Chapter 78

“Are you really taking all of them? It would be better for them to stay at home and study.” In Ningxia Pavilion, Jing’s mother asked.

“Yes, just take Xiao Shu with you. Now that these three are grown up, they should focus on their work.” Mother Lin added.

With many children in the house, Mother Jing and Mother Lin were quite concerned. They didn’t insist on the imperial examination, but since they had hired a tutor, they had to justify the tuition.

“It’s a rare break. Let them go and relax. The estate is large and fun. Besides, they can help me with some work.” Jing Yi said.

He believed in joyful education. Learning without joy was not as good as not learning at all. Being able to protect his family was enough to make him a good man.

After saying that, he led Chuxia and the four children out of the door in a lively manner. Surprisingly, having many people indeed looked quite imposing.

It was early in the morning, and the sun had just risen, so its power wasn’t too intense. Coupled with a bit of wind, although it was still hot, it was relatively comfortable.

Jing Yi helped his wife and Xiao Shu onto the carriage first, then told the three to decide for themselves which two would sit on the driver’s seat to control the carriage, while one would stay inside.@@novelbin@@

His family’s carriage was wide enough for two fourteen-year-old boys to sit comfortably on the driver’s seat.

At Jing Yi’s request, the young boys from the Jing and Lin families had already learned how to drive the carriage. Now, the three remaining outside looked at each other; each wanted to sit on the driver’s seat to enjoy the breeze. They eyed each other warily.

However, unexpectedly, Xiao Jiang suddenly withdrew from the competition and stepped directly into the carriage. The remaining two stared at each other in surprise. What? The smartest one today suddenly has a brotherly favor?

Regardless, let’s drive the carriage! Which man doesn’t like riding a horse and driving a carriage! Who wants to sit inside the carriage!

Once on the carriage, Chuxia pulled up the curtain on the window, allowing the breeze to flow freely. He and Jing Yi sat on one side, while Xiao Jiang and Xiao Shu sat on the other. Throughout the journey, the three of them chatted and laughed, making the trip quite enjoyable.

However, the skills of the two young boys driving the carriage were quite mediocre. Jing Yi suspected that they deliberately chose bumpy roads to traverse, causing quite a commotion. After summer began, Jing’s mother even removed the cushion from the seats in the carriage. Now, it was flesh against wooden boards, making the journey even more uncomfortable.

Jing Yi was about to say a few words to the two outside, but suddenly, there was a loud “bang!” The carriage shook violently before coming to an abrupt stop.

Due to inertia, Chuxia directly fell into Jing Yi’s arms. He was very happy to have such a delivery, but during that moment, Chuxia’s forehead heavily hit Jing Yi’s lower jaw. In that instant, Jing Yi understood that his wife wasn’t soft everywhere; his forehead was rock hard.

“Husband, is it really okay?” Xiaxia asked with embarrassment. If it’s fine, why do your eyes look a bit red?

Jing Yi didn’t say anything. At this moment, his lower jaw was really hurting. He couldn’t open his mouth, so he waved his hand.

Xiaxia carefully examined Jing Yi’s lower jaw and took a moment to have him open his mouth for an oral inspection. Only when he confirmed that there was no break or bleeding did he feel relieved. Then, he continued to ask Xiao Shu and Xiao Jiang.

“Are you two okay? Xiao Shu, did you fall?”

“No problem, Brother Xiaxia! You scared me for a moment. I almost flew and fell! Luckily, Brother Dongjiang caught me, or I would’ve ruined my looks! Haha. Brother Dongjiang’s skills are still great!”

While saying this, Xiao Shu playfully bumped his shoulder against Dongjiang, realizing their height difference, so he switched to patting his hand.

“No problem, you didn’t fly, no need to be afraid.” Dongjiang calmly said. However, upon closer inspection, one could see that this young man’s ears were turning red.

In that brief moment, he first caught Xiao Shu and then held him tightly, not daring to let go until the carriage stopped and he released his grip to let him sit properly.

Xiao Jiang couldn’t help feeling relieved. Fortunately, he had thought about looking after Xiao Shu when he followed inside; otherwise, if it were the other two fools, Xiao Shu might have been hurt.

The reddening of his ears did not catch the attention of the other three people; they were still concerned about why the carriage suddenly stopped.

Jing Yi’s lower jaw was feeling much better now. After confirming that everyone inside the carriage was fine, he let Xiao Jiang take care of them inside while he got off to see what had happened. It had been a while, and there was no movement; what were these two little guys doing?

Upon getting off the carriage, he saw Xiao An and Xiao Shan squatting under a willow tree by the roadside. Upon closer inspection, there was a nest of puppies, and beside them was a thin, yellowish-brown female dog panting heavily.

“Were you avoiding this dog just now?” Jing Yi asked, glancing at them.

“Yes, big brother. Can we keep them?” Xiao An looked at the nest of puppies and felt sorry for them.

Jing Yi carefully observed the nest of puppies and the mother dog. They looked thin and dirty, but there was no sign of pus or illness. They were probably sent here by a nearby villager who couldn’t afford to raise them. The mother dog likely hadn’t been abandoned and couldn’t bear to leave her puppies, following them all the way.

“Okay, bring them along. Our estate happens to have space for them. Just put them on the carriage shaft, but don’t take them into the carriage.” Jing Yi instructed.

“Okay!” Xiao An and Xiao Shan were excited and began to compete to carry the puppies onto the carriage. The mother dog obediently followed, hopping onto the carriage shaft.

With this addition, the journey to the estate was safe and steady, albeit with some limitations on the carriage driving skills of the two boys.

“You take the big one and the four little ones to the small courtyard behind the garden to find Uncle Zhong and the others. First, feed them, then wash the mother dog, and then wipe the four puppies clean. Also, go to the third courtyard and find Gao Kun and Ah Qi to go together.”

After giving instructions, Jing Yi no longer paid attention to them and let them play on their own. He and Chuxia, along with steward Tong who came to greet them, went to the backyard of the third courtyard to conduct an ice-making experiment. The tools and materials had already been purchased by steward Tong as per his instructions.

The process of making ice was quite simple, just simmering water. Jing Yi prepared two wooden basins, one large and one small. Both basins were filled with water, and the small basin was placed inside the large one. Then, saltpetre was added to the large basin.

As they added saltpetre to the large basin, they witnessed a miraculous moment as the water in the small basin slowly turned into ice. Chuxia and steward Tong were amazed to see the ice forming in the small basin.

Especially for steward Tong, who had no prior knowledge of what they were going to do today, this experience completely overturned his previous beliefs. He was almost about to kneel down and worship the miracle. However, seeing Jing Yi’s calm expression and muttering about the slow freezing speed, he regained some composure.

After understanding the situation, steward Tong, a loyal and insightful man, assured them that he would keep everything he saw today a secret, even if it meant taking it to his grave. Jing Yi was very satisfied with his commitment and spoke with honesty and determination.

It was clear that the main reason for bringing steward Tong along to make ice today was to observe his performance. If he passed the test, he would be able to assist with this business in the future.

Unlike the soap factory, ice-making was a truly profitable venture. Not to mention that water was free, saltpetre was cheap, and it could be reused. The ice made from saltpetre could also be eaten, making it a wealth generator in the summer.

After the ice in the large basin solidified, the saltpetre would reappear, and it could be scraped off for reuse. This made it a highly profitable business.

“Steward Tong, get up quickly. Since I brought you here, it means I trust you. Both Chuxia and I are idle by nature, and in the future, we will rely on Steward Tong for the business of the Jing family.” Jing Yi reassured and helped Tong Mujie to his feet, expressing genuine sincerity.

“Master, Tong Mujie is honored and will never reveal a word of what I have seen today, even at the cost of my life,” Tong Mujie promised.

“Haha, good. Steward Tong, don’t be so restrained. Stay here and do some work in the house. It’s comfortable to live here. Chuxia and I will take this ice to make some delicious treats for everyone. Remember to come later,” Jing Yi said as he took Chuxia and the ice and headed to the kitchen in the main courtyard.

In the kitchen, Jing Yi saw a basket of fresh fruits on the table, including peaches, pears, mulberries, and a large watermelon, most likely bought by Uncle Zhong from the nearby village early in the morning. It was quite a distance to walk to the nearest village, so it was indeed hard work.

The simplest cold treat was shaved ice, easy to make and delicious. Jing Yi was craving ice and didn’t want to make anything too complicated, so he used the tools and materials at hand to make a simple version of fruit jam shaved ice, including peach and mulberry flavors. The jam was not even cooked, just mashed and mixed with honey, yet it was incredibly delicious.

“Big brother, we’re here!”

“Brother-in-law Xiaxia, the puppy is clean!”

“Brother Yi, when’s dinner?”

As soon as the shaved ice was ready, before the couple could enjoy a few bites, several of them rushed into the room, including Gao Kun and Ah Qi.

Originally, they wanted to talk about the four little puppies with Jing Yi and Chuxia, as they were too cute. But as soon as they saw the two bowls of ice on the table, they immediately forgot about the puppies and eagerly surrounded the table, exclaiming with joy.

“Big brother, what’s this?” Xiao An, the first to arrive, hugged Jing Yi with his hot and sweaty body, leaving Jing Yi feeling uncomfortable.

“Get away, you’re too hot, stay away from me!” Jing Yi quickly pushed his head back, finally managing to eat a few bites of ice and cool down.

“Brother Yi, what’s this? It’s so hot, give us some.” Dongshan, seeing Xiao An being pushed away, also didn’t come forward, but made his request from a distance, not being polite with Jing Yi.

“Brother-in-law Xiaxia, I want some too.” Xiao Shu, knowing that Chuxia doted on him, ran over to act cute, bringing Ah Qi along.

Ah Qi also looked at Chuxia shyly, with big eyes full of desire for the ice.

“Come, Xiao Shu and Ah Qi, come and have some of mine. This is shaved ice, made with ice, and it’s cool to eat,” Chuxia called the two little gers over to eat together.

The other children knew they couldn’t pester their brother-in-law and it wasn’t proper, so they just looked at him eagerly, unable to speak.

“…” Jing Yi.

“Come and have some of mine, it’s a shame, I don’t even have enough for these brats, I won’t have any left to eat.” The last sentence was clearly a complaint and a bit of coquetry directed at Chuxia.

“I’ll go with my husband to make a few more portions. We’ll have one each later, and won’t give them any,” Chuxia coaxed his husband and happily went to the kitchen.