The old woman was probably asleep by now, and Old Man Yun was reluctant to wake her…
“I truly wish to see her, please grant me this convenience!~” Gu Zhenshan lowered his posture and pleaded.
If he couldn't find his sister, he would rather die.
“Daddy!” Little Xi Tian looked up, tugging on Old Man Yun’s hand. “How about I go tell Mommy? Uncle Gu traveled a long way to get here, it’s not easy…”
Although she didn't know why Uncle Gu was only arriving now, Little Xi Tian was deeply moved by his long journey to find his kin.
Old Man Yun hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Alright. If your mother is asleep, don’t wake her. Let this gentleman stay at our home for the night. Meeting tomorrow is not too late!~”
“Mm-hmm!” Little Xi Tian responded.
She knew her daddy was a reasonable person…
The village chief and Fu Daqiang, having eaten their fill, returned to their respective homes.
Jin Huaihua and Du Tieshan tidied up the bowls and chopsticks in the kitchen, and also rendered the mutton fat. They planned to make mutton fat pancakes for breakfast.
For such large and fatty yellow sheep, no oil was added to the pot when stewing.
The fat on the fatty meat alone was plenty. If more oil were added, the whole family would get disgusted…
Little Xi Tian skipped merrily into the inner room. As soon as she nudged the door open a crack, she heard a sound of deep sleep emanating from within.
The room was pitch black; Madam Gu was already asleep. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
“Alas, forget it, I’ll talk about it tomorrow!~” Little Xi Tian gently closed the door and returned to her own room.
The large dairy cow in the space produced milk at an astonishing rate. Little Xi Tian had only not milked it for a day, and the large cow was already mooing incessantly…
After a busy spell, she filled two large buckets with milk before finally falling asleep contentedly.
Gu Zhenshan beckoned Steward Cao and his subordinates inside, assigned them rooms, and waited for a miracle to unfold the next day.
At the same time, in the county at the border.
Yun Jinhe sat in his study for half the night, his eyes dry and sore from reading…
Suddenly, he heard a ‘clang clang clang’ sound of blacksmithing from the kitchen. Yun Jinhe frowned, put down his book, and walked out.
In the middle of the night, was the kitchen about to explode?
To his surprise, when he walked in, he saw Murong Qing, with an apron tied around her waist, standing by the stove, swinging a hammer and forging iron with a ‘clang clang clang’.
The glowing charcoal embers made her sweat profusely. Her frail body, in the firelight, was like a stubborn flower. Yun Jinhe was somewhat mesmerized…
“Miss Murong, what are you doing?” Yun Jinhe asked casually after watching for a while.
Murong Qing turned her head to look at him and said with a smile, “Can’t you see? I’m making a pot!~”
Yun Jinhe: “???”
Making a pot?
A refined young lady actually knew how to make pots?
“Here, look for yourself. Our pots are all broken. Buying an iron pot outside is too expensive, it’s better to do it myself…”
After speaking, Murong Qing picked up the hammer again and struck the rim of the pot a few times.
Yun Jinhe was utterly bewildered. “No, Miss Murong, when did you learn this skill?”
It was one thing to be proficient in mathematics, but to also know iron smelting… this was a talented person!
If the imperial court discovered her, she would surely achieve great things in the future…
Murong Qing’s hand holding the hammer paused slightly, and she gave a dry laugh. “It’s just… it’s just that I saw it in a book before, and then… then I learned it!~”
Perhaps she had been too conspicuous lately, and Jin He was starting to suspect her.
Murong Qing decided to be more low-key in her actions from now on. This was not Chen Country, after all.
Yun Jinhe: “……”
The same excuse again. He really wanted to know what kind of books Miss Murong had read before.
Yun Jinhe moved a small stool and sat down beside Murong Qing. “Miss Murong, can iron be made into pots? Why does it look so rough?”
If outsiders saw a radiant young lady forging pots in the kitchen, they would surely be astonished…
Slowly, Yun Jinhe seemed to be getting used to it.
Murong Qing wiped the sweat from her brow and smiled. “This is called a raw iron pot. Do you know what bloomery iron is?”
Yun Jinhe shook his head blankly.
The term sounded so novel.
Even Dean Fan couldn’t explain it.
Murong Qing put down the hammer, walked to the bowl rack, took out two ears of corn, and handed one to Yun Jinhe. “Bloomery iron is actually very simple. You eat first, and I’ll explain it to you slowly…”
After speaking, Murong Qing sat next to Yun Jinhe and took a bite of corn. “Do you know about iron ore?”
Yun Jinhe nodded. “Yes, I’ve heard of that!~”
Because the subjects for the imperial examinations were quite limited, only laws, calligraphy, literary talent, and political commentary were included. Mathematics, astronomy, and the eight-legged essay were added later…
Subjects like physics and chemistry were not yet covered by Yun Jinhe.
Murong Qing blinked her beautiful eyes and smiled slightly. “Bloomery iron is to mine the iron ore, then crush it, commonly known as the crushing process. Then, the crushed iron ore is placed in high-temperature charcoal fire. The molten iron is called pig iron!~”
Yun Jinhe: “……”
If he had known you were knowledgeable about everything from astronomy to geography, why would he have come to Borcai Academy to study?
He should have just taken you as his master.
“Then, make the mold for the iron pot, and pour the pig iron into it. This is called the casting method!~” Murong Qing continued.
Yun Jinhe took a bite of corn, then asked her, “You’re a young lady, why do you learn these things? Don’t girls nowadays prefer playing the zither, chess, calligraphy, painting, growing flowers, and reciting poetry…”
He found it very strange.
Miss Murong had many similarities with his little aunt, but his little aunt could produce all sorts of delicious food, fun toys, and so on.
But Miss Murong seemed to be unable to produce anything, yet her practical skills were extremely strong, far exceeding Yun Jinhe’s understanding…
Murong Qing pouted helplessly. Who told her she liked to study science?
Aren’t science majors usually like this?
At this moment, Sun Tianxiu walked into the kitchen for a drink. Seeing Murong Qing and Yun Jinhe sitting together, he asked with a smile, “Jinhe, the academy will be on holiday in a few days. When are you planning to go home?”
And perhaps give him a ride…
Yun Jinhe scratched his head and said with a憨 smile, “I might not leave until near the New Year. There are many courses I haven’t reviewed yet. If I go home, I won’t have time to study!~”
Sun Tianxiu smiled and said, “It’s alright, it’s alright. Your grades are so good now. If you perform well, maybe Dean Fan will take you as his personal disciple. Then, even if you don’t pass the Juren exam, as long as you say you’re Dean Fan’s disciple when you go out, it will definitely be fine…”
“Then I’ll borrow your good wishes, Brother Tianxiu!~” Yun Jinhe stood up and cupped his hands with a smile.
After Sun Tianxiu left, Murong Qing tugged at Yun Jinhe and said grumpily, “I say, can you stop being such a pushover? Can’t you tell he wants to hitch a ride?”
Really, free housing, free rides, and letting people eat and drink for free every day. Is this Yun Jinhe a saint?
Yun Jinhe grinned with a憨 smile. Just as he was about to say something, he heard a loud ‘crack’ sound…