Chapter 281 Jiang Huai, Jiang Huai, you are ultimately just an ordinary person.
(Thanks to Huanxiquan Huanhua for casting a monthly vote.)
On the third day in the prefectural city, Li Shiyue got up early in the morning. Today was the day that had been arranged long ago to go to the Jiang family to deliver New Year's gifts to Jiang Huai.
The people from Liujiatun who were staying at the inn also got up one by one, tidied themselves up, and changed into decent clothes.
Then comb the child's hair and change their clothes properly, and carefully check the New Year's gifts that you have prepared, so that there won't be any mistakes later.
Today is a relatively good day; although it's windy, at least it's not snowing anymore.
The Jiang family's village was located ten miles outside the prefectural city, also nestled against the mountains.
Jiang Huai sat alone at home, feeling both excited and anxious.
Although he had previously told Li Wangming that it was unnecessary for Li Shiyue and the others to come to the Jiang family to deliver New Year's gifts to him, he was still somewhat delighted and looking forward to it!
Having lost his father at a young age and his mother in his youth, and having grown up safely with the help of village subsidies, Jiang Huai was very happy and grateful for what Li Shiyue and the others did, which gave him some face in front of his clan.
Because Li Shiyue and the others didn't need to go to this extent.
After all, he had accepted the tuition fees, and he also received seasonal gifts, not to mention the boxes of high-quality paper that Li Shiyue sent to him every quarter.
Moreover, ever since the charcoal burning plant in Liujiatun started operating, not only did the charcoal fires in the school and his house burn continuously after winter began, but Li Shiyue also had Li Shiliang lead a group of people to deliver a cartload of charcoal to the Jiang family.
All of this has really been done more than enough; in Jiang Huai's opinion, it's even a bit too much.
He had never seen a schoolteacher receive so many benefits.
Therefore, Jiang Huai had previously told Li Wangming that Li Shiyue and the others did not necessarily have to come to the Jiang family to deliver New Year's gifts to her.
Because Jiang Huai felt unworthy of such an honor!
In fact, even before Jiang Huai passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, he already had the idea of giving up studying and instead making a living.
Later, it was the elders in the clan who persuaded him, saying that once he passed the imperial examination, he would not only receive a stipend of rice, but also be able to exempt the clan from some land taxes.
Therefore, Jiang Huai continued reading his books and successfully passed the imperial examination to become a Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations).
In the same year that Jiang Huai passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, several prefectures in Dalong suffered from severe drought, leading to a rise in refugees. In addition, Prince Jing'an launched a rebellion, causing considerable chaos in Dalong for a period of time.
The imperial examinations were thus suspended, and Jiang Huai took the opportunity to stop preparing for them. He told his clan that he wanted to become a teacher or an accountant, just to have a way to make a living.
This inevitably caused gossip among some members of the clan.
"It's such a pity about Huai-ge'er from the fourth branch of the family."
"Isn't that right?"
If it weren't for the help of his clan, he wouldn't have been able to pass the imperial examination.
Now he teaches children at the clan school, and he can earn some money from the clan again.
"Hey, you're not right about that!"
First and foremost, Huai Ge'er himself had to be capable, and then the clan's support was the reason he was able to pass the imperial examination and become a scholar.
Besides, Huai-ge'er is a scholar, so what's wrong with him teaching children?
If we don't need the scholar to teach us, do you expect me to be the one to teach us?
Or is it Xing-ge from your seventh branch, who didn't even pass the imperial examination for the lowest degree?
Besides, I remember that part of your family's land was registered under Huai-ge'er's name, right?
What's wrong?
They were willing to use Huai Ge'er's Xiucai degree to evade taxes, but then they would turn around and say that Huai Ge'er's degree wasn't earned through his own hard work.
"Jiang Twelve, I think you're a truly despicable person!"
What was originally just gossip among the Jiang clan members during their free time turned into a heated argument when Jiang Twelve's shortcomings were exposed in the street. He became enraged and started yelling at the person who had accused him.
Finally, the clan chief was alerted, because the two got so angry from arguing that they started fighting right there in the street.
Later, Jiang Huai withdrew from the clan school, not because he was afraid of Jiang Twelve;
He was alone and did not want to put the clan chief in a difficult position. He believed that he was talented and could find a way to make a living anywhere.
If we continue to stay in the clan school, we will inevitably hear some gossip;
Although he was not afraid of those gossips, why bother?
With that time, he could just go out and find another job.
Understanding his difficulties, the clan chief approached Jiang Huijun, a woman from the Jiang family in the prefectural city, hoping to ask her to find a good place for Jiang Huai to settle down.
As it happened, Li Shiyue came to Jiang Huai's door, and Jiang Huai naturally went to Liujiatun to become a teacher.
Even after that, there was still a lot of discussion about Jiang Huai in Jiangjia Village.
"If you ask me, wouldn't it be better for him to go out and become a teacher now? Why do we have to make him continue taking the imperial examinations?"
In this day and age, what good is it to pass the imperial examinations and become a Juren or even a Jinshi?
Even if the appointment goes smoothly, it's impossible for him to stay in our Liaodong City. He'll have to go to other places. In this world, a scholar like him doesn't even know if he'll survive if he goes to other places.
He lives alone and has no one to help him.
There are only a few people in the clan who can help him, so why not give up the imperial examinations and go out to become a teacher to support himself?
"You're wrong about that!"
How much money do school teachers earn?
With no parents or brothers to help him, how could he possibly find a wife if he just became a schoolteacher?
Even if we could find one, what kind of one could we find?
"Hey, didn't they say he went to be a schoolteacher in some village down there?"
Last time I saw people from that village delivering a cartload of charcoal at the village entrance.
"Ah! The clan chief said that the charcoal in the ancestral hall was delivered by that village on behalf of Huai Ge'er!"
I checked, and that charcoal wasn't cheap; it was a whole block of top-quality charcoal!
"Well, from this perspective, a village that can send out a cartload of charcoal can be considered quite wealthy."
"It would be a good place for Huai-ge to be a teacher there."
Li Shiyue and his group, who were being discussed by the Jiang clan members, followed behind Li Shiliang and finally arrived at the entrance of Jiangjia Village at 3:45 AM.
Actually, since they were driving, and Jiangjia Village wasn't far from the prefectural city, they should have been able to arrive earlier.
Today the wind is strong and there is snow on the road. Several of their vehicles got stuck in the ditch as they walked along the way.
This is why it took them longer than expected to arrive at Jiangjia Village.
After dismounting, the people from Liujiatun who were following Li Shiyue also stopped one by one.
Their group wasn't exactly large, but it wasn't small either.
After all, they had horse-drawn carriages, mule carts, donkey carts, and oxcarts. Except for Li Youfu and his eighth uncle, almost everyone from Liujiatun came.
The fact that nearly seventy or eighty people stopped and waited outside Jiangjia Village was bound to attract the attention of the Jiang clan members living at the village entrance.
Some people rushed to the village to find the clan chief, while others boldly came forward to ask Li Shiyue and the others why they had come.
Li Shiyue came to give Jiang Huai face, not to be the bad guy.
Therefore, she naturally bowed respectfully to the man who came to inquire: "Sir, I am Li Shiyue, the head of Xiaoliujia Village, Qingsong Town, Sanshan County. We are here to deliver New Year's gifts to Mr. Jiang Huai."
He is a tutor hired by our village. Now that the end of the year is approaching, we have come all the way from the village to give him New Year's gifts.
We are not bad people. Please, sir, show us the way. We need to hurry home after delivering our gifts.
So, Jiang Huai, who was waiting alone at home, was knocked on the courtyard gate by his clansmen. He opened the door with some surprise and heard his clansmen say that Li Shiyue and the others had arrived. He was stunned for a moment, but then he immediately realized what was happening and ran towards the village entrance as soon as he stepped out of the courtyard gate.
He had estimated that Li Shiyue and the others should have arrived by the beginning of the day, but he waited and waited, even glancing at the village entrance, but no one came.
At that time, he thought that Li Shiyue and the others probably wouldn't come.
His heart plummeted from soaring expectations to rock bottom, and he even mocked himself at the time: "Jiang Huai, Jiang Huai, you are just an ordinary person after all."
You were the one who told them not to come, but in the end, you're the one who most wants them to come.
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