Chapter 311: My Stomach Hurts
This was Tian Dazhuang’s first time building this kind of mushroom cultivation greenhouse, so he felt somewhat uncertain and didn’t know if the mushroom greenhouse was built correctly.
“Xiaosi, are there any areas that need improvement? Tell me and I’ll make note of them, then find people to make the changes later.”
Facing him, Yan Xiaosi showed a satisfied smile.
“Brother Dazhuang, thank you for your hard work. This mushroom greenhouse is built very well.”
Being recognized by Yan Xiaosi, Tian Dazhuang scratched his head with an honest smile on his face.
“That’s good. This was my first time doing something like this, and I was afraid I wouldn’t do it well.”
“Brother Dazhuang, do you have lime at home?”
In this era, common people rarely used lime in their homes. Only when building stove platforms would they add some lime powder to the mud, making the stove platforms more durable and attractive.
After thinking for a moment, Tian Dazhuang replied, “Last year when we rebuilt our stove platform, we had some lime powder left over. Xiaosi, what do you need lime powder for?”
Yan Xiaosi pointed to the soil inside the greenhouse.
“There are insects in this soil. Before planting mushrooms, we need to use lime water to kill the insects in the soil first. It’s very simple, just dissolve lime powder in water, then pour it onto the ground and let it dry for a few days.”
“Xiaosi, can lime water kill insects? I’ve never heard anyone mention this before.”
Long Yu crossed his arms over his chest, also looking at Yan Xiaosi with an expression that said he was very doubtful.
“Of course lime water can kill insects.”
Although Yan Xiaosi didn’t know much about farming, she still understood this basic knowledge.
In modern society, this was how street trees were protected. Every winter, they would be brushed with thick lime, both to keep the trees warm and to eliminate insects.
“I saw this method in the scrolls my father left behind.”
Yan Xiaosi realized this excuse was really useful. Her cheap father had been a famous scholar in Shaoyao Village, so bringing up her cheap father would surely convince people.
Tian Dazhuang indeed believed her.
“Then I’ll go back later and ask my mother where that lime powder is.”
Yan Xiaosi nodded, “Good. Calculate how much that lime powder is worth, and I’ll give you the money later.”
Tian Dazhuang waved his hand, “No need.”
He took out several scattered pieces of silver from his sleeve and handed them to Yan Xiaosi, “Xiaosi, this is the money left over from building the mushroom shed.”
Yan Xiaosi understood Tian Dazhuang’s character and knew he wouldn’t take her money without reason, so she accepted it.
“Brother Dazhuang, did you deduct your wages and the money for those helpers?”
“I gave it all out, don’t worry.”
Only then did Yan Xiaosi put those pieces of silver into her pocket.
After viewing the mushroom greenhouse, the three headed toward the new house.
Because of the war between the two countries causing panic among people, construction had stopped today, and the construction site was eerily quiet.
The new house was already more than half built. The blue brick walls were smooth and straight, just waiting for the beams to be installed and the tiles to be laid.
Seeing that work hadn’t started here, Tian Dazhuang was afraid Yan Xiaosi would blame Wang Sanbao, so he quickly explained, “Xiaosi, the war between our Great Chu and Rongdi scared all those craftsmen. Since we’re so close to Tongluo Plain, no matter what Uncle Sanbao said, those craftsmen refused to come work these past two days.”
Making money was important, but life was more important.
Yan Xiaosi understood.
“Brother Dazhuang, you don’t need to be so nervous. I don’t blame Uncle Sanbao.”
Tian Dazhuang’s expression looked somewhat embarrassed.
Indeed, he had been too nervous and overthinking. Xiaosi wasn’t that petty kind of person.
“Now that the battle is over, I’ll go to Daxing Town tomorrow to notify Uncle Sanbao to come resume work.”
Yan Xiaosi felt bad about troubling him.
“Brother Dazhuang, I’ll go myself. You still have fields to plant at home.”
“No problem. I’m going to Daxing Town to sell corn tomorrow anyway, so I can notify Uncle Sanbao on the way.”
“Then I’ll have to trouble Brother Dazhuang.”
“Hey, between us brothers, why say such polite things?”
Tian Dazhuang raised his hand and habitually patted Yan Xiaosi’s shoulder lightly.
“Xiaosi, your matters are my matters.”
Yan Xiaosi also considered him a buddy in her heart. Between buddies, such gestures felt quite normal to her, so she didn’t dodge.
Long Yu’s face on the side had turned completely dark.
He stared at Tian Dazhuang’s pig hoof with knife-like eyes, wishing he could chop off that pig hoof that was taking advantage of Yan Xiaosi.
“Yan Xiaosi.”
Only then did Yan Xiaosi turn her attention to him, seeing him frowning with an uncomfortable expression.
“Your Highness, what’s wrong?”
“My stomach hurts a bit. Yan Xiaosi, come help support me.”
His Highness’s acting was first-rate. Yan Xiaosi really thought his stomach hurt and hurried over.
“You were fine just now, how can your stomach hurt? Did you eat something unclean?”
When Yan Xiaosi came over, Long Yu hung half his body weight on her and continued his Oscar-worthy performance, gasping and answering with a pained expression, “From leaving the military camp until now, I’ve only drunk two cups of tea at Brother Tian’s house.”
Tian Dazhuang’s expression immediately changed.
“Your Highness the War King, it’s not a problem with our tea. I and Xiaosi both drank that tea. How come Xiaosi and I are fine, but you have a stomachache?”
Long Yu looked at Yan Xiaosi with a pitiful expression.
“How would I know?”
After thinking for a moment, Yan Xiaosi said, “Maybe Your Highness has a more delicate stomach and can’t handle that kind of coarse tea.”
Long Yu nodded in agreement and earnestly concurred, “Probably so.”
“Can you still hold on? If you can’t, let Long Er take you back to Tongluo Plain first and have Young Master Murong take a look at you.”
“Aren’t you also a doctor? Why do you want to have that little wretch Murong examine me?”
“I’d like to examine you too, but I can only diagnose you, and I don’t have any medicinal herbs on hand.”
Long Yu was pretending to be sick just to stick close to her, so he definitely didn’t want to be sent back to the Tongluo Plain military camp by Long Er.
“It doesn’t seem to hurt as much now. How about we go back to Brother Tian’s house to rest for a while?”
Seeing that his brow had relaxed somewhat, Yan Xiaosi said, “Alright.”
Returning to the Tian house, Yan Xiaosi instructed Ms. Zhong and the others on how to get the soil containing wild mushroom spores into the greenhouse.
They just needed to spread a layer of cow dung in the greenhouse, then spread a layer of wheat bran over the cow dung, and then spread the soil containing wild mushroom spores evenly over the wheat bran. Every few days, they should spray water in the greenhouse.
The method was so simple that Ms. Zhong and the others found it hard to believe that mushrooms could be grown so easily.
Ms. Zhong asked anxiously, “Xiaosi, will this really work?”
If it didn’t work, wouldn’t the mushroom greenhouse have been built for nothing? Building that mushroom greenhouse had cost over thirty taels of silver.
Yan Xiaosi didn’t dare give a definitive answer either.
Having lived two lives, this was also her first time growing mushrooms in a greenhouse, so she really wasn’t confident.
Whether it would work or not depended on the spiritual spring water.
“Mother, I can’t say for certain that it will work. We can only try. If we can grow mushrooms this season, then we’ll have money to make in the future.”
The taut string in Ms. Zhong’s heart still couldn’t relax.
“Xiaosi, people in our Daxing Town don’t really eat mushrooms.”