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140: Five taels of silver are worth it

Chapter 140: Five taels of silver is worth it

When setting off firecrackers, Su Zhi's ears were covered by Shen Zian. She felt him standing behind her, and the sound in her ears was half as loud. She felt warm and safe, with a smile on her face. When the firecrackers were over, she looked at the red paper scraps all over the floor and felt that it was really festive.

Just after the firecrackers were set off here, firecrackers were heard next to us. It turned out that Zhao Dazhu's family next door also started setting off firecrackers.

"Hey, my sister is here. Look, look, what she is wearing today is really beautiful. She looks like a bride. Brother Zi'an is really caring."

Without waiting for the firecrackers to stop, Dazhu's wife came over, took Su Zhi's hand and started praising her. The smile on her face seemed to be dipped in honey and contained a hint of fawning.

Su Zhi thought this person was really shameless. He had just offended her and Shen Zian, and then offended the Shen family. Now he could hold her hand and talk to her as if nothing had happened. Did he think that everyone else was a fool? She didn't want to have much contact with such a person. Of course, she wouldn't offend him too much. As the saying goes, it's better to offend a gentleman than a villain. She just needed to stay away from such people. If she wanted to punish them, she could just find an opportunity secretly. She still had to keep calm on the surface.

Before Su Zhi could say anything, Wang had already walked out of the door. She took Su Zhi's hand as if to welcome her, and pulled Su Zhi from Dazhu's wife's hand.

"Fourth brother's wife, please come into the house quickly. I have something to tell you."

Su Zhi smiled and nodded, and was pulled into the house by Wang, leaving Dazhu's wife standing there.

The men of the Shen family glanced at the Zhao family and said nothing. They turned around and went into the yard. They didn't want to pay any attention to the Zhao family.

Zhao Dazhu had finished setting off firecrackers and walked over to his wife. He said softly, "The Shen family is really annoying us this time. They ignored me when I called them these past few days. It's Chinese New Year, and they still ignore us. Tiedan Niang, what do you think we should do? We can't just let this stalemate happen, right?"

Dazhu's wife just wanted to start with Su Zhi to ease the relationship between the two families, but she didn't expect to be messed up by Wang and was abandoned. She was furious, and when she heard her husband's words, she became even angrier. She glared at him and said, "What are you afraid of? We see them every day, talk to them a few more times, I don't believe they will keep holding on like this! They should talk to us sooner or later."

Zhao Dazhu immediately nodded and said yes, the wife is the head of the family, whatever the wife says is the rule of the family.

When Dazhu's wife saw her husband like this, she became even more angry. She thought that Shen Zi'an, the wife, had become like that, but now she was so blessed. How could such a capable and smart woman like her have to live such a poor life? God was really unfair. She was complaining in her heart when she saw her son Tiedan hiding behind the door. She immediately became anxious and ran over while scolding him distressedly.

"You are such a troublesome kid! I didn't mean to stop you from coming out, but you want to have a fever again! Go back and lie down!"

It turned out that after Tiedan was pulled out of the ice hole, although his life was saved and he recovered, his body became weak. Not long after that, he fell ill twice again. Doctor Huang said that he should take good care of himself and not be frightened again. So they rarely let him go out of the house, even when setting off firecrackers, for fear that he would be frightened. Unexpectedly, he came out again. Dazhu's wife immediately hit him back again.

Zhao Dazhu watched his wife rush into the yard with a fierce look. He muttered to himself, wondering why he married such a vicious woman. Look at Shen Zian, who married an ugly sick girl and eventually turned her into a beautiful wife. Now she has even made a fortune. When will his wife change?

"You bastard! Why don't you come into the yard? Don't you want to eat?!"

Loud shouting and cursing came from the yard, and Zhao Dazhu immediately went in with a bamboo pole, saying unhappily as he went in: "It's New Year's Day, don't say such unlucky words, say that you are full, if you want to curse, wait until the New Year is over, then you can curse however you want..."

Zhao Dazhu felt that his wife was even more vicious.

Shen Zian and the others had just entered the Shen family's yard, so they naturally heard the noise next door. They all smiled, and then talked about how the couple had ignored them when they talked to them these days, and asked Shen Zian and the others not to talk to them. Shen Zian and Su Zhi naturally nodded. It would be better to ignore such a scoundrel to avoid trouble.

The Shen family's yard was cleaner today than usual, and couplets had been posted. These couplets were not the exquisite printed ones of modern times, but just red paper with auspicious sentences written on it with a brush. The Shen family naturally did not need to buy couplets or ask for them from other people's homes. They had a talented scholar named Shen Ziju who was praised by everyone in their family, and all the couplets in the house were made by him.

Shen Ziju not only wrote couplets for his own family, but also wrote for everyone who came to his house. He did not charge any money, but only wanted a good reputation. However, the villagers were simple and would not let him write for nothing. They would bring some gifts as a thank you, such as two eggs, a cabbage, and a few potatoes. Hundreds of people from the whole village would come to his house to ask for help starting two months before the Chinese New Year. The house was full of vegetables and the eggs could fill several baskets.

This period was also the most glorious time for the Shen family. Shen Youfu and Shen Zhang's faces were beaming with joy. They heard people walking away with couplets praising Shen Ziju's beautiful calligraphy and clever sentences, saying that he would definitely have a bright future. This made the Shen family very proud, as if Shen Ziju's success was right before their eyes.

Shen Zian's family also received a couplet written by Shen Ziju. Su Zhi thought Shen Ziju's handwriting was really good. She didn't know how talented Shen Ziju was, but this handwriting showed that he was a talented person. She thought Shen Ziju might really become an official in the future. With his thoughtful personality, she estimated that as long as he found a good backer, he would be able to rise to prominence.

"Fourth Brother, Fourth Sister-in-law, you are here."

Shen Ziju walked out of the main room and saw Su Zhi looking at the couplets on both sides of the door. He felt happy, thinking that Su Zhi had praised him when he sent the couplets. He could feel that she was really praising him. She was obviously knowledgeable about calligraphy. Come to think of it, he looked at the folding screen she had embroidered. The pattern on it really had the feel of a painting. A woman who could embroider such a work must have a certain level of appreciation, and naturally knew that his handwriting was good.

Shen Ziju now feels that Su Zhi was wronged by marrying his fourth brother. She is a woman who can write, paint, be clever and blessed. She should marry a man who is more worthy of her...

Su Zhi saw that Shen Ziju was wearing a dark blue gown today, with a cloth wrapped on his head. He had a fair face and a gentle look, and seemed to be more handsome than usual. She thought that the Shen family members were all good-looking. Shen Zhu and Shen Ziju followed Shen Zhang, and they obviously had more temperament. If they changed into nice clothes, they could pass themselves off as young ladies and masters from wealthy families. Being born in such a peasant family, he was really like a Ganoderma lucidum in the bushes. However, he was not drowned and was still discovered.

"Fifth brother, Happy New Year."

Shen Zian said to Shen Ziju that during the Chinese New Year, even if they were family members, the first sentence they said when they met was usually to wish each other a happy new year. Anyway, as long as it was auspicious words, people would like to hear it.

Su Zhi also smiled and said, "Fifth brother, Happy New Year."

Shen Ziju quickly said Happy New Year, and then asked them to go into the house quickly. When Su Zhi passed by him, he seemed to smell a faint fragrance again, which made his heart skip a beat. Looking at Su Zhi's back, he saw Shen Ziju's hand gently holding Su Zhi's hand. He lowered his eyes slightly, and then followed her in.

After entering the main hall, Shen Zi'an and Su Zhi wished a happy new year to Shen Youfu and Shen Zhang, and then sat down. At this time, Dalang and the others had already brought in the things they brought. The food was taken to the kitchen, and the sugar and cloth were put away.

Shen Zhang asked Su Zhi to come over to talk with her, and Shen Zian took out five taels of silver and gave it to Shen Youfu. In fact, when the family was divided, they said that they only needed to give one tael of silver a year, but now that life is better, if they give another one tael of silver, not only will some people in the Shen family be dissatisfied, but even the people in the village will think that they are wrong. Although they are right, sometimes it depends on the situation.

It was Su Zhi who suggested giving five taels of silver. This was the first year after they separated from the family, and they had just built a house and bought land. Everyone knew that they had made a fortune. If they only gave one tael of silver to their parents, it would sound a bit shabby. After all, they were not living in poverty.

There was another reason. Su Zhi thought that Shen Ziju would take the examination for the scholar in the spring, and the Shen family would definitely discuss the financial issue at that time. The old couple of the Shen family would ask their sons to pay if they had money. Instead of asking for money, it would be better for them to give it on their own initiative, so that Shen Ziju would remember them as good sons.

Su Zhi felt that Shen Ziju had a good chance of passing the exam, and that he was a very active person. It would be better to have a good relationship with such a person than to have a hostile relationship with him.

Five taels of silver not only won the villagers' praise, but also made the Shen family happy. It was worth it.

Sure enough, as soon as Shen Zi'an took out the silver, he said that Shen Ziju was going to take the examination for the scholar, and asked him to prepare well. Shen Youfu and Shen Zhang were very happy, and Shen Ziju also bowed and thanked them.

Five taels of silver is not a small amount. For country people, they can't earn much money in a year. Those who can save ten taels of silver are considered good families.

Su Zhi took out a small cloth bag from her small basket and handed it to Shen Ziju, saying with a smile, "Fifth brother, this is a New Year gift for you. I hope you like it."