Beautiful step by step

Chapter 42

The house that Yan Heng and Chen Bo'an jointly bought looks like an ordinary big house at first glance.It was only when she wandered around while washing and changing that she realized that the house was not as big as usual.

The part she saw at first was just the first entrance of the house plus the front yard.Now the place where she changes clothes and washes her clothes is the second entrance. Looking back through the second entrance, there is a martial arts arena behind, surrounded by a circle of simple houses, and a rainy building is built with wooden boards in front of the house. It should be the warehouse and the place where the servants live.

The three-entry house is very simple, but it is extremely spacious, and the yard is more spacious than the house.What she has seen so far alone covers an area of ​​more than ten acres.This house is not only big, but too big.

Gu Yu brought water in from the outside, with shock on his face that couldn't be concealed: "Ma'am, this house is too big. The front yard is enough for horse racing, and the back yard is so big...a lot of people can run horses. It costs tens of thousands of taels to enter a house of about the same size, how much will it cost for an adult to buy this house."

Wei Wei just washed her face with water, the wind from the northwest was strong and the wind was blowing from the west this season, and along the way she was blown with ashes all over her face and neck, making her extremely dry and uncomfortable.

After washing her face and taking a breath, she reckoned: "The capital is very expensive, and the northwest side is vast and sparsely populated. The two land prices must be different. It's just that the house is in the city, and the location is also big. It shouldn't be cheap."

Yan Heng walked in from the outside, holding two bunches of grapes in his hand.The grapes have just been washed, and the purple-red round grains are glowing with water, like amethysts in the sun.

"There is this here."

Wei Wei was pleasantly surprised. Among the fruits, she likes grapes the most. They are sweet and sour, and sometimes her teeth get stuck in pits when she enjoys eating them.The sweetness that came back after being sour was too refreshing to describe in words.

"Well, there is an old servant who has been staying here for a long time in the house. He heard that we will come back in a few days, and he bought some on the market. Once cropped, the taste will be even better."

As a grape lover, Wei Wei certainly knows that the grapes in Turpan are the best before the Mid-Autumn Festival.Different from the grapes that are artificially cultivated in the greenhouse and available in all seasons, this kind of semi-wild wild grapes with sufficient sunlight has plenty of juice and authentic sweetness.

It's great to come to the Northwest. When I pinch a grape, the sweet taste spreads to my heart along the throat, and Wei Wei smiles.

"Are these grapes expensive?"

"Fortunately, not as good as the apples and vegetables brought in from the east."

"If it's possible, let's take some back to Ah Yun and Niang."

Of course... no, the grapes can't be kept at all, even if they are green and cut from the tree, they will basically rot when they are transported all the way to the capital.It is feasible to take the official way, but it is okay to transport tribute through the official way, and it is generally not feasible to carry these things privately.

But this was Ah Mao's expectation, if it wasn't for the fact that there was no other way, he didn't want to refuse.Yan Heng's mind was spinning rapidly, how could he catch some loopholes?
Seeing his hesitation, Wei Wei also thought of the hard work along the way.Using Gu Yu's hand to change into clean clothes, she apologized slightly.

"I forgot, the journey is nearly a thousand miles, and the things will be broken after being transported."

"It won't be bad if you follow the official path."

Seeing his firm expression, Wei Wei seemed to be determined to send this fruit to Beijing in an expedited [-] miles.For a moment, the phrase "When the concubine of the world of mortals laughed, no one knew it was Lizhi."

Although she envied Concubine Yang Guifei very much, she also felt that such a small amount of lychees would cost so much labor, and this matter would not cause Li Tang to almost perish.But the biggest problem is that Yan Heng is not Tang Minghuang, he doesn't have that much authority.Shan Wu's family has a lot of eyeliner in the northwest, and if he catches this little braid, he will be impeached enough to make him unable to take care of himself.

But Yan Heng didn't look like such a reckless person, so she looked at him suspiciously, waiting for him to explain further.

"In half a month, the convoy escorted by the imperial court will arrive. On the return trip, most of the cars will be empty. At that time, I will find an acquaintance and bring some earthenware to Prince Duan as a thank you gift."

To Duan Wang!Wei Wei only felt his eyes light up, this reason couldn't be more appropriate.

"Then I'll have to take a good look around when I get out."

The two of them drank some water and took a short break. In the middle, Wei Wei saw Chen Boan who was staying here with Chen Boan.Uncle Chen is a thin old man with half a hair on his head, but he walks vigorously.Originally from the Northwest, he was sold into the capital when he was young, and finally stayed with Chen Bo'an.As an old man, Chen Boan originally wanted to arrange a leisurely job for him in Guangyuan Building to support the elderly, but after following him to the Northwest last year, he voluntarily asked to stay.

Uncle Chen was very happy to see them coming, especially after seeing her, Uncle Chen even congratulated Yan Heng repeatedly.

After congratulating her, he walked up to her and praised Yan Heng repeatedly: "Master Yan, I dare not say anything else. He is down-to-earth and motivated. It seems that a girl marrying him is not as good as being in the capital now, but your good life is here." back."

Wei Wei knew that he didn't have any malicious intentions, at most he was like some elder who loves to show off, and when he catches someone, he has to boast about how good his juniors are.

Facing Uncle Chen, she smiled softly: "You don't need to wait for the future, I am living a good life now."

Sure enough, the smile on Uncle Chen's face became more enthusiastic: "This girl is good, Master Yan is a good wife, don't treat her poorly."

Yan Heng also nodded, and exchanged a glance with Wei Wei, both of them could see the helplessness and kindness in each other's eyes.Uncle Chen is getting old, let him repeat it.

However, Chen Boan's nagging was not all useless, and Wei Wei knew after a while that there were originally three houses in this house. After Chen Bo'an bought them bit by bit, he asked craftsmen to build and redecorate them.

"Earlier, a senior official in Jiuquan County took a fancy to this house. Our owner is tough and doesn't lack the money. He would rather give me an old man to live in it than sell it for a good one. I am an old man. It’s enough to provide shelter from the wind and rain. How can I live in such a good house. But the official is really too much. Who told him that he has harmed our boss before. Our boss came to the Northwest for the first time three years ago. At that time, I In the capital, my master didn't believe me for several months, and my wife almost thought he died outside."

Wei Wei listened patiently, Chen Bo'an said that the owner should be Chen Bo'an.In those few months three years ago, it should be the time when Yan Heng saved Chen Bo'an's life, but she never asked carefully.Now it sounds like it has nothing to do with official affairs.

"Why did he want to kill Brother Chen?"

Wei Wei asked Uncle Chen, but looked at Yan Heng, he should be clear about this matter.

Chen Bo paused: "This... At that time, I was in charge of the purchase, and I didn't know much about the Guangyuan Building. I only heard vaguely that it seemed that a very powerful official family in the capital wanted to invite the owner to a wedding banquet. Chef. The owner cooks all according to his mood. When he is happy, ordinary people are also VIPs. When he is unhappy, he dares to refuse even the prince. It is no wonder that the owner refused. At that time, the owner was regarded as a servant, not to mention the attitude of the person who came to invite It was so high that they didn't even intend to give money. I came back from shopping outside the city that day, and I happened to hear the man yelling at the owner, saying that he would hold a wedding banquet for their girl. In the future, many big families in the west of the city If you recognize Guangyuan Building, this kind of flattery alone is enough for the owner to enjoy, and giving money is their family's most important rule."

Yan Heng nodded after hearing this: "After I rescued Brother Bo'an that day, I vaguely heard him talk about it. The one who got married was none other than Prince Zhenbei Marquis who married General Wu's younger sister Wu. Ah, don't look at Bo'an. My brother smiled when he saw people, but in fact he was very tough in his bones. After this incident, Guangyuan Building was suppressed by the Wu family. He didn't want to be nepotistic. Instead, he inspired himself to practice his cooking skills and came to the northwest to find seasonings in person. The house leak happened overnight Yu, the chief official of Jiuquan County at that time was Mr. Zhao. Mr. Zhao’s sister-in-law married into the Wu family, and he himself has a very good relationship with the Wu family. With this relationship, Brother Bo An happened to meet Mrs. A bunch of Oarama thieves."

Wei Wei didn't believe that it was such a coincidence. Dayue and Wala have been fighting for so many years, and Dayue has always had the upper hand.From the journey just now, she could see that Jiuquan County was very heavily fortified.In this case, can the Oirats be allowed to enter the suburbs?
"What a coincidence, we also encountered a small group of Oirat horse thieves outside the city of Youzhou."

Her voice became colder, and she circled her hair with her index finger, and she continued to ask: "Then, Mr. Zhao, is he still in Jiuquan Town?"

Uncle Chen was a little indignant: "I was transferred early, and I heard that I was transferred to Liangzhou to be a high-ranking official. I really don't understand why such a person can be promoted. I heard on the mutual market that the military salary allocated by the imperial court is this amount." , it was cut in half when it was sent to the soldiers. That’s not counting, he got close to those subordinates and went to grab the recruits’ food and pay.”

What else?Wei Wei saw that Uncle Chen stretched out five fingers, and a big soldier hangs five coins a month, which is quite a lot.But first of all, you can't farm when you are a soldier, and second, you don't know when you will die.At most, a pension will be paid when he is dead, but he will not be paid on time every month like when he was alive.

Just like that, they will still be deducted and robbed.Wei Wei understood better why Yan Heng could only teach the ignorant little guy how to protect himself wisely during the initial period of Yan Heng's military service.With no money, no one, and even the heaviest work, it is a miracle that a 13-year-old boy can survive the snowy winter outside the Great Wall.

Ah Heng is still capable, so what about other incompetent people?
Wei Wei quickly saw those incompetent soldiers.

After chatting with Uncle Chen for a while and resting a bit, Yan Heng took her to the mutual market in Jiuquan.

The mutual market is similar to the market in the previous life, with several openings in the low earthen wall.There is no door at the entrance, and in the yellow sand all over the sky, there are two officers and soldiers standing at the door.If she hadn't seen them holding up their spears, she would have been unable to tell from the colorless clothes and shoes with broken toes that they were officers and soldiers who were paid a lot of money every month.

Think again about the soldiers they occasionally encountered in the capital when the Northwest Army entered Beijing to offer up prisoners.All of them had oily faces, wearing finely stitched cotton military robes, and occasionally saw some wearing armor, and the armor was brand new. The sun reflected light and blinded people.In such a Northwest Army, any individual can be a pacesetter.The people in the capital saw it, and they all felt that this group of Northwest Army was very credible.Even if you can't beat the Wala people occasionally, it's not because our army is too weak, but because the enemy army is too fierce.

At that time, she thought so too. She felt that even if Wu Shangshu tried his best to eliminate dissidents, he could still manage the army well.A general who can defend his home and country is a good general, so there is no need to be too harsh.

But now, seeing the appearance of the Northwest Army of Jiuquan County on the front line, she felt blind.

"how so."

Yan Heng smiled wryly: "It's not bad to be able to guard the exchange market."

That's not bad?Wei Wei looked up, just in time to see another soldier walking over with a rice bowl.A bowl of soup and two steamed buns seem to be a lot.But in her previous life, she could eat two steamed buns with her old godmother, not to mention that the current soup does not have a trace of oil, and the steamed buns are also coarse grains, which are not as filling as refined grains and white noodles.

"Can you get full after eating this?"

There is nothing Yan Heng can do now except smile wryly: "This age is just the time to grow up, another serving will almost fill you up."

"Then what if you're hungry?"

It was only after asking Wei Wei that she realized how idiot she was. What should I do if I'm hungry?Buy it yourself, if you don’t have money to buy it, you will continue to be hungry and wait for the next meal.

"Be patient and it's over."

But is hunger so bearable?If it was so easy to bear it, why did she fail to lose weight again and again in her previous life!The taste of starvation is too bad, and she can't bear it only once or twice.And the Northwest Army in front of them, they are enduring the feeling of scratching their lungs day after day.

Just as she was thinking, a gatekeeper recognized Yan Heng, put the bun in his arms, and trotted over.

"Yan Xiaoqi, it's really you! This is..."

The soldier's dark face looked at Wei Wei, and after looking at her wife in a bun, he couldn't believe it: "This is my sister-in-law? No, I haven't heard of you getting married. I didn't expect the girl from the Zhou family to be so beautiful. Okay, you, Even when we are married, we are not asked to drink wedding wine."

With this powerful brain supplement ability, and this mouth that is faster than the brain, Wei Wei looked like Yan Heng, dumbfounded.

Yan Heng patted her on the back to comfort her, and then explained: "It's your sister-in-law, but it's not from the Zhou family. The wedding ceremony was held in the capital."

The soldier smiled honestly, revealing a mouthful of white teeth that was the opposite of his complexion: "I said that the girl from the Zhou family couldn't be so good-looking. Hello, sister-in-law, my name is Zhuzi, and I belong to the same wave as Yan Heng. But he is very powerful, especially capable of killing The Oirats are now officials."

"Hello, Zhuzi," Wei Wei asked with a smile, "You joined the army with Ah Heng, did you eat and live together?"

"That's not true. For the first two years, about thirty of us lived together. It's a blessing to live with him. He also has Ding Xiaoqi, who is good at kung fu and dexterous. He just came to the guard, and he only gave so much training every day." For food, everyone couldn't stand hunger, so they tried to find other things to eat. Ding Youde made traps, and Yan Heng rode a horse to catch them. He could catch a few rabbits in a while, pack them up and roast them, and the aroma Can float for miles."

Wei Wei originally thought that she would see a low-level soldier who felt sorry for himself after being bullied.But after talking to him for a few words, she felt as clean and cheerful as the weather in the northwest.

After listening to him, even her dull heart relaxed.Hearing the growling in his stomach, she suggested with a smile: "Ah Heng also has a lot of acquaintances here, they didn't drink the wedding wine, or if they are free these two days, treat them to a good meal."

Yan Heng was happy to see the result: "Okay, Zhuzi, go tell the others, and those who shouldn't be invited don't call."

Zhuzi was so happy that the corners of his lips almost reached his ears: "My sister-in-law is good-looking and has a righteous temper, so I'll tell them right now. As for those few, they are just on duty for the exchange, so you can post an extra bun, and I'll make irresponsible remarks later , I'm too lazy to call them."

Sui Sui read the pillars and walked to the other side of the exchange market.

Looking at her back, Wei Wei's heart was filled with the phrase before he left, "You can send an extra bun when you are on duty at the exchange market", which means that there is usually only one small bun for a meal.This is no longer starving people, it is purely to ensure that people can make up their heads without dying.

"Ah Heng, let's please be better."

Yan Heng paused: "There are no very good restaurants in Jiuquan County, and besides, the dishes in the restaurants are only a little bit. They are embarrassed to eat too much, and they will not be full if they order too little."

"What should I do?"

Yan Heng led her to the exchange market, smiled thoughtfully and said, "You will know later."

(End of this chapter)