Some people think the Zhao family is simply brainless. Everyone knows that those with the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations) can study at the county school for free.
But for those without the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations), studying at the county school was like being a money-devouring beast.
Otherwise, the Zhao family wouldn't have initially sent their children to school, spending several hundred taels of silver at once.
After all, there is a difference between paying the average price and paying a premium.
The Zhao family spent so much money just for those five good-for-nothings who didn't even have the title of a child scholar; they must have lost their minds.
Of course, these little thoughts were all kept private. Even if they were gossiped about, they never reached the ears of the men in the Zhao family.
Hearing that the Zhao family was going to hold a full moon celebration, everyone wanted to join in the fun and see what kind of place this eccentric family lived in and how wealthy they were.
On the day of the Zhao family's full moon celebration, they originally planned to slaughter a pig and prepare about twenty tables of food, since they wouldn't be having a continuous feast.
Each family in the village should send one representative, and about ten or eight tables should be enough.
In addition, there are family members and other in-laws who have made preparations, and the amount prepared is no less than expected.
As a result, on the day of the 100-day celebration, almost all of the classmates from the county school came, except for those who really didn't like to join in the fun.
The Zhao family was astonished to see the large group of people in long gowns.
"Old man, you didn't say that you were so popular at the county school, right?" Huang nudged Zhao Qianci.
Zhao Qianci lowered his head and whispered,
"I'm puzzled too, since many of them have never spoken."
Some even compared their scores with ours after each test.
These people came uninvited. I only invited the headmaster and a few teachers, saying that today is the one-month celebration for our Qingling child.
Who would have thought so many people would show up?
Huang said with a fake smile,
"So what if they're here? The worst that can happen is the meal will start a little later."
Looks like we'll need to slaughter another pig and ask someone to bring back more vegetables.
Zhao Qingyan took her grandmother's arm from behind and whispered,
"Grandma, just have my dad go to our storeroom in the backyard to get the vegetables later."
There's no time to slaughter a pig right now, but I have a lot of pork, eggs, and some dried goods there, so I'll use those for now.
If you're worried I'll suffer a loss, you could give me the meat in silver later.
Mrs. Huang turned her head and poked her granddaughter's forehead.
"You're so clever, but what you said makes sense. Our family's accounts really need to be clearer. We can't always let my darling suffer losses."
Zhao Qingyan smiled. Ever since she could raise living creatures in her space, she had become quite disgusted with the meat she had hoarded in her previous life.
Even if you buy local pork, it's just that it's not truly authentic.
As for beef and mutton, she was reluctant to use them for the banquet, since oxen were not allowed to be slaughtered casually in the Divine Dragon Kingdom.
If people knew that the Zhao family used cattle and sheep for a banquet, they could easily calculate how much meat was used based on the number of people at the banquet.
It might even cause unnecessary trouble.
Zhao Qingyan went to the warehouse first and put in about two pigs' worth of fresh meat, two hundred catties of eggs, three hundred catties of large bones, twenty dressed chickens, twenty dressed ducks and twenty geese.
In addition, they brought out another 500 jin of rice.
As for vegetables, you can find them by searching around the village.
The tent that was originally set up was large enough to accommodate twenty tables.
Since more than a hundred students and teachers from the county school came, that meant we needed more than a dozen tables.
Some are setting up tents, others are setting up tables and chairs.
In an instant, the open space in front of the main house of Qingshan Xiaozhu became noisy and bustling, with almost no place to stand.
The students of the county school considered themselves superior and naturally wouldn't lend a hand. They just watched as the men of the Zhao family, their servants, and some able-bodied men from their own clan helped with the work.
"Brother Qian, I never expected that Zhao's home would be so elegant. This courtyard alone is several acres of spacious land."
The thin-faced man then spoke to the round-faced man beside him.
"Brother Li, it does look elegant, but it doesn't cost much. Didn't you notice that their houses are all made of wood?"
These wooden houses are the least valuable. Looking at the yard, it seems large enough, but did you notice, Brother Li, that this is mountainous terrain?
Mountain land is very cheap, I think it's only one or two taels of silver per mu or so. In short, building a courtyard like this might cost over a hundred taels.
It's just for show.
The round-faced man surnamed Qian appeared to be analyzing things for the customer, but in reality, he was insanely jealous.
Both families are from farming backgrounds, so why is it that the house where my family lives is not as big as the house of the Zhao family?
Especially since this is a two-story building. I heard that in each house of the Zhao family, only one person lives there. That little brat Zhao Qingbei owns a two-story house all by himself.
However, there are differences between wooden houses. Crudely made ones are naturally worthless, but can they compare to this exquisite wooden house?
Putting aside everything else, the cost of the carved beams, painted rafters, and flying eaves alone must have been considerable.
Li, with his long, thin face, nodded as if he had something urgent to attend to.
"Brother Qian is truly knowledgeable and insightful. I only know how to read books every day, and I'm completely ignorant of these practical matters."
Little did they know that Zhao's family was putting on a brave face despite their own limitations.
Brother Qian, how do you think these farming families make a living?
I heard that it cost a lot of money to send those good-for-nothings in his family to school.
Yuan Run-qian's eyes were practically brimming with jealousy, especially when he saw the manager of Wangyue Tower bowing and greeting Zhao Qianci.
Even the county magistrate and his family came to offer their congratulations; the Zhao family is truly extraordinary.
Listening to Li's rambling on and on, he became very irritable.
When asked why he disliked the Zhao family so much, it was because he had always been among the top students in Class A.
However, after those prodigies from the Zhao family entered the school, his grades dropped to the bottom.
That's not all. The grades of the Zhao family members who didn't even fail the preliminary examinations are also constantly improving, and they may even soon be able to enter the top class.
He wanted to become a disciple of a teacher, but the teacher refused in every way. Instead, a little brat from the Zhao family directly became a disciple of the headmaster.
The headmaster's background and his disciples' potential are limitless.
The Zhao family was completely unaware of his inner thoughts.
Besides studying and practicing martial arts every day, they also have to spend the rest of their time cooking.
Everyone was busy and having a great time, after all, in addition to their own family eating, they also had to prepare an extra portion for the headmaster.
Ever since the headmaster recognized Zhao Zhihan, also known as Zhao Dabao, as his last disciple, his three meals a day have been provided by the Zhao family.
They called it filial piety from their disciple, and said they couldn't let him down.
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