The next day, Jiang Yue woke up early. The whole family was very happy to see her energetic and lively. Then her older brothers suffered and were scolded again. At mealtime, Jiang Yue had an extra egg custard, which her grandmother made her finish. Her older brothers were given an exception today, sharing a bowl with each other, benefiting from Jiang Yue's treat.
During dinner, the topic of Jiang's father came up. He had been away from home for more than half a year and no one knew how he was doing. It was already the end of November, and the results should have been out long ago, but there was no word from him about whether he had passed the exam.
The atmosphere was still somewhat somber after the meal. Jiang Yue held a bowl of hot water and watched from the side. After thinking for a moment, she sent a puppet out. If her father in this ancient world died, life would be too difficult. Besides, her father wasn't a bad father. He was very good to Jiang Yue's mother and Jiang Yue. In the ancient world where there was a preference for sons over daughters, he liked Jiang Yue very much from the moment she was born. There was no sign of him favoring sons over daughters.
After dinner, Jiang Yue couldn't go out to play. Her illness had just healed, and her family didn't dare let her go out. What if she relapsed? After the dinner table was cleared, the whole family stayed in one room because it was warm and saved firewood. Jiang Yue was held in her grandmother's arms and sat on the kang (a heated brick bed). Jiang's mother, aunt, and second aunt were making insoles and clothes.
At noon, instead of receiving a letter from Jiang's father, I received a letter and package from my uncle. My uncle took over my grandfather's job and is now the manager of a shop in the county town. Because he can't afford a house, his wife and children stay at home. Normally, he would come back in the next few days during his holidays, but since it's snowing, he probably won't be coming back this month to avoid delays.
After the goods were unloaded, the oxcart was about to leave when Grandpa said, "It's so cold, stay home and have some hot water before you go!"
"No, no, I just drank a lot of water at Erleng's house. Look at the car, it's got a lot of stuff on it. And with this weather, there are still a few families I haven't delivered to. I won't bother you today, I'll wait until next time."
"Okay, next time you can eat at home before you leave."
"Haha, I remember now."
After bringing the things into the house, the first thing was the food. Since the family hadn't divided the property, Grandma managed the food. Then there was a bag of snacks and candy, followed by the wages and a letter. That was all. The monthly wages were so limited; how could they afford to buy things recklessly? What if they needed money someday?
The snacks and candies were shared with the children, but the adults were reluctant to eat them and asked Grandma to keep them for themselves. Grandpa read the letter and talked to everyone about it, just chatting about everyday things and asking how things were at home. He also asked if there was any news about Jiang's father, as he would inquire about him in the county town.
Grandpa had no intention of replying, since everything was fine at home and he didn't want to waste paper on a few words. He had already sent a message on the oxcart to the county town, saying that everything was fine at home and there was nothing to worry about.
No food was cooked at noon. Now we're just short of eating one meal a day to save food. Who can afford to eat three meals a day? Jiang Yue's family is considered very lucky to eat two meals a day. At five o'clock in the afternoon, Grandma directed everyone to start cooking. What everyone eats is predetermined. The men eat more and the women and children eat less.
She went to bed early that night, taking advantage of the warm temperature on the kang (heated brick bed) while cooking. The next day, Jiang Yue, who had recovered from her illness, was allowed to go out, but she had to put on thick clothes before going out. As soon as Jiang Yue finished dressing, her youngest brother came over: "Little sister, come on, brother will take you out to play."
"good."
She actually went out the door, but didn't even leave the yard. The snow outside hadn't melted yet, and her family was afraid she would run off to play in the snow again, so they restricted her activities to the yard. As a result, she came back inside after a short while. The saying "it's not cold when it snows, but it's cold when the snow melts" also applies here; it's still warmer on the kang (heated brick bed).
After sitting on the kang for a while, her mother handed her younger brother to her. She had to start making new clothes and didn't have time to look after the child. The family hadn't had new clothes for several years. This year, Jiang's father passed the imperial examination and became a scholar. Her grandmother was so happy that she bought some cloth and planned to make a new outfit for everyone during the New Year. So, the women in the family had been making clothes during this period.
Grandpa was teaching a few children to read. It wasn't that they had to take the imperial examinations. Even if they didn't have the ability, it was better to find a job outside than to toil in the fields and depend on the weather. After putting her younger brother to sleep, Jiang Yue went over to listen to the lesson. Grandpa rubbed her little head and taught her a few simple words.
Jiang Yue didn't show any photographic memory or anything like that; there's no such gene in her family. She might not be surprised, but she was definitely astonished. Drinking a few bowls of talisman water was definitely possible. So by dinner time that evening, Jiang Yue only recognized the character 'δΈ€' (one). Her grandfather was quite happy about that.
When it was almost time for bed after dinner, her mother wiped her face and feet and covered her with a small blanket. Her mother noticed that she was in a daze, but Jiang Yue was actually talking to Bai Ze because the puppet had found her father.
He's alright and is currently on his way to the capital to prepare for the spring imperial examination. As for why the messenger hasn't come to deliver the good news, the reason hasn't been found out yet. However, his father's letter is coming soon; it's being sent back by someone, and it should take about seven or eight days.
Jiang Yue shivered and pulled the blanket tighter around herself. Her mother was sewing shoe soles and was talking to Jiang Yue as she did so: "I don't know when your father will come back. Before he left, he said that whether you pass the exam or not, we would have the results in October. It's November now and we still haven't heard anything."
"I hope nothing bad has happened. No, I need to have your uncle go to the yamen (government office) to inquire." He said, a worried look on his face.
Before Jiang Yue could say anything, she put down the insoles and went to find her grandparents. However, Jiang's mother was a little worried. The puppet had just found out that because this was the first time the new dynasty had held the imperial examination, the normal examination should have been in September, but it was postponed for a month due to lack of experience.
The exams don't start until October, and the results won't be out until November, so the news hasn't reached the county town yet. Going to the government office won't get you any information either. Plus, the roads are difficult to travel due to the snow these past few days. Jiang Yue guesses that the person delivering the good news might arrive along with her father's letter. But if she goes to inquire, she'll find out that the exams have been postponed, which will put everyone's minds at ease.
After a while, Jiang's mother returned. She told Jiang Yue that her grandfather would send someone to deliver a letter to her eldest uncle the next day, saying that he would go to the yamen to inquire. Then Jiang Yue added some firewood to the kang (a heated brick bed), as it was getting late and they were getting ready to go to sleep.
The next day was a fine day. Grandpa went out early in the morning to take someone to deliver a letter to Uncle. Father Jiang was quite unreliable. He didn't mention it in a letter, so as not to let the family guess. If he had written a letter to explain the situation earlier, there would have been no problem.
Don't think you did this just to save money. Money should be spent wisely, not on things like this. I have to say Jiang Yue guessed right. The main problem is that Jiang's father didn't know about the delay before he went. He didn't have enough money with him, so he split it in half. He even copied a few books to earn some living expenses. He was so busy that he forgot about writing the letter.
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