"Madam, the wild boar piglets are all tied up," the servant in charge of the pigs reported to Qin Junyao.
Qin Junyao snapped back to attention. "Put all the wild boar piglets in the empty room, and don't let them out until after the yellow sand storm passes."
"Liu Yu, let's go back."
Back in the main house, Qin Junyao didn't go into her room to hide. Instead, she stood at the doorway, watching the wind in the courtyard. It was blowing harder and harder, and the sand mixed in swept across the ground like waves, layer after layer.
"Madam, please come inside. Sand is blowing in."
Qin Junyao looked down at the sand at her feet and took two steps back to let Liu Yu close the door.
"Liu Yu, when the yellow sand storm subsides a bit, notify Steward Sun and Da Wan to come to the west wing for a meeting."
She couldn't do it now, getting everyone in the northwest living on the edge of the desert to participate in planting poplar trees. At least, she had to get the entire Yangshu Village involved.
Qin Junyao took off her sand-covered outer coat and walked over to Xiao Langtou. Stroking her daughter's sleeping little face, she thought to herself.
"Daughter, Mom won't let you see such terrifying sandstorms when you grow up. Mom will make this place full of birdsong and flowers, and lush greenery."
This yellow sand storm lasted for three full days before it passed, covering the already yellowish Yangshu Village with another layer of yellow.
Inside and out, in chests and cabinets, sand had gotten into every crevice.
"Woo~~" Grandma Qin drank a big mouthful of cabbage soup and felt utterly comfortable. "I shouldn't have eaten at Grandpa Hou's house at noon. It's much more comfortable to eat at home."
Qin Junyao served Grandma Qin more food. "What happened at Grandpa Hou's house?"
"It's those two rascals, Hou Liang and Hou Shan. They thought it was fun to play outside in the sand, so they opened all the windows and doors."
"Not only did Xingwang's son catch a cold, but sand also got into the jars of oil and the flour bins at home. No matter how they cleaned it up, the food they ate was gritty."
Fu Zi covered her mouth and chuckled. "Did they get spanked?"
"How could they get away with it? They were hung from the beam and spanked. Now they're lying at home."
Fu Zi looked up and exchanged a glance with Qin Xiaoyu, then quickened their eating pace. They planned to go "visit" the two brothers after dinner.
"You two eat slowly, don't choke. Ask the kitchen for more if you need it," Qin Junyao added soup for the two younger ones.
Grandma Qin glanced at the two schadenfreude children and said slowly, "It's already dark, don't run around. If you want to go, go tomorrow. The twins can't eat spicy food right now. You two can bring some spicy pickled radish strips."
Don't underestimate these spicy pickled radish strips. This was a dish that Ling Manshuang asked for by name whenever she visited. Children from the village who came to the Zhao family to play with Fu Zi loved them even more. Su Dan Novel Network.
The two little ones were initially a bit disappointed when they heard they couldn't go. But when they heard they could bring food to tease Hou Shan and Hou Liang tomorrow, they ate even more heartily.
Seeing that the two younger ones had calmed down, Grandma Qin asked Qin Junyao about her activities over the past two days.
"You're asking your father and Da Wan to tell everyone about the benefits of planting poplar trees. Are you trying to hire more people to help you?"
Qin Junyao shook her head. "I want them to willingly plant poplar trees and build grass grids themselves."
"As long as they do it, I can provide them with tree seeds and saplings free of charge."
Grandma Qin put down her bowl. "Are you sure they'll listen to you?"
"Let's try, Grandma. The people in the village have lived here for generations. They've been forced by the sand, and they've had to move their homes backward every two to three generations."
"Any money they save is kept for building houses later, they don't have betrothal gifts to get married, and they can't afford dowries to marry off their daughters. Their children can't afford to go to school."
Qin Junyao turned her head and looked through the window at the maids who were still sweeping the yard even though it was already dark. "For the sake of their descendants, they should take action, right?"
Of course, just providing tree seeds and saplings wouldn't be enough to get the villagers of Yangshu Village to plant trees in the desert in their spare time.
Therefore, for any villager who voluntarily went to the desert to plant poplar trees, Qin Junyao promised that once the poplar trees grew large enough, she would teach them for free how to cultivate *Cistanche* with the poplar trees.
As for the ownership of the land where poplar trees were planted well, Qin Junyao heard from Zhao Liangcai that someone would soon be appointed at the county yamen. For the sake of tax revenue, everything could be negotiated.
After some days of mobilization, one-third of the villagers had already chosen their plots and were waiting for the weather to warm up to plant poplar trees.
It was expected that those who were still watching would gradually join.
Qin Junyao's own land was still being planted with poplar trees, and grass grids were still being built by hired workers.
She also began to prepare to plant new plants: red willows.
Red willows could not only serve as windbreaks for farmland and act as protective forests, but their branches could also be used to weave baskets and other items. Their tender leaves could also be used as fodder to feed sheep and camels.
In addition, red willow branches were good for skewering lamb, and the roasted lamb skewers were also delicious.
Since Xiao Langtou had started sleeping well at night, Qin Junyao had time to plant red willows in her spatial dimension.
However, good times didn't last long. On the seventeenth day after Zhao Liangcai left, Xiao Langtou resumed crying every night.
"Langtou, can't you let your mother sleep a little longer?"
"Wuu~~"
"Then can you cry for an hour less? Mom will play you a new tune. If you agree, cry a little quieter."
"Waa~~"
Hearing her daughter's cries growing louder and louder, Qin Junyao resigned herself to playing the zither on the low couch.
The daughter she gave birth to, she had to dote on.
Xiao Langtou stopped crying at midnight and fell asleep while eating in Qin Junyao's arms.
"Liu Rong, this is the third day she hasn't cried after midnight, right?" Qin Junyao gently placed Langtou on the heated bed. Her little belly was round and full, indicating she was in a deep sleep.
"Yes, Madam," Liu Rong secretly yawned. The young lady cried so much at night.
"Let's try tomorrow. If I don't play the zither, will she still not cry at midnight? If she doesn't cry, we'll ignore her and let her cry on her own."
Liu Rong looked surprised. "Madam, are you serious?"
"Why are you looking at me like that? The red willow forest will be planted soon, and spring plowing is approaching. Besides wheat, we'll also plant some cotton."
"We need to send people to prepare the land we bought. In early March, I want to choose some places to plant corn, and we also need to start building the manor in Yusun Liu Village. Oh, and the grain store."
"Madam, please slow down. Your health is important," Liu Rong said, looking at Qin Junyao with concern.
The mistresses she had served before, apart from managing household affairs, spent the rest of their time enjoying flowers, admiring scenery, attending banquets, and drinking tea.
When was a madam busier than a master?
Qin Junyao tidied up the small quilt covering Xiao Langtou and looked at Liu Rong. "The ones who really need to pay attention to their health are you all."
"With her here, I can't leave. All the work is being done by you. I'm just putting in some thought."
"As long as Sui Ren is in the northwest and Langtou's father is on the battlefield, your Madam cannot slow down."
The next night, Liu Yu accompanied Qin Junyao to test Xiao Langtou's crying time.
Xiao Langtou seemed to have found a pattern. She started crying at the end of the Xu hour and stopped at the beginning of the Zi hour, lasting for an hour and a half.
However, without the swaying cradle and her mother's zither music, she cried with exceptional grievance.
Unable to bear her daughter's wronged cries, Qin Junyao resigned herself to playing the zither after Xiao Langtou had cried for fifteen minutes. Liu Yu happily pushed the cradle. The young lady was crying so pitifully.