Chapter 57 Mountain Home Hearth 57

Chapter 57 Mountain Family Hearth Smoke: Chapter 57

The family sat at the kitchen entrance, the door wide open. Turning their heads slightly, they could just see the direction of the wicker gate.

Cui Lanfang turned around and glanced, just in time to see Chen Sanxi standing at the gate, a head taller than Qin Banban.

She was startled, then exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, Sanxi! You're here already?"

Liu Guyu was also surprised; it was half an hour earlier than the time originally agreed upon with Chen Sanxi. But he quickly recovered, stood up, and went out to greet him, waving as he called, "You're here so early! Come in quickly, have you eaten?"

Chen Sanxi always woke up early. He thought arriving earlier would leave a good impression, but he hadn't expected to run into their mealtime.

Arriving at this hour made it seem more like he was there to mooch.

He was just thinking about how to respond when he suddenly felt something tugging at his trouser leg.

Looking down, he saw a round fluffy ball biting his pants and pulling outward. When it couldn't pull him, it let go and circled around him twice, letting out playful barks.

It was a young puppy.

Qin Banban quickly crouched down, picked up the little dog that was trying to chase him off, and held it in her arms. She then moved aside a couple of steps to make way at the entrance, first saying to Chen Sanxi, "Please, come in."

After speaking, she patted Lucky's furry head and coaxed softly, "No biting now, no biting, this is one of us!"

Chen Sanxi glanced at her, then rubbed the tip of his nose and walked inside.

As he walked, he replied, "I already ate."

Liu Guyu smiled and waved him in, then took a clean bowl and chopsticks from the cupboard, saying to Chen Sanxi, "Ah, even if you already ate, you can still have a bit more. We steamed meat buns at home—they're really fragrant. Try one!"

Chen Sanxi seemed uncomfortable with the enthusiasm, frowning as if to refuse. But after Liu Guyu's warm invitation, Cui Lanfang quickly added, "Yes, a young man your age is always hungry. Have a bit more! You'll need energy to work later!"

As she spoke, she directly put two big meat buns in the bowl and handed it to Chen Sanxi.

Unable to refuse, Chen Sanxi paused for a moment before saying awkwardly, "...Thank you."

At that moment, Qin Banban came in holding the puppy and stood at the door, saying, "Mom, Brother Liu, I made plans with Qing Zhu. Today he's teaching me how to weave peach blossom knots. I'm going over to see him!"

Cui Lanfang hurriedly said, "Take a couple of buns for Qing Zhu too."

Qin Banban nodded, quickly washed her hands, then packed a few buns and headed out.

Before leaving, she said to Chen Sanxi, "I'll leave the family's fields to you."

Chen Sanxi was busy eating the bun; he rarely had the chance to eat such delicious buns.

He had lived with the old hunter since childhood, and his foster father's cooking skills were just average—the main requirement was that it was edible and wasn't poisonous. Since his foster father wasn't a good cook and no one taught him, Chen Sanxi's cooking was just as bad, even surpassing his foster father in some ways.

He hadn't expected Qin Banban to suddenly speak to him, and the surprise made him choke on his food. He coughed several times, his face turning red, before finally nodding at her.

Qin Banban laughed twice, then ran off with a plate of buns, the little puppy following behind, barking "woof woof woof" as it chased after her.

Cui Lanfang also laughed, her eyes full of contentment and joy. She said to Liu Guyu, "I notice Banban is talking more and more. She used to be so quiet."

Liu Guyu smiled back at her and said, "A girl her age should be lively."

Chen Sanxi didn't speak, just stood to the side eating his bun, his face still red from choking.

After the meal, Liu Guyu led Chen Sanxi to sit in the yard and began talking about farming.

"It's not Qingming yet, so there's no rush to transplant rice seedlings. We need to prepare the fertilizer first."

"And there's the work of tilling and leveling the soil. Our household has only women and boys, so we can't handle such heavy labor. That'll be up to you. Although we don't have an ox, I'll borrow one when the time comes. I won't make you do all the hard work alone."

Chen Sanxi listened attentively without interrupting. Only after Liu Guyu finished speaking did he simply reply, "Alright."

Liu Guyu continued, "As for the fertilizer... my fertilizer is different from what other families in the village use. It requires calcined gypsum powder... uh, that's burnt stone powder. I heard there's a brick and tile maker in Xiahe Village. Later, I'll need you to come with me to ask if we can buy some burnt stone powder."

This fertilizer was unusual. Chen Sanxi had helped other families with planting before but had never heard of anyone using burnt stone powder for fertilizer.

Strange as it was, Chen Sanxi didn't ask questions, just nodded.

The two set off immediately. It wasn't far from Shanghe Village to Xiahe Village; it was within walking distance.

The brick and tile maker Liu Guyu mentioned was named Lin Ronggui. He was the only one in the surrounding villages who knew how to make bricks and tiles. Whenever anyone built a house, they bought bricks and tiles from him.

Actually, making bricks and tiles might not necessarily require calcined gypsum, but Lin Ronggui had been in the trade for decades and knew many colleagues. Since gypsum was often used in construction, he might have a way to get it.

But along the way, Liu Guyu kept feeling like he had forgotten something. What was it?

He thought as he walked, but unfortunately, he still couldn't remember.

Entering Xiahe Village, they asked for directions to Lin Ronggui's house and headed that way.

Like the Yang family who raised chickens, the Lin family also lived in a blue-brick house with a tiled roof, even more grandly built. The courtyard was spacious and bright, surrounded by a brick wall about ten feet high. In one corner, a vegetable garden was enclosed. It was spring, and the vegetable leaves were lush and green. Garlic shoots had sprouted, tender and fresh, along with tall bean sprouts and plump, tender broad bean pods.

In the middle of the yard stood a Chinese toon tree. A woman was using a long pole to hook and pull down branches, then picking the tender buds from the top.

The gate was open. Liu Guyu walked over and asked, "Is this Lin Ronggui's house?"

The woman picking the buds turned her head and nodded, "Yes! Looking for Ronggui? He's out back at the kiln. Go around the left path, and you'll see it after a few steps!"

Liu Guyu followed her directions and went around back. After about ten steps, he indeed saw the earthen kiln for firing bricks and tiles behind the brick house. There were two dome-shaped earth-yellow kilns, with several people busy working around them, sweating profusely from the heat.

As Liu Guyu approached, he heard a familiar voice.

"Master Lin, please take my second son. He's much more obedient than his big brother. You can scold him or even hit him if he doesn't learn!"

It was Qi Shan's mother speaking.

Liu Guyu stared at the woman for a moment, almost failing to recall who she was.

Oh, right! That was it!

He had almost forgotten—Qi Shan from Xiahe Village was apprenticed to the brick and tile maker!

Lin Ronggui was clearly annoyed, rolling his eyes at Qi's mother and saying impatiently, "No! I've said it many times! I don't want anyone from your family! I can't handle it, and I don't need the hassle!"

"Originally, out of neighborly consideration, you pestered me to take your eldest son as an apprentice, and I agreed. He wasn't particularly talented, but at least he was honest and hardworking! And then what?"

"He used to be dutiful, but recently, it's like he's possessed. He stopped showing up for work and even dared to drink outside the kiln? What kind of place is this? There's firewood burning! I told him to watch the kiln, and he's outside drinking? If he doesn't care about his life, I still want to live!"

He was talking about Qi Shan.

Ever since Qi Shan and Lin Qingzhu divorced, he had become a wreck, losing all his drive and interest in everything. He no longer took work seriously and sometimes didn't even show up.

Everyone in the village knew about the divorce, and there was some gossip. At first, Lin Ronggui felt sorry for his apprentice, knowing how close he and Qingzhu had been. He thought it was understandable that Qi Shan would be depressed for a while after the divorce.

He put up with it for a time, but the more he indulged him, the more reckless Qi Shan got.

The kiln was baking bricks, with great bundles of firewood blazing away, and yet there he was, sitting outside the kiln drinking.

Just perfect—inside, the kiln was glowing red-hot, while outside, he was getting drunk.

Never mind whether drinking during work hours was allowed—drinking near a firing kiln was absolutely forbidden! If the kiln were to accidentally explode… oh, just the thought is terrifying!

He drove Qi Shan away, but who would have thought Qi's mother would be so shameless? She dragged her second son along and came crying and begging, pleading with him to take the boy on as an apprentice.

"Shitou! Awang!"

Lin Ronggui was utterly annoyed by the pestering and called two of his apprentices to shoo her away.

Qi's mother was quickly driven off.

Liu Guyu watched the whole scene, sneering inwardly.

Now he’s acting all heartbroken and playing the lovesick fool? If someone who didn’t know the whole story saw this, they’d think Luo Qingzhu was the one who wronged Qi Shan!

Lin Ronggui across the way also noticed Liu Guyu and Chen Sanxi. He squinted, studying them carefully, but still couldn’t recognize who they were—they seemed like strangers.

He tried to greet them with a smile, but he was still angry from earlier and couldn’t shift his mood so quickly. He forced a stiff smile.

"Here to buy bricks?"

Liu Guyu walked over and shook his head. "No. I was actually hoping to ask Master Lin if you might have a way to get some calcined stone powder?"

Seeing Liu Guyu shake his head, some of Lin Ronggui’s enthusiasm faded. But then he heard the second part of the question and found it odd. After a moment’s thought, he asked, "Well, it’s possible, but what do you need it for?"

Liu Guyu didn’t hide it and explained the use directly.

Lin Ronggui clearly didn’t believe him. Though he was a brick and tile artisan, Dayong emphasized agriculture, and his family had plenty of farmland—but he’d never heard of anyone composting fertilizer like that.

Still, it wasn’t his place to question others’ business. He just asked, "I can get it. But how much do you need? If it’s just a pound or two, forget it—I don’t have time for that."

Liu Guyu made a rough estimate. "I need twenty pounds. How much would that cost?"

Lin Ronggui thought for a moment. "It’s not too expensive—six coppers per pound, so twenty pounds would be one hundred and twenty coppers. But I’m busy right now—I’ve got orders from a wealthy family in town, and I don’t have time to ask around for you."

There was a hint in his words—it just depended on whether the listener understood.

Liu Guyu clearly did. He immediately smiled, took out a pouch of money from his bag, and handed it to Lin Ronggui. "How could I let you go to all that trouble for nothing? One hundred and twenty coppers… let’s make it an even number—I’ll give you two hundred coppers straight up. The rest can be for your trouble."

"Here’s one hundred coppers as a deposit. I’ll give you the other half once the goods arrive. Does that work?"

Talking with clever people was so much easier. Lin Ronggui smiled too.

All that talk about being busy was just an excuse.

Handling this matter would only require a few words from him. When it came time to fetch the calcined stone powder, he wouldn’t even need to go himself—he could just send a couple of apprentices.

To Lin Ronggui, eighty coppers wasn’t a huge sum, but getting eighty coppers just for saying a few words? Now that was valuable!

He immediately nodded with a smile and said straight away, "Alright then. You're a sharp one, young man, and I like dealing with clever people! How about this—come pick it up on the thirteenth of this month."

With everything settled and the money paid, Liu Guyu left with Chen Sanxi.

On the way, he said to Chen Sanxi, "I’ll be setting up a stall in town on the thirteenth this month, so I probably won’t have time to come. Can you make the trip alone then?"

Chen Sanxi looked at him and didn’t answer right away.

Liu Guyu thought he was unwilling and quickly asked, "What’s wrong? Something not working? Don’t know the way? Scared of strangers?"

Chen Sanxi hurriedly shook his head and asked quietly, "There’s still another hundred coppers to pay… do you trust me with the money?"

Liu Guyu "Hah!" he said, his tone relaxing. "What’s there not to trust? There’s a saying: ‘If you use someone, don’t doubt them; if you doubt them, don’t use them.’ Since I chose you, of course I trust you."

"We’ve got nothing to do these next few days anyway. Why don’t you start by turning over those two *mu* of field (about a third of an acre)? I’ll go ask the village chief to borrow an ox when we get back."

Chen Sanxi: "Okay."

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Author's Note: The fertilizer method was based on a homemade recipe for soil ammonia water—just take it as a bit of fun.