Chapter 57 Passerby A in Ancient Marriage Exchange Stories 2
After receiving the world's plot, Jiang Yue was speechless. After sorting through the chaotic plot, she suddenly remembered something: "8888, you said the original female lead was taken away by a cultivation master? This mission world is a cultivation world?"
"No, please rest assured, host. It's just an ancient world, and the cultivation masters are just passing through."
Jiang Yue finally breathed a sigh of relief. To be honest, if she were thrown into a cultivation world, a world where the strong are respected and there is intrigue, Jiang Yue estimated that she wouldn't survive three episodes before having to join some fellow cultivator's 'Human Emperor Banner' as a sister.
After memorizing the world's plot, Jiang Yue went out to work. This family was not one where they never had to worry about food and drink. Even the house they lived in was rented. A few days ago, Aunt Li said that the rent was going to go up, and the family was very worried. The family's income was divided into two parts: one part was the money Jiang Yue's father earned as a peddler, and the other part was the money Jiang Yue and her mother made by embroidering purses and the like.
The couple's monthly income was only one or two taels of silver. Rent, the younger brother's school fees, food and drink, and if they were unlucky, they would have to pay for medical expenses if they got sick. It would be wishful thinking to think they could save money all year round. Being debt-free is what makes a normal family. In this day and age, most people live on debt. When they can't earn enough money to pay off their debts, they start selling their children. It's already a miracle that Jiang Yue's father has managed to keep his family safe and sound.
As for why they still supported their younger brother's schooling despite the difficulties, Jiang Yue remembered that the family initially decided to send him to school simply so he could learn some characters and arithmetic, and then, when he was old enough, send him to the shop as an apprentice. If he were lucky enough to become the shopkeeper, the family would be able to turn their lives around.
As it turned out, Jiang Yue's younger brother was quite a good student, with excellent memory and comprehension skills. After some time, the village school teacher came to Jiang Yue's house and told her parents that they could let Jiang Ze try to take the imperial examination. Jiang Yue's parents hesitated for a long time, and finally told their grandparents, who were in charge of the family.
At first, no one agreed. After all, everyone in the family had their own plans, and the cost of education these days is not small. Tuition fees are only one aspect. The expensive things are the books, paper, ink, and then there are the expenses of finding a guarantor, the travel expenses for taking the exam, and so on. There are many families that sell their houses and land to support one person's education, turning a well-off family into a poor and destitute one.
Finally, Grandpa decided to divide the family property early. Jiang Yue's father didn't want the land but took the money. He then moved the whole family to the city. The Jiang family also felt that living in the capital was not easy. After renting a house and finding a good school for the children, they didn't have much money left. So Jiang Yue's father became a peddler, selling things from street to street. Jiang Yue's mother had some embroidery skills, but not many, so she could only take on simple jobs and didn't earn much money.
Moreover, the separation was only to avoid being dragged down by Jiang Yue's family, and it did not mean that there was no affection left. Now, Jiang Yue's grandfather, uncle, and second uncle still often come over to bring some rice and vegetables. Sometimes, if they are lucky enough to hunt game, they will also bring some to Jiang Yue's family.
When Jiang Yue grew a little older, her mother started teaching her embroidery. Although Jiang Yue is only ten years old this year, she was already earning money to support her family when she was eight. Fortunately, Jiang Ze is quite promising and has always done well in his studies. He even got first place in the last monthly exam.
Jiang Yue spent half a day embroidering handkerchiefs with her mother. After Jiang Yue finished another handkerchief, her mother picked it up and examined it closely: "Da Ya, your embroidery is even better than mine." She then picked up the others and looked at them: "They're all much better. I think they'll fetch a higher price when we sell them."
Jiang Yue had received specialized training in these areas, so to avoid making the change seem abrupt, she only slightly improved her skills. It was noticeable that she had improved a bit, but it was still within an acceptable range. Although the social atmosphere of this dynasty had become slightly more open, there were still many restrictions on women. They couldn't do other things, and embroidery was one of the few skills they could be considered to have.
"Really? I just felt particularly good at it today." After saying that, Jiang Yue picked up the handkerchief she had embroidered and pretended to look at it. After looking at it, she shook her head at Liu Shi: "I don't see any improvement. Mother, are you seeing things?"
Liu glanced at Jiang Yue without saying anything. Although her skills weren't very good, she had been doing this for many years and could still tell the difference between good and bad. She didn't explain much to Jiang Yue, but simply took out the pieces that Jiang Yue had embroidered and put them away separately.
Not long after, while the family was still busy, Jiang Yue's father returned carrying the goods rack. Liu hurriedly went out to greet him, and Jiang Yue and Jiang Ze followed him out. When they arrived, they saw that Jiang's father had a big smile on his face, and the rack was almost empty. He patted Jiang Yue and Chen Ze on the head and said, "Business was very good today. We made about two taels of silver."
Mother Liu asked in surprise, "Really?" Father Jiang nodded heavily, and Chen Ze also smiled broadly. Although he was young, he understood that two taels of silver was a lot of money. After he finished speaking, Mother Liu pulled him and ran to the room. Father Jiang blushed and said, "It's broad daylight, and the child is still here."
Mother Liu glared at Jiang's father and told Jiang Yue to bring out the food with her younger brother first. After saying that, she pulled Jiang's father into the room.
As soon as they entered the room, Liu handed Jiang Yue the purse he had picked up. Jiang's father was completely bewildered. Liu gestured for him to open it and take a look. Jiang's father lowered his head, opened the purse, and his voice immediately rose: "This...where did this gold come from..." He realized something was wrong halfway through his sentence, glanced around subconsciously, and pulled Liu to the back of the room, lowering his voice as he asked, "Where did this gold come from?"
Liu repeated what Jiang Yue had told her. After she finished speaking, Jiang's father frowned and didn't say anything. Liu didn't know much about this at home. He knew more about it than her because he went from house to house every day. No one throws gold out when they have a wedding. However, Jiang's father didn't explain to Liu. He just asked Liu to help him organize the load and to call Jiang Yue in so he could ask her about it.
Mr. Jiang didn't suspect that Jiang Yue had stolen or robbed it, after all, he knew his daughter well. He was just worried that Jiang Yue might accidentally drop something she picked up from the roadside. After Liu Shi went out, she called out to Jiang Yue: "Da Ya, your father is looking for you."
Jiang Yue nodded and went inside to find her father. After sitting down next to him, her father asked, "Da Ya, tell your father how you found this purse."
"Today I went to collect wedding candies, but I didn't get any and I almost fell over from being jostled by the crowd. There were so many people that I got scared and decided to go home. As I was walking back, I saw the old woman next to the sedan chair throwing a purse out. It hit me on the head right away. I picked it up and ran home quickly. Then I secretly looked at it and saw that there was gold in it, so I gave it to my mother."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
