The next day, at dawn, Rong Xi got up and jogged slowly in the courtyard with the bag tied up.
Liu Zishi was squatting and practicing martial arts in the courtyard.
By the beginning of the hour of Chen. There was still no sign of activity from the Chen family’s servants. Rong Xi instructed Liu and his grandson to go and inquire.
After a while, Liu He returned and sighed: “The guests have gone.”
Rong Xi was stunned for a moment, then nodded with a smile and asked, “Is the hot water ready?”
After he exercised, he needed to take a shower. Liu He knew this and had already prepared hot water and said, “Young master, you can go into the house and take a bath. I’ll go to the kitchen.”
As he had been with Rong Xi for a long time, Liu Zishi, being close to him, imitated everything Rong Xi did. Rong Xi treated him with tolerance and warmth, and as a close attendant, he had to be well-groomed. Thus, Liu Zishi, being young, bathed daily and changed his clothes diligently.
Liu He was happy to see this.
After breakfast, Rong Xi taught Liu Zishi to practice calligraphy for an hour, then sent him out to invite Jiang Weiping and Hu Yulin.
Liu Zishi had no place to exert his energy, and he ran out of the house as excited as a bird in a cage.
Linxi Town was not far from the county, and Liu Zishi was also fast on his feet. Jiang Weiping and Hu Yulin were at home, so they were invited to take an oxcart together.
“Just now on the way, I heard Zishi mention that a new iron pot was used yesterday, and the dishes cooked were as heavenly as they come. Stir-fried shredded pork and cucumber with scrambled eggs are unheard of, so today I must taste this divine flavor.”
The words came before Hu Yulin entered the main hall.
Rong Xi stood up to greet him, took his seat, and said with a smile, “My two brothers have come to see me. I am very happy.”
After the tea had been halfway drunk, Rong Xi suddenly asked, “Some household items are damaged. I intend to find a carpenter to make new ones. Both of you brothers have seen much and know a lot. Do you know any skilled craftsmen?”
Hu Yulin knew a lot about Mengshan County. Hearing this, he said: “There are many carpenters’ shops in the city. In terms of reputation, it should be the Cui family; in terms of novelty, it should be the Feng family. The rest are not as good as them.”
After he finished speaking, Jiang Weiping nodded in agreement, “Brother Rong has a lot of ingenuity, and he may be more in tune with the Feng.”
Rong Xi smiled and replied: “Thank you, two brothers, for your advice. Then it will be Feng.”
“When will you leave? I’ll send someone to pick you up.” Seeing that Rong Xi didn’t have an ox cart, Hu Yulin expressed his feelings.
Rong Xi did not refuse, “Thank you very much, Brother Hu. I would like to go there the day after tomorrow.”
“That’s good.” Hu Yulin’s smile became even brighter, and his eyes narrowed, “Do you know what the situation is like with the honeycomb briquettes now?”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Qlatbea kjlalcu obg Ebcu Wl’r jcrkfg, Le Teilc mbcalcefv ab ijeut jcv rjlv: “Ciatbeut atf qglmf lr cba ibk, atfgf jgf wjcs kfjiats tberftbivr lc atf mlas ktb yes la. Pa tjr yfmbwf qbqeijg lc atf mlas. Pc alwf, la klii vfolclafis yfmbwf qbqeijg lc Hlcuhtbe.”
Dfsbcv Hlcuhtbe, atfgf kjr j ygbjvfg kbgiv.
Hu Yulin had always had great ambitions. Now that new briquettes and new coal stoves had appeared and were popular among people, Hu’s name had been spread by word of mouth and should be known to more people.
All this was thanks to Rong Xi.
In order to expand the industry, the Hu family and the Jiang family conspired, and many blacksmiths gathered, working day and night to forge iron, creating a scene of prosperity and vigor.
“That’s very good.” Rong Xi stood up. “Both of you brothers work day and night tirelessly, while I have no special skills. I can only cook and entertain you both as a token of gratitude.”
Jiang Weiping and Hu Yulin were curious about frying, so they went to the kitchen together.
The ingredients were already prepared. Rong Xi rolled up his sleeves and raised the knife in his hand. The sound of the knife hitting the cutting board was very rhythmic. The two of them watched in stunned silence, exclaiming in their hearts that my brother is so talented!
When it came time to stir-fry, Jiang Weifang knew the usefulness of the thin pot, and he was both proud and moved. If the skill of iron smelting improved, common people would be able to use more iron tools, and every household would be able to use a thin iron pot.
Many households did not have iron pots available.
With a myriad of thoughts swirling in his mind, he suddenly sensed an overwhelmingly dominant flavor assaulting his senses, piercing into his nostrils and striking his consciousness.
His index finger involuntarily tightened around the edge of his garment as he turned to look at Hu Yulin. Yet, Hu Yulin was already lost in a trance, as if wandering in a celestial realm.
As the dishes were served, the two of them disregarded their manners and directly picked up food with their chopsticks, placing it in their mouths. The entirely different taste quickly won them over, and they both eagerly indulged, their chopsticks moving in harmony, their cheeks bulging with delight, and their expressions showing extreme pleasure and satisfaction.
After finishing their meal, Jiang Weiping and Hu Yulin leaned on their canes and walked slowly, their bellies swollen like hills.
Rong Xi took the drawings from the study and handed them to Hu Yulin.
Holding a stack of paper in his hand, Hu Yulin took a closer look and said, “Brother Rong, what are these?”
On the drawings, various strange and weird shapes came into view. Jiang Weiping leaned closer and looked at them with a look of surprise.
“Brother Rong, I have never seen these, how did you know about them?”
Rong Xi said with a smile: “There are many traders in Shengjing, some as far away as the Western Regions and Dashi, some from the East China Sea, and many traveling to and from the southern border.”
Before he finished speaking, the two of them understood. Perhaps these were all obtained from the mouths of the merchants.
“Brother Hu has many connections. If you find these things, please buy them. I will return the money in full.”
Hu Yulin shook his head quickly and said, “Leave these small things to me. There is no need to talk about money.”
Rong Xi no longer insisted. Anyway, the way to repay was not just money.
On the day after tomorrow, during the mao hour, Hu family’s ox cart arrived in front of the house. The servant respectfully welcomed Rong Xi into the carriage, and Liu Zishi went in with him.
After Rong Xi arrived in the Wei Dynasty, he only went out once to the coal field to see Hu Yulin.
Behind the scenes, Liu He praised Rong Xi for his calm temperament, believing he could achieve great things. Little did he know, Rong Xi merely enjoyed staying at home.
About half an hour later, the ox cart passed through the flat official road and arrived at Mengshan County.
Mengshan was poor, and the city wall was made of loess. It was not stable, but it could withstand wind and rain.
After the city gate guards had inspected and confirmed, they allowed passage.
Compared with Linxi Town, Mengshan County was much more lively. The vendors were hawking, the pickers were shouting, and people were coming and going in the market.
“Young master Rong, just past the next alley, you’d find Feng’s carpentry shop around the bend.” The servant said and shouted to the strong ox to move forward.
“Thank you.” Rong Xi opened the curtain and saw the commotion on the street, which was quite interesting.
Liu Zishi felt stuffy in the carriage, so he had already sat side by side with the servant in front of the curtain, watching curiously.
“Young master, there’s a monkey show there. It looks fun!”
The carriage was already a hundred meters away, and the young Liu reluctantly turned around.
When they arrived at Feng’s carpenter’s shop, the carriage stopped, and Rong Xi got out of the carriage. He looked up and saw the deserted shop. He didn’t take it too seriously and went straight in.
In the hall, a young man was bending his head to pick wood, sawdust flying from his fingertips, and in the blink of an eye, he pulled out a carved plum blossom.
Seeing that the young man ignored him, Hu family’s servant was about to step forward to ask, but was stopped by Rong Xi. Rong Xi did not speak out until the young man finished his work.
“I’m interested in ordering custom wooden furniture, but I’m unsure of the process for scheduling an appointment.”
The young man blew on the carving, raised his head, looked at him, and asked perfunctorily: “What do you want to order?”
Rong Xi motioned to Liu Zishi.
Liu Zishi took out a few drawings from his arms and handed them to the young man, “Take a look.”
The young man was somewhat surprised; he rarely encountered customers who brought their own drawings. Most people usually just describe what they want.
He unfolded the yellowed paper and saw sketches of peculiar objects he had never seen before. Suddenly, his interest was piqued, and his plain expression seemed to be infused with color, instantly becoming lively and animated.
“Please wait a moment, I’ll be right back.”
After he finished speaking, he took the paper into the back hall and placed the drawing in front of a middle-aged man who carved wood.
“Father! Look!”
The man paused and was silent for a moment, then suddenly stood up and said, “I’ll go to the front hall to meet him.”
The young man followed him back to the front hall.
The man showed the paper and asked with a smile: “I wonder who drew these drawings?”
The Feng family was renowned for novelty, yet they were surprised by the unfamiliar objects on the paper, which they had never encountered before. Intrigued, he dared to ask about them.
“These are my drawings,” Rongxi said calmly. “If Master Feng is willing to make an appointment, we can discuss further while examining the sketches.”
“Young sir, you’re quite talented,” Feng Shan said warmly, instructing the young man, “Quickly go and fetch paper and pen.”
When the pen and paper arrived, the contract was done.
“I want to choose wood, can Master Feng be willing to guide me?” Rong Xi signed and asked.
Feng Shan naturally had no objection.
Hu’s servant and Liu Zishi were ordered to wait outside, while Rong Xi and Feng Shan went into the backyard to select wood.
There were only a few samples in the courtyard, so Rong Xi casually scanned them and made his selection. Seeing Feng Shan was about to send him away, he took out the ring-shaped jade pendant from his arms, which glowed brightly in the sun.
“Can Master Feng recognize this thing?”
When Feng Shan saw this, his eyes widened instantly, with a look of shock on his face.
The author has something to say:
Rong Xi is an otaku (*^▽^*)
Thanks for the chapter!
Same dalang, same 😂🖐🏻
Cute boy
Thank you for your translation 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙
Mao o’clock => Rabbit hour
I think this part is about the Chinese hours. Mao shi is 5:00 – 7:00.
Thanks for the chapter.
Thank you. I will add this note.