Chapter 220: The Scholar's Wife
The arrogance of the Zheng family was unknown to Chen Lie and other candidates who had entered the examination room and received their respective examination papers. He was an ordinary citizen from Shili Village in Qiyang County. He had never set foot in Shezhou before and didn't even know who the Zheng family was.
All I was thinking about at this moment was to answer the two test papers well. There were more than 70 candidates, and I had to get 40 out of them. At least I had to not fall out of the top 40.
In fact, in such a year, except for a few people from Daxing Village who were wearing cloth clothes, most of the candidates were dressed quite decently. There were very few who were truly poor. Not to mention Chen Lie, even Wei Qinghe was so nervous that sweat broke out in his palms.
The test questions this year were rather special. Candidates would fill in which sutra they would take the test on when registering, and the number of test papers would be determined based on the subjects filled in by the candidates. Firstly, the levels of the candidates varied, so the threshold was set low in response to the requirements of the governors and the chief secretaries. Secondly, there was a shortage of paper, so there was no way to prepare a large number of test papers in advance and then choose on the spot.
Chen Lie followed Sang Luo's instructions last night and tried to calm down. He unfolded the two test papers and quickly read through them. Seeing that most of the answers were correct, he felt much more at ease. He put the test papers aside and took out the inkstone and brush from the test basket to prepare. These things were what he had been used to in the past few days. He added water and ground the ink, and it was smooth now. After all the preparations were done, he unfolded the first test paper and began to dip the ink in the paper to answer the questions.
…
Shen Ning finished his work at home, but he still felt like there was a rabbit in his heart. He couldn't rest for a moment and kept going back and forth in circles.
Sang Luo was dizzy, soaked some dried beans, took a backpack and two hoes, carried one by herself, and stuffed the other two to Shen Ning: "Let's go, come with me to dig some winter bamboo shoots and dry them, it's better than you wandering around here, this is the exam, and we still have to wait for the results, when do you have to go?"
Chen Ning took the hoe and followed Sang Luo, asking as he walked, "Sister-in-law, aren't you nervous?"
"I'm nervous, but whether they do well in the exam depends entirely on their usual efforts and their performance at this moment. It doesn't matter whether we are nervous or not." So she refused to be anxious.
To dig bamboo shoots, they first had to climb over the two mountains near their home, and then climb a few more mountains to find a bamboo forest, so the aunt and sister-in-law went directly to their own mountain.
Zhao Da and Zhao Si had already cut down a lot of mature trees on the mountain these days, and estimated that they would be almost done in seven or eight days. Seeing Sang Luo and Shen Ning coming over, they hurriedly greeted them and asked Sang Luo, "Madam Sang, what are your plans for these smaller trees on the mountain that have not yet matured?"
In fact, you don’t have to cut down all the trees to grow yam. In the past two years, they didn’t cut down all the trees in the mountains. They planted yam here and there.
Sang Luo looked at the useless trees Zhao Si mentioned. Many of them were as thick as her arms. She said, "Cut them down. I have a use for them. Once they are all cut down and the land is leveled, I can plant more yams later."
"Well, that's fine." Zhao Si didn't feel sorry when he heard her say that it would be useful. There are many mountains in this area, and if there is no wood in his own mountains, he can go to the mountains to cut some more. As long as it is not excessive and is only for his own use, no one will say anything.
He was a little curious again: "Madam Sang, are all the 20-plus acres of land in your family planted with yam? Next year, every family will plant a lot of grain, and yam won't be the staple food, right? There are a lot of people coming out of the mountains in our area, and every family should plant it. If they can't finish eating it themselves, I'm afraid they won't be able to sell it for a very good price, right?"
In fact, the two brothers have been complaining about this matter to their family for a few days. They are really worried that the mulberry will suffer losses. No matter what it is, it will not be valuable if too many people grow it. His parents said that they should find a chance to remind them.
Sang Luo smiled and said, "Don't worry. We will have enough food in the next few years. Your family has 50 acres of mountain land, right? Use it well. Our area is close to the city. We can grow and raise anything and sell it in the city. We won't have to worry about the market. As for yam, it should not be cultivated artificially in Da Qi. It is used as a wild medicine. When the harvest comes next year, more people will know about it. Even if we sell it as seeds, we can get a good price. It will be a good business in the first one or two years."
In fact, there are other uses for it, such as making it into yam vermicelli, but this is intended for her own business, and Sang Luo is not so generous, so she didn't mention it.
When Zhao Da and Zhao Si heard her say that the land could be sold as seeds next year, their eyes lit up. They had 50 acres of mountain land, and apart from growing beans, they had not yet figured out how to use it.
Zhao Si was bolder and more articulate than his brother. Seeing that Sang Luo was willing to give advice, he asked, "Does Sang's family have any plans for the other twenty acres of land? We have a lot of mountain land, too. If it's convenient for you to tell us, we'll learn from you. If not, just pretend I didn't ask."
There is nothing inconvenient to say. The Zhao family is honest and down-to-earth. If they were going to continue to hire them for help in the future, all the work would have to go through the hands of the two brothers.
Sang Luo said, "I plan to plant some fruit trees, beans and vegetables on the other mountain, and raise some chickens. Except for the fruit trees, the other things have a fast output. In addition to supplying our own food, we will send the excess to the city to sell. The work will be quite complicated, cutting down trees, clearing land and building chicken coops, and it will be hard for you two."
Zhao Da and Zhao Si didn't quite understand. Can't we just raise chickens and geese behind our house? The garden is quite large, and vegetables can be grown behind the house. However, if we want to send them to the city to sell, we can grow more in the mountains.
Sang Luo is well-informed, which is a well-known fact among the mountain people in the village outside the village. Even if the two brothers don't understand, they have subconsciously figured out which vegetables can be planted with which fruit trees. Zhao Da is quiet and doesn't dare to ask. Zhao Si is much more generous. Seeing that Sang Luo doesn't hide anything, he directly asked: "What kind of fruit trees are you going to plant, Madam Sang?"
Sang Luo pondered and said, "They are not good things. Wild grapes, chestnut trees, jujube trees, whatever seedlings you can find in the forest, just plant them. You don't have to learn from me. You should arrange the appropriate ones at home. I am also trying to figure it out."
She planted chestnuts and jujube trees for her own consumption. In addition, raising chickens also requires a chicken coop, so there must be a piece of free land. She planted grapes to make raisins and wine, but the Zhao family did not know how to make wine, so growing this might not be suitable for them.
Zhao Da and Zhao Si really couldn't imagine it. If they wanted to eat these things, they could find some in the mountains. Why grow them themselves? However, Sang Luo must have her reasons for doing things. The two brothers agreed and said, "Don't worry, Madam Sang, we will speed up our work and try to open up the land here as soon as possible, and also open up the hill next to you."
Mrs. Sang just said that she would ask them to cut down trees and build a chicken coop on the hill next to her. Just this one sentence was enough to make the Zhao brothers happy.
Sang Luo smiled, then took Shen Ning and continued to go into the mountains.
Finding winter bamboo shoots requires some skills. Chen Ning learned a lot from her sister-in-law. After going around two bamboo forests, even though she had dug them before, she still dug out more than 20 of them.
Looking at the time, it was already the beginning of the Si hour. I didn't know when Chen Lie and Shen An would be back, so I didn't want to wait any longer and hurried back to peel the bamboo shoots, wash them, then boil them in cold water with salt. I took them out, cut them into slices, and spread them on a drying mat to dry.
After finishing the work, I looked at the sun and it was almost noon. I was just thinking about going out and waiting when I heard some movement over there. I turned around and saw Shen Lie and Shen An striding towards me from afar.
Sang Luo and Shen Ning hurried over. Chen Lie walked quickly and was close to them before they were too far away.
"Did you pass the test?"
Both brothers nodded.
Shen Ning asked: "Is it going well? Is that question difficult?"
Sang Luo also looked at Chen Lie and Shen An.
Chen An scratched his head and said, "The sutras are not difficult, I can do them all. I don't know about Mo Yi, I don't know about six or seven questions, so I left them blank at the end."
They studied in the mountains and had no teacher. Memorizing the scriptures was not difficult, but the difficult part was the interpretation. There were some things that Wang Yunzheng and Wei Qinghe did not understand, and that was exactly the kind of questions they were asked.
Sang Luo looked at Chen Lie, and Chen Lie said, "I am about the same as Xiao An. The difficulty lies in the meaning of the words. However, I wrote a few questions according to the interpretations you said before that you were not sure whether they were correct or not. Anyway, I tried my best. Whether I can pass or not will be known after the list is published tomorrow."
Sang Luo herself was not familiar with the Four Books and Five Classics. She could only recognize some words after often listening to Wei Qing and the others reading them. Therefore, she could teach most of the things that Chen Lie did not understand, but there were some that she herself did not understand.
If Chen Lie asked about this kind of thing, she would say it might be, but she was not sure, and she would not dare to teach others. Chen Lie answered according to that, which was better than leaving it blank.
"Just do your best. Put down your basket and take a break. I'll make lunch."
Chen Lie did not rest. Seeing that lunch would not be ready soon, he said hello to Sang Luo, took his hoe and went to work in the mountains.
Sang Luo looked out from the kitchen window and asked Chen An, who was also preparing to follow, "Are there many people taking the exam today?"
Shen An nodded: "Seventy-three people."
Sang Luo understood what was going on and let Shen An go.
Chen Lie was extremely busy that day, and even when he went to bed at night, he was not at peace.
Sang Luo snuggled into his arms, and he subconsciously hugged her.
"Are you worried that you won't do well in the exam?" She moved closer to him, looking at him through the dim shadow in the dark night and asked.
Chen Lie's night vision was much better than Sang Luo's. He could see her facial features clearly. He held Sang Luo's hand on his chest and said, "Yes, a little bit."
Sang Luo chuckled and said, "I will accompany you to see the list tomorrow morning. If you pass, I will become a scholar's wife in the future. If you fail, you can try harder next year or the year after next... Or, if you become a farmer, I will be happy to be your wife."
Chen Lie's heart was originally tense, but now because of her two words, it became so soft that he didn't know what it was. At the same time, it was extremely hot. He moved his hand to the back of her head, and with just a little force, their breaths merged into one.
How could I bear to let her be a peasant woman?
The more we get along, the more I want to pamper her, protect her, and give her the best.
It had been a few days since he had touched her, and this time he couldn't stop, and the top and bottom were out of place, and all the pressure was thrown behind his head. The old wooden bed couldn't bear it at all, and Sang Luo's face was red as blood, and she was just glad that Shen Ning's room was not close to theirs. At first, she was still concerned about her shame, but later she couldn't take care of herself.
Chen Lie was good in every way, except for this one thing that made her difficult to deal with. She had been trying to comfort him, but in the end, she was the one crying. The effect was indeed good. The pressure that Chen Lie had been holding in his heart for the whole day was completely gone. After helping Sang Luo clean up, he looked at her sleeping face and thought about what she had said before. The corners of his lips curled up.
Farmer and farmwife?
His smile grew wider, and he gently touched Sang Luo's cheek, hugging his beloved and having a good night's sleep.
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