Mr. Pierre, the architect, is a meticulous and responsible, albeit somewhat stubborn, elderly man. From the moment he accepted Wei Wei's project, he was determined to build her house to perfection.
This diligent architect spent nearly a month considering every aspect, from the surrounding environment to the selection of building materials, before finally starting to draft the design plans.
On the blueprint, he designed the house as a two-story standalone building with an attic, covering an area of 300 square meters. The interior layout was divided according to Wei Wei's requirements, with each space clearly labeled for its intended use, making it very straightforward.
Perhaps due to his experience in renovating monasteries and churches, the house's exterior design had a distinct church-like style. However, compared to the ornate decorations and intricate structures of the currently popular Gothic churches, his design leaned toward simplicity and understated elegance, which aligned well with Wei Wei's aesthetic preferences.
In the area marked as the backyard, there was a symbol for a dry toilet, which was connected to a stable and livestock shed. Of course, he didn't forget Wei Wei's request for a cellar. The cellar entrance was located near the kitchen on one side of the house, far from the spot Wei Wei had pointed out for digging a well, ensuring there would be no water seepage issues.
"According to your request, the windows will be large and designed to open and close freely. Considering the current limitations of glass size, I referenced the stained-glass windows of churches, dividing the windows into equal small grids and then fitting them with glass. What do you think? If it seems too plain, we can add some colored glass as decoration."
Pierre had specifically drawn a detailed sketch of the window in one corner of the blueprint. The windows were outward-opening, symmetrical on both sides, with lines indicating the division of the glass panes. They closely resembled the double- or triple-paned casement windows commonly used in the 1970s and 1980s.
"No additional decoration is needed. This design is perfect."
Wei Wei was very satisfied with Pierre's blueprint. She asked a few questions about the details and, after receiving his answers, finalized the design without further modifications.
"Please proceed as quickly as possible while ensuring quality. Are there any issues with materials or manpower?"
"I can source materials from merchants I know. The materials used for renovating the Earl's church were also purchased from them. As for manpower, we can recruit from the surrounding villages and towns. It would be best to find people with some craftsmanship skills. What do you think?"
During the church renovation, the workers were all serfs belonging to the Earl. But for Wei Wei's project, she would have to hire workers.
Wei Wei nodded: "I'll arrange for someone to handle the recruitment. As for the building materials, could you contact those merchants and ask them to bring some samples for me to review?"
Although she trusted his expertise, since this was her future home, she wanted to ensure everything was up to standard.
Pierre had no objections and said he could write to the merchants. However, since these merchants didn't reside in Sardinson County, there might be some delays.
Wei Wei asked him: "If the distance is too far, will there be issues with transporting the materials?"
She had heard that there were many bandits active within the Pradi Empire, and some of them were even knights disguised by local lords.
"Please rest assured. These merchants have been in business for decades and are very reliable in this regard. Even if there are some unexpected issues, the risk won't fall on you."
Having worked in this field his entire life, Pierre was well-acquainted with many building material merchants.
"That's good. If possible, I'd like you to contact several merchants. I'll choose the most suitable one from among them. I hope they can offer me a 'reasonable' price, not some inflated 'noble price.'" She emphasized the word "reasonable."
"Of course, I can also cover the travel expenses for those who aren't selected, so they don't come all this way for nothing."
Just as in the East, where merchants colluded with household purchasers to sell goods at inflated prices to their masters, there was an unwritten rule in the West that "goods sold to nobles should be several times more expensive than those sold to commoners." Wei Wei didn't care how other nobles were swindled, but she wasn't going to let it happen to her.
Pierre immediately understood that, although she was a foreign lady, she was well aware of the merchants' tricks. "Understood, miss. I'll invite several merchants I know to Sardinson County."
At the same time, he silently crossed out a few particularly unscrupulous merchants from his list of potential contacts.
Although the building materials hadn't been purchased yet, the foundation and cellar could be started first. For the recruitment, Wei Wei called in George, her steward, to find workers from the surrounding villages and towns according to Pierre's requirements. She even wrote a recruitment notice for him.
George had officially become Wei Wei's steward, with his wages paid by her and his service dedicated to her. Felix had gifted George and his family to Wei Wei as compensation for her help with the accounting.
George had no complaints about this arrangement. Even though he had previously been chosen by Butler Barton to oversee the manure project due to Wei Wei's suggestion, which had earned him some recognition from Felix, he felt that being the sole steward under the future Countess was more advantageous than being one of many stewards under the Earl. The former position was more likely to earn him Felix's favor.
Moreover, Wei Wei was generous, often giving out extra rewards to those who worked for her. As a result, many people now envied George and the serfs who worked for her.
Wei Wei didn't understand the intricacies of building a house, so she left it to the professionals. After finalizing this matter, she helped Felix complete the final batch of account book audits. Once everything was confirmed to be in order, she was finally able to step away from her daily "office work" and focus on her planting endeavors.
Heaven knows she was so tired of seeing numbers that she wanted to wash her eyes, and she even dreamed of numbers flying around everywhere.
It was time to get close to nature again.
It was almost May, and the corn and wheat planted in March were growing well. The interplanted alfalfa and soybeans didn't hinder their growth but instead complemented them, providing additional nutrients that helped the crops grow faster and healthier.
The corn had already developed tassels, and soon the tops would bloom with male flowers, entering the pollination stage. The wheat was also growing faster than the crops in the surrounding fields, showing signs of starting to head.
Similarly, the sweet potatoes were thriving. Due to the continuous expansion of the planting area, the sweet potato fields had grown from one plot to three. The differing planting times meant that the growth stages of the sweet potatoes varied, which was evident from the growth of the sweet potato vines above ground.
When Wei Wei arrived, several of Terrence the gardener's children were fertilizing the fields with urine-based fertilizer. The fertilizer, sourced from the castle servants' urine, had been fermented for about a week before use. It was diluted with water and applied once a week to provide the crops with nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, promoting better growth.
Of course, due to the source of the fertilizer, Wei Wei couldn't handle it herself. Even if she wanted to, those around her would stop her, deeming it an unseemly act for a noblewoman that could damage her reputation. So, Wei Wei hired Terrence's children to do the job for her.
She could have asked the gardeners directly, but initially, when the children came to help her, each of them received a large steamed bun. Grateful, the children began secretly helping her by weeding and catching pests. Wei Wei felt it was better to formally offer them the job and provide them with food as wages—sometimes bread, sometimes steamed buns, and occasionally even stuffed flatbreads (depending on what the kitchen prepared that day).
The children, all in their growth stages, had been malnourished and looked thin and small. After being fed by Wei Wei for nearly two months, they had not only gained weight but also grown taller, with much-improved energy and spirits.
When Wei Wei arrived, the five children of varying ages stopped their work and greeted her.
However, the children didn't look happy. The reason was that they had noticed an increase in pests in the fields recently.
The corn, wheat, and sweet potatoes Wei Wei had planted were separate from the areas managed by the gardeners. The children only needed to tend to these few small plots, so their daily tasks were minimal—mainly weeding, catching pests, and fertilizing as per Wei Wei's instructions. The work was very simple.
Because the work was so straightforward and light, they quickly noticed the increase in pests.
They pointed out the pests they had found that day to Wei Wei.
On the corn leaves, there were small green dots—common pests known as aphids.
Aphids are tiny, but they tend to cluster densely on leaves, creating a sense of unease for those with a fear of密集 (dense clusters).
The children had already squashed the aphids, so only traces remained on the leaves, and the plants themselves were unharmed.
Not only the corn but also the nearby wheat showed signs of aphid activity. Although the children had eliminated them, there was no guarantee they wouldn't return.
Wei Wei went to the kitchen to fetch some garlic, crushed it, and soaked it in ten times its volume of water for 24 hours to create a natural pesticide. This garlic water was effective at repelling and killing pests like aphids, spider mites, and small black bugs.
Water infused with dried chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, or black pepper could also serve as a pesticide. However, since chili peppers weren't available yet, and Sichuan peppercorns and black pepper were expensive spices, using garlic water was a more economical choice.
While the garlic water was steeping, she took the children outside the castle.
They didn't go far, just to a patch of wasteland behind the castle.
She explained today's task to the children, who were carrying jars and hoes—they were to catch ladybugs.
When it came to natural pest control in gardens, ladybugs were one of the most common and effective predators. In modern times, some people even raise ladybugs to sell to farmers for pest control.
The children were excited about this task. Although it still involved catching bugs, for them, catching bugs in the garden felt like work, while catching them in the wild felt like play.
Most ladybugs are beneficial insects, with only a few being pests. They move slowly and don't fly very fast, but they have a voracious appetite, particularly for small pests like aphids, scale insects, and spider mites. They often forage on specific plants, such as dandelions, yarrows, cornflowers, and even garlic and cilantro. So, by searching these plants, one could easily find ladybugs.