Aunt Fan recognized Qin Fang's voice and opened the door quickly: "Master is here. Oh, Master has caught a lot of prey." There are rabbits and pheasants, but what is this bigger one? Aunt Fan doesn't know.
The servants' yard was closest to the gate. When they heard the noise at the gate, the private guards and their families came out to see what was happening. However, they only looked around the servants' yard and did not go near. Although they did not know the rules of a wealthy family, they still knew some basic common sense, and they did not dare to go near Qin Fang.
This time, Qin Fang went hunting with five private guards early in the morning. After a day in the mountains, they managed to kill four prey: a pheasant, two hares, and a roe deer. In fact, they were lucky because it was the beginning of spring and the prey came out to look for food.
At the border, hunting is good in spring and winter. This is because prey comes out to look for food in spring, but in winter, prey is not very interested in hunting. As long as you find the trace, you can always catch it. However, for me, hunting is still best in spring.
Qin Fang and Kunshi took the four prey to the kitchen, while Huang Huzi and others led the horses to the stable to wash them. Aunt Fan followed behind, looking at the prey, and was already thinking about how to cook the meat in the evening.
When Yang Haiyan and the children heard the noise and went to the kitchen, they saw the prey on the ground and suddenly thought: "Honey, can we catch a living wild rabbit?" Rabbits are multiplying rapidly. If we raise rabbits, will we still worry about having no meat
Qin Fang thought she didn't want a rabbit, and said confidently, "Yes." Whatever she liked, he had to satisfy her.
When Yang Haiyan heard this, she said, "Then you catch a male and a female and let them breed." After breeding, they can be raised and eaten. Yang Haiyan had never thought that rabbits were so cute that they could not be eaten.
Qin Fang was shocked when he heard this. After the Chinese New Year, his wife would be eighteen, and there were still nine months left. She would definitely not be able to wait to give birth to a child. "Okay."
Aunt Fan looked at the four dead prey and asked, "Madam, what should we do with this?"
Yang Haiyan began to arrange the game: "Braise the two rabbits, and stew the pheasant. When stewing the soup, add the dried bamboo shoots, dried fungus, and dried mushrooms."
Aunt Fan responded loudly: "Hey."
Kun Shi swiftly skinned the hare, Aunt Fan took Aunt Yu to pluck the pheasant, and Qin Fang caught the remaining roe deer by himself.
After the game was processed, the private guards who had brushed the horses also came over.
Seeing that the five private guards were all there, Yang Haiyan recalled what happened before and said, "Captain Kun, all of you come here."
Five private guards led by Kun Shi walked up to Yang Haiyan and said, "Hello, Madam."
Yang Haiyan said: "No need to be polite, I mainly want to tell you something. In the past, you didn't have any family around you, and it was inconvenient to cook for yourself, so the mansion always prepared meals for you to send. But now that your families have come, I have decided not to prepare meals for you anymore. But don't worry, the meals will be converted into food and sent to you every month.
According to your appetite, the government will provide you with 40 catties of grain, 40 catties of vegetables, 4 catties of meat, and 10 eggs every month. Starting from April, and for the remaining days in March, each of you will be given a subsidy of 50 coins. What do you think?"
Kun Shi: "I have no objection." This is good. I have a wife at home and I can cook these things myself.
Then, other private guards also said there was no problem.
Yang Haiyan smiled with satisfaction: "Then come and collect next month's food tomorrow morning. Vegetables and meat dishes can be collected every seven days, and grain can be opened all at once." Otherwise, the vegetables and meat dishes would be opened all at once and would go bad.
Kunshi and others: “Yes.”
This dinner was a great pleasure for the master and servants. Especially the family of the private guards, each household received a bowl of braised rabbit meat and a bowl of chicken soup. Although the number of pieces of braised rabbit meat was small, each private guard only had five or six pieces, but the chicken soup was a big bowl, and even if it was just soup, it tasted good. However, for a single private guard, these were enough for one person.
After dinner, the kitchen sent over some roe deer meat, two pounds for each of the five private guards. Qin Fang had brought everyone to hunt together, so naturally he had to share some with them.
Kun Zhang accepted the roe deer meat and asked Kun Shi in confusion, "Why did the kitchen send the meat over?"
Kun Shi remembered that he had not yet mentioned the matter of food distribution mentioned by his wife, so he said: "My wife said that starting from tomorrow, the kitchen will no longer open the door to send us cooked food, and we will be subsidized with 40 catties of food, 40 catties of vegetables, 4 catties of meat dishes, and 10 eggs every month. For the remaining days of this month, we will be subsidized with 50 coins. I think it's good. Since you are here, you can cook these dishes according to your own taste."
A monthly food subsidy of 40 kilograms, plus meat, vegetables and eggs, is indeed very good. Kun Zhang said, "It's better this way."
Kun Shi: "Madam said we can collect it tomorrow morning. The food subsidy is a one-time subsidy, and vegetables and non-vegetarian dishes are collected once every seven days."
Kun Zhang understood: "It's just right to collect it once every seven days, so that the vegetables won't go bad. Then when I have free time, I can go to the mountains to dig wild vegetables and mushrooms. By the way, this afternoon, we went to visit the madam, and the madam asked us what our plans were..." Kun Zhang told her what happened in the afternoon, "What do you think I should do?"
Kun Shi said, "Madam has a dim sum shop. Before Mrs. Han got pregnant, she often went to her dim sum shop to order dim sum, and then took them to the county town to sell. I see that Mrs. Han often goes there to order dim sum, so it should be good. What do you think?"
Others didn't know that Yang Dahua went to Yang Haiyan's dim sum shop to buy dim sum, but Kun Shi knew it. After all, he talked to Qin Fang every day. Once, Han Zhen mentioned that Yang Dahua was pregnant and remembered that Yang Dahua went to the dim sum shop to buy dim sum and sell them in the county town. So he remembered it.
When Kun Zhang heard this, she was a little worried: "Wouldn't this be considered as stealing Mrs. Han's business? If so, that wouldn't be good, after all, she is Mrs. Baifu."
Kun Shi smiled and said, "No. First of all, Mrs. Han is pregnant and can't go to the county town to do business. Secondly, the county town is so big that even if Mrs. Han can go to the county town to do business, as long as you don't do business on the same street, it won't affect her. However, you should visit Mrs. Han tomorrow and listen to her opinion."
Kun Zhang said, "Okay. What if Huang Huzi's family and Meng Ping's family ask about it? What if they know that I went to the county town to sell snacks and ask Madam for approval of snacks?"
Kun Shi: "There's no way to avoid this. Besides, the county is big, so you can just sell them separately. Isn't this a big county, enough for you to do business separately?"
Kun Zhang: "Okay, I know what's going on."
The Kun couple were talking about these things, as were the Meng Ping couple.
In Meng Ping's house, Meng Ping and his wife were in one room, and Meng An and Meng Qiu were in another room. But it was not late at night, and everyone had dinner and sat aside to discuss.
Meng Ping's wife said, "My dear, my wife told us to find a job for ourselves. Meng An said that we can do laundry or collect firewood in the town. Which one do you think is better?"
Meng Ping said, "Let's collect firewood. Sitting on the ground while washing clothes is not good for the waist. Besides, Meng An is a girl. If she has to wash men's clothes, it won't sound good if it gets out. If you three go to collect firewood, it won't ruin Meng An's reputation. Besides, this area is very peaceful and safe."
Meng Ping's wife: "Then I'll listen to you."
Meng An: "I'll listen to you too."
Meng Ping looked at his sister and said, "Little sister, what do you think of Chen Dashi's marriage to Taoshan?" Meng Ping had said this when he brought his sister here, and he had discussed it with his parents before bringing his sister here. He thought that although his sister's reputation was ruined by that beast, she would still have to get married in the future, and they didn't know whether her life would be good or bad after getting married. In this case, it would be better to find someone he was familiar with and thought had good character.
When Meng Ping arrived at the master's place, Chen Dashi and Tao Shan were still unmarried. They were all private guards and served in the army together, so they were sworn brothers. If his sister married one of them, he would be able to take care of her. Besides, being a private guard of the master was better than working in the fields in the countryside. After Meng Ping's parents analyzed the situation, they brought Meng An with them.
Of course, when they brought him here, they had concealed this matter from Meng An. After all, his sister had just experienced such an incident, so she might be quite disgusted with the idea of dating someone else.
Meng An was a smart person. She didn't know about her brother's arrangement before, but now that her brother asked, she knew what he meant. She had met Chen Dashi and Tao Shan before. She didn't know if they were good or bad people, but at least they had a good future as long as they followed Lord Dao. She paused and answered conservatively, "Very good."
Meng Ping thought it was a good idea, "Then I'll introduce you to someone. Which one do you like? Meng An, I'll tell you the truth. That beast has no conscience. You should stop being mean to him. Like Chen Dashi and Tao Shan, they are all loyal to you, and we will be fine if you are fine in the future. Besides, they have a monthly allowance of 300 coins, and they eat at the mansion. We can save this money every month, and our life will definitely be good in the future. When I brought you here, I told my parents about this, and they also thought it was a good idea. What do you think?"
Meng An naturally did not have a passionate love for her previous fiancé. They were engaged, and women in ancient times were conservative and loyal, so she had never been with other men. She had once wholeheartedly wanted to marry her fiancé, have children, and live a good life.
But the man betrayed her in a blink of an eye, so she naturally didn't care. She was also very clear-headed. She couldn't be an old maid for the rest of her life. She would get married and have children in the future, so she didn't reject the idea of looking for a partner. Now her brother asked her about the other two private guards, and she thought they were not bad. Living in such a small courtyard, the men had decent jobs, and she could find a job for herself, and if something happened, her brother would take care of her.
After understanding, Meng An nodded: "I think Chen Dashi is a good guy." Because Chen Dashi is a little older than Tao Shan.
Meng Ping was very satisfied when he heard this: "Then I'll say hello to Chen Dashi and see what he thinks. If he likes you, I'll make the decision and let you get married."
Meng An blushed: "Listen to my brother."
Meng Ping went out happily, planning to talk to Chen Dashi about this matter.
Chen Dashi finished six pieces of braised rabbit meat and a big bowl of chicken soup. He was full. Chicken soup is very filling. Then he sat on the stool and thought about tomorrow's meals. His wife said that he would have to take care of his own meals from tomorrow. Although the kitchen had distributed food, he didn't cook. What should he do
Chen Dashi was just feeling worried when Meng Ping came. "Brother Meng." Meng Ping was older than Chen Dashi. When Chen Dashi came to serve in the army, he was only fifteen years old, but he is twenty-one this year.
Meng Ping chuckled and said, "Dashi, we are so familiar with each other now. We have known each other for five years. I won't keep you in suspense any more. Just answer my questions honestly."
Chen Dashi was shocked. What happened? "Brother Meng, tell me."
Meng Ping: "Dashi, has your family found a wife?"
Chen Dashi was very depressed: "This time when I went there, my family did look at me, but they didn't like me. When they heard that I was still at the border, they thought I could become a widow at any time, and they didn't want to follow me all the way to the border." This was the truth. Of course, he didn't say that he was with a captain of the seventh rank, but only said that he found a job at the border, and if they got married, the other party would have to go to the border with him.
For someone like Meng Ping who is willing to leave his parents behind to come to the border, there must be more than one son in his family, so he can rest assured. Of course, it's not just Meng Ping, other private guards have more than one son in their families, otherwise who would bear to leave their parents alone? Besides, if there is only one son in the family, the parents would not have the heart to let them serve in the army, even if they have to borrow money, they would use the money to buy a place to serve in the army. A son is the root of life.
Meng Ping listened and asked directly: "What do you think of my sister?"
Chen Dashi was stunned at first, but then he understood what Meng Ping meant. He and Meng Ping were all private soldiers of the master, and the five of them had a good relationship. After all, before becoming the master's private soldiers, they were all soldiers in the barracks and in the same team. So after becoming the master's private soldiers, their relationship became even closer.
He had also met Meng An when she came. She looked quiet and virtuous, and was very suitable to be a wife. However, Chen Dashi treated Meng An as a sister, after all, she was Meng Ping's sister, so at that time, he didn't think much of her.
Now that Meng Ping asked him this, he smiled and said, "It's good." Knowing what Meng Ping meant, his answer was naturally not the way a brother looks at his sister, but the way a man looks at a woman. In addition, everyone has a wife, except him, and he is old enough, so he feels good. With a wife, he doesn't have to wash his clothes, the bed is warm, and he doesn't have to cook for himself, which is good.
Meng Ping was also happy when he heard this. Meng An was his sister, and he was naturally happy that someone liked her. However, "I want to tell you about Meng An..." Then, Meng Ping talked about Meng An's previous marriage. While talking, he also carefully observed Chen Dashi's expression. If the other party showed a hint of disdain, then there was no need to talk about it.
However, after he finished speaking, Chen Dashi did not show any disdain, but said: "This has nothing to do with Meng An, it's that person's fault." Chen Dashi really didn't think it was a big deal. After all, when he went home in March, he also met a date and was also disliked, so he didn't think he had the qualifications to dislike Meng An. Moreover, Meng Ping's family was far away from his hometown, and the news about Meng An would not be spread to his hometown.
Besides, he felt that a person's character was more important than his reputation. "Brother Meng, I don't care. I think Miss Meng An is pretty good." So, when will they get married? He was eager to get married.
Meng Ping didn't know Chen Dashi's eagerness: "Then I will introduce you to each other formally, and then you can see for yourself?"
Chen Dashi: “Okay.”
Main Courtyard
Yang Haiyan wiped the mucus off her body with a wet towel. Ever since he knew her skills, Qin Fang had become a bit wild, and would always grab her body for this and that. For example, today, although he didn't drink deer penis wine, this man was particularly excited.
After she wiped it clean, she held it out in front of Qin Fang and said, "Look, it's all red." She felt like her skin was about to break.
Qin Fang grabbed her lips and rubbed them gently: "My fault."
Yang Haiyan didn't like him admitting his mistakes. He was always very active in admitting his mistakes, but he would forget about it the next moment.
Qin Fang ignored her murderous eyes, gently massaged her lips, and said aggrievedly: "You have to have some pity on me, too." He was a normal man, a 21-year-old man, and it was hard for him to hold it in every day.
Yang Haiyan snorted. She had to admit that she was very grateful for Qin Fang's patience. Some men said nice things like "I don't like you" but turned around and tried every means to "I like you". "By the way, I asked Uncle Hong to go to a nearby village to buy land today. I bought ten acres of medium-sized land."
Qin Fang massaged her movements and asked, "Buy so much?"
Yang Haiyan explained: "Well, I plan to grow some vegetables, and then raise some pigs, chickens and ducks. I was originally in the field, and the food for the private guards had to be subsidized, and the family also had expenses. In the long run, it is more cost-effective to buy land and grow crops by myself. In addition, the private guards' families have come, and if they can't find a job, it will also be a burden for the private guards. Although this has nothing to do with us, it will also affect the private guards. So I thought that I bought the land, and I would have to hire people anyway, so I would arrange the private guards' families to work on the land." She came up with this idea when she asked Uncle Hong to arrange to buy land. In the afternoon, she heard those families say that they all worked in the fields, and she felt that this arrangement was very appropriate.
Ten mu of land was given to the private guards to farm with their families, and usually the private guards' families were asked to guard the fields. Of course, a yard was also built in the field for living. Especially for the female family members, raising pigs, chickens and ducks would be even more profitable. Although at the end of the year, plus food and monthly allowance, three families would have to spend at least six taels of silver. But at the same time, each private guard could save the two hundred coins of food subsidy per month, and the extra vegetables, chickens, ducks and pigs could be used to buy. In short, it was still a steady profit at the end of the year.
Of course, these were just her plans, and she did not disclose them to her family and family members, because she wanted to observe the character of these people first. Although they were just people who looked after the crops, the character of these people was not that important, and she did not want to hire people with bad character.
Qin Fang listened to Yang Haiyan's detailed arrangements, and then... fell asleep.
When Yang Haiyan heard his snoring, she wanted to pinch his muscles, but she couldn't bear to do so, after all, he and his private guards had been hunting in the mountains for a whole day and were very tired.
the next day
The next morning, Aunt Fan and Aunt Yu came to buy groceries. After a while, Kun Shi and five other private guards went to the kitchen to collect food for April.
Aunt Fan said, "The 40 kilograms of food per person is collected at one time, and the remaining vegetables are collected on the first, eighth, fifteenth, and twenty-second day of each month. If you collect it this time, you have to wait until the eighth day to collect it."
Kunshi and others said, "Understood."
Aunt Fan continued, "The 40 catties of food are 5 catties of rice, 15 catties of brown rice, 10 catties of sweet potatoes, and 10 catties of potatoes. The 10 catties of vegetables include green vegetables, lettuce, wild rice stems, and cabbage. The 1 catty of meat is spare ribs, and there are 10 eggs every month. In addition, the madam said that for the remaining days of this month, a subsidy of 50 cents will be given. You all check and sign here if there is no problem."
The private guards checked it, took out fifty coins, and left the yard with their own food.
The family members were waiting at the gate of the yard to see what they could get today. When they saw the private guards coming, they all stepped forward.
Meng Ping's wife's machine-gun voice was the fastest to speak: "What did you get?"
Meng Ping said: "There are rice and eggs."
Meng Ping's wife: "Oh, let's make soup with the ribs first, and marinate the two pounds of meat we got last night."
Meng Ping: "I'll listen to you."
Chen Dashi heard the arrangement of Meng Ping's wife and thought that there was no one to cook for him, so his eyes shifted and shifted to Meng An. Meng An was also secretly looking at Chen Dashi. Last night, her brother came and told her about Chen Dashi's opinion, so she secretly looked at him. As a result, their eyes met.
Meng An blushed and quickly looked away. Chen Dashi, a rough man, also blushed and felt a little embarrassed. However, he walked up to Meng An with courage and asked, "Do you like eggs?"
Meng An said in a subtle way that she didn't like it. Who doesn't like to eat eggs? She nodded: "Yeah."
Chen Dashi blushed and said, "I also have eggs, I'll give them to you to replenish your body."
Meng An shook his head: "You can nourish your body yourself. I don't need any. My eldest brother at home also has eggs."
Chen Dashi said, "I don't know how to cook. If I leave it alone, the eggs might go bad."
Meng An laughed: "There's nothing wrong with eggs. Just boil them in water. They're very easy to cook."
Chen Dashi took the opportunity to say, "I'm really sorry, then... can you help me cook it? I have so much here, if no one cooks it, it will definitely go bad."
Meng An's face turned even redder: "Then I'll go over and help you make lunch later."
Chen Dashi grinned: "Okay."
After Yang Haiyan had a good breakfast, she and Qin Fang took Qin Siya and Qin Shoucheng to Lu's house. The private school that Qin Shoucheng was going to was the same private school that Lu Dawei was studying in, and Yang Haiyan asked them to get familiar with it first.