Chapter 174: Pattern
The subordinate’s waist was slender and soft, Lu Chengjing held on and didn’t want to let go, leaning his head closer wanting to continue.
“No.” Shang Wan leaned her body back, extending her index finger to press against his forehead, saying seriously, “You should study.”
Hearing this, Lu Chengjing’s long brows furrowed lightly, the vermilion corners of his eyes bending downward in grievance, the hand around Shang Wan’s waist tightening even more, a pair of clear bright black eyes staring unblinkingly at the person in his arms.
Shang Wan couldn’t quite withstand his gaze, her fingertips lightly pinching Lu Chengjing’s two red ears, pulling him over and leaning close to comfortingly kiss him once.
Beautiful lip shape, warm soft lips, very nice to kiss.
Without waiting for Lu Chengjing to move, Shang Wan had already retreated, her brows and eyes containing a smile, “The herbs just gathered back still need to be sorted, you study well, don’t get distracted.”
Lu Chengjing: ?
Shang Wan used a clever force to pry open the large hand from her waist, standing up very ruthlessly, pushing the door open and leaving without any reluctance.
Lu Chengjing: “…”
The summer sun was fierce, Shang Wan and Shi Tou moved the herbs to the shade of the tree to sort them, even so, they still broke out in a forehead full of sweat.
Seeing this, Chu Xu got down from the swing, trotting to the room to fetch a fan and came out to fan for the two, muttering while fanning, “Only with ice blocks would it be cool.”
The young master had never experienced such a hot summer before, if at home they would have already started using ice, could eat chilled melons and fruits, the mansion had waterside pavilions for cooling off, and when the summer heat was really unbearable could go to the separate courtyard to avoid the heat, the entire summer very comfortable.
Hearing Chu Xu mention ice, Shang Wan couldn’t help but start missing snow cones.
She did remember the method of making ice with niter, quite simple, but niter was hard to get.
This world’s productivity was low, mining conditions limited, the mining volume of niter not large. And, niter could be used to make gunpowder, most held in the imperial court’s hands, very little flowing into the market, not cheap to buy.
The conversion rate of making ice with niter was low, if really using niter to make ice, equal amount of niter could only get equal or less ice.
Ice this thing, once used, consumption was not small. Really using niter to make ice, better to directly buy ice blocks with silver, no need to do it oneself, and calculating it, the silver used about the same.
“No ice blocks.” Shang Wan glanced at Chu Xu who also had a head full of sweat, “Your Aunt Xiao Huan boiled sour plum drink this morning, chilling in the well, can drink in a bit.”
Hearing there was sour plum drink, Chu Xu and Shi Tou’s mouths both spontaneously secreted saliva.
On a hot summer day, having a bowl of refreshing sweet and sour sour plum drink, summer heat completely dissipated and appetite opened.
Chu Xu holding two fans, fanned for the two with increasing vigor.
Shang Wan worried about tiring out the child, the pampered young master getting heatstroke in a bit would be trouble. She waved her hand at Chu Xu, “Stop fanning, go rest under the corridor, the through breeze is cool.”
“Don’t want to go.” Chu Xu pouted, Yuan Yuan went to the mountain and hadn’t returned, no one to play with him, he was so bored.
Shang Wan looked at him, “Want to find something to do?”
Chu Xu immediately nodded his little head.
Shang Wan thought for a moment and said: “Go to the study room, have your uncle find you something to do.”
“Oh.” Chu Xu obediently agreed, trotting to the study room to find Lu Chengjing.
They all say a calm mind naturally cools, Lu Chengjing flipped out a calligraphy copybook for Chu Xu to practice calligraphy on the couch by the window, practicing and practicing the mind naturally calmed.
Chu Xu immediately scrunched up his little face, why did he still have to practice calligraphy outside?
His small body staying far from the calligraphy copybook, Chu Xu said: “I don’t want to practice calligraphy.”
“Then copy books.” Lu Chengjing raised his eyes to look at him, “Pick one from the Four Books and Five Classics.”
Hearing the four words “Four Books and Five Classics”, Chu Xu’s little face directly scrunched into a bun, not wanting to pick any!
Seeing this, Lu Chengjing got up and drew two books from the bookshelf, handing them over, “Copy this.”
Chu Xu started enlightenment early, recognized many characters, although forced by the family to learn, but it didn’t hinder him remembering what the master taught in his mind.
What Lu Chengjing gave him were two military books, one “Wu Zi”, one “Six Secret Teachings”, he remembered Elder Brother’s study room also had them.
Copying military books was indeed more acceptable than copying full of “zhi hu zhe ye”.
Chu Xu took them with both hands, lifting his head puzzled: “Why do you have military books?”
Scholars don’t need to go to the battlefield.
“Strategy is not only usable on the battlefield.” Lu Chengjing found a set of brush and ink for him, asking, “Do you know how to grind ink?”
Chu Xu shook his head, when he wrote there were maids and servants to serve, never needed to grind ink himself.
Lu Chengjing knew it was like this, conveniently using tea water to grind the ink for the child, sending him to the window to copy books.
The study room quieted down again, only left with page-turning sounds, the rustling of writing brush and paper friction, and the even dripping sounds of the water clock.
Chu Xu had sour plum drink on his mind, wrote two characters and then looked out the window, completely unable to calm down.
Lu Chengjing saw it in his eyes, closed the book and placed it on the table, getting up: “Go to the front courtyard to see.”
“Good.” Chu Xu like hearing heavenly music, immediately jumped down from the couch, hurriedly slipping on shoes to follow.
Lu Chengjing stopped to wait for him, only continuing forward after he had his shoes on properly.
Chu Xu thinking of sour plum drink, his little face smiling brightly, bouncing and jumping all the way.
Xiao Huan had just lifted the earthenware pot of sour plum drink from the well, Chu Xu happily ran forward to help, his little mouth very sweet.
Lu Chengjing then went to the shade of the tree wanting to help process the herbs.
Shang Wan avoided his hand, nodding her mouth toward the kitchen, “Don’t get your hands dirty, go drink the sour plum drink first.”
“Not much left, after finishing let’s go drink together.” Lu Chengjing squatted down, his distinctively jointed fingers skillfully removing stems and leaves.
Shi Tou brought him a small bench, a rare bit of gloom between his brows, his hands washing the medicinal herbs seeming listless.
Lu Chengjing turned his head to look at him, “Is your body unwell?”
“No.” Shi Tou shook his head, sighing, “The herb seedlings in the field withered and died, feels like losing a child, heart feels uncomfortable.”
Lu Chengjing: “…”
Shang Wan explained: “The ones that withered were those herb seedlings transplanted from the spiritual field to the field, whether watering spiritual spring water in the field beforehand or after transplanting, all useless, all withered.”
“The method of growing seedlings in the spiritual field then transplanting doesn’t work, to plant in the field, can only start from seeds.”
Lu Chengjing said: “Diluting spiritual spring water and watering the soil can accelerate seedling growth, even if unable to transplant seedlings from the spiritual field it’s no big impact.”
Shang Wan nodded, the reasoning was indeed that.
She said: “Cliff ginger slices already dried, tomorrow I’ll take some to the city to directly sell to the medical hall to try.”
Herbs produced from the space have better efficacy than ordinary herbs, directly selling to the medical hall could add another sales channel.
Now she had already figured out planting herbs in the spiritual field.
Gather herbs from the mountain, collect seeds to plant in the spiritual field, after a certain time harvest herb trees and seeds.
Herb trees can shake out mature herbs, and seeds can be directly planted in the field, watering with spiritual spring water they grow better, even without spiritual spring water they can grow, compared to ordinary herb seeds not picky about environment.
Really encountering hard-to-serve herbs, can beforehand water spiritual spring water in the field, change the soil environment, then every two days water with diluted spiritual spring water, can successfully plant.
It’s just that this change to the soil is only temporary, next time planting still need to repeat the operation, very consuming of spiritual spring water.
