The Lu family has produced a scholar who has passed the imperial examination; this is a joyous occasion.
Wangjia Village also had three or five students who passed the imperial examinations, but unfortunately, after producing a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the county-level imperial examinations) several decades ago, there haven't been any more. Now that the Lu family has produced a student who passed the imperial examinations, the chances of Wangjia Village producing another Xiucai have increased.
Village Chief Wang scolded his grandson with exasperation, "Look at you, you're nineteen years old, you've studied for so many years, and you can't even pass the preliminary examination. The second son of the Lu family only went to study in the summer, and he passed the preliminary examination in just a few months."
Wang Chao stood in the main room, dejected. He was never cut out for studying. In the past few years, he had been getting married and having children, as well as working in the fields during the busy farming seasons. He didn't really have much time or energy for studying. "Grandpa, how about we give up? I'm not going to study anymore."
His son is almost three years old; he'll send him there in a few years.
The village chief's wife sighed in the courtyard, gazing westward into the village, "How come the Lu family is so lucky?"
Wang Chao's wife dared not speak while the kitchen nanny worked. Over the years, her husband's education had cost the family a lot of money. Fortunately, her parents-in-law were well-off; otherwise, all that money would have gone down the drain, and who knows what kind of chaos would have ensued.
The village chief took a puff of his cigarette. "Forget it, let my great-grandson go to school in a couple of years. You should stick to working in the fields with your father and me from now on."
Wang Chao's father patted his son on the shoulder and said, "We have twelve mu of land. Your grandfather is getting old, so you can focus on farming."
Wang Chao secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He preferred working in the fields and chopping firewood in the mountains to studying. He was strong and it would be a waste not to work.
Wang Lan didn't expect that just a few days later, the courtyard would become lively again. "Eryun really passed the exam? Amitabha, may our ancestors bless her. Her mother, quickly prepare incense and paper money, and kowtow to her husband tonight."
"Sigh." Zhao Fang's face was radiant. A mere child prodigy was a rare sight in the village. When people are happy, they are in high spirits. She suddenly looked several years younger, and her backache disappeared. She happily found a basket, put in the offerings, covered it with a cloth, and then went into the mountains with Wang Lan.
Lu Yunfeng followed with a sickle. The last time he visited the grave was during the Qingming Festival. A summer and autumn had passed, and a lot of grass and trees had grown around the grave. He could take this opportunity to clean it up properly.
He was happy today. When his father and grandfather passed away suddenly, he was stunned and worried. He barely managed to support the family. He never expected that he would get married, his second brother would go back to school and even pass the imperial examination, and would rise to a higher position in the future. His fourth brother was also being well taken care of.
Lu Yunfeng couldn't help but laugh; the tension he had been holding for so many years finally eased completely.
Hearing the laughter, Wang Lan and Zhao Fang turned around. "You silly child, why are you hiding in the back, secretly enjoying yourself? Come to the front and clear away the weeds."
Chickens, ducks, and geese were chirping and clucking in the Lu family's backyard. Qin Xiaozhou chased after them, covered in chicken feathers, and didn't even manage to touch a chicken wing. Wang Dahe chuckled and caught her a chicken. "Niece-in-law, how's this one? It's plump, and it just laid an egg this morning."
Wang Dahe is now in good health, no longer the skinny guy he was a few months ago. His wife is two months pregnant, and the whole family is overjoyed.
The hen clucked and flapped its wings. Qin Xiaozhou carried the chicken by the foot and went home with Wang Dahe after they arrived at Xiecai. Water was already boiling on the stove in the yard. Qin Jinxiu squatted in the corner of the yard sharpening her knife, thinking about the aroma of stewed chicken, and swallowed her saliva.
Since following her older sister, she has been eating meat at every meal, and she has gained weight and grown taller. She loves her older sister and everyone in her brother-in-law's family. They have raised her to be plump and healthy, which makes her very happy.
"Why are you drooling?" Lu Yan stuffed two pieces of firewood into the stove, clapped her hands, and walked over. "Are you hungry?"
Qin Jinxiu blushed and hurriedly wiped her mouth, "No, no."
Qin Xiaozhou was about to kill a chicken in the corner of the yard. "Hahaha, are you drooling with envy? Don't worry, tonight we'll not only have stewed chicken, but also sauerkraut fish and roasted pork belly."
As she spoke, she couldn't help but swallow hard. "Little aunt, let's dig out a bowl of chestnuts and peel them. Chestnuts are delicious in stewed chicken. Xiao Yan, go to the backyard and pick some perilla leaves to wrap with roasted pork belly."
"Hahahahahahaha." Lu Yan, holding a chicken wing, heard Qin Xiaozhou swallowing. "Sister-in-law is drooling too."
In the afternoon, the village chief brought a basket of meat to congratulate him. Lu Yunfeng accepted it politely and invited the village chief to stay for dinner. Before the meal, Li Fengxian and Wang Gui also arrived. Today was a happy day, and the past grievances were put aside for the time being. They all happily welcomed the guests in and invited them to take their seats.
As autumn turned to winter, rainfall decreased, and the county magistrate ordered the repair of the river channel.
The waterways in Fenggu County are now bustling with boats, and have unknowingly become a transshipment hub. The county magistrate anticipates that there will be even more boats coming and going next year, so he is taking advantage of the dry season to repair the river.
Repairing the river channel was a task that every household in Fenggu County with sons had to provide labor. Families with many sons would send two more, while those with fewer sons would send one. The Lu family had three sons, so they needed two laborers.
Lu Yunxing hadn't returned yet, and Qin Xiaozhou was calculating the costs. "If I offer ten taels of silver, no one will go."
If you don't provide labor, you can provide silver; it's the same thing. You can't really force those rich young masters to repair the river. Each laborer is worth five taels of silver.
Five taels of silver was a huge sum of money for the villagers, but for many rich people it was just a matter of asking for money. Many rich people who did not want their sons to suffer used silver to solve the problem.
Lu Yunfeng had been there before, but things were different now. Qin Xiaozhou felt that Lu Yunfeng could earn more than five or ten taels a day just by going to the trading market to do business, so why waste his time? He should earn more money and pay more taxes, which would still be a contribution.
The textile factory was taking shape, and Qin Xiaozhou went to inspect it. Lu Yan and Qin Jinxiu followed her closely, one on each side, saying they wanted to learn and observe more. Qin Xiaozhou let them be. However, when they passed the side gate of the embroidery building, they saw Li Zhen talking to a young man in the pavilion.
When Li Zhen saw Qin Xiaozhou, her face turned red, and after a long while she said, "Shopkeeper, I'm getting married."
"Wow." Lu Yan had a keen eye. "Is this the uncle?"
Li Zhen nodded shyly, "Shopkeeper, this is Ye Su. On September 26th in Tanshui Village, I am remarrying, so I'm just inviting a few relatives for a meal to celebrate. Please, shopkeeper, come and have a drink at my wedding."
Ye Su remained expressionless, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, "Please welcome the shopkeeper."
Qin Xiaozhou's gossip fire was burning fiercely. When did this happen? Why didn't she know anything about it? Li Zhen was her capable assistant in the embroidery shop. She couldn't let her quit just because she remarried. "Even after you get married, you can continue to work in the embroidery shop. We have a six-month maternity leave."
So Qin Xiaohou carefully explained what maternity leave was.
Li Zhen was flattered and said, "Manager, I've been taking care of my child at home for half a year. How can I still get paid? This is not right."
Look at them, what simple and honest people they are.
Maternity leave is paid leave, and Qin Xiaozhou can't be a skinflint like Qin the Skinflint; he won't shortchange her on a single penny of her due wages.
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