bookrandom Chapter 148 Where will you move?
Chapter 148 Where will you move?
Knowing that Cheng Guqiu was shy, the two of them did not mention what the village head had told them when they returned home, and the family happily prepared dinner.
Cheng Shuang taught Cheng Guqiu how to clean pig intestines. After that, Cheng Guqiu made a stir-fried pig intestines with sauerkraut and chili peppers. Her cooking skills were not worse than those of the chef at Taibai Tower. Cheng Shuang left the other dishes to her free rein.
After dinner, Wei Qinglang chatted for a while and told Wei Nanxing that He Zhou was willing to accept a disciple, and asked him if he wanted to learn martial arts from him.
Wei Nanxing paused, unable to believe it. "Brother, are you talking about County Magistrate He? Is he willing to take me in as his apprentice?"
Of course he wanted to learn martial arts, he dreamed about it. Seeing that He Zhou was so good at martial arts, he was so envious that he had been following He Zhou these days.
But because he was an official, he never thought of becoming his disciple.
Unexpectedly, his brother and sister-in-law actually asked for him, and He Zhou agreed.
"He will come to the village again in a few days. Then you can become his disciple. Then you can learn martial arts from him."
Wei Qinglang didn't take any credit for it. He added, "Your sister-in-law noticed that you wanted to learn martial arts, so she used the favors she had earned from treating the illnesses of County Magistrate He's confidants to buy you this opportunity. You must learn well."
"Thank you, sister-in-law." Wei Nanxing was so moved that he put down his chopsticks, stood up and wanted to kowtow to Cheng Shuang.
"Hey, hey, hey, don't, don't, don't..." Cheng Shuang was startled and quickly raised her hand to stop him, "There's no generation difference between us. It's just a small matter. Don't kneel to me. I'm afraid it will shorten my life."
Wei Nanxing quickly straightened his half-bent knees and said, "I won't kneel, but I will always remember the kindness my sister-in-law has shown me."
Cheng Shuang was not used to sentimentality, so she smiled and said, "Okay, sister-in-law, I understand. Let's sit down and eat."
Wei Nanxing was so happy that he almost felt silly. After sitting down, he had no intention of eating. He said, "Last year, Erzhuang from the village became a carpenter's apprentice and gave him two strips of dried meat, a few pounds of rice, and longans. I have to prepare a gift for him as well. I'm going to the county town to buy things tomorrow. I don't know what County Magistrate He likes. Brother, what do you think I should buy?"
Wei Qinglang looked at Cheng Shuang. He really didn't know what to give as a gift to become a disciple.
Cheng Shuang was also unsure, so she looked at Cheng Guqiu again and asked, "Aunt, do you know what gifts are usually given when one becomes a disciple?"
Cheng Guqiu thought for a moment. "The most common thing people in our village do is give dried meat and longan. Some people also pay grain as tuition. Some people also give things that the master likes, like carpentry tools for carpenters, butcher knives for butchers, and pipes for opium smokers. But I don't know what martial artists should give."
Cheng Shuang understood, and since it was always a good idea to cater to someone's preferences, she said to Wei Nanxing, "Tomorrow, go buy some dried meat and longans, as well as two jars of good wine and tea. Also, since your master is a martial artist, he's bound to have some bumps and bruises, so go to the pharmacy and buy some small ginseng and some good wound medicine."
Cheng Shuang took out two silver notes of one hundred taels and handed them to Wei Nanxing. "If there is anything else you think he would like, then buy it."
Wei Nanxing saw the face value of the banknote and didn't dare to stretch out his hand. "Isn't it too much? One hundred taels will be enough. I still have ten taels on me."
Wei Qinglang took the banknote and stuffed it directly into his hand. "Even a small piece of ginseng costs eighty or ninety taels. You have to choose good things for the other things too."
Cheng Shuang also said, "He County Magistrate will certainly not charge you tuition, so we must not be stingy with this apprenticeship gift."
Wei Nanxing nodded seriously to show that he understood and put the banknote away.
After dinner, Cheng Shuang made a cup of honey water and sat in the yard, looking up at the stars and thinking about things.
In the main room, Wei Xinyi and Cheng Pan were teaching Qiuyan and Dongyun to read the Three Character Classic, repeating it over and over again. Cheng Guqiu boiled the bath water and then cleaned the kitchen.
The water in the water tank was almost empty, so the brothers Wei Qinglang and Wei Nanxing went to fetch water and made several trips. During this process, Cheng Shuang sat in the yard in a daze, sometimes looking up at the sky and sometimes looking at the ground.
After fetching the water, Wei Qinglang walked over and snapped his fingers in front of her, "What are you thinking about? The water is ready, do you want to go wash first?"
Cheng Shuang came back to her senses, stood up, stretched her neck, and went back to her room to get her clothes.
Wei Qinglang looked at her back and looked up at the starry sky, curious about what she was thinking about for so long.
What is Cheng Shuang thinking?
Of course, she was thinking about how to deal with Hu Chunhua's family. The villagers loved to gossip about other people. She had the big gossip of Cheng Caipeng's adultery with a village widow. Since they wanted to use public opinion to ruin Cheng Guqiu's reputation, don't blame her for letting their whole family show up in the surrounding area. She didn't believe that this family would still have the mind to target Cheng Guqiu by then.
She knew that Cheng Caipeng and Bai Xiuqin were still in contact, because she had seen them flirting with each other in the village more than once, and then they went to the grove one after the other.
She knew what they were going to do in the grove with just her heels.
But she still needs to think about how to implement this matter.
I took a comfortable hot bath, and when I came out, I felt a little cool in the night wind.
In ancient times, the four seasons were distinct. Autumn began and the weather turned colder in September. In the original owner's memory, it snowed here every winter, and the weather was so cold that the river froze.
I don't know how efficient County Magistrate Zheng is. How long will it take for the court to make a decision after the matter is reported? After reporting to higher levels and waiting for instructions, it is estimated that the court will send an imperial envoy to investigate again.
Kyoto is far away, and after all this trouble, it will probably be the end of the year before we have to figure out how to resettle the nearby villagers.
It would be best to move after the New Year and the beginning of spring. She didn't want to move in the middle of winter. Thinking of this, Cheng Shuang opened the door and went in. She looked up and saw Wei Qinglang wearing a coat and writing a storybook.
"So enthusiastic?" Cheng Shuang closed the door and walked to the desk.
Wei Qinglang looked up at her and said, "I think County Magistrate Zheng should be quite efficient. We will be moving soon after the imperial decree comes down. Let's finish the remaining forty chapters quickly and submit them all next time we go."
Cheng Shuang pulled a stool and sat down opposite, "Hey, where do you think we will move to?"
"I don't know, but I feel the possibility of continuing to stay in Qushan County is very small. I might be relocated to the next county."
Cheng Shuang held her chin up and chatted with him, "I'm tired of staying in this small village. If I could choose, I would like to go to the prefectural capital or a county under the jurisdiction of the provincial capital, but it seems impossible."
Wei Qinglang paused, "I also think small villages and towns are boring. Living a life where you only need to get three meals a day is even more boring. But the capital is too far away, so it's basically impossible."
Cheng Shuang rested her chin on her hands instead, "It doesn't matter, let's talk about it after we're done moving. At worst, we can go to the county town and buy a yard. Anyway, I don't want to stay in the village forever.
The money we have now, plus the 1,600 taels we can earn from the remaining 40 chapters in Liangshan, adds up to 5,000 taels. It's enough to buy a small courtyard with two entrances in a good location in the county town. Then we can look for business opportunities and find a profitable business."
Wei Qinglang nodded in agreement and continued writing, "It's time to find something to do. I can't just stay in this little mountain village doing nothing every day."
Mingde Academy
The evening breeze blew the curtains in the pavilion, causing the candlelight to sway. A hand reached out and lit the letter in its hand, then dropped it to the ground after it was half burned.
"The boat from the dock has already departed, and Zheng Tu is already on his way to the provincial capital."
"We finally waited for him to come back, but he actually handed over such an important prisoner as Liu Henian to his men to capture and then went to the provincial capital overnight. What kind of serious matter has happened?"
"The news sent back is indeed important." Master Shen slowly returned to his seat and sat down, taking out a piece of paper from his arms and handing it over.
Zhao Xiuwen took it and opened it. He quickly opened it and looked shocked. "Is this true?"
Master Shen tapped his fingers on the table. "If this is true, there will be another fierce battle in the Kyoto court. Who knows who will end up with this mine."
Zhao Xiuwen said, "I'm afraid we're having a hard time selecting the imperial envoy. Is there any hope for someone from higher up?"
Master Shen sighed and shook his head, "Given the power that the Supreme Leader has in the imperial court right now, the chances of winning are slim."
Zhao Xiuwen saw Master Shen's worried face and consoled him, "Liu Henian has already submitted the list, and the Jingdu corruption case will be sentenced soon. The higher-ups will definitely take this opportunity to cultivate new talents, and the situation will get better and better. Master, don't worry too much."
Master Shen smiled and looked at the young man in front of him. "Zi Qi, you've done a great job in the tasks assigned to you by the higher-ups over the past year. That's why they want you to be closer so it will be more convenient for you to handle things in the future. But they're afraid of being too obvious and attracting attention. A mineral vein has appeared in your village, so we have to relocate collectively. This might be an opportunity."
"Teacher, do you mean to have Chengjia Village relocate and settle in a county under the jurisdiction of Luohe Prefecture?"
Master Shen nodded and said, "I will secretly send a message back to ask the higher-ups to make the arrangements. This way, it will be much easier for you to do things."
"What about you, teacher?"
Master Shen waved his hand. "Although I've resigned from my official position for four years, those people are very cautious. If I show up, I'm afraid they'll hide even deeper. So I'd better stay here and be my teacher."