I really don't want to be a rebel [infrastructure]

Luo Shixing actually had this idea a long time ago, not only for lanterns, but also for Spring Festival couplets.

He wanted to do everything related to the Chinese New Year. After all, it was his first Spring Festival after arriving here, and it must be a prosperous one, which can be regarded as sweeping away the bad smell before.

Although he shouldn't be more unlucky than before, it's a good sign anyway!

After hearing this, Cheng Jingwei also felt that it could be done. For Chinese New Year, if you are extravagant, you can be extravagant. What are you afraid of?

But the problem is that even if they want to be extravagant, they can't buy red paper locally!

Luo Shixing was stunned at the time: "What's the situation? Why can't I buy red paper?"

Even if red paper is not used much on weekdays, it is the season when a large amount of red paper is consumed during the Chinese New Year and the holidays. If you want to buy it, you can definitely buy it.

It was Wei Siwen who came to inform them, saying that no one would believe that he had personally traveled there for the news about the paper, and that he must have come here for dinner.

After all, Wei Siwen didn't attend the housewarming banquet before, because in his capacity he couldn't sit on an equal footing with the elders and their children and grandchildren.

Luo Shixing knew about it at the time and sent Wei Siwen the same food, but it was definitely not as delicious as the freshly baked one.

Wei Siwen missed that crispy roast duck, the skin was not so crispy when it arrived at his place, the most annoying thing was that Ale really went back and told him how delicious those things were!

In order to describe the crispy skin, Alezhen even used elegant words, which made Wei Siwen's mouth water. Before that, Wei Siwen never thought that Alezhen's vocabulary was so rich.

However, such a rich vocabulary was all used to show off to him, so I was very angry.

Now he finally found an opportunity, took a leave of absence and wandered over here, and he didn't order food directly here.

After all, there is still shame, but when he sat down, he started to say that Ale really learned a lot of words with them, and then repeated Alezhen's praise of the crispy roast duck.

Luo Shixing didn't realize it at the time, but Cheng Jingwei understood, so he turned around and went to arrange lunch. There is nothing else, but the crispy roast duck is a must!

Only then was Wei Siwen satisfied, he shook his head while eating and said, "Hey, great food, I need a jug of wine."

Luo Shixing glanced at him: "Don't even think about the wine, and save the food."

The amount of grain needed for wine making is very large, and he doesn't plan to make wine now.

Wei Siwen just said it casually, and asked a little surprised: "It means that you can still make wine?"

Luo Shixing was a little uncertain: "If there is wine yeast, it should be fine. If not, I need to study it. No, this is not the point. You haven't answered my question yet."

Wei Siwen then said: "Oh, the main reason is that there is no habit of using red paper here. Their customs are different from ours. Merchants will not bring red paper over here, and it cannot be sold and it is not easy to store."

It's humid here, and the red paper is easy to fade, since it's not easy to sell, why bring it here.

Luo Shixing stroked his chin and said, "Hey, it seems that we are the only ones who are... broken."

Cheng Jingwei pulled a chicken leg for him and said, "What's wrong? Don't focus on talking, eat."

Luo Shixing reluctantly took a bite of the chicken leg and said, "We don't have red dye here!"

These days, most of the red dyes are made of madder, which is hardy and likes sandy soil and places with good ventilation. The southern environment is not suitable for it to grow.

As for another kind of safflower imported from outside as a red dye, the production area is in the northeast.

This is why most of the ethnic minority clothing in the Southwest are black, indigo and blue.

Mainly because there is no particularly suitable red dye here.

Cheng Jingwei naturally didn't know much about this, so he comforted him and said, "If it doesn't work, then don't use it."

Luo Shixing gnawed on the chicken leg bone and said, "Wait, wait, let me think about it."

As he thought about it, he thought of Wei Siwen leaving without noticing.

After a long while, he clapped the desk and said, "I know!"

However, when he looked around again, he found that he was the only one left on the terrace, and he couldn't help but feel a little dazed: "Wei Weng? Ah Wei?"

Cheng Jingwei who heard the movement came in from the outside and said: "I just went to see Wei Weng off. He still has something to do, so he will go back first. Seeing that you are fascinated, he didn't bother you. What's wrong? What did you think of?"

Luo Shixing said quickly: "Oh, I thought of a dye. Its color is not red, but it can be dyed with alum as a mordant. It is the crimson color worn by fourth-rank officials."

In fact, strictly speaking, that kind is only red, not the bright red or positive red they like.

But this is something that can't be helped, let's make a living.

Cheng Jingwei asked helplessly, "Have you never thought of using cinnabar?"

Cinnabar can be used as a medicine or a raw material for alchemy, and it can also be used as a pigment, but it is more used in painting, and few people use it directly as a dye.

Luo Shixing looked at him expressionlessly: "Haven't you ever thought about how expensive cinnabar is?"

Using cinnabar as a dye, is it really like having mines at home?

Oh, they do have mines now, but the problem is that they need money everywhere, why use such expensive things as cinnabar.

Cheng Jingwei had no choice but to say, "Okay, what are you talking about?"

Luo Shixing said: "Su Fang, the heart of the tree is used, but its roots can also be used as yellow dye."

Cheng Jingwei thought about it carefully and said: "I have a little impression of what you said, wait for me to ask someone."

As for who to ask... Aren't they local slaves with a big family?

These slaves are now working very hard. They used to be afraid of being killed, but now they feel that life is good.

Luo Shixing was a little convinced. He felt that these people were the most basic humanitarianism. Since they were not at the point of death, they should be squeezed, let them work, and at most let them eat enough.

The result is that this big family is very happy when they are full. They themselves are not very rich. They didn’t say that they were hungry and full before.

As long as they work here, they can eat, and the food is better than they used to, so they all feel that life here is very good.

The place to live is a bit worse, but it's not impossible to sleep.

When Cheng Jingwei asked these people if they knew Su Fang, they really racked their brains and said they could ask.

Thinking that these people were so desperate, Cheng Jingwei didn't worry about them running away, so he sent two of them out to find out the news. After all, they were locals, and they might even know some things that Ale really didn't know.

Asking these people to look for it is really wrong. They know about trees like Sufang, and the locals also use the roots of this kind of trees to dye yellow, but the yellow color is not popular. It is only occasionally dyed with thread, and there are few directly dyed fabrics. The local people Originally, their skin color was darker, and even they themselves thought it was not good-looking to wear yellow, so they disliked this color.

As for red, alum is needed. This mineral is not very special, and I don't know why they didn't use it before.

Those people helped Luo Shixing get a bunch of Su Fang tree hearts. Luo Shixing remembered that it was recorded in history that this kind of tree was originally introduced to the Central Plains from here, and he was able to find it.

He was so excited that Xue Yuanqin chopped off a section and soaked it in alum water.

The red color produced by the reaction between Su Fangshu's heart and alum is actually a bit darker than the real red color, and it feels like part of the red color has faded.

It can barely be used to make dyed paper, at least they have red paper!

The color of the dyed red paper became darker after drying, but Luo Shixing was still very happy, and he dragged Cheng Jingwei and said, "Come on, come on, I'm writing Spring Festival couplets, we need to post the front door of our house, the side doors on both sides, and the front door of the house. Neighboring courtyards also need to post, and write a lot.”

Cheng Jingwei said: "You write, I will make lanterns."

Luo Shixing thought for a while and said, "In this case, each member of the family can write a copy."

What the two of them wrote was pasted at the courtyard gate and the main entrance of the house, and what was left was pasted elsewhere.

There's always something exciting about something that everyone can be a part of, like being truly accepted into the family.

However, only the two older boys in the Wei family can write, and the remaining three are not very good at writing.

Wei Ziyao even flinched and said, "I...my handwriting is ugly, don't spoil something good."

He knew how much Luo Shixing had put in this red paper, and he was afraid that it would be ruined.

Luo Shixing didn't care, and waved his hand very grandly: "It's Chinese New Year, it doesn't matter to waste a bit, write whatever you want!"

It seems that the Spring Festival couplets are not very popular these days. After all, they have just evolved from the appearance of peach charms, and it is much better to only have the upper and lower couplets.

Xiao Shanshi was generous, he just picked up the pen and wrote, Xue Yuansi who was beside him hesitated and picked up the pen.

Luo Shixing watched them write, and finally nodded with satisfaction, very well, his handwriting is not the ugliest.

When Cheng Jingwei wrote it before, he couldn't say whether the Spring Festival couplets were flat or not, but his calligraphy was really beautiful.

The brushstrokes are strong and smooth, just looking at his handwriting is pleasing to the eye, and even feels that this is not writing Spring Festival couplets but approving documents.

After Cheng Jingwei finished writing, he was still a little dissatisfied: "I haven't written for a long time, I'm a little rusty, I haven't written well, let's start again."

So the repainted handwriting looks better. Luo Shixing thought his handwriting was good at first, at least he didn't leak any flaws in his handwriting after he passed through. Certainly incomparable.

He wanted to not write about Cheng Jingwei but was unwilling, so he simply dragged everyone into the water. It is true that he wants everyone to have a sense of participation, and it is true that he does not want to be compared too ugly. Now he is not the ugliest That's it!

Cheng Jingwei somehow knew that he didn't understand his little thoughts, so he smiled and watched him toss.

After Luo Shixing finished writing, he read everything written by everyone, and found that Spring Festival couplets can sometimes reveal the character of the writer.

For example, what Cheng Jingwei wrote is: The universe grows together, and the sun and the moon win glory.

Ambition is hidden in these eight words. Luo Shixing thought for a while and said nothing. In fact, it is a good thing to be ambitious, as long as people are not extreme.

And what he wrote with his gentle personality is: Bamboo marks the safe day, and when the flowers bloom and are rich.

Well, he didn't have any ideas, he just hoped that everyone would be safe and well, and then of course it would be the best to be prosperous and rich!

Other people's Spring Festival couplets are actually written around wealth. In their situation, they don't have to think about official luck, so they can only think about money.

When everyone was looking at each other's Spring Festival couplets and laughing, Cheng Jingwei said, "Yuan Qin, Yuan Si won't be back until two days later? When he comes back, tell him to write one too."

Luo Shixing took a look at him and said absolutely. With Cheng Jingwei's performance, who would have thought that sending Xue Yuansi over there had bad intentions?

Xue Yuanqin happily agreed, and Wei Ziyao at the side looked at everyone's happy faces, hesitated before saying, "Well... Yi Lei asked me about something before."

Everyone looked at him, Luo Shixing put away his pen and ink and asked casually, "What's the matter?"

Yi Lei is one of their slaves, and also the one who can beat him the most. He was beaten so badly by Cheng Jingwei that day, his face turned into a pig's head. Later, he was also the one who admired Cheng Jingwei the most. As long as Cheng Jingwei ordered him to do things, he would Don't ask too much.

This person doesn't talk much on weekdays, so it's strange that he went to Wei Ziyao.

Wei Ziyao said: "I'm just passing on a message for him. He wants to ask the tiger and the lynx cat. His sister's family wants to come to our house as slaves. I asked if you would like it. He said that they have a lot of men and are capable of working. There are many of them, and they can work.”

After Luo Shixing heard this, a question mark slowly popped up in his head: What's the matter with the people here?Why are there still people rushing to be slaves?