Chapter 13 Wang Family Members One After Another
Speaking of Xiao Yongyan, Lin Xi had an idea.
"Aunt Wu, if conditions permit, do you think the people in the village would be willing for their children to study and take exams?" Lin Xi asked.
Aunt Wu didn't expect Lin Xi to ask this suddenly. She thought carefully for a while before saying, "If I really have the conditions, I would like to send someone with some talent to study. I definitely can't send all of them. There's no one left to do the housework."
"Do you know how much it costs to study?" Lin Xi asked again.
"Who knows how to calculate this specifically, but the annual tuition for the teacher is generally one or two taels of silver," said Aunt Wu.
One tael of silver, this is much higher than Lin Xi knew, "The villages around the capital don't seem to be that high."
"Hey, that's the capital. How many people in our place can read and write?" said Aunt Wu.
From what Aunt Wu said, it seemed that the village head's refusal to allow Xiao Yongyan to run a private school was not entirely out of grudge against them. There were only a very few people in the village who could afford to go to school.
In their opinion, it is more practical to let children start working early than to study books that will never end for decades.
It seems that even if we want to set up a private school, it is not appropriate to set it up in the village. It should at least be at the town or county level.
While they were talking, someone knocked on the door. Aunt Wu ran to open it and saw Wang Xiaoling standing outside.
Lin Xi was a little wary. Why did she come to his house again when it wasn't a festival?
"I'm kneading the dough." Wang Xiaoling walked in with a smile, "I'm really good at kneading dough at home. The kids at home all say it's good."
Wang Xiaoling walked straight to the stage with a familiar look, and was ready to start the next moment.
Fortunately, Lin Xi was quick to move the basin away and said, "The dough in this basin has already been kneaded. There is no need to knead it again."
Wang Xiaoling's hand stopped in mid-air, and she could only put it down awkwardly, saying something else, "Well, is there anything else you can help me with? I can do anything."
Such an attentive attitude was really unusual. Lin Xi's face became serious and he said to Wang Xiaoling, "Aunt Wu will be able to help you here."
Seeing that Lin Xi was so disrespectful, Wang Xiaoling simply said, "Xiao family, why are you so serious? I don't mean anything else. I just saw that your Koi buns are novel and beautiful, so I want to learn from you. Don't worry, I still know the basic rules. Before I become a master, all the money I earn belongs to the master."
Lin Xi sneered in his heart. It turned out that Wang Xiaoling had this plan. "It's a pity that I don't plan to accept any apprentices now."
"Didn't you ask Aunt Wu to come over?" Wang Xiaoling's eyes kept wandering around Aunt Wu.
Aunt Wu was also quite old, so how could she not see what Wang Xiaoling was thinking? "I am only responsible for kneading the dough and steaming the buns. The fancy work is done by Miss Lin Xi. How can her skills be easily passed on to others?"
"It's just making steamed buns. It's not a secret recipe." Wang Xiaoling muttered a few words in displeasure after hearing what Aunt Wu said.
"Hey," Aunt Wu glanced at Wang Xiaoling, "If the Wang family is generous, they can also teach the villagers their own steamed bun making skills."
For a long time, the Wang family’s steamed bun business didn’t make much money, but at least it could ensure that the family had enough food and clothing. Even so, the Wu family always made steamed buns in the middle of the night, for fear that others would learn from them.
Not only does she not share her own secret recipes, but she also wants to learn other people's secret recipes. Aunt Wu looks down on people like Wang Xiaoling from the bottom of her heart.
"You're right about one thing," Lin Xi said as he stood in front of Wang Xiaoling. "Of course the craft needs to be passed on, but it must not be passed on to someone so selfish."
Wang Xiaoling was furious, "Who are you scolding?"
"I'm not cursing, I'm just talking about the facts." Lin Xi walked to the table and prepared to continue working. "It's getting late. Don't you want to feed the chickens at home and wash the clothes? If you stay here all the time, what will your mother-in-law think of you?"
Wang Xiaoling was so angry that she had no place to vent. Her mother-in-law loved to force her to do work and would scold her if she was not satisfied with anything. She was more difficult to serve than her own mother. Looking at the weather, she had to go back quickly.
Watching Wang Xiaoling leave, Aunt Wu's face became a little more worried, "Sister, more and more people in this village will target you in the future."
Lin Xi waved his hand, indicating that he didn't care. "I'm upright and honest, so why should I be afraid of being seen?"
Aunt Wu was stunned for a moment, then suddenly smiled. Her sister was right. As long as she did the right thing, why bother about other people's opinions?
After the steamed buns were ready, Xiao Yongyan and Lin Xi went to the town together.
The sales of Koi steamed buns are as good as ever. As long as people go to that station, they will be sold out immediately in less than an hour.
The small vendors around looked on with envy.
Not far away, several people from the Wang family stared at Lin Xi's steamed bun stall with serious expressions.
Wang Xingxiong stood beside Old Lady Wang, looking relaxed, "Mom, our business has not been affected these days, don't worry."
Old Lady Wang was immediately furious. "You are not affected? They sell a steamed bun for thirty coins, but we only sell a steamed bun for ten coins. How much money are we losing!"
That being said, Wang Xingxiong felt that there was nothing he could do about it, as they couldn't do the same things as Lin Xi.
It’s not that they haven’t tried, but they always ended in failure. The products they made looked roughly the same shape, but the details and taste were far from perfect.
"Boss," Old Lady Wang ordered, "your sister is useless. You must go to her house in person tomorrow and make sure to get Lin Xi's prescription."
"Oh, right," Mrs. Wang remembered something, "I've prepared the gift for Master Gu. The third child will take the exam this year. Whether our family can succeed in the future depends on this time."
Wang Xingxiong patted his chest and assured, "Mom, don't worry, I have asked her to send the things to Songtao Academy."
"God bless my son, he will definitely pass the examination this time." Old Mrs. Wang clasped her hands together, looking extremely pious.
…
"Well, sister, I didn't expect you guys are also making steamed buns. We're all in the same business, haha." Wang Xingxiong took out a basket of steamed buns that had been made long ago and put them on the table. "Try the steamed buns made by our Wang family. Although they're not as beautiful as yours, they taste good too."
Lin Xi looked at the pile of white steamed buns in front of him and thought that it might be Wang's fault that just when he sent one away, another came.
Xiao Yongyan, who was in the room, heard the noise and came out. When he raised his eyes, he saw Wang Xingxiong looking at Lin Xi with a flattering smile on his face. His look was so irritating no matter how he looked at it.
"Who is this?" Xiao Yongyan's gaze fell on Wang Xingxiong, looking him up and down.
For some reason, Wang Xingxiong always felt that there was a hint of murderous intent in Xiao Yongyan's eyes, but after taking another look, it seemed to be gone. It was probably his illusion.
"My name is Wang Xingxiong. We are from the same village and my family also makes steamed buns." Wang Xingxiong quickly introduced himself.
However, Xiao Yongyan didn't care about his identity. He glanced at Lin Xi and said, "But if you are tired, I will take care of it."
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