Flowers in full bloom

Chapter 667 Xiaoyuan is engaged

During this period, because it is spring, the flowers in Baihua Village and Huaguo Mountain are in full bloom. Therefore, honey can be harvested again. In recent years, the number of beehives has increased significantly.

Taking advantage of the good weather and the rest day, Hualei went to Huaguo Mountain to see Uncle Zhao and harvest honey. She wrapped herself up.

She also wore a wide-brimmed straw hat on her head. In order to prevent being stung by bees, Hua Lei wrapped the hat and her head with clear gauze.

In order to facilitate the collection of honey, first use the smoking method to drive away the bees on the hive, use a honey knife to cut open the cover on the hive, and then take out the honeycomb containing honey.

Distinguish between capped honey and uncapped honey and treat them separately. Capped honey has a longer brewing cycle and higher nutritional value. Uncapped honey is not fully brewed by bees, so the nutrition is discounted.

Use a knife to cut open the capped honey and shake it gently to separate the honey. Be careful to control the strength when shaking the honey to avoid damaging the honeycomb. Uncapped honey is not pure and does not need to be shaken.

Filter the shaken honey with gauze to remove impurities such as pollen, larvae, etc. Put the filtered honey into a clean and dry container and seal it. Store it in a cool, dry, ventilated and odor-free place.

You can also make mead by mixing honey and water in a pot in a certain ratio and heating it until it is warm, but not boiling. This will make it easier for the honey to dissolve in the water.

After the honey and water are fully mixed, cool to a suitable temperature, crush the yeast and add it to promote the fermentation of the honey and water mixture to produce alcohol.

Pour the mixture into a clean ceramic jar and place it in a warm, dry place for fermentation. It usually takes about two weeks.

There will be bubbles when the mead is fermenting. After two weeks, the fermented mead will have a wine aroma and become clear.

When there are no suspended particles or turbidity in the wine, the mead is fermented successfully. Strain the mead to remove the solid residue and you can drink it.

Honey wine tastes very good. It not only promotes sleep and beautifies the skin, but also can lower blood pressure, protect blood vessels and has many other benefits. However, you should not drink too much.

After the mead was finished, Hualei sent it to Lord Pei, and also sent a few jars to Hua Mancheng. They both liked it very much.

Put the residue filtered out of the honey into a pot, add water and boil over high heat. Then filter and cool it. The solid becomes beeswax. If you need it to be purer, you can boil it again.

Beeswax has many uses. It not only has a wide range of medicinal value such as detoxification, tissue regeneration, diarrhea and pain relief, and hemostasis, but can also be used to make candles.

Because there is a lot of honey, there is also a lot of beeswax. Generally, four or five kilograms of new beehive can produce one kilogram of beeswax. However, the beeswax content of old beehives is much lower, and generally seven or eight kilograms are needed to produce one kilogram of beeswax.

Looking at the nearly 20 to 30 kilograms of beeswax that he had made, after comparing the flower buds with each other, he sold most of the beeswax to the Imperial Medical Bureau.

I kept a small portion for myself. As for making candles, forget it. It's a waste of resources, uneconomical and unprofitable. Hualei's calculations were clattering.

In my spare time, I read a lot of court reports and regional chronicles of the Great Sheng Dynasty from time to time. I also added a lot of content to the draft of the increase in production and income that I had compiled earlier and sorted it out.

In early April, Xiaoyuan once again passed the provincial examination with the highest score. In late October, he will take part in the metropolitan examination. If everything goes well, he will also take part in the palace examination next spring.

Rong Jue and Xiao Yuan passed the provincial examination together, so they have been very busy with their studies recently. During this period, Yun Siwan also often came to the Marquis' Mansion because of Hua Lei's matter.

Because of the relationship between Rong Jue and Xiao Yuan, he became familiar with Ruan Shi. Ruan Shi introduced Xiao Yuan to her niece Ruan Meizi.

Ruan Meizi is the second daughter of Ruan’s eldest brother from her mother’s side. She is three years younger than Xiaoyuan and came of age last year.

When Ruan Meizi was still young, Hua Lei saw her two or three times. At that time, she was still a pretty, soft girl with baby fat.

When I came back from Mobei this time and saw her again during the Spring Festival, she had become a graceful young lady.

The eldest brother of the Nguyen family, Nguyen Thanh Jie, has now been promoted to the fourth rank Shaoqing of the Dali Temple. It is said that he is upright, incorruptible in his official duties, and has very good ability to handle affairs.

Ruan Meizi looks like her father, so her eyes and eyebrows are a bit like her aunt Ruan. She is very gentle and beautiful, with a good personality.

The two families took the opportunity to send a candy basket to Hualei to meet each other, and Xiaoyuan and Ruan Meizi also met. When they both liked each other, they decided to get married in mid-May.

Rong Jue, who is one year older than Xiao Yuan, also got engaged at the end of last year. His wife is the eldest daughter of his uncle Ruan Chengjie's boss.

Hualei did not interfere too much in Xiaoyuan's marriage. However, after Xiaoyuan met Ruan Meizi, Hualei called Xiaoyuan over and the two siblings chatted for a while.

Hualei told Xiaoyuan to think carefully. The other party's family background is important, but character is the most important. Don't think of getting close to the other party just because his father is in a high position.

Of course, there is no need to feel ashamed just because the other party is of a higher class than your own family. If you are really sure of the right person, then treat her well and don't let your mind wander and take a concubine home.

Xiao Yuan has always respected Hua Lei's suggestions and naturally agreed to them.

In mid-May, under Rong Jin's persuasion, Hua Lei and Minister Zhang took leave and went home to prepare for the birth of their child.

In early June, Hualei successfully gave birth to her second son Jinshi. This time she didn't suffer much and everything went smoothly.

In addition, in the Marquis' Mansion, Madam Pei and Yun Siwan were personally in charge, and the servants were more attentive, so I felt very comfortable during the confinement period.

The only thing was that Madam Pei and Yun Siwan insisted on not letting Hua Lei use ice, and only asked the servants to help fan her more often and wash her with warm water when she was hot, which made Hua Lei feel a little uncomfortable.

During the Jinshi Sanchao period, the Marquis' Mansion held a bathing ceremony and entertained many guests, but Hualei did not leave the room. She just took out the 100-year-old clothes she received from the villagers of Mobei.

After washing and drying several times, and disinfecting with alcohol, it was put on by Jinshi. On the 100th day, it was also Jinnian's birthday, so the Marquis's Mansion held a three-day banquet to entertain the people of the capital.

Of course, the two little ones also received a lot of birthday gifts. Gold, silver, jewelry, pens, ink, paper and inkstones filled up their storehouse.

All the servants in the marquis's mansion, including all the shops and farms under Hualei, received two extra months' bonus, and everyone was very happy.