Chapter 366: Chapter 366: Foot Bath

The water at Liu the Carpenter’s house is drawn from the mountain. The flow isn’t strong, but it’s sufficient for drinking, and daily water needs can easily be met by fetching it from the nearby river, which is very convenient.

Outside the main courtyard, he built a patio similar to the viewing platform at the entrance of the Lotus Courtyard, but with a thatched roof. Inside, he also built a stove and set up tables and benches, laying down wooden boards.

Now that Liu the Carpenter’s family has money, they’ve completely refurnished the interior of their house, surpassing even Liu Dafu’s courtyard and becoming the most luxurious-looking house in the village.

On the day of the housewarming, Liu the Carpenter specially fried some melon seeds, brewed tea, lit a charcoal stove in the thatched pavilion, prepared quilts, and invited Qin Yao and her husband, along with Immortal Official Gongliang Liao Qi and his disciple, to enjoy the snow and tea.

“Yao Niang, what do you think of this?” After the warm housewarming feast, Liu the Carpenter pulled Qin Yao aside to ask for her opinion.

Qin Yao was quite amazed that Liu the Carpenter had actually recreated everything she had casually mentioned.

But when it came to the tea pavilion, she did have some suggestions.

“It’s cold, and even with the charcoal brazier and thin quilt, sitting for long periods is still a bit unbearable. I see your family has a lot of straw, why not weave some straw curtains to hang around and block the wind.”

If someone isn’t afraid of the cold, they can just roll up the straw mat to see the distant view.

After pointing out the shortcomings, the rest were all advantages: “The tea is brewed well, but the quality can be prepared in several grades to give guests more choices. Also, the melon seeds in your house are very fragrant, and the view from here is excellent. I think it’s great.”

However, Granny Wang’s courtyard already has regulars. If Liu the Carpenter’s family wants to attract guests, they need more variety, otherwise, there will always be a lack of some uniqueness.

Liu the Carpenter’s wife said, “We have a guest room. Manager Qin, would you mind taking a look?”

Qin Yao nodded and then followed the couple to the guest room they had prepared.

The room faces the sun and has windows, with wooden floors laid, and the furnishings inside are those that Liu the Carpenter brought back from an inn in the county town.

But Qin Yao still felt it was very empty, lacking content.

“How about adding some calligraphy and paintings? You could also prepare brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones at the tea pavilion, allowing guests to leave their poems or impressions here. Select the good ones, make them into wooden plaques, and hang them up for other scholars to appreciate, which should be very interesting.”

To her knowledge, poetry contests are also an activity that scholars love, so using poetry as a distinctive theme for Liu the Carpenter’s family business would be good.

As soon as Qin Yao proposed this idea, Liu the Carpenter clapped his hands and said it was brilliant, “Great, let’s use this!”

Liu the Carpenter’s wife, a bit shy, said, “Manager Qin, could you ask one of your guests for a poem to hang outside the tea pavilion?”

Afraid of causing offense and before Qin Yao could reply, she quickly waved her hand, saying it was fine if it was inconvenient.

Qin Yao smiled gently, encouragingly looking at the Liu couple, “I suggest you approach the scholar yourself and let him decide.”

“Those scholars haven’t even entered the door, can we do it?” Liu the Carpenter asked nervously.

Qin Yao hinted, “Firstly, visit him, and then bring him some local products. The scholar just told me that your family’s melon seeds are very fragrant.”

With that suggestion, if Liu the Carpenter still didn’t understand, he might as well have wasted his time working in the stationery factory. He was suddenly excited, forcefully suppressing it, and saw Qin Yao off across the river.

For convenience, Liu the Carpenter’s family had spent money to build a bridge on the riverbank. It was currently the dry season, so the piers were already constructed, and wide wooden planks were temporarily laid for easy passage. The bridge should be fully completed before the New Year.

There was also a large mill built collectively by the villagers, and the factory’s book box order had been completed. Now everyone was busy with this mill.

The mill was situated closest to Liu the Carpenter’s home, making all the other villagers envious.

With the whole village involved in construction, many refugees who had stopped in Kaiyang County temporarily stayed in the village over the past two months. The vacant and dilapidated houses and courtyards became their temporary shelters. Together with the scholars attracted by the renowned scholars, even during the winter nights, Liu Family Village buzzed with human voices.

Liu the Carpenter escorted Qin Yao to the entrance of the stationery factory and was persuaded to return by her.

Qin Yao walked alone towards the village and met Liu Ji, who had just returned from the Lotus Courtyard, on the bridge leading home. The couple exchanged a glance but remained silent, as both were mentally exhausted from socializing for more than half a month, and returned home in tacit silence.

The children had already gone to bed under Ah Wang’s arrangement since they had to attend school tomorrow, and getting up was difficult without sleeping early.

Getting up early in winter for school was truly tough, and if the small room at the town’s farm wasn’t rented out, the four siblings wanted to sleep there so they could sleep an extra half-hour in the morning.

But the children were sensible. Although winter was tiring, they didn’t ask their parents to help them take a leave from school.

Of course, this possibility could only happen in Qin Yao’s family. As for Jinbao, he wouldn’t dare ask his parents to help him take a fake sick leave from his teacher just because he wanted to sleep in.

Qin Yao washed her face quickly, ready to go back to her room to sleep, when Liu Ji enthusiastically brought a basin of hot water into the main room, “Wife, soak your feet.”

Qin Yao looked at him suspiciously, “Offering attentiveness for no reason, it must mean either adultery or theft.”

Her body being quite honest, she immediately sat down, took off her shoes and socks, and put her cold feet into the warm foot basin, closing her eyes in comfort.

Liu Ji, having helped her wash her feet more than once or twice, skillfully started rubbing them, and did not refute Qin Yao’s earlier words, instead expressing some concern:

“A letter came from the Prefecture, saying that the aunt of my little senior brother had sent someone to bring him back to the Prefecture for the New Year, so in two days, both my little senior brother and the teacher will return.”

He feared that once the teacher left, he didn’t know when he would return or might not come back at all.

Qin Yao, busy with banquets recently, had forgotten to consider the dates.

Now calculating, tomorrow would be the start of the twelfth lunar month, and people would start preparing for the New Year. During the end-of-year period, social and familial rituals would be busy, and each household’s accounts would need to be settled before the year-end to enjoy a peaceful New Year.

“Did you ask the teacher what his plans are?” Qin Yao asked while enjoying her foot massage with her eyes half-closed.

Liu Ji nodded, “I did. The teacher said that if there were no other matters after the New Year, he would come for a short stay, and he assigned me a lot of lessons, saying he would return next year to check.”

However!

Because next year Qi Xian will be actively preparing for exams, Aunt Qi might keep them in the Prefecture.

So, Gongliang Liao’s words don’t count; it’s the Qi family’s words that matter.

With an aunt and uncle of his own and so many family members still at the ancestral residence, Qi Xian couldn’t possibly disregard his family and stay in this small mountain village all the time.

Even if he didn’t want to leave himself, he’s still only a ten-year-old child and is often not in control of his own life.

Qin Yao wasn’t very concerned about this issue; if the mountain doesn’t come, then they will go to the mountain.

The point is, “Regarding your county exam next year, did the teacher say anything?”

Liu Ji felt somewhat confident about this, “The teacher said he’s familiar with the magistrate officials judging the county exam papers. He also told me which writing styles the examiners prefer, so practicing those styles should prepare me well for next year’s county exam.”

Furthermore, the little senior brother generously shared many exam tips with him, so Liu Ji was pretty confident in himself.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep