Chapter 620 The village head passes the county magistrate examination
The busy autumn season truly ends in November.
As the weather gets cooler, things in the fields become less busy, and it is around this time that Dahe Village begins to recruit people to build houses.
The town center of Dahe Village has been planned, with houses extending in all directions around the market. This will be the most central location of Dahe Town. The completed houses are provided for the workers who come to settle in Dahe Village. Of course, they will not live there for free, but will have to pay rent.
Ping'an County also allocated funds for the construction of houses of town size. With the government's subsidies, the rent is relatively cheap. The rent for a small courtyard is only 300 copper coins a month, enough for a family of six to live in. However, only those who meet the talent attraction policy can rent the houses first. If they can live there for more than ten years, the brick and tile house will belong to that family.
This news caused a stir among the people in the neighboring village.
They could never earn enough money in their entire lives to build a house with bricks and tiles, but now, as long as they have the ability, they can settle down in Dahe Village and live in a spacious and bright house. Three hundred coins a month is a bit much, but after renting for ten years, the house will be their own. It's like spending thirty or forty taels of silver to buy a property of moderate size in the center of Dahe Town.
People who were initially hesitant came to inquire about the settlement process, keeping Tiezhu extremely busy.
With Tiezhu handling these matters, the village head had a much easier time. He could stand with his hands behind his back, inspecting the fields while muttering to himself.
Cheng Wanwan was estimating this year's lotus root yield per mu by the lotus pond when she saw the village head slowly walking towards her. She thought the village head was instructing the villagers to take good care of the fields, but instead she heard him reciting a text.
"Treat your family as your family, your village as your village, your country as your country, and the world as the world..."
"Upon stepping out, all that can be seen is white bones covering the plain. On the roadside, a starving woman abandons her child amidst the grass..."
These are all contents from the books that Shen Dongming gave me.
After the village head finished reciting the passage, Cheng Wanwan finally spoke up: "Uncle Village Head, you recited it well. You're sure to pass the test this time."
The village head smiled and said, "Auntie Dashan, if you say I'm sure, then I really believe you. You can't lie to an honest man like me."
Cheng Wanwan chuckled: "Did Lord Wei say when the assessment would be?"
“When I went to the county last time, the adults said that I could take the exam on the 18th of every month. I’m ready and can start anytime.” The village head stroked his beard. “There’s no time like the present, so let’s try it the day after tomorrow. Do you think I can pass, Aunt Dashan?”
“Of course you can,” Cheng Wanwan encouraged. “But Uncle Village Head, don’t put too much pressure on yourself. It’s not like you only have one chance. If you don’t pass this time, you can try again next time.”
Aunt Wang, who was passing by, nodded in agreement: "Uncle Village Head is getting old, it's normal that he can't pass the exam. If he can pass it on the first try, he can set an example for the children in our village."
Many villagers gathered around to talk.
“Uncle Village Chief has been reading books every day for the past few months, so there’s definitely no problem.”
"The prefectural examination will be held after the New Year. If Uncle Lizheng passes the exam and becomes the county magistrate, the children in our village will be influenced, and many of them will definitely pass the preliminary examination."
"Yes, yes, even if it's just to make Dahe Academy famous, Uncle Village Head should give it his all."
"The prosperity and development of our Dahe Village is all thanks to Uncle Village Head."
Village head: "..."
He's so old, it's really tough for him, so please don't put such a heavy burden on his shoulders.
If he passes the exam, that's fine; but if he fails, wouldn't he become a sinner in the village?
On the day of the exam, the village specially opened the Zhao Family Ancestral Hall so that the village head could burn incense and worship the ancestors. After praying for their blessings, everyone watched the village head go to the city to take the exam.
Tie Zhu was also quite nervous, so he specially rushed to take the village head to Ping'an County.
Ping'an County is the smallest county in Huzhou, with only thirty-six villages and no towns, so there was no position of county magistrate. Now, because Dahe Village has been converted into a town, Zhao Lizheng has been promoted, and an exam was specially prepared for him.
Magistrate Wei welcomed Zhao Lizheng inside. In the main hall of the county government office, a table was set up with neatly arranged writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, as well as several test questions.
Zhao, the village head, sat in the hall writing exam questions, while Magistrate Wei sat above, handling official business, with his secretary and chief clerk standing beside him.
At first, Zhao Lizheng was very nervous, but he gradually calmed down, rubbed his hands together, and began to answer the questions seriously.
Two years ago, he knew only a limited number of characters. Later, when Tiezhu started formal schooling, he learned more characters, but he had fewer opportunities to write, so his handwriting was not very good. However, this was an exam, and he tried his best to write clearly. It would be a loss if he failed the exam because of his messy handwriting.
The village head conducted the exam from broad daylight until night.
It wasn't because the exam was difficult, but because he needed to write neatly, so he was very, very slow.
Wei Ke didn't urge him, and continued to handle his official duties. In any case, regardless of whether this Zhao Lizheng could become the county magistrate, he was the top leader of Dahe Village, and Wei Ke, a newly arrived county magistrate, couldn't afford to offend him.
Time passed slowly, and night gradually fell.
The people of Dahe Village had been busy all day, and then they had some free time at night.
Many people wash clothes and chat under the big locust tree, glancing towards the village entrance from time to time.
"Why aren't they back yet? Did something happen?"
"Tiezhu went with them. That kid is clever; if anything happens, he'll definitely come back to report."
"Could it be that he failed the exam, and the village head is afraid of letting down the villagers, so he doesn't dare to come back?"
"We had too high expectations of Uncle Village Chief, and he was afraid we would be disappointed... Hey, when Uncle Village Chief comes back later, no one is allowed to ask about the exam."
"Yes, just pretend this never happened, don't mention it."
As the villagers were exchanging words of advice, the sound of cart wheels echoed along the main road. Soon, Zhao Tiezhu drove his horse-drawn cart into view.
The village head lifted the carriage curtain and jumped down, a move that showed remarkable vigor despite his advanced age.
He straightened his back, put his hands behind his back, and walked over, waiting for the villagers to ask him questions.
"Uncle Village Head, you must be tired after a long day. Here's a handful of dates, have some."
"It's getting late, Uncle Village Head, you should go back and rest. You have a lot to do tomorrow."
"I have to go back to see my grandson, I'm off."
The dozens of people who were originally under the big locust tree scattered in an instant.
Village head: "???"
These people took him to the exam early in the morning, and he came back so late. Shouldn't they be asking about the exam results? What's the point of him leaving?
He turned to Tiezhu and asked, "Tiezhu, what's the situation with these people?"
Zhao Tiezhu scratched the back of his head: "They probably thought Grandpa hadn't passed the exam, so they were too afraid to ask..."
"How could you possibly fail such a simple test!" Li Zheng was furious, his beard bristling and eyes wide with anger.
Zhao Tiezhu: "..."
Who was that person who used to sigh and worry about failing the exam every day at home?
The village head snorted coldly, "You all dare to look down on me. Tomorrow, you will go door to door to invite them to our house for a drink and a meal. You must tell them clearly that it is because your grandfather has become the county magistrate that we are holding this banquet. Hmm, let me emphasize that he is a ninth-rank county magistrate, a proper ninth-rank official."
So the next day, everyone in the village, and even people from the neighboring village, knew that the village head of Dahe Village had passed the exam to become a ninth-rank county magistrate and was hosting a lavish banquet for the entire village.
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