Chapter 184: Such Lavish Doting on a Girl Is Truly Rare
Hearing the commotion from this side, Old Man Wen ran over, only to see the four of them standing at the entrance laughing heartily in a somewhat wretched state, with quite a bit of mud clinging to the hems of every single one of their robes.
“What are you all doing?” Old Man Wen shot the group a glare, then stepped forward to open the storehouse door. Seeing the interior where potatoes had gone rolling all over the place, Old Man Wen fell into silence.
“Uncle, my apologies, my apologies.” Manager Qiu, the main culprit, hurried to express his regrets.
Old Man Wen drew in a deep breath, calmly reminding himself that this was Datou’s godfather, the teacher of his three children, and a massive benefactor to their Wen family.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. It’s just that your clothes are all dirty, so hurry on outside first. Eldest, your mother made new clothes for Divine Doctor Jin and Manager Qiu a few days ago, so fetch them to let them change. It’s just Mr. Li…”
Old Man Wen cast a glance at Li Fu. Given this person’s sturdy build, there was no one in their household whose clothes would fit him.
Fortunately, Li Fu had been standing relatively toward the back just now. The flying mud had been mostly blocked by Divine Doctor Jin, Manager Qiu, and Wen Xiuyi, leaving his clothes with only a tiny speck of dirt.
He looked down to glance at it, displaying a completely indifferent expression: “It’s fine, just a tiny bit of dirt won’t get in the way.”
Only then did Old Man Wen breathe a sigh of relief. He hurriedly hustled Wen Xiuyi to lead Divine Doctor Jin and Manager Qiu to change their garments, while he personally guided Li Fu back to the front courtyard.
“Old Uncle Wen, I heard your family also raises ducks and fish?” Li Fu began to strike up a casual conversation with Old Man Wen.
Old Man Wen harbored a highly favorable impression of this guest who smiled so approachably. Hearing his question, he nodded: “Yes, we raise quite a lot. Yao’er and the others’ roast duck shop requires ducks daily, so we raised a few more. It’s still early right now, how about I lead you to have a look?”
Toward a guest who had traveled from afar, Old Man Wen was exceedingly willing to showcase the achievements of their old Wen family.
“That is naturally exactly what I could wish for.”
Old Man Wen exchanged words with Old Madam Luo and the others, then led Li Fu out to wander around.
“This hill over on this side also belongs to our family. Eldest mentioned that in the future, we’ll raise chickens on this mountain and plant some fruit trees or something.” Old Man Wen introduced the sights to Li Fu as they walked.
Spotting people constructing a building at the foot of the hill, Li Fu asked curiously, “What is that over there?”
“Oh, you mean that one? That’s a winery being built for my granddaughter. A mountain spring was unearthed on our family’s hill, so that girl threw a tantrum insisting she wanted to brew alcohol.” Although Old Man Wen grumbled about Wen Yao causing a fuss, when speaking of his granddaughter, his tone carried a distinct note of absolute pride.
Li Fu grew even more interested in the young girl, Wen Yao.
“Miss Wen actually knows how to brew alcohol?”
The corners of Old Man Wen’s mouth split wide open, yet his mouth claimed otherwise: “She knows a little bit, I suppose. This girl is clever and just loves to research these random, messy things. As elders, it’s never good for us to dampen a child’s spirits.”
Li Fu arched an eyebrow, teasing with a smile, “Then if Miss Wen fails to brew the alcohol, won’t building this winery be a complete waste?”
Old Man Wen shook his pipe and said, “How could it be a waste? Just you watch, my family’s Yao’er will definitely be able to brew alcohol. When the time comes, Mr. Li must remember to come have a drink.”
This was an absolute confidence in Wen Yao, as well as the support a family provided before an outsider. If even they deemed Wen Yao incapable, then how would the people outside view her?
It was Li Fu’s very first time witnessing a farming family doting on a young girl to such a lavish extent. Even the pampered young ladies of grand, noble households were barely treated with more than this.
“Old Uncle Wen’s household seems to have quite a few children, huh?” Li Fu inquired.
Old Man Wen nodded: “Eldest has three, Second has three, and Third has two. Five boys and three girls.”
“Many children bring many blessings. Old Uncle Wen is also a man of great fortune,” Li Fu smiled.
These words were highly pleasing to the ear, making Old Man Wen incredibly joyful. In his happiness, he stated that when Li Fu and the others departed later, they absolutely must take a few of their self-raised ducks and fish back to taste.
As the two walked along the paths, many passing villagers called out greetings to Old Man Wen, then stole secret glances at Li Fu, who was dressed in wealthy attire. Li Fu also grandly allowed them to look, saying nothing further.
When the two reached the fish pond, Old Man Wen even had Uncle Lu bring over fish feed to personally demonstrate to Li Fu how to scatter it. They then witnessed those fish leaping out from the water’s surface, a dense and tightly packed scene that was exceptionally spectacular.
They also went to visit the duck pens. Tie Tou’s mother was now working entirely for the Wen family; she could draw a portion of wages while selling the ducks raised by her own family along with them. With a two-pronged approach, the livelihood of Tie Tou’s household was now much better off than many families in the village.
It was just that the odor of the duck pens was truly far too potent, so Old Man Wen didn’t lead the guest too close.
The two then drifted over to the nearby fields. After the potatoes and sweet potatoes were harvested, the land had been cleared out. At this moment, the two Wang brothers were tidying up the field. In the adjacent cornfield, the stalks had already grown nearly as tall as a person, forming a dense, massive patch that was highly spectacular.
Looking at the contrast between the wheat fields and the cornfield on either side, Li Fu asked curiously what that crop was, and why it grew so tall.
“Oh, that one is called corn, it’s also a grain.” Old Man Wen answered entirely casually, yet the hand gripping the pipe stem behind his back abruptly tightened.
“Oh, oh.” Although Li Fu didn’t recognize it, he stopped asking further once he heard it was a grain.
The two made another round through the fields, and also went to view the waterwheel, drawing another round of praises for Wen Xiuyi from Li Fu, who went on and on about how it was a tremendous pity he didn’t enter officialdom, blah blah blah.
Old Man Wen merely listened. In the past, if someone had spoken like this, he might still have experienced some emotional fluctuation. But now, when his hopes had shifted away from his son, his state of mind was entirely peaceful.
After listening to Li Fu’s nagging, Old Man Wen had only one sentence: “The child is grown; whatever he wishes to do, we let him make his own decisions. As his parents, we can manage him for a moment, but can we manage him for a lifetime?”
Li Fu had originally intended to use Old Man Wen and the others as an entry point, but he didn’t expect to receive such a reply here as well. For a moment, he could only feel deeply vexed.
For such a talented individual to be content with merely farming the land was truly a tremendous pity.
Old Man Wen then guided him up the hill. The reclamation of the barren hill was also more or less finished. They also went to view that magical mountain spring of their family, before finally heading down from the front and looping directly back home past the winery site.
After being out for so long, the food and drinks were all prepared.
The moment he stepped through the door, Li Fu caught a highly unique fragrance. It resembled cornel, yet wasn’t quite like cornel. This was a very strange scent; upon initial sniff, it felt pungent, yet afterward, one felt this aroma was incomparably rich and dense, exceptionally enticing to the appetite.
It drew his absolute curiosity: “What delicious dish is being prepared here? The aroma is truly so unique.”
Old Man Wen caught a sniff and laughed: “Oh, this is the scent of chili peppers. This happens to be that girl Yao’er’s absolute treasure, she won’t easily cook it for anyone else. Brother Li is in for a culinary treat today.
“Oh dear, look at me. I was so engrossed in leading you around that I forgot the hour. Quick, wash your hands and come to the table, to the table.” Old Man Wen warmly invited Li Fu to join him by the well to draw water and wash their hands.
Li Fu, however, spent the walk carefully appreciating this name.
Chili peppers—it was truly something he had never eaten before. Today he must give it a proper trial, to see exactly what kind of flavor such a bizarre scent would yield once taken into the mouth.
