Courtyard House: Passing through the Silly Pillar, Activating the Blessed Cave Heaven

20

The sheepfold project was a bit bigger. He first built three brick walls, then placed wooden poles on them, laid tarpaulins, and then compacted them with bricks.

He Yuzhu checked the growth of the pasture and the grazing of the chickens and sheep. The growth rate of the pasture in the cave, combined with the existing corn reserves, was already sufficient to meet the daily needs of the chickens and sheep.

In a few days, the newly sown grass seeds will sprout, and the food supply will no longer be a problem.

Looking at the sheepfold and chicken coop that had been built, He Yuzhu felt a strong sense of accomplishment.

To ensure there was enough feed, he poured half a basin of corn and placed it next to the pen.

After finishing all that, He Yuzhu could finally catch his breath.

He walked to the front of the main hall and stared at the three boxes on the ground—each of which was locked.

When he first brought them into the blessed land, he glanced at their contents: one box was filled with books, another with porcelain, and the smallest box contained silver coins, jewelry, and other valuables.

He Yuzhu carefully examined the lock and the exquisite box, and finally decided not to damage the box, but to find a way to pry open the lock.

He returned home, found a piece of wire, carried the smallest box into the Wuji Hall, sat on the Enlightenment Stone, and began to study the techniques of unlocking.

With the help of the Enlightenment Stone, half an hour later, with a soft "click," the lock was successfully pried open.

The box contained five envelopes of silver dollars, about five hundred in total, and five gold ingots weighing twenty taels each, all of very high quality.

In addition, there were two jade bracelets, a pearl necklace, and a yellowed piece of paper.

He Yuzhu unfolded the paper and saw that it was the deed to the abandoned courtyard house, and the owner's name was Zhao Changchuan.

He couldn't help but wonder: Are there any descendants of the Zhao family still alive? If they are no longer descendants, perhaps he could transfer the property to his name with this deed.

I'll have to go and inquire about this in the neighborhood another day.

Then, he pried open two more boxes.

A box was filled with all sorts of books, showing that Zhao Changchuan was a book lover.

What surprised He Yuzhu even more was that there were two copies of the Yongle Encyclopedia among them! Although the value of the other books was difficult to determine at the moment, these two classics alone were enough to be family heirlooms.

However, he still decided to make a copy first and dedicate it to the country.

The last box contained five porcelain vases and ten paintings and calligraphic works.

The marks on the bottom of the porcelain vases indicate that they were made during the Jiajing, Kangxi (two vases), Yongzheng, and Qianlong periods, respectively.

The authors of the calligraphy and paintings include Zheng Banqiao (three pieces), Tang Bohu, Zhu Zhishan, Dong Qichang, Wen Zhengming, Wang Shimin, and Wang Jian, each with one piece.

Although he couldn't determine the authenticity of the calligraphy and paintings, He Yuzhu carefully rolled them up and put them back in the box.

Looking around the empty hall, he pondered how he would add several antique display shelves in the future, preferably made of huanghuali or golden nanmu wood, so as to match the grandeur of the hall.

Unfortunately, it's unknown how many years it will take for the rosewood saplings planted on the mountain to mature.

He Yuzhu slowly peeled an orange, took out a segment and put it in his mouth.

The refreshing aroma of oranges filled my mouth. Although it wasn't as sweet as the sugar oranges of later generations, it had its own unique flavor.

He finished the whole orange very quickly.

He carefully collected the orange seeds and deliberately scattered them on the shore of the small lake, planning to transplant them to the mountain after the seedlings grew.