Chen Gui led them to the school.
Chen Xian then took Chen Ershui with him to the neighboring Red Leaf Village.
When they arrived at Butcher Feng's house, the old woman and the old man had strange expressions on their faces. Chen Xian saw that the old man had a kind smile on his face, but his expression was a little stiff, with a hint of ingratiation and a hint of stubbornness.
"Mr. Chen, how many kilograms of meat are you planning to buy today?"
Chen Xian counted the number of students, "Let's start with half a pig."
Young people are at the age when they can eat and work hard. It is certain that Butcher Feng's hand slipped and the pig was cut open. In this era, a pig weighs less than 200 jin.
Half a pig weighs about 80 or 90 pounds.
However, they discovered that one side of the pig was cut into larger pieces, while the other side was cut into smaller pieces.
Butcher Feng: "The price of pork has dropped a bit now. It sells for 25 wen per jin in town, but if you buy a lot at once, I'll give you a discount to 24 wen per jin."
The above is the standard.
The old man and his wife each found a wooden stick to prop up the pig. Chen Xian wanted to lend a hand, but the old man waved his hand and shakily lifted it onto his shoulder.
"Eighty-five catties."
"Two ounces and forty coins."
Old man: "Boss Chen often patronizes my business, so I'll waive the change."
Chen Xian: "Alright then, here's forty coins."
Old man: ?
Chen Xian was a little puzzled. He took out two taels of silver from his pocket. When he came before, the old man's attitude was not like this. He was very stingy and not very friendly.
The old woman chuckled and said, "Yes, young man, you often patronize our business. I should thank you for saving us so many trips to town."
Chen Ershui said nervously, "Brother Xian? Can you sell all this meat? Should we buy less? Buying half a carton is really too much..."
"Brother Ershui, we should be able to sell almost everything. Teenagers all eat like pigs; they're at that age where they have huge appetites and are incredibly hungry."
Seeing Chen Xian's resolute expression, Chen Ershui did not try to persuade him further.
"Brother Xian, it seems that old man is trying to curry favor with you, right? The relationship between our two villages has never been particularly good, especially because of the water shortage. Buying meat from his family is already a favor; it's good enough that he doesn't raise the price for you, but he even gives you a discount of several tens of coins?"
"Maybe I'm one of their big customers."
The two fell silent.
When I got home, I started preparing dinner.
The children and women of the Chen family all went to school to learn to read and write.
He had to do it all by himself.
Seeing that Chen Ershui was alright.
"Brother Ershui, could you call your uncle and aunt over and bring a few of your pots too? I'm planning to stew the whole pig in this area this time. I might not be able to manage it all by myself."
Chen Ershui nodded and sent someone to do it.
My uncle arrived shortly afterward.
He frowned and saw the meat in the yard.
Aunt: "Xian-ge, you bought so much meat, are you sure you can sell it all? It's so hot right now. Why don't I go and call out to the villagers and distribute these pigs to them? We're all from the same village anyway, so I can't refuse. I'll just deliver them to them and leave."
Uncle: "Xian-ge'er isn't a child anymore. Aren't there many students coming to the village? We should be able to sell him, right?"
His tone was somewhat hesitant.
"Uncle, the last question you asked should have ended with a period. Hmm?"
They were just there to help. Auntie grumbled a few words, but still obediently helped Chen Xian with the work.
Before long, the aroma of meat began to waft through the Chen family's courtyard.
...
Chen Gui led the group of young people to the school.
The students were making a lot of noise, all talking about how delicious the food at Chen's stall was. Those who hadn't tried it before were itching to try it, so they didn't have any expectations for the small village.
Instructor Xu and Xia Xue were walking behind, their feet wet. Every few steps, their shoes would stick off, exposing their heels, and they were slightly annoyed.
Chen Gui chuckled and said, "Gentlemen, the roads in the village are difficult to walk on. Why don't we skip the sightseeing and come to my house for a simple meal? Eating is the most important thing."
The more nonchalant he was, the more it seemed to you that you were not used to it, that you were different from us farmers, that you couldn't walk, and that he was practically saying to you that you couldn't endure hardship.
Xia Xuezheng was alright; he just followed the young man's lead and was happy to go along with it. But Instructor Xu was a stubborn mule; the more you said something, the more he would do the opposite.
He said in a deep voice, "Since we've come all this way, a few more steps won't make a difference. I'd also like to know why so many students are drawn to Qingxia Village. Is it just because the Chen family's food is delicious? Is it that superficial?"
I glanced at the students, their expressions strained and forced smiles.
Yes, we are that superficial.
Instructor Xu was seething with anger. He planned to tour the village and then hold a meeting to denigrate it, saying, "What's so great about a dilapidated village? Listen to me, let's go to Yingzhou Prefecture. By now, we've already visited the famous scenic spots and gardens, and it'll be a great way to cool off."
I don't know where they found this old scholar to teach at the school, but given how remote this place is, I doubt even a young scholar would want to come.
What's so interesting about them? They're all a bunch of old scholars who struggle to even read themselves. Expecting a few promising scholars to emerge from the village is a joke.
In the distance, a dilapidated village stands, dotted with thatched huts. Chickens, ducks, and geese quack on the paths between the fields, while ducks arch their heads on the muddy dirt roads, seemingly catching earthworms and worms.
Lu Chengfeng, pampered and accustomed to a life of ease, was supported by his pageboy. He was panting heavily, his face flushed red, and he kept fiddling with his fan to cool himself.
"Gentlemen, why don't we find a courtyard to rest? We're too tired to walk any further. What's the point of this dilapidated school, with only a down-on-his-luck old scholar who probably hasn't even achieved any official rank teaching there?"
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