Chen Xian inquired throughout the village and found leftover white lime from Li Laoshi's house, which was used for building the house.

Then they went to the village to start buying chicken and duck eggs.

A total of twenty chicken eggs and twenty duck eggs were collected.

Have a family member scoop out some wood ash from the bottom of the pot.

He took out baking soda and salt from the kitchen.

Erzhuzi was somewhat puzzled.

According to the ratio, it was roughly one pound of lime and two ounces of baking soda, mixed with water. Chen Xian didn't remember the exact steps, but that was his general impression.

Although the Chen family members were puzzled, Chen Xian's family prestige had been soaring recently, so they did not refute it.

After doing all this, Chen Xian had San Niu and Si Niu drive the chickens, ducks and geese they had bought into the wheat field.

Eat insects.

Dog Egg's mother, who was passing by, called out, "San Niu, what are you doing? Aren't you afraid of eating your family's wheat?"

San Niu giggled: "My dad said there are bugs in the field, and chickens aren't stupid. They won't eat the bugs, they'll eat the wheat instead."

Dog Egg's mother looked around in confusion, and indeed she saw quite a few insects.

He wondered, "Where did all these locusts come from? I need to go to my house and check."

They left in a hurry.

While there's still time.

After returning home, the Chen family kneaded the dough and started steaming buns. Otherwise, during the busy farming season, they would work from dawn till dusk for at least ten days and wouldn't have the energy to knead the dough.

In addition, Chen Xian divided the flour into three places and placed them on the roof beams.

At this time, at the Su residence.

Su Yong was handling official business at his desk.

Feeling somewhat irritated, County Magistrate Lu has been quite restless lately. Although he has been in Lushang County for over a year, he still hasn't managed to place and cultivate his own people properly.

After more than a decade of hard study, Su Yong sighed, "As my name suggests, I am not capable enough."

He was most disdainful of gods and ghosts, but as he found himself constantly hindered in his attempts to harm others, he began to wonder if he had chosen the wrong name for himself.

"庸" means mediocre, incompetent, and unproductive.

After venting, I felt even more frustrated.

Standing to the side, Master Li said in a hoarse voice, "Sir, there's no need to be too harsh. Magistrate Lu has been operating in the county for decades, and he has established an impenetrable network of power. It would be difficult for anyone else to achieve political success."

The best course of action now is for you to wait for an opportunity.

Su Yong then asked, "What are Wenhao and Wenxuan doing now?"

Steward Wei: "The eldest young master is practicing martial arts in the backyard, and the second young master is...studying."

Su Yong sternly rebuked him.

"A true man's ambition is either to take the imperial examination and become a local official, or to join the army, make meritorious contributions, and serve the court. These two scoundrels, the eldest is alright, at least he can keep his body healthy, but the second one, I don't believe he can study."

As he spoke, he went to the backyard, intending to give his child a deep and profound fatherly love!

Master Li sighed, rubbing his forehead.

backyard.

Su Wenxuan quickly flipped through the storybook in his study.

Uncle Fu stood quietly to the side.

Su Wenxuan flipped through the book extremely quickly, and in no time, he had finished reading the tens of thousands of words of the story.

He asked directly, "Uncle Fu, how many copies of this storybook can you sell in a day?"

Uncle Fu: "About eighty or ninety books."

Su Wenxuan began to calculate.

"Based on the calculation that two books can be written per month, even if the peak sales period is fifteen days, not counting the other half month, after deducting labor, printing, paper, and the writer's fees, you can get... seven or eight taels of silver. Wow, that's really good."

Outside, Su Wenhao respectfully greeted, "Father."

"Um."

Su Wenxuan ran happily to his father and began to talk about the recent business situation of the study.

Unexpectedly, Su Yong was furious when he saw the storybook in Li Wenxuan's hand.

"Wenxuan, can't you be a little more ambitious? Just reading stories won't get you any official rank. Your father wants you to take the county-level exam, understand? In the future, work hard and get the provincial-level exam. I don't even want you two to be top-ranked. As long as you're at the bottom of the list, I'll pull some strings for you and get you a real vacancy. That would be enough to do justice to your mother. Can't you show some courage and start reading?"

The tone was stern.

Su Wenxuan's initial excitement about sharing the bookstore's amazing profits with his father was dashed by his father's words.

Let's just set it up.

He chuckled and said, "Father, I'm not very bright. Passing the county-level exam was already incredibly lucky. I wouldn't dare dream of becoming a provincial-level scholar. My biggest dream is to earn some money, read storybooks, eat delicious food, and travel around to experience different places and cultures. Am I wrong?"

Su Yong was breathing rapidly, patting his chest, almost unable to catch his breath.

He coldly rebuked, "Do you have any ambition? Without any official rank or fame, in this world, if you run into a spoiled brat, they might secretly plot against you and kill you. Do you know that?"

Su Wenxuan said calmly, "Then I'll just go back to my hometown and farm. I don't believe I'll run into any rich and powerful second-generation rich kids in that remote and impoverished place."

Su Yong: "You unfilial son, are you determined to anger me?"

Su Wenhao quietly stood in front of his father, intending to hold him back when his father made a move.

Uncle Fu sighed and said, "Master, don't be angry. The second young master wanted to earn some money for the family, and his intention was good."

Su Yong waved his hand, feeling somewhat weary.

“You’re all grown up now, and I don’t want to say too many unpleasant things. I’ve said these things many times since you were little: if you don’t endure the hardships of the imperial examinations, you’ll have endless hardships in life later.”

Uncle Fu originally wanted to tell Chen Xian what he had been told, but he was afraid of provoking Su Yong's resistance.

A storyteller, Su Yong is still angry, and the second young master likes to waste his time pondering storytelling.

Uncle Fu lowered his voice and said, "I know a guy from the countryside who said that locusts have appeared in the villages down there. He's worried that it might cause a large-scale locust plague and wants you to take preventative measures in advance."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!