Grandma Song exclaimed in surprise, "Bang'er, you've never done any farm work since you were little. How could you possibly do these farm chores?"
Song Anxin and Sister-in-law Lin were also surprised, as were the younger children. Their youngest uncle, Tong Sheng, was actually going to stay and help with farm work?! They couldn't have heard wrong, could they?
Song Anbang: "No one is born knowing how to do farm work. If I don't know how, I can learn slowly. The country is based on its people, and the people depend on food for survival."
I want to participate in the harvest process and see the effectiveness of the newly produced agricultural tools; this will also benefit my studies and the provincial examinations next year.
Sister-in-law Lin said she didn't understand; how did this relate to studying and exams? She advised:
“Hey, Fengnian’s uncle, farm work is really tough. You’re a writer, how can you go down to the fields like us farmers who toil for a living?”
Song Anbang insisted on his decision and asked his mother for her consent.
Grandma Song said, "Well, we also have to ask your older sister if she agrees to you staying. If your older sister agrees, then your mother agrees too."
Her daughter is different now; she must have her own plans.
Song Anxin said she had no objections. She admired her younger brother's awareness, believing that going deep into the grassroots was the best way to build the upper levels.
When the younger children saw that their uncle, a scholar, had actually stayed in their home, they were a little confused but also a little excited.
Lin Fengshou said enthusiastically, "Uncle, do you want to learn farm work? My older brother and I will go to the fields this afternoon when it's not too hot. Why don't you come with me and my older brother?"
Lin Fengnian: "..."
Second brother, you're really not being polite.
Lin Fengyao said, "Uncle, don't go down to the fields with Second Brother. Come pick mushrooms with me on the mountain. Mushroom picking is so much fun! I can even teach you how to catch rabbits, but rabbits might not fall for it anymore..."
Lin Fengyao started rambling on and on again.
At this moment, Lin Fenghe was thinking: If Tongsheng's uncle lives in their house, then he can ask his uncle many questions about the books, since his mother is always too busy.
Sister-in-law Lin thought: "A scholar who has just entered the imperial examinations lives next door. This is quite something."
Zhang Mei thought: What should I do? Where should this scholar's uncle stay? Maybe I should give up my room. I can't let the scholar's uncle sleep on the floor.
Zhang Mei was right; Song Anxin did indeed let Song Anbang sleep on the floor, which was actually much cooler than sleeping in the room.
Song Anbang didn't care about these things; he was never one to care about external things like food, clothing, and shelter.
Around noon, Grandma Song was about to leave. Song Anxin wanted her mother to stay overnight, but Grandma Song didn't want to trouble her daughter. She was also worried about the difficulty of traveling at night if she offered her mother dinner.
So Song Anxin asked Uncle Lin to drive the oxcart back to the county for the old lady. She also gave the old lady several pounds of meat that had been stored in the well, and brought some of the braised offal from yesterday to her own mother.
When Grandma Song saw so much meat, she refused to accept it no matter what. Only when she said it was wild boar meat and it was free did her mother agree to accept it.
After Old Mrs. Song left, and the afternoon heat subsided, Song Anbang actually went to the fields with Lin Fengshou and Lin Fengnian. This became big news in Linjia Village. No one had seen Song Anbang at noon, but now a large number of people were working in the fields.
Everyone was curious and asked who this Lin Fengnian Fengshou was. Song Anbang was just too eye-catching. He was tall and slender, and had a refined and scholarly demeanor. He was obviously different from these farmers.
Lin Fengshou, of course, proudly introduced his uncle, a scholar who had passed the imperial examination.
Song Anbang's demeanor left no room for doubt, and Brother Lin happened to be on the same journey as him, having heard from his wife about Song Anbang's stay.
The honest man said, "Fengnian's younger brother, you are a scholar, different from us peasants. You should stay away from the fields to avoid getting your clothes dirty."
The men, upon hearing this, all agreed that it made sense; how could a scholar be expected to toil in the fields like them? However, they dared not speak to Song Anbang, feeling they were unworthy to be near him, that even a single word from them would defile the scholar.
Song Anbang said humbly, "I am no different from you. I just have one mouth and two eyes. If my clothes get dirty, I can wash them. You are not peasants either. You are the source of food for the entire Great Yin Dynasty."
Without you scholars, where would we eat? Uncle Lin, you don't need to persuade me anymore; I've made up my mind.
Upon hearing this, the men exclaimed, "What?! Are they that important? This is the first time they've ever been respected by such scholars. I heard they're even students who have passed the preliminary examinations and will become officials in the future!"
Their confidence soared immediately. They reasoned that scholars also needed to eat; without them, where would they get food?
This Song Tongsheng is truly worthy of being called a Tongsheng. He's much better than that arrogant Lin Gangzi, who always looked down on them.
The men slowly and cautiously tried to talk to Song Anbang. Seeing that Song Anbang really didn't look down on them at all, they became bolder. Some of the men even enthusiastically offered to teach Song Anbang how to plow the land.
Song Anxin looked down from the hillside at the fields. Below, Song Anbang was surrounded by men, listening attentively as they talked about the fields. He would occasionally ask questions, and when the men laughed, he would laugh along, showing no discomfort whatsoever. She knew that her younger brother would definitely pass the imperial examination next year.
When it was time for dinner in the evening, Song Anbang was astonished to find the salted duck egg in his hand:
"Could this be the 'Rich Man's Oily Egg' that's in such high demand at the county's restaurants?"
Song Anbang had long heard from the students of the academy about this "rich and oily egg". It was sold at a very high price in the restaurant. Even the wealthy students who had money might not be able to afford it. Moreover, it was only cut into a few slices and placed on a plate. He never expected that he would be able to eat a whole one here!
Lin Fengyao said proudly, "Yes, Uncle, city people love our duck eggs. My mother learned how to make them from a book."
"Has your older sister read books about food?"
“I used to flip through these books when I was bored. Didn’t Mother say I liked reading all sorts of books?” Song Anxin said.
Song Anbang didn't ask any more questions, always feeling that his sister's reading was not only eclectic but also unpredictable.
Until he ate that spicy stuff that made his lips numb:
"Quick, cough cough, where's the water? Where's the water?"
Seeing her younger brother's handsome face flushed red from the spiciness, and his eyes watering from the heat, Song Anxin couldn't help but suppress her laughter.
Seeing this, Zhang Mei quickly poured him a bowl of water.
"Haha, Uncle, it's so funny how spicy you are."
Lin Fengyao said directly.
After taking a big gulp of water and feeling a little better, Song Anbang asked, "What... what exactly is this?"
Lin Fengyao explained, "This is braised offal, and it's really too spicy. My mom said she'll make a sweet version for us next time."
Song Anbang looked incredulous. This was actually pig offal. It wasn't that he hadn't tasted pig offal before. After his father passed away, the family's situation worsened, and his mother would buy pig offal so that the family could have some meat. He took a bite and then vomited. He would never forget that stench.
Although he didn't care about these external things like food and clothing, his body's reaction made it impossible for him to eat them, so his mother stopped buying them for him.
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