Cui San quickly stepped forward and picked some large apples, stuffing them into the hands of Geng Sheng and the others.
"Gentlemen, try these fruits. They are crisp, sweet, and delicious."
Eating the fragrant and sweet apples and looking at the apple trees covering the mountainside, Geng Sheng suddenly understood why Cui Dana had suddenly acquired a piece of land. It was for this.
But this had nothing to do with him; he only needed to survey the boundaries.
As for Cui Dana, it was a tough job. Walking up the mountain from below was twenty to thirty li of mountainous terrain, and then walking around this orchard. The thought alone made his head ache. However, since they had already come this far, there was no turning back. They had to do it, whether they wanted to or not.
Cui San clearly saw Cui Dana's helplessness. He smiled and cupped his fists at Geng Sheng, "Master Geng, it's almost noon. Let's eat something first."
Geng Sheng looked up at the sky and then at Cui Dana, who was already panting from exhaustion beside him. He nodded, "Alright, then let's eat first."
Everyone found a shady spot, spread a cloth on the ground, and laid out the wine and food.
Cui San poured wine for Geng Sheng and the two constables, smiling as he said, "You three have worked hard. Please have a toast first."
Geng Sheng and the others were not polite. They raised their wine cups and drank them down in one gulp, then picked up their chopsticks and started eating.
After drinking a few cups of wine with the three of them, Cui San felt that the time was right and spoke, "Gentlemen, why don't we stop exploring this afternoon? I can draw you the shape of this orchard, and you can mark it later."
Geng Sheng also didn't want to walk around, but Chen Xiaobei had instructed him, so he could only say with a hint of helplessness, "That won't do. What if it's wrong?"
Cui San waved his hand, "Master Geng is cautious and diligent. Cui respects that, but such a large mountain, even a slight error would not be noticeable."
Cui Dana also quickly added, "Yes, yes. We can just say that a mountain flood changed the landscape here."
Believe it or not, Cui Dana's words had some truth to them.
Geng Sheng exchanged glances with the other two, then nodded and said, "We will walk around this area in the afternoon. We have to rush back before dark."
"Good, good, then we'll drink more." Cui Dana felt as if he had been pardoned.
...
At this time, Chen Xiaobei was still wandering around the county town. Following Jia Wannian's instructions, he began to collect sulfur in the county town.
In this era, even if there was stock, it wouldn't be much, so he had to visit several shops to collect more.
Wandering around, Chen Xiaobei arrived at a general store named Li Ji.
The shopkeeper was a red-faced man. Hearing that Chen Xiaobei wanted to buy sulfur, he smiled and said, "How much do you want?"
Chen Xiaobei smiled slightly, "About three to five jin, I suppose."
Three to five jin of sulfur was already a considerable amount. He had visited several shops before, and the most he had found was one or two jin.
Unexpectedly, Shopkeeper Li smiled slightly, "No problem, no problem."
Saying this, he instructed a shop assistant, "Go and pack five jin of sulfur."
Seeing the shopkeeper's decisiveness, Chen Xiaobei secretly breathed a sigh of relief. This was the supplier he was looking for.
"Shopkeeper, how much stock do you have? I might need more later."
Shopkeeper Li smiled calmly, "How much do you want? I have as much as you want. By the way, is there anything else you need? I can get it for you."
Hearing the shopkeeper's tone, Chen Xiaobei knew he had found the right person.
As the saying goes, every trade has its own tricks. The shopkeeper dared to say this, indicating that he had the means. This was his business.
Chen Xiaobei's thoughts raced, "Shopkeeper Li, I need saltpeter. Do you have any?"
Upon hearing Chen Xiaobei's words, Shopkeeper Li laughed heartily, "Let alone saltpeter, I can even get you purer saltpeter powder. However, the price will be a bit high."
He then held up two fingers, "One jin of saltpeter powder will cost at least this much. Come back in three days to pick it up."
Two taels of silver for one jin of saltpeter powder. Although it sounded expensive, it was not expensive at all considering Chen Xiaobei's needs.
This way, he wouldn't have to trouble Chen Dayong to collect it from every shop, nor would he have to burn firewood to boil it.
"Then I'll take one jin for now. If it works well, I'll order a few hundred jin."
Leaving Li Ji's general store, Chen Xiaobei felt much more relaxed.
Seeing that it was already noon, Chen Xiaobei, without even stopping for lunch, hurried to the livestock market.
At this time, the livestock market was still bustling with people and very lively.
Looking at so many horses, Chen Xiaobei was troubled. He didn't know anything about horses.
Chen Xiaobei didn't understand horses, but he understood people.
He saw a group of horses with a slightly plump middle-aged man standing beside them. He stepped forward and cupped his fists, smiling, "Greetings, sir. Are you selling horses?"
The middle-aged man nodded, "Yes, are you buying?"
Chen Xiaobei nodded and pointed to the donkey cart behind him, "Yes, my young lady says the donkey cart is too slow and wants to buy two horses to switch to a horse-drawn carriage."
"Oh, may I ask your master's surname?" the man asked, striking up a conversation.
"Oh, it's Liu."
"It's not far from here."
As the saying goes, borrowing prestige to exert influence. Chen Xiaobei mentioned the Liu family, and the man's face immediately showed an enthusiastic smile.
"Oh, so you were sent by Miss Liu. No problem, no problem. How many horses do you want? I'll help you choose."
Chen Xiaobei nodded and deliberately made the silver in his sleeve jingle.
"We are not short of money. Pick two good horses for me. They must be able to pull a cart and travel long distances, otherwise, I won't be able to account for myself when I return."
The man chuckled, "Don't worry, I'll pick them for you. I guarantee they'll be fast."
Saying this, he led out two horses from inside. "One male and one female. I'll make a pair for you, how about it?"
What else could he say? "Good!"
After paying the silver, Chen Xiaobei tied the two horses behind the donkey cart and headed back.
When Chen Xiaobei returned to Hetou Village, Cui Hongyu was chatting with Shen Ziyan and Huang Ying under the big locust tree.
Chen Qiaoer, happy as a butterfly, ran back and forth between the three of them.
After all, she was still a child and had become familiar with the two of them in such a short time.
Seeing Chen Xiaobei arrive, Shen Ziyan and Huang Ying stood up anxiously, "Sister Hongyu, then we'll go to the study hall first."
Seeing the two of them leave, Chen Xiaobei was also puzzled. He scratched his head, "Did I offend them?"
Cui Hongyu also looked helpless, "Perhaps they are still a bit shy!"
Chen Xiaobei said no more. After a short rest, he planned to go out.
He had to go and see how Chen Dayong and the others were getting along with the saltpeter distillation.
Seeing him about to go out again, Cui Hongyu quickly said, "Husband, the teacher has arrived. Shouldn't we notify the children to start classes?"
"Okay, then I'll tell Lidong to issue a notice. Classes will start tomorrow."
Chen Xiaobei agreed repeatedly and turned to leave the courtyard.
In the woods west of the village, a foul odor still permeated the air.