Chapter 146 Paying the Children
Before dinner.
Cheng Wanwan asked everyone to sit down.
"The autumn harvest is over. Now, I'm here to distribute everyone's wages."
As soon as she finished speaking, everyone in the room was shocked.
Do you get paid for doing chores for your own family?
Shen Zheng sat casually on the stool, a grin spreading across his face. When he got home, he was going to throw his wages in his father's face. This was money he had earned through his own hard work; let's see if his father would dare to look down on him again.
“Last time we sold ice jelly, everyone in the family pitched in and was busy the whole time, so we didn’t have time to do the accounts,” Cheng Wanwan said slowly, looking at the children in front of her. “The ice jelly business lasted for over a month. At 20 coins a day, each person earned 700 coins. The autumn harvest lasted 13 days, and it was tiring, so let’s say 30 coins a day. That would be 390 coins per person. After deducting 10 coins a day for three meals, the final result is—”
"Zhao Dashan, six hundred and ten coins!"
Cheng Wanwan wrapped the copper coins she had already counted in the box in coarse cloth and handed them to Zhao Dashan.
Zhao Dashan's hands trembled slightly. He didn't dare to take it, rubbing his hands on his clothes and stammering, "Mother, what am I going to do with so much money? Please keep it, I'm afraid I'll lose it..."
Cheng Wanwan deliberately put on a stern face and said, "How old are you? How can you still lose money? Don't make people laugh at you. Hui Niang is devoted to you. Haven't you ever thought about buying her some nice clothes or jewelry?"
Wu Huiniang quickly waved her hand: "Keep the money to buy food, to save for emergencies and medical treatment, how can we buy clothes and jewelry..."
However, under her mother-in-law's gaze, her voice gradually softened. Her mother-in-law was showing her concern, and she couldn't possibly contradict her in public.
She pursed her lips, not knowing what to say.
Cheng Wanwan coughed and continued, "Mountain wife, six hundred and ten coins."
Wu Huiniang suddenly looked up: "Mother, why do I have one too?"
She was pregnant and did very little work, mostly just sweeping the yard, mending clothes, and occasionally cooking a meal. How could she possibly earn so much money?
Cheng Wanwan glared at her: "What, are you questioning me as your mother-in-law? Fine, here you go, take it. You won't need to ask me for anything you buy for the kids in the future. Put it away now."
"Zhao Ergou, five hundred and sixty coins," she said. "You went to town a few days in between, and those days will be deducted from your payment."
Zhao Ergou accepted the copper coin with both hands: "Thank you, Mother!"
"Zhao Sanniu, six hundred and ten coins."
"Zhao Sidan, six hundred and ten coins."
"Cheng Zhao, three hundred and ninety wen." Cheng Wanwan explained, "You didn't participate in the ice jelly business, so you didn't get this part of the wages. And your classes for the children were all provided with meals, so there was no deduction for meals. Zhao'er, don't refuse Second Aunt. Put the money away."
Cheng Zhao solemnly took the heavy copper coin.
Second Aunt gave him so much that he didn't know how to repay her.
Cheng Wanwan looked at Shen Zheng.
Shen Zheng immediately sat up straight, looking ready for action.
“Young Master Shen is staying at our house. The county magistrate has already paid for his meals, so this amount will not be deducted. Furthermore, Young Master Shen’s stone roller has greatly improved the efficiency of the autumn harvest and reduced the burden on the whole family. We will give him an extra 100 coins, making a total of 490 coins.”
Cheng Wanwan handed the coarse cloth bag to Shen Zheng.
Shen straightened his back, took the copper coins with both hands, closed the cloth bag, and carefully placed it inside his clothes.
Ah Fu silently grumbled to himself, "Young Master always has at least five taels of silver in his purse every day. He has always looked down on copper coins, complaining that they are too heavy and take up too much space. But now he is stuffing more than four hundred copper coins into his clothes. Doesn't he care about the weight?"
"Ah Fu, three hundred and ninety coins!"
Afu stumbled and almost fell. He quickly walked over from the doorway, swallowed hard, and said cautiously, "Auntie, I... I have one too?"
“You work hard at home every day, and of course you get paid,” Cheng Wanwan said with a smile. “It’s not much, it’s just a token of my appreciation.”
"No, no, no, you can't take it!" Afu hurriedly waved his hands. "I'm the young master's page, and the master pays me every month. How can I take double pay? Auntie, this is unacceptable!"
"Just take it if I tell you to!" Shen Zheng snorted. "You keep refusing, making me look like a fool."
Having said that, Afu dared not refuse. He wiped his hands on his patched clothes many times before daring to accept the copper coins.
After the wages were paid, Cheng Wanwan gave her closing remarks: "Thanks to everyone's joint efforts, our family's life is getting better and better. After these few days of hard work, we'll officially start building the house. In the future, each of us will have our own room, a separate bed, and even a table for reading and writing... Okay, let's eat."
Everyone ate with great relish, not only because the new rice was delicious, but also because a sense of hope was spreading among the children.
After the meal, Shen Zheng washed the dishes and Ah Fu helped. The master and servant were busy and happy.
After finishing his work, Shen Zheng immediately went to the ancestral hall.
These past few days, he has been going to the ancestral hall every evening. He actually knew all the things Cheng Zhao talked about, but standing outside the ancestral hall for a while always gave him different insights.
"You've been learning to read and write for over half a month. I'll arrange an exam in three days." Cheng Zhao stood at the podium and spoke calmly. "After the exam, you'll be divided into two classes, Class A and Class B. Class A students will progress slightly faster in learning to read and write, while Class B students will continue with their current class schedule. The top three students in each class will be awarded. The first place winner will receive the Four Treasures of the Study, the second place winner will receive a copy of the Three Character Classic, and the third place winner will receive a writing brush."
He placed all the prizes on the table.
He took time out these days to copy the books. The four treasures of the study and the brush were given to him by his teacher as rewards for writing a good article when he was studying at Nanfu Academy. Now, he gave the rewards given by his teacher to these children, hoping that they can continue on the path of studying.
All the children in the class became excited.
During the time they were learning to read and write, they practiced writing on a sand table every day and had long wanted to try the feel of using a brush on rice paper.
However, the Four Treasures of the Study were too expensive. The brush, inkstone, and Xuan paper were as precious and unattainable as gold and jewels to them.
However, nowadays, as long as you study hard and get first place in the exam, you can get a set of the Four Treasures of the Study.
Zhao Sidan rubbed his hands excitedly: "Cousin, I must enter Class A and get first place."
Zhu Huzi pouted: "Then I won't go to Class A. I want to be the number one in Class B so I can get a set of writing implements."
Zhao Tiezhu snorted and said, "Huzi, don't compete with me for first place in Class B. Just be second."
Cheng Zhao coughed and said, "Class A and Class B are assigned based on grades, and you can't choose independently."
Shen Zheng, who was standing outside the ancestral hall, curled the corners of his lips. Cheng Zhao really made full use of the academy's class division method. If there were more students, he could probably create two classes, C and D.
For such a small village to produce a student every year, it must be a great honor for the ancestors.
No, even one student passing the preliminary examination a year is an achievement. In a village where people can't even afford writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, it's impossible for anyone to pass the preliminary examination, let alone become a scholar.
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