Chapter 607: The Imperial Examination Family-Building System (16)

When Lin Shi heard her say she wanted to visit the Wild Tea Forest, she smiled and said, "That's simple enough. If you want to go, I'll accompany you anytime. It just so happens I haven't been back to my maiden home for a while."

When the news of her son's engagement and the building of the new house came, she had to entrust acquaintances to pass the word to her maiden home; how could she have gotten away when there were two injured people at home at the time?

Fortunately, her brother and sister-in-law received the news and came over in time to help, only returning after the autumn harvest. It was just that her parents were getting on in years and the mountain paths were difficult to travel, which was why they hadn't come, and she truly missed them.

Xie Yang's visit this time, besides delivering fabric to her future parents-in-law, was also intended for a trip up the mountain to take a look. However, since there was rare news of tea trees, why wait! There is no time like the present; she might as well go today!

Fortunately, she had brought plenty of fabric, and setting aside a few pieces of dark-colored Cotton Cloth as a greeting gift for the elders of the Lin family was not considered impolite.

She let Lin Shi keep the rest to make two new sets of clothes for herself and her future father-in-law later.

The original owner was not skilled at needlework; even sewing a sachet would turn out crooked. Her wedding dress and wedding quilt had been made by Fang Shi, leading the two sisters Xie Hao and Xie Miao.

That was why she had simply brought the Fabric over.

"I wasn't as thin before, so it was uncomfortable to sit and be constricted, which is why I did little needlework and won't embarrass myself. I still have to trouble you to make two sets of clothes for yourself, Song Shu, and Zhi Zhi."

Lin Shi understood as soon as she heard—this was fabric for her family to wear on the day of her son's wedding. No wonder it was sent at this time; if it were any later, there truly wouldn't be enough time to make them to wear.

She knew that in recent years in town, it was popular for a bride-to-be to honor her parents-in-law with new clothes, but that was in town. Qinghe Village had no such custom; after all, most families were poor, and they had to tighten their belts to get by. Where would they have extra money to buy Fabric to make new clothes for the parents-in-law? Unless the groom's family provided a sufficiently large dowry.

Yet the dowry her family gave was not generous, and it was already very good that the bride's family didn't mind. She had never even thought that the bride's family would follow the town custom and send Fabric for new clothes. Even Zhi Zhi, that little girl, had some.

Lin Shi really felt embarrassed to accept.

Xie Yang then said, "Barring any accidents, Yanqing will definitely pass the examination to become a budding talent this time. By then, you and Song Shu will be the parents of a budding talent, and Zhi Zhi will be the sister of a budding talent. When entertaining guests, how can you not even have a set of new clothes?"

Once Lin Shi heard this logic, she agreed: "Then I will accept it. Actually, making one set for us is enough; this is too much fabric, you bought too much."

So much fabric—how much Silver must it have cost! Even if it wasn't her Silver, Lin Shi still felt the pinch.

"It's not much, only two sets, and it's just ordinary Cotton Cloth. By this time next year, I will cut brocade for you to make clothes."

Lin Shi was all smiles: "These two sets can be worn for several years; there's no need to make them often."

Xie Yang said with a smile: "By this time next year, Yanqing should be going to the Provincial Capital for the Provincial Examination. Once he passes and becomes a promoted scholar, as his parents, wouldn't you deserve a set of brocade clothes?"

Lin Shi: "..."

Her future daughter-in-law was better at dreaming than she was!

At most, she dared to think that her son would likely pass the budding talent examination this time. To pass the Provincial Examination—what a great blessing that would be! She didn't even dare to think about it! Hadn't she seen that Qingfeng City hadn't produced a single promoted scholar lord in years!

That day, Lin Shi accompanied Xie Yang to her maiden home.

Her maiden home was in Qingshan Village, under the jurisdiction of Panshi Town, but in terms of straight-line distance, it was actually closer to Guixiang Town—you just had to cross the mountain to get there. Therefore, the people of Qingshan Village went to Panshi Town for the market less often than they came to Guixiang Town.

Lin Shi had met Song Zhisheng back then when she followed her parents to Guixiang Town for the market. Song Zhisheng fell in love with her at first sight, then begged his parents and entrusted a matchmaker to go to the Lin family to propose, which was how this marriage was achieved.

But the mountain paths were rugged and impassable for a carriage, and going around from the town would take time. Xie Yang simply let Xiao Ya follow the carriage back to town first, so as not to let her parents worry due to a late return.

She and Lin Shi took the mountain path to the Lin family. This wouldn't waste time, and if they returned late, they could stay at the Lin family for the night, and she could also go see her own Farm and hills tomorrow.

Lin Shi had originally thought she wouldn't be able to climb the mountain, so she not only snatched the bundle containing the Fabric to carry on her own shoulders but also thought about pulling her along. Who would have expected her to walk even more steadily than herself; all the way up to the mountain top and then down the other side, she didn't even look out of breath.

The look in Lin Shi's eyes toward her future daughter-in-law became increasingly satisfied.

Fortunately, she hadn't rejected this marriage at the time out of concern for the other party's figure, fearing she would be mocked by people in the village for sacrificing her son's marriage just to climb up to a wealthy family.

If she had rejected it, would she still have this daughter-in-law she found more satisfying the more she looked at her?

Xie Yang did not know her future mother-in-law's thoughts; she was observing the vegetation and the nature of the mountain soil along the way.

The mountains here, including the Xiao Chai Shan she had bought, seemed to be neutral to acidic soil. Acidic soil is good! It is suitable for planting tea trees!

She had originally been worried about the soil problem; if it were alkaline, she would have had to improve the soil in advance to plant tea trees. Now it seemed that was unnecessary.

"Auntie, is the soil of the mountains in Qingshan Village all like this?"

Lin Shi was asked this in confusion; weren't all mountains like this?

Xie Yang said with a smile: "There is a big difference in mountain soil. Some is loose and soft, some is hard and solid; some is suitable for planting flowers, some is suitable for planting trees. After I clear the Xiao Chai Shan I bought, I plan to plant grass on the south slope, tea trees on the east and west slopes, and timber on the north slope. The soil for planting tea trees must be loose and breathable. The Wild Tea Forest you mentioned must have this kind of soil."

Lin Shi couldn't understand why the best sunny south slope should be used to plant grass; that would be such a waste. Besides, did grass even need to be planted? The most abundant thing all over the mountains and plains was weeds.

But once she thought that Xiao Chai Shan was her future daughter-in-law's dowry, as a mother-in-law, she feared that asking too much would annoy her daughter-in-law, who might think she wanted to interfere with her dowry, so she held back and didn't say anything.

She was, however, familiar with the topic of the Wild Tea Forest: "That explains it! No tea trees were found on other hills in Qingshan Village, and the soil of those mountains is indeed as you said—hard as a rock."

Hard as a rock soil is actually alkaline, with relatively poor aeration and drainage, suitable for planting trees such as willow, poplar, and ginkgo. Among fruit trees, pear, jujube, apricot, and pomegranate trees also prefer alkaline soil.

Once her Xiao Chai Shan yielded results, she would go to Qingshan Village to buy an alkaline mountain to plant fruit trees and run an Orchard. She would also raise some chickens in the orchard; not only would the fruit trees have fertilizer, but the chicken meat would also be firmer.

But these things were still quite far off, so Xie Yang didn't say much more to Lin Shi.

The two crossed the mountain, went around the river, and walked for nearly half an hour before they saw a village with curling smoke—that was Qingshan Village.

At this moment, apart from the eldest daughter-in-law Lu, who had returned home to cook lunch, everyone else in the Lin family was still busy in the fields.

Although the fertile fields had all been sold, there were still a few acres of mountain land. No matter how poor the harvest was, they were planted full of crops, and everyone was busy in the fields at this moment.

Seeing Lin Shi bring her future daughter-in-law, Lu hurriedly poured tea for them, then wanted to go to the fields to call her parents-in-law and husband back.

"No need to be busy. Yang Er heard that there is a Wild Tea Forest not far behind our house and wanted to come see it. I'll take her there. Sister-in-law, you go ahead and be busy."