Zhuang Keqing took the stone mill, and without wasting any time, the three of them hurried back.
The stone mill was heavy, so Zhang Da held the handrail of the trolley, and the two younger ones supported him on the side. Nothing went wrong along the way. I didn't expect to return to the village, but it attracted the curiosity of the villagers passing by.
"Zhang Da, this stone mill is pretty good! I'm afraid it will cost a lot of copper coins, right?"
Zhang Da was dull by nature and didn't know how to answer. He simply didn't speak and just buried his head in pushing the cart.
He didn't buy this mill. He just came here to do a small favor today. He couldn't go back to the banker's girl and go back to someone else's house.
Seeing that he didn't answer, the villager thought that he was deliberately pretending to look down on others, and his tone became a little sour when he spoke.
"Hum! If you don't use the fine mill in the village, it's just a stone mill to show off. Who are you looking down on?"
Zhuang Keqing saw that the man was talking more and more unseemly. He knew that Zhang Da was a slow-tongued person. He must have been worried about himself just now because he didn't reply to the man's words. Just like last time, Luotian didn't speak by himself. Even if he was surrounded by people and asked, he would not reply.
Not a word was said.
So she opened her mouth and said to the villager: "Uncle, this is the stone mill ordered by my family."
The little girl smiled as if she didn't hear the sour words just now, which made the villager blush. "Hey, I didn't mean that either."
"I know, then let's leave now?"
"Go well, go well, and be careful."
After Zhuang Keqing and his party walked away, the man came back to his senses and said, "Didn't I just want to know how much this stone mill costs?"
Qin Manzhi knew that her daughter had asked Zhang Da to help her get the stone mill today, so she made a refreshing syrup drink at home early so that they could drink it comfortably when they came back.
"Mom, I'm back."
Zhuang Keqing asked the dog to help the cart and opened the courtyard door himself to let the cart in.
Qin Manzhi heard her daughter's voice and went out to meet her. As soon as she left the house, she saw a stone mill as wide as an adult's arm placed on a cart, which was more than twice as big as the one she was using now.
"How do you set up such a big stone mill? Can we push it?" She murmured, feeling a little confused.
Zhang Da stopped the cart, said hello to her and asked: "Sister-in-law Qin, where can I put this stone mill? I will move it to the place directly for you, so that it will not be difficult for you to move behind."
Zhuang Keqing had already vacated the place. Seeing her mother standing blankly at the door, fearing that she was too happy to react, she answered the conversation and asked the father and son to carry things to the kitchen.
The whole house of the banker is not that big, and the kitchen is only of average size. Now that such a large stone mill is placed, the space becomes crowded at once.
But Zhuang Keqing was happy. With the stone mill and knowing the specific size, she could order the waterwheel, and she could do it in a short time.
With the stone grinder in place, the three of them came out of the kitchen.
Qin Manzhi was standing in the courtyard, still a little embarrassed because of the rudeness just now. When he saw several people coming out, he hurriedly brought drinks over and each of them poured a bowl.
"Drink to quench your thirst."
"Thank you, Auntie." Gouzi was the most frustrated. He knew that everything in the store was delicious, so this drink would definitely be good. He picked it up and drank it in a few sips.
"It's really delicious, sour and sweet." Gouzi licked his lips and wanted to have another bowl. However, his father glared at him and he shrunk his neck and did not dare to ask for more.
"There is still a lot here. You should drink more after your hard work." Qin Manzhi poured another bowl for Gouzi, and the happy young man bared his white teeth.
"This sour fruit drink is made from sour plums from the back mountain. It's not worth much money. If you like it, take some back." Zhuang Keqing knew that his mother was good at making these fruit drinks, so he didn't hide it at this time and took it directly.
The small earthen jar came, filled a full jar and handed it to Gouzi. "Thank you right then for your help today."
Gouzi ignored his father's refusal and accepted it happily. If it weren't for Zhuang Keqing being younger than him, he would have wanted to call her sister affectionately.
There was something wrong with Shimo here. After sending Zhang Da and the others out, Zhuang Keqing went home with his mother to have lunch.
"Ke'er, why did you order such a big stone mill?" Qin Manzhi said after holding a piece of meat-sauced melon for her daughter, "You and I are both women with limited strength, so a small mill is enough."
I don't mean to blame, and I'm not afraid of wasting money. I'm just worried that the work of grinding beans will not be done well in the future.
"Mom, didn't I tell you?"
"We probably won't be able to push this stone mill for long."
After stuffing a big mouthful of multigrain rice into his mouth, Zhuang Keqing saw that his mother was hesitant to speak, so he knew she had misunderstood.
She took a gulp of soup and swallowed her rice before continuing to explain.
"I plan to make a water-powered stone mill. If it succeeds, no matter how big the stone mill is, we won't need to use our own efforts in the future."
She did not explain in detail what a hydraulic stone mill was. She only told her mother that after lunch she would go to the carpenter to order the parts for the hydraulic stone mill.
Qin Manzhi believed in her daughter and didn't ask any questions. She was just worried that if she left in the afternoon, it would be too late by the time she finished her errands and it would be unsafe to come back.
But Zhuang Keqing kept the waterwheel in mind and insisted not to wait until tomorrow. She took a few bites of lunch, said hello to her mother-in-law, took some money and went out.
The carpenter lives in Daxing Village and is well-known for his good craftsmanship. When Zhuang Keqing arrived, a villager was discussing with the carpenter that they wanted to order some furniture because their daughter was getting married.
"Carpenter Qian, I leave this to you. The work must be more precise. I am just a daughter, and the dowry must not be shabby."
"Don't worry, I will do this work myself, and I am determined not to let anyone else interfere, so as to ensure that your family is satisfied."
"Now that I have your promise, I'm relieved. I'll leave the deposit here first and collect it after three months."
"Of course you can. Don't forget to have a glass of wedding wine with me then."
Zhuang Keqing stood outside the courtyard and vaguely heard the conversation between the two. Seeing that Qian Carpenter was a warm-tempered person, and it was easier to communicate with him than Stonemason, he was relieved.
But seeing that the sky was getting darker, even she couldn't help but become a little anxious.
Fortunately, at this time, the villager finally finished talking and came out. Seeing a girl standing outside, he called to the courtyard: "Carpenter Qian, there is another guest here."
The carpenter was a little surprised. It was getting dark today, so how could anyone come to order something from him at this time, and he was not afraid that the return journey would be difficult.
So they came out to welcome her, and when they saw it was a girl, they felt even more inappropriate.
"You are a little girl, why are you still out so late at night? You are not afraid of what will happen to you."
"Uncle carpenter, I'm just here to place an order. I don't want to go out late." Zhuang Keqing couldn't tell because you had been chatting for too long, so he changed the topic and asked about ordering. "Is it convenient for you now?"
"It's convenient." When business came to the door, the carpenter didn't think about it. He brought someone in and asked them what they wanted to do.
"I want to order a small waterwheel, can you do it?"
