<h4>Chapter 116.2</h4>
Gu Jiao opened up the mountain to cultivate medicinal fields and dug a fish pond as well as a canal. The canal channeled water to the vige from the fish pond, which was being supplied with water from the waterfall.
Under this dry weather, the waterfalls on the mountain were a bit exhausted, but it was enough to irrigate the farnd in the vige.
Xiao Ling cast a deep look at Gu Jiao.
"Really? We were only away for two months, but you’ve even dug up a fish pond?" Feng Lin had no idea about Gu Jiao''s purchase of the mountain, but he was surprised by Gu Jiao’s resolute and prompt work.
Luo Li, who was right in front of Gu Jiao, said, "By the way, I went to see the carpenters in the vige to make the wooden machines for threshing and winnowing crops that you told usst time, but it can’t be finished in a short time. They also told me to ask you which kind of wood is better to use?"
Gu Jiao thought for a moment before answering, "Red pine, aspen, anthus and basswood are all fine, they have high hardness and are not easily deformed."
"Good! Then I''ll go first!" After saying so, Luo Li turned to face Xiao Ling and Feng Lin and congratted them in advance, wishing them to be on the list of sessful examinees for the provincial exam.
"Wooden machines for threshing and winnowing crops? What’s that?" Feng Lin asked curiously.
Gu Jiao exined, "It’s a tool that can separate the grain from the rice ear, and another to sift out the chaff and leave only the normal grain."
"Is there such a thing?" Feng Lin expressed doubts.
Although he couldn’t tell the difference between wheat fields and rice fields, he still knew how to separate grains from the stems or stalks.
That was, grabbing a bunch of rice and beating it on the ground with brute force. Only, even after taking a lot of trouble smashing it, you still might not be able to take it off cleanly, and the rice ears that hadn''te off had to be picked off carefully by hand.
When he was a child, he would pick off grains for people for half a copper coin a day.
As for the separation of chaff and normal grain, the grain would usually be dried first, and then pick a windy day to raise the grain and throw it in the air. The normal grain was heavier and would fall to the ground while the chaff was lighter so it would be blown away by the wind.
Threshing came first, followed by winnowing.
In principle, the winnowing machine that Gu Jiao asked people to make was the same as manual winnowing. It could separate blighted grain from good grain, as well as grain from chaff. Only, the winnowing machine was more efficient, morebor-saving and did things cleaner and more thorough.
Originally, Luo Li didn’t believe that there could be such a useful thing in the world. But after seeing Gu Jiao dig canals and make a waterwheel for the vigers, Luo Li was convinced of her ability and character.
Gu Yan’s group of three younger brothers didn''t get home until evening.
Little Jing Kong''s eyelids had been twitching since noon. When he entered the room, he saw his bad brother-inw and finally understood why his eyelids had been twitching all afternoon!
He walked into the room and looked at his bad brother-inw solemnly.
En, hadn’t thinned down.
JiaoJiao shouldn''t worry now.
He pulled Xiao Ling to the backyard and asked Xiao Ling to pick some jujube from the tree for him.
Xiao Ling looked up at the branch and said, "It''s almost the ninth month, where are the jujube fruits?"
Little Jing Kong''s eyes were fixed on the top of Xiao Ling''s head. He had carefully recorded the height of his bad brother-inw before which barely reached the first branch. Now his bad brother-inw was taller than the branch!
His bad brother-inw had grown taller!
As a matter of fact, ording to his close observation over the past two months, it wasn’t just his bad brother-inw who had grown taller, but also his Brother Gu Yan and Brother Xiaoshun, and even JiaoJiao.
The only ones that hadn''t changed in the whole family were him and Grandaunt.
JiaoJiao said that it was because he was still too young.
But Gouwa was even younger than him, and yet Gouwa had also grown taller!
Little Jing Kong pulled a long face!
"What''s the matter with you?" Xiao Ling looked at him and asked.
"Oh, nothing, let’s not talk about me." Little Jing Kong sighed like an adult and solemnly looked up at Xiao Ling, saying, "Let’s talk about you! How was the exam this time? Are the questions difficult? Are you certain you will pass? If you fail, the family will have to raise you for another three years!"
Xiao Ling never expected to sessfully escape Dean Li just to be lectured by the little monk...
Just what''s with this little monk’s tone?
"You even know that the provincial exam is held every three years?" Xiao Ling rubbed his buzz cut head in anger and amusement, and then handed him the jujube fruit he had picked off. "Here, take it and go y."
Little Jing Kong stared at the shriveled jujube in his hand and pouted his mouth.
Who wanted to y? Childish!
Xiao Ling brought presents home for the whole family. The elderly woman received some sesame candies and soybean cakes.
The elderly woman was happy!
Gu Jiao confiscated the sesame candies, and instructed that only one piece of soybean cake could be eaten a day.
The elderly woman was not happy!
Gu Yan received an inkstone made of jade, which was round in shape. He liked round things, especially those made of jade.
Gu Yan: "Thanks brother-inw."
Little Jing Kong was given a Chinese rings puzzle. [1]
Little Jing Kong took it with a haughty look on his face and said, "What’s this, so childish." Then he turned to hide in the west room to secretly solve the puzzle!
Xiao Ling brought Gu Xiaoshun a few pieces of first-ss wood materials for carving. These days, Gu Xiaoshun had no shortage of tools, the only problem was theck of good wood.
"Brother-inw, what wood is this? I’ve never seen it!" Gu Xiaoshun asked as he held a dark piece of wood in his hand.
"Ebony." Xiao Ling replied.
This ebony wood wasn’t from the State of Zhao, but shipped from the State of Qing. He was lucky enough to meet a caravan halfway.
Several people were satisfied with their gifts.
Finally, it was Gu Jiao''s turn.
Gu Jiao thought he shouldn’t be giving her a brush this time around. As a result, Xiao Ling really didn’t give her a brush, but a stack of paper.
Gu Jiao:“…”
This wasn’t the coarse paper sold on the market, but the very valuable watermark paper. The paper would disy a pattern once against the light, be it bamboo pattern or other decorative designs, so it was also called patterned paper.
Patterned paper technology wasplex in process and expensive in cost. Even the prefectural cities didn’t have them. You could only find them in the provincial capital.
In the State of Zhao, sending a patterned paper was about the same as sending flowers.
It was an ideal present for a couple in love.
However, Gu Jiao''s smile gradually froze.
The elderly woman, who was deprived of sesame candies, cackled with her body rocking back and forth.
This was also another kind of romance, alright. But probably only Ling would find it romantic!
Feng Lin also brought them severalrge pieces of smoked donkey meat and a bottle of Shao Daozi wine, which was given by the store.
Gu Jiao hadn''t drunk any ancient wine before. After judging that the smell wasn’t too strong, she drank two mouthfuls of it. At dinner, she didn''t seem to have any abnormal reaction, but when she was washing the dishes, the wine started kicking in.
Xiao Ling first sent Feng Lin out of the vige, and then came back to give Little Jing Kong a bath. When he walked to the kitchen to find Gu Jiao, Gu Jiao had already thrown the half-washed bowl into the pot and sat on the threshold of the back door.
She turned her head back and nced at Xiao Ling, then raised her head to look at the starry night sky.
Xiao Ling walked over and asked, "What are you looking at?"
Gu Jiao slowly turned her head, her expression dull and wooden. Her face was flushed and herrge eyes were glistening wet.
She didn’t look like her usual cold self. Instead, she seemed to resemble a child in an instant, her expression looked very innocent.
"Looking at the stars." She answered.
Her voice was soft and lingering, carrying a slight trace of youthfulness.
Xiao Ling took a deep breath to calm himself down before saying, "Go back to your room, it''s getting dark."
"I won’t." Shaking her head, her little mouth mumbled with refusal.
Good, this was how Little Jing Kong usually acted.
She obviously didn’t drink much, who knew that was enough to drink herself to the point of resembling a three-year old.
Gu Jiao continued to look up at the stars.
"Ling." She suddenly opened her mouth.