"?" Su Qingze was dumbfounded. "Shen Dàgē, what are you talking about?"
"Did you remember the man in black on the mountain last time? It seemed that your fiancé was afraid that you would be in danger again, so he sent a secret guard to look after you."
Su Qingze. "..."
Smiling awkwardly, Su Qingze asked carefully, "Shen Dàgē, are you okay? How come you can speak nonsense..."
Shen Yanbei poured him a cup of tea. "That guard is always watching you. If you want to prove my words, you just can call him right away. It's just that he may not reveal any information about his master."
Su Qingze. "..."
Swallowing his saliva, Su Qingze's gaze for help fell on Gu Changfeng.
"This is true." Gu Changfeng broke his illusion with this sentence.
Su Qingze was stunned, his mouth twitched without saying a word.
"If you still don't believe it, then the fact that Li Yi was dismissed for misconduct..." Shen Yanbei then gave a general overview of the situation then raised his eyebrows. "We suspect that the other party instructed your brother-in-law to do it."
"How is it possible!" Su Qingze stood up abruptly, with a face full of disbelief.
"Facts speak louder than words," Shen Yanbei said lightly.
Su Qingze's expression was complicated. "Why did you tell me?"
Shen Yanbei said rogue, "Because the other party wants me to reveal this."
Su Qingze. "..."
Scratching his head in distress, Su Qingze gritted his teeth. "What exactly does this man want to do? Inexplicable!"
"Perhaps he wants to tell you that he has you in his heart." Shen Yanbei teased, watching Su Qingze snorting coldly, and said with a smile, "I think this is a good thing. The other party values you so much. If he ends up marrying you, the situation will be better than you think."
Su Qingze was skeptical about hearing him but Shen Yanbei did not continue to speak about that.
In the end, this information caused Su Qingze's peaceful heart to be turbulent. When he was alone, he could not help but observe for these four weeks, but he could not see that guard, and he didn't even mean to show up.
As the weather gradually cooled down, the business with the branch of Tongfu Restaurant became more and more prosperous. Most of the people who come to eat in the restaurant were looking for the signature dishes. It caused the amount of chili to be extremely increased, which made Shen Yanbei have to serve the signature dishes in limited quantities.
At this time, he could see by his own eyes how horrible the ability of consumption of the people in the provincial capital was.
It had been less than half a month after the opening, but the surplus was more than one thousand taels!
In addition, after the pickles of capers had been introduced as a new menu item, many people who ran the boat ordered them in bulk, which made the pickles that Gu Changfeng brought have been sold out immediately!
So the pockets of money which had been shrunk because of buying a house getting burgled up again!
With these enough silvers, Shen Yanbei finally could buy many books that he couldn't buy before. After reading a book, he also made notes—this was the homework assigned to him by Li Zhiyuan.
He specially notified Li Zhiyuan about his coming to Qingzhou. Originally, he wanted to ask Li Zhiyuan and his wife if there was anything they want so so they could bring it to the Su's mansion, but Li Zhiyuan didn't let him carry anything, instead, he told him not to forget his study while doing his business and always keep reading and writing.
Before the restaurant opened, he had to supervise the workers decorating the restaurant during the day and reading at night. After the restaurant opened, he finally could send a letter and handed in his one month's homework!
On this day, what Shen Yanbei received was not a letter from Li Zhiyuan, but Shen Dezhong's. He asked Zhou Yu to go back home to attend the funeral.
It was Zhou Yu's yú pó that had passed away.
That young man cried. "Yú pó, why don't you wait for me? I am literate now and good at martial arts, and I will be able to live a good life soon..."
The feeling of a son wanting to serve his parents in their old age, but they had already gone, Shen Yanbei knew it well. So he just patted the boy's shoulder and comforted him silently.
It was a severe winter, and the Chinese New Year was not far away. Shen Yanbei, who had originally planned to go back, saw the restaurant business running well and immediately set off on his way home.
The journey went smoothly, and it took three days to return to Shenjia Village. It was faster than their first return.
Shen Dezhong helped to manage the funeral. Yú pó was buried in a tomb area at the foot of Huaqiu Mountain.
That young man dressed in linen knelt in front of Yu Po's grave and wept bitterly. Shen Yanbei and Gu Changfeng accompanied him. Since that young man no longer had relatives from now on, they would be his teachers and relatives in the future.
"Yú pó left in peace, so don't blame yourself too much." Shen Dezhong sighed.
"Thank you, Village Chief." Zhou Yu wiped away his tears and turned to Shen Yanbei Gu Chang and said, "I want to stay alone for a while. Gōngzǐ, you can go back first."
Shen Yanbei nodded and grabbed Gu Changfeng to go home, preparing to cook. On the way home, Shen Dezhong inquired carefully about the operation of the Tongfu Restaurant branch in Qingzhou, and he was relieved after he learned that the business was more prosperous than the county seat.
"When you are not here, they always ask me when you will come back." Shen Dezhong didn't know whether had to cry and laugh when he knew the reason why the villagers were looking for Shen Yanbei. After Shen Yanbei announced that he would buy fruits and vegetables according to market prices, the villagers started to plant them in a large area. Now the fruits and vegetables had been ripe, it soon would be too old if they didn't pick them up immediately. But Shen Yanbei still hadn't returned after he left for so long, which made them become very anxious.
"Then tell the villagers to collect all the vegetables and fruits, and I will order someone to collect them." Shen Yanbei smiled. Now the whole village regards him as the God of Wealth. Everyone smiled brightly when they saw him. Even Shen Youcai, who had previously complained because his rented field was being taken away, smiled widely at him.
It was just that, Shen Yanbei suddenly made a painful look when he saw the piles of green beans and radishes. It was not difficult to make capers and sour radishes, but doing all of them at the same time will exhaust them!
After thinking about it, Shen Yanbei decided to hire two people to do the side dishes menu.
After hearing that Shen Yanbei wanted to recruit people, the villagers enthusiastically signed up.
"Shen Yan Gēgē!"
An anxious soft call suddenly came from behind, and it took a long time for Shen Yanbei to realize that the other party was calling him.
Turning his head, unexpectedly it was Lin Wanru who he hadn't seen for a long time. The woman was wearing a water-green jacket and skirt, looking quiet and well-behaved. Those sparkled eyes looked at him with affection, making Shen Yanbei's eyes cold.
Nodding lightly, Shen Yanbei continued to walk forward silently, but Lin Wanru chased while picking up her skirt.
"Shen Yan Gēgē, I'm willing to marry you!"
Shen Yanbei became stagnant, and he warned her in a cold voice, "Miss Lin, don't talk nonsense. I'm a married man now. I hope you will respect yourself more."
Lin Wanru bit her lip and said aggrieved, "I know you still have me in your heart. If not, you have been with him for so long, why hasn't he been pregnant yet?"
Shen Yanbei. "..."
"This is my family affair. There is no reason for me to explain it to you, an outsider." Shen Yanbei really wanted to open the woman's brain to see what was inside!
Lin Wanru's face looked ugly, but she insisted. "Shen Yan Gēgē, I already knew that I was wrong, so don't ignore me anymore. Marry me and I will give you a baby."
Shen Yanbei wanted to growl. Are you fucking sick? Go and treat if you are sick! I'm not a doctor!
"Please don't say these things in front of me in the future, otherwise I can't help but scratch your proud face." Shen Yanbei's eyes looked stern.
Lin Wanru was startled, her sparkled eyes opened slightly as if she didn't believe that Shen Yanbei could say such a harsh thing.
"My patience is limited, so don't try to test my bottom line again and again." Shen Yanbei spoke coldly, but suddenly his expression changed and the corners of his mouth hooked up, looking towards the roadside with a smile.
Gu Changfeng stood under the laurel tree, looking straight at him with his dark eyes.
Shen Yanbei walked over and asked for comfort, "Wife, if I knew she was here, I would not take this way. It's really bad luck!"
"Yeah." Gu Changfeng responded softly but walked by Shen Yanbei straight to Lin Wanru.
As if being locked by Qi, Lin Wanru couldn't move. She could only watch him approach her, every Gu Changfeng's footsteps made fear in her heart get bigger like a tide.
"You..." Lin Wanru trembled, terrified.
Gu Changfeng and her looked at each other, and his cold and firm face was full of killing intent. "Don't try to get close to my husband, otherwise I can't guarantee that I won't do anything harmful.''After speaking, he swung his hand while holding a knife and the thick tree beside them was cut off!
Lin Wanru's pupils trembled, and her whole body was limp, in a cold sweat.
Gu Changfeng then ignored her, turned, and walked towards Shen Yanbei. Shen Yanbei grabbed his hand to check. "Just say some words. No need to do it, it makes your hands red."
"It's not painful."
"Of course, it is!" Shen Yanbei took the person home. "Don't do this again next time."
"…alright."
Seeing the two crossed fingers, Lin Wanru struggled to get up and fled in embarrassment.
As the night comes, the two lay on a bed. Shen Yanbei forced the person to the corner of the bed, staring at that eye and frowning. He asked, "What's wrong? Why do you look so depressed?" He had been distracted for a long time.
Gu Changfeng lowered his eyes, his voice dull. "I still haven't gotten pregnant after so long..."
Shen Yanbei froze abruptly, his eyes flashing.
"Will I really be unable to bear a child?" Gu Changfeng looked up at him, his expression was nervous and worried.
Shen Yanbei hugged the man tightly and sighed. "Having a child is a matter of two people. How can you possibly bear it by yourself?" He had been subconsciously treating Gu Changfeng as a man like him, so he had been very careful when doing it. He didn't want Gu Changfeng to feel uncomfortable, so he never came in.
Gu Changfeng was stunned, so embarrassed that he wanted to find a hole to hide in.
Shen Yanbei softly explained, "It's not the right time to have children, also I know it's hard when you bear a child. I don't want you to suffer." He knows that Shuānger could have children, but the risk was greater than women. He didn't want him to take this risk for the time being.
"For you, nothing hard for me." Gu Changfeng whispered, looking at Shen Yanbei with eyes full of sincerity and love.
Shen Yanbei was moved. He kissed the corners of his lips. "We will discuss this later." He hadn't even arranged the wedding for his wife yet, so this matter was not urgent for now on!
With the gradual progress of the year, the number of villagers' visits to the county had increased significantly. This year's food harvest was great, also fishes, ducks, and vegetables were also sold at a good price. So every household had money to spend the New Year. Everyone was happily preparing for the New Year. Everyone had a bright smile on their faces when buying new year goods and clothes.
This was the first New Year that Shen Yanbei and Gu Changfeng had spent together here. So Shen Yanbei really paid great attention to it. He specifically consulted Shen Dezhong about the etiquette and particularity of the New Year.
On New Year's Eve, every household had to post Spring Festival couplets. As the only xiùcái in Shenjia Village, Shen Yanbei wrote the Spring Festival couplets for the whole village.
The villagers lined up in the open space outside the ancestral hall, and one by one came forward to tell Shen Yanbei their wishes.
"The granary?" Shen Yanbei did not hesitate to pick up the pen and wrote the words "Fruit Harvest" with ink on the red paper.
"Ask for money?" Shen Yanbei wrote "Wealth is Guangjin" without hesitation.
"Hope everything goes well? No problem!"
...
After everyone returned home with satisfaction with their spring couplets, Shen Yanbei breathed a sigh of relief. Thinking about something, he then wrote spring couplets for his house.
May the years be quiet and everything you and I want will come true.
New Year's Eve was coming, Shen Yanbei had settled the accounts of Tongfu Restaurant. Now, Tongfu Restaurant has become the best restaurant in the county. Customers come every day. Even seats in the lobby had to be booked in advance. The business was so prosperous, which made the monthly surplus increase from two to three hundred taels at the beginning of the month to five to six hundred taels!
As for the branch in Qingzhou, due to the abundance of people in the capital, there were so many wealthy people, so the surplus was ten times more than the main restaurant!
Looking at the life that was gradually becoming richer, Shen Yanbei felt relieved. He paid all the staff's salaries and even generously distributed a big red envelope to each of them. He gave them a few days off and would come back to work on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month.
In the past, when he celebrated the New Year alone, except for being a little envious of the family reunion of others who enjoyed a delicious dinner with his parents, Shen Yanbei felt that there was no different than in normal times. But now he had his wife by his side, Shen Yanbei felt some satisfaction, and couldn't wait to use his eighteen martial arts skills to make a table of delicious food on New Year's Eve. But it was a pity that the three of them couldn't enjoy it together since Zhou Yu had to keep his filial piety for one year because of the death of his relative. So Shen Yanbei cooked for himself and Gu Changfeng's, and for Zhou Yu, he cooked some vegetarian dishes.
Because of filial piety, the young man was afraid that Shen Yanbei and Gu Changfeng would get bad luck. At first, he refused to spend New Year's eve with them. Shen Yanbei used the theory of a one-day teacher as a father for life.
The young man also understood that after he didn't any relatives, Shen Yanbei and Gu Changfeng would be his support in the future, so with tears in his eyes, he vowed that he must follow the teachings of Shīfu and Gōngzǐ seriously and work hard to study and practice martial arts.
Shen Yanbei patted him on the shoulder and said to him to do his best. Although Zhou Yu didn't have much talent for studying, he was very serious and persistent in martial arts practice. Considering that reading was not the only way to get ahead, Shen Yanbei did not force him to study hard but only required that he could read and write clearly.
After eating New Year's Eve dinner, it was time to watch the year exchange. Because there was no entertainment in this remote area, farmers usually gathered together to chat and talk about things about their work with some elders. The rich and wealthy ones would wait until midnight to set off firecrackers.
These days firecrackers were still a rarity, and ordinary people were not willing to waste the money to buy them. So they only used them on the day of festivals. The Shen's Family even bought several strings of firecrackers to set off in the same year when the original body took the exam.
This year, the villagers in Shenjia Village were full of pockets of money, hoping that the coming year will be even better. Every household bought firecrackers to set them off. As soon as the hour came, firecrackers rang four times, and the silent night immediately became lively. Several villages in the distance could hear the sound of firecrackers from Shenjia Village.
"Let's go to sleep too!" After the firecrackers were finished burning, Shen Yanbei couldn't wait to take the Changfeng to the bedroom. Zhou Yu saw that the time was no longer early, so he had already wittily returned home with the lucky money given by Shen Yanbei. Now there were only two of them in the house.
The undisguised fire in the man's eyes made Gu Changfeng's face flush, but his feet followed him without hesitation.
Although he usually looked restrained and shy, he also liked to do some intimate things with Shen Yanbei.
"Changfeng... Changfeng..." Shen Yanbei touched Gu Changfeng's muscular back with eyes full of intoxication, holding his thin waist and sighing, "Jinjiang won't let me say it, but I still want to say it! Really comfortable!"
Gu Changfeng's eyes were moist, and his resolute face was blushing all over. He pressed his lips tightly so that he didn't make that shameful sound.
Shen Yanbei looked polite and cultured, but after turning off the lights, he became a hooligan who could say anything naughty words, which sometimes made Changfeng so embarrassed that he didn't know what to do.
"Changfeng..." Shen Yanbei buried his head on his neck, licked and kissed his red ears, and said dumbly, "What should I do? I really want to melt with you in the lust river like this..."
Gu Changfeng hurriedly turned his head and blocked his mouth quickly, not wanting to hear the embarrassing words from his mouth. Shen Yanbei chuckled twice, acted in a kind-hearted manner, and moved forward holding his waist hand, gently comforting the tearful little one who was being bullied.
"Hmm..." Gu Changfeng pushed Shen Yanbei with impatience. Shen Yanbei made him comfortable in the front but stopped in the back. It was very uncomfortable to get stuck there.
Aware of his intentions, Shen Yanbei's smile became thicker, his lips licked and bit the sexy Adam's apple, tempting him, "You have to say what you want."
Gu Changfeng flushed, panting, his eyes gleaming, "DO..."
"OK!" Shen Yanbei held the steering wheel and turned harshly, making Gu Changfeng's breath heavier and heavier, but the situation that couldn't be described has not been alleviated.
"No..." Gu Chang closed his eyes and turned his head to spit out a few words in embarrassment.
Shen Yanbei heard it clearly, and the corners of the mouth were unconsciously raised. "Okay, I'll listen to you." Then he slammed on the accelerator and the speed of the car soared.
Gu Changfeng opened his eyes, and his black eyes soaked with love lust stared straight at him. Shen Yanbei loved these eyes so much that he couldn't help kissing them.
"You look at me like this, I won't be able to stand it..."
The car rushed on the warm track, the roar of the engine made them enthusiastic, and the emotions were like a storm crashing on the shore, drawing the two people into an endless whirlpool of pleasure.
The next day, Shen Yanbei woke up fresh and bright. Gu Changfeng had woken up a long time ago to boil water and make breakfast, but when he thought of Shen Yanbei tossing him back and forth last night, the heat on his face couldn't go down.
"Changfeng, are you up?"
"Yes." Gu Changfeng still felt a little embarrassed. He actually still laid in bed on the first day of the new year, while he had to serve his husband.
Shen Yanbei took new clothes, intending to wear them. Gu Changfeng hurriedly said, "Let me help." The wife had to serve her husband like this.
Shen Yanbei kept his eyes on Changfeng's clothes while letting him arrange his own clothes. He looked up and down several times. "Hey, why is my wife so handsome!" The new clothes were specially ordered when he was in Qingzhou.
The clothes were made by fitting his size, with good materials and good workmanship. Gu Changfeng wore them with his bee waist, long legs, and a masculine face, full of masculinity!
Knowing that he was complimenting him, Gu Changfeng's eyes flickered. "You are also very handsome." The young man was dressed in a moon-white brocade. Elegant and handsome, which was very eye-catching.
"That is!" Shen Yanbei chuckled. "It seems we are meant to be a natural couple!"
"Yeah." Gu Changfeng responded softly.
Shen Yanbei smiled brighter and brighter. "Hurry up and have breakfast, and we will go out for a stroll later!"
Everyone in the village burned firecrackers last night, and red papers fluttered all over the ground in front of every house this morning. It was extremely festive, people could see the prosperity.
A few children in new clothes were playing. Seeing Shen Yanbei and Gu Changfeng coming over, they came forward to pay a New Year's greeting.
"Okay, good." Shen Yanbei took out the prepared red envelopes, and each handed out one. "Good health, grow up high!"
The children were stunned, wanting to pick it up but not daring to pick it up. The villager on the side said, "We are folks in the village, how can you do this?"
"To picture auspiciousness, buy candy for the children." Shen Yanbei smiled and stuffed the red envelopes to the children.
"I wish Shen Xiucai will be in upper school next year!" The red envelope contained a very auspicious number-six cents.
Hearing that, an older child took the red envelope and said loudly, "Shen Xiucai, you will definitely be in upper school next year!"
"Take your good words." Shen Yanbei patted the child on the shoulder, smiling authentically.
Upon seeing this, the other children were doing the same. After receiving the red envelopes, they all said auspicious words. The villagers shook their heads and laughed.
The two went to the village chief's house to pay respects to Shen Dezhong, and several people chatted about what to farm in spring. During the previous autumn harvest, the land usage had been registered, and he had checked the situation of the autumn harvest, also the soil, just to adjust the planting mode. Hearing Shen Dezhong's question, he said his own way of thinking.
The co-cultivation of fish, rice, and duck resulted in a bumper harvest of food for the villagers. This breeding model suddenly attracted the attention of many people, especially the county magistrate Li Zhiyuan. Li Zhiyuan deliberately promoted this method. At that time, large-scale breeding would cause fish and ducks quantities to increase. This would inevitably lead to the price of them like the price of cabbage.
Shen Dezhong nodded and frowned, "What should we do then?"
"In addition to the fish, rice and duck farming model, there are many similar models, such as rice shrimp, rice field loach, rice turtle fish duck, etc..." Shen Yanbei has briefly introduced them.
Shen Dezhong was overjoyed and said sternly, "If they are interested in learning, please give your advice."
Shen Yanbei responded with a smile. The co-raising of fish, rice, and ducks was still mainstream in the past two years, and the villagers were probably not willing to give up. He just reminded them in advance.
On the second day of the new year, Shen Yanbei and Gu Changfeng brought gifts to the county to pay a New Year greeting to Li Zhiyuan. The two of them still rode in the bullock cart of Uncle Shen's and swayed all the way to the county.
"Let's buy a carriage," Gu Changfeng said. The young gentleman looked generous, gentle, and cultured. His image seemed not suitable to ride the bullock cart.
Shen Yanbei raised his eyebrows and smiled. "Okay." Now he had loose hands, buying a carriage was not that much, also making traveling was more convenient.
After arriving at the county office and paying New Year greetings to Li Zhiyuan and his wife, Li Zhiyuan asked them to stay for lunch. Li Lin, a one-year-old kid, knew that the uncle who gave him toys last time came to the house, happily ran out to pay a New Year greeting. He received a big red envelope and a gift-Shen Yanbei gave it. The little guy had a hard time trying to make new toys.
Shen Yanbei really liked this kid. If this kid didn't stuff the peppers in his mouth, and he still didn't know where the peppers were!
During the Chinese New Year, Li Zhiyuan did not talk about Shen Yanbei's school entrance examination preparation but talked about farming. He had reported the fact that fish, rice, and duck co-cultivation could greatly increase food production, and the executives had also replied. It said that Li Zhiyuan should first find a place to experiment, and after confirming that it was correct, he could vigorously promote it.
"If it succeeds, you are my great hero!" Li Zhiyuan looked serious. "The court will reward you! This will be of great help to you in the future!"
Shen Yanbei expressed fear. "It's just a matter of raising your hand, I didn't think so much." Although he decided to participate in Qiuwei, this was not the same matter as being an official.
Li Zhiyuan said with a heartfelt heart, "I have no intention of planting a willow slip hoping to enjoy the shade of the tree*, but if you have such a skill, you should contribute to the country and the people."
*liǔchéngyīn: do sth. which brings results without effort [easily]
Shen Yanbei smiled and did not answer.
Li Zhiyuan was a little helpless. He had been in contact with Shen Yanbei for so long, knowing that he was not kind of ambitious, and immediately asked him, "Do you think Qingzhou is prosperous?"
"Yes." As the capital of Qinghe County, and three thousand miles of boats in Qingyun Port, Qingzhou, there was a constant flow of businessmen, and you could sometimes see foreigners with high noses and deep eyes. Lively and bustling.
"Yongjing is even more than that." Li Zhiyuan frowned slightly. "You are so young, don't you want to visit Yongjing?"
Yongjing was the capital of the Great Qi State. Of course, he wanted to go and check it out. So Shen Yanbei said, "Reading thousands of books does not compare to traveling thousands of miles, the student naturally wants to appreciate the supreme scenery of my great Qi."
"Only when the heart is attached can you go further," Li Zhiyuan said meaningfully.
Shen Yanbei understood, but from the corner of his eye, he glanced at Gu Changfeng.
His attachment was here, where did it take so hard to run so far?
After staying for lunch, Shen Yanbei received a New Year's gift from Li Zhiyuan-Great Qi Travel Notes. A book that introduced the geographical knowledge of Great Qi, but also contained the local customs.
Shen Yanbei felt funny in his heart, but he thanked him very well.
The happy time flew by quickly. After the cold spring in February, the weather was getting warmer, and the new year's spring plowing would begin soon.
The fact they got a big harvest after working with Shen Yanbei, this year everyone in Shenjia Village still followed Shen Yanbei's method of plowing. Li Zhiyuan also asked Shen Yanbei to help the people as much as he could. Shen Yanbei wasn't trying to hide it for himself, he informed villagers how to increase the germination rate of the seeds and make the seedlings stronger by soaking the seeds with boy urine mixed with water, and when raising seedlings, pick full seeds and soak them according to the method, which could increase the yield. Everyone followed his instructions without hesitation.
As for farming in the paddy field, villagers still used the mode of integrated rice, duck, and fish farming. While on dry land, they listened to Shen Yanbei's opinions by adopting alternate and interval planting methods to grow crops such as corn and beans.
People worked full of enthusiasm, with a happy smile on their faces, tirelessly planting.
While the people in Shenjia Village were working, many people from nearby villages came to watch. It was only because the county magistrate Li made a piece of information at the gate of the city, telling all the people in Dongjiang County that Shenjia Village was designated as a demonstration village for increasing rice production this year so that people who wished to increase their own grain production could go to Shenjia Village to observe and see for this season of farming. After the harvest last time, the method of increasing grain production was confirmed to be feasible, then the method of increasing grain production was made public.
As soon as this notice came out, the entire Dongjiang County was boiling!
The country was based on the people, and the people took food as the sky. Only when you filled your stomach could you do other things! So after receiving this news, people in the villages near Shenjia Village couldn't sit still, and they all came to take a look. Even several village chiefs brought gifts to Shen Dezhong's house to find out about the truth.
For a while, the people of Shenjia Village felt that there was a lot of light on their faces! The title of this demonstration village made them feel more proud than the qualification to hold social dramas!
You had to pay for social dramas, but once the grain production increased, the money went into your own pocket! It was more beneficial than getting those fake titles, dangling silver, and a full belly!
Shen Yanbei, the planting director of Shenjia Village, was naturally happy to see this scene. It was a good way to bulge up the money bag. It was unrealistic to keep wealthy just by yourself, it felt like him supporting the glory of the whole village!
"Xiānshēng, do you think it's alright?" Uncle Xu looked at Shen Yanbei eagerly, his tone was extremely respectful.
Shen Yanbei touched his nose and smiled embarrassedly. "It's okay, you have worked hard, Uncle Xu." In the past, people, especially unfamiliar people, usually called him Shen Xiucai. Since Shenjia Village had been a demonstration village, everyone changed how they called him. Whether they were from Shenjia Village or other villages, they called him Xiānshēng.
Oh my...
"Nothing hard! Not hard at all!" Uncle Xu chuckled with his hoe on his shoulder.
Uncle Xu was hired by the Shen Yanbei to grow the land this year. With the foundation of the previous cooperation, the land in Shen Yanbei now had always been taken care of by Uncle Xu and his two sons.
They witnessed firsthand how the crops in Shen Yanbei's lands grew up, and how the grown plants grow better and stronger than those of other people. They still clearly remembered the heavyweight of the grains every time they harvested a stubble of rice...
"What do you plan to plant this year?" Uncle Xu looked up and curiously asked about what they would do to the twenty-odd acres of dry land. This year, Shen Yanbei suddenly bought a lot of acres of high-quality dry land. After the land was prepared, they watered and fertilized according to Shen Yanbei's requirements, but there was no seeding. It wasn't until these few days that the sun was good, and Shen Yanbei asked them to bring farm tools to the fields.
"Plant something special." Shen Yanbei commanded several people to irrigate and scatter soil. Now his restaurant business was getting better and better, which made many dishes requiring a lot of chilies. So he had to buy land and plant a lot of them. Peppers were not like corn and soybeans which could be planted directly. The lands had to be sown and the seedlings had to be raised first, then transplant seedlings when they had grown to a certain extent. After that, we must take care of them carefully, pay attention to disease prevention, and use different methods when they grow to a certain level, and many more.
Taking out the sprout pepper seeds, Shen Yanbei showed several people how to plant them. "Remember to be careful not to damage the root system, and the soil should not be too thick when covering it."
"Yes!" Several people responded and took the seeds and started planting.
After all the seeds were planted, Shen Yanbei began to pay attention to weather changes and went to the fields where the seedlings were raised every day to detect the humidity of the soil and then gave appropriate watering. Six days later, pepper seedlings broke out one after another, and about half a month the pepper seedlings had their leaves...
During the period, the rice fields of the Shen's Family had been planted with seedlings. This time, Shen Yanbei still adopted the polyculture model, but instead of raising fish, he raised the loach instead.
Loach was not only delicious but also had a high nutritional value. It had the functions of nourishing the, replenishing qi, dehumidifying and relieving yellow, replenishing the kidney and yang. In the last year's harvest, the soils were already very rich in fish and ducks, which was suitable for breeding loach, which required high soil fertility.
The villagers couldn't help but look forward to seeing Shen Yan's new tricks again.
During the busy schedule, it was another year of Qingming.
Like last year, Shen Yanbei and Gu Changfeng went to pay respects to the parents of the original owner. The difference was that the prepared sacrifices were more abundant, and the mood of the two had also changed.
"Father-Mother, we come to see you." Shen Yanbei knelt in front of the grave and briefly mentioned the changes in Shen's Family over the past year. Finally, he said, "I am going to participate in Qiuwei this year. I hope my parents will bless me all the best from heaven!"
Uncle Shen Auntie Shen, I opened a restaurant in the county and Qingzhou last year. The business was pretty good, and I made a small amount of money. Now I have no worries about food and clothing. Right now, the villagers are following me in farming. I can be regarded as showing the face of Shen's Family. Now I look forward to this Qiuwei! Don't worry, I will strive for it!
Gu Changfeng, kneeling beside him, looked guilty. "My husband has been busy, but I have not been able to help. Please forgive me..." After that, his expression gradually became serious, and he said, "I will work hard to become a good wife. Please don't worry, father-mother."
For a moment, Shen Yanbei grabbed his hand and said softly, "What are you talking about? Sometimes a foot may prove short while an inch may prove long*. My wife is a master of martial arts, so even though you do not know much about farming and management, it's normal."
*Chǐ yǒu suǒ duǎn, cùn yǒu suǒ cháng: everyone has his strong and weak points.
Gu Changfeng pursed his lips and did not reply. Shen Yanbei's eyes gave a serious gaze. "What I am doing now is to make us live well which can make us do what we want without any worries. If what I do is just to make you feel unhappy because you feel you can't help me much, what's the meaning of what I have done then?"
"I hope that no matter what my wife will always be happy."
"You are my dream and the greatest motivation."
Gu Changfeng's pupils trembled, and Shen Yanbei smiled and said, "My father and mother's biggest wish is to see us in love and peace. Isn't it good for us to be like this?"
"Yanbei..." Gu Changfeng's eyes were a little hot.
"I am the head of the family. It is my responsibility to support the family. As long as you are responsible for the family's mood and harmony!" Shen Yanbei turned his head and said to Father Shen's and Mother Shen's tombstone, "Father and Mother, wait for the autumn. I'll come back to give you the good news again after Qiuwei."
Knocking his head and getting up, Shen Yanbei took Gu Changfeng home.
He had to have a thorough discussion with his wife about the matter they talked about just now so that his wife could deeply understand what he meant to him...
After the Qingming Festival, the intensity of sunlight and rainfall had increased, and that caused the pepper seedlings in the ground to finally be transplanted. The day before, the ground had been well-watered. It was the evening of the day when Shen Yanbei called Uncle Xu to help, and it took three days to plant all the ground.
Next, observe the survival rate of the pepper seedlings after transplantation, and replant them appropriately. After the pepper seedlings turned green, Shen Yanbei breathed a sigh of relief. The Qingzhou branch had a good business, and half of it was due to the popularity of peppers. But the consumption of peppers was too large, even if once harvest of chili peppers could be harvested three or four times, it was still in short supply.
It was too strenuous for him to produce it alone. After this time when the peppers were harvested and had enough seeds, he would teach the villagers how to plant them, and then buy them from the villagers!
After busying with the things in the field, Shen Yanbei put his mind back on reading. At this time, Su Qingze wrote a letter, saying that it was almost the time of the Dragon Boat Festival. There was a dragon boat race in Qingzhou and asked if they could come to watch the excitement.
Shen Yanbei pondered that Qiuwei was a few days after the Mid-Autumn Festival, and a few months away, so it was too early to go to Qingzhou. But he couldn't laugh or cry after reading the letter. It turns out that the young man deliberately mentioned the Dragon Boat Festival because he wanted to eat his dumplings!
In addition, the letter also mentioned a major event that was very important to the Su's Family-Prince of Jinyang, Zhao Mu, begged the current emperor to give the Liuyang County next door to Qinghe County as his fief! The emperor had agreed, so Prince of Jinyang would go to the fief with his family in these two months.
"Prince of Jinyang? Wángye?" Shen Yanbei raised his eyebrows. The original owner was just a scholar in a small village and he didn't know the country's upper-class divisions. He only knew that the wángye's status was precious, he was the emperor's half-brother. There were 13 counties in Great Qi. Below the country was the state, below the state was the county, dividing a county into a fief for half-brothers, this emperor seemed really generous.
"Prince of Jinyang..." Gu Changfeng murmured in a low voice, and suddenly he was taken aback. His eyes flickered, and his hand on his side was also firmly clenched.
"The eighth day of September is the 60th birthday of the old lady of the Su's Family?" Shen Yanbei closed the letter. "It seems we have to stay in Qingzhou until September." In the beginning, Su Qingze invited them to Su's Family as a guest. Seeing his humble status, the old lady made a lot of criticism, But Su Qingze's parents treated them with courtesy. Now for the old lady's birthday, what kind of gift should he give?
"Wife, do you have an opinion about the gift?" Shen Yanbei asked Gu Changfeng, only to find that the man's lips were tight and his eyes were cold, it was a kind of anger that he had never seen before.
"Changfeng?" Shen Yanbei hurriedly called.
Hearing this, Gu Changfeng suddenly recovered, his cold eyes faded. He looked at Shen Yanbei blankly, "I..."
"I seem to remember something..."
Shen Yan frowned. "What do you remember?"
Gu Changfeng hesitated. "My amnesia seems related to Prince of Jinyang."
What? Shen Yanbei opened his eyes slightly, a little unbelievable. "Do you know Prince Jinyang?"
Gu Changfeng's eyes were gloomy. "I don't know, but I think I lost my memory because of Prince Jinyang!" The moment he heard the name, a voice suddenly appeared in his mind:
"Do not blame me!"
"If we have to blame someone, then blame yourself! You are so ugly but you still want to seduce Prince Jinyang!"
The woman's harsh tone was full of jealousy. The anger that surged in Changfeng's heart at that moment almost overwhelmed him.
Who? Who was it at the end? What hatred does between him and the other party have that made the other party can't wait to see him die?
Gu Changfeng felt confused. His forehead was covered with sweat.
The time he bumped his head down the hill when he fought against the bear, he had thought of some people and things, but because he tried to press that kind of feeling, he could not remember anything after that.
Who was the owner of this voice?
Why did he seduce Prince Jinyang?
He knew his appearance was not good-looking and his temperament was boring, which was why he seldom went down to the street. So he was sure that he wouldn't ever do that kind of shameless thing!
Suddenly the chaotic scene that he had forgotten once again came to mind.
The screams, the clang of swords, and the roars of frightened horses echoed in the forests of the mountain. The blood-stained man just slapped a man in a black robe with the palm of his hand. But, there was a sudden pain behind his back, it turned out there was a sharp blade pierced deeply into the flesh. ...
He turned his head back with difficulty. In his unbelievable gaze, he saw the jade-white hands holding a sharp dagger, and the bright red blood on the dagger slid down the blade...
Who?
He looked up and wanted to see the owner of those hands clearly, but his brain felt like it was being stabbed by a needle.
"what-"
Gu Changfeng held his head ferociously and snarled in pain.
"Changfeng, don't think about it! Don't think about it!" Shen Yanbei hugged him hurriedly.
Looking into Shen Yanbei's distressed and worried eyes, Gu Changfeng's frantic heart gradually calmed down.
He stretched out his hand and hugged Shen Yanbei back, his dark eyes filled with determination. "Yanbei, I want to figure out what happened to me."
Shen Yanbei was slightly surprised, hearing Gu Changfeng said dumbly, "I can't escape for a lifetime."
At that time, he refused to remember because he was afraid that he could not bear the truth, but now he had enough courage to face the cruel reality.
Just because Shen Yanbei would always be with him.
Patting him on the back, Shen Yanbei said, "Okay, it's up to you." He still had to cure his heart disease, although he didn't want his wife to be tossed by this mess in the future.
In the hot July, Shenjia Village once again ushered in a bumper harvest. The rice in the field bent down, and the expanse of golden rice waves was surging forward one after another. The people of Shenjia Village who harvested the rice were not aware of the heat, and they were struggling to wave the sickle in their hands happily.
The villagers in other villages looked at the heavy grains of rice with envy, but what was more noticeable than the increase in rice production was some fields of Shenjia Village that were burning like a raging fire in the ground.
Many people had never seen chili peppers. So in curiosity, they inquired about it to the people of Shenjia Village. They found out that this unfamiliar vegetable named chili was grown by Shen Xiucai's family. It was someone who had gone to Tongfu Restaurant and ordered a signature dish that recognized this kind of vegetable as one of Tongfu Restaurant's exclusive condiments and felt surprised for a while.
There was a rumor that the owner of Tongfu Restaurant was from Shenjia Village, but they didn't expect this to be true!
What was even more unexpected was the owner was Shen Xiucai from Shenjia Village who almost couldn't open the pot of rice before!
Thinking of Tongfu Restaurant, not only were the dishes delicious, but the pickles they produced were also unique in flavor, which increased people's appetite. As a result, the demand exceeded supply. After knowing the truth, those from outside the village look at Shen Yanbei with complicated eyes.
Why were there no good people in their village who were so smart and willing to help the villagers get rich?
Shen Yanbei didn't have time to take into account those surprised or admired eyes. He was busy directing the hired people to harvest the peppers.
The peppers of more than 20 acres of land could be picked and piled up into a hill. Taking advantage of the good sun, Shen Yanbei asked people to move the peppers to the drying field. At this time, the villagers' rice had been dried and put away, just in time for him to dry the peppers.
At the same time, Shen Yanbei bought a large number of cucumbers, beans, radishes, and pickled vegetables from the villagers.
When the time came quietly to the end of July, Shen Yanbei finally finished settling things about the farming and restaurant affairs and chartered a boat and went to Qingzhou with Gu Changfeng and Zhou Yu.
Because of the training regularly, Shen Yanbei was no longer as seasick as the first time he took a boat trip, and he was also in the mood to admire the coastline of Great Qi along the way.
On August 13th, the ship arrived at Qingyun harbor. This time, it was not the Su's mansion's servant who came to pick them up, but the servants of the branch restaurant. Before leaving, Shen Yanbei wrote a letter to the shopkeeper of the branch, asking him to arrange for someone to pick them up and to send the pickles and chilies they had brought to the restaurant.
The trio Shen Yanbei returned to the house to settle first. The house had been cleaned by someone, so they could rest as soon as they arrived at home.
After a solid sleep, Shen Yanbei went to the restaurant to check the accounts the next day. Knowing that during this period of time, many boat shippers came to the restaurant to order pickles, but the pickles they brought over were not enough to sell, so Shen Yanbei simply asked the shopkeeper to go to nearby villages to purchase raw materials then made another batch of pickles.
Pickles were easy to make, with low cost and high profit. After the launch of Tongfu Restaurant, it had attracted the attention of many people, but the method of pickling had always been in his hands and never had been leaked out. So even if someone else also learned to make pickles, they still couldn't make it as good as Tongfu Restaurant had. Today, the Tongfu Restaurant has been deeply rooted in people's hearts. Like the ad, just to mention a certain menu, people's first reaction would be to think of Tongfu Restaurant.
Shen Yanbei was very satisfied with this effect. It was giving a worthwhile result after he put so much effort into the "trademark" aspect-the restaurant's cups, dishes, chopsticks, and take-out products were printed with the words "Tongfu Restaurant" and icon of Tongfu Restaurant.
Of course, the taller a tree grew, the more strong the wind swayed it, Seeing Fu restaurant had a good business, many people had caused a lot of trouble, but since the young master of the Su's Family said that he backed up the restaurant, and used his absolute force to clean up the mess. After that, no one dared to make trouble anymore.
Shen Yanbei then made a dish from autumn-high crab fat, in order to thank Su Qing for his care.
Shen Yanbei made a pot of spicy crabs, which made the young man couldn't stop eating.
"Brother Shen, I wish you the best!" Su Qingze raised his glass happily.
"Thanks for your good words." Shen Yanbei smiled and clinked the glass with him. All the things that should be reviewed have been reviewed. In the past few days, he had no longer read books, but relaxed ate, and drank while doing something physically and mentally happy with his wife.
On the 18th, candidates entered the examination room.
The township test was conducted in Gongyuan. Early in the morning, Shen Yanbei prepared to go to the examination room accompanied by Gu Changfeng and Zhou Yu. After a routine search, he was confirmed that he did not bring a cheat sheet and was released into the examination room.
Turning his head and smiling at Gu Changfeng, who was staring at him on the periphery of the cordon, Shen Yanbei then entered the Gongyuan.
Back then, he was the top-scored student of college entrance examinations in his province, so he was not afraid of this kind of exam scene, even felt a little excited. After many years, he took the "high school entrance examination" again!
The sentimental Shen Yanbei arrived at his examination room, and then... was locked.
In recent years, the examination rooms were all independent rooms, one for each person, which was called the number room. The room was less than two square meters in size, and the furnishings inside were very simple, with only two wooden boards, one was used as a table and the other was used as a chair. When you sleep, take the top plank down and put the bottom plank together as a bed.
In addition, the examination room also provided lighting equipment and heating equipment-candles and charcoal bowls. Fortunately, the physiological problem was not solved in the room number, otherwise, Shen Yanbei, who was going to be in the examination room for three days, would feel suffocated.
The examination room had public toilets and served meals, but the environment of the examination room was not much better than in the jail. Thinking about the spacious bed at home and the good muscles of his wife's, Shen Yanbei, who took the papers, quickly settled his mind and worked hard to do the test.
Three days later, the people on the periphery of the examination room craned their necks and looked around.
"Why haven't Gōngzǐ come out yet?" Zhou Yu watched as the desperate examinees came out surrounded by their respective families, but Shen Yanbei did not come out. He couldn't help but feel anxious.
"He's here!" With his height advantage, Gu Changfeng saw the young man walking hurriedly. Then he felt relieved and hurriedly greeted him.
"Gōngzǐ!" Zhou Yu exclaimed excitedly.
Shen Yanbei's face was a little pale, and he stretched out his hand to block Gu Changfeng. "Stop, stop, don't come near me!"
Gu Changfeng frowned. Shen Yanbei gritted his teeth. "I'm all smelly now!"
As a person who talked about hygiene and had good living habits, it was the first time he hadn't washed for three days! If it wasn't because there was no other way, he would be crazy! Especially in the public toilets in the examination room, he didn't know if some candidates were unaccustomed to the unfamiliar water and soil, or had gastrointestinal discomforts, the smell after using up the public toilets...
Gu Changfeng was taken aback. While Zhou Yu quickly reacted, closing his mouth tight, desperately holding back a smile.
"Let's go back!" He didn't want to stay in this devil examination room even for a quarter of an hour. It was really difficult for those students who had repeatedly suffered this kind of torture for a long time.
Gu Changfeng walked to him, his nose moved. "It doesn't smell."
"..." Shen Yanbei covered his face.
After going home and rubbing himself several times and changing the water twice, Shen Yanbei finally felt that he was alive.
In the evening, Shen Yanbei, who had been depressed lately, received comfort from his wife and took a good rest the next day. Then he returned to the exam room the next day to take another exam.
Well, the test was divided into three sessions, each test was for three days, and each test was separated by one day.
Regarding the arrangement of the examination time, Shen Yanbei just wanted to say: Just go to hell for this Uncle!
On August 28th, the country examination* was completed.
*xiāngshì: triennial examination held in each province for the title of juren.
Shen Yanbei, who came out of the gate of Gongyuan, was like a bird out of the cage, happily holding his wife's hand and rushing home. His mood was even more beautiful than when the college entrance examination was over.
The results of the county examination would not be announced until mid-September, and Shen Yanbei was not that anxious. Under the guidance of Su Qingze, he traveled all over Qingzhou with Gu Changfeng.
Qingyun Port was one of the important ports of Great Qi's foreign trade. The current emperor enlightened and encouraged maritime trade. Foreigners were welcome to come to Great Qi to expand. However, there were certain requirements for staying in Great Qi for a long time or doing business, and the goods they brought when they left Great Qi must pay corresponding taxes and fees and they must not leave with contraband.
Shen Yanbei admired this current emperor's vision. He didn't know how the development of other countries was, but from the perspective of those imported products, at least the degree of industrial development in foreign countries was higher than that of Great Qi. The current emperor was very clever and used preferential policies to attract foreigners to Great Qi. He even wanted to open the mouths of foreigners to let them teach ideas, culture, and technology willingly.
Shen Yanbei hadn't forgotten all the foreign languages he learned when he was a student. He accidentally ran into a foreign businessman with blond hair and blue eyes in a restaurant. When they talked, he could speak some simple foreign languages. The other party was shocked by Shen Yanbei's language learning talent and was very happy to invite Shen Yanbei to travel with him. William was an aristocrat from a certain overseas country. He was naturally fond of traveling around, and he would run around the world after being an adult. Not long after he came to Great Qi, he was not familiar with the language and the environment. He wanted to see this beautiful Eastern country but didn't know where to start.
Shen Yanbei offered help to him earnestly and exchanged many good things from him by the way.