After learning that Tian Laosan was in jail, Madam Yun and Old Master Tian discussed how to deal with Laosan's situation overnight.
Under no circumstances could their fifth son's chances of passing the imperial examinations be affected. The Lin Yue Kingdom could not accept having a relative in the family who was imprisoned. Once it was discovered, all his achievements in the imperial examinations, official career, fame, and fortune would be confiscated.
Moreover, three generations of the family are no longer allowed to pursue official careers.
Tian Laowu had finally made it to the point where he was about to take the imperial examination, and he couldn't let Tian Laosan ruin it at this crucial moment.
After discussing it, the two decided to sever ties with Tian Laosan and his son, and from then on, he would no longer be a member of the Tian family.
As the village head, he naturally knew that the old couple were thinking about their youngest son's future. There was no point in trying to persuade them; the only one to blame was Tian Laosan for acting rashly without considering the consequences.
He brought this upon himself by severing ties, so he has no one to blame but himself.
The village headman will write the document severing ties and hand it to the county magistrate at daybreak tomorrow. Once the magistrate stamps it with his red seal, Tian Laosan will truly have nothing to do with the Tian family anymore.
In the afternoon, Tian Sangui and his brothers returned from town, and the fruit they brought back was loved by Xiao Si and Xiao Wu.
Zhang was told by Tian Er that Tian Sangui had bought her from the old woman.
She smiled, picked up a loquat, and put it in her mouth, skin and all.
When she bit into it, the sour and astringent taste immediately overflowed. Zhang grimaced from the sourness, jumped up and down a couple of times, spat the loquat into her hand, and then threw it away forcefully.
"My goodness, it's so sour! You ripped off, girl. I can't eat a single bite."
Even now, her teeth are still sore and weak, and drinking water doesn't help.
"Hahaha......"
Zhang's appearance made the children laugh. Tian Laosi, not to be outdone, also picked up a loquat and put it in his mouth.
Just like Zhang, he was so sour that he couldn't open his eyes for a long time, and kept making slurping noises.
"No, I can't eat this. It's probably not cooked through."
Zhang hurriedly handed the cooled boiled water in her hand to Tian Laosi. After drinking it, he dared not chew hard, because the taste was too unpleasant.
Loquats are not very sweet, but they are a very effective fruit.
Loquat has the effects of moisturizing the lungs and quenching thirst, relieving bloating and improving eyesight, aiding digestion and relieving cough. However, it is quite acidic, and eating too much can easily damage the stomach and intestines, causing bloating.
"Eating it like this will definitely be too sour to swallow. Let's pickle it with sugar later, it will make a great snack to go with drinks!"
Huh? Alcohol?
Hmm~ If loquats were used to make loquat wine and sold at Tongfu Restaurant, I think diners would like it, right?
I had an idea in mind, but Fei Wangwang wasn't very helpful. The loquats I just harvested today weighed at most five jin (2.5 catties), which was only enough to satisfy my family's cravings.
When Tian Laosi heard about the snacks to go with the drinks, his eyes suddenly lit up.
"There's this kind of appetizer? I've never heard of it before in all my life. San Gui, why don't you make it for me tonight?"
After hearing this, Zhang poked him on the forehead with her index finger: "All you know is snacks to go with alcohol. San Gui, you're not allowed to make them for your father. All you do is drink all day!"
Tian Laosi immediately turned around and grabbed Zhang Shi, coaxing her: "Our family is doing well now, a little wine will give us some energy, and we'll be able to work faster in the fields. Besides, the wine is the cheapest spirits, it won't cost much."
Distilled liquor is made in this era by fermenting rice, sorghum, and millet together. It has a sour and astringent taste, similar to rice wine, but is even stronger.
In short, this is one of the worst-tasting sojus, and also one of the cheapest.
A jar costs ten coins and contains about five catties. The wealthy people in town don't drink this much, but it's quite popular among the rural farmers.
Not only is it cheap, but it also satisfies your taste buds, making it a great deal no matter how you look at it.
Zhang shoved him: "Drink, drink, drink! You've learned all of your father's skills perfectly, humph!"
Unable to stop him, Zhang simply stopped paying attention and went to the kitchen to wash the dishes herself.
Tian Sangui, carrying his pipa, followed them out, saying, "Mother, let me wash!"
Tian Sangui rolled up his sleeves and was about to scoop the bowls and chopsticks from the basin when Zhang Shi saw this and quickly pushed him away.
"There aren't many bowls, I'll take care of them. You've been working hard all morning, go and rest for a while!"
Zhang felt sorry for Tian Sangui, and she would never let him get involved in these trivial matters if she could handle them herself.
"Alright, I'll pickle the loquats then, and Mom and Dad can have a good drink together tonight!"
"Pfft, you silly girl, your mother doesn't drink at all. Alright, you do it, let your father have some fun tonight!"
Despite her words, she knew that she still had to take care of her own man. She knew that in the past two days, since they bought the land, Tian Lao Si had been busy with everything, both inside and outside the house.
Although she and Xiao Si and Xiao Wu were helping out, they could only do light and easy tasks. All the heavy lifting fell on Tian Lao Si's shoulders.
Having a little alcohol to relieve fatigue isn't a bad thing.
She was just worried that it wasn't good wine, and that drinking too much might harm her health. If Tian Laosi collapsed, wouldn't their family's sky fall down?
Zhang controlled Tian Laosi's alcohol tolerance, allowing him only a small cup. If he had a lot of work to do in the fields, she would let him have an extra cup.
If there are any more, the cups and wine will be taken away and hidden somewhere that Tian Laosi doesn't know about.
Tian Sangui's eyes crinkled into a smile. Although her mother was strict with her words, she actually cared deeply for her father.
She washed the loquats in clean water, peeled off the yellow skin one by one, then placed them on a cutting board, cut them in half with a knife, removed the pits, and put the prepared loquats into a bowl.
Take out a large piece of sugar, break it with a knife, sprinkle it into the loquat bowl, stir well, and wait to eat it in the evening!
After finishing their work, the family went to the fields.
First, I went to check the wasteland. Potatoes and corn had already sprouted tiny shoots here and there.
The grass in the field was cleared away by Tian Laosi, and not a single weed could be seen.
Then they walked along the ridge to the main road, boarded a donkey cart, and headed to the good land.
The entire acre of cabbage was picked clean by Tian Laosi, Zhang Shi, and Xiao Si and Xiao Wu. Tian Sangui pickled the cabbage in jars to keep for his family to eat slowly.
The family finished clearing the remaining land and then began to prepare high ridges and deep ditches as Tian Sangui had instructed, laying a solid foundation for planting cucumbers.
After working for a while, Aunt Wang carried her hoe and walked along the edge of the field. From afar, you could see the whole family, heads buried in the ground, working hard with heavy breaths.
"This family is so hardworking!"
Hearing the sound, the whole family looked up at Aunt Wang and greeted her with smiles.
Zhang continued, "Sister-in-law Wang is too kind. We've been just killing time and came to the fields to do some odd jobs!"
Aunt Wang glanced at the field and said disbelievingly, "Tsk tsk tsk, the field is so neatly prepared, but it's all for nothing. Look at my field, the weeds are already half a person tall!"
"Haha, Sister Wang is always joking. Where are the weeds? If there are, we'll help you remove them."
"Oh, thank you so much, Sister Zhang. I'm happy to have some peace and quiet. What are you planning to plant?"
After hoeing the ground a couple of times, Zhang said, "I plan to plant some cucumbers here, and the rest will be used to grow some vegetables that I like to eat."
Aunt Wang said in surprise, "We grew cucumbers a few years ago, but they were hard to grow and tasted bitter and not tasty at all. You may have wasted your time."
The main problem is that this cucumber variety hasn't spread widely. The cultivation techniques are inadequate, and with experts providing guidance, the cucumbers weren't picked and eaten until they turned yellow.
The taste is naturally not very good, which is why farmers don't like to grow this vegetable.
"Hey, we don't grow much, it's alright!" Zhang said casually.
She believed her daughter could definitely grow this vegetable well, since her daughter had her mentor who must have taught her how to grow it.
Zhang's words were spoken with a lighthearted tone, which made Aunt Wang stop talking and turn to chat about the Tian family severing ties with Tian Laosan.
The two families chatted enthusiastically and did a lot of work. As the sun set, the two were still tired and reluctantly said goodbye to each other, promising to go to the fields early the next day.
Tian Sanguige was secretly laughing to himself. It seemed like the two of them had only come to the fields to chat, and that working was just a side job.
Regardless, Zhang is happy, the work is done, and everyone's good mood is the most important thing.
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