Humiliation
On the way back, Uncle Shen didn't look like he was leisurely and contented like when he came. Instead, he frowned and drove the cart with his whip in silence.
Shen Yanbei asked, "Why does Uncle Shen look worried?"
Uncle Shen sighed. "The restaurant where your Laifu Gē works is poorly managed and has no profit. Also, the owner's lǎofù* is in serious illness. So the owner has decided to sell the store and go home to take care of the elder. It's over..."
*a respectful name for the elderly, and the meaning of referring to one's own father.
It was not difficult to find a job these days, but it was difficult to find a job that suited you. His Laifu was only interested in cooking, so it might not be easy to be another restaurant chef, especially there were only a few restaurants in the county. Besides that, there was no one that wanted to recruit him.
Shen Yanbei raised his eyebrows. "Why is it so sudden?"
"Even if this restaurant not being sold, it will be closed sooner or later." Uncle Shen saw that Shen Yanbei's gaze was slightly puzzled, so he talked about the matter from beginning to end.
It turned out that the owner of this restaurant was stingy. When he opened the restaurant, he was afraid of spending money so he was not willing to renovate the store. He also didn't recruit more than two waiters. The kitchen work assistant only had an aunt, Shen Laifu, and three apprentices. This such a boss was naturally unable to spend too much money on the purchase of ingredients. He even lowered the price that he bought and asked Uncle Shen to delivers food every day. In addition, the owner was very mean to the workers on weekdays that often beat and scold or even deducted labor's salary. The workers in the shop had a big resentment.
People's hearts were uneven and reluctant to operate, naturally, such restaurants would not last long.
"I give him fresh vegetables every day, yet he was still picky. He even still thinks my family's vegetables were bad and wants to lower the price!"
Because the vegetables were grown by himself and were not worth a lot of money and his son worked there, Uncle Shen was willing to deliver the ingredients every day. The people in the village all envied his son for finding a good job that could help the family, but in fact, a lot of vegetables was given away but his son didn't make a lot of money. Now his son's job was gonna be gone! Uncle Shen couldn't help but feel depressed.
"It is said that harmony brings wealth, but this owner doesn't." Shen Yanbei chimed in with that idiom and he asked such as in casual chat, "This restaurant is gonna be sold in hurry, the people who want to take it are probably not able to pay high prices?"
"That's natural. Someone came to ask before, but the price is not suitable and could not be negotiated..."
When they returned to the village, Shen Yanbei thanked Uncle Shen. He and Gu Changfeng were ready to move all today's spoils.
The villagers looked at them with surprise and curious eyes when saw that they had bought a lot of things. The whole village knew about Shen Yanbei's repossession of the rent and the lands. Now seeing Shen Yanbei and his husband went hand in hand, really the same as what he said before that he now lived with his wife, the villagers all sighed.
"Shen Yan, you're both chatting and buying meat. The days when you have a wife are different!" Aunt Li, a gossip expert, said with a smile.
Shen Yanbei smiled embarrassedly. "My wife has just passed the door. I was too hasty to prepare before. Now I have a little more generous hands, so..."
A young man who usually didn't go well with Shen Yan said ambiguously, "Indeed it's the life of Master Xiucai, having a wife who warms the bed and there is a beauty outside to relieve boredom."
It sounded like Shen Yanbei was in lust after flowers and grasses* outside, but no one took it seriously. Not to mention this young man's sour face, that day, Shen Yanbei abundantly clear clarified himself in front of everyone and now he went in and out with Gu Changfeng. The people in the village just thought that this young man was jealous of Shen Yanbei. Everyone knew that young man like Lin Wanru but Lin Wanru didn't like him. She only had eyes on Shen Yan.
*niánhuārěсао: have many love affairs.
Shen Yanbei completely ignored this person. What he did to his wife, there was no need to explain to this person, as long as his wife knew.
"Shen Yan Gēgē!"
A joyous female voice suddenly came from far away, Shen Yan's temple tendon was about to burst. Acted like he didn't hear it, he walked home with things in his arms.
Seeing Shen Yanbei ignoring the girl, she chased up with perseverance.
Lin Wanru walked towards Shen Yanbei with small steps. "Shen Yan Gēgē!"
The woman wore a water-green corset dress today, which made her skin white and supple and her waist seemed like could be held in one hand. The young guys in the village had their eyes straight.
Gu Changfeng looked at this woman who was two points more beautiful than before, his eyes darkened.
The villagers who watched the excitement just now saw Lin Wanru appear, they all hurriedly turned their eyes. Especially the young man who had spoken to satirize Shen Yanbei before, his expression like he was lost his soul as if he saw a fairy descending to the earth.
Shen Yanbei resisted his temper and said faintly, "Miss Lin."
Lin Wanru was not annoyed, she glanced at him with a smile. When she glanced over the conspicuous cloth and baby ducklings on their hands, her eyes lit up and her smile became brighter. "Shen Yan Gēgē, you bought so many fabrics?"
Shen Yanbei was speechless. What on earth did this woman do? Didn't he make it clear last time?
Shen Yanbei's expressionless face made the smile on Lin Wanru's face stiff and she was secretly annoyed. Did this nerd not understand her? Or did he really want to draw a line with her?
Lin Wanru was unsure of Shen Yanbei's mind, so she could only retreat to second place.
"This little chicken and duckling are so cute! Shen Yan Gēgē, give me two to play!"
With a sneer in his heart, Shen Yan showed a gentle smile on his face. "Okay!"
Lin Wanru was overjoyed. She was sure enough. How could Shen Yan dislike a pretty and charming woman like her and preferred a Shuānger that ugly and looked like a man!
Gu Changfeng was taken aback for a moment, his lips pressed tightly, and the hand holding the rice bag suddenly tightened.
"Do you want two chickens and two ducklings, or one chicken and one duck?" Shen Yanbei asked with a slight smile.
Lin Wanru glanced at him shyly. "It's better to be in pairs. I want two chickens and two ducks!"
"Oh, that's a total of twenty-six cents!" Shen Yanbei said solemnly, "A little chicken is seven cents, a little duck is six cents. For the sake of the same village, I won't charge you for the cost of running errands and will be sold to you at the original price."
Lin Wanru's smile solidified on her face. Gu Changfeng suddenly raised his head to look at Shen Yanbei and Shen Yanbei raised his eyebrows at him with a joke gaze.
A young wife in a floral dress heard what Shen Yanbei said and turned to look at the Shuānger in a blue dress next to her. As a result, that couple looked at each other. She couldn't help laughing out loud.
Aunt Li also kept suffocating a smile. The fine lines around her eyes squeezed out and the flowers bloomed in her heart.
Lin Wanru immediately flushed with embarrassment.
"It's too expensive? Then I won't sell it!" Shen Yanbei was a little unhappy but smiled at Gu Changfeng. "Wifey, I'm hungry. Let's go home to cook and eat."
After speaking, he strode towards the house and no longer care about Lin Wanru.
Gu Changfeng breathed a sigh of relief and quickly followed Shen Yanbei.
Shen Yanbei looked at his quiet black eyes and said in a low voice, "This time, don't worry about it?"
Gu Changfeng's feet stagnated, his eyes flickered, and he didn't speak.
The corner of Shen Yan's mouth curled. He suddenly stopped and turned to Lin Wanru who was still stunned there. He said, "Miss Lin, I have told you last time that I want to take back the rent-land. Please remember to remind your family."
As soon as he said this, everyone around looked at Shen Yanbei in surprise. That day, Shen Yanbei sternly said in front of Shen Youcai that he would take back the land of the Lin's Family. But in the past two days, they hadn't seen Shen Yanbei's operation and many people were waiting to see that he was in a joke. Who knew that Shen Yanbei had already taken action!
The kerchief in her hand was tightly clenched. Lin Wanru's eyes were red with shame and anger. She just wanted to dig a hole and get in right now when she was being watched like this by the villagers. She was always so proud so she wouldn't allow herself to cry out.
She barely pulled his lips out to draw a smile. "Don't worry! I know!"
When they got home and put the things down, Shen Yanbei grabbed Gu Changfeng and refused to let him go.
"You haven't answered me yet?"
Gu Changfeng lowered his head while he sorted the goods. "I'm not worried..."
"Whose face that darkened and frowned when he saw Lin Wanru?" Shen Yanbei slid his finger between Gu Changfeng's brows and smiled ambiguously.
The mole became red by Shen Yanbei's touch. Gu Changfeng unnaturally hid. "I frowned because the other party behaved too frivolously. I am afraid that she would ruin your reputation."
"Oh, you so rest assured?" Shen Yanbei was not happy.
"I believe you." Gu Changfeng looked directly at Shen Yanbei, his eyes were deep. "I believe every word and every sentence you say."
You said you had no love for Lin Wanru, you said you didn't think I looked ugly, you said you liked me...
I believed all of these.
Shen Yanbei's heart trembled.
How could his wife be so pitiful!
"Even if others are beautiful, I only like you." Shen Yanbei couldn't help but holding the face in front of him and bit on the lip that could always say such beautiful things inadvertently.
Display his skill to the full
Sorting out the grains and seasonings, Shen Yanbei rolled up his sleeves to wash rice and cook. Meanwhile, Gu Changfeng stood aside. Scanning the existing ingredients at home, Shen Yanbei quickly drafted a lunch menu: pork bone soup, fried pork with spring bamboo shoots, and braised pork.
He had seen how Shen Yanbei cooked that day, but Gu Changfeng still couldn't help but focused his eyes on this young man that looked so shiny now. He washed the pork belly skillfully, cut it into small cubes, blanched it in the boiled water, removed it, and drained it, then put it in the pot and stirred-fry. Along with the sound of rustling, a burst of the smell of meat faintly diffused. Gu Changfeng sniffed. Looking at the slightly yellow pork belly, he couldn't help but look forward to it.
Even though he had eaten fish and rabbit meat in the past two days, he still couldn't stop his desire for eating meat.
Seeing the oil juice overflowing, Shen Yanbei added star anise, cinnamon, ginger, garlic, and other aniseed to fragrant. Soon a strong aroma drifted through the kitchen.
Gu Changfeng's eyes were full of surprise. This fragrance was very unique, he had never smelled such a strong and special smell.
Added some soy sauce to the pot and stirred-fry until it colored, Shen Yanbei took out the small bamboo wine he bought in the morning and added a small amount to remove the fishy. There was no special cooking wine, so only rice wine can be used. He sprinkled some salt in, added water to the meat, and closed the lid. Shen Yanbei asked Gu Changfeng to add some firewood then let it simmer.
Taking advantage of the stew time, Shen Yanbei prepared the next dish.
Cut the remaining pork belly into thin slices and marinated with salt and soy sauce. In another pot, added water to a boil on high heat, blanched the cut bamboo shoots, after that removed and drained it.
Heated the pot, added oil, put the marinated pork belly in the pot, stirred-fried until golden brown, and transferred to a bowl. Then put the fatty pork slices into the pot, after the fat was fried, added the onion, ginger, garlic. Then sauteed and poured in the spring bamboo shoots and pork belly slices...
Gu Changfeng was lost in thought when he watched from aside. The handsome young man raised his sleeves high, with a focused expression. When he added oil, stirred-fried, added seasonings, and moved neatly, just like an experienced chef. The heat pours on his face, made his slightly pale face blush, and the whole person looked radiant...
Who would have thought that such a weak scholar would wave his spatula and cook for him?
"Wifey, give me a plate!" Shen Yanbei turned his head and suddenly met the black eyes that stared at him deeply.
The corners of his lips curled up slightly. Shen Yanbei moved his face towards him and approached him. "What are you looking at?"
Gu Changfeng regained his senses. His ears were hot and he subconsciously replied, "No...nothing..."
With a raised brow, Shen Yanbei pointed to his own lips. Gu Changfeng's face was flushed, he kissed him quickly against his hot gaze.
Shen Yanbei smiled satisfied. "Okay, bring me a plate!"
...
Three dishes were served one after another. The color of the pork bone soup was clear and a few bright red goji berries were floating on it, which increased people's appetite. For the fried pork with spring bamboo shoots, the bamboo shoots and pork slices looked match. It seemed refreshing and delicious. The braised pork was shiny and tottering and the smell made people drooled.
Gu Changfeng's throat rolled. He served Shen Yanbei and himself.
"Try your husband's skill!" Shen Yanbei smiled and put a piece of fat and thin braised pork into his bowl.
Gu Changfeng couldn't wait to pick up the piece of meat. Then he put it in his mouth. The first feeling was that the meat was springy. The teeth touched the slightly sticky skin. After everything was bitten, there was a layer of fat but not greasy. When you continued to bite down, it would melt in your mouth...
The three sensations progressed layer by layer. The rich and alluring fragrance poured straight into the nasal cavity. Gu Changfeng opened his eyes suddenly and took a bite of rice eagerly. The rice fragrant mixed with the meat fragrant came into the throat. The deliciousness was simply unstoppable!
"It's delicious!" Gu Changfeng was holding the bowl, his eyes bright.
"Then try this!" Shen Yanbei said while gave a piece of spring bamboo shoots straight to Gu Changfeng's mouth.
Gu Changfeng bit down without hesitation. Then nodded quickly. "It's delicious too!"
The bamboo shoot slices that had absorbed the gravy was crisp and refreshing. It was delicious!
"Have a mouthful of soup?" Shen Yanbei brought the cold soup over and Gu Changfeng took a sip smoothly.
The soup was delicious. There was a taste in it that he had never tasted before. He took
another sip, still unable to tell what it felt like.
"How?" Shen Yan held his chin in his hand. He looked at him with a slight smile, enjoying the different delicious experiences he brought to Gu Changfeng.
"I'm stupid and can't describe it, but they all are delicious!" Gu Changfeng told the truth. He had never eaten such a delicious dish before and he really wanted to swallow his tongue!
"Then what do you think if we open a restaurant with this kind of skill, the guests will appreciate it?"
Gu Changfeng didn't even think about it. He answered, "It will definitely be... a delicious dish..."
Halfway through the conversation, Gu Changfeng was stunned.
"Husband, you... do you want to open a restaurant?"
Shen Yanbei nodded. "Didn't Uncle Shen say that the restaurant where Laifu Gē works is about to change hands? That restaurant is in a good location. I want to buy it."
"You are a master Xiucai... How can you do cook!" Gu Changfeng said dumbly. He clenched his chopsticks tightly, full of self-blame. If it weren't for him to be useless, how could his husband, a dignified Xiucai, wanted to find a way out by cooking! As the saying went, "The gentleman is far from the kitchen". If someone knew that Shen Yanbei was cooking like a chef in a hot and full soot kitchen...
Thinking of those people looking at Shen Yanbei with scornful eyes, Gu Changfeng broke his chopsticks with a "pop".
"What are you thinking about?" Shen Yanbei took out the broken chopsticks, replaced them with a new one, and gave him a piece of braised pork. "I will definitely not come forward to run it. Just teach the chef how to cook them."
This dynasty was divided into four classes: scholar, farmer, artisan, and merchant, as same as in ancient China. Although the status of merchants had improved a lot with the development of society, if a scholar with merit and fame was caught doing business, he would be mocked. Moreover, his name as a Xiucai was still very useful. As a Xiucai, they didn't kneel when they saw an official and he could still be exempt from 80 mu of land tax and exemption from labor. So he did not intend to discredit this status.
"But..."
Gu Changfeng still didn't want Shen Yanbei to teach others how to cook.
"Aren't we short of money right now? I haven't thought about other jobs, so I will do this for now." Shen Yanbei explained softly.
People relied on food. No matter what time and space in an era, the catering industry was one of the most profitable industries. The most important thing was that he found that there was a lack of condiments and the cooking methods were relatively simple. So most of the dishes were boiled or stewed. There were very few stir-frying dishes because they needed much oil.
He didn't know if this was also the case in other places, but this area alone was enough to make him determined to do catering. This was a business opportunity that should not be missed!
While watching Gu Changfeng not speaking, Shen Yanbei said softly, "I won't show up on this matter so I have to rely on you."
"Will you help me?"
The young man's smiling black eyes looked at him expectantly. Gu Changfeng only felt that his whole heart was scorched by these eyes.
There was a voice in his mind: You were not an ugly Shuānger who was useless except for brute force. You could learn to help him solve problems! You could do more by trying what he did!
"You are my man, why would I not help you!" Gu Changfeng's voice was a little trembling. He tried to suppress the excitement in his heart and said slowly, "Even though I have to climb a mountain of swords or plunge into a sea of flames*!"
*shàng dāo shānxià huǒhǎi: undergo the most severe trials.
Shen Yanbei couldn't laugh or cry. "What climb a mountain of swords or plunge into a sea of flames? I can't bear it!"
Visiting the Village Chief
"Is this possible?" Gu Changfeng hesitated.
He was not afraid that he could not do it well, but he was an ugly Shuānger who was bought for Chongxi. The husband let him be in charge of the family's money already enough to value him. Now he had to put the restaurant under his name, this so...
"Why not?" Shen Yanbei said naturally, "We as husbands are one. What mine is yours? Even if someone finds it out, it doesn't matter!"
"This is what I gave to my wife. Others will only say that I love my wife, not that I am striving for a profit with the people."
The daughters or Shuānger of rich people when get married will be given some zhuāngzǐ* or else. So it was not a problem for his wife to buy a restaurant!
*refers to the farm. Including farmers' houses and surrounding cultivated land.
Gu Changfeng didn't expect this layer. But after thinking about it, it must be the reason. But there seemed to be something wrong?
"That's the matter. Let's find a time to talk to Laifu Gē."
If the restaurant could be opened smoothly, they had to find a trusted chef. So that was why they deliberately found Shen Laifu. In the memory of the original owner, this Shen Laifu was a simple and honest fat man. Shen Yanbei would know if he was really honest when he saw him.
After discussing the opening of the restaurant, Shen Yanbei planned to go to the village chief's house. Because they wanted to ask for help, they bought some snacks in the county seat this morning. Shen Yanbei and Gu Changfeng took two packs to the village chief's house. The village chief's family had two grandsons, in the age of doing naughty things such as went up to the tree to dig out bird eggs and grabbed fish in the water.
Seeing Shen Yanbei visiting their house, the village head Shen Dezhong was shocked. He quickly asked his wife to serve tea. Farmers generally did not drink tea, but as the head of the village, Shen Dezhong still had a set of tea sets and some... tea foam*.
*broken tea dregs. The processed tea is crumbly. After many processes, including handling and squeezing, the original shape of the part of the tea is damaged. The so-called tea foam that sinks to the bottom of the tea.
In this era, tea was a precious thing. Farmers simply couldn't afford it. They could only buy the most inferior tea foam. If you could drink the tea made from the tea foam, you were treated as distinguished guests.
It seemed that the village chief really valued him as the only xiùcái in the village!
Shen Yanbei waved his hand quickly. "Auntie, don't be so polite. I just came to talk to Uncle Zhong about spring plowing."
The villagers surnamed Shen and those who went on a new course were relatives. It was not an exaggeration to call Shen Dezhong "Uncle Zhong". But this title "Uncle Zhong" just made Shen Dezhong and his wife Shen Liu-shi were stunned. It was true that the original owner used to be too high in the past, even facing the elders, he even was very cold towards the elders.
"This is for my two nephews." Shen Yanbei handed two snacks to Shen Liu-shi.
"This... how did this make?" Shen Liu-shi put down the brewed tea and rubbed her hands, not knowing whether to pick it up or not.
"It's just some worthless snacks to relieve children's greed." Shen Yanbei smiled slightly and took a sip of tea from the thick porcelain cup. The tea tasted bitter and astringent, but Shen Yan swallowed it unchanging his face.
Shen Dezhong winked at his wife and Shen Liu-shi thanked him and then retreated.
"Don't spend money if you visit next time ."
Master Xiùcái took the initiative to befriend him, Shen Dezhong was still very happy.
Shen Yanbei smiled and put the teacup down. He said straightforwardly, "My family's land has been taken back this year. I plan to plant some rice but there is no rice seed at home. Also, I don't know how to raise seedlings. I want to buy some from the villagers, but I don't know which one has so many..."
He had no problems with farming, but the original owner didn't know anything about it nor how to farm.
"This is a trivial matter, I'll ask them for you," Shen Dezhong responded.
"Thank you, Uncle Zhong!" Shen Yanbei said gratefully.
The original owner's disdainful temper almost offended everyone in the village. So he rushed to find people in the village because afraid that he wouldn't get good seedlings. The family's hope for a year lied in these seedlings. So he didn't want to work hard without rewards.
Shen Dezhong smiled kindly. "What's so grateful for. Everyone is from Shenjia Village. You call me Uncle Zhong, it's all I can do for you."
Whether as an elder or as a village head, Shen Dezhong all hoped that Shen Yanbei would live well.
Thinking of the situation in Shen Yanbei's home, Shen Dezhong was a little worried. "The land in your home has been taken back, but there are only two of you. How can you plant this land?"
"This is another thing I want to bother Uncle Zhong." Shen Yanbei smiled embarrassedly. "I can't carry anything on my shoulders so I can't work on the land. Also, I don't want my wife to work too hard. Uncle Zhong, can you hire a few people for me?"
"It's okay to hire people. How do you calculate the wages?"
In the past two years, many of their villages have settled in the north and fled from famine.
In the past two years, many of these villagers were from the north and had settled in this village because fled from famine. These people had no money to buy land and usually rented land to plant. If there was no land to plant, worked for others. When the farm was busy, if the family had insufficient manpower, they would find someone to help plant the land.
Shen Yanbei first asked about the situation, then said, "Uncle Zhong will find me two or three honest and diligent. They will be paid and given a meal!"
In this world, hiring people to farmland had never cared about food. The people in this group would bring dry food to eat. But the original owner's reputation before was not very good. Fortunately, he was not short of these two things. Be more generous. Let the other person read his good. The next time they planted the land and harvested the rice, they might maintain a long-term cooperative relationship!
"That's okay!"
Working for the Master Xiucai was a long-faced business. Besides, he was in charge of food.
"There is one more thing to ask Uncle Zhong. I want my wife to be naturalized and registered in household registration. I don't know what regulations are there for this naturalization?"
The original owner bought his wife as a slave and did not grant him naturalization at all. If he wanted to put the restaurant under his wife's name, first of all, he had to solve the problem of his wife's slave status.
He learned from the memory of the original owner that the household registration management was relatively strict these days. So it was not easy for a person who was a slave to become a good citizen.
Shen Dezhong was a little surprised. "You want to get rid of his slave status?"
"He is my wife. Someone who wants to live with me for the rest of my life. How can he remain a slave?"
Shen Yanbei spoke seriously, but Shen Dezhong disapproved. "He is yours. If he is pregnant in the future, you can wait until the child is born before registering your household registration. There is no need to waste money to change household registration."
Shen Yanbei understood his thoughts. Because his wife's appearance did not conform to the public's aesthetics and the mole, which symbolized the strength of fertility, was dimmer than other Shuānger. If his wife couldn't have children, he would definitely marry another person for the sake of heirs. When the time came for the newcomer entered the door, because his wife was a bought slave, so as the master he could send him wherever he liked. Therefore, the village chief did not approve of releasing from slavery for his wife.
But he originally was bent so he didn't even think about having descendants. So the village chief's worries were not within his consideration.
"Uncle Zhong, just tell me how to do it."
Shen Dezhong had no choice but to say, "The household registration is registered every three years. The head of each village needs to register the new population of the village. Then the chief reports the statistics to the county, the county then reports it to the state, and each state reports to the household department. The Ministry calculates the population and at the same time checks the taxes paid by the states..."
"Those who have escaped from slavery need to make up for the taxes owed before, and they have to find households to be naturalized."
Shen Yanbei knew that his wife didn't have a temporary resident. To register permanent residence, he had to find the receiving unit.
Money was not a problem. It wasn't a problem where to register permanent residence.
"I will make up the tax for him. As for the family for him to get naturalization, just register it to my household."
His wife naturally had to stay with him on the same account book!
Seeing Shen Yanbei was refreshed, Shen Dezhong was a little helpless. "Although you are a talented person, your wife's origin is unknown. Aren't you afraid to spend some money..."
Shen Yanbei didn't frown. He said directly, "This is natural!"
If you had money, you could make the devil pushed the millstone for you. These things that could be solved with money were nothing!
"That's all right. I'll do it for you!"
"Have troubled Uncle Lao Zhong!" Shen Yanbei said gratefully.
"It's okay. I have to do it anyway."
Shen Dezhong took a sip of tea. Looking at the humble and polite young man with a smile at the corner of his mouth, he hesitated and asked, "That Shen Yan... You have been admitted as xiùcái for several years. Have you thought about continuing to study?"
"You mean?"
"The next year will be the year of the imperial examination. Do you want to participate in qiūwéi*?" Shen Dezhong asked tentatively, full of expectation.
*imperial examination held in autumn.
Finally, a Master Xiucai appeared in their village, but there were Master Jurens in other villages! In that Lijia Village, because relied on the fact that they had Master Juren, their nostrils looked up the sky and acted so domineering! If there were a Master Juren in their village, they could slap their face back!
Shen Yanbei was startled, he hadn't thought about it at all. He looked down and said, "My parents had passed away so my heart is not at peace. I..."
The original owner's parents passed away suddenly, and the original owner was wan and sallow by this life's trivial matters. How could he have the mind to read?
But the matter of qiūwéi... Thinking of the division of classes in this dynasty and the treatment of people with fame, Shen Yanbei felt that this matter could be thought of.
Shen Dezhong patted him on the shoulder and comforted him. "They are all gone. Now you have a family and a wife to take care of. So you might as well think about it." After that, he said in a serious tone, "If you have any difficulties, feel free to come to me. Uncle Zhong will give you a solution!"
"Then thank you, Uncle Zhong. I have to trouble you in the future!" Shen Yanbei thanked him sincerely.
The village head was really a good elder. When the original owner was too sick, he asked the villagers to take care of the original owner. He also suggested that the original owner did a chōngxǐ marriage to get a wife.
So, the village chief was the matchmaker between him and his wife?
After coming out of the village chief's house, Shen Yanbei felt everything a lot easier. To solve the problems of seedlings and manpower, other things had to be prepared. This family hadn't been farming for many years, so he had to check the farm tools and repair them. He hadn't seen the land he had taken back, so he had to go and check it out. In addition to planting rice, there were six acres of dry land. He planned to plant other things such as corn, sweet potatoes, and peanuts, which didn't require much care...
Also, the home must be cleaned up again so it could facilitate new furniture. If he wanted to participate in the imperial examination, he must reorganize the study room so that he could read and write...
It meant... there was much more to do!
Shen Yanbei walked towards the house at a relaxed pace. On the way, the villagers who had made friends with Father Shen and Mother Shen were all smiled and nodded. Due to there were no decent elders in his family, he would have to ask the villagers to take care of them in the future.
Before he got home, he saw a boy with a root grass in his mouth squatting outside his fence.
Zhou Yu?
Acceptance
Seeing Shen Yanbei's return, Zhou Yu hurriedly spit out the grass in his mouth and stood up. "Shen Xiucai."
Shen Yanbei nodded. "Have you been waiting for a long time? Why don't you go in and sit?"
"I didn't wait long, just passed by..." Zhou Yu scratched his head, a little nervous. "Well, what I said two days ago, your wife..."
"He is inside. You can go in and talk to him." Shen Yanbei opened the fence door and walked in first.
Gu Changfeng was not in the house but was drying the bedding in the yard behind the house. Seeing Shen Yanbei's return, he hurriedly put the quilt on the rope. "You are back? Is it all done?" Seeing Zhou Yu who was following Shen Yanbei, there was not much surprise in his eyes.
"Yeah. I've agreed with the village chief."
Shen Yanbei walked over and dried it with him. The day was fine, so the winter clothes were washed and dried but…
"This quilt is too old. Didn't we just buy the cloth? Let's make two new quilts when we ask someone to make clothes."
Gu Changfeng had no objection. He was strong and had an internal body to protect him from the cold, but his husband was weak. This quilt would not be warm for a long time, so he needed to make some new quilts for his husband. As for the old one, he could use it for himself.
"Have you considered it?" Shen Yanbei asked in a low voice.
Gu Changfeng glanced at the restless young man standing under the eaves and nodded. After Shen Yanbei talked to him that day, he thought about it. He didn't care if he accepted an apprentice, but Shen Yanbei said that he had no maiden family*. If he accepted an apprentice, he would even have a maiden family. In the future, if Shen Yanbei did anything to sorry him, at least there was someone who could uphold justice for him.
*niángjiā, niángjia: a married woman's parents' home.
How could his husband do something injustice for himself? But if his husband wanted him to do this, he could accept this apprentice. This child had no father nor mother and the one who adopted him had been too old. If the elder had been passed away, this child would be alone. Gu Changfeng saved his life, so to be a good person, he had to do it to the end. By forming a mentorship with him, this child could support Gu Changfeng if anything happened in the future.
The path of the young boy's future was already set between the husband and the wife. But Zhou Yu still didn't know the decision of the two. He stood there restrained, full of anxiety.
After drying the last piece of clothing, Shen Yanbei walked towards Zhou Yu.
In response to the gazes of the two men, Zhou Yu straightened his waist subconsciously.
"Do you really want to worship him as a teacher?" Shen Yanbei said with a stern face and a serious expression. "You need to respect the teacher, listen to his teachings, and not disobey the master..."
"Zhou Yu humbly accept the Master's teaching!" Zhou Yu hurriedly responded.
Shen Yanbei nodded and raised his eyes to look at Gu Changfeng. Gu Changfeng said, "The purpose of practicing martial arts is to keep fit. Not to bully the weak, not to fight and cause trouble... Can you do all this?"
Hearing this, Zhou Yu was full of ecstasy. He knelt on the ground and banged his head three times. "In front of Shīfu, I, Zhou Yu worshipped at the master's door today. He will definitely listen to his teachings with an open mind and never defy half of the command!"
"Okay, get up!" Seeing that Zhou Yu's forehead was red, Gu Changfeng hurriedly pulled him up.
"Thank you, Shīfu!"
Zhou Yu stood up, his hands shaking with excitement. Before coming, he was mentally prepared to be rejected. At the same time, if he was really rejected, he would come to Shen Yanbei's house every day. Thinking that Gu Changfeng would see his perseverance, sincerity could make metal and stone crack so Gu Changfeng would agree to accept him as a disciple..., but he didn't expect that he didn't anything yet, Gu Changfeng really accepted him!
Thinking of the harsh conditions for those craftsmen to accept apprentices, Zhou Yu couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. Other apprentices when they formally acknowledge someone as a master would do a ceremony to honor their shīfu, but he had nothing. Did Shīfu think he was not sincere enough?
"Shī...Shīfu, I went out too hurriedly. I didn't bring a gift. I will definitely make it up next time!"
Gu Changfeng frowned slightly. "I accept you as a disciple because of your sincere heart, not to accept your gift."
Zhou Yu's face flushed. He said in shame, "Yes! I know my mistake!"
"Although Changfeng has accepted you as a disciple, I don't want a third person besides you and me to know that he could martial arts!"
Everyone was ordinary people. If suddenly there was a master who knew martial arts. How much trouble it caused! He would never allow Gu Changfeng to be treated like a monkey not let Gu Changfeng alone in danger!
The cool voice of the youth rang in the ears, both Gu Changfeng and Zhou Yu were startled.
Gu Changfeng looked at the opponent's warning eyes, only feeling a little warm in his heart. This was the first time Shen Yanbei called his name in front of others...
"I won't expose my master-disciple relationship to the outside world!" Realizing the profound meaning of Shen Yanbei's words, Zhou Yu quickly assured.
Shen Yanbei's expression slowed down. "Changfeng wants to teach you martial arts so you have to run to our house. I will declare to the public that you are my book boy."
"Yes!" Zhou Yu was overjoyed. It was an extremely decent thing to be a book boy of Master Xiucai, which many people would envy! With this apparent relationship, it was much easier for him to act!
The matter of accepting apprentices ended here. Gu Changfeng used the posture of a teacher to teach the new apprentice.
"Martial arts training cannot be accomplished overnight, especially when you are not young anymore when starting martial arts training. You need to work harder than others."
"I'm not afraid of hardship!"
"Then start with the basic skills and practice Zha Ma stance." Gu Changfeng demonstrated it to Zhou Yu. "The legs are parallel and shoulder-width apart. Squat down with the chest and back upright, the calves are vertical, and the thighs are parallel to the ground. ..."
Zhou Yu took a deep breath and squatted steadily, as Shīfu said.
As time passed, Zhou Yu's forehead was gradually covered with fine beads of sweat, his legs trembled uncontrollably, but his teeth were clenched. He was enduring it silently.
Shen Yanbei glanced from a distance and shook his head. The young boy indeed had a tough personality and could endure hardships, but his physical fitness couldn't keep up. The child had a yellowish face and thin muscles. At first glance he was malnourished. Since he was the apprentice of his own wife, he should be more generous!
With care in mind, Shen Yanbei turned and walked to the kitchen.
With the seasoning and everything, Chef Shen looked at the ingredients in the kitchen. With his sleeves rolled up, he grabbed a fish from the bucket and put it on the chopping board. Then slapped it down to stun the fish.
There were still dishes cooked at noon. But if Zhou Yu was also eating here, they needed two more dishes.
Well, make it richer. Also to celebrate the apprenticeship for his wife! Shen Yanbei wanted to clean up the fish neatly. Because of raising chicken cubs and ducks, Shen Yanbei specially kept the fish innards and kept it to feed them later. He bought a jar of sauerkraut in the morning. If only there were peppers, he could make a sauerkraut fish! Or made a chopped pepper fish head or boiled fish!
But no pepper...
Shen Yanbei regretfully put the processed fish in saltwater and prepared to make a braised fish. He turned around and grabbed two potatoes and peeled them, intending to make sour potato shreds.
When the food was ready, it was time to call the people.
Walking to the backyard with the fish innards, Shen Yanbei said to Gu Changfeng, "Well, don't practice too hard on the first day. It's time to eat."
Gu Changfeng responded with an 'en'. He turned to Zhou Yu and said, "That's it for today, you will come back tomorrow."
"Yes, Shīfu!" Zhou Yu said. He knelt and sat down, sweating profusely. The two exercises made him too weak to stand up.
Throwing the fish intestines into the circle, the chickens and ducks swarmed up and squeaked to grab the fish intestines away. Seeing them eating happily, Shen Yan, who was squatting, curled up the corners of his lips and decided to go back to the river to catch some snails tomorrow.
Standing up, He walked to the well to fetch water to wash his hands. Shen Yan looked at Zhou Yu, who had calmed down, and said, "Zhou Yu stay for having dinner before leaving."
Zhou Yu's eyes widened in surprise. "I...I stayed to... to eat?"
"Is there a problem?" Shen Yanbei smiled, with a gentle and harmless smile.
"No...no!" Zhou Yu was flattered in a cold sweat, not even knowing how to put his hands and feet.
Gu Changfeng frowned slightly but said nothing. Shen Yanbei walked over and pushed the people into the house. "I have made two more dishes. We'll have a little wine later? We should celebrate when you accept an apprentice today!"
Hearing this, Gu Changfeng's frowning brows gradually loosened. His dark eyes stared at Shen Yanbei and he nodded gently. "Okay."
Visit the Farmland
Pork bone soup, braised pork, fried pork slices with spring bamboo shoots, braised fish, shredded potatoes, four dishes, and one soup were placed on the table. The peculiar aroma was floating in the air, Zhou Yu couldn't help swallowing.
Zhou Yu was not allowed to drink because he was still young, so Shen Yanbei poured a small bowl of rice wine for himself and Gu Changfeng. The aroma of that rice wine was not as strong as that of modern white wine. The ancient winemaking technology is limited. Therefore, Shen Yanbei did not worry that his newly recovered body would be affected by alcohol. This alcohol was only contained a few percent, even lower than modern beer.
Putting a piece of fish into Gu Changfeng's bowl, Shen Yanbei said to Zhou Yu, "Eat."
"Yes!" Zhou Yu stood up straight, staring at the fragrant dishes, feeling dizzy and unreal.
Gu Changfeng clipped a potato shred to Shen Yanbei. He said, "This is delicious, crispy and refreshing, and very appetizing." After speaking, Gu Changfeng bowed his head and grilled rice without speaking.
Looking at his reddish ear tips, Shen Yanbei was so happy to pick the potato shreds into his mouth and smirked. "If we can find peppers, we can make hot and sour potato shreds for you next time..."
"Okay."
Gu Changfeng also laughed, but he wrote down the matter of looking for pepper in his heart. Shen Yanbei had been nagging peppers in front of him many times. He also wanted to know what the pepper was like, and what kind of delicious it could make, which would make Shen Yanbei so obsessed.
When Zhou Yu heard the conversation between the two, his eyes widened in surprise.
What did mean "make it for you next time"?
Details that hadn't been noticed just now suddenly appeared before his eyes.
He and Shīfu were practicing martial arts, then Shen Xiucai asked to eat...
This meal...
This meal...
"Why don't you move the chopsticks? The food isn't tasty when it's cold." Shen Yanbei kindly reminded him when he looked panicked and restless.
"Yes!" Zhou Yu nodded like a chicken pecking at the rice, not daring to think further.
Seeing that both Shen Yanbei and Gu Changfeng moved their chopsticks, Zhou Yu dared to reach out to pick up the food. He was embarrassed to just pick up the meat, so he picked up the potato shreds that Gu Changfeng said was appetizing.
As soon as he put it in his mouth, the suitable acid immediately stimulated his taste buds and made his eyes sparkle. He even took two mouthfuls of rice.
With the second chopsticks, Zhou Yu stretched out to take the braised pork that made his mouth water. The shiny braised pork trembled at the moment the chopsticks picked it up, and even Zhou Yu's heart trembled. He carefully clamped the meat into the bowl, hesitated, then took a small bite. For a moment, he was taken aback, then he couldn't wait to stuff the rest into his mouth.
"It's delicious!" Zhou Yi almost burst into tears when he ate. The wonderful taste gradually made him want to swallow his tongue.
Shen Yanbei smiled lightly and asked Zhou Yu, "We want to find someone to help make two clothes and quilt. Do you know which aunt in the village is good at crafts?"
Zhou Yu was stuffing the fish in his mouth and hurriedly swallowed the fish when he heard this. "Yes. The widow of the Li family and Aunt Liu are both good at the craftsmanship. I will ask them later."
After speaking, he was emotional, why was there no bit of earthy smell in this fish? On the contrary, the salty fragrance overflowed so that people couldn't stop chopsticks?
"Well, if you are good at craftsmanship, you don't need to charge more craftsmanship money," Shen Yanbei said smoothly and put a piece of braised pork for Gu Changfeng.
Zhou Yu felt complicated. He had witnessed how bad Shen Yan treated his Shīfu before. Now when he saw the scene 'you would give me some food and I would give you some food' the two of them with lingering affection flows between the eyes. He was not blind, so he could see that they were in a good relationship.
He didn't know how Shen Xiucai suddenly changed so much, but such a change was undoubtedly good for everyone.
Seeing that Zhou Yu didn't dare to pick up food, Shen Yanbei once again acted as a hospitable host. He smiled. "I have enough food, just eat it."
Zhou Yu smiled embarrassedly. The deliciousness was in front of him. Since Shen Xiucai had said so, what else was he worried about? So Zhou Yu stretched out his chopsticks without hesitation.
Zhou Yu doubted his life after a meal.
Too delicious! Why was it so delicious? Why was the food at Shen Xiucai's house so delicious? Could it be that the rice cooked by the Master Xiucai was extraordinary?
Zhou Yu stopped as soon as this thought came out.
In the end, Zhou Yu said goodbye to Shen Yanbei and Gu Changfeng with a blushing face.
Looking at the empty rice bowls and the clean dishes on the table, Shen Yanbei and Gu Changfeng glanced at each other. They both couldn't laugh or cry.
He and Gu Changfeng had finished eating. Zhou Yu saw that there were leftovers of rice and vegetables, so he poured the rice directly onto the dish, mixed it with the soup, and ate them all.
Sure enough, it was a teenage boy who ate like a poor old man!
After dinner, it was still early. The sun was still hanging on the other side of the mountain. Shen Yanbei took Gu Changfeng out for a walk. Instead of going to the village, they walked towards the ridge.
"When Uncle Zhong hires someone, we have to start planting the land in our house. Now, let's recognize the land boundary." People can't make this kind of confusion.
"When Uncle Zhong hires someone, we have to start planting the land in our house. Now, let's recognize the land boundary. So people can't make a fuss with this kind of confusion."
"Shen...Shen Xiucai?" The dark-skinned man yelled hesitantly when he saw them from a distance.
Shen Yanbei replied with a smile, "Wu sān-gē*."
*Third Big Brother.
This Wu sān-gē named Wu Xing. He was the third oldest in the family and a kind person.
Wu sān-gē was stunned. He asked casually, "Where are you going?" When speaking, he couldn't help but keep looking at Shen Yanbei with curious eyes, as if flowers were growing on his face.
In the past two days, the most talked about in and out of the village was Shen Xiucai. They all said that this Chongxi was worked. Not only did Shen Xiucai get better, but he also improved his temperament. He now was humble and polite to others and treated his wife with love. He didn't quite believe it at first, after all, you could change mountains and rivers but not a person's nature. Right now Shen Xiucai in front of him was really different! He now greeted him easily!
The other party's gaze was too straightforward, Gu Changfeng couldn't help frowning.
Shen Yanbei patted his hand and said warmly, "This is not about to plant seeds, just take his wife to the field to see."
He was not surprised that the other party saw him like this. With the original owner's self-holding identity, he had never been to the field nor did farming. He suddenly ran into the field, which was indeed quite suspicious.
Wu sān-gē seemed to have noticed that he was too rude, so he turned his gaze back and chuckled twice. "It's that so. We, common people, count on the grain of this land for a year to live..." Wu sān-gē paused. "I heard people say that you have taken back all the land you rented out of your house. Are you going to plant it yourself?"
Shen Yanbei nodded.
The smile on Wu sān-gē's face faded. He glanced at Gu Changfeng, frowned, and said, "Don't you have many lands? You don't work, so you let your husband do it alone?
Gu Chang's cover was slightly cold. Shen Yanbei held his hand and smiled. "I don't need him to go to the ground. We will hire people to do it so my wife can take care of me at home."
Although Shen Yanbei was smiling on his face, he scolded the original owner again in his heart.
To your uncle! Everyone in the village knew that his wife was enslaved!
"Then hire someone who could do plant well. So you don't delay spring plowing!" Wu sān-gē put the hoe on his shoulders and asked Shen Yanbei, "Do you know where your lands are?"
Shen Yanbei smiled embarrassedly. "I don't know, but I brought the title deed."
"I will take you to look around?" Wu sān-gē pointed to the continuous field in front of him. "Our village has quite a lot of land. If you haven't been to the land, I'm afraid you can't find it."
Shen Yanbei was overjoyed. "Then we will trouble Wu sān-gē!" It was better for someone to lead the way than blindly!
"No effort, no effort." Wu sān-gē waved his hand. Although he was warm-hearted, he would not put a hot face on cold buttocks*. This Shen Xiucai looked good, so he was willing to help him.
*to give someone cold shoulder.
So Shen Yanbei dragged his own husband and followed Wu sān-gē walking around the farmland.
Shenjia Village was near the river and backed by mountains. Dongjiang River had nurtured fertile land and hard-working people on both sides of the strait. The villages on the edge relied on the Dongjiang River to irrigate the land, grow rice, and breed fish and shrimp. Gradually, this area had become a famous land of fish and rice. Shenjia Village was only one of several villages and also one of the lowest in strength. Because Shenjia Village had no big wealthy households and no famous people. As the only Master Xiucai in Shenjia Village, everyone gave him a lot of faces. Unfortunately, the original owner had lost everything. After Shen Yanbei was transmigrated, he tried his best to rectify his reputation and treated others with courtesy. The disappointed villagers gave birth to some hope for the awakened Shen Xiucai -Lijia Village who bullied them just because they had Master Juren, now Shen Xiucai, you had to work harder too!
At present, Shen Yanbei didn't know that the people in the village also had this idea. He looked at the fields in front of him that were divided into grids of different sizes. He only felt that the universe was high as heaven, deep as the earth.
Spring plowing was about to come and most of the land in each house was ready. For those who wanted to grow rice, the lands were soaked in water. When they saw it from a distance, it was like a small mirror that reflecting the blue sky and white clouds.
The paddy field of the Shen's Family was close to the river and there was a canal was dug to flow Dongjiang River so irrigation was very convenient. Moreover, the paddy field of 8 acres was in one area. The land was flat and the soil was fertile. It was a rare high-quality paddy field.
"What do you plan to plant? If you are planting rice, you have to hurry up and put the ground in the water..."
The Shen's Family's land was not trimmed yet, so there were half a half of rice stalks on the two acres of land.
"We will plant rice."
He had planned to grow rice before. After seeing the environment of the paddy field, he had another idea in his mind.
"Wu sān-gē, how much grain can be produced by planting one season of rice on this acre of land?"
He had planted rice seedlings in the fields, but modern farming conditions were not comparable to those in ancient times with low productivity. He needed to understand clearly and plan carefully. In addition, the original owner didn't ever farming, couldn't distinguish the grains, and didn't know anything about farming. This Wu sān-gē was a good farmer, so Shen Yanbei happened to ask him for advice.
"If the seedlings are good and well taken care of. A good paddy field can yield 400 jin per mu..."
Shen Yanbei made a comparison in his heart. Then asked Wu sān-gē how to plant seedlings, when to fertilize, and water.
Wu sān-gē was surprised and excited. Unexpectedly, one day he would be asked by a Master Xiucai. He spoke like there was no end.
Shen Yanbei immediately wrote down silently.
Gu Changfeng looked at the young man listening to the other person with a smile at the corner of his mouth. The young man was dressed in plain and elegant green clothes, thin and slender, but his eyes were clear and bright, and his brows and eyes were smiling while talking. When he heard interesting things, his clear eyes would be squinted...
Lowering his eyelashes to cover the turbulent light under his eyes, Gu Changfeng turned his head and looked around. He noticed that the sky was getting dark, so the fields were getting cold.
Shen Yanbei was thin. Still, spring evening was very chilly. Gu Changfeng stretched out his hand and pulled Shen Yanbei's clothes without hesitation.
"?" Shen Yanbei turned around and asked him with his eyes.
"It's going to fog up, go back." The farmland was near the river so the temperature was very low at night. It would fog up at night.
"Yes, yes! It's getting late, Shen Yan, go back quickly!" Wu sān-gē quickly agreed. It was tempting to talk about it, so he didn't notice that it was so late. Now he felt hungry when he stopped.
Shen Yanbei smiled embarrassedly. "It's delayed your home for dinner."
"Not delay, not delay!" Wu sān-gē said with a smile, holding up his hoe. "If there is something you don't understand in the future, just come to me!"
"Then thank Wu sān-gē very much." Shen Yanbei was grateful.
"Why are you so polite? Everyone from the village folks!"
Wu sān-gē waved and walked away without looking back. He had to go home quickly and talk to his wife about Shen Xiucai who had been a better person was true! Moreover, they always thought that the scholarly master who only read sage books would also read farming books. Although the knowledge of farming was somewhat different in practice, Shen Xiucai was not like what they thought who only could read and study...
Seeing Wu sān-gē away, Shen Yanbei took his wife's hand. "Let's go back too."
Gu Changfeng said "um" and let him take him to the house.
The young man's fingers were thin and cold, Gu Changfeng couldn't help but wrap him with his warm palm.
Shen Yan looked up and saw that the man's side face was dyed indistinctly red in the ain twilight. The corners of his mouth suddenly rose.