Chapter 219 Entrance Examination
The paper was made, and Chen Lie's worries seemed to have settled down. At night, he started reading as usual. Perhaps because the exam was approaching, he no longer bothered her at night.
At least that's what Sang Luo thought.
Sang Luo did not disturb him and read a book with him. Because it was cold, she went to bed, closed her eyes and rested. Gradually she fell asleep and she didn't even know when Chen Lie turned off the lights and went to sleep.
Early in the morning on the third day of the twelfth lunar month, the eldest and fourth sons of the Zhao family officially came to work.
It was not Sang Luo who chose the people. Shen Jin occasionally talked to her about the Zhao family's situation in the past two days. They were all very good. Sang Luo simply did not choose. She only said to hire two people and asked their family to discuss and select two people.
The Zhao family members were not referring to anyone else, but the two best people that Shen Jin mentioned.
Zhao Da and Zhao Si came early this morning to get the work, but they didn't go into the house. They just talked to Shen Lie outside.
Sang Luo put away her work and went out to greet them. She smiled and said good morning. Then she asked the two men, "Uncle Zhao, Uncle Zhao, are you going to eat with us from now on, or will we give you the monthly rations and you can eat on your own?"
Zhao Dadao: "We can eat at home. Our village is not far from the village. We have already discussed it with our family. The children will bring us food at mealtime."
"Okay, then come over when you go back today, I'll bring you this month's rations first." Sang Luo treated the people who didn't provide meals very well, but in fact she preferred them to provide their own meals. She liked to tinker with food, but she didn't like to cook for a large group of people every day. Even on weekdays, most of the time it was Shen Ning who accompanied her to cook, and the two sisters-in-law talked and laughed and shared the work. If cooking really became a task, it would definitely be unpleasant.
Zhao Da waved his hands and said, "No, no, there is enough food rations at home. We will collect it after working for a month."
Sang Luo didn't care and said with a smile: "That's fine, it depends on your convenience."
The ground had been hoed, and the first task Sang Luo gave them was to cut down trees.
The Shen family had two hills, and they chose one of them to cut down the trees that were ready for use. One reason was to clear the land so they could plant yam later, and the other was that they would need wood to build houses, repair yards, and make furniture later, so it was just right to prepare some now.
Sang Luo was about to lead Zhao Da and Zhao Si to their own mountain to get to know the place, but Chen Lie stopped her and said, "I'll take Uncle Zhao Da and Uncle Zhao Si there. Do you have any plan on which mountain to plant yam?"
Sang Luo thought about her plan to raise chickens and sheep, so it would be a bad idea to raise them too far away. So she said, "Let's choose the one that's a little further from home."
Although it is far from home, it is actually not far, because the two mountains are connected.
Chen Lie nodded, and asked Sang Luo to go back to the house. He took an axe and a hatchet and gave them to Zhao Da and Zhao Si, and led the two to find the place.
Sang Luo was not idle either. She went back to the kitchen and continued to pound the paper pulp that Chen Lie had already pounded into fluffy form with the stone mortar with the help of Chen An and Chen Ning. After pounding for a while, she tore apart the fibers with her hands and continued pounding, repeating this process over and over again.
In less than two quarters of an hour, Chen Lie came back and discussed with Sang Luo how big the backyard should be and which part should be specifically allocated.
Sang Luo was not as anxious as Chen Lie. She said, "Let's wait until spring. The weather is too cold and it might snow soon. Besides, if we want to fence the backyard, we need to know the layout of the front yard and the house first. Then we can start. There is no need to rush. Aning and I are still trying to figure out our skills. We will only do small amounts. Just keep the kitchen door locked at all times."
Everyone lived some distance away from each other. Except for the Xu family, whose house was well-equipped, every other family lived in a very simple house, with no place to even step. Not many people came to visit, except the Shen Jin brothers. During the busy farming season, meals were brought out and delivered to the fields. When it was not busy, the three brothers cooked for themselves.
Chen Lie felt relieved after hearing her say this, and said, "That's better. Just do a small amount for the experiment, don't do a large amount. There is a severe shortage of paper outside right now, and your paper looks different from the ones you buy outside. It's too eye-catching, so don't show it to others for the time being."
It is indeed different, extremely rough.
Sang Luo finally realized what Chen Lie was nervous about, and smiled, "Is it because of this? Don't worry, I can save myself from worrying about it. It was just luck that made this thing. If you want to make it well, you still need to study it. And before you have the strength to protect the recipe, it will only be used by yourself."
Chen An also remembered that in the past few years, when selling sour jujube cakes, they had to change their names to crystal preserved fruits, and when selling jujube candies, they had to carefully choose a store to cooperate with. He also said, "We should be more careful. Anyway, the provincial school has been opened, and we have to solve our paper problem. It would be best if we can buy it. If we can't, can't we still use bamboo slips?"
Bamboos are everywhere in the mountains, so you can just make bamboo slips at home. Since they also recruit students from common people, naturally not everyone can afford paper.
The other two groups of numbered paper pulp were made and directly dried over fire. The finished products were seen on the same day. Even so, Sang Luo couldn't help but sigh. No wonder paper is expensive. Even if you make it yourself and the materials are free, it still takes a lot of effort. It's quite troublesome. Not to mention the time and effort, the space is limited, and not many finished products can be produced.
She wondered if people in ancient times made paper in the same way, or if they had a large area to dry it in the sun? Of course, the wealthy families who mastered the art of papermaking would have no shortage of space.
But thinking about the Song Dynasty in her own time and space, when the use of paper was already quite popular, she also felt that there should have been improvements in the craftsmanship, and it shouldn't be the case that there must be as many boards as needed to dry as many sheets of paper.
But she had never learned this thing before. She relied on knowing some key information and some inspiration from the things she came into contact with in her daily life such as weaving and making tofu to try and figure it out. It was already a fluke that she could come up with anything more. She really couldn't think of anything more at the moment.
Just keep the paper samples and make good records and then stop there.
In his spare time, he would go into the mountains and find some light work to do for himself, because the entire mountain would be used to grow yam. In addition to felling trees, Zhao Da and Zhao Si would also cut down some extra shrub branches and bundle them up and send them to the firewood shed outside the Shen family's house. Sang Luo would sort these branches, peel off the bark of those he thought could be used as experiments, and then number and record them, bundle them up and throw them into the mountain stream to soak.
Another thing she and Shen Ning could do on their own was to make compost.
Composting of farm manure has been done since they settled down in the valley. After settling in Daxing Village, each family naturally has its own arrangements. Of course, these chores have always been done by Shen Lie for many years. When Shen Lie is not at home, Shen An will do it. Sang Luo and Shen Ning have never been involved.
What Sangluo needs to do now is to add some other fertilizers.
The fallen leaves collected after felling trees are composted, the animal bones are desalted and made into bone meal, and eggshells are collected when available and made into eggshell powder, which is wood ash. It is also a treasure that must be collected separately here at Sangluo.
These things, through various processing methods, each has its own fertilizer effect. Farmers have nothing that is not precious, and it is not easy for them to even produce a little garbage at home.
She also picked up some spare pieces of bamboo strips and made a small examination basket for Shen Lie and Shen An. There was nothing in it, just a writing brush, inkstone, a piece of wooden paperweight, and a small bamboo tube of water for grinding ink.
In the blink of an eye, it was the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month. A lot of wood had been piled up in the open space in the garden behind the house, and the day for Chen Lie and his classmates' entrance examination had also arrived.
Sang Luo didn't know what the others were like, but Chen Lie and Shen An had indeed been working very hard recently. Chen An was better off because he was younger and had more opportunities. Chen Lie usually didn't get more than two and a half hours of sleep at night. It was only until the night before the exam when Sang Luo emphasized the importance of getting a good rest that he slowed down a little.
Unlike various imperial examinations in later generations, the entrance examination for the first attempt of the Great Qi Dynasty was extremely simple. Sang Luo just wanted to make some preparations and brought some food and water, but it was of no use.
Because Shen Lie had inquired on the day he registered, he knew that there was only one exam, so he only needed to bring pen, ink, and inkstone. He didn't even need paper, and he didn't need water. He could go in in the morning and be out at noon.
Sang Luo and Shen Ning got up early today and prepared breakfast. Of course, they had been staying in the mountains for the past few years and could not cook much due to the lack of basic ingredients. They could only make filling meals without soup. After the family had eaten, they watched Chen Lie and Shen An pack up and take the books with them before they sent them out.
Sang Luo saw the pressure Chen Lie was under recently, and deliberately slowed down her pace, falling behind Chen An and Shen Ning who were talking. She approached Chen Lie and stood shoulder to shoulder with him, holding his hand, and whispered, "Don't be too stressed, just try it with a normal mind, in fact, life can be lived anyway. My original intention of making those things was to make it convenient for my family. When they are almost the same as those outside, there is no need to spend a high price to buy them. It is convenient for our family to use, so don't think about anything else for now."
Chen Lie tightened Sang Luo's hand, and there was a hint of tenderness in his eyes: "I know."
After walking a distance, the three Xiao Jin brothers also ran out to see them off. From afar, they saw Old Man Lu, Mrs. Lu, and Feng Liuniang, who was eight months pregnant and was also seeing Ah Xu out. Only then did the two of them loosen their clasped hands.
When they were delivered to the doorstep of Xu's family, the Zhou and Xu families were already prepared. The Chen and Shi families, who had no one at home today, also sent their gifts out. Everyone said a few auspicious words, and it was very lively outside Xu's doorstep.
Fearing that Chen Lie would be under a lot of pressure, Sang Luo only sent him outside the village gate and stopped, saying, "I'll just send you and Xiao An here. Good luck on the exam."
Chen Lie really wanted to hold her in his arms, or touch Sang Luo's hand, but there were too many people around, so he just tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, nodded, and said, "Well, it's cold, you, Aning, and Xiao Jin shouldn't stand outside, go back early."
Sang Luo responded very well. After all, she watched Chen Lie and his nine companions walk far away, and then she talked for a while with the Lu family, Zhou family, and Xu family who also came out to see them off, and then she took the children in her family back home.
The three Shen Jin brothers still had some work to do in the fields. Sang Luo took Shen Ning to feed the sheep and chickens and check on the vegetables in the vegetable garden. They were always busy, but their hearts were always on the two brothers who had already gone to the city to study at the provincial school.
…
In Shezhou city, outside the provincial school, many candidates and people sending them to take the exam had gathered before noon.
Chen Lie and Wei Qinghe were not very clear at first who were the candidates and who were the candidates, until the principal of the provincial school came out to preside over the separation of the candidates and the candidates. Then Chen Lie realized that there were more than seventy candidates, including some with short beards and over thirty years old. He couldn't help but sweat in his palms again.
Before the exam, in addition to formal training and things to pay attention to in the exam, the provincial school doctor was naturally invited to give a speech. In addition to candidates like Chen Lie and those who sent them to the exam, there were also many people from a little further away who knew that the provincial school was recruiting today and came to see the situation.
A master and servant, hiding in the corner of a roof in the distance, saw the doctor of provincial studies coming out, listened to a few words and then turned and left.
…
Zheng family.
In the warm room where Old Master Zheng lived, the sound of flutes was melodious. Along with the accompaniment of the flutes, a woman's clear and melodious voice was singing Old Master Zheng's favorite song.
The eldest master of the Zheng family entered the warm room and saw his father leaning on a chair, listening to music with his eyes closed. Two maids were pinching his hands and tapping his legs. He lowered his eyes and walked forward, bowed and saluted, and called out, "Father."
Old Master Zheng tapped his right hand on the armrest of the chair for a while before asking, "What's the matter?"
Master Zheng looked at the old master and saw that he still had his eyes closed and was still hunched over. He said carefully, "Over at the provincial school, the doctoral candidate has been selected."
Old Master Zheng did not make any movement, but if you looked closely enough, you could see that the rhythm of his fingers slowed down by two beats. His eyes, which had been closed all this time, finally opened. "Oh, who did you choose?"
Master Zheng was silent for a moment, then he looked at his father's expression and said, "The old man of the Lin family."
The beat of Old Master Zheng's fingertips had stopped. After a long while, he sneered and uttered the words "short-sighted".
Master Zheng did not dare to answer, but waved his hand to signal the actors and maids to leave. After everyone left, he looked around and said, "Father, what should we do now? Are we really going to be left out like this?"
"What if I leave it alone?" Old Master Zheng glanced at him, his voice still steady, "Your great ancestor had a hard time studying. He started reading poetry at the age of nineteen, and learned the Analects and the Book of Changes at the age of twenty-three. It took him twelve years to complete his studies at the age of forty, and then he was able to get an official position. By the time of your generation, it took seven generations of management to build our Zheng family's current foundation."
"It's so easy to grant an official position and teach the truth?" He snorted, "If the truth is so easy to teach, what is the point of our ancestors' efforts? Who will protect the interests of the noble families? The two emperors of the previous dynasties established provincial schools. Do you think they can succeed?"
"But, are we just going to let Lin take the lead? My son went to see today and saw that there were quite a few children from the Lin and Wang families who applied for the provincial school entrance exam."
The Zheng family has always been the ruler of Shezhou City. How could they allow the two commoners Lin and Wang to climb above them? Thinking of the one who had won every battle, they felt unwilling and a little uneasy. Master Zheng looked at the old man's expression and asked tentatively: "Do you think that the one in the capital can really stand up to the one in Da Qi? If he can't win..."
"Are you afraid of being liquidated? Are you afraid that the Lin family will suppress our Zheng family?" Old Master Zheng snorted, "You are worrying too early. Even when sending official documents, the court has to write on the back of waste paper. How long do you think he can last? Juntian, just look at how many people's interests he has touched."
When the old man said this, he thought of how much of the Zheng family's assets he had lost in his hands. His eyes were cold. He fiddled with the teacup beside him, took a sip, and then lowered his eyes and sneered: "What if Chen was destroyed? There is no taxation for three years, and there are so many troops to support. You should wait until Da Qi survives these three years before you worry about it."
"I can't make it. There are so many Chu, Han, Qin, etc. ahead."
The interests of so many powerful families were affected, so there was no one who hated them. Da Qi had already conquered 90% of the country. Why didn't the paper mill resume work? Was it because of a lack of craftsmen? With the recipes in hand, how could there be a lack of craftsmen? Who wouldn't be angry? But at the moment, it was just not as strong as the military power.
Let's see who lasts longer.
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