Zhixin thought it was some new tea, but she looked at the color and shape of the tea leaves, but it was exactly the same as the one she had drunk before, and she took a sip again, but she still didn't notice any big difference. "This tea is still the kind we used to drink, the color and taste of the tea are similar, my daughter didn't tell the difference in this bowl of tea, and asked her mother to instruct."

"The tea leaves are still the same tea leaves, and the water used to boil the tea is still the same water, but the firewood used to make the tea is different, and you can't guess what is burned."

Zhixin smiled after hearing this: "What can't you guess about this, it's not firewood, it's charcoal, is it possible that our house still burns firewood and grass like a small farmer?" ”

Old Madam Shi shook her head: "It is neither firewood nor carbon, nor firewood, nor firewood, but wax." ”

"Wax as firewood?" Zhixin was shocked. Of course, she was surprised that during the more than ten years she had lived in Ruyin, the lighting at home was a small oil lamp that was much cheaper, and it was not very dark before she was willing to order it. As for the candles, they were never used at all, not only in her family, but also in other people's homes. Because that's not something that ordinary people can afford at all. Ordinary people are reluctant to use it to light a candle, but the Shi family actually uses it as firewood!

"Yes, wax is used as a substitute for salary, not only for tea, but also for cooking."

Zhixin has lived in Shifu for four or five years, and has seen all kinds of extravagance of the Shi family, and gradually become accustomed to it. But she really can't figure it out today, if in order to boast of wealth, you can use brocade clothes and jade food, you can use fragrant pepper to paint the wall, and you can use brocade to make a fifty-mile-long walking barrier, which can still be understood, but what is it to use wax as firewood to burn? You must know that although wax is thousands of times more expensive than firewood, if you feed the mouth of the stove king, its effect is probably far worse than firewood. "Why is that? Is it because of fighting with Wang Kai? ”

"Of course. Otherwise, how could you do such a ridiculous thing? Your father heard that Wang Kai's family did not use water to wash the pot, but used expensive caramel sugar. ”

"The Wang family brushes the pot with starch sugar?"

"Therefore, in order to compare him, you ordered the fire in the house not to be firewood, but to use wax instead."

"But wax is not a cooking material at all, how can it be used as firewood?"

"Start with a little firewood as a base salary, and then keep throwing wax on the burning firewood, so that the fire is naturally very strong, but the cooking heat is not easy to master. Shochu is better, but sometimes when you make a meal, the taste is a little unsatisfactory. ”

"Definitely, one thing has one purpose. Wax is used for lighting, not for cooking, so it doesn't make the best meal. Similarly, caramel is used to eat, not to brush pots, which can only be cleaned with water. This kind of blind struggle for wealth has reached the point of self-deception, what's the point? How much longer will it last? ”

"Of course you Ah Weng and that Wang Kai know this truth, they are just a momentary anger, and after the momentum is over, they will naturally return to normal."

Shi Mu spoke calmly on the surface, but Zhixin could hear that her tone was full of helplessness, powerless to stop her husband's unruliness, and the infinite worry about the safety of the Shi family. Although Zhixin was full of disgust for this kind of fighting for wealth and sympathized with the old lady's state of mind, she had no power to stop it, all she could do was to talk to her for a while, and then go back to the palace after dinner.

The Shi family's pastoral is in the northwest of Luoyang City, under the north side of the mountain, with about 300 acres. Outside the city, there are fields everywhere, and it is very difficult to find exactly a designated piece of land, but this land of the Shi family is very easy to find, because it is close to one of Luoyang City's famous landmarks, the Golden Valley Garden of the wealthy Shi Chong. According to Biyu's instructions, Shu Yan and Xiao Mo easily found the Shi family's pastoral and saw Tian Yu in the countryside. Because Tian Yu had Biyu's instructions in advance, he didn't dare to snub the two of them, and pointed out to them a piece of ten acres of land that had already been divided.

Xiao Mo looked at the land, it was relatively flat, not convex or concave, the soil was loose and not sticky, and it was slightly sandy, which was suitable for grape planting, so he said to Shu Yan with great satisfaction: "Brother Shu, I didn't expect the soil here to be so good, it is really suitable for growing grapes." ”

Shu Yan smiled blankly and said: "I don't know much, just say it, don't look at me since I was a child, but I don't know anything about the skills of growing grapes, everything is up to you, you can do what you say." ”

"Of course, you have to dig the soil first, you first use a pickaxe to plow the ground softly."

"This is easy to do, nothing else, I'm good at plowing the ground." After Shu Yan finished speaking, he picked up the pickaxe and cleaned up the weeds growing on the ground first, and then ploughed the ground.

Xiao Mo took out the cut grape vines, and these vines were cut by Xiao Mo himself. When planting grapes, the harvesting of vines is crucial. The vines are about six or seven inches long, each with two bud nodes on top of it for development, and one end of the vine is cut into an oblique point for easy insertion into the soil.

According to the number of vines, Shu Yan planed a piece of land the size of half a minute. Xiao Mo sprinkled the horse manure he collected on weekdays into the soil, and asked Shu Yan to nail all the larger soil blocks into the soil with a pickaxe to form a uniform and fine layer of fertile soil.

"I didn't expect you to be so attentive, even the fertilizer is ready." Shu Yan put down his head and said.

Xiao Mo said proudly: "Of course, don't look at my usual so-so, but as long as I care about something, I think about it thoughtfully." ”

Shu Yan nodded, and then asked, "What are we going to do next?" ”

"I'll take cuttings, you go fetch water."

"I think the soil moisture is just right, because it just rained a while ago, do you still need to water it?"

"Of course, you have to water, the moisture of this soil may be just right for sowing, but cuttings are not as good as sowing, without a lot of water, the vines will dry up, and it is not easy to live."

Shu Yan promised to fetch water, and Xiao Mo began to squat down and take cuttings. She stuck the tip of the vine into the soil, mostly submerging it, leaving only one bud above the ground. The lower end is used to take root and absorb nutrients from the soil; The upper end allows it to absorb sunlight and grow branches and leaves. She planted all these vines according to the standard distance between the rows and the ranks, and then helped Shu Yan to fetch water. After more than an hour, the two of them finished cutting all the vines. Xiao Mo looked at this small piece of neat vines, very satisfied, as if he saw bunches of sweet grapes and barrels of fragrant wine.

"You." Shu Yan suddenly said, "It only took such a small piece of land to plant these grapes, which is less than two percent of these ten acres of land, isn't it a waste to have so much land left?" ”

"Of course it can't be wasted, I've already thought of a purpose."

"What is it for?"

"I'm going to divide these ten acres into two. This piece is all used to grow grapes. We use the same method, when the vines have grown, we cut some of the vines and cut them, year after year, and we can form a vineyard and produce many, many grapes, and lots and lots of wine, so that you can drink enough. ”

Shu Yan smiled: "How can the two of us eat so much?" ”

"If you can't eat, you can give it away, you can give it to Brother Ye Qing, and I can give it to the seventeenth princess and Dr. Xin."

"Seventeen princesses and new doctors? Is that the female doctor of the Shi family who you said was the new one who entered the palace? ”

"That's right, the seventeenth princess is the youngest daughter of the current emperor, and Dr. Xin is the new female doctor, but Dr. Xin's 'Xin' is not the old and new 'new', but the 'Xin' with a Xin character in her name, the fragrant 'Xin'. Because she doesn't like others to call her 'Dr. Shi', and because there is a word in her name that offends the current queen's secret, others call her 'Dr. Xin'. ”

Shu Yan thought for a moment and said, "The current queen's name is Yang Zhi, could it be that this doctor's name is Shi Zhixin or Shi Xinzhi?" ”

"Shi Zhixin?" Xiao Mo paused, "I don't know what her specific name is, but when I mention the name 'Zhixin', how can I find that you have a little throbbing?" Do you think of Sister Han Zhixin? ”

"How come, there are many people with the same name in the world, and the name Zhixin sounds so fresh and elegant, it is very suitable for women, of course, there are many parents who are willing to take it." Shu Yan was silent for a moment, "Don't talk about me, let me ask you, how can you be so familiar with these two women?" ”

"Because of fate and coincidence. The seventeenth princess lost her mother early and had no relatives in the palace. As for me, because I am far away from home and miss my relatives, I often play the flute. Her personality is similar to mine, and she often listens to me play the flute, and the tune of the flute is in line with her mood, and in this way, we gradually get acquainted. As for Dr. Xin, because she and the Seventeenth Princess knew each other before entering the palace, she was related to the Seventeenth Princess as this doctor, and the relationship was naturally very good. She and I were both good friends with the princess, so through the seventeenth princess, we got to know each other. ”

"A man and two women are so close, tsk, I always feel bad."

"What's wrong?" Xiao Mo smiled secretly and said, "What do you know?" ”

"Oh, maybe yes." Shu Yan seemed to understand Xiao Mo's words, "We outsiders really don't understand the relationship in your palace, like your special identity, those women shouldn't have to be taboo." ”

"Oh? Hehe, you're right. ”

"This half of the land is used for vineyards, and what is the remaining half of the land used for?"

"Be your shooting range."

"My range?" Shu Yan looked at the large area not far away, where was a new racecourse opened by the Shi family, which was specially used to practice horse archery.

"Yes." Xiao Mo looked at Shu Yan, "Don't you think you're a little snub to the hard bow that once saved your life?" This site is a little smaller than the Shi family, but you don't need to be big, do you? ”

Indeed, since I came to Luoyang, I have never pulled that bow because there is no suitable venue. At the beginning, I had practiced various archery techniques such as Shenlian and Jingyi to perfection, but now even if I shoot a single arrow at the target, I may not be able to shoot it, so it is indeed time to practice.

Shu Yan smiled and nodded, and made up his mind, he would do so next time he came. Since then, every time Shu Yan rests, the two of them come here, first watering and weeding the grape seedlings, trimming them, and then Shu Yan began to practice archery. And he also rode Xiao Mo's horse and practiced riding and archery.

Some people died, but not completely......