As the family finished eating, they all patted their bellies, making Cheng Yue feel both heartbroken and amused.
This is because people who have been poor for a long time are not used to spending money on food and drink even when they have it.
Cheng Yue said, "Father, Mother, we don't lack money at home now. Eat and drink as you please, don't mistreat yourselves."
"Xiao Jun's studies are mentally taxing, and Xiao Feng is still growing; he needs to eat meat and eggs at every meal."
The two kids were eating so deliciously just now! They practically buried their faces in their bowls to eat.
The word "nutrition" is unfamiliar to most people, so this is the only way Cheng Yue could say it.
Cheng Feng chuckled, "If it weren't for my aunt, we'd still be eating coarse noodles. Now that we can eat white flour pancakes, we're already very content."
In the past, we could only eat grains that were hard to swallow or thin coarse rice. Now, we can eat white flour pancakes, steamed buns, and white rice every two days, which is considered a very good life.
Cheng Jun lowered his head slightly in shame, "If it weren't for my studies, my family wouldn't be in such dire straits..."
My grandparents sold pork, so their income was much higher than that of ordinary families. If all the money hadn't been spent on them, the family wouldn't have had to suffer so much.
Madam Wu snorted and said, "What are you saying, child? If we weren't so poor, we would have hired a tutor for you long ago. It's the family that's holding you back."
If they weren't so incompetent, their eldest grandson would probably have made something of himself long ago.
But things are better now. Life is getting better and better, and there are some things we dare not even think about. Not to mention Cheng Jun's schooling, we can even start arranging marriages for our two grandsons.
Cheng Jun already felt guilty, and now hearing Wu's words made him feel even worse, both touched and heartbroken.
Everyone in the family revolves around him; he owes his family a great deal.
Cheng Yue spoke up at the right moment, "Xiao Jun, we don't talk about these things as family. Everyone is making sacrifices for you now, and you will be the family's support in the future. It's all mutual, so you don't need to feel indebted."
Even without mentioning this, your family just wants you to succeed. You have a talent for studying, so you should pursue this path. We're willing to make any sacrifices for you.
Cheng Jun didn't dare to feel guilty after hearing Cheng Yue's words. He suddenly realized what was the use of feeling guilty.
Instead of feeling guilty about your family's sacrifices, study hard, prove yourself, and strive to provide your family with a safe haven!
"Auntie, I understand!"
There's no need to say anything else, and there's no need to make any promises now. He'll just wait until he's capable of fulfilling them before he does so.
Cheng Feng chuckled and said, "Brother, don't think too much about it. Even if you don't pass the imperial examination, it's okay. You can still go home, and we brothers can farm together and help out at the shop!"
Reading was really too difficult; he would get sleepy after just a couple of glances. He didn't find the wheat in the field as pleasing to the eye, and he didn't want to put too much pressure on his older brother.
Cheng Jun smiled and agreed, "Okay!"
The others smiled but remained silent. They naturally hoped that Cheng Jun would pass the imperial examination, but it wouldn't matter if he didn't.
Just like Cheng Feng said, farming and running a shop are fine too. As long as the whole family is together, healthy and without illness or disaster, that's the best thing.
The family chatted for a while, and soon dusk fell. Mr. Cheng and Mrs. Wu called out that it was time to go home.
Before leaving, Madam Wu thought of something else, "Daughter, this Third Master Chen is truly a benefactor to us. We need to thank him for the shop. How should we prepare a thank-you gift?"
A single piece of information is worth so much money. They could have chosen not to tell them, but since they did, they have to repay the favor.
But they really didn't understand the art of gift-giving. Usually, the most they would do was for villagers to exchange a few eggs or a few coins.
Master Chen is a man of status; sending the wrong thing is unacceptable.
"I've already thought of the thank-you gift, so you don't need to worry."
Xie Chen Sanye is Xie Chen Madam. Ordinary things are meaningless, so let's make some food as a thank-you gift.
She was about to open her pastry shop soon, and before that, she needed to try making pastries. She would carefully make a batch for Madam Chen.
Cheng Yue shared her thoughts, and Wu and the others thought they were excellent. However, they couldn't help with this matter. Liu insisted on leaving two taels of silver, saying it was her way of showing her appreciation.
Buying materials costs money!
Cheng Yue didn't refuse; she couldn't turn down money given as a token of her affection.
The family had nothing else to say, so they waved goodbye and left.
Cheng Yue wanted to send it by oxcart, but everyone refused. It wasn't on their way, and once they took it away by oxcart, they wouldn't have time to bring it back.
Chen An and his two daughters cleared away the dishes, and the family went to bed early.
The next morning, just as Cheng Yue and the others had set out breakfast, a group of people arrived at the door.
It was none other than the family that had previously agreed to help them harvest wheat and farm.
After several days of intensive harvesting, each household only had a little finishing work left, which the women and children could handle, while the remaining able-bodied men came to Cheng Yue's house.
Among those who came were Liu Chunlai, the Zhang brothers, Zhou Da Niang's relatives, Hei Dan from Li Shen's family, Li Tie Niu, and Zhao Chang Xi.
There were three men Cheng Yue didn't recognize. After everyone left, Chen An introduced them one by one.
In short, I haven't missed anyone I usually get along with.
Zhao Shuanzi and Zhao Zhuzi also wanted to come, but Zhao Xiangxiu and her daughter had to take care of the chickens and ducks, and the two brothers had to do all the work in the fields, so they really couldn't leave.
In addition, Zhao Datou came up to say hello, saying that he would help with other things after Zhao Luoguo recovered.
Besides taking care of his father, Zhao Datou also had to work in the fields. It was estimated that his family's land would need help, let alone helping Cheng Yue.
Because there were many people, and they were all able-bodied young men, the remaining wheat was harvested in less than half a day.
In the afternoon, everyone started helping to turn the soil, and it took another day to sow all the corn seeds.
The speed was astonishing, even to Cheng Yue.
After the farm work was finished, Cheng Yue settled the wages. It had all been agreed upon beforehand, and everyone happily went back to farming after receiving their money.
The wheat has been harvested, but it hasn't been hulled yet, and the villagers are all queuing up to wait for the millstone.
Cheng Yue couldn't wait. She planned to try making pastries as soon as she finished these two days of work. She couldn't waste all her time on work in the fields.
So she found a few acquaintances to help her thresh wheat. It was just a matter of paying them a little money. It saved Cheng Yue a lot of trouble by paying them. In short, it was a good deal!
After the wheat harvest, it was time to pay taxes. After paying 30% of the taxes, only 2,000 catties of grain remained.
Cheng Yue couldn't help but sigh. Grain production was already low in ancient times, and after paying all the taxes, it was no wonder that some people would starve to death.
However, the village head said that he was content even so, since there were no exorbitant taxes and levies. Otherwise, being born in a chaotic world would have been truly miserable!
"Better to be a dog in a prosperous era than a human in a chaotic one"—everyone understands this principle.
Cheng Yue couldn't help but feel fortunate. Although she had transmigrated, she was still very lucky. Her focus now was to do business steadily, save money and stockpile food!
In case the world descends into chaos one day, even survival becomes a problem.
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