Bianshanhan [farming]

The wind direction in the border town can change, so the setting of the windmill is very special. Walls are built on both sides of the fan blades to block the wind blowing from other directions. Only the north wind can pass through, agitating the wooden fan blades and driving the rotating shaft in the middle.

The wind does not stop, the mill keeps turning, and there are always people in the mill. The common people and officers and soldiers share it, and there is mutual humility.

A group of big dogs came to the mill with a sledge cart loaded with several sacks of millet.

Because it was not far away, Li Qingwen didn't have a horse, and these dogs jumped up and down every day, just to dissipate their energy.

As soon as he arrived, the people in the kitchen came out to help carry the sacks off the car.

The Chinese New Year is coming, and every household will sprinkle rice cakes. Li Qingwen asked his mother to soak the beans, and prepared to steam a few pots of bean buns for a try.

Because the people in the kitchen followed the officers and soldiers to the new city, although it was not as far as a few miles, it was indeed not easy to meet Li Qingwen and the others, and they finally bumped into each other, so naturally they kept talking happily.

The stone mill is constantly moving, and there is a wooden funnel above the mill. The grain in the funnel is sprinkled down and into the hole in the middle of the graphite. The stone mill rotates, and the ground flour flows from the mouth on the side to the dustpan below.

It took a lot of effort to build the mill, but after it was completed, everyone praised it. Not only did the animals save labor, but people didn't have to suffer from the cold in the house, just looking at the rice and noodles.

A few people in the kitchen will be able to go home next year, but they want to stay in the border town, not because they have too much affection for this place, but because they want to earn some money.

In the past few years, they have seen the people outside the city getting better and better. Of course, they know that it is because of the rich products in the border town. If they want to go back and knock on the few acres of land at home, it is really better to spend two years here in the border town.

The people in the kitchen have a good relationship with the Li family, and they can take care of each other with the villagers if they stay.

There are many people who have such thoughts like them.

The imperial court suddenly imposed martial law on this vast and boundless forest, and did not allow people from Daliang who went north to dig ginseng to enter the forest casually, nor did they allow Puju people to approach. Except for those from the Chatu tribe, only the people in the border towns can go in to pick fruits and medicines. .

In other words, staying in the border town is the only chance to enter the forest, and it is not certain whether this opportunity will be available again in the future.

With the help of the kitchen staff, the millet was ground twice to make the yellow noodles fine, and they were put back into the sack.

Although Li Qingwen wanted to help them grind for a while, he was pushed out by the kitchen staff.

Although there are no red kidney beans, they have peas here. Cook the peas, mix them with sugar, mash them into bean paste, add water to the yellow noodles, knead them into a dough, and wrap the bean filling into a soybean bun.

In addition to pure bean filling, you can also add some preserved fruits and nuts to it, so that the taste is richer, and it is best used to coax children.

In order to distinguish these bean buns with different fillings, some markings are usually made, such as different sizes, or two eyes are poked on the bean buns, otherwise the skin monkeys at home will not be able to eat the stuffing they want. Secretly break open all the bean buns and have a look.

It turned out that the long winter in the border town was the children's favorite time. Although it was cold, they didn't have to work, they could play in the snow, and there was so much food to eat. They wished it would be winter all year round.

Since the school opened in the village, winter is the best time to study. The wild children were detained so hard that they pretended to be sick every day, trying to escape from the classroom.

Li Zhengliang is the one who can pretend best. After winter, every day is either this pain or that pain, and even because he doesn't want to go to school, he even goes to the Zhang family's mourning hall, which is really ridiculous.

Li Zhengming also thinks that studying is hard, but he is an honest boy. Apart from the difficulty of getting up in the morning and getting dressed, he is not lazy in studying.

The back room was steaming bean buns, Li Zhengyan's fleshy face was pressed against Li Qingwen's hand, and they discussed: "Uncle, can I help my elder brother study, he is really uncomfortable."

Li Qingwen picked her up, "Why didn't you tell your father about this?"

The sensible Li Zhengyan had already told his father about this, but Li Qingrui didn't agree, the little girl was helping the elder brother.

Unfortunately, Li Qingwen couldn't help with this matter.

Steamed bean buns at home, Li Qingwen went to Xincheng to find Jiang Cong for dinner.

The inner city of Xincheng is full of blue bricks and red tiles. It looks colder than the yellow earth walls in winter. The main street is very lively, the snow has been swept clean, and the shops on both sides of the road are open. The hot ones must be selling food.

More than half of this shop is run by family members of exiles, and food is available from all over the world. There is a bun shop that is quite famous. Li Qingwen has eaten buns stuffed with dried plums and vegetables, and they are delicious.

There is a wine shop here, which is opened by Li Maoqun, and the business is booming.

Different from the shabby ones in the past, the yamen at the end of the main street is very tall and spacious. It not only handles the daily defense of the border town, but also accepts the official errands and exiles who have just arrived in the border town.

Today, there are vigorous and resolute actions. After ascending to the throne, many beheaded and even more exiled. Up to now, there are thousands of exiles in the border town, and the management is more cumbersome.

From the outside, the yamen looks mighty. In fact, only the front area can bluff people. The general mansion behind has not been built yet, and it is still a bleak open space. Since Lin Tan left, there are no generals in the border town, so the general mansion is naturally too. No rush.

There are only a few months in a year when the ground can be broken, but in those months, there are both farming and fortifications, and they are extremely busy. In comparison, the outer city is more important than the general's mansion.

Of course, if the time is squeezed, the project can still be completed, but because everyone was frightened by hunger in the cold weather, now they are more willing to cultivate land. After all, the house is poor enough to live in, and the lack of food is terrible.

As soon as Li Qingwen arrived, the officers and soldiers outside the yamen saw it. They all knew Li Qingwen and asked with a smile if they were looking for Mr. Jiang. Li Qingwen went in without their notification.

Jiang Cong was talking to Zhou Fengnian. Li Qingwen originally wanted to wait outside, but Jiang Cong pulled him in and put the hot tea in front of Li Qingwen.

After speaking, Li Qingwen greeted Zhou Fengnian in a tone of voice, and asked him if he would eat bean buns, which were just baked at home.

Zhou Fengnian just didn't know what to eat, so he went with Jiang Cong and Li Qingwen when he heard the words. Not only did he come by himself, he also brought Zhou Congxin and Zhou Congwang with him.

When he came out, Li Qingwen called Chen Wen, and when he got home, he went to the camp to find Jiang Liping and Fang's family.

The bean buns are sticky, the stuffing is sweet, just eat a few with some pickles and you will be full. At noon, everyone didn’t drink, so they ate up a few pots of bean buns and left with a full belch.

After eating, Li Qingwen took a basket of frozen semi-hard bean buns to his sister's house, and Jiang Cong followed him after eating.

The afternoon in the border town was short, and it was dark after more than an hour after eating. The two delivered the bean buns, talked for a while, and were forced to stay for a meal, and did not escape until dark.

Because of the steamed bean buns, the kangs in the east and west houses were scorching hot. Li Qingwen took his two nephews to sleep in the camp. Of course, Jiang Cong didn't go to Xincheng to stay here at night.

It was late at night, Li Zhengliang and his brother slept in a mess, and the two of them in the bed next to them had their mouths glued to each other. Li Qingwen listened to the surrounding movement with his ears up, his mouth was swollen, and his heart was pounding.

Every time at this time, Li Qingwen was eager to let the two of them be fair, at least let Jiang Cong pass the light at home, but this time it was Jiang Cong who was not in a hurry, and persuaded him to wait until he finished reading the book and not to be distracted at this time .

Li Qingwen was a little puzzled. Everyone seemed to be in no hurry when he came back this time. The parents who urged him to get married and have children changed their tone and didn't mention his marriage. Think long term...

After thinking about it, let's let the family have a good year, after all, there are still a few days left, Li Qingwen thought, let's not mention this year for now.

Having learned the lesson from last time, this time the two covered their heads and moved their hands and feet in the bed until the cock crowed. Li Qingwen didn't leave any marks on his mouth, but he was too tired to open his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

On the second day, Li Zhengliang told Li Zhengming, "I can no longer sleep next to my uncle in the future. It's too dishonest. I was kicked by him a lot. If I wasn't too sleepy, I would want to move the bed."

Li Zhengming washed his face while yawning. He slept next to his brother, but he didn't feel anything.

At this moment, Li Qingwen was still sleeping, so he didn't hear the conversation between the two nephews, otherwise he would have to blush again.

After steaming bean buns, steaming steamed buns, making tofu, and making vermicelli, it’s the Chinese New Year in the busy schedule.

The firecrackers made a lot of noise in the fire, and the louder it was, the better the next year. Every family's yard was ringing non-stop.

Children who love to play are very happy. There are also big dogs, whose ears are pricked up in fright at first, and then run around excitedly when they hear the movement. Mules and horses are not easy to be frightened by this. There are dozens of mares carrying foals, and the mother and child are as precious as eyeballs, so they all stay away from the stables.

The end of the year is busy, the end of the year is busy, until the day of the new year, there will never be an end to life.

Mrs. Chen finally had time to sit on the kang. In the evening, when the time came, Li Qingwen followed his father and elder brother with thick paper money and went to the southeast to burn it.

This direction includes not only the hometown of Bingzhou, but also the new cemetery and ancestral hall in the border town.

There are not a few people who worship ancestors. In the cold wind, sheets of paper money that have not yet been burned are blown everywhere. This is the living children and grandchildren's yearning for the dead ancestors, and the hometown nostalgia.

After burning the paper money, Li Qingwen went back to kowtow to his parents sitting on the kang. Li Qingfeng, his two nephews and others only kowtowed three times, and Li Qingwen kowtowed six.

Jiang smiled and said: "Our son is really filial. We didn't come back last year, but we made up for it together this year."

Li Qingwen then knocked a few more times, Chen couldn't bear it anymore, quickly helped his youngest son up, and said angrily: "Why are you still knocking endlessly?"

"I did it for my brother." Li Qingwen said with a smile, "Uncle Jiang agreed to send my brother to our house. He is still busy, so I knocked this end."

Chen's smiling eyes narrowed, "If this is the case, let alone kowtow, we picked up such a big son for nothing, it's not enough to take advantage of it."

There are new clothes for the new year, and the Chen family also made them for Jiang Cong. Even if Li Qingwen didn't kowtow, these clothes are indispensable.

The officers and soldiers also had a New Year's Eve dinner, but that meal started in the afternoon. Jiang Cong and Zhou Fengnian ate some with the officers and soldiers, and then they had to go out to inspect after eating.

It is still the old rules of the past. The more special the day, the more important it is to patrol and defend.

Although they were both in the border town, Li Qingwen couldn't spend New Year's Eve with Jiang Cong. Moreover, when Li Qingwen, Qi Min and others returned to the capital after the New Year, Jiang Cong still had no time to see them off.

After the new year, he had to go back to the capital to wait for the results of the provincial examination, so Li Qingwen had to leave early.

This trip to the capital was a big battle, not only because of the large number of people, but also because they brought a lot of goods, all kinds of dry goods, sugar, herbs, vermicelli and wine picked last autumn...

Except for the pregnant mare and foal, almost all the horses of the Li family were dispatched. When they set off, it could be said that there was a lot of momentum.