He gathered his thoughts and said calmly, "Uncle Lu, I just went to your house and gave Aunt the two taels of silver I owed her. Thank you for helping me back then. I will always remember this!"
Patriarch Lu was a little confused by his words. He also knew the life of his family.
Although Lu Kang could support his family by copying books, the amount he earned was limited after all. It would often take him one or two months to copy a book, and this kind of work was not something he could find often!
In this way, he would return to himself little by little the money he earned from copying books.
However, Xiao An caught a fatal cold in the spring, and the illness used up all his savings. He was present at the time, and that day Lu Kang asked him again to lend him some more money if the medicine he had taken was not effective.
Chief Lu laughed, "I'm not in a hurry for that little bit of money. If you return it to me, what will you three siblings do for your future?"
Thinking of his younger siblings, and the little schemes that the clan had just devised, Lu Kang made up his mind and said to the clan leader, "Uncle Lu, I plan to move to Rongcheng first."
Patriarch Lu was shocked when he heard this and stammered, "Why are we going to Rongcheng now? Not to mention the huge distance between the two places, you have two young children with you. Kang'er, you must not act rashly!"
Lu Kang is the only scholar in their village, and he is very knowledgeable. There is a great possibility that he will pass the next imperial examination and become a scholar.
If he passed the examination and became a scholar, he would be exempted from some taxes and labor service, and even his village would benefit a lot from it.
For this reason, after hearing Lu Kang's words, Chief Lu was very anxious.
Everyone has a feeling of being reluctant to leave their hometown, but he also has to consider the reality.
Now the family has little money, and the copying work in the bookstore is not stable. He has to consider his livelihood while reviewing his knowledge and taking care of his younger siblings. No matter how capable he is, he often feels overwhelmed.
At least in Rongcheng, no one would have any ideas about his brother and sister-in-law. He would go to class during the day and the evening time would be all his own.
He still had three taels of silver a month, and he could save all that money and use it as travel expenses for the exam later! This was the best option he could come up with.
In a split second, he thought clearly about his current situation and explained to the clan leader, "Uncle Lu, I'm not leaving Lujia Village completely. A fellow student of mine in Rongcheng has invited me over. He's more knowledgeable than me and has the title of scholar. I'll have the opportunity to learn from him when I go there, which will also be beneficial for my imperial examinations!"
Those in power were afraid that the people would leave, so it would take a lot of effort to move their household registration. Besides, he didn't have much money on him, so he could only get a travel permit first.
Now going to Rongcheng to be a teacher is the best option he can have!
After hearing what he said, Chief Lu finally felt relieved.
As for studying for the imperial examination, Clan Leader Lu couldn't possibly stop him. However, the journey was long, so Clan Leader Lu was still worried and asked, "What will happen to the family's land when you leave? Have you thought it through?"
Lu Kang thought about it and nodded, "I'd also like to ask Uncle Lu to help me find someone who is willing to farm my family's land."
When Chief Lu heard this, he also thought it was a good idea. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "When are you leaving? Your five acres of spring wheat will be harvested in a few months."
"My senior brother has urgent matters. I will leave after I finish dealing with things at home."
Lu Kang stood and pondered for a moment before continuing, "I'll give them all the wheat from my fields this year. Besides paying my autumn tax, they'll give me four taels of silver for the five mu of land this year!"
This year, God has been kind to them, and the crops in Yuncheng have been growing quite well. If they calculate based on one acre of land, they can earn more than two taels of silver.
The five mu of wheat could earn at least ten taels of silver. After paying 30% of the tax, there would still be six taels of silver left. People would do the sowing, fertilizing, and weeding. It would only take a few months to harvest more than two taels. Even he himself was very excited when he heard about this, let alone others.
Patriarch Lu did not shy away from the question and said bluntly, "If you trust me, I can rent this land!"
Anyone who can become the patriarch of a clan has some reputation. Although he cannot treat everyone equally, he will not do anything to seize the land of his fellow clansmen for no reason. Moreover, he has seen how the patriarch has taken care of them brothers and sisters over the past year.
Lu Kang bowed and thanked the clan leader. "I'm relieved that you're willing to help me! I'll come back to you tomorrow after I've written the contract."
Patriarch Lu nodded slightly, patted Lu Kang on the shoulder and warned, "Don't think I'm nagging, but I still need to remind you. Your sister-in-law is still young, and the journey to Rongcheng is long. It's not appropriate for you and your sister to go alone. There are many caravans heading north from Yuncheng right now. You should ask around. If you find anyone reliable, spend some money and go with them. It will be safer!"
This year, Rongcheng has released several hot-selling small commodities, attracting many caravans to buy them. In addition, Lujia Village is not far from Yuncheng, so it is naturally more informed than other villages. As the head of the clan, he is naturally very clear about the news.
Now that it has become a fact that the child is leaving, all he can do is to give him a few final words of advice, and hope that he will remember his good deeds in the future!
Lu Kang nodded. "I've got this down, kid. I'll go to the city tomorrow to find out a bit. It's getting late, and my sister-in-law is still waiting for me at home, so I'll go back first!"
Patriarch Lu waved his hand reluctantly, signaling him to go back first. He stood there for a long time, watching the young man's back gradually walking away, and sighed helplessly in his heart. This child was estranged from Lujia Village. Otherwise, who would be willing to leave his hometown with his family unless he could make a living there?
Thinking of how Lu Kang had just come out of his house with a gloomy face, Patriarch Lu immediately went home with his hands behind his back.
Ma, who was once again sternly rejected by Lu Kang, was also very angry. At this moment, she was scolding her daughter-in-law who was squatting in the vegetable garden to pull weeds and had no time to work.
"I'm asking you what you did when Kang'er came home just now?" The husband's questioning voice suddenly sounded behind her, and Ma shivered with fear.
Ma's original thoughts were all gone, but they immediately disappeared into thin air.
Looking at her husband with a dark face, staring at her.
Ma was feeling guilty and evaded the main point by saying, "What could be the problem? I'm just here to pay back the money."
Clan leader Lu suddenly shouted, "Why don't you tell me the truth? Do you want me to ask Dalang to send you back to your parents' home?"
When the eldest daughter-in-law saw that her father-in-law was so angry at her mother-in-law, she hurriedly picked up the children who were playing in the yard and went back into the house.
Seeing this, the eldest son hurried over to persuade her. His mother was so old. If she was sent back to her parents' home, not only would she lose face in the village, but even her uncle might not accept her!
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