Wen Yi's ancestors and his entourage went to Pingyin County, because they took the official road and there were old people in the company, the carriage walked slowly, and they stayed overnight in a small town on the way, and did not arrive outside Pingyin County until the next morning. At the insistence of Mrs. Lu, they did not enter the gate of the county seat, but only rested for a while, then turned around and went in the direction of the mountain village. Shortly after noon, we arrived at our destination.

Zi Ying was familiar with the way, and quickly got out of the car to find Uncle Zhang, and it didn't take much effort to settle Mrs. Lu and Wen Yi.

Uncle Zhang rented not the courtyard where Wen Yi lived last time, but a small farm yard located on the edge of Zhuangzi, closer to the side of the mountain, although there is only one entry, but the house conditions are much better, I heard that it was built four or five years ago, the house is cleaned up, and two osmanthus flowers are planted in the courtyard, which is exuding a faint fragrance. As soon as Mrs. Lu entered the door and saw the flower, she felt happy: "It's good here, although it's simple, but it's quite chic." When he entered the main house, he saw that the bed, cabinet, table, chair, and tea set were all clean and tidy, and he felt that Uncle Zhang was much more secure, and he smiled at him: "Hard work, you did a good job on this errand." ”

Uncle Zhang was so happy that he almost didn't know what to say, just kept saying there: "It's good if you're satisfied, it's good if you're satisfied......

Wen Yi sighed in her heart, although Uncle Zhang is too honest and sometimes seems a little stupid, but in terms of loyalty and stability, how could he marry such a wife? Now Aunt Zhang's behavior is becoming more and more out of tune, but they are husband and wife, hindering Uncle Zhang, it is always difficult to send Aunt Zhang away at will, but keeping Aunt Zhang will cause endless troubles. I can only hope that my grandmother's method can really take care of this matter.

She glanced at the upper room, saw that Zi Ying neatly moved the clean bedding she brought to the bed and spread it, and in a blink of an eye, she cleaned up her grandmother's grooming house, and then went out to the kitchen. She turned her gaze back to the entrance of the small courtyard, where Aunt Zhang was leaning on the wind and panting, and from time to time she scolded the peasant women who passed by, not allowing them to look at the master's carriage and luggage.

Wen Yi shook her head secretly, carefully calculated the few taels of change she had saved last month, and planned to meet the Nie family's family tomorrow, so she quietly asked them what the value of the servant women on the market was now, and saw if she could ask the Nie family to help with the matchmaking and ask one or two people to bring someone to see each other. Originally, there were only grandparents and grandchildren in the family, and there was nothing to make a living, only three male and female servants, and they could barely cope with it, but now they first bought property, and then they had to deal with Aunt Zhang, and Mama Zhao was also old, so she had to add some people, otherwise it would be too inconvenient to borrow servants from the clansmen as if she went out this time.

After a while, Uncle Zhang retreated, and Mrs. Lu began to feel tired, so Wen Yi persuaded her: "Ziying has already cleaned up the bed, grandmother should go into the room to rest for a while, the kitchen is cooking, wait for grandmother to rest, after eating, send someone to find the housekeeper of my uncle's house to ask, how about it?" ”

Old Madam Lu felt that it was appropriate to deal with it like this, but she was a little anxious: "Where is that land?" You say it's on a hillside, and you might see it from here? ”

Wen Yi smiled: "You can see it when you go out, when you get out of the car, didn't your grandmother see the big bare open space on the opposite slope?" Compared with when my granddaughter came back, there were fewer trees, and I am afraid that my uncle's family would raise a house on the mountain and cut it down. ”

Old Madam Lu frowned: "Since it is our family's land, how can we ask his family to cut down trees?!" ”

Wen Yi said with a smile: "It's all miscellaneous trees, whether our family takes that piece of land to cultivate or plant fruit trees in the future, we will have to clear the trees." I'm afraid my uncle wants to save us trouble. ”

Mrs. Lu is just that, but she is still a little dissatisfied: "We have to tell us to look at it first, and then it is not too late to deal with it......" As she spoke, she walked to the side of the bed and sat down with the support of her granddaughter, and said: "When I rested outside the city gate, I had already eaten dry food, and now I am not hungry, but I feel that my body hurts, and my bones are about to fall apart." You can eat with them first, you don't have to call me, I want to rest for a while, and then call someone to talk back tomorrow. ”

Wen Yi responded while stripping off her grandmother's clothes and shoes, and when she covered her grandmother with a thin quilt, the old man grabbed her sleeve again: "That's it, although I don't have the spirit to see people, you should still ask their housekeeper first, what kind of regulations are on the mountain and under the mountain, ask clearly, come and tell me at night......"

Seeing that her grandmother slowly closed her eyes, Wen Yi agreed softly and tiptoed out.

Zi Ying walked in from outside with two large porcelain bowls, and when she saw this, she asked with her mouth, "Is the old lady asleep?" Then he put the bowl down and let Wen Yi look at the dishes inside, "One is scrambled eggs with leeks, the other is fried gourd strips with dried meat, and there is also a small fish stewed eggplant in the pot that Miss ate last time, and the slave maid will take the cabbage and add a few slices of pork to make a soup, and you can eat it after a while, does Miss think it's okay?" ”

Wen Yi smiled and nodded: "It's okay, just deal with lunch casually, if you have something good, save it for the evening." Grandmother was tired, so she used the snack again and said she wouldn't eat it. You are neat, I have eaten when I go back, and I have to go to someone to ask questions. After a pause, he asked, "Have you eaten all the food that came with you?" ”

Zi Ying said with a smile: "The two uncles are one meat and one vegetable, the noodles are full, they are all newly ground flour this year, fragrant, the meat dish is braised pork, and the vegetarian is fried cabbage. ”

Wen Yi glanced at her funny: "I felt something was wrong last night, you and Aunt Zhang had a quarrel?" ”

"How so?" Zi Ying smiled and said, "The slave has always respected the old man the most, and I only asked Aunt Zhang for needlework yesterday!" ”

As soon as I heard this, I knew that it was not true, Aunt Zhang still had some skills in cooking, if it was about needlework, I was afraid that the ten-year-old girl in Gu Zhuang was better than her. Wen Yi thought of Aunt Zhang's jealous look towards Zi Ying last night, and knew that she had suffered a loss, but what did it matter? She smiled slightly: "Don't let the people in the ninth room see the clues, and don't ask people to take your shortcomings." I have all things. ”

Sakura smiled knowingly and bowed, then covered her smile and went back to the kitchen.

Wen Yi had lunch alone, went into the bedroom to see her grandmother, and saw that she was in better spirits, so she said a few words with her before withdrawing. When she passed by the kitchen, she saw Aunt Zhang sitting on a small bench scrubbing two big iron pots, her hands were oily, and she was still cursing something in her mouth: "Eat for nothing...... I won't do anything...... Catch a car, the road can't go straight, my man is much stronger than you, and I haven't eaten as much as the two of you......" and scolded: "Little girl, there is no one in your eyes, wait for my aunt and grandmother to gain power, I can't see that my face will be ......"

Wen Yi knew that she must have been angry, but these words were not clean, they really polluted people's ears, and she was about to open her mouth to reprimand, when she heard Zi Ying speak behind her: "Aunt Zhang, you also look at the place when you talk, don't you see Miss standing here?!" ”

Aunt Zhang found Wen Yi standing outside the door, got up in a hurry, and said with a smile: "The slave didn't see ...... for a while" looked at Zi Ying's eyes but was a little unkind: "Why didn't the girl remind me?!" ”

Zi Ying ignored her, and only showed the basket in her hand to Wen Yi: "Miss, you see, this is the filial piety of the owner of this small courtyard, it is fresh sweet corn, and a few wild fruits picked on the mountain, I heard that everyone in the village loves to eat this." ”

Wen Yi tilted her head to look, and sure enough, she saw a bundle of yellow and clear fresh corn, full of them, surrounded by a circle of colorful small fruits, some red, some purple, some green, some yellow, and some purple black, all of which had just been washed, and there were water droplets, which looked very attractive. Her heart moved, and she felt that this basket with this fruit and corn had a good taste in the wild, not like the handiwork of ordinary farmers.

She whispered to Zi Ying, "Is the owner there?" Zi Ying shook her head: "After the things were brought over, the person left, it was a woman in her thirties, she looked quite good, although she was dressed ordinarily, she spoke very gently." She was a widow with a pair of children, the eldest daughter was twelve or thirteen years old, and the youngest son looked only four or five years old, and I heard that he had moved from other places a few years ago. ”

A widow who has moved from another place? Wen Yi frowned: "Why did you rent her house?" Since she is from other places, she must have no relatives in the local area, and she has children, where is she going to live? ”

The young lady can rest assured that although she has no relatives in the local area, she has recognized the village chief's wife as her godmother, and now she has moved to the empty house of the village chief's family with her children. The slave asked before, Uncle Zhang didn't force them to move, and after the young master found out, he also instructed his mother-in-law to send two pieces of money. ”

Wen Yi was a little relieved at this time, and when she heard that Nie Heng had also intervened, she asked, "The eldest cousin is also here?" ”

"The young master is on the mountain now, and the slave and maid met the housekeeper in the Zhuangzi, I am afraid that after a while, the young master will come down."

Wen Yi was overjoyed when she heard this, and hurriedly asked where the tea was, boiled water to make tea herself, and ordered Zi Ying to put the fruit on a saucer and send it into the house.

Aunt Zhang's eyes were hot from the sidelines, and she muttered unwillingly: "I don't know if the fruits sent by these poor ghosts are clean, so I brought them here, Miss is a golden nobleman, in case I eat a good ......" But thinking that the young master of the Nie family is here, I don't know how much reward I can get for this trip?

After half an hour, Nie Heng really arrived. Wen Yi thought that her grandmother was resting in it, so in order not to disturb her old man's house, she invited Nie Heng to the wing room, poured tea herself, and thanked him and his uncle for their efforts in purchasing their own property.

Nie Heng smiled and said, "I originally wanted to send it to you directly, but you don't want it, our father and son have to do a little bit more." After a pause, he lowered his voice with a guilty face: "Please don't blame your mother for making her own decisions......"

Wen Yi hurriedly said: "What is this?" It's not something I deserve, but my aunt took it. Besides, I have received a lot of favors from my uncle, aunt, and eldest cousin, and I am worried that I can't repay it, and if the hot springs in the mountains can really help my eldest cousin's body, it will be my creation. ”

Nie Heng smiled and whispered, "After all, ...... Lost credit...... He groped for the edge ......of the teacup, as if thinking about something, Wen Yi noticed that his fingers were getting thinner, his joints were slightly protruding, and his skin was a little paler than when he saw him last time.

Wen Yi's heart tightened, and then he raised his head to carefully examine his complexion, and it was really worse than the last time, frowning lightly between his eyebrows, and seemed to be faintly melancholy.

Could it be that the eldest cousin can't think about it because his aunt took away the hot spring land?

Wen Yi bit Chen, looked at him worriedly, touched the hard flat thing in his sleeve with his hand, and said with a reluctant smile: "Big cousin, last time I just looked at the place from a distance, and then I looked at the fish scale atlas, but what that field is, I really don't know what it is." Why don't you be a guide and take me around? ”

Nie Heng smiled and nodded: "No problem, passing from here is just a cup of tea." You come with me. With that, he stood up, but suddenly shook his body.

Wen Yi was so frightened that he hurriedly supported him: "Are you okay?" Want to take a break? Or just ask the butler to take me there. ”

Nie Heng closed his eyes and said with a smile: "It's okay, it's just that I'm in a hurry, and now it's all right." Then, regardless of Wen Yi's dissuasion, he insisted on going out.

Wen Yi had no choice but to call a coachman, drive a small car, and take the two of them over. Nie Heng smiled: "It's only a few steps, why is it here?" It's a joke. Wen Yi said: "The carriage can't go up the mountain, so the eldest cousin thinks it's good to go up the mountain to accumulate strength later." You think it's okay, but I'm worried. ”

Nie Heng sighed, and followed her helplessly, and the cousins and sisters really took a small car, set off from the courtyard gate, first out of Zhuangzi, and then crossed the avenue, and stopped at the foot of the mountain.

Nie Heng got out of the car and pointed to a large piece of flat ground in front of him: "This is it." I have had the soil turned over, and the seeds can be sown at any time as soon as they arrive. Didn't you say you wanted to plant autumn wheat? The soil here is suitable for growing wheat. On the other side of the field is the river, and the water flows from the lake on the mountain, which is very convenient for irrigation. ”

Wen Yi asked the coachman to stay where he was, and he followed Nie Heng all the way, looking at his newly bought field all the way. Listening to Nie Heng's introduction, she gradually became happy in her heart, and said with a smile: "Big cousin is really thoughtful!" Before I came, I was worried that I might not be able to hire people to prepare the land during the autumn harvest, but I didn't expect you to do it for me! ”

Nie Heng said: "There are not many local people, and our family hired people from other villages. In fact, if you plan to sell the land, you can save a lot of effort, and you don't have to worry too much about it in the future, you just need to send a steward to watch over it and collect the rent on time. Sowing seeds and irrigating or something, the tenants themselves will do it. However, if you go out of the tenant land, the income will be much less, and you will only hire long-term workers to farm, and you will have to worry more about your own family, but most of the income will go to you, which is more cost-effective than renting out. ”

Wen Yi thought for a while: "The situation of our family, it is better to give the land out, but I haven't discussed it with my grandmother yet, and I can't settle it until I ask her what the old man means." ”

Nie Heng nodded: "It's best as soon as possible, in a few days it will be the autumn equinox, it is the time to plant wheat, and it will be late after that." If you decide to hire someone to plant seeds, when our family buys seeds, let's buy them for you. The kind of wheat that we have always planted produces very well. ”

Wen Yi thanked him, and the two walked up the hill again. That large piece of woodland has been tidied up, and Nie Heng even asked someone to dig a soil pit for planting trees, and told Wen Yi what kind of trees were not cut down, what fruits would grow, where to plant what trees, which trees were suitable for planting now, how many years would it take to bear fruit after planting, how to take care of them, and so on.

Wen Yi was stunned when she heard this, while writing it down by heart, she admired the erudition of the eldest cousin, and the two walked to the edge of the forest, she saw that Nie Heng was panting heavily, so she asked him to take a break, and said with a smile: "In the past, I only knew that the eldest cousin was good at learning, but I didn't know that you also knew so well about farming." ”

Nie Heng was stunned, then fell silent, and after a while, he smiled slightly bitterly: "My body, if I don't want to be a waste, I can only pay more attention to these things, so that I can share the worries of my family......"

Wen Yi persuaded him softly: "Big cousin, actually...... You really don't have to think too much about it. Your health is not good, and it is because of this word that you have many hearts. Uncle and aunt are all feeling sorry for you, even if it is for the second elder, you should relax and take care of your body? ”

Nie Heng shook his head and looked back at Wen Yi: "Cousin Gu, do you really not complain in your heart?" You have no parents, and you depend on your grandmother for your life, and you are often despised in the clan. I finally took a fancy to a good industry, and asked for the only maternal uncle's house, and my uncle and cousin personally promised to help you do it, but when I turned around, I took a fancy to it and bought the land first...... Not to mention flesh and blood, even if it is a distant relative, or a stranger who is not related at all, this kind of thing is also lost in faith. You really don't have any complaints in your heart?! He lowered his head: "At least, if it were me, I would never have no complaints, but I can't say anything, my mother is all for me......" He smiled bitterly: "My cousin said earlier that you didn't want that piece of land in the first place." But what about asking first? This time, my cousin is generous and doesn't take it to heart, if I meet someone else next time...... My father was a sincere gentleman, and my mother was a virtuous woman, but for my sake, she didn't care about anything, how can I ......bear it?" his eyes were red: "Seeing that my loved ones are for themselves, and even the things they originally cared about have been put aside, this kind of taste is ......"

Wen Yi was stunned when she heard this, she never thought that her eldest cousin's depression came from this, and she couldn't help but feel sour in her heart, thinking of her grandmother. Grandmother didn't like to interact too much with her clansmen, and she didn't like to pay attention to mundane affairs, but for her own sake, she couldn't take care of it all, first the fifteenth uncle and couple in the ninth room, and then the fourth uncle and four aunts in the second room...... Because of the calculations in his heart, is it really filial piety to involve his elderly grandmother and others?

She looked up at Nie Heng again, but found that he had already walked far away, and hurriedly lowered her head and gently wiped away her tears, intending to catch up, when she suddenly heard someone next to her ask, "Do you really not complain in your heart?" Why? She was startled, and quickly turned around to look, and saw a person standing behind the big tree not far away, who had not been seen for many days, it was the "Liu Guanhai".