Groups of dragonflies were flying close to the ground, or circling around the pond. Occasionally, they would touch the surface of the water, and when circles of ripples appeared in the pond, they would nimbly circle around a lotus leaf and fly away without a trace.
The dry sand ground was emitting heat, making people feel absent-minded. The sound of cicadas kept buzzing. Weiwei curled up the leaves that were covered with a layer of soil. Some insects living on the leaves were afraid of heat, so they spat out countless bubbles to wrap themselves in them.
The old yellow dog stretched out its tongue and ran to the water basin to lick it a few times. Then it hid under the big locust tree and lay down in the short shadow. It stretched its paws forward, put its head on them, and squinted its eyes. Occasionally, it would look at the unscrupulous chickens in front of it.
The fat house cat jumped to the window and curled itself into a ball. Even when the door was opened, it still did not move. The little swallow followed its parents out to look for food. It ate dragonflies and the insects that dragonflies ate.
The old yellow dog stood firmly in the circle and looked at the things around it blankly, as if it was recalling the road it had walked. Only its tail kept swinging to drive away the mosquitoes and flies that wanted to come and take advantage of it.
Along with the ringing of the bell, it was time for the children who had been studying for three and a half hours to rest. There was still three and a half hours before lunch, but the children had already sat in their seats and waited. After a while, someone brought them food.
A small bowl of goat's milk exuded the smell of food. There were two vegetable buns on the plate and a fried yellow poached egg. This was their lunch break. Originally, they had to do exercises during the break. Later, they found that they were helping at home, playing in the mountains, and swimming in the water, so this was removed.
Before eating, the Headmaster admonished, "One meal after another, think about how hard it is to come by."
The children promised in unison that they would study hard in the future and repay the Headmaster. Then they began to eat. The Headmaster smiled and nodded at the side, reading a book in his hand. Occasionally, he would drink the green bean soup provided by the Headmaster to cool down.
In the swimming pool in the courtyard of the Zhang family, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were lying in it. Their faces were covered with a lotus leaf. Pomegranate, who had finished her work, found a small bench and sat aside to watch. She held a book in her hand and occasionally yawned. These days, she had been thinking about how to plant mushrooms. She was exhausted, but there was no progress.
"Xiaobao, do you think my family will be able to get some rewards this time? For example, like your family, you can get some food or something, and you can also relax quickly. "
Wang Juan's voice came from under a lotus leaf. After waiting for a few seconds and seeing that Zhang Xiaobao did not respond, she reached out and touched him. Zhang Xiaobao's body immediately sank into the water. Seeing that the water was about to enter his mouth, he quickly moved and lay down again. Unexpectedly, he fell asleep.
Wang Juan had no choice but to repeat her words.
"Oh, you ask about this? It should be. After all, those grains and poultry were in the name of the Zhang Family and Wang Family. After so much effort, there should be something in return. The imperial court can't disappoint the people.
I just had a dream. In the dream, the six ponds here are all connected together. There are several small bridges in the manor, and there are people rocking boats in the water. They are humming tunes while picking lotus seeds in the ponds. There are many small fish swimming and frolicking in the clear water. "
As Zhang Xiaobao spoke, his two legs gently kicked, and his body moved to the shore. He pulled a wooden boat under the shade into the water and pushed it towards Wang Juan. There were snacks and fruit juice on the boat, but for fear of diarrhea, they did not dare to be cold.
Wang Juan took a sip of fruit juice and smacked her lips. "Then we should design the waterway well. It should be high and low. It's best to directly connect the small rivers in front of the door to the ponds. The water should follow the order, starting from the first pond and ending at the sixth pond, just right to flow into the big river.
Remember to pull the net, otherwise the fish will run away. We should also do a winding river. Along the small rivers, build a wooden corridor, and plant some trees in the open space on both sides. It's picturesque from afar and secluded near. As long as we don't occupy fertile land, no one will care. Even in winter, we can drink wine and enjoy the snow. "
"Yes, we can enjoy the flowers in summer." Zhang Xiaobao echoed.
"Get down." Wang Juan reached out and pressed Zhang Xiaobao down.
*****
At noon, the weather was getting hotter. Some people who had nothing to do spontaneously set up stalls by the small bridge. Today's new price had not been announced. Everything was according to last night's price. No one dared to break this rule, otherwise they would be chased out.
Ergou hurriedly ate something and was busy again. He checked which stall was selling good food, whether the meat was fresh, and whether the food at the snack stall was spoiled. Did they wash their hands when they made the food? He collected the rent from yesterday. After all, they hadn't sold anything today.
At the same time, he told a few stall owners that they had left too many dirty things behind when they left last night. He asked them to pay attention today and chat with familiar people. If a family's child could walk, and if a family's pig did not eat, they should go to the tea shop to drink a bowl of tea. When the owner pushed them, they should leave a small bag of salt as the payment for the tea.
The number of people eating in the restaurant Between the Clouds and the Water also increased. After Li Cheng looked around for the owner's family but to no avail, he took the Rubik's Cube and came here for lunch. He went up to the second floor, casually ordered a few dishes and iced wine, and asked the waiter to accompany him.
The waiter naturally did not dare to refuse. He stood aside and poured wine for Li Cheng. In his heart, he silently said what could be said and what could not be said.
"Waiter, let me ask you, are you a local?" Li Cheng took a sip of wine and a bite of food. He put down his chopsticks and turned to ask the waiter.
"In answer to your question, I am a local. My family is in Zhuangzi. Including me, it has been three generations." The waiter said respectfully as he filled Li Cheng's wine glass and put two pieces of ice in it.
"Hmm, then do you know what your master is busy with all day? Why can't I meet anyone? "Li Cheng continued to ask.
The waiter shook his head blankly. "I don't know. How can the owner tell me what he is doing? Maybe something big happened? You should be more diligent. "
"Then, do you know what's going on these days?"
"Something big? Yes, I do know a little. Master's family is very good. I heard that there was a drought and a plague of locusts over there, so Master sent people to bring food, chickens, ducks, and geese over there. The locusts over there are in trouble. You don't know, but the chickens on our farm are different from other places. They start eating locusts when they are young. I still remember that there was a chicken called Old Black. That guy is extraordinarily clever. No matter where the locusts hide … "
"Okay, I know. Lao Hei is a good chicken. Let's not talk about it first. Is there anything else big?" Li Cheng was satisfied at first, but as he listened, he found that something was wrong, so he quickly interrupted the waiter.
The waiter stopped and swallowed. Seeing that Li Cheng was asking him, he said, "Something else big? Yes, the old sow of the 'Little Swineherd' in Zhuangzi just gave birth. Guess how many? Twelve of them. That guy looks so scary. We knew that the pig wasn't normal. It could climb trees. That guy … "" That's right.
"Stop, I'm asking you. Don't make up stories. Whose pig can climb trees? Is there anything else big? "Li Cheng didn't know whether this waiter was clever or stupid.
"Oh, that pig can really climb trees. The wind is strong and the tree is crooked, so it went up. Speaking of other things, I heard that a pier was built at the Little Luoshui River in Sanshui County. That guy, that place is so big. The whole mountain has been dug up. I heard that when they were digging, they saw a big snake. That guy is about twenty feet long and no one dares to catch it. It just slips on the sand and runs away.
That guy … "" Don't talk about that guy. Let me ask you, how is life at home? " Li Cheng finally figured it out this time. This waiter was not stupid, not at all. He was smart. When he was asked about something, he would tell others. When he was not supposed to tell others, he would not leave out a single word.
The waiter was still very respectful. He helped to move the food closer to Li Cheng and replied, "It's okay. My family is pretty good today. We raised chickens and put them on the cart to eat the grasshoppers. We also caught four piglets. When they grow up during the New Year, we will kill one and keep it for our family. As for the other three, we will sell them for some spare money."
"Sigh! I don't think your family is doing well. Those pigs can't be sold for much money. Other people will also sell pigs during the New Year. It's better to find a new owner. Maybe it will be better. "Li Cheng liked this waiter. He was smart and tight-lipped.
The waiter shook his head and said, "In reply to your question, we don't need to sell the pigs. The owner will set the price and negotiate with other merchants. We will kill the pigs first and sell them at different prices according to different places. It's the same for chickens, ducks, and geese."
"Aren't you afraid that the owner will cheat you and deduct a part of the price?" This was the first time Li Cheng heard that the owner was helping the villagers to negotiate a deal. He immediately thought that the owner was trying to take advantage of the situation.
"So be it. Let the owner have a good New Year," the waiter replied indifferently.
This time, Li Cheng was even more surprised. Could it be that the villagers in Zhuangzi were all idiots? They didn't even care about the owner deducting their things. Good. It was impossible to find such honest villagers elsewhere. Furthermore, they were willing to do so. Wouldn't it be better if they all moved to Zhuangzi over there? Hence, he started to bribe them.
"You know that there's a new Zhuangzi over there, right? The main family of that manor is more powerful than your current main family. Even the authorities have to give them some leeway. Why don't you gather the people close to you and move there together? Once you're there, we'll build a house for you. If you pay a bit of rent every year, the house will be yours in a few years.
At that time, if you want to raise chickens, you can raise chickens, and if you want to catch pigs, you can catch pigs. During the New Year, we will reward you with a few feet of cloth to make new clothes. En, what do you think? You won't be able to find such an owner. "
When the waiter heard this, he almost laughed. It seemed that the person from Zhuangzi did not investigate the situation here carefully. How could it be compared to the tailor-made Zhuangzi of the Zhang Family and Wang Family? How could it be compared to the owner's wife personally delivering the goods? Raising chickens? Where could they buy so many chickens?
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