jdhmnovel Chapter 180 Water Fan
Chapter 180 Water Fan
When she felt depressed, Yun Xi wanted to stay at the manor for a few days. She asked Mu Jinyan for a few days off from Mu Sheng, saying that she wanted to take the children to the manor to relax.
Yun Xi always feels that children should have more contact with nature to avoid suffering from "nature deficit disorder".
Mu Sheng readily agreed. He felt that Yun Xi's mood was a little off recently, so it would be a good idea to go to the farm to play for a few days. The weather was hot and humid recently, so he let the child go with him to rest for a few days.
He privately told Mu Jinyan that even if he went to the farm, he should not slack off. He should get up every morning to do horse stance and practice basic skills. In the afternoon, he should read some books and write a few pieces of calligraphy.
"You have to take good care of mom for dad. Dad will come to the farm to find you every night. He will ask your mom about her day. You must observe carefully and report truthfully."
"Yes!"
Mu Jinyan asked Yun Xi: "Mother, what fun things are there in the farm?"
Yun Xi thought for a moment and said, "Now, the fields are green. We grow many kinds of crops on our farm, each with its own characteristics. You will be able to see the food you usually eat growing in the fields. Also, there are many insects in the fields at this time, including crickets, mantises, and cicadas. Maybe we can catch a cicada turtle that has just crawled out of its hole and fry it. It's especially delicious. There are also fireflies that glow at night, like twinkling stars, which are very beautiful."
Mu Jin listened with great interest and was looking forward to this trip to the fields.
That morning, after breakfast, Yun Xi took Mu Jinyan to bid farewell to the old lady and the old general, refused Mu Sheng's escort, and went straight to the suburbs with her maids and guards.
Along the way, Mu Jinyan chirped excitedly, like a bird out of a cage, and did not feel sleepy even in the carriage.
When the two arrived, Yun's father was also there. As soon as he saw his daughter, Yun's father smiled widely.
"Dad." Yun Xi called out as soon as she saw him, and walked over to hold his arm affectionately.
"Grandpa Yun."
Mu Jinyan called for help obediently.
"Hey, hey."
Father Yun smiled from ear to ear and pretended to reprimand him, "Be reserved. You are an adult, and you are still acting like a spoiled child in front of a child."
Yun Xi knew that he was saying one thing and thinking another, but she didn't expose him.
The old man smiled and urged the two of them: "Come in quickly, let's go out to dry in the sun."
The house on the farm had just been renovated at the beginning of the year, and Father Yun had built an independent courtyard for Yun Xi to make it convenient for her to rest when she came. The courtyard was not big, but it was more than enough for Yun Xi and Mu Jinyan to live in, and the maids and old women also lived in the side rooms.
After the group settled down, Yun Xi changed Mu Jinyan into a cooler pair of shorts and tied a mosquito repellent sachet bought from the system mall on him. The fields were nice, but there were also many mosquitoes.
Yun Xi also changed herself into a one-piece dress with an extremely simple cut. She drew a picture and asked her maid to help her make it. It did not expose her arms or legs, and the collar design was also very conservative, but it was loose and cool, and much more relaxed and casual than at home.
She took Mu Jinyan to rest in the room first. It was almost noon now, and it was hot and sunny outside. It was not suitable to take the child out. It was more comfortable to stay in the house.
"We play outside every morning and late afternoon, and we play inside at noon because it's too hot outside."
"Okay." Mu Jinyan nodded obediently.
Yun Xi was bored and planned to do some small projects on the farm. Now that the weather is hot, it's a good time to play with the water-stimulated fan invented by Mr. Zhang. It is essentially a mini water conservancy project.
Let the water flow into the house from the outside of the wall, circle the room and then flow out. Through mechanical devices, the water flowing out of the room is transported back to the pool at a high place, forming a cycle. At the entrance of the water flow into the room, a fan is installed, which is driven by the water flow. In this way, not only wind but also water can enter the house, bringing a touch of coolness in summer.
Yun Xi finished the drawing and gave it to her father to find a craftsman to make a fan and a water wheel to transport water from a low place to a high place. They also needed to build a reservoir and a small water tower outside and a water channel in the room.
Mu Jinyan watched Yun Xi busy, but did not interrupt her. After Yun Xi finished drawing, he asked, "Mother, what is this?"
"Let's make a fan. If it works, we won't have to bother fanning ourselves by hand anymore." Yun Xi said.
"I didn't fan myself, it was the wet nurse who did it." Mu Jinyan said very honestly.
When Yun Xi heard him say this and thought about the invention process of the water-stimulated fan, she couldn't help but burst out laughing.
The predecessor of the water-injected fan was the traction fan, which was made by the Imperial Household Department under the supervision of Mr. Zhang's father, the Fourth Uncle. It is said that the Fourth Uncle thought that ordinary fans were not strong enough and not cool enough, so he ordered the Imperial Household Department to make a "mechanized" fan with a nanmu frame and iron core, and six large feather fans were installed on it. The fan handles were manually turned, and the wind force generated was much greater than that of ordinary fans.
However, the Fourth Master was disgusted by the unpleasant odor of sweat produced by the palace maids and eunuchs when they fanned themselves, so he requested that the system be remotely controlled. He also proposed the idea of making a pull-cord fan, adding a pull cord to the fan handle, making a hole in the wall, and extending the cord outside the house. In this way, when the palace maids and eunuchs pulled the cord outside the house, the fan would start to turn.
Mr. Zhang inherited his father's "ambition" and invented a water-stimulated fan and an "automatic fan" driven by a self-ringing clock.
"Once we have this done, the wet nurse won't have to shake it anymore." Yun Xi said.
She suddenly thought that maybe she could take Mu Jinyan to play with clockwork toys these few days.
If you don’t have a rubber band, you can use fish bladder instead. Just ask your dad for a bowstring when you have time.
Mu Jinyan nodded, thinking that it was quite tiring for the wet nurse to fan herself, and it would be best if she didn’t have to.
In the evening, Yun Xi put a straw hat on Mu Jinyan and took him around the farm, introducing him to corn, peanuts, and various vegetables.
At this time, the corn has begun to ear and bloom, which looks very beautiful.
It will take about another month for the peanuts to fully mature, but you can eat them now, but the fruits are not yet plump.
Yun Xi took Mu Jinyan to pull out a few peanut plants. The little guy was surprised when he saw the fruits growing on the roots.
"We can pick them when we get back and bury them in the stove ash after cooking. They will be cooked in a short while and taste delicious." Yun Xi said. "The sweet potatoes cooked in this way are also delicious, just like the roasted sweet potatoes you eat."
Mu Jinyan nodded like a chick pecking at rice: "Can I stew sweet potatoes today?"
"OK."
There were also two acres of paddy fields on the Yun family’s farm, which Mu Jinyan had never seen before.
"Mother, why are there things planted in water?"
"Maybe it's because they are called 'rice'." Yun Xi said, "Some crops prefer drought and don't need too much water; some crops like water and can't survive without water. This kind of rice can't survive without water. Once the water level in the field is too low, we have to add some water."
Yun Xi told Mu Jinyan: "There are many kinds of animals and plants in nature, and each has different living habits. This is their characteristic. It's the same for us humans. Some people like to eat sweet food, and some people like to eat salty food. Each has its own characteristics."
Mu Jinyan listened very carefully, with a thoughtful expression on his face. After a while, he said, "Just like Daddy likes to practice martial arts, Second Uncle likes to read, and Mom likes to sleep in?"
Yun Xi: "..."
What kind of image is this of her?
After a moment of silence, she said, "Mom not only likes to sleep in, she also likes many other things."
"For example?"
The children chased after him closely.
Yun Xi: "..."
"Oh, look what that is?" she shouted in surprise, pointing in the direction of the paddy field.
The maids and servants following behind saw through her awkward attempt to change the subject and started to hold back their laughter.
Only Mu Jinyan looked carefully in the direction where Yun Xi's finger pointed, but saw nothing.
He turned his head and looked at Yun Xi in confusion.
Yun Xi: "...There really is something." She looked at the maids and old women beside her and found that everyone's expressions were a little vague. They didn't think she was lying, did they? She really saw something. Hey, what are you looking at with those expressions!
Forget it, if you don’t believe it, forget it.
She took Mu Jinyan to pick some apricots and plums. There is no child who doesn't like picking. Mu Jinyan ran around, busier than anyone else, and was extremely excited.
In this field, Mu Jinyan’s favorite is watermelon. It is the first time he has seen watermelons growing in the field and he is very curious.
Yun Xi taught him how to pick delicious watermelons. First, look at the patterns, then the color, and then listen to the sound. Finally, he knocked on all the watermelons in the field and picked one with his own hands, asking the maid to take it back to the courtyard and soak it in well water.
In one afternoon, Yun Xi took Mu Jinyan on a quick tour to get a general idea of the situation first. As for a more in-depth understanding, they could talk about it tomorrow.
It was almost dark when the group returned to the courtyard. They were hot and tired after walking for such a long time.
As soon as she returned to the courtyard, Yun Xi saw her excited father Yun, who was waiting for her in the yard.
"Xixi, according to what you said, your room has been renovated. Go in and try it out."
Yun Xi didn't expect the workers to be so efficient. In the afternoon, when Yun Xi and Mu Jinyan were strolling around the farm, the workers were busy with the construction and finished it so quickly.
"Actually, it's not completely done yet. The water tanker is not finished yet, and the water tower is not completed yet." said Dad Yun.
Yun Xi raised an eyebrow and looked at him.
Dad Yun continued, "The fan is ready. The water channel has been repaired, and I had someone set up a large wooden barrel high up. Fill it with water so that it can flow into the house and drive the fan. It can barely be used, but someone outside has to add water to the barrel from time to time."
Yun Xi: “…” There’s no need to be so anxious.
Now that the fan was already turning, she decided to go in and feel it first.
She led Mu Jinyan quickly into the house and was immediately captivated by a refreshing coolness. It was so comfortable.
Looking at Mu Jinyan again, he was squinting his eyes in enjoyment just like her.
"How is it? Am I right? It's very comfortable, isn't it?"
Mu Jinyan nodded vigorously: "It's so comfortable and cool!"
Dad Yun also sighed: "I will build one for my house tomorrow."
Yun Xi agreed with both hands. If you can enjoy something, don't settle for it.
She asked the maid to cut the watermelon that Mu Jinyan picked that afternoon and brought it up, and said to Father Yun, "This is the watermelon that Ayan picked. Let's try it and see how good Ayan is at picking watermelons."
Mu Jinyan also looked expectant, as this was the first watermelon he had chosen in his life.
It turned out that he had made a good choice. Everyone praised him highly, which made the little guy very happy.
In the evening, Mu Sheng came to see them. He came on horseback, very fast, but also really dusty. As soon as he entered the house, he was immediately conquered. He took a shower and changed clothes first, and then he and Yun Xi lay on the couch to enjoy the coolness of the summer evening.
At night, Mu Jinyan wanted to sleep with Yun Xi, but was ruthlessly rejected by his father.
Mu Sheng hugged Yun Xi and asked her, "Are you feeling better?"
"Well, much better."
The main thing is to figure it out. Since I have made the decision, I must cheer up and give it my all. If there are problems, I must solve them. If there are difficulties, I must overcome them. There is absolutely no reason to shrink back.