
Deng Xiao's wife glared at Deng Xiao and reproached, "Can't you talk nicely? If the child isn't sensible, then teach him."
Old Master Deng and his wife had already gone far away, lamenting about the future of his grandson and knowing nothing about what had happened.
Qin Mian and Lei Tie sat for quite a while before the Deng Family came back. Kunzai and Xuanzai each held a plum flowering branch as a sword; Yuya and Lanya both held a large bunch of flowers. Old Master Deng walked at the front with a calm face. Eldest Uncle Deng and Second Uncle Deng saw the things in the hands of the children and were somewhat embarrassed.
Qin Mian seemed as though he did not see it, and warmly welcomed them.
"Grandpa and grandma, it's nice and warm outside. Why don't we just sit outside?"
"Good." The old lady smiled kindly.
The Deng family spent a day in the farm residence and bid farewell after dinner.
The children did not want to go, but they were taken away by their parents because there weren't any extra beds. Qin Mian was very glad that there was only one bedroom at home.
After seeing off the guests, he took Lei Tie around the fruit trees and flowerbeds. On the surface, the loss of the orchard was not visible, but a lot of flowers in the flowerbeds had been trampled down, and there were some messy footprints on the ground. It was clear that there were children running wildly in the flowerbed.
Uncle Fu, Aunt Fu, and Xile lifted the flowers up with pity and poured some water on them.
Meanwhile, Qin Mian was in a good mood because seeing off the Deng Family was like completing a task. He would not see those bear children again for a long time. In the future, when the fruits were ripe, he did not plan to invite them to come, or else he did not know how much would be wasted. He would only give them some fruit then.
Qin Mian pulled Lei Tie to leave, "Let's go to see the two puppies."
Back at home, White Spot was scratching the door panel of the utility room with its claws, looking up and down, as if studying how to open the door.
Lei Tie picked it up with one hand and put it aside.
White Spot had always revered him. It obediently stood still at where it was put.
Qin Mian opened the door and the two puppies that lay quietly on the ground looked at them at the same time with wet eyes.
One puppy had gray fur and looked more like a wolf; the other puppy had one-third of white fur and two-thirds of black fur. It looked like a black vest was draped over its back obliquely; very cute.
Qin Mian patted the two puppies' heads gently and pushed the gray-furred one to Lei Tie. "This one, you name it."
Lei Tie said without thinking, "Gray Sheet."
"Gray Sheet, hahaha…" Qin Mian patted his legs as he laughed heartily.
Lei Tie explained, "Same as White Spot."
Qin Mian's laughter stopped spontaneously.
Lei Tie pointed to the other puppy, "Its name?"
"Black Vest." Qin Mian said.
Lei Tie was silent for a moment and nodded, "Nice."
Qin Mian looked at him unhappily. "White Spot and Black Vest are nicer than Gray Sheet." White Spot ran over and looked up at Qin Mian, thinking he was calling it.
Lei Tie nodded, "En."
Qin Mian was even more upset.
Lei Tie caressed his head, "Let's sleep. We're going up the mountain tomorrow."
Qin Mian's attention was immediately shifted.
After Lei Tie also went to bed, he (QM) squeezed in consciously.
Lei Tie paused before he hugged him.
Qin Mian asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
Lei Tie did not speak and held his wife's buttocks, making them fit even more snugly.
Qin Mian realized in an instant. Feeling somewhat unbearable, he lay on the man's shoulder and said in a low voice, "Otherwise, I'll use my hands…" His lips were sealed by something hot.
In the dark, the panting sound of endurance and urgency was very clear. Only after a long time did Lei Tie's voice rang out in deep and hoarse, "Sleep."
A quadrangle house. The house in the magical space looks like this.
Head full of black lines. [This is me after finishing the last couple of paragraphs.]
078 The Romantic Couple's World
Brought to you by TucTuc()
Qin Mian led the two puppies to walk to the gate with Lei Tie. White Spot followed them quietly, glancing at Gray Sheet and Black Vest from time to time. It did not appear to be hostile or anything.
When Uncle Fu and Aunt Fu saw them, the couple rushed to meet them. Qin Mian, with his bow set on his shoulder, was wearing a convenient white hunting suit and a pair of boots made of animal hide, looking valiant and formidable. Lei Tie was also wearing a hunting suit, but in black, which set off his reserved grandeur even more strongly. The elegant demeanor of the two masters made Uncle Fu and Aunt Fu unable to move their gazes for a moment but they hastily dropped their eyes when Lei Tie indifferently swept a glance over them.
"Where's Xile?" Qin Mian asked casually.
Uncle Fu said, "Little young master, he went to herd the ox after breakfast."
Qin Mian nodded, "Uncle Fu and Aunt Fu, these two dogs are Gray Sheet and Black Vest. You'll be raising them."
Aunt Fu looked at the two puppies with eyes full of affection. She took over the rope in his hand, "Yes, the little young master can rest assured."
Lei Tie said, "Guard the gate, we'll be back before dark."
Uncle Fu and Aunt Fu said together, "Yes!"
A few villagers nearby saw Qin Mian and Lei Tie come out of the farm residence and leave side-by-side with envy in their eyes. What about two men live together? Their lives were more than a hundred times prosperous than others. Not only could they own such a large manor, but they could even employ servants. Others were envious of them.
In the farmland, the green wheat had grown to the height of a person's calf. Stubborn weeds mingled in it, arrogantly holding their heads high. The farmers bent over and pulled out the weeds with their hands. A herding boy led an ox to walk on the ridge; and a black ox lowered its head to nibble at the grass, flicking its tail from time to time in, utterly in leisure.
Qin Mian smiled at every villager he met as he drifting away with Lei Tie.
When White Spot arrived at the mountain, it behaved like a wolf running around excitedly. The soles of its feet seemed to be equipped with springs as it bounced from time to time and yet landed leisurely and soundlessly. It was proud and aloof, but also graceful. The prominent disdainful look in its gray eyes made people never mistaken it for a dog.
With White Spot here, Qin Mian was not worried that he would lose his way and could not get down the mountain. He walked ahead in high spirits, searching for prey with both eyes.
Lei Tie had always kept a distance of four to five steps behind him. His indifferent eyes occasionally looked to the left and right, guarding him against potential dangers.
"White Spot, go look for prey nearby." Qin Mian said to White Spot. He learned archery with Lei Tie for a long time, but his archery skill could not be regarded as excellent. Out of ten arrows he shot on the moving target, only seven hit the target. Looking back at the time when he learned to shoot a moving target which was personally held by Lei Tie, Qin Mian felt warm in his heart. Although this man did not talk much, the man actually spoiled him to the bone.
Of course, in order to avoid accidental injury, his arrows were wrapped in cloth at that time. Although Lei Tie said that even if he did not cover the arrow, he would not let Qin Mian hurt him.
Thinking of this, Qin Mian could not help looking back at Lei Tie.
Lei Tie misunderstood the meaning of this look, "Wife, don't worry, I'm always behind you."
Qin Mian broke into laughter, turned around, and continued to search for prey.
In front of him, White Spot suddenly stopped, made a crouching movement, and turned its head to look at Qin Mian.
Qin Mian had known of its intelligence earlier. He reached into the quiver behind his back and pulled out an arrow. He quickened his steps and lightened the movement at the same time.
It's a bamboo rat!
During the day, bamboo rats ate less food and slept more, but ate vigorously during the night.Isn't it just sleeping soundly in the grass right now?
Qin Mian stopped ten steps away, aimed at the bamboo rat, and set the arrow. The string accidentally scraped the palm of his hand. He felt a little pain. He swung his arms and pulled the bowstring before letting go.
With a cry of fear, the bamboo rat jumped up and fell powerlessly to the ground.
"A-Tie, I hit it!" Qin Mian turned his head happily as he said to Lei Tie.
A-Tie? Another new [addressing] name.Lei Tie withdrew his gaze on his wife's waist and arms without a trace, "Wife is so awesome."
Qin Mian felt that he was insincere. Alright, the bamboo rat stayed there motionless; it would strange if he could not hit it.
He went to pick up the bamboo rat and put it into Lei Tie's basket.
Lei Tie stared at the corners of his smiling and rosy lips, stretched his arms to wind around his (QM) waist, bowed his head, and kissed those lips. Warm flesh deeply attached to each other.
Qin Mian put his hands on his (LT) shoulders and responded attentively. He wanted to seize the dominance but was greeted with a more fierce attack by Lei Tie. A big palm even twiddled his butt.
The essence of a hunting suit was to facilitate movement, so it stuck very closely to the body. The skin-tight cloth perfectly outlined Qin Mian's figure, while the white cloth made his butt appeared sturdier. Lei Tie could not move his hand at all.
Qin Mian was also ignited by his actions. Soon, he could not breathe steadily and his tiptoed feet were a little feeble. His chest that was stuck close to Lei Tie's clearly felt the man's chest sharply undulating.
The man's concentration had dropped significantly. Qin Mian was a little proud of himself but also a little flustered as he was not ready yet. Just as he was about to reach out his hand to push, the man had already let go of his lips. His eyes seemed to have been painted by ink as they were becoming darker and deeper, staring at him closely, just like a hunter who locked in his prey and would make a violent attack at any time.
Qin Mian's heart was pounding and his blood was boiling. He realized more than ever that this man liked him and he was also fascinated by this man. He should push the man away but his arms could not help encircle the man's waist. He lovingly dropped a soothing kiss on his lips and said with a sly smile in his voice, "You good?"
Lei Tie did not utter a word. His hot right palm moved up from his wife's waist at an extremely slow speed. It seemed that a slight mistake would cause an explosion of desire. The big palm finally stopped on the youngster's shoulder and the temperature also dropped. Then, Lei Tie nonchalantly let go of the person in his arms and took two steps back at the same time. The intense emotion on his face and the heat in his eyes quickly disappeared and recovered their dullness. It seemed as if nothing at all had happened just now.
Qin Mian found it so amusing. He turned around and left.You can pretend, then.
"Awoo" At the front, White Spot let out a howl, as if in urging them.
Qin Mian gently scolded, "White Spot, quiet down. Don't scare the prey away."
Two men and a wolf went on until they entered deep into the mountain.
Lei Tie was no longer behind but walked side-by-side with Qin Mian.
"There are many beasts in the mountains. Be careful." Lei Tie said. Without a careful look, he shot an arrow into the grass on the right side, hitting a pheasant weighing more than 3 Jin.
Qin Mian looked at him with admiration. When could he also perfect his skill to this degree?
Lei Tie enjoyed his wife's gaze very much. He did not speak, but the corners of his lips were slightly curled up.
While pushing aside the obstructing bushes, Qin Mian went on. Upon seeing an idiot-looking roe deer, he was overjoyed. He pulled Lei Tie's arm and motioned him to stop while he raised his bow and arrow.
With a "whoosh", it was hit!
Unfortunately, it was only shot above the right front leg of the roe deer and did not hurt the vital part. The roe deer faltered for a while before it started to run.
Qin Mian was in a great hurry. "A-Tie"
Without looking back, he stretched his hand at the back to grab Lei Tie, and this gesture of grabbing on empty made Lei Tie's eyes flashed with a doting smile.
Before his wife's words were completed, he raised his arms and the sharp arrow broke through the air and hit the roe deer's abdomen.
The roe deer leaned sideways and fell on the ground, motionless.
Qin Mian picked up the roe deer and said to Lei Tie with a smile, "Roe deer meat is purely lean, with no fat on its whole body. It's rich in nutrition, tender, and delicious. It's known as the King of Lean Meat. How about having roe deer meat at noon?"
"It's delicious to roast." Lei Tie said.
Qin Mian said, "Then roast it is."
His hunting mood flourished and he walked forward in big strides.
Suddenly, the smell of blood pervaded in the air. Lei Tie pulled his hand to stop and said, "Wait, there's a big animal."
At this time, the bush shook and a huge tiger's head came out from it. The tiger with yellow fur and black stripes had a mouth full of blood. When it opened its mouth, it showed its sharp teeth and there was a terrifying growl let out from its throat, "Grrr"
"Oh mother." Qin Mian inadvertently met those tiger's eyes and his legs gave away, retreating a few steps before falling on the ground.
The tiger raised its head, lowered its waist, and leaped forward.
Lei Tie did not have time to help Qin Mian up. Instead of retreating, he blocked in front of Qin Mian.
"LEI TIE!" Qin Mian turned pale with fright. He wanted to stand up, but he had no strength.
Lei Tie was as steady as a stone and quickly took out an arrow from his quiver. Seeing that the tiger was less than five meters away from him, he shot the arrow.
Like splitting bamboo, the sharp arrow thrust into the tiger's throat.
Lei Tie did not even look at it as he picked up Qin Mian and moved to the side in a flash.
The tiger's huge body fell heavily on the ground. Due to its inertia, it glided forward for a zhangbefore stopping.
Qin Mian's eyes widened as he took a breath. If it was not for Lei Tie to take him away in time, his body would have been half-paralyzed after being crushed by the tiger.
The tiger howled and struggled for a while before it was unable to move again.
"Wife, how are you?" Lei Tie looked down at the man in his arms as he asked anxiously.
Qin Mian felt that his performance just now was very humiliating. He said in a low voice, "My legs are still a little soft."
Lei Tie continued to hold him and stroked his back up and down.
Qin Mian discovered that he was being held by Lei Tie with his butt held up like a baby, and the corner of his mouth twitched. He struggled to get down to the ground. "Let me go first."
Lei Tie put him down, but his left arm was still around his back.
Qin Mian recovered after a while. He looked at the tiger which died without closing its eyes. He took a few steps to look at it. He said, "No wonder when people are angry, they often use glare with tiger eyes. Such eyes are really frightening, right A-Tie? It also rushed at me so suddenly that I was shocked still." He made an excuse for himself.
The corner of Lei Tie's lips gently curved up, "En."
"Awoo awoo" White Spot called in the distance, which eased Qin Mian's embarrassment and he hurried over.
Lei Tie followed closely.
Behind the bush lay a large boar weighing more than 300 Jin, with a bloody hole in its stomach, apparently gnawed by the tiger.
"Ha! We gain benefits when the tiger and the pig fight against each other." Qin Mian said happily.
Lei Tie frowned as he said, "Must move them away as soon as possible, otherwise they'll attract other beasts." It was impossible to move a 300 Jin wild boar and a nearly 800 Jin tiger at once.
Qin Mian rolled his eyes. He squatted down, touched the tiger with his hand, and the tiger disappeared. Again, when he touched the boar, the boar disappeared.
Lei Tie looked at him in shock. He abruptly pulled the person into his arms and held him tightly, "Wife…"
Qin Mian encircled his strong waist and looked at his eyes seriously. "I'll tell you what happened on our birthday. Trust me!"
"I trust you." Lei Tie slowly released him, but his left hand still held his hand.
"No more hunting. We'll go down and roast the meat to eat at the foot of the mountain. White Spot, let's go." Qin Mian instead pulled Lei Tie's hand and walked back.
Note:
079 Birthday Present
Brought to you by MCJohnston(–)
At the foot of the mountain, after seeing no one was around, Qin Mian took the wild boar and tiger out of the space.
They slowly roasted some roe deer meat and to their fill. Lei Tie stayed behind to guard the prey while Qin Mian went home to ask for aid.
Uncle Fu drove an ox cart over to carry the boar and tiger home.
Along the way, when the villagers in the farmland saw the big tiger on the cart, they were amazed and clamors of comments ensued. They all gathered around to watch and followed the ox-cart moving forward as they complimenting Qin Mian on Lei Tie's skill, bravery, and brilliant archery.
Qin Mian felt both funny and depressed. What's funny was that these people dared not chit-chat in front of Lei Tie, but dared to approach him. What's depressing was that they were so sure that Lei Tie hunted the tiger instead of him?
He turned his head and took a look at the man's strong and slender figure with a height of 1.9 meters, and then compared with his own body that was only 1.7 meters; he decided to eat an extra bowl of rice at night!
Worried that some idle villagers and naughty children would destroy the fruit trees and flower beds when they entered the manor, Qin Mian did not let the villagers in but asked Uncle Fu to park the ox cart at the gate and let them stand and watch until they get enough.
While the villagers circled around and watched the tiger, they also wanted to follow inside and walk around the manor. From the outside, one could see white pear flowers and pink peach flowers inside the wall. They were very beautiful and they must be even more beautiful to look from inside.
Qin Mian could read their thoughts. He claimed that he was tired, let Xile brought two chairs and sat at the door with Lei Tie, being patient with the villagers.
The villagers lingered for an hour. Seeing that Qin Mian did not plan to invite them into the manor, they could only leave in disappointment.
Xile looked at the little young master with admiration and felt that he had learned a trick.
Lei Daqiang and Du Shi stubbornly refused to go. Qin Mian generously let Lei Tie chop the boar's leg for them. If he had 100 Wen, he thought it was no problem to "donate" 1 Wen.
Lei Daqiang and his wife left contentedly with the boar's leg weighing nearly 10 Jin.
Lei Tie completely peeled off the tiger skin and wanted to make a fur cloak for Qin Mian.
Qin Mian was frightened and repeatedly waved his hands [in refusal]. In any case, tigers "used" to be protected animals. He could hunt and kill it, but it was really impossible to wear it on his body every day.
"If you like it, I'll make you a fur cloak." Qin Mian was a bit insincere in his words. He always thought that wearing a tiger skin cloak would look like a nouveau riche. Although, it seemed that they were indeed a nouveau riche.Sweat.
Lei Tie shook his head, "Make a mattress?"
Qin Mian made a decision, "Sell it. Don't forget that we spent a lot of money to build the manor. Now, we're poor again."
Lei Tie still felt that his wife would be very good-looking dressed in a tiger skin cloak, but he still listened to him and nodded.
Qin Mian kept 3 to 5 Jin of tiger meat for a taste, and the remaining tiger meat, tiger penis, and tiger skin were sent to the county town to sell. Not only the tiger meat sold at a profit, the tiger penis and skin sold for a total of 1400 silver taels!
Qin Mian was both happy and sad. It was so easy for his family (LT) to make money, so he had to make a vigorous start ah!
"My money is your money." Lei Tie comforted.
Qin Mian nodded seriously, "Of course. Your money is my money; my money is still my money."
Lei Tie nodded without demur.
"Look at you." Qin Mian stuck closer to his face and offered a kiss, "You're so honest that I feel sorry to bully you. I'll make you a delicious meal. After the meal, we'll go to town."
Lei Tie motionlessly allowed him to kiss; he had a different kind of cuteness. Qin Mian's heart softened.
They made a large plate of hot and spicy shrimp, a large plate of chicken, and a plate of fried green vegetables, which they enjoyed eating. After eating and drinking enough, Qin Mian asked Xile to send them to the town.
Instead of going directly to their shop, Qin Mian asked Xile to drive around the Running Water Town.
"Wife, you still want to open a wine house." Lei Tie hit the mark with a comment.
Qin Mian nodded, "Yes." He could not afford real estate, but the catering industry was also highly profitable. That small shop could not meet his needs.
Lei Tie paused before he said, "You can buy a big store in the county town."
"Don't you dislike living in the town?" Qin Mian asked.
Lei Tie held his hand tight and lightly said, "If you like it, we can go to the county town."
Qin Mian glanced at him with a smile, "You think about me, can't I think about you? Don't worry, I've got an idea. Even without going to the county town, the wine house can still be opened, and it'll be the one and only." His eyes twinkled with confidence. He, who had transmigrated, would be sorry for not exploiting the existing advantages to make a big profit.
Lei Tie asked, "Build it yourself?"
Qin Mian was surprised and looked at him with appreciation, "Correct."
Lei Tie knew that he must have some strange and eccentric ideas and did not ask much but only said, "Say it when you need me."
Qin Mian leaned back on him relaxedly, "En."
At the front, Xile was listening. However, he did not understand much and simply stopped listening. Anyway, he would know when it was time.
The result of going around the town was that Qin Mian bought another large piece of land 15 mu.
After returning home, he lay on the table to write and draw.
Lei Tie sat on one side, weaving some bark from the branches of some unknown tree.
When asked what he was doing, he did not say a word. Qin Mian glared at him discontentedly but also looked at him with tolerance. On the contrary, he ignored Qin Mian's temper.
In a twinkling of an eye, it was the 28th of the third lunar month Qin Mian's birthday.
The night before, which was the night on the 27th, Qin Mian did not sleep soundly. Thinking of the poor child Lei Tie supposedly never celebrate his birthday, Qin Mian hoped that his "first" birthday would be perfect. Before he went to bed, he kept reminding himself that he should get up before Lei Tie, so that he could say "Happy Birthday" to him first, and then cook birthday noodles. All night, he seemed to be asleep and awake. Lei Tie thought he had a nightmare, so he patted him on the back with his big palm. Qin Mian's drowsiness became even heavier, but he was reluctant to give up Lei Tie's intimate action, so he continued to struggle and wander in half-asleep and half-awake.
In the end, Qin Mian sat up with a start as soon as the resounding and lengthen cock's crow was heard.
Lei Tie sat up alertly and hugged the person who obviously still could not open his eyes, "Wife, I'm here. Had a nightmare?"
Qin Mian tried hard to open his sore and heavy eyelids and bitterly looked askance at him. If Lei Tie had not patted him on the back all the time, he might not be so miserable.
The spring morning was very cold. After he woke up a little, he lifted his right leg and straddled Lei Tie's legs. He clung onto the warmth of the man's body transferred from inside the quilt.
"Happy birthday, A-Tie." He held the man's chin, raised his head up, and gave a heavy kiss on the man's lips with a "pop".
Lei Tie held the youngster so tightly that he wanted to knead him into his body. "Wife, happy birthday." He pulled up the quilt and wrapped Qin Mian. A hot kiss slid from his lips to his neck, sucking hard, and a big palm slipped into his undergarment.
Qin Mian squinted, softly groaned, and embraced the man's shoulder After a good while, the man bit on his shoulder, and the tight body gradually relaxed.
Lei Tie put his chin on his wife's shoulder, stiffly gasping for breath.
Immediately afterward, the scent in the room raised ambiguity.
They hugged each other for a moment as they both calmed down.
"Let go. I'll cook birthday noodles." Qin Mian patted the man's solid arm.
Lei Tie stretched out his long arm, picked up his wife's clothes, and watched him put them on one by one. He looked at his wife's swollen lips for a moment before he got off the bed and went to the wardrobe. He took off his obscene pantsunashamedly, threw it on the seat, and took out clean clothes.
Qin Mian gave him a speechless stare, dressed speedily, and ran out of the room. Only then the scorching gaze on his back disappeared.
A wok of noodles was made and the two people each held a big bowl.
After eating the noodles, the bowls were left on the table. Later, Aunt Fu would come to wash it.
Qin Mian took out four boiled eggs which had been cooled down from the kitchen, and hooked his finger at Lei Tie as he said with a grin, "A-Tie, come here."
Lei Tie took a look at the eggs and walked over.
Qin Mian took an egg in his hand and rolled it from Lei Tie's forehead to his chin, then from his chin to his forehead. He chanted, "A year goes by in a breath."
"What for?" There was still residual water on the egg. Lei Tie wiped his face, and then a second egg came.
Qin Mian stifled a laugh, "This is a blessing. I wish you all the best for the coming year."
Lei Tie nodded and reached out to the other two eggs. "Roll on you, too."
Qin Mian swiftly snatched the two eggs, broke them immediately, and promptly said, "I want to eat them now."
Lei Tie had to take a towel to wipe his face.
"Wife, I'm going to the town to get your present."
"I want to talk to you first" Qin Mian wanted to talk about the space.
Lei Tie kissed on his lips and licked along with the egg yolk from the corner of his mouth. "Talk when I came back."
"Alright." It did not matter to Qin Mian. Anyway, it was all the same whether to talk first or talk later.
Lei Tie went out with two eggs.
After Qin Mian finished his eggs, he had nothing to do. He found a bamboo rod, tied a rope to the rod with a piece of wood tied at the other end of the rope, and trained White Spot's hunting skill with it.
One man and one wolf had an extremely great time.
Suddenly, Qin Mian heard the sound of the horse's hooves. He looked back and saw a man dressed in gray came galloping on a black horse from the peach blossom forest. The man saw him, raised the corners of his lips, and faintly smiled. The tenderness in his eyes was like a deep abyss, making people uncontrollably submerged in it.
He was also pulling the rein of another horse. Its hair was brown all over without a trace of variegation. It was smooth, soft, and shiny just like it was wrapped in brown silk.
Qin Mian threw away his bamboo rod and ran over happily.
The black horse ran to Qin Mian. Lei Tie pulled the rein; the black horse neighed and steadily stopped.
"This horse is for me?" Qin Mian stroked the long mane of the horse. He had never ridden one before.What is a horse? That is equivalent to modern BMW and Rolls Royce!
"En." Lei Tie nimbly dismounted and handed him the wooden box that had been held on his left hand, "Change clothes first."
Note:
080 Heartstrings Knot
Brought to you by Elaine()
Qin Mian guessed that it was a riding suit because the clothes on Lei Tie's body were not the ones he wore when going out, but a riding suit.
He took the wooden box and ran into the house. Not a while later, he dashed out again and dressed in a well-fitted white riding suit, thriving with heroism and dripping vigor. He stood in front of Lei Tie and said excitedly, "A-Tie, take me for a run first."
Lei Tie reached behind his back and handed Qin Mian another thing.
Qin Mian took it, "Isn't this something you weaved a few days ago? Is this a whip?" The whip was also brown. Although it was woven from tree bark, it was tanned to be very soft and exquisite. He looked at the wooden handle carefully and was not surprised to find a few familiar words engraved on it: Tie Gifts Wife.
He wanted to stare wide-eyed at Lei Tie but he could not help smiling.
That brilliant smiling expression made Lei Tie's mood sunny and cloudless.
"Like it?"
"Yes." Qin Mian all smiled.
Lei Tie mounted the horse and stretched out his hand.
Qin Mian handed him his hand. Lei Tie gently pulled him up and held his waist with his other hand. Qin Mian sat firmly in front of him.
"Jia!" Lei Tie's feet stepped on stirrups, clamped the horse's belly, and the black steed galloped.
The wind blew in the face mixed with the elegant fragrance of flowers made Qin Mian's mood flying. Taking advantage that they had not left the farm residence and no one was around, he turned his head and pecked at the man's side face before sitting upright and acting as if nothing had happened. Lei Tie hugged him tightly, kissed his earlobe softly, flicked the reins, and the horse galloped out of the gate.
Uncle Fu, who was chopping firewood at the entrance, felt a gust of wind passing by. When he looked up, he could only catch sight of the confident and leisure back of the two people on horseback.
The villagers on the road heard the clatter of the horse's hooves from behind and gave way, watching the horse gallop by. A few young villagers' eyes were full of envy.
The steed ran around the village before running into the Leisurely Farm Residence. Lei Tie led the brown horse and once again took Qin Mian to urge the horses away from the farm residence.
When they came to the grain-sunning ground, Lei Tie stopped the horses and leaped down.
Qin Mian turned over and leaped down. Unable to hold himself back, he said, "Teach me now."
Lei Tie nodded, "Which do you like? The brown one is gentler."
Qin Mian was not a daring person, "The brown one then."
Lei Tie took the reins of the brown horse and taught him basic knowledge, "Before you mount the horse, you need to check whether the saddle and stirrups are firm. If it's loose, it'll be dangerous."
After carefully observing the saddle and stirrups, Qin Mian nodded to show that he had remembered.
"When you get on the horse, push your toes inward. Don't move too much to prevent the horse from being startled or refuses to be mounted" Lei Tie said while demonstrating, "When dismounting, loosen your right foot first…"
Lei Chuntao and a girl dressed in purple similar to her age were going to dig wild vegetables with baskets in their hands. Upon seeing the people on the grain-sunning ground, they both stopped at the same time. They watched Lei Tie saying something to Qin Mian with his head lowered and then holding his waist to help him mount the horse.
The girl dressed in purple approached Lei Chuntao's ear and said in a low voice, "Your eldest sister-in-law is really handsome, and your eldest brother's side face is also quite handsome. If they aren't married, there must be a lot of girls who like them."
Lei Chuntao looked at her in surprise and immediately said, "Hongzao, don't think about it. My eldest brother and eldest sister-in-law have a strong relationship."
Hongzao's face turned dignified. She anxiously patted her and stomped her feet as she said, "What are you saying? I'm just talking. Didn't I tell you a few truths because I was being nice to you?"
Lei Chuntao knew that she had misunderstood her, so she quickly apologized with a smile, "Alright, alright, it's my fault. Hongzao, you can hit me again."
Hongzao lightly snorted and gently patted her on the back.
Their gazes returned to the grain-sunning ground. Qin Mian was on horseback. Lei Tie pulled the reins and slowly moved forward. He looked at the person on the horse from time to time and Qin Mian would smile back. There was a deep tacit understanding and warmth between them.
Lei Chuntao and Hongzao looked at each other with a smile and walked away with their baskets.
Qin Mian was very smart. He quickly grasped the main points of horse riding. After letting Lei Tie lead the horse for a few laps on the grain-sunning ground with, he could not help saying, "A-Tie, why you don't let go, I'm going to try."
Lei Tie then released his hand, "Slow down."
Seeing Qin Mian lightly clamped the horse's belly and the horse walked neither slow nor fast, he put his worry down and rode on the black horse to follow after him.
Qin Mian looked back at him and inquired, "Can I speed up?"
Lei Tie nodded, "Don't worry."
Qin Mian held the reins and kicked the horse's belly nervously. The brown horse trotted at once; it was very docile.
Qin Mian shook the reins and pulled to the left. The horse's speed went a little faster, running around the grain-sunning ground.
Qin Mian sat firmly on the saddle, turned back, and called out, "A-Tie, look, I've learned it!"
Lei Tie's horsewhip slightly moved and the black horse quickly went forward to keep pace with the brown horse.
"Can I go faster?" Qin Mian yearned for the feeling of galloping.
Lei Tie nodded. "I'm here."
Qin Mian raised his horsewhip and gently whipped it on the horse, "Jia"
With a low neigh, the brown horse ran out of the grain-sunning ground and ran along the road out of the village.
The black horse followed closely.
"HAHAHA It's so cool!" Qin Mian felt the spring breeze and gave out wanton laughter.
Lei Chuntao, who was crouching on the ridge and digging wild vegetables, raised her head after hearing the laughter. Upon seeing the two back figures of gray and white in the distance, she could not help but smile.
Qin Mian and Lei Tie galloped down the mountain and directly went back to the farm residence.
When he got to the stable, Qin Mian quickly rolled off his horse with a thin layer of sweat on his face. With a smile, he combed the mane of the brown horse with his fingers. The more he looked at it, the more he liked it.
"Tired?" Lei Tie walked to his side.
"En." Qin Mian tugged at his clothes, "I'm all sweaty."
Uncle Fu came over quickly, "Eldest young master and little young master are back."
Qin Mian handed the reins to him, "Uncle Fu, feed them well."
"Yes."
Qin Mian pulled Lei Tie home.
After entering the house, Lei Tie said, "Pour hot water and wash your face."
Qin Mian shook his head and mysteriously smiled, "Follow me."
He locked in the door of the central room, pulled Lei Tie into the bedroom, and closed the curtains.
"A-Tie, no matter what is strange about me, can you accept it all?" Qin Mian encircled Lei Tie's waist, feeling somewhat uneasy. If Lei Tie could not accept it, he did not know whether he could bear the pain of losing Lei Tie. Having been with Lei Tie for such a long time, he had always been very happy, except for those prodigals in the old house which occasionally annoy him. And this happiness was basically brought to him by Lei Tie. He liked this man and wished to be together with him earnestly.
"You are my wife. You will always be my wife." Lei Tie hugged him. His tone was as steady as ever but it made Qin Mia calm.
"I'll take you to a place." With a stir in Qin Mian's mind, the next moment, he and Lei Tie appeared in the space together, still maintaining the posture of embracing.
"Here is…" Lei Tie was slightly startled. He held his wife's hand tightly and looked around.
Qin Mian did not see any fear or uneasiness in his eyes, so he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He relaxed and somewhat proudly said, "This is an independent world and my portable space. Last time I put the tiger and boar here."
"Portable space," Lei Tie said, "which means carried on the body?"
"That's right." Qin Mian paused a bit and looked directly into his eyes, "What would you think if I told you that I was not the former Qin Mian?"
However, Lei Tie unexpectedly said, "I know."
Qin Mian was shocked and incredulously turned up his volume, "YOU KNOW?"
Lei Tie caressed his face to make him stay calm and embraced his waist. "The former Qin Mian was cowardly, timid, and self-abased. He didn't even dare to look at me directly. He trembled as soon as I approached him. But that day when you woke up from your lethargic sleep, you were only surprised to see me, not afraid. Like a changed person. At first, it was just a doubt, and then I was certain that you weren't him."
"Then you…" Qin Mian wanted to ask him whether he liked the former Qin Mian or the present one. He had the answer in his mind but he wanted to hear from Lei Tie himself.
"You." Lei Tie's chin rubbed his hair, "I used to call him Little Mian."
When he said this, Qin Mian remembered. Lei Tie called him "Little Mian" in the first few days, and later he always called him "wife". His ears began to burn.
"Wife, there are a lot of doubts about you, but I dare not ask, for fear that you'll disappear. I'm glad you're willing to tell me." His voice had been very calm and his speech was neither urgent nor slow, like a gentle wind soothing Qin Mian's heart.
Qin Mian's chest felt inexplicably painful, and he could not help but hold the man closer. This man had been quietly tolerating him. He was lucky to meet him in this strange world.
He told the man about the origin of the space, "This space is…" [Omitted explanation]
"I see." Lei Tie pondered, "Maybe it is the space that saved you and helped you to be reborn. White Spot is it[the dog he saved]?"
Qin Mian said, "Like two peas in a pod. They look the same and also give me the same vibe."
"Whether it is or not, we'll treat it well." Lei Tie unconcernedly said.
Qin Mian nodded and looked at him with warm eyes. "I said that I would give you a birthday present. It's actually a heartstrings knot. Once you bound a heartstrings knot with me, we can share the space, but we'll also live and die together. That is to say, if I die before you, you'll also"
Lei Tie immediately asked, "How to bind?"
Qin Mian curved his lips in a smile and his heart felt comfortably warm. "Come with me."
They walked into the quadrangle house together. Qin Mian pressed his right palm on the four walls of the main room. Suddenly, a white light flashed inside the room, which kept flashing, and after a while, it condensed into an illusory ring in midair at the center of the room. Qin Mian bit his finger and dripped a drop of blood on it. He said to Lei Tie, "You too."
Lei Tie also dripped a drop of blood.
The white light flashed and died out, at the same time! Lei Tie felt something was in his body. The space seemingly transformed into a small model printed in his mind. He could see it clearly.
From the corner of Qin Mian's eyes, he saw that the pink ball in the flower bed not far away also flashed for a moment. He was a little surprised but paid no mind to it for the time being. Instead, he asked Lei Tie anxiously, "How is it?" Although he knew how to bind the heartstrings knot, it was the first time to do it after all.
Lei Tie nodded gently and embraced him contentedly, "Wife[we're]eternally together hereafter."
After determining there was nothing wrong with the heartstring knot, Qin Mian put away his worry. He broke away from Lei Tie and pulled him to the flower bed.
"This bud is very strange. It grows so full of life, but it never blooms. From the time I got the space, I take care of it very carefully, and yet it doesnt respond. But just now when we bound our heartstrings knot, a light seemed to flash across it. Hm? It seems bigger? Weird. Does it like you better?" Qin Mian suddenly discovered this and was puzzled.
Lei Tie scooped some water from the nearby bucket and poured it on the bud.
A white light flashed across the pink ball as if there was a current running around it.
Qin Mian also scooped a ladle of water to feed it.
The pink ball flashed again.
When it was watered for the third time, the pink ball seemed to be asleep and did not respond.
"That's enough." Lei Tie said.
Qin Mian nodded, "It should be."
Lei Tie looked at the pink ball and his heart skipped a beat, "Later, we'll water it together."
Shoutout Corner:()*Thank you, SadieWoods!
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