A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Starting from the Village Chief

Chapter 35: Making a Farewell

The afterglow of the setting sun illuminates half of the river, and the sunlight shining on the southern mountains covers the sky and the earth.

Li Yi sat under the big soapberry tree in front of the door. The dusk fell on him, as if he was coated with a layer of gold, untainted by worldly affairs.
Sanniang leaned against the gate of the courtyard, gazing into the distance, infatuated.

In the courtyard, Xiuzhi was cleaning up with her two sons. The children had been playing all day and the place was in a mess. She looked up at the bewildered Sanniang, shook her head, and continued to wash. As a fellow woman, she could see what Luo Sanniang was thinking the moment she arrived. In fact, who in this small courtyard couldn't see it?

But she also saw that her husband didn't mean that.

In the West Wing workshop, Luo Er said to his old wife who was soaking beans, "We need to ask someone to find a husband for Sanniang."

"Sanniang's heart is with Wuyi."

"I don't know, but there's a saying that goes, 'Flowers have feelings, but flowing water is ruthless. If a cow doesn't want to drink, why force it to drink?' That's no use. Find her a husband as soon as possible, so she doesn't get stuck in this situation any deeper."

"How can our Sanniang not be worthy of Wuyi?" the woman grumbled.

Luo Er snorted, "Look at the people who came today, what are their status? Now that the primary school is open, the Wannian County Law Officer, the Qin Wang Palace, the Jingzhao Du family, the township heads and township assistants are all so polite to Li Yi. This kid has great potential."

As he spoke, Luo Er squatted down, panting heavily, feeling very irritated. He was also very optimistic about Li Yi and had taken the initiative to put aside his pride and propose marriage, but what was the use? Li Yi was soaring higher and higher, and Sanniang was becoming less and less worthy of him.

Shitou and Gousheng came over from the bridge.

One was leading a yellow ox and the other was driving ducks. On the ox's back were two bundles of weeds pulled out from the crops in the field, as well as two large bundles of Polygonum aviculare.

Barnyard grass is a night grass for cattle, and Polygonum aviculare is used to repel mosquitoes at night.

The oxen and ducks were both well fed. The two ducks even played in the river for a long time before returning home contentedly.

The stall at the bridgehead is still there, and it is run by Luo Wu's wife. Now the bridgehead service area has begun to take shape. There is a row of straw huts at the north end of the bridge, half of which are food stalls and half are rest areas. They serve soy milk, soy bean curd, tofu rice, and millet porridge for a fee, but also provide free boiled water or sweet well water.

There is also a row of horse posts next to it, and watering holes are also provided for horses.

There is a row of public toilets not far from the downwind exit. They are clean and sanitary, cleaned several times a day, and provide free clean toilet tokens.

For business travelers passing by, it is also a good place to stop for a rest.

The key is that it's cheap here and the service is pretty good.

By the evening, there were very few people still on the road, but Sanniang insisted that there would be people there all day.

"In the beginning, human beings are inherently good. Their natures are similar, but their habits are far apart."

As they walked, the two brothers Shitou recited the Three Character Classic they had just learned at noon, but they only remembered this one sentence after reciting it over and over again. The three children of Luo Wu from Qiaotou listened and followed suit.

Sanniang's sister-in-law pulled her away from the gate.
"What are you doing?" Sanniang said reluctantly.

"No matter how much you stare at her, she is not yours," said the sister-in-law.

Sanniang blushed, "But what can I do?"

"If you like me, just go for it." The eldest sister-in-law said fiercely, which made Sanniang's face redder. After all, she was an unmarried girl.

"Oh, sister-in-law, what are you talking about?"

"Sister-in-law, this is for your own good. I just heard that Grandpa and Grandma said they would find you a husband and send you away so that you don't have any random thoughts all day long." The eldest sister-in-law pulled her aside and said, "If you really like Wuyi, then you have to hurry up."

"How do I hold on tight?"

"Aren't you always smart? Do you need to be taught this? Just wait until midnight and go straight to his room. Anyway, his room doesn't have a door..."

Sanniang was stunned, her face flushed, and her heart was pounding.

However, the eldest sister-in-law had already started teaching her directly about matters between men and women. Sanniang was so embarrassed that she wished there was a crack in the ground for her to crawl into.

"I'm doing this for your own good. If you don't hurry up, you'll never have another chance. Wuyi is a capable man, but he's still a young man. If you sleep with him, he'll have to marry you."

Sanniang buried her head in her knees. "But if he refuses and kicks me out, how can I live like this?"

"You are afraid of wolves in front and tigers behind. Then you should give up this idea." The eldest sister-in-law said that she was about to leave. Sanniang reached out and held her hand, "Sister-in-law, you, you teach me."

"As for this matter, as long as you are bold and proactive, it will most likely work out. Young men are full of passion and it's hard for them to control themselves. Now that the rice has been cooked, how can he not take responsibility? He doesn't seem like the kind of person who would deny his responsibility after pulling up his pants."

"The key is to take the initiative and make it a done deal."

"Actually, that thing is simple and not that scary..."

Li Yi sat under the big soapberry tree in front of the door, watching the sunset glow, watching egrets returning to their nests in the rice fields, and watching the small villages on the north bank of the Hehe River.
Empty your mind and enjoy the cool breeze of the summer evening.

His life was getting better and more stable. With Wuji Primary School and the school council, he was able to gain a foothold in Yusu Township.

The next step is to invite craftsmen to dig a well in the courtyard, repair doors and windows, and make furniture. We can even consider rebuilding the Wuji West Courtyard.

The workshop makes money, the school makes reputation,
Gain both fame and fortune,

In this Chang'an countryside, it is enough.

It was getting dark.

There were more and more mosquitoes, so Li Yi had no choice but to pack up and go home. Lanxiang and her brother had already set up several piles of smoke in the yard, so there were far fewer mosquitoes.

In the corridor, Luo Er and Sanniang came to report to Li Yi on the situation of the workshop. The workshop is now on the right track, with more and more orders. The production of bean curd sheets is still too slow. Luo Er suggested adding some large flat-bottomed pots, otherwise the supply will not be able to meet the demand.

The production of fried tofu is quite fast, but the amount of oil used is also astonishing. Now we can easily fry 100 kilograms of fried tofu a day, but we still need more than 50 kilograms of oil.

"I'll go to Feng's Blacksmith Shop tomorrow to order some more frying pans, and also some more rapeseed oil."

Luo Er nodded. "Then I'll call a few people from the village tomorrow to build the stove first. One more thing, we burn a lot of firewood every day now."

Li Yi thought it was no big deal. "Let's talk to every household in our village. Our workshop accepts firewood and straw. Everyone can bring it to us. We'll pay in cash or exchange it for bean dregs or millet."

This can be considered as a little help to the villagers in this village. When everyone has time, they can go and chop wood and exchange it for some money or food.

"By the way, Sanniang, please go to the village tomorrow and ask for help in hiring someone to cook and sweep the floor for the school. Give priority to those from the village whose families are in financial difficulty."

Luo Sanniang did not respond.

Li Yi turned his head and saw her staring at him in a daze.

"Sanniang?"

After being called a few times, she finally came back to her senses, her face suddenly flushed. Li Yi repeated what he said, and she quickly agreed, "Erlang's aunt's husband died, and she has to raise three half-grown children. Life is quite difficult."

"How old is she?"

"Almost fifty."

Li Yi said, "As long as she's quick and efficient and can do her job well, invite her here. I'll provide her with two meals a day and six dou of millet a month. She can even live in your own house. Her daily duties will be cooking and cleaning the school."

This condition is really considerate for a widow of such an old age.

Xiuzhi said boldly, "Alang, let me handle these things in the school. There's no need to hire anyone else."

"The school now has a school council and has received a lot of donations. We have the conditions to hire another person. As for you, you still need to take care of my side."

Li Yi talked to Luo Er and Sanniang about the reconstruction plan of the west courtyard. In the east courtyard, a south back house would be added, two side rooms would be added to the north house, two side rooms would be added to the east and west wings, and a well would also be dug.

This means that the East Courtyard will become a two-courtyard house. For the time being, there will be no rear room behind the North House. Four side rooms and one back room will be added. This will add a few more rooms, which will be enough for the time being.

"Build so many houses?" Luo Er was surprised.

"When we start building a house again, we can't let the villagers come to help for free. This time, we will invite the villagers to work and pay them."

Luo Erdao: "Why should I pay you? We are all from the same village."

"No, I just built nine houses. How can I ask you to help me for free? I can't take advantage of you. It's not easy for everyone right now."

"Then just give me a meal and some millet. It's the slack season for farmers now anyway." Luo Erdao.

"Isn't one liter too little?"

"It's not a small amount. Working as a farmhand for someone else only makes three liters a day. Helping out as a construction worker is easier than being a farmhand, and it's not limited to men or women."

"Well, uncle, please help me hire the well diggers, carpenters, and bricklayers."

"Row."

Sanniang said, "By the way, let's hire a felt maker and buy some wool to make a few felt mats. They will be more comfortable to live in, especially in the winter."

"Rolling bed felt is not cheap," Luo Er interjected. To roll felt, one needs not only wool but also oil and flour. In the northwest region, the felt maker carrying a large bow is a very respected profession and is also very popular.

To roll out a large felt that is four feet wide and six feet long, more than twenty pounds of wool, two pounds of flour, and half a pound of sesame oil are needed. It takes three people to complete the process through more than ten steps including beating, laying, and washing.

But a piece of felt can last a lifetime, keeping you warm and moisture-proof.

In the past, when a man got married, he had to buy a new bed blanket.

Li Yi still slept on a bare floor every day, without even a reed mat, but he had gotten used to it and didn't care about anything else for the time being. However, Sanniang felt sorry for him and wanted to roll out a felt mat for him.

From the banks of the He River came the croaking of frogs.
Luo Er yawned. Everyone was used to going to bed early, and there was no entertainment after dark, not to mention having to get up early.

Go back to your house,

The little tabby cat Zhaocai jumped onto the couch and asked for a rub. Now there was a lot of food stored in the yard, so Luo Er brought his own big tabby cat to guard the food in the workshop. The little tabby cat was much more relaxed now. It stayed in Li Yi's room every night. It was used to Li Yi feeding it fish and shrimps frequently, and liked to sleep with him the most.

The purring sound of a cat is actually quite hypnotic.

"The last two shrimps are dried up. They're gone after we eat them. I'll have Gousheng and the others collect some small shrimps and fish, dry them, and make cat food for you."

There is no electricity, no mobile phones or internet, no TikTok,
Even now there are no oil lamps,

Li Yi lay on the couch, stroking the kitten with one hand, and soon fell asleep amid the croaking of frogs and purring of cats.

midnight,

A shadow lingers outside the door.

(End of this chapter)