Chapter 79: She did it deliberately

Shi Qingluo pulled Xiao Hanzheng to have a look at the blown up main hall.

She said, “Tomorrow, let’s find a fengshui master to see if we can build a main hall here. If it’s possible, we’ll hire people to start the construction.

We’ll find the place with the best fengshui for your master to consecrate.”

Finding a professional fraud to confirm would provide the strongest effects.

Furthermore, since they planned to do it, they would do their best.

Xiao Hanzheng nodded. “Okay.”

After the two of them finished discussing, they walked out of the Taoist temple.

Shi Qingluo locked the door and they each carried a basket of saltpetre down the mountain.

The next day, Xiao Hanzheng and the chief went to the county town and bought the mountain behind the old house and the land at the entrance of the village.

This time, the mountain was much bigger than the slope of the bamboo forest, so the price was much higher. It cost 300 taels of silver.

The vacant land at the entrance of the village wasn’t expensive and was priced like a wasteland.

1 mu (6 mu 亩 makes an acre) of land cost 40 taels of silver. The total land size was 10 mu and they spent 40 taels of silver on it.

Xiao Hanzheng managed to find out where the most famous fengshui master in the county lived, so he went to visit him.

Mr Li happened to be free today.

He had also heard about the story of the old priest ascending to immortality, so he agreed to go to the village with them to take a look.

When Xiao Hanzheng was about to rent a carriage, he met Bai Xu.

Bai Xu was very interested in the old priest’s legendary story, so he suggested that he tag along too.

Xiao Hanzheng didn’t refuse.

It just so happened that they could sit on the Bai family’s carriage to return to the village, which saved their time and effort.

When the villagers heard that Xiao Hanzheng and his wife had invited the fengshui master to rebuild the main hall for the old priest, they all supported it.

They also said that if needed, they could ask everyone to help.

The villagers in the nearby villages were in awe of the old immortal.

Everyone also had a better impression of Shi Qingluo.

The old immortal did not dote on his disciple in vain.

After returning to the village, they did not stay for long.

Xiao Hanzheng went to ask Shi Qingluo to go up the mountain with him.

Now was the hottest time of the day.

Shi Qingluo had prepared green bean soup and filled up the wooden bucket.

She was prepared to let everyone drink it after the fengshui master was done.

The wooden bucket actually had a layer on the inside that was used to store food.

The outer layer was hollow, specially to store ice made from saltpetre.

This helped to cool the food within it.

She had only casually mentioned the wooden bucket last night, and her young husband had really made one with a knife.

Only then did she know that he was also skilled in carpentry. He was truly versatile.

She placed the small wooden bucket in her wooden carrier and placed a few bowls in it.

Only then did Shi Qingluo board the carriage and go to the Taoist temple together.

When they reached the foot of the mountain, the horse carriage could not ascend further so they had no choice but to climb up on their own.

The Taoist temple was halfway up the mountain. Everyone was drenched in sweat after climbing up.

Then they opened the door and entered the Taoist temple.

Mr Li started to walk around to evaluate the fengshui here.

Bai Xu looked around but didn’t find anything strange. He was a little disappointed.

He kept fanning himself. “The weather is getting hotter and hotter.”

If he had known earlier, he wouldn’t have come along to suffer.

Shi Qingluo saw his expression and guessed what he was thinking.

She chuckled. “If you hadn’t come today, you would probably regret it.”

Bai Xu raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

Shi Qingluo hugged the wooden bucket. “You’ll know in a while.”

Bai Xu…

So annoying. She was keeping him in suspense again.

After a while, Mr Li returned.

He pointed at the blown up main hall and said to Shi Qingluo, “The location that your master chose for the main hall has the best fengshui.

“It’s where the heavenly and earthly spirits of this mountain gather.

“I’m guessing that your master must have realised that this place was a treasured land with the best fengshui back then.

“That’s why he built the main hall of the Taoist temple here.

“Hence I suggest that you guys proceed to build a main hall here to enshrine his spirit.”

Shi Qingluo’s heart leaped with joy.

Everything the fengshui master had said was exactly what she wanted.

As expected, this fengshui expenditure was well spent.

She nodded her head and thanked him. “Alright, thank you for your guidance, Mr Li!”

If Mr Li said that this was a treasure land with the best fengshui, they had to emphasise on it.

Now that they have the approval from the best fengshui master in the county, what they do in the future would be perfectly justifiable.

This laid a solid foundation and made it easier for her master to “appear” right?

After reading the fengshui, Shi Qingluo invited Mr Li and Bai Xu to the side chamber to sit down and rest.

She took out the green bean soup for them to drink.

As they drank the heat relieving green bean soup, both Mr Li and Bai Xu were surprised.

Bai Xu asked, “Did you add ice to this green bean soup?”

Shi Qingluo answered truthfully, “I didn’t add ice, but I kept it under an ice capsule.”

She opened the small wooden bucket for the two of them to see.

It was obvious that there was an unmelted ice cube in the middle of the bucket.

Bai Xu asked in surprise, “Where did you get these ice cubes from?”

Neither his family nor the Wu family in the county could afford to build an icehouse.

As far as he knew, only the rich and powerful families in the capital had an icehouse.

They stored ice in the winter and used it in the summer.

It was impossible for ice to appear in their county in the summer.

Therefore, he was very curious about where Shi Qingluo got the ice cubes from.

Shi Qingluo chuckled. “That’s why I said that you’ll regret it if you don’t come today!”

She added, “I made the ice myself.”

This time, Mr Li was shocked. “Mdm Xiao, you actually know how to make ice?”

Isn’t ice stored in the freezer during the winter for use during summer? How can she make it?

Bai Xu was also puzzled by this question.

Shi Qingluo smiled. “Actually, as long as you use one thing, you can make ice in the summer.”

Mr Li and Bai Xu were very curious and wanted to know what it was, but they were tactful and didn’t ask.

Bai Xu didn’t ask about it, but she couldn’t help but ask, “Did your master also teach you this?”

Shi Qingluo nodded her head as if it was a matter of fact. “Yes!”

Yes, she was taught by her master.

Everything was taught by her master.

She liked to mingle with people like Little Bai for the brain teaser. Cough cough!

Bai Xu didn’t have any doubts this time.

After all, Shi Qingluo was just a village girl. How could she possibly know about these magical techniques?

He even thought to himself, could that old Taoist really ascend to immortality?

Otherwise, how could she possibly have a way to make ice in summer.

Mr Li also restrained his undisciplined mind.

He really knew how to read fengshui.

The location of this Taoist temple indeed had excellent fengshui.

He also guessed that the old Taoist also knew fengshui.

However, he did not expect that the old Taoist priest actually knew about these magical methods.

He couldn’t resist himself and was in awe.

It seemed that even if the old Taoist priest wasn’t the so-called old immortal in the legends, he was definitely a wise man.

After drinking the ice-cold green bean soup, the few of them were much refreshed.

Only then did they descend the mountain.

Bai Xu asked Number Four to send Mr Li back to the county town while he shamelessly followed Xiao Hanzheng and Shi Qingluo back to the Xiao family.

After Mr Li returned to the county town, as Shi Qingluo didn’t ask him to keep it a secret, he couldn’t help sharing with others that she knew how to make ice.

Of course, the key point was the old Taoist taught her.

In fact, Shi Qingluo deliberately let Mr Li and Bai Xu drink the ice-cold green bean soup and let them see the ice with their own eyes.

It was within her expectations to publicise it.

What she wanted was Mr Li’s errant to advertise it.

As for Bai Xu, she wasn’t part of Shi Qingluo’s original plan. It was just a coincidence.

Because this news was magical, it quickly spread throughout the county.

The eldest son of the Wu Family heard about it and immediately went to look for his father.

He walked into the study area excitedly and told Master Wu about what Mr Li had told him.

“Father, if we can get our hands on this ice-making technique, it will benefit our family a lot.”

Footnote:

mu 亩 – 6 mu makes an acre

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