Chapter 28 Heart to Heart
The two walked to the yard. Wang Da lit his pipe and took a puff, looking at the gradually bare tree trunks in the yard:
"Your house is now repaired. When you plan to visit your parents' graves, you should tell them."
Xie Shuangbai looked at the mountains in the distance and said softly, "Well, I'll go after I finish these two days."
Wang Da nodded, took a puff of his pipe, looked at the gray sky and sighed:
"Uncle is worried about you!"
After saying this, he took another puff of his cigarette:
"What do you think about the future? Do you still want to continue studying? If so, I'll find a way to help you with the money."
Wang Dadi selfishly hoped that Xie Shuangbai would continue to take the exam. After all, if the village could produce a juren, everyone would be more confident.
After Xie Shuangbai heard what he said, he was silent for a while. He didn't plan to take the exam again. He felt it necessary to make things clear with Uncle Wang. After all, in ancient times, a promising scholar was also the glory of the whole village.
He pondered, "Uncle, I was just about to tell you that I don't want to take the exam anymore. First, my health can't sustain me. Second, the cost of studying is enormous, and my family is... Plus, I'm worried about my three younger sisters, and I can't concentrate on my studies."
Wang Dadi seemed to have expected him to say this. Although he knew that he was telling the truth, he still didn't want to give up:
"You have good talent. You are the only one like us in this village. I just feel it's a pity!"
Neither of them spoke. After a while, he sighed and said, "Forget it, just think it through."
Xie Shuangbai looked at the thin Uncle Wang in front of him and was very touched that he understood his decision.
In the Dayin Dynasty, scholars had a very high status and the examinations were difficult. This is why he and his father were the only two scholars in the ten or so villages. However, it was extremely difficult to pass the examination from a scholar to a juren. His father was over thirty years old and still hadn't passed. Didn't he want to pass it?
Ultimately, it's because of lack of vision.
There are no good teachers in this remote village, and they don’t even have complete books. How can they compare with the children from wealthy families?
Besides, he is a modern soul who just wants to make good money and enjoy life. The title of scholar is enough for him. He just wants to live a peaceful life. It is not so easy to get into the officialdom. If you are not careful, you may lose your head. He doesn't want to get involved at all.
He gently tugged at Wang Dadi's sleeve and said, "Uncle, I'm actually not as qualified as you think. I ranked quite low on the scholar exam. It was not easy to pass. Besides, I almost died trying to pass the exam. If I try to take the Juren exam again, it will really kill me!"
Xie Shuangbai didn't mean to scare him. His original self had almost lost his life when he took the exam to become a scholar.
As expected, Wang Dadi looked at Xie Shuangbai's frail body and shook his head: "Your body... forget it!"
Knowing that Xie Shuangbai didn't plan to take the exam again, he looked worried: "If you don't take the exam, you won't be able to farm. What will you do in the future?"
Xie Shuangbai soothed him, "Uncle, I was just about to tell you. I've figured out what to make. From what I've observed lately, we don't have bean sprouts or tofu here. These two foods are not expensive, so we can make them."
Wang Dadi had never heard of them before and asked curiously, "What are bean sprouts and tofu? Are they made from beans?"
"Yes, the price of soybeans here is low, so the investment won't be huge. At most, it will just be a bit tiring."
Wang Dadi looked at him suspiciously: "Is this okay? Where did you hear that?"
Xie Shuangbai made up a story: "A foreign businessman I met while taking the exam told me this."
Wang Dadi smoked his pipe in silence for a while. "Well, maybe this is the southern method. You should try it. If it doesn't work, the loss won't be big. If it works, that would be the best."
"I think so too. There really isn't a particularly good way to make a living these days."
Wang Da nodded, this is why he was worried.
Nowadays, most jobs require physical effort. I'm afraid no boss would want Frost, given his physique.
Now there is a business that only requires some soybeans, which is worth a try.
He glanced at Xie Shuangbai, who had thin arms and legs: "If you have any difficulties, come to me."
Xie Shuangbai grinned, "Thank you, uncle!"
"You're being polite to me. Oh, and there's something else I need to tell you. Huang sold five of your father's remaining twenty acres of land. I went to take care of this when we met in town that day."
The Huang family was actually willing to sell the land? Xie Shuangbai thought about it carefully and understood why.
"Xie Minglang is still a student. He will definitely take part in this year's county exam. While my father is still around, he can still rely on him. After he passes away, he will have no choice but to become a disciple."
Xie Shuangbai knew that with Xie Minglang's arrogant attitude, he would definitely look down on the teachers in the town. If you want a good teacher, you have to be rich. For the sake of her son, Huang would definitely be willing to give everything for him.
"Uncle, don't worry about them. We are no longer related. She can sell the land however she wants. It's not that easy to pass the exam to become a scholar."
Wang Dadi had no doubt about this. If it was really that easy to pass the exam, there would have been only two scholars in their village, the Xie family, for so many years.
Wang Dadi couldn't help but want to persuade him again: "Are you really not going to take the exam again? You have such a good talent, oh!"
Xie Shuangbai looked at him and shook his head firmly.
Seeing his determination, Wang Dadi said, "Alas! Forget it, it's fate. I have something else to tell you. The law stipulates that scholars are exempt from the 80 mu of land tax. What are your plans?"
This really confused Xie Shuangbai. His original body only knew how to study and had no idea about farming. As an outsider, he couldn't understand the situation.
"Uncle, how do you usually deal with this situation?"
"If you don't have land, people in the village who have land will put it in your name and give you food subsidies, or we can discuss anything you want."
Xie Shuangbai remembered that the village chief's family had a lot of land.
"Uncle, I remember your family has quite a lot of land?"
“Now there are only sixty acres.”
"How about you put the land in my name? You've helped me so much, I don't know how to repay you and Aunt Cui."
Wang Dadi's face flushed when he heard this: "Kid, we're not helping you for this!"
Xie Shuangbai hurriedly explained:
"Uncle, don't worry. I know you guys are really doing this for me. I wanted to do this for you myself. If I want to open up wasteland and farm in the future, I'll have to trouble you for help!"
Wang Dadi's expression eased slightly as he took a puff of his cigarette. "My family has 50 mu of land, and I'll put the remaining 30 mu of the village's public land in your name. That way, everyone in the village will remember you. I won't put these 50 mu of land in vain, and I'll give you 1,000 kilograms of grain every year."
Xie Shuangbai had no objection.
"Okay, I'll listen to you."
"Then I will hold a meeting with the village tomorrow to discuss this matter."
Wang Dadi tapped his pipe. "If you have any problems in the future, just come to me. Don't hide it. Look how exhausted you are."
"I see, Uncle Wang, I'm here to ask Aunt Cui for help!"
Wang Dadi also laughed: "You kid, since there is not much work in the fields recently, I will ask Shunyi Shunfa to help you."
"If you have nothing to do, bring Tiantian over. We're not far away."
Wang Dadi smiled when he thought of his granddaughter: "Speaking of which, this girl and you are also destined to be together. She thinks of you every day."
“I like sweet things too!”
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