nucmednet Chapter 101 Treasure
Chapter 101 Treasure
Old Mrs. Jiang couldn't bear to listen any longer, so she walked over and snatched the steamed bun from the second wife's hand, berating her harshly: "What 'different classes'? What disgusting! Those eating the buns are your husband, your son, your son's uncle, and Miss Zisu's own maternal uncle. Why do they get buns? It's because they're doing hard labor, deadly work. If they don't eat their fill, they might be carried back after a few days!"
The old lady stood before the second wife, hands on her hips, and angrily scolded, "If you're jealous that others are eating steamed buns, why don't you go and build the city wall too? No, even if you did build the city wall, you still wouldn't be qualified to eat steamed buns! Disgusting! Who are you talking about? Are you talking about Zisu? How dare you talk about her like that? You eat her food, drink her drinks, and use her things! Without Miss Zisu, you would have died on the way long ago, how would you have survived to reach this vast grassland?!"
Old Master Jiang also sternly shouted, "I am officially warning you today: if you continue to be so unrepentant and keep whining like this, I will have my son divorce you! My Jiang family cannot tolerate a daughter-in-law like you!"
The two elderly people spoke sternly and sharply, their attitude was very firm.
The second wife was terrified and quickly begged for forgiveness: "I, I was wrong, I will never dare to do it again."
The old man rarely interfered in his children's affairs, but when he did, he was swift and decisive, brooking no opposition. If he told Hua'er's father to divorce her, judging from his attitude towards her lately, he would certainly comply.
Jiang Yan felt deeply ashamed; having such a mother made him want to die!
Although he's young, he knows right from wrong. Sister Zisu is such a good person, why is Mother treating her like this? Isn't it just that Father has taken a liking to Sister Zisu and wants her to marry my eldest brother? But how long has that been? Now, the whole family is suffering again, why is Mother still so stubborn?
This version of his mother felt incredibly unfamiliar to him, and it pained him deeply. What child wouldn't want to see their mother happy and harmonious with those around her? Seeing her like this saddened him more than anyone else. A perfectly good family had been plunged into gloom and despair because of his mother's stubbornness and unreasonable behavior.
Zisu's mood remained unaffected.
She took her younger brother and cousin to dig for wild vegetables and mushrooms. Sometimes she would squat on the ground and write a few words, teaching the two little ones to read anytime, anywhere. For example, when they saw shepherd's purse, she would write the words "shepherd's purse." When they saw a bird, she would write "bird." When they saw a small tree, she would write "small tree."
By adapting to local conditions and applying what they've learned in a flexible and engaging way, the children are enjoying their learning and the results are excellent.
Even with mud on their clothes, they came to dig for wild vegetables for the Dragon Boat Festival.
Seeing Shangguan Yi and Yu Han practicing calligraphy, Niba was very envious.
Zisu waved to Duanwu and Niba: "Come on, let's practice calligraphy together!"
"Thank you, young lady!" Duanwu and Niba hurried over, their hearts filled with joy.
The girl is such a good person. By her side, they can not only eat and stay warm, but also learn to read and write. Moreover, she is kind and treats them so well. Where can they find such a wonderful thing? Although the girl is now in exile, they are still willing to stay by her side and never abandon her.
Twenty days have passed in the blink of an eye.
A total of 20,000 brick blanks have been made and are dry enough to be fired in the kiln. The brick kiln has also been dug. Thirty truckloads of coal have been brought back, enough to fire several kilns of bricks.
Zisu entrusted the task of firing the kiln to Luo Jianming, who had seen kilns being fired back in his hometown. Zisu explained her experience to him in detail, which gave him confidence.
Another month has passed.
The fired bricks were laid out on the lush green grass, forming several walls. A large pile of timber, cut from the deep mountains, was also stacked up, enough to build several houses.
The official settlement designated by the government for Zisu and her group was within a five-mile radius of their initial campsite. Nearby was a small grove of trees, with a winding stream flowing in front of it. Therefore, the government named this campsite Xiaoxi Village (Little Stream Village).
After discussing it with everyone, Zisu decided to locate the new house in a place only a mile away from the stream. This would make it easier to fetch water in the future, and also convenient for everyone to wash clothes and vegetables.
Yu Zhe: "In order to avoid attracting attention, let's build the house a little smaller. I think it should be built like a small courtyard house like the one in Xiaoshitan, with five main rooms in the front, three rooms in each of the east and west wings, and a large courtyard in the back for growing vegetables and drying clothes. What do you all think?"
The Eldest Princess said, "I think it's quite nice. I really like the house by the Little Stone Pool." A two-courtyard house like the thatched cottage would actually be better, but it's too conspicuous. It might attract envy, which wouldn't be a good thing. Given the current status of the Jiang and Shangguan families, it's best to keep a low profile.
Zisu: "Uncle, let's build two houses for our two families. Otherwise, it will be difficult to arrange things for Shugen and Brother Shen."
Yu Zhe: "Alright, let's build two houses and let Shen Laihui and the others live in the Yu residence."
Zisu: "Niba can live with her younger brother, and Duanwu can live with Han'er. The two of them live in the outer room of her younger brother's family."
Yu Zhe: "That's fine. Yi-ge'er and Han-ge'er are both grown up now, it's time for them to sleep independently!" This way, they can develop their courage. Who knows what unpleasant things they might encounter in the future? The children need to grow up quickly.
He was actually very worried that one day something might happen to him and Zisu, and they would be taken away by Shangguan Chengfeng's family. If that happened, what would become of the two children if they didn't grow up quickly?
In short, a lack of foresight will inevitably lead to immediate troubles; it is always good to plan ahead.
Yu Zhe shared his ideas with Jiang Shichang and Jiang Shihua, and both of them nodded in agreement.
Jiang Shichang said, "After the houses are built, Yan'er and the others will sleep by themselves and won't rely on adults anymore. Starting tomorrow, they will practice martial arts diligently. In addition, they will be assigned tasks, work hard, and do what they can!" They can no longer be raised like young masters.
Zisu nodded: "Yes, I talked to Brother Shen about martial arts training, and he agreed to be the children's martial arts teacher. He's also willing to teach adults who want to learn martial arts, but he told me that once you start learning, you can't give up halfway. If anyone is lazy or afraid of hardship, he'll never teach them again if he finds out!"
Princess: "Oh, that's wonderful! Thank you! Zisu, don't worry, if anyone dares to slack off or be afraid of hardship, I won't let them off easily!"
Zisu: "Alright, Brother Shen said that he will start taking on apprentices after the house is built."
The Eldest Princess said, "Of course. The house isn't even finished yet. Master Shen has to keep watch every night for several nights. He can't go on without resting during the day! Let's talk about everything after the house is finished!"
Zisu: "We don't have fired tiles, so for the roof, we'll use felt."
"Let's build it! Tomorrow, I'll ask Brother Shen to buy some felt from the herdsmen. What do you all think?" It wasn't that she was unwilling to fire tiles, but firing tiles was more difficult than firing bricks, and she had no confidence at all.
Jiang Shichang: "Hmm, that's a great idea! But felt must be very expensive, right? I've heard that the felt made by the herders here is very beautiful and very pricey."
Zisu: "Uncle, we can order a batch from the herdsmen. They don't need to be fancy, just sturdy, durable, and waterproof! I think that would be much cheaper!"
Jiang Shichang: "Oh, that's a great idea! Let's do it this way. Tomorrow, let Master Shen go and find some herdsmen to see which family is willing to take on this job."
Zisu called Shen Laihui over and explained the situation to him. He immediately agreed: "Well, during this time, when I went to ride the horses, I met a few herding families. They are all very kind families. Tomorrow, I will visit those families to see if they are capable of taking on this job!"
Zisu: "Very well, then I'll leave it to Brother Shen. By the way, here's fifty taels of silver; consider it a deposit for making the tar paper!"
“Alright! Don’t worry, young lady. Even if those families don’t make tar paper, we can ask them to introduce you to other families.” Shen Laihui didn’t refuse and readily accepted the fifty taels of silver.
Since arriving on the grasslands, he had given all the silver he had to Zisu, entrusting her with its safekeeping and distribution. He accepted the money and was about to leave when Zisu quickly called out to him, "Brother Shen, please sit down. I have something to say!"
Shen Laihui did not ask any further questions and sat down as instructed.
Zisu said to Yu Zhe, "Uncle, when you go on your mission tomorrow, go find the captain and tell him you want to present him with a treasure."
Yu Zhe asked in surprise, "Zisu, where are the treasures? Even if you have treasures, there's no need to give them to the captain."
Zisu grinned: "Uncle, the treasure is coal and the method of firing bricks!"
Yu Zhe: "You silly child, I thought you were talking about something else. The method of using coal and firing bricks is quite good. But how should I put it?"
Zisu: "Tell the commander that the commander came up with the idea for both coal and the method for firing bricks. In the future, any credit will go to the commander alone, and you don't want it! Your condition is that you four be freed up to build your houses! Furthermore, you should not be assigned overly strenuous work in the future, and you can take a few days off when harvesting crops!"
The eldest princess smiled and said, "That's excellent! Zisu, you've thought of everything! I was worried that if the captain found out about our brick houses later, he might confiscate them. Now that's perfect, we've given him the method for making bricks and the secret of coal, so there's no need to worry!"
Zisu: "Actually, there is still one concern: who discovered the coal, and who knows how to fire the kiln?"
Jiang Shihua: "Since it was your uncle who presented it, why don't we say that it was your uncle who discovered it, and that the kiln firing recipe was also devised by your uncle? How about that?"
Zisu waved her hand: "That's not a good idea. If we do that, Uncle might end up being forcibly taken away by the imperial court and forced to work day and night to fire kilns or find coal for them. In my opinion, it would be better to put all of this on Brother Shen. He is a free and law-abiding citizen, and his martial arts skills are extremely high. No one can force him to do anything he doesn't want to do!"
Yu Zhe: "Hmm, that's a good idea! Master Shen exudes a fierce aura; most people's confidence drops a bit when they see him. That squad leader is just all bark and no bite; he would never dare to force Master Shen!"
Zisu looked at Shen Laihui and asked, "Brother Shen, are you willing?"
Shen Laihui nodded earnestly: "Miss, I'm willing! Let me handle this. You can rest assured, no one can force me!"
Zisu was overjoyed: "Okay, then it's settled! Thank you, Brother Shen!"
"You're too kind, young lady!" Shen Laihui felt a sweet warmth in his heart. He was more than willing to serve the young lady; he couldn't be happier.
The next morning, Shen Laihui went to find the herdsmen to order oil felt.
Upon arriving at Stone Fortress, Yu Zhe immediately went to find the commander.
When the commander heard the report that Yu Zhe had come looking for him, he immediately beamed and said, "Let him in!" Was he here to deliver wild rabbits again today? Hehe, this kid is quite sensible; he's delivered wild rabbits to him several times already.
Yu Zhe smiled and pushed open the door.
Seeing that his hands were empty, the captain's expression turned somewhat displeased, and he asked rather irritably, "Why are you here looking for me instead of picking stones?"