Bianshanhan [farming]

After leaving the hall, just as Li Qingzhuo came out, Mingyue, who was waiting outside, stepped forward with a smile, "My lord, I haven't seen you for a few months, why is it cleared up again? I'm afraid my master will feel distressed when he sees it."

Mingyue is a child of the Lin family, and the master he talks about is Lin Weisheng, Li Qingzhuo's mentor.

The last time Li Qingzhuo went into the water to save someone, the other party went to the academy, which made him very embarrassed. Although he was pointed out, it was a blessing in disguise, and he was appreciated by Lin Weisheng.It was precisely because of his careful teaching that Li Qingzhuo's studies improved greatly in a short period of time, and then he stood out in the big exam.

It is true that this gratifying result would not have been possible without Li Qingzhuo's hard study day and night, but he has benefited a lot from the teachings of his teacher, and the kindness of knowledge and encounter will always be remembered in his heart.

Seeing the bright moon, Li Qingzhuo's spirit was shaken, and he immediately followed him to see his teacher.

Lin Weisheng is a gifted scholar in Huzhou. He has read a lot of poetry and books. Although he is a commoner, he has become a rather prestigious bachelor by virtue of his talent.He used to teach in the academy, but because he was familiar with the codes, he was borrowed by Luzhou to help sort out the old files. He left the academy many times, and this time he walked for several months.

When Li Qingzhuo arrived at Tingyu Pavilion, seeing his teacher's gentle smiling face, he accepted his head and bowed.

Lin Weisheng got up to help him, held his wrist, and said, "Qingzhuo really lost weight. I know that you study hard every day, so don't break your body. You are still young, and you will have a long life ahead."

Li Qingzhuo repeatedly nodded in agreement.

Lin Wanjun folded her hands behind her back, and looked at Li Qingzhuo with moist eyes, "Junior brother, congratulations on passing the big exam. You will be taking the Enke exam in a few months. Senior sister has prepared two gifts, and I'm waiting for the good news from your high school."

Lin Wanjun is Lin Weisheng's only daughter. She was taught to read and write by her father since she was a child. She is a talented girl, a few years younger than Li Qingzhuo, but Li Qingzhuo started late, so she has to be called "Senior Sister".

"Thank you, Senior Sister." Li Qingzhuo said, "Congratulations to Senior Sister and Young Master Liu for their engagement."

Lin Wanjun's delicate face blushed, her youngest daughter's attitude was clearly revealed, she said: "I know you want to talk about serious things, so I'll go out first."

After Lin Wanjun and Mingyue went out, the master and apprentice sat and talked for a while, mainly Lin Weisheng asked about Li Qingzhuo's homework, and Li Qingzhuo asked about his teacher's body.

Then came the important stuff.

Li Qingzhuo respectfully placed a thick stack of papers in his hand on the case table, "Teacher, this is the case of burning tributes from Hongzhou and Huzhou."

Uncle Qin got this case, copied it and sent it to the capital. Li Qingzhuo had seen the things on the paper countless times.

Lin Weisheng held up the paper and looked at it seriously, while Li Qingzhuo stood straight to the side.

The sun had already set and the wind was picking up. Qin Dongmeng and Fang Shi stood at the door. They looked around for a long time, but they still didn't see Li Qingzhuo.

The two looked worried. Li Qingzhuo is a very regular person. He came late this morning, and he hasn't come back after school for so long. Could something really happen?

Just when they were about to go to the academy to inquire, they finally saw a familiar thin figure at the end of the far street. He was not alone, and there was a doctor with a suitcase beside him.

The two looked at each other, and both let out a sigh of relief.

While Li Qingzhuo was busy with his studies, taking care of the visitors from Hongzhou, and investigating the tribute case, the border town was peaceful.

The autumn harvest is over, and the weather in the border town is getting colder and colder. There are fewer people walking around in and out of the camp, and most of them are cats at home.

Li Qingwen and Jiang Cong were outside, Lao Sun and Qi Min were mixing mud, and Jiang Cong and Li Maoqun were building a kiln. This kiln was not for firing bricks, but for baking things.

After the autumn harvest, there was nothing to do, except for the capital and his party. They were waiting for the first snow to go to the forest. They were idle. Seeing the bunch of prey that Jiang Liping and the others had brought back, Li Qingwen began to think about what to eat.

So far, frying, frying and frying can be done, but baking is not enough, so I started to make two earthen kiln ovens.

It's an earthen kiln, but bricks are used the most. Li Qingfeng went to his cousin and pulled a cart of green bricks. These things can withstand high temperatures, and they are the best for oven walls.

There are two kinds of ovens that Li Qingwen is going to make. One is a vertical one. A pit is dug a foot deep in the ground, and the walls of the pit are built with green bricks.

This kind of earthen kiln is very simple, but very practical. Before baking things, put a fire on the bottom of the pit and burn it for an hour. After the bricks are hot, put a few wooden sticks or iron sticks above the hole, and bacon or chicken hang upside down on the sticks. , Put the lid of the pot on the mouth of the pit, and you can smell the meat inside after a while.

The second type is a horizontal oven, probably in the same style as the bread kiln that Li Qingwen saw on the Internet before, using the kiln wall to be heated and gradually cool down to bake food.

The reason for making two is because there are so many of them, and they all love meat, so I'm afraid they won't be able to supply one.

The two cellars have been completed, and there is still a pile of planed wood flowers on the ground, which are used as insulation layers, and a lot have been put in, and these are leftovers.

The vertical oven is ready to use, Li Qingwen is going to try it first.

The pheasant that just came back today plucked the feathers and guts, cut off the chicken breast, cut it into small pieces, and cooked it in a pot with green onions and ginger.

Li Maoyu and Liu Yuerong, who came to learn the art, were not idle. They took out the soaked mushrooms, drained the water, chopped them, and cut the ginger slices into thin shreds.

Skim off the froth boiled in the pot, and when the chicken is cooked, take it out and drain the water, then let it cool. (Note: 1)

Besides them, Ma Yongjiang and the others were also watching around. Seeing that Li Qingwen had only cut up half a pot of chicken breast, he shouted, "Who can eat enough of this? Why don't you get the rest?"

Li Qingwen looked at them and said, "This is not made for eating."

Originally, he didn't plan to make food, but seeing the pairs of meat-hungry eyes, Li Qingwen still threw the leftover chicken and chicken into the pot of old soup to cook.

Staring at his movements, the others muttered: "This is more or less..."

The villagers who came over to join in the heat smacked their tongues and said: "You guys, some of you are picky about what you eat, and you are always in charge of your little ones. Why don't you want to find a wife as soon as possible. After marrying a wife, what do you want to eat, what will she do for you?" , and give birth to a few big fat boys."

Li Qingwen tore the chicken into shreds, and then used a rolling pin to pound the shredded chicken into fine paste, while listening to the words of the villagers urging them to get married.

Although there was a heavy autumn rain this autumn, the big guys worked fast and hardly suffered any losses. Most of the grains borrowed by each household in the village were put into the warehouse, and after they had no worries about eating and drinking, they started Think about the marriage of the younger generation.

Others didn't know that the three brothers Li Qinghong, Li Qingfeng and Li Qingwen often appeared in the candidates mentioned by the villagers when they visited their daughters, nieces, and nephews.

Because of this, Li Qingwen almost didn't go outside the camp, he was really scared by those talking aunts and grandma...

Li Qingwen shuddered, not daring to think about it any longer, he took minced chicken, chopped mushrooms, and shredded ginger and put them in the oven that had been heated.

Jiang Cong was cleaning up the remaining dirt outside, and Li Qingwen followed him, quietly glancing at his brother's face.

He thought it was quiet, but in Jiang Cong's eyes, he was just staring at it openly, but he didn't speak.

"Brother." The work was almost done, Li Qingwen couldn't help but asked, "Is there something on your mind these two days?"

Jiang Cong nodded, "Brother is worried about your safety on the way to and from the capital this time."

"I know that's the case... It's nothing serious. It's easier for us to take the boat with Master Zhou than to go back to Bingzhou." Li Qingwen was relieved at once, and comforted him: "The first thing I want to do when I go to the capital this time is to see my second son." Brother, let’s see what is valuable there. We have everything in the border town, but the distance is far away, so it’s not easy to get it for sale in the capital. After I figure out the market, I’ll come back and pick out the valuable ones, and I’ll save some effort when I carry things and sell them in the future. .”

Looking at his round, pitch-black eyes, Jiang Cong stretched out his hand, paused for a moment, lifted it up, and picked off the dead leaves on Li Qingwen's head, and said in a low voice, "This time we will suffer."

"Brother, it would be great if you could go with us." Li Qingwen sighed, and then said: "I know it's not possible now, let's do it later, when you regain your freedom, all of us will go to the capital and be together Going to Hongzhou, the trip I took several years ago, I don’t remember anything..."

For three years, Li Qingwen has always believed that, sooner or later, they will be innocent.Affected by him, other people gradually began to have a glimmer of hope, and this hope supported everyone to live a good life.

When Jiang Liping came out, he happened to hear the two brothers talking, saying: "The capital is good, the capital is good, as long as you have money, you can buy nothing... Even if you don't have much money, there are still many good things. We used to live there When I was a child, I often went to a tavern, the appetizers there were really delicious, and just with that dish, my drinking capacity was a bit longer than usual."

After sighing, he asked Jiang Cong if he still remembered the name of that tavern. Jiang Cong nodded and said, "Qu's Tavern."

Jiang Liping patted his thigh, "Yes, the food and drinks at his house are not only cheap, but also delicious. There is no place to sit when you go late. And, there is also that chicken noodle soup, the chicken noodle soup that Jiang Cong always eats..."

With his loud voice, he also called out Lao Sun and Hu Lichuan, who also talked about their time in the capital with nostalgic expressions on their faces.

When they were in the guards of the capital, they were often not allowed to walk around at will, and most of them were near the southeast city gate. When they were in the capital, they had to count copper coins.At that time, the Qujia Tavern could be regarded as saving them who were cash-strapped, so everyone's memory was very deep, and they were full of enthusiasm. You spoke every word, and your spirits were so high that you forgot the situation at this time .

Li Qingwen didn't open his mouth, but just listened and watched quietly, through the present they seemed to be able to see the high-spirited appearance of the past.

Li Qingwen was distracted, but it was Li Maoyu who remembered the minced chicken in the oven, so he quickly lifted the lid of the pot with a coarse cloth, and a scent rushed towards him.

She took out the dry roasted minced meat, chopped mushrooms, and shredded ginger, and went back to the house to grind them into powder, and then mixed them into a pile.

This is Li Qingwen's Chicken Essence, making this to save time for cooking and soup in the future.

Once the chicken essence is made, whether it is a stew or a boiled dish, if you put some on it, the taste will be different.

The women who have been around the pot for many years know it best.

Zhou Yao's mouth and nose are very sensitive, she smelled a delicious smell from the soup, tasted a mouthful of stewed cabbage, and nodded approvingly.

Before it gets cold, all the vegetables in the field have been put into the cellar, and the cabbage is the freshest. Because it has a light taste, it is especially obvious when it is served with other ingredients.

Li Maoyu also thought it was good, so she poured out more than half of her can of chicken powder and sent it to Mrs. Chen.

Li Maoxian's family was the first to start burning the kang in Tongtian. At this time, the women of the clan and the village sat on the kang of her house and rubbed hemp rope.The hemp seeds were bought by Li Qingwen, they are poisonous, fearing that the horses in the camp would be poisoned to death if they ate them by mistake, so they chose a remote place in the south to plant them.

This thing is as tenacious as weeds, and it can survive in river ditches and dilapidated land, not to mention the fertile land here in the border town.

After growing wildly, they are harvested, and the bundles are watered and retting. After retting, the hemp skin is peeled, and then the hemp silk is rubbed together.

Li Maoyu brought good things, and the big guys who worked were very curious.

Mrs. Chen is generous, so she even shared some with them.

Before dark, the women went back to cook one after another. They put some more or less oil in the cooking, because each family had no oil to put in. Every day, water and salt were added to cook the dishes. The taste can be imagined, but today is different. up...

Because it was too free, the next day, this good news spread in the village, and then Li Maoyu was surrounded by groups.

At first everyone thought she did it, but when they learned that it was done by Li Qingwen, a large group of people were stunned.

However, all the women were not surprised after that. Li Qingwen was able to cook the same meat and vegetables so deliciously, so it was expected that he would cook this.

Entrusted by everyone, Li Maoyu returned to the camp. Li Qingwen was practicing calligraphy. When he put down the pen, Li Maoyu opened his mouth. Li Qingwen nodded repeatedly, "This thing is simple. You should have seen it. Go back and teach the big guys."

After getting his words, Li Maoyu happily returned to the village.

Everyone was waiting expectantly, when Li Maoyu finished speaking, the room was quiet, there was no chicken, no ginger, what else to do...

Thinking of chickens, the women regained their energy. Now the house is spacious and big. When the spring is warm, it is better to raise some chickens and ducks. I heard that there are chickens in the camp. I wonder if I can change some eggs...

The people in the kitchen didn't know that their chickens were being missed. They also received the chicken essence made by Li Qingwen yesterday. They put it in when making cabbage tofu for the officers and soldiers. They all said it was delicious and tasted like meat.

They didn't want to be told that they made pig food, so they came to Li Qingwen's place to ask for advice. The advice was just a pretext, and it was real to learn a few tricks and get some good stuff.

This thing was originally simple. After Li Qingwen finished speaking, those people said "wonderful" in unison, then ran out to look at the kiln outside, and went back to the house to ask Lao Sun and Jiang Liping to help dig some.

They didn't have that much meat to roast, but it was easier to do it themselves with something like this.

In Li Qingwen's anticipation, the first snow in the border town finally fell.

It was not that big at first, and the children screamed out to catch the snowflakes in the sky, while the adults hurriedly filled the water tank with water and prepared firewood.

Those who were going to the forest immediately began to pack up, and the horses and sledges were also pulled out.

On the snowy day, Li Qingwen returned home.

Xiaoxue pickled vegetables, my mother and sister-in-law had to be busy these two days, and he had to help.

Pickled vegetables are to wash the vegetables that have been sun-dried before, cut the big ones in half, wrap the leaves tightly, and put them into the soil tank one by one, press them firmly, sprinkle a layer of large grains of coarse salt on each layer, and keep It doesn't stop filling the tank, and it will be a little higher.

Put a wooden board on the top of the vegetable, and press a heavy stone on the wooden board. With the pickling, the salt will enter the vegetable, and the moisture in the vegetable will be killed. It will flow out along the edge of the tank, and it will be good to use a basin to catch it.

Slowly, the vegetables will soften and collapse, and the wooden board will follow.

Those who make sauerkraut all the year round have the right head. When the pickled vegetables are almost level with the tank, they have to add some water.

Three of Li Maoyu's mothers also came, and they filled a row of vats from their busy morning to lighting the lamps.

Of course, my own family can't eat so much. It's not that there are people like Jiang Cong.

Meat was rarely eaten in the past, neither the Chen family nor the Jiang family was very good at marinating meat. This winter, Jiang Cong sent a lot of fish and game, almost all of which were pickled and smoked by Li Qingwen, Li Maoqun and Li Maoyu.

Because I started early, they are all hung in the shed outside now.

He learned from Chen Wen that he could exchange salt at Linsu's privately and secretly, so Li Qingwen borrowed a lot from the kitchen and promised to return it when he came back.

Those greedy people said that they don't need to pay back the salt and asked him to bring some sea fish back. They haven't eaten seafood yet.

Li Qingwen said that if it is cold when you come back, you can take it with you, and if it is warm, you can't help it. You can't eat stinky fish and rotten shrimp.

Li Qingwen asked them what they wanted. If you have time to go to the capital this time, you can buy them something that doesn't take up space and is light in weight.

Everyone in the kitchen waved their hands, thank you for your kindness, no money.

Speaking of this, they felt bored, well, being a soldier here is not as good as exiled criminals like Jiang Liping. They ran around and found a lot of things, whether they were sold for money or eaten, they enjoyed it all. It takes a lot of effort to get the meat!

Seeing their depressed expressions, Li Qingwen came over with two roe deer, and everyone in the kitchen immediately smiled, saying that they would definitely take care of the chickens and let him come back early.

The snow is getting heavier and heavier at night, and the itinerary for the day after tomorrow is set.

Jiang Cong and the others were all going this time, not only to find tributes for General Lin Tan, but also to guard against dangers in the forest.

Li Maoqun also followed, and there were only a dozen people from Lao Xingtou and the stables and cowsheds left in the three houses in the camp.

Of course, they will not be as lonely this year as in previous years. Li Zhengliang will lead a group of children from the village to occupy several kang beds.

As soon as the adults leave, this place, the stables, and the cowshed will immediately become their world.

He was used to going out for a long time. Early in the morning, Li Qingwen had breakfast, dressed neatly, and went to the yard.

Those of Jiang Cong who rode horses and those who rode sledges also put on their sleeves and leggings.

Li Qingwen brushed Tianzao twice, and the rest of the village finally assembled, and the long team walked out of the village, followed by family members who came out to see them off.

Li Qingfeng took the lead and ran ahead, while Li Qingwen was walking, when he suddenly thought of something, he turned his horse's head and came back to say goodbye to his parents and sister-in-law.

I have long been used to leaving when I go out, and I forgot for a while, this year my family members are...

Mrs. Chen nodded and waved her hands, thinking in her heart, all good children have run wild here, and the fourth child is fine, and so is the little boy.

After leaving the village for a long time, Li Qingwen and the others finally stopped looking at the road ahead when they saw the people behind them stop.

This time, Jiang Cong was not needed to lead the way. Li Qingwen and Li Qingfeng led the villagers to the front. Since they came here, they had to get familiar with this land sooner or later, and someone would not always be leading the way.

Li Qingwen was very pleasantly surprised to see the small saplings trying to poke their heads out of the snow. The seeds he had sprinkled took root and sprouted when he was not paying attention, and they had grown to such a large size.

He hastened to pass the message back, telling the big guys to keep an eye on the mules and horses, and not to chew on the saplings.

Jiang Liping and Jiang Cong walked side by side. He looked at Li Qingwen's back and said, "When we first went north, Xiao Zier was still like bean sprouts. I was worried that he would not be able to make it halfway. Who would have thought , can stay here for so long."

Compared to three years ago, Li Qingwen was not much taller in stature, and was still so thin, but now no one would doubt him.

This kid is as tough as the seeds he sows.

Jiang Cong looked ahead and didn't speak. They were together almost day and night. He felt that Li Qingwen had changed, and it was the same from the beginning to the end.

Many people who came this time spent the night in the snow for the first time, and they were worried before, but they didn't have to worry about sleeping in the sleeping bags in the tents.

Everything is prepared in advance, and the sleeping bag is not entirely made of leather. The outside is double-layered linen, and the inside is a tube sewn together with various leathers. Although it is a bit heavy, it is airtight and warm inside.

Except for the time when they came out to chop wood, the villagers would not have traveled so far. Most of them were young and middle-aged people, looking around curiously. Of course, at this time, they could only see dead grass that had not been covered by snow.

The manes on the necks of the Yakut wild horses walking ahead were all braided. Needless to say, this was done by the children of the village.

Fearing that they would be cold, the people in the village untie their braids as they walk, wondering why these dishonest monkeys have the patience to fix them?

Almost without stopping, he walked for several days. Li Qingfeng in front suddenly accelerated his speed. Someone stood up on the sledge, looked ahead, and was dumbfounded. After a long time, a broken voice suddenly shouted, "Forest, forest, it's a forest ah!"

With this voice, the people behind also became excited, stood up one after another, looked at the sea of ​​trees that could not be seen in the distance, all stiffened, and murmured: "Okay, so many trees..."

I've never seen a Yedo tree in my life...

People who have been to the birch forest before, when they go back and talk about that place with the villagers, they are all indescribable. Now they see the forest, sea and snow field that can't be seen at a glance, and they are speechless for a long time .

Some of the trees in the world of ice and snow are still green, some are red like fire, some are yellow and orange... They stand straight between the sky and the earth, as if they have lifted a corner of the sky and the earth with their bodies, and they are firmly supported. to this amazing world.