Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Ji Yuan hurried to Uncle An, startling him so much that he almost dropped the axe in his hand. "Didn't you say a few days ago that you had to wait a few days before selling it?"

It is already the twelfth lunar month, and most families' cattle and sheep have only eaten hay for nearly half a month, so Uncle An has long wanted to sell them.

But according to Ji Yuan, it is just the beginning of winter and the cattle and sheep are not losing much weight, so it is estimated that no one is willing to spend extra money to buy silage.

It’s different now. It’s already the twelfth lunar month, and the cattle and sheep in each household must be losing a lot of weight.

Ji Yuan explained the reason and then said, "It's winter now, and I'm really short of money."

Uncle An looked at Ji Yuan, who was wearing thin clothes, and nodded, "Okay, then start selling feed."

Do what you say, Ji Yuan has had ideas about this for a long time.

Winter is not only hard on humans, but also on livestock.

Take raising cattle as an example. Winter feed, drinking water, and cold protection are all extremely important.

As for feed, cows have a large appetite and need to eat 5% of their body weight in grass every day, so cattle farmers will prepare grass in advance to survive the winter.

But even so, each family's cattle will lose weight in winter.

For cattle, nutrition must also be balanced. If they only have hay, instead of abundant fresh grass like in spring and summer, their weight will naturally drop.

As the saying goes, a thousand straws are not as good as one green grass.

The reason is that rice straw is not as nutritious as green grass.

From November to December, the cattle of other families in Anji Village, which have been eating hay for a month, will naturally be thinner than before.

But Uncle An’s family is different.

After winter, Ji Yuan began to raise cattle according to scientific ratios.

Xiao Huang and the two cows in An Dahu's family all eat a mixture of dry and wet feed.

Not only that, the silage in the six silage pits is different and needs to be matched.

Silage made from various wild grasses, as well as wheat straw, bean straw, and sorghum straw must be mixed together.

The purpose is to balance nutrition.

Uncle An shook his head after seeing this: "This is not raising cattle, it's even more meticulous than raising people."

But it really worked this month.

Madam An, who had been in charge of taking care of the livestock, said, "You know what, in the past the cattle would become thin in the winter, but not this year."

One month was enough time for Ji Yuan's three cows to stand out from the other cows in the village.

Especially for the pregnant cows in Uncle An's family, straw was laid in the cowshed. When they needed water, Ji Yuan would boil warm water for them. If the water was too cold, the cows would not be willing to drink more and would lose weight.

So the cows in his family are very energetic.

The stronger the cow is, the less likely it is to get sick, and it brings joy to everyone who sees it.

Now it has been decided to sell silage. An Dahu put the chopped firewood aside and asked, "How do we sell it? To be honest, I have also told other people about it. But who raises cattle without preparing fodder? Even your uncle and aunt, who are so lazy, prepare enough fodder. No one is willing to buy it suddenly."

This is the problem, everyone stocks up on ingredients in winter, so they won’t buy extra.

Ji Yuan pointed to the two cows in the cowshed and said, "Depend on them to sell."

After that, Ji Yuan changed the subject: "Uncle An, isn't it time for Xiao Huang to get a nose ring? It's about time."

Uncle An nodded: "Yes, he is over one year old, it is time for him to go to school. Your uncle and aunt are looking for someone. The eldest son of the village chief knows this skill, I think he will be there in the next two days."

"You say, if the village chief's son saw how well Xiao Huang was raised, would he be surprised?"

"Of course."

"Then when your cows give birth, you will have to ask for help, right? If they see that your pregnant cows are growing so well, will they ask why?"

"Of course!"

Ji Yuan asked two questions in a row, causing Uncle An to slap his thigh and say, "Good boy! Smart!"

The more Uncle An looks at Ji Yuan, the more he likes him. If a family has a descendant like him, would they still worry about their family not getting rich?

On the third day of the twelfth lunar month, Ji Yuan came back from private school and saw several people in the cowshed of his third uncle's house.

Looking inside, they were all hangers-on from the village. The leader was naturally the eldest son of Village Chief An. He knew how to pierce the nose of a cow. His movements were quick and accurate, so the cow would suffer less.

This is the father of An Zhengfei’s An Changsun. He usually works outside and comes back for the New Year.

The remaining few people also looked familiar, they were all from the village.

Forget about others, Uncle An’s third son is also among them. An Xiaohe’s father likes to do all kinds of miscellaneous things on weekdays. He is considered hardworking in the village, but he is just average in Uncle An’s family.

An Lao San winked at Ji Yuan and said loudly, "You have taken good care of Xiao Huang. A year-old cow is as good as others that are only one or two years old."

Uncle Ji couldn't hide his smile after being praised: "Of course, regardless of how we raise him, Xiao Huang always drinks warm water."

The villagers curled their lips and asked, "Did you raise it?"

It was clearly raised by Ji Yuan.

Uncle Ji used to be a well-known lazy man in the village.

Ji Yuan pricked up his ears and listened. Xiao He's father must have been sent by Uncle An to act as a spy!

Sure enough, An Lao San said again: "Look at this physique. Next year when the village rents cows, your cows will definitely be snapped up and you can make a lot of money."

Uncle Ji was even happier.

Zheng Fei's father, who was piercing the nose ring for the cow, also took a look. In fact, he had wanted to say something when he first saw the cow, so he said, "It's not just because of the warm water. My cow also drinks warm water in winter and has lost several pounds. My father is heartbroken."

Here we come!

Uncle Ji couldn't answer.

Ji Yuan said: "It's because I fed Xiao Huang silage."

Silage?

What is it?

The other five or six people in the village were confused.

The eldest son of the village head who often went out looked over and said, "Silage? Is it green fodder stored in a cellar?"

His job outside was to pierce nose rings for a living. He had seen many people raising cattle and had heard of this thing.

Ji Yuan nodded: "Yes, I did a lot in the fall."

An Lao San seemed to have just come to his senses: "Oh, so these are the six cellars that my eldest sister-in-law had dug. Is this what they are made of?"

"Yes, we supplement nutrition for cattle in winter so that they don't lose weight in winter."

Ji Yuan’s last sentence directly pointed out the role of silage, and it was deeply engraved in everyone’s mind.

If you give Xiao Huang a nose ring, it means he listened to these words.

But a few days later, when I delivered a pregnant cow for the An family, I could see the benefits of silage more clearly.

Calves born in winter are all plump.

Who wouldn’t like it after seeing it?

It is not easy to raise these calves in winter, and they will be very thin if they are raised. Look at other people’s newborn calves, they are so energetic and healthy at first glance.

Such a calf is 100% likely to survive, and can be sold for three or five taels of silver after the winter.

The village chief came to buy silage that night, and bought hundreds of kilograms at a time.

Although his family only has one cow, it will take at least two months from now until the grass grows in spring, so buying more than a hundred kilograms is not enough.

Ji Yuan sat in front of Uncle An and looked at the copper coins on the table.

The village chief's family bought 150 kilograms, which is 450 cents!

But he resisted the urge and said, "Wait a little longer. I will get your share after deducting your costs."

Uncle An was just about to explain these things to the child, but he didn't expect Ji Yuan to say it himself.

What should I do? I want Ji Yuan to be my grandson. What a pity.

The two of them were talking in the main house. Outside, the other members of the An family were somewhat reluctant. They were all waiting in the dining room for Uncle An and Ji Yuan to come out before they could eat. “Ji Yuan is just a kid, why does he come to our father-in-law every day? Isn’t he taking advantage of us enough?”

The one who spoke was another daughter-in-law of the An family. Madam An glared at them and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? When did Ji Yuan ever take advantage of them?"

"I've always said that we work on our own. Who would follow you? We even hired help. Now we don't just have two meals a day. During the exam, we had three meals a day, and every meal had meat."

Uncle An’s family has more than 30 people, and they chat with each other every day.

At that time, Mrs. An asked Ji Yuan to come and help take care of the cows, which was to withstand the pressure. Especially when the other wives knew that Ji Yuan not only helped her take care of the livestock, but also helped An Dahai improve his grades, they were even more unhappy.

In recent times, Ji Yuan has been going by every day, and it is no different from going back to my own home.

In the past, when Ji Yuan ate, Madam An would serve the food and put it in the kitchen for him to eat by himself. But now, he is invited by Uncle An to the An family dining room. Naturally, some people are not happy about this.

Someone else spoke up, "Yeah, he said he was going to take the county entrance exam, but has he passed? The exam was in early October, and it's already early December, so he definitely didn't pass."

"They eat and drink for free, and they also ask us to dig a cellar."

The person who was speaking was a nephew of Uncle An.

Seeing that the dining room was about to quarrel, the door of the main room opened, and Uncle An was obviously in a very good mood. He said, "Come, eat."

This is naturally a greeting to Ji Yuan.

An Dahai also pulled him to sit down.

The An family divided up several tables, and Ji Yuan would definitely sit with the people he was most familiar with.

The eldest, second and third sons of the An family.

The eldest lady, the second lady, the third lady, the sea, the river, are all here.

There is no saying in the village that one should not talk while eating or sleeping. An Dahai said while eating, "Tomorrow is the last day of the private school. We only need to go for half a day. Let's break the ice and go fishing in the afternoon."

An Xiaohe was about to agree when Second Lady An looked over and said, "We will definitely assign winter homework tomorrow. We didn't finish the winter homework last year and got beaten in the spring. You must study hard this year."

Ji Yuan also remembered that when he first came here, Master Zhao was indeed testing everyone's homework, which made Master Zhao very angry.

As they chatted, the other daughters-in-law of the An family said, "They are still studying. The three people at that table are going to take the exam. They eat so well for the exam. They also spent a lot of money on studying. Did they pass the exam?"

After these words were spoken, the atmosphere at Ji Yuan's table became even more tense, mainly because Madam An Da and Madam An Er were unhappy.

The sisters-in-law usually don't get along well with each other, but their main conflict is over their children's studies.

Now there seems to be a sense of solidarity.

But the county school results had not come out yet, which made them think that perhaps all three of them had failed the entrance exam.

An Lao San said casually: "Do you know how many candidates came from Zhengrong County and the neighboring counties?"

"More than six hundred!"

"There are more than 600 choices, choose 20. Why don't you take one and try? It's already good enough to get in. Master Zhao said that we should gain experience. Don't you listen to Master Zhao?"

Uncle An slapped the table and said, "Let's eat!"

With Uncle An's words, everyone started to eat hard.

An Dahai winked at Ji Yuan again and asked him if he wanted to go fishing tomorrow. Although the ice on the river was frozen, they could still fish by breaking a small hole in it.

Ji Yuan shook his head and whispered, "Don't run around these few days, let's go make money together."

make money? !

How to make money?

An Dahai was confused, but he instinctively believed in Ji Yuan.

Never mind, it’s definitely right to follow Ji Yuan.

An Dahai was puzzled, and An Xiaohe was also curious, but he obviously couldn't go, so he had to go back to his room to study.

So, what methods does Jiyuan have to make money?

Selling silage?

I have bought everything that can be bought in the village.

Who else can I sell it to?

On the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, the private school officially closed for holiday.

Master Zhao said a lot on the podium, but the audience had already become demoralized.

This is the last day of holiday!

No one can sit still!

Master Zhao was helpless. He looked at Ji Yuan who was freezing outside and said, "Let's go. Remember to review your lessons. Remember that school will start in February next year."

The students cheered and immediately packed up their things; the holiday was finally here!

Ji Yuan pointed his head and looked inside. The atmosphere was nostalgic. It seemed that students everywhere were the same, and they were all equally excited to hear that there was a holiday.

After most people had left, Ji Yuan moved his desk into the private school, and Master Zhao cleaned the school and put the tables and chairs in place.

Master Zhao looked at Ji Yuan's single garment, and hesitated to speak. Finally, he said, "I have sent a letter to ask why the county school has not announced the results yet."

Ji Yuan said, "Is there something going on in our county?"

Ji Yuan was also curious.

It’s been two months, and the school entrance examination shouldn’t be like this.

There must be something delay.

Master Zhao shook his head, then nodded: "I heard that the government office was in a hurry and even many cases were postponed."

The county magistrate of Zhengrong County has always been diligent, so this kind of thing is indeed strange.

"It's a problem no matter where you are." Ji Yuan said, "It won't take long."

Master Zhao saw that Ji Yuan was open-minded and smiled as well: "That's right, you still have a lot to learn. I will definitely teach you everything I have learned in my life."

Ji Yuan felt so touched that he could only pack his things more diligently.

After finishing the work at the private school, I helped to clean up the small room.

It will not reopen until next spring.

I don’t know if I will be here anymore.

The small shed outside the private school was also closed. Master Zhao touched Ji Yuan's head and asked him to put on his cloak before leaving.

After leaving Mr. Zhao's private school, Ji Yuan went to Uncle An's house.

It’s not that he wants to go, it’s because the silage is officially sold and he has to keep accounts.

Uncle An, Boss An, and Madam An are all illiterate, so he followed them not only to keep accounts, but also because he had a part in this matter, so naturally he had to take part in it.

Wait until the account book is brought back and let the literate Madam An Er look it over so that we can divide the money later.

This is not an account, it's clearly his money!

Uncle An was preparing to go out with Boss An, An Dahai, and Ji Yuan.

Even though it was freezing and snowy, we still had to move around to sell the feed.

Don't let silage get in your hands.

In recent days, those who raised cattle and sheep in Anji Village have basically bought silage, which adds up to more than 1,000 kilograms.

But these scattered amounts are not even a fraction of what they have stored.

According to Uncle An, "If you want to sell, you still have to go to the Li family, a large livestock breeder in the neighboring village of Baoli. They sell cattle in spring and sheep in autumn. In winter, they have more than a hundred cattle and sheep and four or five horses in the pen. Sometimes the command camp outside the county will get some fodder from him, which shows that he has a wide network of contacts and handles a lot of cattle and sheep."

Most of Uncle An’s cattle and sheep were bought from the Li family.

"But he is very difficult to talk to, and he usually looks down on people. We have to be careful when we go there." Uncle An is known as Mr. An in Anji Village, and he has quite a bit of face, but he still has some problems with the Li family.

We finally arrived at Baoli Village, and as soon as we arrived at the Li family, we were asked to wait in the gatehouse.

Boss An had a calm temper, but his son An Dahai was a little restless. Ji Yuan shook his head at him. Then An Dahai squatted down and waited again.

There is no way, they want to sell things, so they have to bow their heads.

Half an hour later, the other side said: "We, the Li family, have already prepared enough fodder, so there is no need at all."

As he was about to chase people away, Ji Yuan said directly: "Please pass the message. What we bring is silage, which is fresh grass made from autumn grass straw to keep it moist."

The boy who answered frowned, obviously he didn't understand. Uncle An knew at a glance that this guy didn't explain the silage material clearly.

"What silage? You guys should leave now. Do you think you can start a business just by buying two cows from me?"

This person didn't understand silage, and didn't remember what Ji Yuan and the others had told him about. He probably gave his employer a random response.

This will be touched, and will make you angry and embarrassed.

Ji Yuan was not angry, and continued: "Please let me know that the feed we make can replace some of the grass, so that cattle and horses will not lose weight in winter."

He tried to keep his words as brief as possible and just convey them by copying them.

Ji Yuan felt in his sleeves again. He only had five copper coins left. Just as he was about to take them out, he heard a voice beside him: "Ji Yuan?"

Ji Yuan looked over there and found that it was someone he knew.

I met Li Ting at the county school exam last time!

Baoli Village, Li Ting.

I didn't expect it was his house.

"It's really you!" Li Ting said in surprise.

"Young Master, why are you here?" The doorman said casually, and it seemed that he had no respect for the Young Master he was referring to.

Li Ting ignored him and went straight to Ji Yuan.

Ji Yuan explained the reason, and Li Ting said, "If Dong Ri really doesn't lose weight, it is indeed necessary. I will go talk to my father."

"Master, please don't go. Madam, the second lady and the young master are talking to the master." The doorman dissuaded him again.

Ji Yuan knew there was a reason behind it, but he didn't dare to ask too much. Li Ting left directly and let him rest assured.

After they all left, Uncle An whispered, "The eldest young master of this family was born to the previous wife, and the current wife is the second wife."

"Part of this industry was also brought over by the second wife."

No wonder Li Ting's family had a considerable business, but he went to the county town to take the exam alone and his clothes were not very good.

It is said that if there is a stepmother, there must be a stepfather. This has been true since ancient times, not to mention that Mrs. Li later came with her own property.

The family was harmonious and happy, with both sons and daughters, so Li Ting seemed redundant.

Not long after, Li Ting came over and said, "Jiyuan, let's go. My father said to take the stuff over and have a look. He said he has heard of silage and has seen it, but several counties around us don't make it. If there is such a good thing, he will definitely buy it."

Uncle An and Ji Yuan were right!

As a large-scale livestock breeding family, the Li family of Baoli Village indeed knows about silage.

Just ask a little and they will be interested.

Dad Dahai was carrying a shoulder pole by himself, with silage on both ends. To prevent it from freezing, he spread a thick layer of straw on the outside. He didn't let Ji Yuan and An Dahai carry it: "It's so heavy, it will tire you out."

Uncle An was walking in front. Li Ting looked at An Dahai and his family of three with some envy in his eyes, but he had something else he wanted to ask: "Ji Yuan, Dahai, have your county school results come out yet?"

"No, what about you?" An Dahai also said.

"Neither do I. It shouldn't have taken so long." Li Ting shook his head.

The silage was brought to Mr. Li. Mr. Li did not mind the dirtiness. He rolled up his sleeves and looked through it. There was surprise in his eyes: "Good stuff, it is indeed good stuff."

Madam Li next to her said, "Bring it here so I can see it."

Mr. Li quickly took it over, and Mrs. Li even smelled it: "Is it fermented? Not bad."

After that, Madam Li looked at Uncle An and the others and said, "My husband's family originally raised horses in Longxi. There is a way to make silage in Longxi, but I haven't seen it since I married into the interior. You guys name a price."

Longxi is Gansu, a famous horse-breeding area with a lot of fodder.

It is indeed rare inside the pass.

Mrs. Li is a connoisseur of goods, and the fact that she directly initiated the transaction shows that she is able to make the decision.

Ji Yuan is just a child after all, he will be only nine years old after the Chinese New Year, so the rest will naturally be discussed by Uncle An.

Madam Li ordered 6,000 kilograms of silage and asked them to deliver it in the next few days. If it gets colder, it will be bad luck on the road.

It seems that Madam Li still wanted the secret recipe, but Uncle An helped her out, so she gave up the idea.

After all, this thing is confidential and no one will sell it easily, and Mrs. Li understands it.

Ji Yuan calculated in his mind that once these 6,000 kilograms were sold, the silage cellar would be empty, and he could make 18 taels of silver from this transaction alone.

If you give him 20%, that would be 3 taels and 6 cents.

I could earn this much money just by coming up with ideas. I never even dreamed of it before.

What’s the difference between this and picking up something for free?

Before signing the contract, An Dahai and Ji Yuan looked at it once and found that there was no problem. They paid the deposit and the deal was done.

After the silage sales were completed, Master Li, who had been helping out, suddenly said, "Ting'er just said that you guys also took the county entrance exam in early October? Are the results out yet?"

Ji Yuan replied, "Not yet. I heard from the teacher that the government office has been very busy recently, so maybe it has been delayed."

Mr. Li breathed a sigh of relief. Although Mrs. Li looked indifferent, she didn't say anything.

The group was left behind to drink some hot tea and warm themselves up before leaving.

Li Ting talked more with Ji Yuan and the others, and finally found someone to talk to about the county school.

Ji Yuan also thanked Li Ting again. If it weren’t for him, selling silage would probably be more troublesome.

Li Ting waved his hand: "My father and stepmother are both knowledgeable people. As long as you spread the news to them, they will definitely buy it. I am just passing on a message."

"Now I am looking forward to the county school results coming out soon. I will have news on whether it succeeds or not."

Ji Yuan and An Dahai nodded at the same time.

They think the same way!

It's very painful to have the test results hanging in the balance.

On the way back, Ji Yuan's mind never stopped working. He took out the pen he carried with him and wrote and drew on the account book.

Once the silage is delivered to the Li family, he can share the money!

This year we produced 12,000 kilograms of silage, including that from the small yellow silage and that kept by the An family’s livestock, and sold a total of 9,000 kilograms.

After deducting the dozen or so taels of silver earned from collecting the straw, the rest was all profit!

Manpower?

For farmers, manpower is not a cost at all, it is just strength, which is what they have the least of.

Even the straw from Uncle An's own garden was not included.

Manpower, their own straw, transportation, etc., these are all accounted for by the An family themselves.

Jiyuan only takes 20%, so naturally we only need to count the accounts that are on the surface.

Before arriving at Anji Village, Ji Yuan already knew how much silver he could earn!

Nine thousand kilograms of silage were sold for twenty-seven taels of silver. After deducting the money for collecting the straw, he could get five taels and four cents.

Based on the speed at which he usually dug wild vegetables and medicinal herbs to sell, it was unknown how long it would take.

How many pens, ink, paper and inkstone can you buy with this money?

Maybe even buy a few books.

I can also pay back Master Zhao’s money.

Ji Yuan's eyes are sparkling, he is so happy to make money!

Uncle An was also happy. After being busy all year round, he did not expect that he would receive the most extra income.

A dozen taels of silver is enough for a farmer to save for a long time.

It is not easy to manage his large family of more than 30 people.

"We're going to transport the silage tomorrow morning. After we're done, we'll kill two chickens!"

When the An family heard this, they immediately became excited. Men, women, young and old all helped out and even borrowed two cows to transport the goods.

Ji Yuan naturally didn't need to follow, he just had to wait to get the money.

The An family was busy, attracting people from Anji Village to watch.

What they did was no secret.

Many people in the village have also bought the silage from his family. Now, seeing them transporting batches of silage to Baoli Village, they are extremely jealous.

"Uncle An has become rich."

"It costs three cents per pound, and the material is really heavy."

"Look at other people, how they live."

"When his family has another scholar, their fortunes will be completely turned around!"

But speaking of studying, the villagers, who were already idle in winter, couldn't help but talk about the county examination.

Seems like there is no result yet?

Uncle Ji, who was drinking with him, seemed to have thought of something and said directly: "Everyone says that Ji Yuan is not good enough, so why take the exam? Look at my son, he went directly to the county town to be an apprentice. Isn't his life better than his?"

"I asked him to be an apprentice, but he refused to go!"

"I must be regretting it now."

"If my family didn't have a freeloader, we would definitely be rich!"

There was someone who understood the situation and said directly, "Ji Lao San, you don't know, right? The reason why the An family became rich was because of Ji Yuan's ideas."

This made everyone stunned, and someone said: "Yes, the method they use to make silage was taught by Ji Yuan."

Everyone couldn't help but laugh at Uncle Ji.

There is a little god of wealth at home!

You don’t know how to cherish it, and all the money has been earned by others!

Uncle Ji's eyes turned red. He was already drunk and suddenly became angry and embarrassed. Thinking of the money that Mr. An's family had earned recently, he became even more unhappy.

I heard there is a lot of silver!

So much money, but you don’t even give him any!

"Ji Yuan can study and make money at the same time, that's amazing."

"His father is not bad either. He was a famous farmer in our village."

“What a pity.”

"What's so capable of Ji Yuan! He just failed the county school entrance exam!" Uncle Ji got angry and silenced everyone.

The villagers who were originally joking just thought that Uncle Ji was weird. Was it necessary to react so strongly?

Uncle Ji pushed the door open and went home. What a good Ji Yuan! He had a way to make money but didn’t give it to him. Let’s see if he can beat him to death!

It has been more than half a year since the last scare by ghosts and gods. Now, taking advantage of the alcohol, Uncle Ji wants to attack Ji Yuan again. Anyway, for a long time before, he had been able to attack Ji Yuan no matter how he wanted!

Uncle Ji kicked open the door of the woodshed, but Ji Yuan, who had been studying inside recently, was not there.

"Where did you go, Death Star?"

At this time, Ji Yuan had already followed Uncle An Wu to the county town, with five taels and four cents in his arms!

A lot!

Uncle An gave the money promptly and agreed to keep it secret.

Ji Yuan took his share and originally planned to deliver it directly to Master Zhao at home, but thinking of Master Zhao's temper, he would definitely not accept money.

In that case, I might as well buy some winter gifts myself.

If he can't give money, then he'll buy gifts!

It just so happened that Uncle An Wu went to the county town to do some shopping, and he followed him no matter what.

But this time, they didn't ride on the ox cart.

All the cows in the village were put back in the pen. Last time, when a wealthy family used an ox cart to pull things, they were given extra money.

According to Uncle An Wu, in such a cold day, he would rather suffer the cold himself than let the cows suffer.

It has always been a rule not to use cows in winter.

After more than an hour, we finally reached the county town.

Fortunately, Ji Yuan usually has a lot of work to do, so it was nothing for him, but his body was chilled to the bone. If it weren’t for the cloak made by his master’s wife, he would have been even colder.

So the first place Ji Yuan went to was the fabric shop.

Uncle An Wu introduced: "There are four or five cloth shops on this street, only the silk shop is the most expensive, the others are moderately priced, I will help you later."

It is inevitable that a child like Ji Yuan will be deceived when he goes there, so Uncle An Wu volunteered to help.

Ji Yuan looked around and saw that Master Zhao's family consisted of seven people, four adults and three children, so they only needed half a piece of cloth.

As the year draws to a close, prices have increased slightly, and half a piece of cloth costs five cents of silver.

Ji Yuan bargained and added some needlework as a bonus.

The waiter couldn't help but say, "You kid, you know how to bargain, but you look so thin, how about you buy some ready-made clothes? I'll give you a discount."

Who is good at bargaining?

But Ji Yuan did have the idea of ​​buying clothes.

He was so cold.

"Winter clothes are a bit expensive, but look at the workmanship. They will definitely keep you warm when you wear them. And they only cost you two hundred coins." The waiter brought the children's clothes, but Ji Yuan asked him to take two sizes larger to save him the trouble of buying more later.

Two hundred wen is two coins. After much persuasion, Ji Yuan finally agreed to pay him one hundred and eighty wen for the clothes he wore. He also bought him a hat for ten wen and thick shoes and socks for thirty wen. These were his winter equipment.

Uncle An Wu looked at him and said, "It seems to be true that children from poor families grow up early."

After spreading the cloth, Ji Yuan had a lot more things in his hands.

The cloth of various colors, together with more than half a bolt, the needlework, and the clothes he was wearing, cost a total of seven hundred and twenty coins, or more than seven cents of silver.

That’s not all. Winter festival gifts naturally also include bacon, dried fruits, charcoal fire and the like.

The most expensive items are writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstone.

This part of the expenses was Ji Yuan's own. He still bought the cheapest pens, ink, and paper, and the candles were also of the lowest quality.

But he spent nearly one or two taels of silver on it.

"Can you use up all this paper?!" Uncle An Wu couldn't help asking as he helped him carry the paper he bought, which was almost half an era high.

Ji Yuan knew where his omission was, his handwriting was really ugly.

Taking advantage of the winter when he can stay at home and have less things to do, he really seizes the time to practice calligraphy.

Regardless of whether he could go to the county school or not, he had to practice his handwriting well.

Otherwise, let alone the imperial examination, no one will want you to be an accountant in the future.

As he walked along the way, Ji Yuan spent more than four taels of silver with a painful heart, and he hid the remaining one tael and six cents carefully.

He doesn't have many opportunities to make money, and if he wants to sell silage again, that will be next year.

The remaining one tael and six cents were his expenses for the following year and could not be spent casually.

So he looked through and picked up the books in the bookstore, but still couldn't bear to buy any.

Don’t buy too many things, otherwise you will be targeted by others!

Ji Yuan consoled himself, thinking: "I wonder how advanced the printing technology is in this world. Why does a book cost so much money?"

Ji Yuan and Uncle An Wu returned with a full load. This time, Ji Yuan bought a bag of candy and a hairband for Uncle An Wu's daughter, and a seasonal wooden hairpin for Aunt Wu.

Master Zhao helped him a lot, and he remembered that. He also naturally remembered the help given to him by Uncle An Wu.

This time, Uncle An did not refuse. He knew that Ji Yuan was a grateful person, and he also knew that Ji Yuan had made some money from selling silage with Uncle An.

Even so, Ji Yuan said: "It's really hard to make money. It's hard to earn it, but it's easy to spend it."

Uncle An Wu also nodded and advised: "You should keep some money on you and don't spend it all."

Ji Yuan waved his hand: "It's okay, I can continue to dig herbs in the spring."

When Uncle An Wu heard this, he thought that this boy was still a child and had no idea what to do.

Forget it, just take better care of him in the future.

Uncle An Wu put the things that Ji Yuan and he bought on both ends of the carrying pole and lifted it up easily. Ji Yuan looked at him with envy. If he could have this strength, he could earn a lot of money every day by carrying goods, right?

Ji Yuan quickly shook his head, what was he thinking about!

Are you still going to study?

Speaking of studying, Ji Yuan said, "Uncle An Wu, can you accompany me to the county school? I want to ask about the county school exam."

Although the county school has already gone on winter vacation, there should still be someone at the gatehouse, so he wanted to go and ask.

As I said, no matter whether it works or not, you have to have an idea of ​​it.

Now that we are in the county, it would be inappropriate not to ask.

Uncle An Wu naturally agreed, and the two went to the county school together. Unexpectedly, someone was asking at the door.

"It will be soon. The results will be out in the next two days. The county school is too busy, and the examiner originally appointed by the government is also busy, so there is a delay." The doorman replied clearly, and it seems that he has answered many times. Finally, he pointed to the county school and said, "The students are on vacation, but our teachers and doctors are still busy."

"No later than the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month! The news will be sent downstairs!"

The last sentence reassured many students.

Today is the twelfth day of the twelfth lunar month, which means we will know the result in three days at most.

When Ji Yuan returned, he asked the villagers of the nearby Baoli Village to help tell Li Ting the news, as they must be worried too.

Three days later, Ji Yuan looked back at the county school.

I hope there will be good results.

When we returned to Anji Village, many people looked at us and greeted us, “Jiyuan, you finally changed into winter clothes.”

"You made the money from selling silage, right? Teach me next year so I can dig cellars, too."

"It's nice to finally wear some thick clothes."

Ji Yuan responded with a smile, and Uncle An Wu helped him deliver the things to Master Zhao's door before leaving.

When Master Zhao heard the noise outside, he saw Ji Yuan and a bunch of things around him.

Not to mention the thick stack of papers and ink, and the cloth and food next to it, and the thick clothes on Ji Yuan, it was hard to tell which one was more eye-catching.

Master Zhao also heard about the recent matter of silage materials. Although he did not like vulgar things, he knew that this was Ji Yuan's preparation for studying.

Especially the half-person-high paper and the heavy ink are all proof.

When Ji Yuan saw Master Zhao coming over, he smiled and said, "Master, can you keep these things at your home? I can't keep them there."

It would be fine if there were only a few things at ordinary times, but he really couldn't keep track of so many pens, ink, and papers. His third uncle and the others would definitely do something bad.

Of course there was no one to refuse. Mr. Zhao’s three grandchildren also came to help.

Ji Yuan has naturally seen them. The eldest grandson is six years old, the granddaughter is five years old, and the youngest grandson is three years old.

Ji Yuan asked them to help put the pens and ink in Master Zhao's study, and he carried the rest of the items to the main hall and placed them directly in front of Master's wife: "Master's wife, I picked these fabrics according to what you and Master chose. These are for Liang Ge'er and the others to make clothes."

"And these charcoal candles. The teacher is studying late at night, and you are working hard making clothes. You can't let them get cold."

Ji Yuan spoke a lot, but Madam Zhao was unable to get a word in.

Ji Yuan obviously did that on purpose because he didn't want his master's wife to interrupt him.

He was deeply indebted to his master and his mistress. If he earned money and only cared about his own enjoyment, what kind of disciple would he be?

So no matter whether the Master wants it or not, he must send it out. If he doesn’t, he will throw a tantrum!

Who made him a child now!

Looking at the cloth, Master Zhao had both old and young, male and female, and the cloth was obviously bought according to each person's age and gender, even the needle and thread.

There were seven people in the family, and everyone was taken care of. They also had a large bag of sugar, a large bag of cakes, and several pieces of bacon for food.

It made several real kids drool.

Ji Yuan naturally did not forget about them and was determined to take everything into consideration.

The remaining charcoal fire, candles, and a small stove for warming hands can all be used in the study and for making clothes.

On weekdays, Master Zhao read in the study and Madam Zhao did needlework beside him. Ji Yuan knew everything about it.

It's a little bit of stuff, but all important and useful.

Master Zhao stood at the door, looking at these items in disbelief, and exchanged glances with Madam Zhao. How could they want Ji Yuan's things?

Ji Yuan bowed deeply and said, "If it weren't for you, Master and Master's Wife, how could I study? You taught me to be grateful and repay kindness, which is the greatest kindness. You also taught me to give back what I have received."

"When he sees Zhang Lu one day, he will wear a silk robe and recall the old times."

The last sentence is from Li Bai's poem, which uses an allusion from the Qin Dynasty.

When I become rich in the future, I will repay the kindness of giving me clothes like Zhang Lu, the prime minister of the Qin Dynasty.

Some people may not know Zhang Lu, but if you call him by his other name Fan Ju, I believe many people will be familiar with him.

At this moment, he was expressing his gratitude to the Master and his Mistress for giving him clothes.

Master Zhao's eyes were slightly moist. He had taught so many students and so many disciples, but only Ji Yuan was the most different.

Having said that, the things will naturally be sent out.

Ji Yuan breathed a sigh of relief.

Giving gifts is so difficult, giving money is even more impossible.

It was worth it that he prepared so many words.

For a moment, Master Zhao's family was also cheerful. The children who had eaten the candy were very happy. Mrs. Zhao also said at the right time: "Brother Yuan, how are you going to celebrate the New Year? Why don't you come to Master's house? It's just right to light a charcoal fire in the study, which will be convenient for you to practice calligraphy."

The study room in Master Zhao's house is usually used not only by Master Zhao himself, but also by the three children in the family and Mrs. Zhao who does needlework.

Only when there are many people at home will people be willing to light a charcoal fire, and it will also keep things warmer when there are many people.

This is naturally a good thing, Ji Yuan nodded.

Is it even necessary to consider whether to choose Master's family or Third Uncle's family?

He would buy some rice and flour from Uncle An's house and use it as his food expenses!

This must be done secretly and Master Zhao must not be told.

Uncle Ji and Aunt Ji waited and waited, but Ji Yuan never came back.

Not only Uncle Ji knew that Ji Yuan made money, but Aunt Ji also knew it.

I heard that Uncle An made a lot of money, so Ji Yuan should at least get a good share. Why don’t we give them this money?

It costs money for them to maintain the era for such a long time!

But Ji Yuan didn't give this opportunity at all. Even the care of Xiao Huang was done by An Dahai.

An Dahai stuffed candy in his mouth, boiled water for Xiao Huang, and changed his straw and feed: "Look at Uncle Jiyuan and Aunt Jiyuan, they are so lazy and really don't want to take care of you."

An Dahai is usually close to Ji Yuan, and Xiao Huang does not reject his care.

With his pockets full of candy, An Dahai didn't think it was troublesome. He took good care of Xiao Huang and left with confidence.

Don’t say that Ji Yuan gave him candy!

Even if you don’t give it to me, it’s still a convenient thing to do!

Two days later, Ji Yuan, who was writing, suddenly thought of something.

It's over.

He forgot about the announcement of the county school results!

There have been too many things going on recently. After he moved into the Master's house, he practiced his □□ crawling calligraphy every day under Master Zhao's nose, ate on time, and wrote after dinner. He actually forgot to say it!

Ji Yuan's sudden action startled Master Zhao who was reading: "What's wrong?"

"Master, I went to the county town a few days ago and asked about the county school examination."

Master Zhao was shocked and couldn't help saying, "Why did you just remember it now? What did they say over there?"

It would be a lie to say that I'm not in a hurry.

Among his three students taking the exam, Ji Yuan has the best prospects. It would be best if he could go to school in the county.

When Ji Yuan said that the news should be sent downstairs by the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month at the latest, Master Zhao closed the book and said, "Isn't today the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month?"

yes!

Otherwise, how could Ji Yuan be forgotten!

Just then An Dahai came over and quickly informed An Xiaohe of the news.

By the time An Xiaohe found out, the village chief's family came looking for him.

The village chief's family was filled with excitement, and the look they gave Ji Yuan was particularly different.

Who would have thought that another scholar would emerge from Anji Village!

He is a rare scholar!

Thinking about that scene, it’s really enviable.

"Hurry up! The envoy from the government has arrived! Tell Ji Yuan to get through!"

"I also brought a lot of stuff! They're all for the county school students!"

County school student?

Let the era pass?

Master Zhao's eyes were full of surprise.

Ji Yuan passed the exam!

Passed the county school exam!

Among more than 600 candidates in the whole county including the neighboring county, he is in the top 20!

You know, he has only been studying for less than a year.

"What are you waiting for? Go now."

"The officer was holding many objects in his hands."

"Charcoal fire, candles, two sets of winter clothes, writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone, and lots of rice and flour, all for you!"