stingy landlady

Chapter 45 Spring Rain is as Precious as Oil

Spring rain is as precious as oil! This rain solved the daily watering problem and alleviated Dazhu's daily worry about a shortage of manpower. The wheat, having drunk its fill, began to stretch and yawn! The vegetables in the garden, having drunk their fill, began to sprout and grow taller. Spring! It always brings a sense of vitality and prosperity!

Rainy days bring a sigh of relief to those doing farm work! Rainy days put the burning of stubble on hold! The only thing that remains unchanged on rainy days is that food still needs to be eaten, so dumplings will continue to be sold! Vegetables will grow, so business can continue!

On a rainy day, Lin Xiaoyun put on a raincoat and a straw hat, sat in front of the carriage, and refused to get off. He didn't say a word and just sat there motionless.

Guizhi understood; this was a tantrum.

"Hmph! It's raining, so I can finally rest! I need to drive the carriage! Third Sister, you promised!" Lin Xiaoyun thought it was time for Guizhi to keep her promise!

At this point, Li had a clear understanding of the situation and called Guixiang back home to do needlework.

This is what she said to Guixiang:

"Da Ya! You're already eleven years old! In a few more years you'll come of age and be a young lady. If you want to get married soon, you can get married."

Now you need to learn to make clothes, quilts, and other needlework independently. Before, when resources were limited, you had to step up. Now that we have enough help, take charge of the housework and learn to sew well!

She's skilled at needlework and cooking. A good reputation will make it easier to find a husband later!

Gui Xiang shyly agreed and went back to her room to do needlework.

Lin Xiaoyun was soaked in the rain, but the hardship was bittersweet. Finally, he was on his way to the carriage; his wish had come true! The young man was insightful, and a smile naturally appeared on his face.

The old man had also become addicted to driving the horse-drawn carriage; he was bored and listless at home! When he was out and about, there were many people and lively activities, and they knew nothing about each other's family affairs, only exchanging smiles. The grandfather and grandson didn't argue or fight; they were courteous to each other, understanding and helping one another.

Dazhu was unwilling to stay idle at home, so he went to burn wasteland, filled the area where he wanted to build a house with the ashes of grass and wood, and slowly transported it to other places by oxcart.

Wood ash is a great thing. It can eliminate pests and germs, and also increase fertility.

Zhou Mingzhi lived nearby, so he went with Zhou Xing to level the foundation and clean up the garbage. The best way was to pile it up and burn it when the weather was nice.

Old Zhou was worried that getting caught in the rain would cause him to develop a fever and then pneumonia, so he needed extra care. But he wasn't idle; he pickled some wild garlic and selected the beans he would need each day. In the afternoons, without Gui Xiang and Gui Hong getting caught in the rain, he could soak the beans and water them to sprout!

Every morning, Madam Zhou still goes early to knead dough and make dumplings. After lunch, she has more free time, but she's still incredibly busy feeding the pigs, chickens, and ducks, cleaning, cooking dinner, and sewing.

Every day, Zhou Qiong would dig up at least a basket of wild vegetables to mix with swill and cornmeal. This would feed the pigs, chickens, and ducks. In her spare time, Zhou's wife would take her to learn needlework.

Xiangmanlou's business in the county town is quite good! Whenever they pick vegetables, they ask for an extra 50 jin of shepherd's purse and 20 jin of wild garlic. Since they also serve boiled pork slices, to support Dazhu's business, they also give away an extra 30 jin of bean sprouts!

Every three to five days, Zhou Mingzhi would drive his oxcart to Xiangmanlou Restaurant in town to collect swill. It wasn't worth the trip if there was too little, but he could collect two or three buckets of swill every three to five days. No one at the restaurant gave him a hard time; he just considered it cleaning up the kitchen.

The abundant bok choy, baby bok choy, baby radishes, scallions, garlic sprouts, celery, and cilantro in Dazhu's vegetable garden allowed the owner of Xiangmanlou to keep prices from dropping and actually make a considerable profit!

The old man was in a good mood. He could sell vegetables from his own garden and earn money by following Dazhu around. He could also eat wherever he wanted for dinner!

Most of the time, he stayed at Dazhu's house. In his words, "I don't want to see that couple, lest I cause them more trouble and gray hair!"

Behind her back, he explained to the old lady, "I drive the carriage for Dazhu, so I'm doing his work. Isn't it normal for him to feed me? Even Dazhu's wife can't find fault with me!"

Zhao humbled herself and eagerly did all the housework every day. She washed clothes, cooked, and cleaned! She was especially enthusiastic about picking vegetables, afraid that the old lady would be reminded of unpleasant memories!

With money coming in, the old lady was a little more comfortable. Occasionally, she would buy some meat for Erzhu to nourish his body, and Sun Shi would also benefit a little. The fourth son said, "I'd rather suffer myself than have my children go hungry in their bellies."

The burning of the wasteland continued intermittently for about half a month, until the fifth brother, Wang Yiyun, went to the county town for the second time to participate in the scientific expedition.

This exam will last for three days. Therefore, we need to prepare money for our trip to the county town.

Since the family couldn't offer much help, they could only contribute financially. The old man knew he was about to break the old woman's heart again. Although he was mentally prepared, the thought of actually spending a large sum of money still stung!

Dazhu hasn't been to town recently and doesn't know about this. Before the family split up, it wasn't his responsibility. The first imperial examination was right after the family split up, and he wasn't notified then either; of course, he didn't have the means to manage it back then.

This time, Guizhi found out and talked to Dazhu and Li Shi about it that night.

Guizhi looked at the two of them and said, "Father, Mother! My fifth uncle is going to take the imperial examination! My grandfather is giving him three taels of silver!"

Dazhu soaked his feet nonchalantly: "I've heard about the imperial examinations for a long time, and finally the exams are here! Your fifth uncle's studies are such a waste of money! For farmers like us, it's burning money!"

Suddenly, an idea struck him: "What did you say? Your grandfather will give you three taels of silver for the imperial examination? It's just an exam, why would you need so much silver? To bribe the examiners?"

Guizhi laughed and said, "Father! You really dare to think that way! You're trying to bribe the examiners with such a small amount of money! It's not even enough to fill their teeth!"

Li was also confused: "They charge money for exams? School fees, writing brushes, ink, paper, and books, and I heard there are all sorts of other expenses! It adds up to a lot of money in a year. The money your grandparents spent on your fifth uncle's education would have been enough to buy land!"

Guihong knew a little: "Father, Mother! I heard we're going to the county town for the exam. It'll take three days. Fifth Uncle said everyone goes there early to familiarize themselves with the place. There's food and lodging too! They'll also charge money for the exam, but I don't know how much!"

Dazhu, wiping his feet, said, "If that's the case, three taels of silver really isn't enough for anything. We never imagined before that three taels of silver could buy an acre of good land! And he needs that much for just three days of exams?"

Guizhi said, "Father, Mother! What if Fifth Uncle passes the imperial examination and becomes a scholar? I heard he can be exempted from taxes. Should we register our land with him?"

Dazhu and Li looked at each other, shaking their heads in confusion.

"Father, Mother! It means putting the land in the scholar's name so we don't have to pay taxes. But we have to give the scholar some benefits first."

Li asked, "If I register it under a scholar's name, won't I become a scholar?"