In ancient times, I just wanted to be a salted fish

Chapter 18 Ready to set off

Chen Ruotong planned to redecorate the original Yihong Courtyard and turn it into Zhenpin Pavilion. The silver building had not yet been decided on what kind of business to do, so she rented it out first and took it back when she had time and a suitable business. But the crops cannot wait, and it is already the beginning of April, and it is time to plant. So Chen Ruotong, Qiao Zien, Zhao Bo, Qiao Bo and others took a car out of the city and came to the farm in the western suburbs.

The manor is large and close to the north bank of the Wing Chun River. There are 500 acres of good farmland, and a three-meter-high adobe wall is built around the manor, which has a high safety factor. Two artificial rivers were dug in the manor, directly connected to the Wing Chun River, which is very convenient for irrigating the fields. Two rows of fruit trees are planted on both sides of the artificial river. In autumn, the fruits are ripe and the fragrance spreads ten miles. Between the two artificial rivers, there is a large house with two entrances. The house is very exquisitely built. Although it is not a mansion, it is much better than the two-entry courtyard where Chen Ruotong lives now. It is simply a summer resort.

Chen Ruotong especially likes this place. There are two clear streams, four rows of fruit trees with pink and snow-white flowers blooming, and chirping birds flying among the woods. This place is like a paradise.

The head of the village was a farmer in his early forties. He and his family lived in the west wing at the entrance of the courtyard. The courtyard was kept very clean and tidy, and Chen Ruotong was very satisfied.

Most of the tenants in the village were civilians from outside the village. Those with less land rented land in the village and handed over part of the grain in the autumn harvest. In the past, it was 60% to 40%. Chen Ruotong did not change the rules for the time being and continued to do it as before. She just met with the village head, explained some farming matters, and then went back. She planned to observe for a year first. If she did well, she would continue; if she did not do well, she would be fired and find someone else. Zhao Bo supervised all matters in the village.

After returning home, Qiao Zien asked, "Didn't Brother Guchuan ask me to help with the shop and farm affairs? I seem to be useless and can't get involved!"

Chen Ruotong: This kid is not happy even though he has nothing to do, haha...

"Where? Didn't you come with me to see the farm? You are participating in it! I have an important task for you. Help me draw the decoration plan of Zhenpin Pavilion according to your ideas. If I think there are any changes that need to be made, you can make them. By the way, I forgot to ask you, have the results of the Zhishan Academy exam come out? How are your results?"

"There are thirty people taking the exam for the Tongsheng class, and I'm ranked tenth."

"Oh, that's good, kid. Uh, slip of the tongue, slip of the tongue. I mean, you are amazing. You can get such good grades without the guidance of a famous teacher. You will definitely become the top scorer in the future. I am optimistic about you!"

Qiao Zien shook her head and smiled: "There are so many talented people here. There are always people better than you. I must work hard!"

"So when does school start?"

"School will officially start the day after tomorrow."

"What other school supplies do you need? Tell me and we can buy them together."

"We have everything we need. What you bought last time and what Job bought just now are all enough!"

"Is that bundle of silver enough? Here is a hundred taels of silver for you."

"That's enough. I've only spent twenty taels of the two hundred taels you left me last time."

In the evening, Chen Ruotong entered the space again and checked her own small treasury. She took out her mobile phone and began to calculate. She had spent a lot recently. From the time she traveled to now, she had spent a total of more than 13,000 taels of silver. This number was a bit scary! Now there were only 12,000 taels of silver left. Gold was too eye-catching, and she hadn't spent it yet. She liked the glittering gold. She wanted to keep it and not spend it. She would be happy looking at it every day, so she had to think about making money. She didn't plan to buy other land, so more than 8,000 taels of silver was enough to spend for a while.

The next morning, Chen Ruotong washed up and went to find Qiao Zien, and went with him to the Zhenpin Pavilion to see the architectural layout of the building. Qiao Zien took out rice paper and a thin charcoal stick, moving and stopping, drawing, and after an hour, he had finished drawing the internal architectural layout of the Zhenpin Pavilion.

The two returned home and drew the interior decoration map. Which parts need to be demolished? Which parts need to be renovated? They marked them one by one. Then they took out rice paper to draw the finished picture. The boy looked so cute when he was so serious! Chen Ruotong really wanted to touch his head twice, hahahaha...

Chen Ruotong lay on the table, lazily watching him draw the blueprints. After a while, two blueprints were finished. What is this drawing? Why does it look so familiar? It is a bit similar to modern decoration drawings. The proportions are really good. Were the ancients so good? Chen Ruotong was a little surprised.

"Well, the painting is really good. There is no need to change it. Just decorate it according to your drawing. I have asked Manager Zhang to find masons and carpenters. After I leave, you can ask Qiao Bo to supervise the work in Zhenpin Pavilion, and you can also go to Zhenpin Pavilion to take care of it during your rest time. I think I will be able to come back after the decoration is completed. Thank you for your hard work, brother Zien. I hope it will not interfere with your studies?"

"Of course not. Studying doesn't cost you a lot of time. I will take care of everything at home, so don't worry, Brother Guchuan!" Qiao Zien promised.

On the fifth day of April, Chen Ruotong left Qiao Zien 1,000 taels of silver for decoration and went to the Xinglong Escort Agency on South Street early. It happened that Bai Escort had just returned from a convoy.

"Brother Chen, have you finished your work? Are you planning to go with us this time?"

"That's right, thank you for your help, Brother Bai."

"But this time, we will not pass through Anyang Prefecture. It is still a hundred miles away from Anyang Prefecture. Can you do it alone? I will send two brothers to escort you then."

"Okay, thank you, Brother Bai. When do we set off?"

"We will set off in half an hour. Is your bag ready, Brother Chen?"

Chen Ruotong patted the package and said, "It's ready. I brought enough dry food and water bags."

"That's good. It doesn't matter if it's insufficient. We can resupply when we pass through towns and villages."

Anyang Prefecture is located directly south of Pingyang Prefecture, and the two places are more than 300 miles apart. Although they are all official roads, half of them are mountain roads. The mountain roads are rugged and difficult to walk on, and the convoy moves slowly. It is estimated that it will take five or six days to reach Anyang Prefecture.

They set off at seven in the morning. Chen Ruotong was wearing a grey coarse cloth shorts, and her complexion was a shade darker. After all, boys should also pay attention to safety when they are outside, right? She sat in a shed cart that was pulling goods. The young man driving the cart, Haozi, was a taciturn person, so she gave up the idea of ​​chatting with him.

Fifteen people and five cars drove towards the South Gate. The soldiers guarding the gate all knew Bai Qiang, so they nodded and waved and left the city. No matter where you are, it's easier to get things done if you have acquaintances!

At first, the car was moving very fast because the road was flat and Chen Ruotong felt like she was on a ride, enjoying the scenery along the way. Two hours later, the car started to shake and entered the mountainous area.

At noon, we rested in the valley, drank water and ate dry food. The wheels of the ancient vehicles were covered with a layer of iron sheets, which had poor shock absorption. In addition, the road was uneven, so the vehicle was slow and bumpy. Chen Ruotong felt pain in her waist and buttocks, and her legs were out of control after getting off the vehicle.

It is said that in ancient times, the population of cities was basically stagnant, and just taking a car was a torture, so there was no need to stay at home.