Chapter 200 199. You can’t ask for size everywhere (if there are any bugs, you can complain to me~)
Lei Li also felt relieved after hearing this.
After chatting for a while about Mengluo and Mei Yuqing's life in Zhongchuan, he asked, "When will your third brother return to Zhongchuan?"
"Probably New Year's?"
Mengluo thought for a moment and said, "This year, Xiaoqing and I are going back to Zhongchuan to spend the New Year with our parents and eldest brother. Third brother should go back with us."
"I've been staying in Xiling for the past few years. Now that I've started a family, it's time to go back and fulfill my filial duties."
"That's perfect."
Lei Li smiled and said, "Isn't Liu Xiaocao's Erhua celebrating his first birthday this month? He wants to invite your third brother. Your third brother is a scholar, and if he passes the imperial examination next year, he can also participate in the spring examination the year after and face the emperor in the palace."
"There aren't many scholars in this area, let alone juren."
"He just wants to take advantage of your third brother's good fortune and have his son, Erhua, study hard and pass the imperial examination. Plus, your third brother hasn't been with Yu Ge'er recently...he also wants to have a good marriage."
Mengluo's third brother——
Meng Yao came from a good family, the son of a wealthy businessman, living a life of luxury; he was handsome, with a fair complexion and a tall figure; he was talented and passed the examination to become a scholar at a young age.
How many people are just students their whole lives, how many people become scholars only when they are old, but he still has plenty of opportunities to take the imperial examination.
Once you become a Juren, you will be close to becoming an official.
The county magistrate was hand-picked by the imperial court, the head of a county, and a seventh-rank official. However, he had subordinates of the eighth and ninth ranks, and these could be arranged according to the magistrate's wishes.
If the age is bad and there are few Jinshi candidates, or if the area is too remote and poor and there is not even a Jinshi or Gongsheng, a Juren can also become a county magistrate.
With Meng Yao's family background, if he passed the imperial examination, he could donate money to become an official and find a position in Zhongchuan with little real power - after all, he was still an official, with a position on the court's payroll, different from the common people, and it would make him look good to tell others about it.
At least for Liu Xiaocao and the people of Sanlihe Village, whether it was passing the imperial examination or donating money to become an official, it was a great thing that they could not even imagine!
They would be satisfied if they could pass the imperial examination and be called "scholar's mother" or "scholar's father".
Yu Ge'er's family background is nothing compared to the Meng family, but compared to Liu Xiaocao's family, he is a very wealthy businessman. If his Erhua can also marry a beautiful and rich girl, he will wake up with joy even in his sleep.
If his son Erhua lives a good life, he can also support Taoge'er, so that his in-laws will not dare to look down on or bully his son Taoge'er.
Liu Xiaocao had a good idea.
Meng Luo didn't think too much about it. When he heard what Lei Li said, he agreed immediately.
Then Lei Li said with a mischievous smile, "I heard that if a newlywed couple holds the child during a baby's first birthday or full moon celebration, it can help them have a baby sooner."
"Even if an unmarried woman doesn't get to hug her, she can still get a little bit of the childishness and get married and have children sooner. That's what the old people in the village say."
Meng Luo was amused and laughed repeatedly, saying, "If my third brother knew about this custom, he would be embarrassed again, haha!"
He and Mei Yuqing probably won't have children of their own in this lifetime, but he doesn't really care. He is with Xiaoqing not to have children.
Anyway, his eldest brother, second brother and third brother will all have children by then, so the Meng family doesn't need him to be a descendant.
"Why!"
Meng Luo suddenly had a brilliant idea, his eyes shining. "How about I ask my brother to raise a child for me? Whichever brother has more children, I'll pester him for one!"
"ah?"
Lei Li was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, "You are really good at thinking. Before, you wanted to kidnap my little ginger, and now you want to kidnap your brother's child, hahaha..."
"Of course not!"
Meng Luo snorted complacently, thinking he was being clever. "I have three brothers anyway. Xiaoqing and I don't have any children, so what if we have one?"
"I don't want more!"
The more he thought about it, the more he thought it was feasible. "My second brother's marriage isn't good enough. Not to mention that he married the daughter of a prefect, he has a very serious and old-fashioned personality. If the child takes after him, what difference will it make if my second brother takes after me?"
"Third brother's isn't going to work either. Yu-ge'er is a boy, and it's not easy for boys to get pregnant. I guess second brother only has one or two children, so I'm embarrassed to have one..."
"Then that leaves your eldest brother."
Lei Li laughed grimly, "Your eldest brother has been cleaning up your messes for so many years, he's probably used to it. Now that he suddenly hears you want a child from him, it won't be so easy for him to beat you to death."
"That's not right."
Meng Luo raised his chin, his face full of pride, "Apart from my parents, my eldest brother and his wife love me the most. None of my nephews can compare to me in terms of favor!"
"My eldest brother and his wife and I asked for a child to support Xiaoqing and me in our old age, and they definitely agreed!"
The eldest brother is like a father, and the eldest sister-in-law is like a mother.
Mengluo's eldest brother is more than ten years older than him. When his eldest brother got married, Mengluo was still a little kid drooling and eating candies.
He has a chubby face and a personality as soft and cute as a chubby. He calls them "Brother" and "Sister-in-law" all the time and follows them around happily. Naturally, they love this younger brother very much.
If she knew that her younger brother had no children, she would definitely agree to adopt one of her own children to him. At least there would be someone to burn paper money for her younger brother so that he would not starve to death in the underworld.
——People in the Dayou Dynasty were very particular about having children to take care of them in their old age and see them to the end of their lives. After their parents died, the children would hold a funeral and smash a basin, and burn incense and paper money every year.
Some people also think that if they don’t have descendants on earth to burn incense and worship them, they will be bullied by other ghosts in the underworld.
Some families only have a boy or a girl, and they are thinking about finding a son-in-law to marry into the family, so that the child can take their own surname and they don't have to worry about having no one to take care of them in their old age.
"Just discuss it with Big Brother."
Lei Li also thought this was a good idea. At least it was better than selling one's wife or concubines. The adopted child would also be related to him, which was better than picking up a strange child to raise.
You know your own children's character very well. What if you pick up a child with bad genes and is born bad? Wouldn't that be the end of you?
Meng Luo couldn't wait to go home and tell Mei Yuqing the good news, and also to celebrate his first birthday with his third brother Meng Yao, so he ran away without even having dinner.
Zhou Yi, who had just finished cooking and came out to call for help, said: "?"
What flashed by?
—
Mei Yuqing was also very happy to hear that he could have a child, although he was a little worried about asking his elder brother and sister-in-law for a child, as he was worried that his brother and sister-in-law would be unhappy.
But Mengluo's solemn promise made him feel a lot more relaxed.
Meng Yao, who was celebrating his first birthday, naturally agreed.
As a wealthy scholar, he had attended many banquets and poetry gatherings, but he had never been to one in the village, especially since this was Xiling. Growing up in Zhongchuan, he found it quite novel.
Liu Xiaocao was the happiest.
His child just had a small one-year-old party, and two young masters from the Meng family came, one of whom was a scholar!
He was determined to hold the event in a grand manner to show off to the villagers, and he also could not neglect the distinguished guests and had to make sure Li Ge'er and the others had good food and drink.
The name of his second child was given by his husband Li Ge'er.
His name is Niu Erhua.
Originally, Zhou Yi named his child Zhuohua, because Liu Xiaocao's first child was named Taoger, which means "the peach tree is young and radiant", and comes from the Chinese poem "Taoyao", implying a harmonious and beautiful family.
When Liu Xiaocao heard it, she immediately liked the name, but "Niu Zhuohua" was a bit difficult to pronounce, so Zhou Yi suggested to arrange it according to Tao Ge'er and call him Erhua.
The village chief's two children are Dashu and Ershu. When Erhua heard this, he missed his children. The village chief and his aunt were also very happy. Not to mention Niu Ershu, because this is his child!
On the day of the first birthday party, everyone in the village came.
Everyone gave face to the village chief and also wanted to share in the scholar's blessings, so they all brought their own children.
Meng Yao was very happy to know that all the children in the village were going to school, and he tested them on the spot.
He found that several children were doing quite well in their studies and had a talent for studying. He happily said that when he returned to Zhongchuan, he would send the books and notes he had learned in the past that he no longer needed to these children, hoping that more of them would be able to pass the exam.
When the villagers heard this, especially the parents of the children who were praised, they were overjoyed and thanked Meng Yao repeatedly. Their enthusiasm made Meng Yao blush.
——I feel embarrassed to be praised.
In the end, it was Zhou Yi who helped him out.
The school was built with money from the Lei family. When Meng Yao wanted to donate books, the Lei family would receive them and then give them to the village school.
"These books were once used by scholars. They are much more practical than buying them blindly on our own. I thank you on behalf of the children in the village and their parents."
Zhou Yi was really grateful to Meng Yao.
In modern times, this would be the notes of a top student or the collection of a top student's handbook. With Meng Yao's experience, the children in the village can avoid some detours, and the teachers in the village school have better teaching materials and can teach the children better.
"No problem."
Meng Yao was a little embarrassed and waved his hand, saying, "These are all things I don't need. They're just sitting there anyway, so why not give them to someone in need?"
"When I get back to Zhongchuan, I'll ask my classmates if they have any unused textbook notes. I'll bring them to you. It'll be better to pool our wisdom than to follow my own path."
His methods and experience may not be suitable for everyone. More experience means more paths.
"Thank you very much."
Zhou Yi felt that Meng Yao was a really good guy. Not only did he learn a lot, he also wanted to benefit other children.
After thinking about it, he said, "I'm currently compiling a series of children's enlightenment books. I'm only on the fourth one. If you have some free time, could you help me see if there's anything that needs improvement?"
"OK."
Meng Yao was very interested and agreed immediately. After the one-year-old birthday party was over, he went with Zhou Yi to take a look at the set of enlightenment books.
Meng Yao was a scholar who passed the imperial examination after receiving orthodox education. When he was a child, his family hired a teacher to teach him, and later he went to a private school. After passing the imperial examination, he went to the county school.
The students in the village school did not have the money, so they learned purely by themselves. Because they had no teacher to guide them and due to practical factors, they stopped there and did not take the exam, and instead became teachers.
While the two were talking, Liu Xiaocao also came out holding Xiao Erhua.
The fat, white boy, with arms and legs like lotus root nodes, was not afraid of meeting so many people. He looked at everyone with great energy and even reached out to help when he saw Xiao Shengjiang eating cakes.
"Brother, eat cakes!"
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