The skilled widow is busy farming

Chapter 18

Grandma and Xiuniang made vegetable paste for lunch. They put vegetables into the corn flour paste and cooked it in one pot. The vegetables were grown in the fields themselves, and they were fresh and fresh.

You must observe filial piety and not eat meat. Uncle Li Er's family also eats vegetarian food at home. You must understand this rule, not to mention that when a relative of your own has passed away, it is necessary to observe filial piety. This is the upbringing for the children.

I also made vegetarian burritos, Xiunianghe’s yeast noodles, baked dough pancakes, rolled with green onions for dipping sauce and eating vegetarian vegetables, and fried shredded potatoes and radish.

There is also a dish of scrambled eggs with wild mushrooms. Wild mushrooms and fungi are also added to the vegetable batter to increase the flavor.

Uncle Li sat down to eat with everyone.

"Boy, do you want the free-range chicken to pull up the net?"

"If you want to pull it, start tossing it tomorrow and do it bit by bit."

"Then I'll do it with you tomorrow. It won't be hot if you get up early. It's too hot at noon."

"it is good."

"Mom, the food you cook is still delicious."

"It's not like food is expensive. We can't make meat due to our filial piety, so let's eat some mushrooms to change our taste."

"Mom, the market will be busy tomorrow. Do you want to go? I'll let the children take you around."

"If you don't go, buy me some blue plain cloth and I'll make shoes."

"Okay, I remember."

"Second uncle, can you bring me some silk thread? Just buy the things I give you. I have money."

Xiu Niang’s silk thread is not enough and she needs to buy more colors.

"Okay, give me the stuff and I'll go back and give it to your aunt to buy it for you. You won't need the money."

"Uncle, I need to give you money. The silk thread I bought is very expensive."

"Is it that expensive?"

Uncle Li didn't know much about women's things, so he thought they were cheap and said she didn't have to pay for them.

"My paintings will be finished soon. Once I sell them, I can buy a shop. I have other plans then. I will discuss the details with you after I buy the shop."

Uncle Li didn't hesitate and nodded.

"Okay, if you have an idea, it's up to you."

"Yingzi, pick up a line with me this afternoon."

"okay."

Yingzi was too busy at noon and stayed at Li's house for dinner. They were all relatives anyway, so they didn't miss the food. The eldest grandfather and the third grandfather were cousins ​​from the same clan, and the two ancestors were brothers.

Yingzi and Qing'er have just started to learn the basics now. They need to learn and recognize threads first. There are also differences between silk threads. Otherwise, why would the prices be so different?

Silk threads of the same color need to be divided into different shades, which will be useful when weaving. You need to learn a lot of things in tapestry painting, and pay attention to slow work and careful work.

Later, Yingzi and Qing'er will also learn calligraphy and painting, which is a must-have requirement for masters.

The essential difference between ordinary embroiderers and master-level embroiderers is that they can read and write, can rank calligraphy and painting with one hand, and understand the difference between elegance and tackiness, so that they can embroider beautiful and elegant paintings.

After eating, Xiuniang packed the silver and the needed silk threads in her purse and handed them to her second uncle.

"Just give this to my second aunt."

"okay."

Uncle Li took his wallet and left. He had other things to do.

The wasteland is full of trees. There are many trees here. The wasteland refers to the undeveloped forest land, which grows naturally. Some places are dense but some places are just grass.

The second uncle is going to mark his own wasteland with a net to show that it has an owner, and then mark the land allocated to him and his eldest brother separately.

What is left is to build pig pens, chicken coops, etc. with the tribe members. We plan to use the wasteland to raise some chickens, ducks, cattle, sheep, and pigs. Raising them and selling them will also be a source of income, which is better than leaving the land unused.

After looking at the wood, I saw that it was all good wood, and it was good for making furniture. The cut wood was saved first and maintained together later. The new wood had to be cultivated for three years before it could be used to build a house.

The wood needs some treatment and maintenance. If you use regenerating insects directly, it will deform due to moisture. It must be moisture-proof, insect-proof and rot-proof before it can be used.

There is still a lot of work to be done.

When he got home, Uncle Li handed the purse to his wife, "Here, tomorrow you take your daughters-in-law to the market in the city and buy a silk thread for Xiu'er. The money and things are in it. Just buy it." "Zhong, I know what she wants, and her silk thread is the most expensive."

The second uncle's wife, known as Second Aunt Xu, took the things and took a look at them, and she knew it in her heart.

"Are her paintings so valuable? If they are finished, you can buy a shop."

"I went to see her that day and saw the paintings she knitted. They were extremely beautiful, even more exquisite than those she had made before. I have never seen such beautiful paintings. I think they are worth a lot of money."

Aunt Xu said with a slap in her mouth.

"She is a strong-willed child. You should take more care of her on weekdays. People have helped us a lot in the past. She got the money for the second child to take the exam by selling her paintings. Now she is an orphan and a widowed mother. We can help if we can. We are all a family. Brother Qun's kid is extremely talented and will not be a thing in the future. After his father died, he became sensible overnight and studied hard."

"I also need you to remind me how difficult it was for our family when the second son went to Beijing to take the exam. Renxiu Niang sold the painting without saying a word and asked the eldest brother to send it to me. This time she bought the land and got half of it for our family. , I am not that ungrateful person, Brother Chun is the root of our old Li family, and you have to clench your fists together to be strong, I understand this."

Aunt Xu nodded seriously, thinking of her nephew Brother Ping, she sighed sadly.

"That's it. I won't say it anymore. The more I say it, the more painful it becomes. Don't mention Brother Ping in front of my eldest brother and sister-in-law."

"I know, I'm not lacking in foresight, so it won't hurt."

Aunt Xu dismissed her husband, put down her purse, and went to work.

Early the next morning, Xiuniang got up and watched Qing'er and Yingzi practicing the rules and making breakfast for the family.

"Are you guys taking a break today?"

"Well, I have to go to the market today to buy some things. I just took a break and left some homework for us."

"Okay, we'll go up the mountain to pick mushrooms later. Do you want to go?"

"go."

"Your second grandmother is going to the market, do you want to go?"

"I'm not going. I want to keep my mourning at home. Yingzi, will you go?"

Qing'er shook her head sensibly and glanced at Yingzi.

"I won't go either. My mother asked me to learn my skills from my master and not to run around."

"Then let's go mushroom hunting and relax for the day."

"Mom, I'll go with you, and I'll carry your things for you."

Brother Qun smiled thoughtfully at his mother.

"Okay. You want to relax for a day and don't stop studying. It just rained. The weather is so nice. Let's go pick some wild mushrooms and dry them to eat in the winter. Let's see if there are any herbs to pick and cook."

"it is good."

Xiu Niang has been cooped up at home for more than a month. Seeing that the weather is good today, she plans to go to the foot of the mountain to get some fresh air.

Each person carried a small backpack, took a sickle, rope, flint and other things, and took the children out.

"Grandma, let's go for a walk at the foot of the mountain. We'll be back in a while and cut some pigweed along the way."

"Okay, don't go into the mountains, it's very dangerous."

Grandma raised her head and warned Xiuniang.

"Don't worry, I'll take a walk at the foot of the mountain."

"then you go."

After going out, Xiu Niang said with a smile: "Let's go to the river and have a look. I asked your brother to fish in a fish basket yesterday. I don't know if there is any harvest."

"What if you took it and sold it?"

Brother Qun asked.

"If you can't sell a few copper coins, it depends on how many you have. If you have more, you can give it to the master's home, and then give it to a few families who are suffering. Your sixth grandma will give a big one to her. She has old teeth. If you can’t eat meat, you can only eat a bite of fish.”

"Zhong, I remember."

Qun Ge nodded vigorously, Qing'er and Yingzi listened obediently.

(End of this chapter)