Xiao Zheng was earlier than in the past, and brought out the soybeans, millet, and rice that had been soaked last night, and put some red dates into the kitchen.

Seeing that the light in Jin'er and her mother's room was not yet on, he lightly lit the fire, and the fire in the stove burned brightly, and took advantage of the boiling water to find a few garlic cloves, peel the garlic cloves and put them in a small jar that could be sealed, and then pour in vinegar, seal the mouth and put it on the edge of the corner, and make it on the edge of the stove after being busy. The kitchen lights flickered on and off, and the fire in the stove made Xiao Zheng's face warm, he didn't think about anything, staring at the fire in the stove for a long time without moving.

Suddenly, a voice came from behind, "I'll come, I'm wandering when I see you, and I don't know if the water is boiling." As he spoke, he skillfully picked up the bowl soaked in Laba rice on the stove, lifted the lid of the pot and twisted Laba rice into it. "I was distracted just now," Xiao Zheng said with an apologetic smile at Jin'er.

The rice entered the pot, Xiao Zheng added a few more handfuls of dry firewood to make the fire more vigorous, and the rice in the pot stirred with a spoon went up and down, and said to Jin'er while stirring: "This life is like this pot of rice, people say that rice raises a hundred kinds of people, but these hundred kinds of people can boil a hundred flavors for you." It is not easy to boil a pot of good porridge, the heat and color are just right to ask the university, everyone is like this grain of rice born in the cauldron of heaven and earth, ups and downs, or sinking or floating, and when it is almost boiled, you have me, I have you, no one can tell who it is, as for whether it is good or bad, it depends on the taste of the porridge person, but no one can escape from this cauldron between heaven and earth.

Seeing Jin'er standing by the stove and listening silently, the porridge was almost boiled, and he fished out a pickled radish from the kitchen tank, cut the shreds with a knife, cut some garlic foam on the top, scooped out a little roe deer oil, heated it to smoke, and then put a few peppercorns and poured it on the shredded radish, and a fragrance spread in the kitchen.

After finishing the work, Jin'er said: "I want to go to the yard for a while", Xiao Zheng hurriedly ran to the room and took the cloak and put it on her, and the two stood in the courtyard looking at the direction of Mr. Cemetery. The sky is faintly bright, and there is already a trace of fish belly white on the edge of Dongfang Mountain, and there are still a few bright stars in the sky blinking their eyes from time to time to look at the world. Jin'er looked at the direction of her husband's tomb and said slowly, "Sometimes I feel that Aya is not dead but has gone away. Xiao Zheng gently stroked Jin'er's windswept hair and said: "Master has been an official and upright all his life, and he has practiced medicine and accumulated virtue after his retirement, even after his death, he will become a star monarch, just like the stars in this sky, there is one in it must be transformed by the master, if his old man is unhappy to see you in the sky, he will be sad, if you sometimes think about the master, just look at the stars in the sky, in fact, happiness is like this, look far away as long as you stand on tiptoe to see within reach."

Jin'er still looked at the distance and didn't speak, and after waiting for a while, she said to Xiao Zheng: "Husband, let's go back and prepare breakfast for my mother together, I'm afraid that the porridge will be cold", after speaking, she turned around and went to the kitchen to clean up without waiting for Xiao Zheng, "Are you willing to call me husband?" Xiao Zheng felt that happiness came a little too suddenly, and was stunned for a moment, and then happily looked at Jin'er's figure in the kitchen and smiled.

Hot laba porridge, sprinkled with a little oily shredded radish on the porridge, two large bowls of chops pulled down the stomach, eating warm, to Xiao Hai's house, into the yard found that there were dozens of iron stoves in the workshop, Xiao Hai put the work on the ground and walked over. Xiao Zheng asked Xiao Haidao with a smile: "Brother Xiao, you have made a lot of money during this time, I think you are about to become a rich man." Xiao Hai rubbed his hands embarrassedly and smiled: "This is also thanks to your brother Xiao's method, otherwise our brothers would not be able to earn a few bags of grain money in the winter."

The two sat in the shed in the workshop, Xiao Hai said to Xiao Zheng: "Brother, brother, I have an idea, you see if it's okay, I want to expand our yard again, anyway, there is a wasteland outside and no one wants it, just give it to the township Lizheng, just send some money, and then our brothers and Zhou Bingrui will discuss the money, I also have some military merits, my brother in the army is a head catcher in the county, I can ask him to go to the county master, let's pay money to buy this small iron ore vein and coal, Then our brothers will be able to spread our arms and do a good job."

After Xiao Hai finished speaking, Xiao Zheng smiled and said: "Brother Xiao, I found that you are becoming more and more potential to be a profiteer, but have you thought about it, but if you use so much money at once, it will inevitably alarm some people, you, me, including Zhou Bingrui, are all ordinary people, not to mention the county master, even the township is the right we can't afford to provoke, even the business of Shitan, this iron smelting is easy to attract the attention of the court, we will definitely have no one to take care of us if we make a small fuss, but once you spread the stall, If you are accused of rebellion by a villain, you will be at a loss. Brother Xiao, you must know that money in this world is a good thing, but it is also the most troublesome thing, don't think about it, don't have a life to earn it when the time comes, and it will be troublesome."

Xiao Hai was frightened into a cold sweat after listening to Xiao Zheng's words, stroked his forehead and said that he was stupid, he didn't see the world clearly in the eyes of money, and he thought deeply, in fact, Xiao Zheng had no bottom in his heart, if Li Shimin was in power in the next few years, he would not be afraid of political clarity as long as he did business legally, but now that Li Yuan is the emperor, he is really uncertain, and he has just arrived in Datang to gain a foothold after all, and there is no big mistake in being careful.

Stopped Xiao Hai's over-the-top thoughts, Xiao Zheng took out a stack of paper from his burden and said to Xiao Hai: "Brother Xiao, it's almost spring, and this day is going to get warmer slowly, after all, this iron stove is not something that ordinary people can use, and what Yushan County can afford to use is almost bought, let's not make a stove first, let's talk about it next year, this spring farming will start with more farm tools, I have drawn a few farm tools here, when you gather people, and find a few carpenters, we have to make more farm tools in advance, These farm tools are recovered from the ancient classics, these are shovels, pickaxes, crank hoes, you can see them, but this plough and cocoon are assembled with parts, it takes some great thought, while this winter is not over, we still have time to study and improve, you don't understand the place to come to me at any time, I don't understand that everyone is discussing and trying to find a way."

Before Xiao Zheng could give these pictures to Xiao Hai, Xiao Hai turned around and invited his father to the shed, and the old man trembled when he saw these pictures, and asked in a trembling voice: "Mr. Xiao, are these farming tools of yours inherited from your teacher?" "Old man, this master can't be said, the first master taught the disciples a lot of things, and these are also", Xiao Zheng replied with a smile.

The old man knelt on the ground all of a sudden, startled Xiao Zheng and hurriedly pulled up the old man, he was very unaccustomed to this ancient etiquette, he was afraid of kneeling for moving, and he was even more afraid of the gray-haired old man kneeling. I saw Xiao Hai's father get up and tears flowed down the corners of his eyes, and said with a crying voice: "Mr. Xiao, Xiao Lao'er's kneeling is kneeling for the world's farmers, do you know how much food these farm tools will increase the world's production once they spread, and how many people will be saved from starvation, if Da Sui has these farm tools, why are they starving all over the field, Mr. Xiao, your farm tools appear late!" ”

Xiao Zheng smiled bitterly and said to the old man: "Old man, the kid is not a Buddha in ten thousand families, and besides, this farm tool is not something that can be spread to thousands of households overnight, and some things are not in a hurry", and finally persuaded the old man to calm down, Xiao Zheng made an appointment with Xiao Hai to go to the county seat to find Zhou Bingrui in a few days and then go home.

The father and son sent Xiao Zheng out of the door and returned to the house, Xiao Hai's father looked at the stack of pictures left behind, and said to Xiao Hai with some excitement: "Hai'er, for my father in the former dynasty supervisor craftsman ** for most of his life, although he does not know much about the study of things, but he can be regarded as well-informed, but like Mr. Xiao can draw the picture so clearly, he is the first in the world." You see that the thickness of these lines intersects, the virtual and the real are connected, so that people can understand at a glance, Mr. Xiao's learning is unfathomable, so young but with many unique knowledge, in the future, this person must be a figure in the world, it seems that this Master Li Wenbo is also like Huang Shigong and other high-ranking hermits can teach such a big material."

Xiao Hai replied: "Aya, Mr. Xiao Xiao first saves my family Ning first, and teaches the method of steelmaking later, such a great child will definitely repay him", "Yes, in the future, our family will follow Mr. Xiao", the old man said with a smile.