Chapter 525 Gossip (Additional chapter for the leader of all book friends)
Several people glanced at Mr. Zhuang before accepting the bread. The middle-aged man in the lead simply grabbed a piece of naan and sat down across from Mr. Zhuang, saying with a smile, "What a coincidence! We've run into each other twice today. My last name is Li, and I'm the second child in my family. May I know your name, sir?"
Mr. Zhuang smiled and said, "I am the only son in my family. If Mr. Li Er doesn't mind, you can call me Zhuang Dalang."
Manbao also sat back in his seat, eating naan bread while whispering to his two friends, "Same ranking as Bai Er."
Bai Shanbao nodded, "People are about the same."
Mr. Zhuang, who heard the whisper, said: ...
Li Erlang saw him pause and looked at him in confusion. Mr. Zhuang smiled at him and asked, "Mr. Li Er, aren't you in a hurry for your business trip?"
Li Erlang smiled and said, "There's no end to business in this world, so I have to slow down and walk slowly from time to time. From what you said during the day, did you go to Yizhou to prepare for the entrance exam for the provincial academy?"
His eyes passed over Manbao and the other two, finally settling on Bai Shanbao. He asked with a smile, "Is it this young man?"
Mr. Zhuang smiled and nodded.
Li Erlang couldn't help but praise, "This kid is only twelve or thirteen years old, and he can actually take the entrance exam to the provincial academy?"
He noticed Bai Shanbao when he was in the teahouse. Firstly, it was because of the meaning revealed in their conversation; secondly, it was because the child was reading a book in the teahouse, and he could tell that he was really absorbed in the reading.
It was difficult to strike up a conversation in the teahouse before, but it is convenient now.
Li Erlang simply started to test Bai Shanbao's homework.
Bai Shanbao answered them one by one. Later, the questions became more and more difficult. He couldn't help but look at Mr. Zhuang, but Mr. Zhuang smiled and didn't say anything. He could only rack his brains to think of the answers.
But I still couldn’t help but complain in my heart, is this still a businessman?
Who are you confused about?
Manbao was listening with great interest, and Bai Shanbao couldn't help but nudged her with his elbow.
Manbao thought for a moment and then quietly reminded him, "It's talking about the unspoken teachings in the Tao Te Ching."
Bai Shanbao understood as soon as he heard it, and answered calmly.
Li Erlang then looked at Manbao and said to Mr. Zhuang with a smile, "Mr. Zhuang has two..." He lowered his head to meet Bai Erlang's eyes, paused, and changed his words, "He has three good disciples."
Mr. Zhuang was naturally humble.
Li Erlang finished his naan, drank a sip of water, and then went to talk to the farmer on the other side. "What's in your backpack, old man?"
"These are lotus roots dug from the mud pond," the farmer explained, showing him the contents of the basket. "My son's family hasn't planted many vegetables yet, and we haven't dug up all the lotus roots left over from last winter. I'm taking them to the city to sell."
“Is this not sold?”
"It's sold out, it's sold out. Only these few sections are left," the farmer said with a smile, "but it's hard to stay overnight in the city, so I specially left the city and stayed at the Taoist temple."
Li Erlang smiled and said, "This Taoist temple is quite good. They even specially reserved a quiet room for passersby to rest."
"Yes, this quiet room didn't exist before. It was only built a few years ago. That's why we dared to stay in the city until late and wait for people to finish shopping at the evening market before leaving the city." The farmer laughed and said, "In the past, we would have gone home as soon as the afternoon was over."
Manbao asked curiously, "Can't we travel overnight? We can use torches when it gets dark."
"Oh, I dare not do that. The mountains are deep and the forests are dense. Even if there are one or two people traveling together, we dare not walk on the mountain road in the middle of the night."
Bai Shanbao also became interested and asked excitedly, "Are there any bandits?"
Li Jilang: ...
The farmer laughed and said, "I haven't heard of any bandits, but it's not safe to travel at night. Even if there are no bad guys, what if we run into an evil spirit?"
"Is your home far from here?" Li Erlang was afraid that Bai Shanbao would ask something strange again, so he quickly changed the subject.
"It's far. It takes nearly two hours to walk there."
Li Erlang: "So long?"
"Yes, so we left home at daybreak. When we got to the county town, we missed the morning market and had to wait until the afternoon market. However, there were fewer people buying vegetables at the afternoon market, while there were more people trying to get a bargain at the evening market. Even though the price was pushed down, at least we sold our vegetables, right?"
Li Erlang asked, "Has life been difficult at home these past two years? I heard there was a flood in Yizhou two years ago, and Maozhou was also affected."
"Ah, it's because of that flood that everyone is struggling to survive now," the farmer said. "Back then, my family owed a lot of money just to survive. Fortunately, the weather has been good these past two years. I estimate that if I work for another two years, I can pay off the debt. I just hope that God will bless me with food in the next few years."
"What kind of debt do you owe that takes so many years to pay?"
"Two bags of grain."
Li Erlang opened his eyes slightly and asked, "Could it be that after a year of hard work, your family still only has two bags of grain left after eating? And you have to pay it back over four years?"
"I borrowed millet from a disaster year. Back then, millet was thirty wen a dou. It was borrowed on credit, with interest. Later, whether I pay back the money or the millet, I have to pay it back at the market price." The farmer said, "The debt is accumulating interest, and grain prices have been low these past two years. Isn't it just a matter of paying more and more? I've had the village head calculate it, and he estimates it'll take four years to pay it off."
Manbao blinked and said, "It's like the money a casino lends to gamblers."
Bai Shanbao: "Isn't compound interest illegal?"
Bai Erlang asked, "Will the government take care of this?"
"It depends on the situation," Manbao said as he tore into a piece of naan and ate it. "If Lord Yang knew about this, he would probably intervene. But as for Magistrate Fu, he'll probably just ignore it."
"County Magistrate Fu has been gone for several years, why haven't you forgotten him yet?" Bai Shanbao felt that County Magistrate Fu was quite pitiful.
Man Bao said, "How could I forget? I just received a letter from Second Sister Fu last month, saying that she's engaged and is already discussing a wedding date. She might be getting married this fall or next spring. I'm still thinking about what gift to give her."
Li Erlang wanted to continue talking to the farmer, but also wanted to follow up on Manbao's question, so he paused and asked Manbao, "Which county are you from?"
"We are from Luojiang County."
"Luojiang County?" Li Erlang thought for a moment and then remembered. He smiled and said, "Your county magistrate is called Yang Heshu, right?"
"Yes, yes, you know Master Yang?"
"I've met you. How is Lord Yang as an official?"
"That's right," Manbao said, "We all like Master Yang very much."
"Oh? Why is that?" Li Erlang asked with a smile. "From what you guys said, the previous magistrate of Luojiang County was named Fu. So, was he not a good person?"
Mr. Zhuang put down the bamboo tube and coughed lightly.
Manbao thought for a moment and said, "That's not the case. When County Magistrate Fu left, we went to see him off. My teacher said that if it weren't for County Magistrate Fu's efforts, our county wouldn't have been able to enjoy a year of tax exemption."
When the farmer heard this, he immediately asked, "Is your county tax-free?"
The new character appeared a little late, so it's late
Good night
(End of this chapter)
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