Xianyu Infrastructure, I have a lot of troops in my hands

Xie Xian rode a ox cart leisurely back to the city. The wheels rolled over the bluestone road, making a steady and rhythmic sound.

On the ox cart, Xie Xian leaned against the window, wearing a simple and elegant dress, with a calm and composed look in her eyes. This scene fell into the eyes of Liu and her maid Huan'er at the corner of the street.

A hint of surprise flashed across Liu's eyes, and then a deep feeling of envy emerged. She whispered, "Look at the woman on the ox cart, do you recognize who she is?"

The maidservant Huan'er followed where Liu was pointing and answered, "That was Xie Xian, the daughter of the second branch of the Xie family. At the Yu family's tea party a few days ago, it was because of this lady Xie that her younger sister's marriage to the Wen family was cut off."

When Liu heard this, she couldn't help but sigh softly, with a hint of bitterness rising in her heart.

She is a distant relative of Xie Xian and is Xie Minyan's cousin. She has been married into the Pei family for ten years, but has only one daughter. Unfortunately, Mr. Pei passed away the day before yesterday, and she became a widow overnight.

But now that my husband is gone, my cousin from my husband's family is pregnant with a posthumous child.

Her mother-in-law was so happy that she became more and more critical of her. The concubine was domineering, and Liu's life was in dire straits. She began to think about returning home.

Huan'er observed Liu's expression and saw the pain in her heart. Her eyes lit up and she said, "Madam, why don't you ask the Lady of the Xie Family for help?

"Since she is the mistress of the Xie family, she is also your cousin. Besides, the Liu family has always been under the control of the second branch of the Xie family. If we go and ask for help, we may be able to help you escape from the misery of the Pei family."

Upon hearing this, Liu was slightly stunned, then shook her head gently, "Huan'er, you don't understand." Liu's voice was slow and firm, "I envy Xie Xian, not because she is a noble lady from a big family, but because I envy her that although the second branch of the Xie family is lonely, she will still help the family members."

Although I am from a famous family, I am like a floating duckweed, helpless and alone. I must face the plight of the Pei family alone, even if I have to leave the house with nothing."

Huan'er was speechless after hearing this, feeling regretful. She knew very well that the Liu family started out as a great craftsman in the previous dynasty with half of the Lu Gong Secret Records, but after the war, the family members were gone and the descendants of the main clan died out.

She could only marry Pei in order to seek protection. Although the lady was in the back house, she was proficient in craftsmanship. Over the years, most of the Pei family's property was earned by the lady's craftsmanship.

But there are unexpected events, the Pei family's lady is greedy and has set her sights on the Lugong Secret Records. My wife is afraid that she will be in trouble if she returns home like this.

The ox cart moved farther and farther away, and Xie Xian's figure disappeared at the end of the street.

This chance encounter seems to be a ripple that no one knows about.

Xie Xian worked overtime in Taohuazhuang for several days in a row, experimenting with what she had in mind.

Originally, Xie Xian was short of manpower, so she asked Xie Yun to let a trusted family in a nearby village do the work. But after Old Man Suo came, before anyone knew it, a dozen old men with missing limbs would gather near Taozhuang from time to time.

Xie Xian realized it later and quickly built a guardhouse. She asked them to come in and sit, but they refused to do so. She had to build a shed next to the wall before they gave up.

"You idiot who added more firewood, it's not even winter yet! You made the wall so hot that we old guys have to use it as pancakes." A dark and thin old man with a scar on his face jumped up and down and cursed loudly.

"Save some firewood for your daughter. Who insisted on putting the stone bench against the wall..." Seeing that no one paid attention to him, he moved aside angrily.

After a while, a young boy's voice came from the wall, "Master Shen, the lady asked us to bake something! It has to be at this temperature these days. If it's lower, your wages will be deducted!"

After saying this, he didn't care whether there was a response from the wall or not, and the footsteps faded away.

An old man with missing legs squinted his eyes and said, "It's the puppy. The sound is louder than before."

Gou Wa's grandfather, who was standing by, squatted in a corner with his hands in his sleeves, and laughed: "This son of a bitch is very opinionated now. The other day he even shouted that he wanted to send his sister to Taozhuang as well."

"Well, my lady, are you hiring again? Why do you only hire women, children and girls every time?" the speaker pondered.

Xie Xian didn't have any heavy physical work to do. It was just moving bricks, fastening molds, turning eggs, picking earthworms, and at the very least, putting up the rolling curtain on the top of the shed. It really didn't require much strength.

She was also embarrassed to bring in strong laborers from other families, after all, that would be a waste of human resources. Therefore, most of the people in Taozhuang were old women, girls, and a few young boys, and it was definitely not because the wages were cheap.

"It's good enough to have a stutter. Why are you worrying about it?" Grandpa Gou Wa said with a smile, and then changed the subject, "But this place is really good. You are thoughtful and found a good place for us old bones."

It turned out that Xie Xian had built a greenhouse next to the wall of the manor's outer courtyard. The fire wall of the greenhouse was close to the stone wall, and it was warm inside and outside. This was not because she was lazy, but she felt bad seeing a group of veterans guarding the gate for her without asking for anything in return.

So she thought of an idea. Since there was no shortage of coal here, she might as well make the best use of it.

The dark and thin old man touched his chin and frowned, "I don't know where the lady got so much firewood. It's a waste to burn it like this every day!"

The old man squinted his eyes and felt sleepy. He listened to the endless chatter of the nagging ghost and thought to himself, "Don't you know if there is firewood? They have been squatting here for half a month, and no one has been seen selling charcoal or firewood in and out of the village."

Suddenly, he seemed to have thought of something, and his heart started to tremble. He shouted in a low voice: "Don't talk about firewood and charcoal anymore." Everyone around him fell silent, with a look of confusion on their faces.

He finally figured it out. The children from the families would not be allowed to go home once they entered the manor, and Suo Zongjia personally ordered them to ensure the safety of Taohua Manor.

Seeing that several of his men were looking at him, a hint of pride rose on his face: "The second branch is finally gaining momentum!"

The people around were even more confused*5.

The others looked confused, but Scarface said impatiently, "You pretender, just tell me now!" This beggar was pretending to be a good person by sticking onions all day long, and all the women in the village were attracted by him.

He was a scout and was much smarter than these infantrymen.

The old man smiled and blushed. "Think about it. We have been guarding here for so many days. Have we ever seen Zhuangzi collect charcoal?"

"Just two days ago, Mrs. Ma brought two bundles of twigs, nothing else." Someone answered.

"Then think about it again. What was the most common gift in the past few days?" The old man kept it a secret, and after a moment he said, "It was black stone! You can't burn that thing in the house. It will kill people."

In this land, black stone, also known as black stone or black charcoal, is everywhere. But in this era when every household has a fire pit and no stove or chimney, burning coal directly is undoubtedly a suicide act.

Therefore, the Black Stone Guard and the Black Mountain Village have to buy firewood and charcoal while guarding the coal mountain.

The old man looked at the tall chimney in the distance, where black smoke was billowing up. "I guess that thing can expel the smoke."

Everyone suddenly realized that the fire wall was also made of black stone. They couldn't suppress their excitement.

Before they could laugh, the old man's face darkened and he said solemnly: "This matter is of great importance. It concerns the life and death of Black Stone." It seems that the master is going to make a big move this time, so the guards cannot be left behind tonight.

Everyone nodded. Guai Weng stood up and said leisurely, "It seems that we have to live in the house at the door. Hey! It's only right for us old guys to give up some face."