Mrs. Hou soon came back with her daughter. She prepared two prescriptions of herbs according to Hua Tuo's prescription and started to boil them in the house.
Yuan Xi arrived at the door and asked Madam Hou if she needed help. Madam Hou replied from behind the door that Hua Tuo thought that the patient had caught a cold, but it could be transmitted to others, so he asked Madam Hou and the child not to see outsiders for the time being.
After hearing this, Yuan Xi thought that it might be the flu. There was no good way to deal with it now, so he could only rely on the child's body to get through it.
He said, "Madam, please take good care of the children. I will have someone deliver food and hot water to you."
"In this situation, it is better to let children drink more hot water and drink less raw water as much as possible."
Hou thanked him from behind the door, "Thank you, sir. Just have someone put it at the door. When I hear you knock on the door, I'll bring it in."
Yuan Xi knew that he could not help with anything, so he went to the kitchen and told the servants to use boiled water as much as possible. A maid heard this and said with a wry smile, "Sir, there is not enough firewood in the mansion."
After hearing this, Yuan Xi said, "Don't worry about these issues for now. There is a disease spreading now. If you get an upset stomach from drinking raw water, the situation will be even more serious."
He had no choice but to be careful. The research on infectious diseases in the Han Dynasty had not yet formed a system, and it was easy for large-scale epidemics to break out. In just a few decades, the recorded population dropped from a peak of 60 million to 10 million. War was certainly a large part of the reason, but the resulting famine and epidemics were also one of the population killers.
After hearing this, everyone immediately obeyed the order.
Yuan Xi walked out of the kitchen and watched the servants chopping the firewood. He thought that one of the major factors restricting social development is energy.
In fact, the firewood that can be used for burning is not as much as imagined, especially since many trees contain moisture, and they produce thick smoke when lit, which is not convenient. Therefore, the firewood that is usually used is dead branches and dead wood.
Rich people would use charcoal, but the act of burning charcoal itself is a luxury, and Yuan Xi didn't like it very much. But apart from firewood, it was difficult to find other energy sources for the time being.
The only substitute Yuan Xi could think of was coal.
One of the main reasons why Youzhou was called a prosperous place by later generations was that Hebei region had rich coal resources and a wide distribution, making it one of the main coal producing areas in the north.
Of course, there are also many coal mines in the area from Bingzhou to Hanoi, in the Black Mountains.
In the early days, coal was called "graphite" or "coal", which was a name relative to "charcoal". "Graphite can be used for writing and is difficult to burn, so it is also called coal." Since the Tang and Song Dynasties, the common name for coal has been "coal", and this name continued until the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
During the Tang and Song dynasties, coal was mined only on a small scale. It was not until the Ming Dynasty that coal began to develop. At that time, the major coal-producing provinces were mainly Shanxi, Beijing and other places. In the Qing Dynasty, Hebei region became one of the major coal producing areas in the country.
However, before the Industrial Revolution, coal mining was done using traditional methods, which was not only very dangerous but also very inefficient. Unless corresponding industrial supporting facilities and technologies were developed, the manpower and material resources invested would not be proportional to the output.
But coal is so important. As one of the main power sources for steam engines, it is an unavoidable problem in the process of industrial development.
Yuan Xi thought that the exploration of coal mines could be put on the agenda as soon as possible. Even if it was only used as fuel, its transportation convenience and heating efficiency were much higher than firewood. In some special circumstances, it played an irreplaceable role.
However, it is foreseeable that for a considerable period of time, even if coal mines are discovered, they can only be mined on a small scale, and the main fuel energy source will still be firewood.
Yuan Xi called everyone together and arranged the schedule clearly. Zhao Yun set off for Jicheng, Gao Shun trained the troops, and Tian Yu supervised the labor education of the surrendered soldiers.
In a few days, the autumn harvest and planting will begin. Now, under the impetus of the new military farming system, Beixin City is no longer the bleak appearance that it initially relied on a few thousand acres of farmland for support. Instead, it has opened up dozens of times more wasteland, and countless people who fled from the Black Mountains are farming on it.
When Yuan Xi returned home after dealing with trivial matters, it was already dark, so he had a simple meal with Lu Lingqi and Cao Xian.
Cao Xian was very good at dealing with people. She was already familiar with Lu Lingqi. They ate and talked. Yuan Xi had been busy these days and felt a little tired after dinner. Cao Xian rolled her eyes and said, "Young Master and Madam have come to Beixin City. Have you not had time to take a bath yet?"
"I have someone boil water in the back and have prepared hot water in the tub. Do you want to come with me, young master and madam?"
As soon as these words came out, Lu Lingqi blushed. She gritted her teeth and said, "No, no need."
Yuan Xi was delighted to see that Lu Lingqi was shy for the first time, so he said, "Go wash first."
Lu Lingqi couldn't hold on any longer, so she took clean clothes and went reluctantly.
When Cao Xian saw Lu Lingqi leaving, he quickly approached Yuan Xi and whispered, "Master, the opportunity has come!"
"I heard that you and your wife haven't had time for that yet?"
"Today I heard Madam casually mention it, and it seemed like she was quite resentful about it."
"Today is a great opportunity, why don't you take her down?"
Yuan Xi asked in confusion: "Why are you more concerned about this than I am?"
"But after we got married, I rushed back, but I was a little anxious along the way and ignored her thoughts."
"Well, I'll go see her later."
When Cao Xian saw Yuan Xi get up and leave, he felt very proud. When two tigers fight, one of them will be injured. It depends on who will win and who will lose tonight!
Eating melons and watching a show is always a rare pleasure in life!
Cao Xian poked his head out and ran to the door of the bathroom. He saw Yuan Xi go in. He heard a scream from inside, followed by the sound of splashing and kicking water.
Lu Lingqi's embarrassed and angry voice came from inside, and her voice became lower as she cursed. Then there was a small and petty begging for mercy, which actually had a hint of coquettishness in it.
Cao Xian eavesdropped for nearly half an hour before Lu Lingqi and Yuan Xi came out dressed neatly. Lu Lingqi's face was so beautiful that tears seemed to drip from her eyes as she looked at Yuan Xi.
When Cao Xian saw this, he thought it was all over. The daughter of Marquis Wen was probably a weak person. With this appearance, how could she deal with Yuan Xi at night?
I am afraid that I will repeat the same mistake as Zhen Mi and see the tragic scene of having to lean against the wall to escape!
Yuan Xi and Lu Lingqi returned to the bedroom and found that the bed and bedding had been made in advance. Cao Xian was so thoughtful that he even spread out Lu Lingqi's dowry quilt!
Seeing this, the two smiled bitterly at each other.
Yuan Xi looked at Lu Lingqi's long hair, which was still a little wet and casually scattered in front of her breathtaking chest.
Lu Lingqi raised her head and saw Yuan Xi's increasingly fiery gaze. She quickly lowered her head and said in a rare voice as soft as a mosquito, "What do you want to do, my husband?"
Yuan Xi held Lu Lingqi's hand and found that her palms were sweaty. His most primitive desire was also aroused. He smiled and said, "You will know in a while."
Cao Xian hid behind the window of his room and saw that in Yuan Xi's room opposite, the candlelight cast two figures on the window and then gradually overlapped.
After a while, the candlelight inside went out.
Cao Xian shook her head regretfully. She carried a small stool, bent over, tiptoed, and walked towards Yuan Xi's window.
As a result, when they were still about ten steps away, Cao Xian stepped on a dead leaf, which made a very slight sound on the ground. Lu Lingqi's voice immediately came from the room, "Who is it?"
Cao Xian was startled and quickly leaned forward and stood still, not daring to make a sound.
After a while, Lu Lingqi's voice sounded with a hint of doubt, "Strange, did I hear it wrong? This shouldn't be the case?"
"Normally, I can hear sounds from more than ten steps away. There was clearly something there just now."
Cao Xian secretly groaned in his heart, no way, are their ears so sharp?
Yuan Xi's voice rang out, "I'm afraid it's the sound of falling leaves. Who cares? Let's do our own thing."
Just as Cao Xian breathed a sigh of relief, he heard Lu Lingqi say, "Something is wrong. Those are clearly human footsteps."
"I'm worried, let me go out and take a look."
Yuan Xi said helplessly: "You've taken off your clothes, aren't you going to catch a cold?"
"I'll go."
Cao Xian realized that he could no longer hide it, so he quickly said, "It was me. I was just passing by and didn't want to disturb you."
Yuan Xi coughed, "Did you do this on purpose, or was it an accident?"
Cao Xian hurriedly said: "It really happened!"
Yuan Xi's voice was filled with contempt, "I think you are being careless on purpose, go back to bed quickly, or come in."
When County Cao heard this, he turned and ran away, "I won't bother you anymore."
Lu Lingqi lay in Yuan Xi's arms, enduring his dishonest palms, and punched Yuan Xi in the chest, "Let her in, you can come up with such a shameless idea."
Yuan Xi chuckled, "Isn't this just to scare her? Don't you know that she likes to eavesdrop? Sooner or later, she will learn a lesson."
"No one's bothering me now."
Lu Lingqi's voice was barely audible, and she hummed softly.
Outside the window, the magnificent starry sky and the unreachable mountain top complement each other. The stars gathered in the night sky are freely flowing and floating in the Milky Way, splashing waves. Man and nature are integrated between heaven and earth, and the sound is so great that no sound can be heard.
Cao Xian hid behind the window and saw that there was not even a sound coming from Yuan Xi's room. He was very disappointed and thought it was too boring!
I finally got to see a good show, how could it be so interesting!
It seems that we will only know the outcome tomorrow!
She hugged the quilt resentfully, feeling her eyelids gradually trembling. With resentment towards the two people inside, she fell asleep on the bed unknowingly.
When Cao Xian opened his eyes again and woke up, he found that it was already dawn outside. He quickly turned over and sat up. He went to the window and looked. He found that Yuan Xi's door was still there. He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
I haven't missed it all. The final result of the fight between the two tigers last night will be known soon. Who will be the winner?
She opened her eyes wide and held her breath. After half an hour, she heard the sound of the bolt on Yuan Xi's door. She suppressed her excitement and saw the door slowly open. As she expected, a figure walked out the next moment.
Yuan Xi.
He was seen holding on to the wall and moving forward with difficulty. This scene made Cao Xian open his eyes wide in shock.
The young master actually lost!
Mrs. Lu is so amazing!