My Husband Comes from the Future

by Usui Takumii

not mine, shangai fantasy. After chapter 94 is MTL. Also at ao3.

4. 31 to 40

Chapter 31: Small Business

When Jin Xiaoshu returned home with food to share with Jin Xiaoye, his uncle's wife and cousin were sitting at the doorstep with their children, enjoying the cool breeze.

A low bamboo bed was placed on the flat drying ground in front of the Jin family's house. His cousin's child was climbing up and down on it, while others sat on either large or small bamboo chairs, fanning themselves with palm-leaf fans.

Upon seeing Jin Xiaoshu, they all inquired about Jin Xiaoye's boat.

Jin Xiaoye mentioned that someone had already informed them about the boat they had rented.

"It's my sister who rented the boat from someone, paying forty cents a day," Jin Xiaoshu explained briefly.

Anyway, even if they didn't mention it, others would eventually find out about his sister renting the old boatman's boat.

"Isn't it inconvenient for a woman like Xiaoye to row the boat alone? Why not let your elder brother help?" Jin Xiaoshu's uncle's wife suggested, "Your elder brother will surely take good care of Xiaoye."

The elder brother mentioned by Jin's uncle's wife was Jin Xiaoshu's eldest cousin. He was the first child in the family and he was a boy. He had been spoiled since childhood and was a bit lazy, not fond of doing farm work.

"My sister asked me to help. There's no need for my elder cousin," Jin Xiaoshu replied.

Hearing this, Jin Xiaoshu's uncle's wife sneered, "With your small body, can you even help?"

"Uncle's wife, during the rice harvest earlier, I harvested even more than my elder brother," Jin Xiaoshu said.

His uncle's wife's expression turned cold at his words, and she didn't bother to respond to Jin Xiaoshu.

Jin Xiaoshu was relieved at her lack of response and hurriedly went inside.

Jin Xiaoshu lived in the same room as his parents, but the room was divided into two halves, one for his parents and the other for him.

Before Jin Xiaoye got married, she also lived here.

Having spent a long time on the boat today, Jin Xiaoshu felt like his whole body was still swaying even as he lay on the bed.

But he was excited. After rolling around a few times on the wooden bed, he carefully took out the food Jin Xiaoye had brought for him to take back.

Just as he took the items out, his parents returned.

After entering, Jin's father asked, "Xiaoshu, are you going with Xiaoye to row the boat?"

"Yes!" Jin Xiaoshu replied.

Jin's father paused and said, "Your grandmother said that you have to give half of the money you earn to the family."

Jin Xiaoshu's mood instantly dampened. "I understand," he said.

However, he quickly smiled again and offered the food to his parents to taste.

"How did you manage to bring back so many delicious things?" Jin's father was pleasantly surprised and said, "I'll take some to your grandmother to taste."

"Dad, this was given to me by my sister behind her husband's back. We can't let anyone know!" Jin Xiaoshu immediately interjected. His grandmother never gave them anything tasty, and as for his uncle… his uncle was a cook who always brought back leftovers from the military camp, which their family secretly enjoyed.

He brought back such a tiny amount of things, why should he have to share?

Jin's father was taken aback. He hadn't thought of giving them to his own mother and simply said, "Tell your sister not to do this in the future. If her husband finds out, he'll be angry…"

Jin's mother added, "Why does she always think of renting a boat? What if she doesn't earn any money? If her husband earns money and finds out she squandered it, he'll definitely be upset…"

Jin Xiaoshu casually responded, his attitude indifferent.

He hadn't seen his brother-in-law upset; in fact, he seemed quite happy.

The fact that his daughter was sneaking them tasty treats behind her husband's back… Jin's father and mother were touched but also very worried. However, the treats were indeed delicious.

Jin's father had already lost all his teeth and could only chew with his gums, savoring each bite slowly. He didn't want to eat too much, just a bite, and then he stopped. Jin's mother was the same. In the end, they pushed the food back in front of Jin Xiaoshu.

"I've eaten, and I'm going to sleep," Jin Xiaoshu said, lying down on his bed and falling asleep.

The Jin family's conditions were decent, but Jin's grandmother was particularly careful with money and didn't allow the family to overspend. As a result, they only ate two meals a day.

If Jin Xiaoshu waited for the family to finish their meal before going to find Jin Xiaoye, it would be too late. He left the house just as dawn was breaking.

By the time he reached the Li family's house, Jin Xiaoye and Li Qingzhi had already prepared breakfast.

They didn't cook much; they simply cooked rice and watched the fire. It wasn't troublesome, and Li Qingzhi taught Jin Xiaoye how to write.

He would write once, and then Jin Xiaoye would practice beside him.

"You're really smart, Xiaoye!" Li Qingzhi exclaimed.

Jin Xiaoye didn't think she was smart. To remember the words she learned, she had to practice them several times.

After finishing writing once, Jin Xiaoye flattened the ash and continued writing on top of it.

At first, they wrote on the muddy ground, but later they found it inconvenient, so they dug a square pit, put some ash in it, and wrote on top of the ash.

Jin Xiaoye's serious expression while writing was really pleasing to the eye… But Li Qingzhi noticed that she made a stroke wrong and immediately said, "Xiaoye, you made a mistake. Let me hold your hand and teach you."

After saying that, Li Qingzhi held Jin Xiaoye's hand and taught her how to write on the ash.

After finishing, he held Jin Xiaoye's hand again and wrote the words he had taught her earlier.

Jin Xiaoye's hand was really warm… This was how writing should be taught! He had wasted their precious time by writing beside her earlier and letting Jin Xiaoye copy.

So when Jin Xiaoshu arrived, he saw his sister and brother-in-law sitting together, looking intimate.

Should he go in or not?

"Breakfast is ready," Jin Xiaoye coughed lightly and stood up.

She gave some rice to Li Laogen to cook in the evening, then divided the rice in the pot into three portions: one for herself, one for Jin Xiaoshu, and one for Li Laogen.

Then, Jin Xiaoye took her and Jin Xiaoshu's portion of rice and called to Li Qingzhi, "Let's go, we're going to the county town!"

This time was almost half an hour earlier than when Mr. Yao left to the county town; after all, Yao Zhenfu had always been reluctant to go to school early.

"You're not in a hurry to go to the Zhu family early, are you?" Jin Xiaoye asked Li Qingzhi.

"No, I still have time to read a bit," Li Qingzhi smiled.

Since Li Qingzhi said so… Jin Xiaoye began to row the boat.

As a result, when Li Qingzhi arrived at the Zhu family's house, it was very rare that everyone was still having breakfast.

The cook greeted Li Qingzhi with a smile and gave him an extra fried dough stick. "Mr. Li, the master said you're too thin and asked you to eat more."

"Why does he still have fried dough sticks?" one steward asked curiously.

"The master said Mr. Li is too thin and asked him to eat more," the cook said.

The chubby steward thought to himself, "…" This Mr. Li is really too thin!

But since it was ordered by Zhu Qian, he couldn't say anything.

Fried dough sticks weren't considered rare in modern times; generally, it's advised to eat fewer fried foods.

But this was ancient times!

Li Qingzhi divided the fried dough stick into two halves, then split one half into two again and gave them to two children. "Damao, Ermao, have you ever had an fried dough stick?"

"No," both Damao and Ermao replied together.

"Then try it," Li Qingzhi took a bite of his own fried dough stick.

"It's really, really delicious!"

At this moment, the cook brought over a small dish of soy sauce. "Dipping the fried dough stick in soy sauce and eating it with porridge is the best!"

Indeed, it was delicious. Li Qingzhi once again acted as the big eater.

After breakfast, Li Qingzhi took the two children to the study prepared by Zhu Qian.

He didn't rush to write; instead, he picked up a book from the bookshelf and started reading.

Zhu Qian must have casually placed several books when arranging the room. Because of this, he placed the most common Four Books and Five Classics.

These books were read by their original owners, but they hadn't studied them carefully or memorized them. Now, Li Qingzhi could memorize them.

While he was reading, Zhu Xunmiao arrived.

"Mr. Li, I heard you're going to write a book for Uncle Ding?" Zhu Xunmiao asked.

"Yes," Li Qingzhi replied.

Zhu Xunmiao said, "Mr. Li, I forgot to tell you something yesterday."

"What is it?" Li Qingzhi asked curiously.

Zhu Xunmiao said, "Mr. Li, it's best not to let others know about helping my father and Uncle Ding write the book." [For more stories, visit the public account: Sweet Even Without Sugar]

Zhu Xunmiao briefly explained it to Li Qingzhi.

The situation in Daqi was different from that of the previous dynasty. There were no regulations like "the son of a merchant cannot participate in the imperial examinations", and the status of merchants was relatively high.

Li Qingzhi also knew this. Daqi was somewhat similar to the Ming Dynasty in his previous life, but not exactly the same.

In any case, the status of merchants in Daqi was still acceptable.

But just because the son of a merchant could take the imperial examinations didn't mean that those scholars would look favorably upon them.

The hierarchy of contempt in this world has always existed. Whenever Zhu Xunmiao went out to socialize, he was always looked down upon by others.

Zhu Xunmiao mentioned some situations he had encountered. He was also kind-hearted and didn't want Li Qingzhi to be labeled as someone who loved money and flattered others just because he wrote a book praising his father and Uncle Ding.

Scholars despised each other, and there were plenty of scholars who liked to gossip behind people's backs.

"Thank you for the reminder, Young Master Zhu," Li Qingzhi said.

He actually didn't care much about his reputation, after all, reputation couldn't feed him.

But scholars in this era did value their reputation very much!

"No need to thank me," Zhu Xunmiao said. Seeing that there was still time, Li Qingzhi picked up another book… and they discussed some academic topics.

After this discussion… Zhu Xunmiao felt that he didn't need to specifically remind Li Qingzhi.

Based on Li Qingzhi's knowledge… it was basically impossible for him to achieve anything in the imperial examinations. It seemed fine for him to rely on helping people write books to make a living in the future, didn't it?

Zhu Xunmiao felt quite disappointed. Although Li Qingzhi had mentioned before that his academic skills were not good, he didn't expect them to be this bad.

But after feeling down, when he saw Li Qingzhi, who was so thin, persisting in writing books to support his family, and when he remembered that his own father couldn't even recognize big words, he felt that he shouldn't underestimate Li Qingzhi.

Li Qingzhi had been advancing towards his goal, just like his father. Such a person was worthy of admiration.

As Zhu Xunmiao went to school, Li Qingzhi played with Li Damao and Li Ermao for a while.

He found that Zhu Xunmiao was actually a good person, and what Zhu Xunmiao said made sense.

When Zhu Qian's book was finished… it would be better for him to write Ding Xi's book at home.

Initially, Zhu Qian had asked him to come to the Zhu family to write books because he was afraid that Li Qingzhi would be greedy for money and not write properly. And Li Qingzhi did indeed enjoy the hospitality provided by the Zhu family, so he came to the Zhu family every day.

But when he wrote Ding Xi's book, he could completely avoid going to the Ding family.

If he wrote in front of the Miaoqian Village, he would have more freedom with his time, and he wouldn't have to worry about spending too much time with his children while writing, which would actually be detrimental to their growth.

Of course, if he wrote at home, various expenses would inevitably increase. However, both Zhu Qian and Ding Xi were generous people, so he shouldn't be short of money.

Having made up his mind, Li Qingzhi let the two children play by themselves while he continued to write.

At noon, the Zhu family provided him with an extra meal again, this time it was a small bowl of preserved pork with pickled vegetables.

Salt was much cheaper here compared to inland areas, so people here especially liked to eat various preserved foods.

Li Qingzhi planned to take this meat back to Jin Xiaoye to eat.

He didn't know if his wife had found work yet.

That morning, after Li Qingzhi was dropped off near the Zhu family's house, Jin Xiaoye rowed the boat and went to the house of Wang, a friend of hers.

The houses in the county town were built along the river, with a stone-paved path on one side of the river. Jin Xiaoye shouted Wang's name a few times from the boat, and the woman with the surname Wang looked out from the window to see her. "Xiaoye, why are you rowing the boat?"

"Sister Wang, I rented a boat. I'll come to the county town every day from now on. If you need anything, I can bring it to you," Jin Xiaoye said with a smile. The woman with the surname Wang agreed with a smile. Jin Xiaoye asked her to put down a basket and then gave her two freshly picked loofahs.

In this way, Jin Xiaoye greeted the people she knew in the county town and found a place to stop, waiting for someone to call for the boat.

While waiting, she and Jin Xiaoshu took out the rice to eat.

The rice was wrapped in oil paper from the lunch Li Qingzhi had packed yesterday, just ordinary coarse rice, but it carried the fragrance of meat.

"This rice is really delicious!" Jin Xiaoshu exclaimed.

He had eaten quite a lot the previous night, but he was hungry again when he woke up!

Usually at home, he had to wait another hour before eating, and he always felt very hungry before meals.

Jin Xiaoye also found the rice very fragrant. Without any side dishes, she could eat a large bowl.

After some thought, Jin Xiaoye said to Jin Xiaoshu, "Xiaoshu, let's go buy two kilograms of pickled vegetables later. We'll eat them with rice from now on." Adding pickled vegetables to plain rice, when you took a bite, it was so delicious!

"Okay!" Jin Xiaoshu immediately agreed.

The two of them agreed, and then someone approached, seeming to want to call for the boat. Jin Xiaoye immediately greeted them.

Jin Xiaoye was a young woman, and Jin Xiaoshu was a half-grown teenager. The two of them were neatly dressed… People wouldn't hire them for heavy lifting, but those who were going out to visit relatives or friends were willing to hire them, especially those who brought their female family members along.

Yao Zhenfu always said it wasn't good for women to show themselves, but in Chongcheng County, there were actually quite a few women who went out to work.

Those who bought weaving machines to weave cloth at home would hire female workers, as would those who did embroidery or garment business. Those who spun silk would also mostly hire female workers.

In the county town, some women earned more money than men, and they were financially well-off.

Jin Xiaoye encountered a woman who was going back to her parents' home. As soon as she paddled, she headed towards the village the woman mentioned.

Jin Xiaoye was a newcomer to the boatman profession, with no regular customers. The number of people who hired her boat was not many, and by evening, she had only earned a total of more than 30 yuan, ending up losing money on her first day out.

But she didn't mind too much. She chatted with Wang and other people, agreeing to bring fresh vegetables to them tomorrow. With this, she could earn a little more.

She looked around the dock area today and found that some goods were cheaper than in the shops in town.

She had thought about selling seafood like salted fish and kelp before, but these things had a smell and were not suitable for her boat. Jin Xiaoye thought she could sell some other miscellaneous items.

Needles, threads, bowls, and plates—she could prepare some on the boat and sell them when she took customers to those villages.

Some people might not be able to come up with copper coins to buy, so they could use other things to exchange, whether it was eggs or vegetables, she could accept them.

Thinking like this, Jin Xiaoye began to inquire about the prices of various items.

She was busy all day, but even so, Jin Xiaoye still found time to take out a few sheets of rice paper and look at them.

There were some words on those sheets of paper, all of which Li Qingzhi had taught her.

There was even a doggerel poem Li Qingzhi had written: "Two little children, living by the river bank, sneaking into the water to play, they'll be scolded when they get home."

It couldn't really be considered a poem, but Jin Xiaoye liked it when she read it, and she had already learned all the words on it.

She didn't have much time until evening when she went to the riverside near the Zhu family to pick up Li Qingzhi and the two children.

This day was very busy, but Jin Xiaoye felt very fulfilled.

The following days were similar to this one.

Jin Xiaoye would collect eggs and vegetables in the village at night, and go to the county town to sell them in the morning.

Then she would try to attract customers and get to know more people.

She also found time to go to the dock and buy some needles, threads, bowls, and plates, which she put in a wooden box on her boat and sold them in Miaoqian Village or other villages.

These are all bits and pieces, and I earn very little. I only earn twenty or thirty cents a day. In addition, I can earn thirty or forty cents a day by helping people punt the boats. I can also earn some money occasionally by helping people carry things… Jin Xiaoye I can earn about eighty cents a day.

Mr. Yao earned a little more than her. He would help people carry goods and had some regular customers who would agree on a time to use his boat.

But Jin Xiaoye was already very satisfied with the current situation. She believed that as long as she got used to it, her income would be better!

And as she came and went more often, she probably knew what the villagers wanted, so she added some things to her boat.

When the people in the villages near Chongcheng County all got to know her, everyone who saw her would definitely ask what she had!

And now it was hot, actually not good for making money. In winter, when the farming was idle, many people would think about going to the county town to have fun. Families holding weddings would also hire boats to welcome their relatives, and some people would hire boats to go to nearby temples to burn incense… At that time, everyone would buy more food, and then she would definitely be able to earn more money.

With money in her pocket, Jin Xiaoye had a smile on her face every day, happily thinking about how to earn more money.

As time passed, Li Qingzhi unknowingly had already written nearly two hundred thousand words of Zhu Qian's autobiography.

Zhu Qian wished Li Qingzhi would write this book to a million words, but the things in his life actually didn't need to be written down in great detail.

Li Qingzhi planned to write for another month, and then this book would be finished.

In Daqi, there were various kinds of books and stories, and even the famous "Four Great Classical Novels" that he had read in his previous life could be found there.

Books about scholars and beauties were abundant, and the market was never short of them.

However, there were very few books like the one Li Qingzhi was writing, documenting the rags-to-riches story of an ordinary person.

Most importantly… this was Zhu Qian's autobiography!

Zhu Qian loved this book to the core, and anyone fortunate enough to read it also held it in high regard.

As more and more people around Zhu Xunmiao read the book, his classmates who were close to him had almost all read it.

And since these people had read the book… every day when Zhu Xunmiao arrived at the academy, the first thing they did was ask him for updates.

On this day, as Zhu Xunmiao entered the academy, Xu Qifei greeted him immediately, "Brother Zhu, please give me the manuscript to copy today!"

Zhu Xunmiao took out the manuscript written by Li Qingzhi and said, "There's no need to copy the manuscript now."

Zhu Xunmiao's admiration for Li Qingzhi had returned!

At first, Li Qingzhi's handwriting was simply atrocious, but now, after more than a month had passed, his handwriting had become much better, and it could even be considered above average in their academy.

Zhu Xunmiao felt that if Li Qingzhi continued to write for another month, his handwriting might even surpass his!

"Indeed, his handwriting has become much more powerful and orderly now," Xu Qifei sighed.

He had witnessed firsthand how rapidly the people who helped to revise the manuscript improved, to the point where it shocked him.

But Zhu Xunmiao told him that those who initially helped to revise the manuscript had just recovered from a serious illness… and that explained their initial lackluster handwriting.

"So, I'll copy it today!" another person squeezed through to say.

Xu Qifei was not willing to comply, "I've been copying the previous ones, and it's better to keep the handwriting consistent!"

"Then let me take a look first, and you can copy afterward."

"No, I'll look first!"

"I want to see it too!"

"Let's all look together!"

…

The crowd scrambled to get a look at the book, but Zhu Xunmiao, who had finished reading the three thousand words last night, remained calm, sitting aside and sipping tea.

He wondered if Mr. Li had started writing the sequel yet. He really wanted to see what would happen next.

He even thought about asking Li Qingzhi to write a book for him.

His life was still short, and he hadn't experienced much, but Li Qingzhi could create stories, couldn't he?

He even wished he could lock Li Qingzhi up and have him write books exclusively for him!

Sighing, Zhu Xunmiao took out a book and began to read.

Lately, he had been reading the books written by Li Qingzhi frequently. Every time he finished reading, he reminded himself to study hard and not to waste the opportunities his father had created for him.

While the people around Zhu Xunmiao were fighting to read the book, some people in the academy who didn't like Zhu Xunmiao couldn't help but talk behind his back.

"Zhu Xunmiao, the son of a merchant, is living up to his reputation. Instead of studying, he spends his days reading these cheap novels!" A person of about the same age as Zhu Xunmiao sneered, looking toward Yao Zhenfu, hoping to gain Yao Zhenfu's approval.

In the past, Yao Zhenfu would have agreed with him and criticized Zhu Xunmiao together. But today, Yao Zhenfu seemed absent-minded, as if he hadn't heard him at all.

"Yao Zhenfu, what's wrong with you?" the person frowned, asking.

"What?" Yao Zhenfu sat up straight as if startled, looking at his classmates with a hint of confusion on his face.

The person became even more puzzled. "What's wrong with you today? Feeling unwell?"

"No… no." Yao Zhenfu said, but he was feeling very anxious.

He had a lover in the county town, whose husband was a merchant who was always traveling. He spent only one or two months at home each year.

They had been together for a long time, and her husband had never found out, nor had he ever appeared. Anyway, Yao Zhenfu had never seen him.

But yesterday, on his day off, her husband caught him, and now he demanded a hundred taels of silver from Yao Zhenfu!

A hundred taels of silver! Where would he get that kind of money?

Li Xiucai was from the county town, but his family was quite ordinary. He rented a house for his school and also rented a house for his own residence. Every year, he had to spend a considerable amount of money just on rent.

In order to earn some extra money, he not only accepted many students but also sold meals at noon.

Every day, he had his wives and daughters-in-law prepare meals and deliver them to the students who had paid for their meals.

However, some people didn't eat at the school. Some couldn't afford the money due to their poor family backgrounds, while others didn't like the food provided by Li Xiucai's family.

Students who ate at the school had to pay two hundred cents per month. The meals were passable, but the taste was average.

Today, the meal at the school was meat and tofu soup, accompanied by pickled cucumber.

Yao Zhenfu had paid for his meal at the school. In the past, he would always secretly check if he was given less food, but today he didn't care much. After filling his bowl with food, he ate without tasting it.

While eating, he saw someone carrying a shoulder pole coming in.

It was the person delivering food from the Zhu family to Zhu Xunmiao.

The person took out four dishes and a soup from the food box and placed them in front of Zhu Xunmiao. Then, they took out a plate of snacks and a plate of peaches.

The quantity of these items was quite substantial, intended for Zhu Xunmiao to treat those around him to a meal.

Zhu Xunmiao indeed treated Xu Qifei and others to a meal.

Xu Qifei came from a poor family and couldn't even afford the money to eat at the school, but because he flattered Zhu Xunmiao, he could eat good food every day.

Yao Zhenfu somewhat looked down on him.

He also didn't like Zhu Xunmiao. Knowing that there were many students from poor families at the school, Zhu Xunmiao deliberately flaunted the wealth of the Zhu family in front of them!

But… why didn't his father have Zhu Qian's skills? If he had the money of the Zhu family, he wouldn't have to worry and fear like this!

Yao Zhenfu was caught yesterday.

He was with his sweetheart, Xuniang, at that time, and they were being intimate when someone suddenly barged in.

He was caught red-handed. The letters he had previously written to Xuniang and some gifts he had given her were also taken as evidence. Xuniang's husband said that if he didn't pay up, he would show those things to his classmates at the school and make him lose face.

This was absolutely unacceptable!

But one hundred taels…

Yao Zhenfu had been frightened all day before leaving the school.

There was a river wharf next to his school. At this time, several boats were docked here. Some students who didn't live in the county would discuss it with the boatmen from their villages and take a boat back home.

Of course, there were also students from well-off families who hired boats to take them home.

As for the students from the county town, most of them walked home, but some who lived far away would take a boat.

Yao Zhenfu didn't want people to know that his father was a boatman. He always had his father wait elsewhere, and when he left the school, he would turn into an alley.

However, as soon as he turned in, his expression changed drastically—Xuniang's husband was standing in front of him, smiling at him!

Xuniang's husband was a man in his forties, with dark skin and a fierce look on his face. "Have you gathered enough money yet?"

"Not yet…" Yao Zhenfu was quite plump, and he naturally sweated a lot. At this moment, the sweat was streaming down incessantly.

"You'd better gather the money quickly. Otherwise, I'll go to the yamen and report you! Don't think you can hide. If you dare to hide, I'll show your classmates those letters and let them all know what dirty things you've done!" Xuniang's husband snorted coldly.

Yao Zhenfu didn't dare to even let out a fart, nodding repeatedly while wiping away his sweat.

Xuniang's husband scolded him a few more times before leaving. Seeing this, Yao Zhenfu ran away in a panic.

Watching Yao Zhenfu leave, Xuniang's husband, who had turned into an alley, said to the woman beside him, "This guy is really spineless."

The woman, in her thirties, with fair skin and a plump figure, was none other than Xuniang. She snorted lightly, "I really misjudged before!"

The man who claimed to be Xuniang's husband was actually not her husband but her brother.

Xuniang's surname was Shen. The Shen family didn't even have a piece of irrigated land; they only had some dry land and had always relied on renting land from wealthy landlords to make a living.

Xuniang had never had enough to eat since she was young. After growing up, she had only one thought: to marry into a wealthy family where she could eat and drink her fill.

She was not bad looking, and indeed, there were people willing to marry her. However, at this time, she got another opportunity.

A wealthy merchant wanted to find a concubine in Chongcheng County. Not only was he willing to pay twenty taels of silver as a dowry, but he also promised to give twenty taels of silver for household expenses every year after marriage.

Xuniang seized this opportunity.

Marrying into an ordinary farming family would only ensure she didn't go hungry, but being a concubine for this merchant would mean eating meat!

Xuniang wanted to eat meat!

The merchant rented a house in the county town to accommodate Xuniang. At first, he didn't pay much attention to Xuniang, but after raising her for a while, Xuniang became more and more attractive, and she knew how to please people. He began to treat Xuniang better. In addition to the agreed-upon money, he would also give her extra money and gifts.

For several years, Xuniang lived a carefree and indulgent life.

However, starting from seven years ago, for some unknown reason, he suddenly stopped coming, and the money stopped coming too.

Xuniang inquired through others and learned that he had died of a bowel abscess while on a business trip, suffering terribly.

Since he had died, naturally, no one would give Xuniang money anymore. At that time, the Shen family wanted Xuniang to return to the countryside to remarry, but Xuniang was unwilling. Instead, she wanted to marry a wealthy man in the county town, even if it meant being a concubine.

But wealthy men in the county town weren't that easy to hook up with… Xuniang had a few admirers, but none of them were willing to marry her back.

Yao Zhenfu was someone she had met at that time. At that time, Yao Zhenfu was only seventeen or eighteen years old, still a naive youth, and he was dazzled by her in just a few days.

Xuniang felt that even if she had asked Yao Zhenfu to marry her back then, Yao Zhenfu would have been willing.

But she was nine years older than Yao Zhenfu, and she had been childless all along, fearing that she couldn't bear children… She didn't make this request after all.

At that time, Yao Zhenfu said he was very knowledgeable and even wanted to take the imperial examination, plus she thought Yao Zhenfu's parents could afford to send him to school, indicating that their family must be well-off…

She had been in contact with Yao Zhenfu all along, saying she genuinely loved Yao Zhenfu, and even said that her husband despised her for not having children, treated her badly, beat and scolded her at every turn, and even refused to give her money…

In short, after her sob story, Yao Zhenfu felt deeply sorry for her.

In recent years, Yao Zhenfu only visited her during his leisure time, about twice a month, and always during the daytime. But over the course of a year, he could still give her three or four taels of silver.

She was not losing out at all, so she was willing to maintain contact with Yao Zhenfu.

At that time, she even thought that if Yao Zhenfu became a scholar or even passed the imperial examination, she could become his concubine.

A man like Yao Zhenfu, she was confident she could control him in the palm of her hand.

However, in the past year, Yao Zhenfu's money had become less and less. Not only that, she also found out that Yao Zhenfu's knowledge was not as good as he had claimed!

In fact, there was not much savings in Yao Zhenfu's family.

On top of that, she was getting older and wanted to find a place to settle down… Xuniang simply found her brother, Shen Da, and together they staged a scene, forcing Yao Zhenfu to give her one hundred taels of silver.

Although the Yao family didn't have savings, they did have land.

Over the years, the price of land had been rising, and by selling four acres of land, the Yao family could raise one hundred taels. By then, she would have one hundred taels of silver, and she could find a widower with a well-off family and children to marry, thereby securing her future for the rest of her life.

"Look at him. Even if we ask for more, he will give it. And the Yao family only has him as a son… Are you really just asking for one hundred taels?" Shen Da asked his sister.

Xuniang glared at her brother. "A cornered dog will jump over a wall. If we push him too hard, we might not get anything at all. One hundred taels of silver is not a small sum!"

Yao Zhenfu was unaware that he was being manipulated. He rushed to find his father. When boarding the boat, he accidentally stepped into the water, soaking his shoes and pants.

On the other side, Li Qingzhi arrived near the river wharf close to the Zhu family and met Jin Xiaoye.

Li Qingzhi had been writing books at the Zhu family for almost two months.

When he first went to the Zhu family, he was very thin, but now he had gained a bit of weight, and his hands and feet were much stronger than before.

To fully recover, he needed more energy, but now he could live like an ordinary person.

Of course, in the eyes of others, he still looked a bit too thin. The chef at the Zhu family was quite puzzled.

Li Damao and Li Ermao, who followed Li Qingzhi to the Zhu family, had gained a lot of weight, and their faces were a bit whiter. They looked much cuter now, but why was Li Qingzhi still so thin? His hand was like a skeleton when he reached out.

He obviously ate so much!

In response, Li Qingzhi had no choice.

His physical foundation was very good, but the consumption over the past five years had been too great. When he first arrived, his body's bones and even organs had problems.

After two months of sufficient food supply, the priority was to repair the hidden injuries inside his body rather than gaining weight.

Fortunately, at this moment, all those hidden injuries had been repaired. Although he was still thin, his internal organs and bones were very healthy now.

Li Qingzhi held the hands of Li Damao and Li Ermao, who were wearing new clothes and new shoes and were walking with a bounce, and they came to the riverside, where they saw Jin Xiaoye.

Jin Xiaoye usually wore a straw hat, otherwise, in the hot summer, rowing outside would cause sunburn or even fainting.

But at this moment, she was not wearing a straw hat, revealing her coiled-up hair.

Jin Xiaoye had a lot of hair, but it was a bit dry and rough… People lacking nutrition in this era were basically like this.

Although Jin Xiaoye had been eating well for the past two months, her hair hadn't grown back.

But now… in her dry, yellow hair, there was a beautiful red cloth flower.

During these two months, Jin Xiaoye had made new clothes for Li Damao and Li Ermao, even making a set for each of them, but she hadn't made any for herself. She had always worn dull gray clothes.

And now, this flower in her hair looked even more vibrant.

Li Qingzhi thought the flower was extremely beautiful. "Xiaoye, you look really beautiful today."

Jin Xiaoye smiled, revealing a slightly tanned face.

Li Qingzhi, accompanied by Li Damao and Li Ermao, boarded the boat. Jin Xiaoshu asked, "Brother-in-law, what did you bring back today?"

Li Qingzhi replied, "There's a salted duck egg and stewed tofu with meat. We'll eat the stewed tofu with meat when we get home, and you can take the salted duck egg. We'll have it for lunch tomorrow."

Since Jin Xiaoye started rowing, they had been having three meals a day. After all, without enough food, they wouldn't have the energy to work.

In the morning, Jin Xiaoye would cook a pot of rice, with one portion for herself and one for Jin Xiaoshu and Li Laogen.

She would split her portion into two meals, one for breakfast and one for lunch.

By the time they got home in the evening, Li Laogen had already cooked dinner, and Li Qingzhi would bring back some meat dishes for another meal.

In fact, the meat dishes Li Qingzhi brought back were very few. The meals prepared by the Zhu family were for one person each, even if Zhu Xunmiao instructed them to give Li Qingzhi a bit more, the portion was still small.

But even with so little, it was still profitable.

And considering they had been eating dry food all these days… Jin Xiaoye and Li Laogen's complexion had improved a lot, and Jin Xiaoshu had also grown a bit.

Jin Xiaoye put the salted duck egg in her pocket, smiled in response, and touched the small red flower on her head with her hand.

"Mom, this flower looks really nice!"

"Mom, you look really nice."

…

Li Damao and Li Ermao chimed in one after another.

Jin Xiaoye smiled even more happily upon hearing this.

The family sailed back home happily. Along the way, Jin Xiaoye saw Mr. Yao.

When Jin Xiaoye first started rowing, she wasn't very skilled.

But she was determined and would row slowly while chatting with the passengers.

Li Qingzhi would tell Li Damao and Li Ermao stories and jokes every night, and she would remember them and tell the passengers when she was rowing.

After she told a few stories, Jin Xiaoshu also started telling them. After they started chatting with the passengers, even if they rowed slowly and clumsily, most passengers didn't mind.

But after half a month, Jin Xiaoye could row fast and well. Now, she would listen to the two children recite poems while skillfully rowing the boat.

"Aye, Uncle Yao!" Seeing Mr. Yao, Jin Xiaoye greeted him with a smile.

Mr. Yao smiled back, but as soon as he finished smiling, he frowned as if he had encountered something unpleasant, looking very unhappy.

Jin Xiaoye sensed that something was wrong and stopped talking.

Li Qingzhi wouldn't speak either. Although Yao Zhenfu was a living person and he didn't dislike Yao Zhenfu, he didn't want to be overly friendly… They hadn't spoken at all in the past month.

Previously, Yao Zhenfu had lent him books, so Jin Xiaoye had specially sent him a few eggs to return the favor.

"By the waters of separation…" Li Damao and Li Ermao looked at the scenery on the shore and recited poetry loudly.

When they were at the Zhu family's place, they restrained themselves and didn't speak loudly. But now, they relaxed.

When people passing by saw them, they couldn't help but greet them, "These two children are so cute!"

Mr. Yao also couldn't help but show some envy when he saw them.

He also had a grandson, but his grandson couldn't recite poetry.

"Dad, why are you rowing so slowly? Can't you go faster?" Yao Zhenfu said.

His shoes and pants were all wet, and he wanted to get home quickly to change!

Mr. Yao was already in his forties. In Daqi, people of this age among the lower class already looked quite old.

Mr. Yao was exposed to wind and sun every day, so he didn't look young at all, and his physical strength couldn't compare to that of younger people.

After rowing all day and helping with cargo, he was already exhausted, and his waist was hurting badly. But since his own son said so… Mr. Yao could only speed up the boat.

Jin Xiaoye glanced at Mr. Yao and slowed down.

Jin Xiaoshu had learned how to row the boat. They would occasionally switch hands during the day, and since they didn't take on the task of helping with cargo, they wouldn't get as tired as Mr. Yao.

When Li Qingzhi and the others arrived at the riverbank, Mr. Yao and Yao Zhenfu had already gone home, and Li Laogen was standing on the steps, stretching his neck to look at them.

"Xiaoye, Ah Qing, you're finally back! Ah Qing, did you bring back anything delicious today?" Li Laogen asked.

"I did." Li Qingzhi replied helplessly.

But Li Laogen was overjoyed. "That's great, that's great! I've already cooked porridge!"

Seeing this, the villagers chimed in, "Li Laogen, you only ever think about food!"

"Li Laogen, how old are you?"

"Li Laogen, you're finally living the good life!"

…

Recently, with the agricultural off-season, there were many people around the riverbank. At first, everyone was smiling and talking to Li Laogen, but when Jin Xiaoye's boat docked, their attention shifted to her.

"Xiaoye, what's on your head?"

"Xiaoye, the flower on your head looks really nice!"

"Xiaoye, I want to trade something for your hairpin."

…

After renting the boat, Jin Xiaoye bought some odds and ends to put on the boat.

Their village wasn't far from the county town, but people rarely went to the county town. Usually, when they needed something, they would buy it from the traveling salesman who went from village to village.

But now, Jin Xiaoye had those things on hand too.

The salesman didn't come to the village every day, but Jin Xiaoye came back every day. Now, the people of Miaoqian Village preferred to buy things from Jin Xiaoye.

Sometimes it wasn't about buying but trading. Vegetables from the fields, eggs from home-raised chickens, and even snails and river clams could be exchanged for goods with Jin Xiaoye.

Most people in the village didn't have much money, but these things could be obtained with a little time!

Everyone was willing to exchange these things with Jin Xiaoye, and Jin Xiaoye was willing to accept them—these items could be sold for money in the county town.

Taking out a box from the boat, Jin Xiaoye gave a needle to the person who wanted it and exchanged it for two eggs.

Li Qingzhi watched this scene with some emotion.

In this era, needles were quite expensive compared to modern times.

But that was normal; without machines, making needles was troublesome.

In the previous dynasty, needle prices were even higher. In Daqi, some workshops mass-produced sewing needles, which had already lowered the price of needles somewhat.

After exchanging the needle, Jin Xiaoye took out some fabric flowers similar to the one on her head to show the villagers. "The flower on my head was made by a city embroiderer. It's the same price as the needle, two eggs for one. You can also exchange other things, but if you want to use vegetables, they have to be freshly picked tomorrow morning."

The flower on Jin Xiaoye's head was made by a woman named Sister Wang whom she knew.

Sister Wang's husband was a traveling merchant, but he didn't earn much, and Sister Wang's two sons were still in school. Wang usually helped with sewing clothes.

Where there were sewing activities, there were inevitably some scraps of fabric, and Sister Wang's house had collected some.

She was good at needlework, and sometimes she would use the fabric scraps to make small trinkets.

Not long ago, Jin Xiaoye saw her wearing a flower on her head and thought it looked nice, so she asked her to make more and said she could help sell them.

Making these flowers wasn't difficult. Instead of intricately carving each petal, they were simply sewn with fabric scraps, with the main advantage being the good quality and bright colors of the fabric.

Sister Wang made them quickly, and since the fabric scraps didn't cost much, the price she sold them to Jin Xiaoye was about three eggs for two flowers.

Jin Xiaoye now sold two eggs for one flower, so selling two flowers would earn her one egg.

It wasn't much profit, but small businesses needed to be sustainable. If she really made a lot of money from this, the villagers would complain, and someone might take her business away.

"These flowers are made from fabric used by wealthy families in the county town to make wedding dresses. The price isn't cheap. It took some effort for me to get them from the embroiderer," Jin Xiaoye showed the flower to the villagers, "You can sew it onto a hairpin and wear it."

Most women in the village didn't have accessories. Many people pierced their ears, but they could only stuff tea stems in them.

Now, the flower on Jin Xiaoye's head could be exchanged for two eggs. If they were reluctant to part with the eggs, they could bring some vegetables from home or go catch some snails or clams…

Immediately, a woman from a relatively well-off family spoke up, "I want to exchange for one."

"I want to exchange for one too. I'll go get the eggs right away."

"I'll go get the eggs too."

…

"Xiaoye, it's time to go home for dinner!" Li Laogen urged. If Jin Xiaoye kept selling flowers here and didn't go home, when would he be able to eat the meat Li Qingzhi brought back?

Jin Xiaoye felt a bit helpless. Seeing everyone wanting to go home to get eggs, she said, "I'll go home first. If you want to exchange for a flower, come to my house."

Everyone agreed.

When they returned home, Li Laogen couldn't wait to lift the lid of the pot.

They had already eaten two meals of dry rice during the day, and Jin Xiaoye calculated that Li Laogen would cook porridge for them at night.

Now, there was a pot of not-so-white porridge in the pot, with the rice grains not fully cooked.

The former was because the rice hadn't been pounded clean, and the latter was because there wasn't enough firewood.

But this was pure grain, without any vegetables added.

Not to mention meat.

"Both Xiao Li and Xiao Ye have abilities, Li Laogen, you're really lucky!"

…

The villagers once thought that Li Qingzhi had a problem with his brain.

But later, Li Qingzhi could go copy books… His brain should be fine, but his body… After all this time, he hasn't gained any weight, which is suspicious.

But even if Li Qingzhi had issues, he could still earn money! He could still bring back meat!

Now, the villagers all thought that Li Qingzhi had prospects.

Li Laogen listened to these people talking, his face full of joy.

However, Jin Xiaoye put down her chopsticks and took out the fabric flowers for people to choose.

These flowers were all very colorful. The villagers didn't want plain-colored flowers, especially white ones, which were only worn when someone passed away.

After the people who brought eggs looked over them, they quickly chose the flowers they wanted.

But as the evening fell, no one else came.

Only then did Jin Xiaoye wash up behind the house.

She was too busy entertaining the villagers to go to the river for a bath. Jin Xiaoshu and Li Laogen brought some water for her to wash up with.

After washing up and lying on the bed, Jin Xiaoye's mood was still very excited. "Ah Qing, these flowers sell pretty well. Tomorrow, I can go find Sister Wang and ask her to make more! We can also ask her to come up with some other designs…"

"Xiaoye, you're really clever!" Li Qingzhi praised.

"Ah Qing, I'm earning more and more money!" Jin Xiaoye continued, "But it's a pity that I have to pay forty cents in rent every day!"

These days, Jin Xiaoye could earn about a hundred cents a day, but after paying the rent, she was left with only sixty cents, which is less than two cash in a month, and with her and Jin Xiaoshu being two people, it was even less.

But by selling these fabric flowers next, she should be able to earn quite a bit!

Full of enthusiasm, Jin Xiaoye began to envision the future: "When I've earned enough money, I must buy a few acres of land and build a house. Then I'll build four big rooms. Damao and Ermao can each have two rooms!"

"Okay." Li Qingzhi smiled and replied, then asked, "Should we buy a bed first?"

The money he earned, he always gave it to Jin Xiaoye whenever he came home.

Now Jin Xiaoye should have money on hand, but she hadn't bought anything, and their lives were not much different from before.

Jin Xiaoye thought for a moment and said, "I'll find someone to buy some boards first, let's put together a bed for now. We don't have much money now, so instead of buying a bed, it's better to buy two quilts first. Our family's quilts are not enough."

When she married Li Qingzhi, it was summer, and Li Qingzhi only prepared a thin quilt.

When she got married, her parents also gave her only one quilt.

Li Laogen didn't have a quilt to cover himself, so she gave the thin quilt Li Qingzhi had prepared to Li Laogen, and she covered herself and her two children.

This quilt was not big. She used to sleep with Li Damao and Li Ermao, and it was enough to cover them. But now there's Li Qingzhi too, so it definitely won't be enough!

Li Laogen's quilt was also a bit thin and needed to be thickened.

"In addition to quilts, we also need to get cotton clothes. You don't even have cotton clothes. The cotton clothes from Dad are not warm to wear…" Jin Xiaoye began to count on her fingers.

These things are not cheap. After getting them, it will cost at least several taels of silver.

Every time she calculated what the family needed, Jin Xiaoye felt that their family's possessions were too few.

Pots, bowls, ladles, tables, chairs, they were lacking a lot of things!

But by taking it slowly, they could always save up. If she worked harder, she could even save more for Li Damao and Li Ermao in the future.

As Jin Xiaoye spoke, she fell asleep and even started snoring softly—she was too tired.

Li Qingzhi lay on the bed, looking towards the bedside.

It was very dark, he couldn't see Jin Xiaoye sleeping on the floor, but he could feel her presence.

During the apocalypse, even if there was just a slight noise around, he would have trouble falling asleep, but now… whether it was the frogs outside or Jin Xiaoye's snoring, or the sound of the child's breathing, it all gave him a sense of security.

Li Qingzhi closed his eyes and began to use his abilities.

His body had improved a lot, and recently, from time to time, he would use his abilities to "purify" his brain.

The effect was very good. Now, he could memorize books by repeating them a few times. However, because of the need to write and practice calligraphy, he hadn't memorized many books, and even if he did, he didn't understand the content.

In the future, he must find a teacher and undergo systematic learning.

Thinking about what he needed to do next, Li Qingzhi also fell into a deep sleep.

Next door, the Yao family couldn't sleep all night.

Mr. Yao lay on the bed, tossing and turning.

Yao's mother also kept her eyes open, unable to sleep.

Yesterday, their son came to them, asking for one hundred taels of silver, and he mentioned it again at dinner tonight.

Their son had previously participated in the county exam but failed. And now… their son suddenly said that whether he could pass the county exam or not depended on the county magistrate, and if he wanted to pass the county exam, he had to be familiar with the county magistrate.

According to their son, some of the scholars in the county town came from wealthy families. Their fathers invited the county magistrate to dinner or gave gifts to the county magistrate, so they could easily pass the county exam. The reason why their son couldn't pass was because the county magistrate didn't know him.

In their conversations, their son had been constantly blaming them, feeling that it was because of their lack of effort that he couldn't pass the county exam. He even said that if he passed, he would definitely pass the provincial exam and then become a successful candidate.

Mr. Yao knew that Yao Zhenfu's words made some sense. If they had connections with the county magistrate, passing the county exam would definitely not be difficult.

But one hundred taels of silver—that was a hundred taels of silver!

Mr. Yao's parents originally had two sons, but Mr. Yao's elder brother died young due to illness, leaving Mr. Yao as the only one.

The Yao family was wealthy, and Mr. Yao received a considerable amount of money from his parents.

He was quick-witted and bought a boat with the money. After that, their family had a stable source of income.

When Mr. Yao had just gotten married and went out to row the boat, even though he only earned forty to fifty cents sometimes, on lucky days he could earn two to three hundred cents. On average, he could earn two taels of silver a month.

Plus, their family had many fields and lands with a lot of output…

At that time, they could occasionally eat meat, and they could save up twenty to thirty taels of silver a year.

By the time Yao Zhenfu was eight years old, their family had saved up over two hundred taels of silver. Seeing how smart and clever Yao Zhenfu was… with only one child, they thought about sending him to school.

Thinking that the local scholar's knowledge was insufficient, after inquiring, Mr. Yao sent Yao Zhenfu to the school in the county town.

In the first few years, Yao Zhenfu's education expenses were not high. Basically, the money Mr. Yao earned from rowing the boat was enough to support Yao Zhenfu's education.

But as the years went by, expenses gradually increased.

Having Mr. Li explain the classics costs an additional five taels of silver each year, and Yao Zhenfu's expenses for buying books, paper, pens, and clothes, participating in the county exam, and attending gatherings with classmates… Yao Zhenfu alone costs fifty taels of silver a year.

Mr. Yao worked hard to earn money, but it wasn't enough for him to spend, so he had to use his savings.

The living standard of the Yao family also became poorer and poorer.

Before, the Yao family could occasionally eat meat, but now they could only afford tofu for a penny.

In the past two years, Mr. Yao worked himself to exhaustion every day, often with a sore waist that he couldn't straighten up, and Yao's mother? Her temper also became worse and worse.

"They all didn't want Yao Zhenfu to continue his studies, but Yao Zhenfu always said he was about to pass the exam…

This time, Yao Zhenfu asked for a hundred taels of silver as soon as he opened his mouth. Where could they get it from?

They all advised Yao Zhenfu not to take the exam, feeling that it would be better for him to live a stable life like Li Qingzhi, finding a job copying books.

If their family had two earners, plus the dozen or so acres of land at home… Before long, their family could become well-off again.

But Yao Zhenfu refused and even had a big argument with them.

Yao's mother suddenly spoke up, "What's the use of passing the county exam? There are so many talented students in the county! Even if you pass the exam, there aren't many who can make money like Scholar Li. The life of the scholar in the neighboring village isn't much better than ours…"

To come up with these hundred taels, they would have to sell their land!

And then? After passing the county exam, they would have to participate in the prefectural exam in the prefecture city. Would they have to sell their land again by then?

By the time their son became a scholar, they might not even have any land left!

Mr. Yao sighed, "Zhenfu is determined to take the exam…"

In fact, two years ago, Mr. Yao wanted his son to stop studying, but unfortunately, his son was unwilling.

He thought his son was only in his twenties and the family could still support him, so he let him be.

But now… they couldn't hold on anymore.

In the neighboring room, Yao Zhenfu couldn't sleep either.

He was frightened by Xuniang's husband and felt very anxious.

He knew a little bit about the situation at home – their family had almost no money left.

But they still had land, so selling a little wouldn't hurt, right?

Yao Zhenfu's mind was in turmoil, and Jin Moli whispered, "Afraid, it's not easy to take the exam for the scholar. Wouldn't it be better not to take it?" What scholar exam! It's better to do business.

She remembered that in her past life, Yao Zhenfu had already stopped studying at this time. It was said that because Jin Xiaoye was always quarreling with him, he couldn't focus on his studies.

It was only after he stopped studying that he started his business, and it grew bigger and bigger.

"Do you want me to stop taking the scholar exam? What are you thinking!" Yao Zhenfu suddenly shouted.

Jin Moli gave birth to a son and a daughter, and the two children were still young, sleeping on the bed next to them. When Yao Zhenfu shouted, the two children were awakened and started crying together.

But Yao Zhenfu didn't stop, "Cry, cry, cry, all you know is cry! My luck is all gone because of you crying! Jin Moli, I can't pass the scholar exam, it's all because I married you, this jinx!"

Compared to Jin Moli, Yao Zhenfu preferred Xuniang, but if both were presented in front of him to choose, he would definitely choose Jin Moli.

Jin Moli was his legally married wife, and they had children!

In the past, Yao Zhenfu was still nice to Jin Moli, at least he wouldn't say such things, but these days he felt aggrieved, so he vented all his anger on Jin Moli: "What can you do? You can't do chores well, you can't take care of the children well, and you always look like you're suffering!"

Yao Zhenfu said a lot to Jin Moli.

In the darkness, Jin Moli silently shed tears, feeling a bit lost.

She really didn't expect Yao Zhenfu to say such things to her!

This evening, she saw many people in the village going to exchange head flowers with Jin Xiaoye. She wanted to ask her mother-in-law for two eggs and go to exchange one too.

As a result, before she could speak, there was a commotion at home.

With things like this at home, she naturally didn't dare to mention exchanging head flowers… She was already very upset at the time, but she didn't expect to feel even more upset at night.

Jin Moli cried half the night.

Yao Zhenfu was already annoyed, and seeing her cry, he started scolding again, causing the two children to cry non-stop as well.

When Li Qingzhi got up in the morning, he felt his face itch."

He reached up and felt his face, only to realize he had been bitten.

It seemed his health had really improved quite a bit if even mosquitoes were biting him now!

Before, mosquitoes only bit the two children, not him.

Since he was awake now, Li Qingzhi got up from the bed and went to the toilet.

Their toilet was just a jar buried in the ground, with a wooden board on top to squat on.

In the hot summer, the smell of the toilet wasn't very pleasant, but that was the way it was for everyone these days.

Their toilet was even considered clean; some families combined their toilets with pigsties, making passersby involuntarily hasten their steps.

After Li Qingzhi finished using the toilet, Jin Xiaoye also got up. Seeing this, she went to the kitchen to cook.

Lending a hand, Jin Xiaoye practiced writing words at the stove while Li Qingzhi made the fire.

Li Qingzhi was very proactive, "Xiaoye, shall I teach you some new words?"

Jin Xiaoye glanced at Li Qingzhi and said, "Not learning new words today. There will definitely be people coming to exchange head flowers later."

As soon as she said this, a voice came from outside the house, "Xiaoye, do you still have head flowers?"

"Yes, we do!" Jin Xiaoye replied.

She thought these head flowers would sell well, so she had asked Sister Wang to prepare more.

"I want to exchange for one." The person who came to find Jin Xiaoye brought two eggs.

Jin Xiaoye smiled and took out the head flowers for the person to choose from.

The person picked one and left. Soon after, another person arrived with a basket of loofahs, also here to exchange for head flowers.

Actually, yesterday, many people in the village didn't plan to exchange head flowers. After all, even if they weren't expensive, they still required two eggs.

Wouldn't it be better to eat the eggs themselves?

But yesterday, quite a few people exchanged!

For common folks, if nobody had something, it was fine, but if someone had it, others around would also want it.

The person who came to exchange head flowers now said, "My sister-in-law picked a big red one; I want one like that too."

"The most common color for these flowers is big red; you can choose any." Jin Xiaoye said. Indeed, most of the head flowers were big red, but the flower centers were made in various colors, including yellow and blue.

The person picked one happily and left. Shortly after, another person arrived…

Li Qingzhi helped Jin Xiaoye tidy up things, which mainly involved putting the eggs in a bamboo basket.

While they were busy,Aunt Jin arrived.

In the past two months, Li Qingzhi had chatted with Aunt Jin a few times and was now familiar with the situation in her family.

Aunt Jin had a seventeen-year-old son, who was quiet and didn't speak much, and a fourteen-year-old daughter with a similar personality, who was very likable to her. Her mother-in-law was particularly stingy, her father-in-law had a bad relationship with her mother-in-law, and as for her husband… he was as silent as her son, indifferent to everything.

Aunt Jin was really someone who couldn't keep secrets; she poured out everything, even the little things in her room with her husband, to Li Qingzhi.

Even though Li Qingzhi enjoyed chatting, he found it a bit hard to handle.

"Xiaoye, I heard you're selling head flowers? Can you give me one?" Aunt Jin asked.

Jin Xiaoye replied, "Sister-in-law, these head flowers aren't mine. I'm just helping someone sell them; how can I give them away?"

Many people in Miaoqian Village were related to her, and if she gave one to Aunt Jin, wouldn't others expect the same?

Then how could she make money?

"Why are you so stingy? Now both you and your husband are making money, getting rich, but what about my family? We only have that little piece of land…" Aunt Jin felt aggrieved.

Jin Xiaoye said, "Sister-in-law, a few years ago when I was having a hard time, you didn't help me either!"

When Li Qingzhi had just returned,Aunt Jin probably avoided her because she was afraid she would ask for money.

"You really have a bad temper…" Aunt Jin murmured discontentedly after glancing covetously at the head flowers, then left.

Just as Aunt Jin left, Jin Moi arrived.

Jin Moli's eyes were a little red. She smiled at Jin Xiaoye and said, "Xiaoye, how much for a head flower? I'll buy one with copper coins."

After being scolded yesterday, Jin Moli felt very upset and didn't have the mood to dress up.

But seeing so many people in the village wearing head flowers, she didn't know what others would say if she didn't have one!

Unfortunately, Yao's mother seemed particularly unhappy with her today, so she probably wouldn't want to give her eggs to exchange for head flowers. She could only use her own private money to buy.

Originally, Yao's family had given her a dowry, all of which she kept, and her father had given her a few taels of silver separately… Jin Moli had money.

But she had given Yao Zhenfu some before, and now there wasn't much left.

"Three cents for two, if you want one… give me two cents, and I'll give you some roasted peanuts?" Jin Xiaoye suggested. Eggs were worth about four cents for three, so one head flower was valued at one and a half cents.

Jin Moli said, "Just give me two!" She had been upset yesterday and wanted to treat herself better today.

Jin Xiaoye happily said, "Come, pick whichever you like."

Jin Moli chose a yellow one and a red one, paid the money briskly, and left.

Jin Xiaoye praised, "Moli, you have good taste. These two flowers you picked are very beautiful. You already look good, you can wear both of them together on your head, and when you go out like that, everyone will surely look at you."

Being praised by Jin Xiaoye, Jin Moli's mood improved slightly. Seeing Jin Xiaoye's face darkened after two months of exposure to the sun, she felt a surge of sympathy.

Rowing a boat was indeed tiring, and her father-in-law's back had problems.

Jin Xiaoye worked hard to row the boat and only earned a few coins; wasn't it too hard?

Jin Xiaoye didn't know what Jin Moli was thinking and praised her a few more times.

If Jin Moli wore two head flowers out, others might also want two, and then they would come back to buy more from her!

"Xiaoye, with so many eggs, can we eat a few?" Li Laogen looked at the basket of eggs, drooling.

"Father, you've been eating meat every day these days, isn't that enough?" Jin Xiaoye disagreed. "These eggs, I have to take them to town to sell."

Hearing this, Li Laogen looked disappointed.

Jin Xiaoye saw this and said, "Father, if you go to the field today and pull out the weeds, I'll make steamed egg custard for you tomorrow morning."

Li Laogen immediately responded, "Xiaoye, don't worry, I'll definitely pull out the weeds in the field."

Jin Xiaoye nodded, then looked a bit puzzled, "Why hasn't Xiaoshu come yet?"

Normally, at this time, Jin Xiaoshu would have already arrived.

"He's coming," Li Qingzhi said, noticing Jin Xiaoshu walking towards them, accompanied by an elderly lady with two twisted braids. Some people in Miaoqian Village would tie their hair up, while others would twist their hair into two braids on each side. The elderly lady beside Jin Xiaoshu had two braids, and her hair was smooth.

This elderly lady was Jin Xiaoye's grandmother, nearly seventy years old, with white hair and only a few teeth left, but her eyes were sharp and her movements agile.

It was precisely because of this that she still managed many things in the Jin family.

Jin Xiaoshu walked ahead of his grandmother and gave Li Qingzhi a wry smile, then asked Jin Xiaoye, "Sister, do you need any help?"

Jin Xiaoye replied, "Take the eggs back to the boat."

After saying that, Jin Xiaoye looked at her grandmother and asked, "Grandma, why are you here?"

Grandma Jin asked, "Xiaoye, Xiaoshu has been working with you for two months already, why haven't you given him any money?"

"Grandma, even rowing the boat, I had to start from scratch after renting it. I haven't earned much money in these two months, how can I share it? And Xiaoshu came to help, isn't this already taking care of his meals?" Jin Xiaoye explained, "A few days ago, I saw my second cousin carrying cargo at the pier, did he pay you?"

In fact, Jin Xiaoye hadn't let Jin Xiaoshu work for nothing. She did give him some of the money she earned, but it was all kept by her.

If the Jin family were fair, she wouldn't do this, but her grandparents had always been biased, so she had to be a bit cunning.

Leaving that aside, her three male cousins had worked as casual laborers in the county town in previous years, claiming they were just having fun and never contributing any money to the family.

And now that there wasn't much work in the fields, if Jin Xiaoshu didn't help her, he would just be wandering around the village, and coming to her place actually saved the Jin family some food.

Grandma Jin said, "Even if your second cousin occasionally goes for a day, Xiaoshu has been working with you for how long!"

"If Xiaoshu goes to the county town to be an apprentice, they won't pay him for two years! If I don't take him, and the village finds someone else to be an apprentice, they won't pay for two years either," Jin Xiaoye explained.

The young lads in the village would definitely be willing to work with her, after all, they could have a meal and learn how to row a boat.

Grandma Jin remained silent.

Jin Xiaoye then asked, "Grandma, have you eaten yet?"

"Not yet," Grandma Jin replied.

Jin Xiaoye went to the kitchen, served up a bowl of rice for her, cut some pickled vegetables, and then divided the remaining rice.

"You're really living it up, having dry rice for breakfast so early," Grandma Jin remarked as she quickly started eating.

Jin Xiaoye glanced at Grandma Jin speechlessly.

The Jin family's situation was decent enough that they could afford to have dry rice for breakfast, but it was Grandma Jin who didn't allow it.

Grandma Jin added, "Xiaoye, I need to go to the county town today, can you take me there, and bring me back tonight?"

"Sure!" Jin Xiaoye agreed. Seeing her grandmother coming with a basket on her back, Jin Xiaoye knew she must want to go to the county town.

Jin Xiaoshu's wages were something she didn't want to hand over, but after giving her grandmother a ride to the county town, she didn't mind doing it for free.

That day, they were a bit late heading to the county town, and the boat was a bit crowded.

The boat Jin Xiaoye rented wasn't very large. Now it was filled with eggs and vegetables, plus quite a few people, leaving no space even for a gap.

Li Qingzhi wasn't very familiar with Grandma Jin, and their relationship wasn't good either.

Mainly because when the previous owner married Jin Xiaoye, he gave a dowry of ten taels of silver, all of which Grandma Jin took without giving any dowry.

He greeted her but didn't initiate any conversation. Grandma Jin ignored him and kept asking Jin Xiaoye about how much money she earned from rowing the boat.

Jin Xiaoye mentioned some things she had told the villagers before, and said that most of the money she earned was used to pay the rent.

When they arrived in the county town, Grandma Jin got off the boat first with her basket, followed closely by Li Qingzhi.

He was planning to go to the Zhu family's place when he suddenly heard the voice of Mr. Yao, "Xiao Li, wait a moment."

Li Qingzhi turned around and saw Mr. Yao rowing the boat over. They had left late today, and Mr. Yao had already taken Yao Zhenfu to school!

"Uncle Yao, is there something you need?" Li Qingzhi asked.

Mr. Yao asked, "Xiao Li, I want to ask… Is the Zhu family still hiring copy books?"

Li Qingzhi said, "Uncle Yao, Master Zhu hired me to copy books out of pity. It'll be finished in a few days… The Zhu family doesn't need anyone to copy books anymore."

Mr. Yao sighed, "I see…"

Li Qingzhi smiled, "Uncle Yao, are you suggesting that Brother Yao finds a job? Although the Zhu family doesn't need someone to copy books anymore, the bookstore always hires people to copy books. It might not pay as much as before, but it's still a decent income for a hardworking person." Some obscure books took a lot of time and effort to print, so bookstores would hire people to copy them. The pay wasn't as good as what Master Zhu offered, but it was enough to make ends meet.

"Xiao Li, thank you," Mr. Yao smiled and thanked him, then asked hesitantly, "Xiao Li, do you know how to pass the county exam? Do you need to treat the county magistrate to a meal and give gifts?"

"Why are you asking, Uncle Yao?" Li Qingzhi was puzzled.

After a moment of silence, Mr. Yao explained about Yao Zhenfu asking for money.

Li Qingzhi: "…"

With the memories of the previous owner, Li Qingzhi naturally knew how to pass the county exam.

In this world, relationships were indeed important. If you had a good relationship with the county magistrate, it was much easier to pass the county exam.

But passing the county exam wasn't a big deal. After passing the county exam, one still had to pass the prefectural exam and the imperial examination to become a scholar (successful candidate)!

And nowadays, being a scholar wasn't highly valued, so few people spent money to pass the county exam.

Those who couldn't even pass the county exam were hoping to become scholar? Since they couldn't become scholar, why spend money to pass the county exam?

Also… if someone in the county town became a scholar, it was an achievement for the county magistrate. If someone truly had talent, unless they offended the county magistrate—who was usually quite petty—the county magistrate would definitely help them pass the county exam.

So… what did Yao Zhenfu want with one hundred taels of silver?

Li Qingzhi thought for a moment and said, "Uncle Yao, as far as I know, the imperial examination still looks at real talent. If Brother Yao wants to go down this path, Uncle Yao can ask his classmates about his knowledge. If he has good knowledge, he will surely pass." As far as he knew, Yao Zhenfu's knowledge was very average, worse than Zhu Xunmiao's.

Mr. Yao hesitated. After being influenced by Yao Zhenfu's words, he was a bit afraid to approach those students.

Li Qingzhi noticed his hesitation. "Uncle Yao, don't you often attract customers? Those scholars are no different from your customers."

Li Qingzhi didn't say much to avoid getting involved in trouble.

If Yao Zhenfu came to their house, it would be quite annoying.

After talking to Mr. Yao, Li Qingzhi walked towards the Zhu family.

He hadn't walked far when he saw Grandma Jin.

Most of the houses in their village were made of earth walls, but many of the houses in the county town were made of bricks. Of course, there were also houses made of bamboo and wood.

At that moment, he saw Grandma Jin taking a loose brick from someone else's wall and putting it in her basket, then quickly running away.

This old lady was even more agile than him!

When Li Qingzhi arrived at Zhu's house today, he was later than usual.

He was quite hungry and went straight to the kitchen.

Upon entering, he saw the cook busy at work, so Li Qingzhi asked, "Uncle Zhou, is your child still having diarrhea?"

The cook at Zhu's house was surnamed Zhou. A few days ago, he had been worried all day about his child's diarrhea. Li Qingzhi knew about it and had instructed him to feed the child some salt and sugar water.

"He's already better!" Chief Zhou smiled. Seeing Li Qingzhi taking his portion of food, he also served Li Qingzhi a plate of scrambled eggs and a plate of fried peanuts. "Thank you, Uncle Zhou," Li Qingzhi sincerely thanked him.

"Why thank me? This was ordered by the young master for Mr. Li Qingzhi. But Mr. Li Qingzhi, why can't you gain weight?" Chief Zhou sighed.

Li Qingzhi joked, "I have to write a lot every day, which consumes energy, so I can't gain weight."

"Is that so?" Chief Zhou believed him.

Li Qingzhi smiled again. He picked up the egg and took a bite, then praised, "Uncle Zhou, you cook these eggs so deliciously. I've never had such tasty scrambled eggs before."

Chef Zhou smiled happily, "Aren't scrambled eggs all the same?"

"They're not the same. Uncle Zhou, your skill is exceptional," Li Qingzhi replied.

Chef Zhou knew his skill was just average – what skill did it take to make scrambled eggs?

But Li Qingzhi's praise made him happy.

After praising the cook, Li Qingzhi went to compliment the kitchen maid who was plucking chickens nearby, saying that the porridge today was thick and fragrant.

When he first came to Zhu's house, Li Qingzhi spent most of his energy just writing every day.

His arm had been hurting all the time back then. If it weren't for his ability, he wouldn't have been able to continue writing. But even if he could write… every stroke felt like countless needles were piercing his arms and shoulders.

Even though he had suffered in the apocalypse, encountering this situation was still somewhat uncomfortable. Naturally, he didn't have the energy to interact with Zhu's servants.

But now, his arm didn't hurt anymore even after writing three thousand words a day!

He liked chatting, but recently, when he returned to Miaoqian Village, it was already late. On top of that, he had to bathe two children and do some miscellaneous chores… he didn't even have time to attend the gossip sessions that started promptly every evening at the riverside in front of Miaoqian Village.

So, he simply chatted with the people in Zhu's kitchen while eating, chatting heatedly.

He really liked Chef Zhou and the other kitchen maids at Zhu's house! They all carried the aroma of food.

Li Qingzhi liked them, and Chef Zhou and the kitchen maids liked him too.

Mr. Li was a scholar, yet he was so close to them. How could they not like him?

At this moment, Chef Zhou gave Li Damao and Li Ermao each two peaches, "Our peaches at home are ripe now. Li Damao, Li Ermao, have a taste."

"Uncle Zhou, what about me?" Li Qingzhi immediately asked.

Chef Zhou gave Li Qingzhi four peaches and said, "Mr. Li, can't leave you out."

In Chongcheng County, many households planted peach trees. Besides eating peaches, peach trees here also had some other uses.

For example, when children walked at night, it was inevitable for the elders at home to pick a few peach leaves or break a peach branch and put it in their clothes.

However, the peaches here were generally small. The peaches Chef Zhou gave Li Qingzhi were only the size of ping-pong balls.

Now, not only could he eat meat, but he could also eat fruit! Li Qingzhi picked up one and took a bite, finding it sour and sweet, especially delicious. "Uncle Zhou, your peaches are really delicious!"

"They're tasty when ripe. I'll bring you some tomorrow," Chef Zhou said. If the peaches were picked early, they would be very sour, but if left on the tree for a little longer until they ripened, or even fell off by themselves, they would taste great.

Every time Chef Zhou wanted to eat peaches, he would shake his own peach tree. The peaches that fell down from shaking were all delicious.

"Then I'll thank Uncle Zhou in advance!" Li Qingzhi smiled and thanked him.

While they were talking, Zhu Qian and Ding Xi came together.

Since coming to Zhu's house, Zhu Qian would occasionally find Li Qingzhi to talk. After all, Li Qingzhi was writing his autobiography.

Recently, Zhu Qian's book was almost finished. Ding Xi would also come over from time to time to talk to Li Qingzhi about his experiences, allowing Li Qingzhi to consider how to write his book in advance.

"Mr. Li, haven't had breakfast yet? You go ahead, we'll wait for you in the study." Zhu Qian saw that Li Qingzhi hadn't had breakfast yet and smiled as he spoke.

Li Qingzhi said, "Thank you both. I should be able to finish quickly."

After Zhu Qian and Ding Xi left, Li Qing put the salted duck eggs that the stewards had every morning into his pocket, and shared other things with Li Damao and Li Ermao. He didn't keep any of the four peaches for himself and ate them all.

There were quite a few households in the countryside that planted peach trees, and there were many in Miaoqian Village. There were also people who sent them… Jin Xiaoye and the others weren't short of peaches to eat.

On the other side, Zhu Qian and Ding Xi were talking at the door of the study.

Zhu Qian said, "Mr. Li is a pretty good person."

Ding Xi agreed, "Your household servants really like him. He's indeed a good person." It's not easy for Li Qingzhi to get along so well with the kitchen maids and cooks.

They didn't wait long before Li Qingzhi arrived with Li Damao and Li Ermao.

Seeing Li Qingzhi, Ding Xi said, "Mr. Li, Old Zhu's book, you're really getting better and better. I look forward to reading it every day now!"

"You flatter me!" Li Qingzhi replied with a smile.

"Mr. Li, let me tell you about my story again," Ding Xi said, "I've experienced too many things in my life… I used to dislike talking about them with others, but after talking to you, I feel relieved in my heart, and I can't seem to stop."

"Old Ding, please go ahead," Li Qingzhi said, listening attentively.

And so, Ding Xi began to speak.

People like to talk, and Ding Xi was no exception.

The hardships he had experienced in his early years were numerous, and now, when he spoke of them, he couldn't help but feel a myriad of emotions.

After speaking for a while, Ding Xi couldn't help but ask in puzzlement, "Mr. Li, aren't you taking notes?"

Ding Xi used to be a bodyguard, and he had experienced far more than Zhu Qian. Li Qingzhi used to jot down notes at the beginning, but now, thanks to his enhanced memory due to his ability, he didn't need to do that anymore.

Li Qingzhi replied, "Old Ding, I remember it all."

"I've said so much, and you remember it all?" Ding Xi was a bit surprised.

Li Qingzhi smiled and said, "I remember. Generally, after hearing or seeing something once, I can remember it." Since he had this ability, there was no need to conceal it. Letting others know could make them value him more.

Ding Xi was stunned for a moment before saying, "Are you not lying?"

"Old Ding can try," Li Qingzhi said.

Ding Xi thought for a moment, then took out a piece of paper from his pocket and began to read the words written on it.

His daughter was about to get married, and the paper listed the dowry items he was preparing to purchase for her: "Two copper warming stoves, one copper hand stove…"

The list was quite long. Ding Xi read halfway and glanced at Li Qingzhi. Li Qingzhi was smiling encouragingly at him, as if urging him to continue reading…

Encouraged, Ding Xi read through the entire list.

After Ding Xi finished reading, Li Qingzhi repeated back what Ding Xi had just read.

With his current memory, he could certainly remember things in a short time, but to thoroughly memorize them, he needed to review them several times.

For example, the list Ding Xi had just read to him – if he didn't listen to it again or read it again a few times, he would definitely forget it after a while.

Even so, this still shocked everyone greatly.

"Mr. Li, you remembered everything after just one listen?" Ding Xi couldn't believe it.

Zhu Qian was also a bit stunned, "You got everything right!"

The list Ding Xi's wife had just drafted for him, Li Qingzhi had definitely never seen it before, but he remembered it after just one listen!

"My memory is quite good," Li Qingzhi said.

Zhu Qian and Ding Xi were astonished. It wasn't just that his memory was good, Li Qingzhi clearly had a photographic memory!

Zhu Qian used to think his son was very smart and had a talent for studying, but now he realizes that his son struggles to memorize things.

When Zhu Xunmiao returned from school that day, Zhu Qian asked him, "How many times do you have to recite a passage?"

Zhu Xunmiao replied, "You have to read it dozens of times, and then you have to recite it repeatedly." Reading dozens of times was for memorization, and then you had to recite it repeatedly to remember it.

Zhu Xunmiao didn't like memorizing texts and often slacked off, but in the past two months, after reading Li Qingzhi's book, he decided to work harder and started to take memorization seriously.

"Your memory is so poor!" Zhu Qian complained.

Zhu Xunmiao said, "…" How could his father be so mean to him? His father couldn't even remember his birthday!

"It's impressive how Mr. Li can memorize everything after just one listen."

"What?" Zhu Xunmiao was stunned.

So, when Li Qingzhi was about to leave after dinner, Zhu Xunmiao stopped him, "Mr. Li, do you have photographic memory?"

"Is there such a thing?" Li Qingzhi said.

"Then why didn't you know the contents of the Four Books and Five Classics before?" That day they had discussed the things they learned in school, and Li Qingzhi seemed clueless.

"I've never been to school, so I'm not familiar with those books, but I've started memorizing them now," Li Qingzhi said.

He hadn't memorized all the books yet, but he had memorized two of them.

"What books did Mr. Li memorize?" Zhu Xunmiao asked.

Li Qingzhi mentioned the titles.

These happened to be the books Zhu Xunmiao had memorized. He immediately recited a few sentences and asked Li Qingzhi to continue.

Li Qingzhi recited them all perfectly.

Zhu Xunmiao realized something and handed Li Qingzhi an article he had just written, "Mr. Li, take a look at this article and see if you can memorize it."

Li Qingzhi took the article, read it silently once, glanced over it quickly, then handed it back to Zhu Xunmiao and began reciting it.

Zhu Xunmiao was dumbfounded.

Li Qingzhi had memorized it all, word for word!

Li Qingzhi actually had a photographic memory!

No wonder Li Qingzhi, with average knowledge, wanted to take the imperial examination. It turned out he had this ability!

At this moment, Zhu Xunmiao remembered what Li Qingzi had said before… Li Qingzhi had said he had never been to school.

Li Qingzhi had never been to school before!

Did he secretly study?

And his handwriting, was it something he had only practiced for the past two months?

And he had mastered it so well in just two months?

Zhu Xunmiao realized why his father had been complaining about him, and he felt a bit useless himself.

He had to work harder!

Seeing Zhu Xunmiao's changing expression, Li Qingzhi smiled. Some people, when they see someone talented, might feel jealous or want to trip them up, but Zhu Xunmiao wasn't that kind of person.

Probably because he came from a merchant family, Zhu Xunmiao wanted to make friends with talented people.

Li Qingzhi had seen this and had proactively revealed his abilities.

Zhu Xunmiao, still in a daze, said, "Master Zhu, my wife is waiting for me. I'll take my leave."

"Mr. Li, take care," Zhu Xunmiao said.

Li Qingzhi led his two children out of the Zhu household. Just as they stepped out, Li Damao asked, "Dad, are you very powerful?"

Li Qingzhi was not modest at all. "Of course, Dad is very powerful!"

"Dad, can I be as powerful as you?" Li Damao asked.

"Of course you can," Li Qingzhi said, patting Li Damao's head.

His ability could also be transferred to others, but it required physical contact.

With his current weak ability… he needed prolonged contact with others to be effective. Since he was still physically weak and had to constantly use his ability to maintain a normal life, he wouldn't use his ability on others for now.

But in the future… there would be no problem making Li Damao and Li Ermao a bit smarter.

"I also want to be as powerful as Dad, and then eat meat and white rice every day!" Li Ermao exclaimed immediately.

"You will," Li Qingzhi smiled.

The three of them walked towards the riverbank, but they found that Jin Xiaoye hadn't arrived yet. However, Grandma Jin was already there.

When she came to the county town in the morning, she had brought a basket of vegetables, but now the vegetables were all gone, replaced by other things.

Li Qingzhi glanced at it and marveled.

From broken bricks to torn cloth strips, from rotten wood to river clam shells, there was everything.

Moreover, at this moment, Grandma Jin was standing in the water, picking snails attached to the stone steps.

She was indeed a hardworking old lady, never letting herself idle for a moment!

"Grandma," Li Qingzhi called out.

Grandma Jin looked up at Li Qingzhi and sniffed. "Did Old Zhu leave you some leftovers again?"

"Yes, Grandma, would you like to have some?" Li Qingzhi asked.

"You guys go ahead and eat. I'm not hungry," Grandma Jin declined.

Li Qingzhi thought for a moment and then asked, "Grandma, have you eaten lunch?"

"Why bother with three meals a day when I'm perfectly fine? I had breakfast," Grandma Jin replied.

Grandma Jin's so-called breakfast was probably the bowl of rice she had at their place in the morning, right?

People nowadays only eat two meals a day because they're poor and have no other choice.

After having a bowl of rice in the morning, Grandma Jin probably hadn't eaten anything else since then and must be very hungry by now.

The Zhu family mostly ate pork, and today they had pork stew with dried bamboo shoots.

Li Qingzhi had eaten the bamboo shoots, and he brought the meat back with him. Additionally, Chef Zhou had given him a few pieces of pumpkin cake.

To make pumpkin cake, you peel the pumpkin, steam it, add flour and yeast, then lay a piece of gauze on the steaming rack and put it on top to steam. This would result in pumpkin cake.

The taste of pumpkin cake was similar to that of steamed buns, but softer.

Li Qingzhi handed Grandma Jin a piece of pumpkin cake. "Grandma, have a bite to fill your stomach."

"Such good things, you guys should eat them," Grandma Jin refused.

But Li Qingzhi insisted, so Grandma Jin got out of the water, wiped her hands clean, and ate the pumpkin cake.

Seeing this, Li Qingzhi gave her a piece of meat as well.

"Zhu's family is really wealthy. They're willing to give you such good things," Grandma Jin remarked.

Li Qingzhi smiled but didn't say anything. After waiting for a while, they saw Jin Xiaoye rowing over in a boat.

"Did you wait long?" Jin Xiaoye asked Li Qingzhi.

"No, I just arrived," Li Qingzhi smiled and took out pumpkin cake to give to Jin Xiaoye and Jin Xiaoshu.

"Brother-in-law, you're so nice!" Jin Xiaoshu grinned, showing his white teeth.

He wasn't very close to his brother-in-law before because he was resentful when his brother-in-law went missing. But recently… he felt that his brother-in-law was really great! His three cousins had never eaten such good things from Yao Zhenfu's side!

"Is this pumpkin cake made with white flour? Did you put sugar in it? It's so sweet!" Jin Xiaoshu said. People his age were the most prone to hunger, and he was just like Li Laogen, eagerly anticipating the food Li Qingzhi brought back from the Zhu family.

Grandma Jin glanced at Jin Xiaoshu, then got on the boat with her basket. She said, "Xiaoye, I'll come find you tomorrow and go to the county town with you."

"Sure," Jin Xiaoye agreed.

When she was young, her grandmother often went to the county town to pick up scraps. Every time she went, she found all kinds of usable things.

In addition, some people in the county town would plant fruit trees in their yards, and the branches of these trees would extend outside the wall. When her grandmother passed by, she could pick up a few fruits.

But her grandmother had a sense of propriety. She remembered one time when her grandmother complained that she saw a household putting a bowl of food for the dog at the door with a small piece missing, which could have been used by people. Her grandmother wanted to pick it up, but she was afraid of being beaten, so she didn't.

It was a good thing her grandmother didn't pick it up, otherwise, the dog would have lost its bowl in no time!

"What are these clam shells for?" Li Qingzhi asked curiously, looking at the river clam shells in the old lady's basket.

The old lady glanced at Li Qingzhi. "The shells are polished to remove the black outer layer, and the inside can be sold to jewelry stores!"

Jin Xiaoye added, "The stores in the county town use clam shells to make jewelry, but the shells need to be well polished before they can be sold to them, and they only pay a little money."

People nowadays really made the most of everything! But the inner layer of river clam shells was very shiny and looked very beautiful.

He remembered reading in a book in his past life that many pearl powders were actually made from river clam shells, as the composition of the inner layer of clam shells was similar to that of pearls.

When Jin Xiaoye went to the county town in the morning, her boat was full of things, but now it was empty. Li Qingzhi looked at her face and knew that she must have made a lot of money.

Grandma Jin asked, "Xiaoye, did you make a lot of money?"

Jin Xiaoye said, "Grandma, it costs forty cents to rent this boat for a day!"

Grandma Jin didn't say anything. After all, when Jin Xiaoye's father went to cook for someone's banquet, they only paid thirty cents for the whole day.

The first time Li Qingzhi sat in a boat, he found it very interesting, but now that he sits in it every day, it doesn't feel so novel anymore.

As usual, Li Qingzhi taught the two children some poems. Unconsciously, they arrived back at the Miaoqian Village.

As soon as the boat stopped, many people crowded around, most of them wanting to exchange money for a hair flower. Among the crowd was also Li Laogen, who was there to beg for food.

Jin Xiaoye said, "We're out of hair flowers, but I've already asked someone to make more. They'll definitely be brought back tomorrow."

Today, when she was rowing for someone in a village, she shouted a few times, and the people in the village bought all the remaining hair flowers from her.

Such inexpensive little things were still popular among many people.

The people in Miaoqian Village who wanted to buy has felt disappointed for a moment. Then someone asked, "Xiaoye, have you met Mr. Yao yet?"

"No, hasn't he come back yet?" Jin Xiaoye was puzzled. Yao Zhenfu and the others usually came back earlier because Yao Zhenfu didn't like waiting around.

"He hasn't!" someone in the village replied.

"He's probably delayed by something," Jin Xiaoye said. Together with Jin Xiaoshu, they moved the things from her boat back home.

Grandma Jin went home, and Jin Xiaoshu stayed to eat with Jin Xiaoye.

Just as they were eating, Li Laogen, who had gone to boast by the riverbank, suddenly returned. "Xiaoye, Yao Zhenfu's back! Someone else brought him back, but Mr. Yao didn't come back!"

"How come he didn't come back?" Jin Xiaoye was surprised.

"Could something have happened to him?" Li Laogen said worriedly as he shoveled a mouthful of rice into his mouth.

Jin Xiaoye also frowned. There could indeed be accidents while rowing outside. She had heard of a small boat colliding with a large one and getting badly damaged.

There were also cases where people rowing outside had all their money stolen.

Was Mr. Yao okay?

Just as they were worrying, Yao's mother arrived with Yao Zhenfu. "Xiaoye, have you seen Old Yao?" Yao's mother asked.

"Jin Xiaoye, I saw Uncle Yao this morning, but I haven't seen him since then," Jin Xiaoye replied.

"Why didn't we see them? Weren't you all supposed to be boating in the county town?" Yao Zhenfu's tone was very unpleasant.

"The county town is so big, who said we'd definitely see them?" Jin Xiaoye retorted, also in a bad mood.

After the retort, Jin Xiaoye turned to Yao's mother and said, "Auntie, are you going to find someone? I can take you there by boat."

In the past few years, Jin Xiaoye had often borrowed things from the Yao family.

For example, borrowing Yao's stone mortar, or borrowing fire when there was none at home.

She always remembered these favors, so when the Yao family needed help, she was willing to lend a hand.

"Xiaoye, then we'll trouble you! It's been so many years, Old Yao has never forgotten to pick up Zhenfu. I'm really anxious now," Yao's mother said.

After finishing their meal, Jin Xiaoye took Jin Xiaoshu and, along with Yao's mother and Yao Zhenfu, went to find people.

Li Qingzhi also wanted to go, but after seeing Li Damao and Li Ermao, he ultimately didn't.

He took Li Damao and Li Ermao to bathe by the river, and incidentally washed their clothes. When he returned home, he put the two children to sleep… Li Qingzhi waited for Jin Xiaoye at the door.

It was already dark, but fortunately, the moon was big today, shining brightly in the sky, reflecting on the river, creating layers of silver light… Jin Xiaoye and the others should be able to see something.

As Li Qingzhi waited, he silently recited the contents he had remembered from today's book. Next door, the Yao family lit a lamp, and many villagers sat at the door, waiting for news. Some people were in groups, searching along the riverbank.

Mr. Yao hadn't returned, and the villagers were quite worried.

It's unclear how long they waited, but there was a commotion not far away. Li Qingzhi looked up and saw a group of people surrounding Mr. Yao, who had returned.

Li Qingzhi quickly went over.

Late at night, Li Qingzhi couldn't see Mr. Yao's expression clearly, but Mr. Yao stood there, seemingly fine.

Mr. Yao said, "I'm really sorry, I accidentally fell asleep and overslept. I was really out of it…"

Mr. Yao apologized to the villagers and said he would thank them properly tomorrow, then sent the villagers away.

Li Qingzhi and Jin Xiaoye also returned home.

As soon as they entered the house, Jin Xiaoye said, "Something must have happened to the Yao family!"

"Why do you say that?" Li Qingzhi asked.

Jin Xiaoye said without hesitation, "Mr. Yao seems really off, like he's been crying."

Jin Xiaoye, Yao's mother, and Yao Zhenfu went out together to find people. They found Mr. Yao lying in a boat by the river near the county town. At the time, Yao Shaogong said he had accidentally fallen asleep, but his voice didn't sound quite right.

Li Qingzhi thought for a moment and mentioned Mr. Yao asking him about Yao Zhenfu needing a hundred taels of silver earlier in the morning.

Without much consideration, Jin Xiaoye said, "Yao Zhenfu must have been cheated! Maybe his lover played a trick on him!"

Li Qingzhi was curious, "How so?" He had been thinking that Yao Zhenfu might have gone gambling or been deceived by someone.

"Yao Zhenfu comes home every day, so it's unlikely he's gambling or anything like that. And his lover… I've met that person once, not a good companion," Jin Xiaoye said, "I don't know what Jin Moli and Mr. Yao are thinking. If it were me, I would have beaten Yao Zhenfu up long ago and forced him to break up."

She didn't like Yao Zhenfu much, but he was a coward who couldn't stand up for himself… As long as Mr. Yao didn't give him money and beat him up, he wouldn't dare to cause trouble outside.

"I think so too!" Li Qingzhi agreed.

Jin Xiaoye was just an illiterate village girl, but she lived very sensibly… Li Qingzhi leaned over and kissed Jin Xiaoye on the cheek.

Jin Xiaoye was startled, "What are you doing?"

"Just kissing you," Li Qingzhi smiled.

Jin Xiaoye said, "What's wrong with you? You didn't use to be like this… Five years ago, Li Qingzhi didn't talk much and liked to be alone. Although he was nice to her, he never kissed or touched her like this. But now Li Qingzhi…"

"Xiaoye, I just think you're really good. I'm starting to like you more and more," Li Qingzhi smiled.

Jin Xiaoye felt her face heat up a bit and said softly, "Why are you like this? And also, your body can handle it?"

"What?" Li Qingzhi didn't react.

Jin Xiaoye said, "Do you want to? But with your body like this, we'd better not do it, or else what if you get tired?"

Li Qingzhi was both physically affectionate and sweet-talking, always wanting her to buy another bed. He must be thinking about that stuff!

But Jin Xiaoye wasn't very interested. First, she already had two children and didn't want to have more. Second… Li Qingzhi was so thin, his body was already weak, and doing that would be bad for his health.

She slept on the floor every day, just afraid that Li Qingzhi couldn't hold back from fooling around and would harm his body!

Li Qingzhi: "…"

"Well, didn't you eat a lot at Zhu's house? Why are you still so skinny? I'm worried that I might accidentally break your arm with a little force," Jin Xiaoye sighed.

She had worried that Li Qingzhi brought back all the food he ate at Zhu's house, but after asking the children, she found out it wasn't the case.

But Li Qingzhi… why wasn't he gaining weight?

Li Qingzhi pinched his own thin arm, feeling a bit restless.

He hadn't thought too much about it before, after all, his physical condition didn't allow it.

But with Jin Xiaoye's words… he actually had some thoughts now.

"I'll go clean myself up, you go to bed first," Jin Xiaoye coughed lightly, feeling her face grow hotter.

"I'll accompany you," Li Qingzhi said.

Jin Xiaoye: "…" You don't need someone to accompany you to clean up. So what does Li Qingzhi want?

But if Li Qingzhi wanted to accompany her, then let him. Anyway, it was so dark outside that he couldn't see anything.

Actually, even if he could see, it wouldn't matter. They already had two children!

While Jin Xiaoye was cleaning herself, Li Qingzhi stood nearby, guarding, and he faintly heard the quarrels coming from the next room.

The Yao family seemed to be arguing.

Indeed, the Yao family was arguing.

After chatting with Li Qingzhi this morning, Mr. Yao gritted his teeth and went to the riverside by the gate of the academy, ready to ask Yao Zhenfu's classmates.

In the entire Miaoqian Village, only Yao Zhenfu was studying in the county town. Add to that Yao Zhenfu's unwillingness for Mr. Yao to see his classmates… Mr. Yao never really understood Yao Zhenfu's situation in the academy.

But Mr. Yao frequented the town by boat every day and often passed by the academy, so he recognized some of Yao Zhenfu's classmates.

He didn't dare to talk to those well-dressed people, so he stopped a very ordinary-looking young student.

The person Mr. Yao stopped was none other than Xu Qifei.

Xu Qifei's mother was a very ordinary, illiterate country girl. When she was eighteen, she married Xu's father, who was in his forties and ran a porcelain shop in the city, as a second wife, as Xu's father's eldest son was already married at that time.

Xu's father treated Xu's mother well and also favored Xu Qifei, the son of his later years, but when Xu Qifei was eight years old, his father fell ill and passed away.

Xu's porcelain shop was taken over by Xu Qifei's eldest brother. Xu Qifei's eldest brother didn't like Xu Qifei's younger stepmother and his younger half-brother, so naturally, he didn't give them much money.

But Xu's eldest brother was doing business in the county town, and afraid of gossip from neighbors, he didn't treat Xu Qifei and his mother too badly.

Xu's mother was a country girl, and Xu's late father was a refined and gentle man who could read and write and paint… Xu's mother admired Xu's father very much and regarded his words as law.

Because Xu's father had always said that Xu Qifei was very intelligent, he sent Xu Qifei to school when he was six years old… After Xu's father passed away, Xu's mother insisted on sending Xu Qifei to school.

Xu's eldest brother didn't separate Xu Qifei and his mother. They ate and lived in Xu's house, and in addition, Xu's eldest brother gave them five taels of silver a year.

This money could make them live decently, but it was definitely not enough for schooling. So Xu's mother earned money by weaving and embroidering.

She was very hardworking, and in a year, she could earn more than ten taels of silver. And all this money, she used to support her son's education.

Xu Qifei knew very well how hard his mother worked and had been considerate of her since he was a child. So when others spent money on meals at school, he brought his own food, and if he could avoid buying the books he needed for study, he would borrow or copy them shamelessly.

He mainly borrowed from Zhu Xunmiao. By borrowing, they developed a friendship, and later Zhu Xunmiao invited him to dine together every day. Xu Qifei was the same age as Zhu Xunmiao, only fifteen this year, and was a young man with a little baby fat on his face. After being stopped by Mr. Yao, he looked at the person in front of him with curiosity.

Mr. Yao habitually showed a smile and bowed, "Young master, I want to ask you something."

After speaking, Mr. Yao's movements paused again. He suddenly remembered that his son didn't like him to show such a demeanor.

Xu Qifei didn't notice Mr. Yao's discomfort and asked, "Elder, what do you want to ask?"

Mr. Yao subconsciously put on a pleasing smile again, "I just want to ask something about your academy… Young master, is studying very expensive?"

Xu Qifei didn't know Mr. Yao and thought he was someone who wanted to send his child to study. Seeing that Mr. Yao's clothes were all patched up, he said, "Studying is very expensive. At first, when you only learn to recognize characters, the ink, paper, inkstone, plus two taels of silver for the school fee, will cost almost seven to eight taels of silver a year. If you want to study the classics, it will probably cost about fifteen taels of silver a year."

He himself had to spend fifteen taels a year, almost all the money his mother worked hard to earn was spent on him.

"Is fifteen taels a year enough?" Mr. Yao was stunned; his son needed fifty taels a year!

"It's enough," Xu Qifei said.

Xu Qifei was young, and he looked innocent. He didn't seem like someone who would lie… Mr. Yao asked, "Isn't buying books very expensive? Some books are not even enough with one or two taels of silver."

Indeed, books were expensive these days, especially when Li Xiucai sometimes brought in some more expensive books that were not sold elsewhere, and asked them to buy them.

But those books could also be borrowed or copied from others if they were not bought.

As for the essential Four Books and Five Classics, buying a set is actually not expensive.

Xu Qifei said, "The books for learning to read at the beginning are cheap. Some books later are indeed expensive, but you can borrow books from others and copy them." Making noise in the academy would be reprimanded, but if someone copied books in the academy, Li Xiucai wouldn't mind.

Moreover, in the summer, when going to the academy early and returning home late, there would be much more time for copying books.

"What about the county exam? Young master, is the county exam difficult?" Mr. Yao swallowed hard.

"The county exam should not be difficult? I plan to take it next year," Xu Qifei said. Li Xiucai suggested that he take it next year, and he… he thought he should be able to pass the county exam.

In the academy, he had a good understanding, and if he couldn't even pass the county exam, what's the point of studying? It's better to find a job early.

Mr. Yao approached Xu Qifei for questioning because Xu Qifei was wearing a set of washed-out clothes, which were a bit oversized.

Yao Zhenfu never wore such clothes.

This young man definitely couldn't come up with one hundred taels of silver, but he seemed confident about the county exam.

"Young master, how much money is needed to participate in the county exam?" Mr. Yao asked again.

Xu Qifei said, "You need to give Mr. Li one tael of silver as a guarantee and buy some better ink and paper. It will probably cost two or three taels of silver altogether."

Mr. Yao felt his head buzzing.

In the past, when Yao Zhenfu participated in the county exam, he gave him ten taels of silver!

After asking, Mr. Yao returned to the boat in a daze.

He instinctively reached for the oar, but as soon as he picked it up, somehow his hand loosened, and the oar fell.

He couldn't even pick up the oar!

Today there was no pre-arranged job. In the past,Mr. Yao would have been anxious, wandering around the county town looking for work, but now he didn't want to do anything.

Shaking, Mr. Yao rowed the boat to a secluded place where few people would go directly to the cabin, lying down, tears streaming from his eyes.

He was someone who couldn't stay still, but today he didn't want to do anything, just lying there.

He knew he should go pick up his son, but he didn't. He just stared blankly as the sky darkened.

It wasn't until evening, when someone called his name to find him, that he snapped out of it and followed Jin Xiaoye back in the boat.

He didn't say anything all the way, and after returning home, he politely sent away the villagers who were worried about him.

Only after completing these tasks did Mr. Yao come to his senses, realizing he was already home.

Yao Zhenfu had no idea what Mr. Yao was thinking.

After school today, he went to find Mr. Yao, but after waiting for a long time, Mr. Yao didn't come to pick him up. He was furious.

He spent money to take a boat back to the village and learned that his father hadn't come back. He started to worry a little, only to find out that his father had just fallen asleep!

He had been so worried, and his father was just asleep!

Since finding Mr. Yao, Yao Zhenfu's anger had been growing. Now he couldn't help but speak up, "Dad, didn't you sleep enough at night? What are you sleeping in broad daylight for? You…"

Mr. Yao didn't let Yao Zhenfu finish his words before hitting him with an oar.

Mr. Yao hit Yao Zhenfu on the left side of his body. He didn't use all his strength, but it was painful enough for Yao Zhenfu to cry out.

"Old Yao, why are you hitting someone!" Yao's mother asked hurriedly.

Jin Moli came to Yao Zhenfu's side, "Zhenfu, are you okay?"

"Dad, have you gone crazy!" Yao Zhenfu regained his senses and glared at Mr. Yao.

Mr. Yao kicked Yao Zhenfu's round belly again, "You little beast, did you go gambling?"

Mr. Yao remembered that when he was young, there was a landlord in their village.

At that time, the landlord's family was very wealthy, and the young master even married a girl from a wealthy family in town.

Unfortunately, the young master developed a gambling addiction. He would lose money bit by bit every day until the family fortune was gone.

Some of the land of their Yao family was bought from his family.

Later, both the landlord and his wife died. The landlord's wife was taken back by her family, and the landlord took the land they rented to farm with his wife's son. Unfortunately, his son also drowned… After that, he went crazy, and no one knew where he went.

At that time,Mr. Yao was still very young, but he deeply remembered one thing: you must not gamble.

This was the first time Yao Shaogong laid hands on Yao Zhenfu, questioning him about where he spent the money, "Others only need fifteen taels of silver a year to study in the county, why do you need fifty taels? Where did you spend the money?"

While asking, Mr. Yao hit Yao Zhenfu again with the oar.

Yao Zhenfu was young and strong, theoretically stronger than Mr. Yao, but he didn't know how to fight, so he was easily overwhelmed by Mr. Yao's blows.

"I told you not to gamble! I told you not to gamble!" Mr. Yao, fearing he might hurt his son, threw away the oar and started hitting him with his hands.

"Dad, please stop…" Yao Zhenfu begged incessantly, "I didn't gamble!"

"Then where did you spend the money? Fifty taels a year, where did you spend it?" Mr. Yao gritted his teeth, his eyes almost bursting with anger, "And why do you need a hundred taels this time?"

Yao Zhenfu couldn't withstand the beating. He confessed everything, saying he was caught by the husband of a woman he was with, and now the man demanded a hundred taels as compensation.

Mr. Yao was almost breathless after listening, "I asked you before, didn't you say you didn't have a sweetheart? I sent you to study, and you spent the money on a woman?"

Jin Moli, listening on the side, felt extremely dizzy and her face turned extremely ugly.

Yao's family was managed by Yao's mother. All the money in the house was in Yao's mother's hands, so she had no idea how much money Yao's family had or how much Yao Zhenfu spent.

She knew Yao Zhenfu spent a lot, but she always thought he spent at most twenty taels a year.

Who would have thought that Yao Zhenfu would spend fifty taels in a year?

Yao's family could actually produce so much money!

But she didn't get any benefit from it. When she was still at her mother's house, she could eat meat two or three times a month, but when she came to Yao's house, she only ate tofu!

What made her even more angry was that the money was spent on another woman!

Jin Moli's eyes became sore, and tears flowed uncontrollably.

Both Mr. Yao and Jin Moli thought that Yao Zhenfu spent so much money every year because he spent half of it on Xuniang, but he didn't.

Xuniang was very frugal, and Yao Zhenfu was very sympathetic to his mother. He spent money very sparingly, buying cheap paper and pens, but Yao Zhenfu was different. He was afraid of being looked down upon, so even if he couldn't afford the best paper and pens, he still used relatively good ones, which cost a lot more money.

And then there were books. Xuniang could copy her own books, but Yao Zhenfu didn't want others to know he was poor. He didn't just copy, but also bought books whenever he saw others have one. This cost a lot more money.

In addition, Yao Zhenfu didn't want to wear old clothes, so making clothes also cost money. Occasionally, he would also buy some delicious things from the town… These all cost money.

On the other hand, with Xuniang, Yao Zhenfu did spend some money on her, but buying gifts, dining together, and giving Xuniang support, it probably amounted to only seven or eight taels a year.

But Yao Zhenfu didn't dare to tell the truth. Instead, he pushed all the blame onto Xuniang, saying that all the extra money he spent was given to her, and even claimed that she seduced him.

Mr. Yao believed his son's words. Thinking that all the money he had worked so hard for over the years had been deceived by a woman, tears flowed uncontrollably.

He also thought of the people from the Jin family who had actually told him about this matter, but he didn't believe it… He regretted it deeply.

Jin Moli also thought of this.

Yao Zhenfu had a sweetheart in the county, and she knew about it before she got married!

But she thought that the sweetheart from the previous life had disappeared without a trace, so she didn't care about it in this life. He even lied to her, saying that this sweetheart might not exist at all.

How could it not exist? The reason Yao's family agreed to the bride swap and accepted Jin Xiaoye was because they were caught in this situation!

When Jin Moli got married, she had some money on hand, but she had spent quite a bit over the past few years, and now she only had three taels left.

The key is… she has been staying in the Miaoqian Village all the time, and there's really nowhere to spend money. Most of the money she used up was actually given to Yao Zhenfu.

Yao Zhenfu used her money to spend on another woman?

Jin Moli didn't know what to do anymore. She tried to recall what happened in her previous life and suddenly remembered that when Yao Zhenfu and Jin Xiaoye had just gotten married, they used to quarrel a lot.

Neither Mr. Yao's family nor Jin Xiaoye liked to air their family matters outside, so she originally thought that Jin Xiaoye's quarrels were because Yao Zhenfu didn't like her. Now thinking about it… Jin Xiaoye's quarrels should have been about Yao Zhenfu having a sweetheart.

With Jin Xiaoye's temper, that woman Xuniang, must have been driven away by her! She saved Yao's family a lot of money, so it's no wonder Mr. Yao liked her!

Jin Moli regretted it deeply. After getting married, why didn't she learn from Jin Xiaoye?

She even had an advantage over Jin Xiaoye. Yao Zhenfu liked her very much, but not Jin Xiaoye.

Mr. Yao's family couldn't bear being cheated out of so much money and wanted to go to Xuniang to get the money back, but how could Yao Zhenfu agree to it?

If his parents started making trouble, what would Xuniang's husband do?

Xuniang had a lot of letters written by him, as well as some things he left behind. Those were all evidence!

Yao's family was in turmoil all night.

It wasn't until this time that Jin Moli learned that Yao's family's savings had been depleted, and if they wanted to come up with a hundred taels, Yao's family had to sell their land.

In business, you definitely need capital. Now that Yao's family has no money, can Yao Zhenfu still do business to make money?

Jin Moli was completely at a loss.

The next day, Li Qingzhi got up as usual, and cooked breakfast with Jin Xiaoye.

Jin Xiaoye said yesterday that she would make steamed egg custard for Li Laogen, so she didn't forget her promise. She broke two eggs into a bowl, thoroughly beat them, added water, salt, and put them on the steamer to steam, and made the steamed egg custard.

She also steamed two more eggs separately, intending to give one to her and one to Jin Xiaoshu.

While eating, Grandma Jin came. She was going to the county with them.

Seeing her, Jin Xiaoye served her a bowl of rice.

Grandma Jin ate heartily and said, "Xiaoye, you never pay Xiaoshu… I'll take this meal as his wages."

"Okay." Jin Xiaoye agreed. She had earned quite a bit recently, so she didn't mind Grandma Jin eating this meal. Taking Grandma Jin to the county was also an additional task, which didn't require much effort.

Seeing Grandma Jin only eating steamed vegetables, Jin Xiaoye also took up the bowl of steamed egg custard Li Laogen was eating and gave Grandma Jin two spoonfuls.

There were two eggs in it, and Li Laogen didn't need to eat so much.

But Li Laogen cared most about eating a mouthful. Feeling heartbroken, he muttered, "Who is this, eating at other people's houses all the time."

Grandma Jin didn't mince words either, "The land in the house is not bought by you!"

Both of them fell silent.

Li Qingzhi took a piece of cotton cloth and washed Li Damao and Li Ermao's faces, and then asked them to wash their hands.

When he first came, Li Damao and Li Ermao were tempted by even a mouthful of white rice, but now they saw that Li Laogen and the others were eating steamed egg custard, and they didn't even look at it. They just kept thinking about the white rice porridge from the Zhu family, "Dad, what are we having for breakfast today?"

The salted duck eggs and pickled vegetables eaten by the stewards of the Zhu family were not tempting to the two children, but Chef Zhou, according to Zhu Xinmiao's request, would share a bit of what the Zhu family ate with them every day, and those were especially delicious!

For example, yesterday's scrambled eggs… When Li Damao and Li Ermao ate scrambled eggs for the first time, they were dumbfounded and couldn't believe that eggs could taste so good.

"You'll know when you get there," Li Qingzhi said.

Today, without selling hair flowers, Jin Xiaoye and the children set off early. When they arrived in the county, Li Qingzhi took the two children straight to the Zhu family's house.

As soon as they entered the house, they ran into Zhu Xunmiao.

"Mr. Li!" Zhu Xunmiao saw Li Qingzhi and called out in surprise. He even jumped up in place for a moment but quickly restrained himself and stood firmly, saying, "Good morning, Mr. Li."

"Good morning, Young Master Zhu," Li Qingzhi replied with a smile.

"Mr. Li, please don't call me master. Just call me Xunmiao," Zhu Xunmiao said earnestly.

Li Qingzhi spent the last days of his previous life at the age of eighteen, spent twenty years in the apocalypse, and died at the age of thirty-eight.

Although Zhu Xunmiao seemed a bit mature for his age, he was actually only fifteen years old. He could be Li Qingzhi's son!

Every time during this period when he saw this young man, who looked like an adult, giving him advice or bringing him things, Li Qingzhi found it quite interesting.

"Xunmiao." Li Qingzhi readily agreed.

"Mr. Li, can I call you Brother Li?" Zhu Xunmiao asked.

"Of course," Li Qingzhi replied.

Zhu Xunmiao came to Li Qingzhi's side and said, "Brother Li, I didn't expect you to have such an amazing memory. You're really impressive…"

As Zhu Xunmiao spoke, he followed Li Qingzhi to the kitchen and then said, "Brother Li, are you planning to go to school? If you are, I'll go tell Li Xiucai."

Li Qingzhi smiled and said, "I do want to go, but I plan to familiarize myself with the classics first before going."

"Sounds good," Zhu Xunmiao inquired about Li Qingzhi's plans.

Li Qingzhi didn't hide anything and explained his intentions.

After finishing writing Zhu's books, he planned to return to the Miaoqian Village, study on his own while writing Ding Xi's books, and memorize everything he needed to. Once all preparations were complete, he could go to school and study with Li Xiucai.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Xunmiao spoke up, "Brother Li, I plan to participate in the county exam next year. With your amazing memory, perhaps you could join me!"

"That's indeed a possibility," Li Qingzhi agreed. If he wasn't short of money, it would be a good idea to give it a try.

Zhu Xunmiao chatted with Li Qingzhi for a long time, and seeing that it was almost time for school, he hurriedly left.

By this time, Li Damao and Li Ermao had already finished eating their meat buns!

Today, the Zhu family's breakfast consisted of meat buns and soy milk. Chef Zhou, gave Li Qingzhi three buns, one for each of them.

The buns were as big as an adult's fist. After Li Damao and Li Ermao finished theirs, they couldn't eat anything else. However, Li Qingzhi was different. After finishing his bun, he drank four bowls of porridge.

The brain is the organ that consumes the most calories in the human body, and the calorie consumption of mental labor is not less than that of physical labor.

Since his brain was developed, it has consumed even more calories!

Even if he didn't use his abilities in the future, he would still eat more than others and be a big eater for the rest of his life.

After eating, Li Qingzhi went to write his books. In the afternoon, Zhu Qian found him and gave him a one hundred tael silver note.

"Mr. Li, this is your reward for helping me write my book," Zhu Qian said with a smile.

In this era, one tael of silver was equivalent to over two thousand yuan in modern times.

One hundred taels of silver was equivalent to over two hundred thousand yuan!

In addition to giving him a silver coin every day, Zhu Qian gave him a total of thirty pennies. For writing an autobiography, Zhu Qian paid him three hundred thousand yuan.

This price was extremely high, as books sold to bookstores did not fetch this much money.

Li Qingzhi knew that Zhu Qian wouldn't shortchange him, but he didn't expect to receive one hundred taels. It was truly a pleasant surprise.

"Thank you, Master Zhu!" Li Qingzhi said.

"Mr. Li, please don't call me master anymore. If you don't mind, just call me Uncle," Zhu Qian said as they chatted. He also mentioned that he had already told his son that Li Qingzhi could come to borrow books from their house whenever he wanted to study.

He briefly mentioned some of the books in the Zhu family's collection.

Zhu Qian, who came from a humble background and built his fortune from scratch, did not have many books at home. However, since they were wealthy, they had all the common books found on the market!

Furthermore, the Zhu family also had some examination-related materials that Zhu Qian had obtained at great expense, which were not available elsewhere. For example, the books annotated by Li Xiucai were worth a lot of money.

Books were expensive at that time, and Li Qingzhi had an amazing memory… Zhu Qian promised to lend him these books to read. The value of these books was not inferior to one hundred taels of silver.

Li Qingzhi expressed his heartfelt thanks.

Zhu Qian was very busy and soon left. After he was gone, Li Qingzhi took out the silver ticket to examine it.

In Daqi, banknotes could be used as money to some extent, but only locally.

In Daqi, banknotes were receipts issued by money shops to merchants after they deposited money. In modern terms, they were essentially deposit slips.

Since transportation was not well-developed at the time, no one could spread their money throughout the country. For example, the largest money shop in Chongcheng County was owned by the Xu family, and there was only one money shop in the entire Xu family.

As a result, the banknotes they issued could only be used in Chongcheng County.

If someone from out of town wanted to exchange the banknotes for silver, they had to go to the money shop in Chongcheng County to exchange them for money. If they took them to another money shop, they would not be recognized.

Previously, when people from the original owner's hometown were fleeing due to flooding, if they didn't bring silver but brought banknotes instead… when they arrived outside, those banknotes were worthless.

In fact, even in the local area… many people, when receiving silver tickets, had to first go to the money shop to verify their authenticity. Otherwise, if they received fake banknotes, they wouldn't be able to exchange them for silver.

Of course, the silver ticket given by Zhu Qian couldn't possibly be fake. Li Qingzhi looked at it several times, carefully and meticulously, before putting it away.

When he returned home and gave the money to Jin Xiaoye, she would definitely be very happy.

Li Qingzhi was in a very good mood, and his writing speed unconsciously increased.

On the other hand, Jin Xiaoye was also in a good mood.

The head flowers sold very well before, so Jin Xiaoye asked Sister Wang to make more.

Sister Wang couldn't make so many by herself, so she found several other people who embroidered with her to help.

Today, when Jin Xiaoye went to pick up the goods, she found that they had even made other styles!

Among these embroiderers, there was a woman in her thirties whose husband's family name was Xu. Everyone called her Mrs. Xu. It was she who made the other styles of headbands.

"I want all styles of headbands!" Jin Xiaoye quickly made a decision. "And there's no limit to the quantity. I want as many as possible!"

Jin Xiaoye had realized that these inexpensive head flowers were in high demand.

The people in Jiangnan were relatively affluent. Although her family was considered poor in Miaoqian Village and kept chickens, they were able to save some money. People might hesitate for a long time before making a new outfit, but they wouldn't hesitate for too long to buy a head flower.

Just in Chongcheng County or nearby villages, she could sell many head flowers. After making more, she could even sell them to traveling merchants who would take them elsewhere to sell.

"That's what we'll do then." Mrs. Xu was very happy. These head flowers were made from scraps and had almost no cost. If she spent some time every day making them, she could earn a lot of money. How wonderful!

She wanted her son to take the imperial examination, and that would require quite a bit of money!

"Okay!" Jin Xiaoye made the decision, then took the finished head flowers and left.

She had already repaid the money she borrowed when she took Li Qingzhi to see a doctor, and she had saved up seven or eight taels of silver, six of which were given by Li Qingzhi.

She should buy Li Qingzhi a bed.

After some thought, Jin Xiaoye rowed to the carpenter's shop in the county.

The carpenter's shop was by the river, and there were people unloading a boat full of wood nearby, moving the wood to the carpenter's shop.

Beds were not cheap. Even a cheaper bamboo bed would cost quite a bit, and bamboo beds were not durable.

Jin Xiaoye planned to buy wooden planks directly and then buy two stools. By placing the planks on the stools, she could assemble them into a bed.

Their house was small, so when there was a need, they could also dismantle the bed to make space. When guests came, they could also use it as a table.

Jin Xiaoye walked into the carpenter's shop and quickly bought what she needed.

The carpenter's shop not only sold furniture but also firewood—the leftover scraps from making furniture were sold as firewood.

Jin Xiaoye thought for a moment and decided to buy some firewood as well.

When Li Qingzhi arrived with Li Damao and Li Ermao at the riverbank next to Zhu's house, Jin Xiaoye was already there.

As for Grandma Jin… she was collecting snails again.

"Grandma, we're leaving," Jin Xiaoye called to Grandma Jin when she saw Li Qingzhi, gesturing for her to come aboard.

Grandma Jin boarded the boat agilely and immediately spotted the stools and wooden planks Jin Xiaoye had bought. "I knew you must have made some money. You've started setting up a household already!"

Jin Xiaoye replied, "These were bought with Ah Qing's earnings. He earns a silver coin every day!"

Grandma Jin glanced at Jin Xiaoye and said nothing.

At this point, Li Qingzhi also boarded the boat and saw the wooden planks and stools on board.

After learning that Jin Xiaoye was going to buy a bed, he had been looking forward to it. But now… was this the bed Jin Xiaoye bought? It was not quite what he had imagined!

But thinking carefully about their situation… they only had two rooms in their house, and they stored a lot of grain in the room they lived in. If they bought a big bed, there would be no place to put it.

So what they really needed most was a house?

Now that he had money, he could just add two more rooms.

Building a house… building a brick and tile house would cost a lot of money, but building the type of house they currently lived in wouldn't cost much, and it wouldn't attract attention.

Once they had extra rooms, they could let the two children sleep in another room!

He could also buy some furniture to decorate the house, as well as a kitchen. Since they had money now, they could easily buy another pot.

At first, Li Qingzhi just wanted to buy a bed so Jin Xiaoye wouldn't have to sleep on the ground, but now… he found himself wanting more and more.

But decorating his own home was something that could easily become addictive.

Since the apocalypse, Li Qingzhi had lost his relatives and didn't have a fixed abode.

Now, he finally had a home.

Li Qingzhi really wanted to give the banknotes to Jin Xiaoye right away. He knew that Jin Xiaoye would be very happy when she saw the banknotes.

But with outsiders present… it was better to wait.

When they returned to Miaoqian Village, Li Qingzhi and the children were surrounded as soon as they got off the boat, all of them coming to buy head flowers.

Some hadn't bought them before, some wanted to buy more, and some wanted to buy them as gifts for relatives and friends.

Jin Xiaoye parked the boat and said with a smile, "I brought back a lot of head flowers today, some of them are even new styles. Come to my house, and I'll take them out for you to choose."

After greeting everyone, Jin Xiaoye and Jin Xiaoshu carried the wooden planks and stools and headed home.

Even Li Qingzhi helped carry some firewood.

Seeing these things, the villagers couldn't help but say a few words: "Xiaoye, are you going to make a bed?"

"Xiaoye, your family's life is getting better and better!"

"Xiaoye, let me help you carry some."

…

The crowd followed Jin Xiaoye to the Li family's house and started talking about the Yao family.

"Xiaoye, did something happen to the Yao family? Today, both Mr. Yao and his wife went to the county town with Yao Zhenfu, but they came back before the afternoon."

"It seems like Yao Zhenfu didn't go to school."

"The Yao family looks worried, maybe Yao Zhenfu did something he shouldn't have."

"Xiaoye, you row a boat to the county town every day, do you know what's going on?"

…

"I have no idea, I'm busy rowing a boat for people! How about this head flowers? I think it's pretty." Jin Xiaoye didn't answer, instead, she kept promoting her head flowers.

Jin Xiaoye had some guesses about the Yao family's situation but didn't plan to tell anyone.

She didn't like others talking about her family's affairs, so naturally, she wouldn't talk about others' affairs either.

But when she closed the door at night and talked to Li Qingzhi, that was another matter. She quite liked talking to Li Qingzhi about these things.

The villagers knew Jin Xiaoye's personality, and since they hadn't learned anything from her, they couldn't help feeling disappointed.

"Xiaoye, let me take over, and you can go eat," Li Qingzhi said when he saw that Jin Xiaoye was surrounded and didn't have time to eat.

"Okay." Jin Xiaoye went to eat, and Li Qingzhi took over selling the head flowers.

Li Qingzhi liked chatting with people, but he didn't say much. He mainly played the role of a "straight man" in the conversation.

"I can't believe that happened!"

"That's terrible!"

"Sister-in-law, you really know a lot!"

..

In the midst of chatting, Li Qingzhi also didn't forget to sell head flowers: "Miss, the red head flower is vibrant, and the yellow headband is grand. It depends on what you like."

"You're so beautiful, you should buy a couple more."

"Auntie, your skin is fair, this flower will complement your complexion."

"Sister, when you wear this flower, you look several years younger."

…

Li Qingzhi was very popular among the women in the village. When Jin Xiaoye finished eating and came out, she found a group of people surrounding him. Some of them had already bought head flowers and hadn't left yet.

Jin Xiaoye silently remembered the words Li Qingzhi used to promote the head flowers, planning to use them when selling head flowers tomorrow.

Today, she didn't need to use them! Jin Xiaoye called Jin Xiaoshu to help her tidy up the house and set up the bed.

When Li Qingzhi heard the movement and turned his head, he saw Jin Xiaoye tidying up the house and setting up the bed quickly and skillfully.

She worked quickly and efficiently, cleaning the house spotlessly, with glistening sweat on her black and red face… Li Qingzhi's heart couldn't help but beat faster.

As the sky gradually darkened, those who had been chatting with Li Qingzhi reluctantly left.

Li Laogen had already bathed the two children, and Jin Xiaoye had rearranged the house.

Seeing this, Li Qingzhi planned to invite Jin Xiaoye to bathe by the river together and tell her about the one hundred taels of silver.

However, at this moment, Mr. Yao arrived: "Xiaoye, do you have a moment? I need to talk to you about something."

"I have time. What's the matter?" Jin Xiaoye asked.

"Xiaoye, let's talk outside," Mr. Yao gestured towards the vegetable garden outside.

Jin Xiaoye didn't object and followed Mr. Yao outside.

Mr. Yao sought Jin Xiaoye's advice because he didn't have anyone else to discuss matters with. His parents only raised him, and he only had Yao Zhenfu… Whenever there was a problem, he had no one to consult with.

As for why he approached Jin Xiaoye… he understood her well, and she wouldn't gossip about their family affairs to others. Plus, compared to other villagers, Jin Xiaoye was knowledgeable!

Mr. Yao sighed and explained how Yao Zhenfu had been cheated out of money by Xuniang, and what happened when they went to find her today.

After learning about Xuniang's situation from Yao Zhenfu yesterday, Mr. Yao and his wife took Yao Zhenfu to the county town early in the morning to find Xuniang, hoping to negotiate and see if they could avoid compensation or reduce it.

However, Xuniang didn't show up, and as for Xuniang's husband… he insisted on a hundred taels of silver.

Mr. Yao explained everything to Jin Xiaoye and asked, "Xiaoye, what do you think we should do?"

"I don't want to give them money, but they said if we don't pay, they'll sue us… That's a hundred taels of silver. We'd have to sell land to come up with that…" Mr. Yao said, feeling pained at the thought of selling land.

"Uncle Yao, do you want to inquire about Xuniang's situation first? Once we have more information, we can gather more people and negotiate with them?" Jin Xiaoye suggested.

In fact, if it were her, she definitely wouldn't pay. With a son as foolish as Yao Zhenfu, if he were arrested by the officials, so be it. She could take care of her grandson well in the future!

Moreover, she always felt that Xuniang was just trying to extort money. If Mr. Yao brought people from Miaoqian Village to confront them, they might not actually dare to sue.

Mr. Yao said, "Zhenfu doesn't want this matter to be known to others…"

He had considered getting more people involved and going to confront them.

Although they didn't have close relatives nearby, he had a good relationship with the villagers, and many would be willing to help.

But Yao Zhenfu disagreed. He felt that this matter was too embarrassing, and if it became known, he wouldn't be able to live it down.

Mr. Yao was naturally angry at his son, but seeing his son desperately begging him, he couldn't help but soften his heart.

Mr. Yao seemed to have been holding back for a long time and he told Jin Xiaoye a lot. By the end, he was choking up.

After they went to Xuniang's place today, her husband threatened that if they didn't pay up within three days, they would take legal action.

At first, Jin Xiaoye wanted to give Mr. Yao advice, but after listening for a while, she decided not to say anything.

Mr. Yao clearly intended to settle the matter peacefully, so her advice wouldn't be of any use.

In the end, Mr. Yao asked Jin Xiaoye, "Xiaoye, do you know anyone who wants to buy land? I want to sell four acres of paddy fields."

Jin Xiaoye replied, "Uncle Yao, I'll go inquire for you tomorrow. By the way, my eldest uncle might be interested."

In recent years, her eldest uncle had saved up some money, so if someone in the village wanted to sell land, he would probably buy it.

Selling the land to her in-laws would be the best option, but her eldest uncle might not have enough money to buy all four acres of land.

"I understand… Xiaoye, please don't tell anyone about what I've said," Mr. Yao said.

"Uncle Yao, don't worry. I won't say anything," Jin Xiaoye assured him.

With that, Mr. Yao left.

Jin Xiaoye returned home and saw Li Qingzhi waiting at the door.

She lowered her voice and asked, "Are the children asleep?"

"They've already gone to sleep," Li Qingzhi replied. Four- or five-year-old children slept soundly as soon as they laid their heads on the pillow!

Jin Xiaoye asked again, "Have you taken a bath?" It was still hot, and if they didn't bathe, they would smell bad.

"I haven't bathed yet. Shall we go to the river together?" Li Qingzhi suggested.

Jin Xiaoye thought for a moment and agreed. There was a moon tonight, so they could see the way clearly.

Moreover, she had only wiped herself yesterday and wanted to take a good bath today.

The two of them went to the riverside, and Jin Xiaoye didn't even take off her clothes before getting into the water.

Li Qingzhi felt a bit disappointed at first, but soon he smiled and said, "Xiaoye, I have good news to tell you."

"What is it?" Jin Xiaoye asked.

Li Qingzhi said, "Today, Mr. Zhu gave me the payment for the letter I wrote for him."

"How much?" Jin Xiaoye was curious. Mr. Zhu had already given quite a bit of money before, but she wondered how much he gave this time. If it were ten taels, that would be great!

Li Qingzhi boasted a bit, "One hundred taels of silver."

"How much did you say?" Jin Xiaoye couldn't believe it.

"One hundred taels. Master Zhu gave it in banknote, and I've put them at home," Li Qingzhi said with a smile. Then, the next moment, a figure threw itself into his arms, accompanied by the sound of water, and planted a heavy kiss on his face.

Li Qingzhi felt a tingling sensation on his face, and a strange feeling spread throughout his body, causing him to involuntarily freeze.

"Husband, you're really amazing!" Jin Xiaoye released Li Qingzhi, her happiness beyond words.

One hundred taels! This was one hundred taels!

Li Qingzhi regained his composure and coughed lightly, "I didn't really do anything… Now that we have money, should we build a…"

However, before Li Qingzhi could finish his sentence, Jin Xiaoye interrupted excitedly, "With one hundred taels of silver, we can buy the land from the Yao family! Then our family will have six acres of land fields!"

Six acres of land! This was six acres of land!

They could eat rice to their heart's content in the future, without worrying about going hungry. Even if their sons, Li Damao and Li Ermao, didn't accomplish much in the future, they could still support their family with this land.

Li Qingzhi was stunned, "The Yao family wants to sell land?"

Jin Xiaoye wouldn't tell others about the Yao family's situation, but Li Qingzhi was her man… She briefly explained it to him.

Li Qingzhi asked, "Is Mr. Yao really planning to pay?" That was one hundred taels of silver! Mr. Yao actually intended to pay?

"If it were me, I definitely wouldn't pay, but he dotes on Yao Zhenfu so much… I can't persuade him. If I tell him not to pay and something really happens to Yao Zhenfu, he'll definitely blame me," Jin Xiaoye said.

Li Qingzhi also understood this principle; since ancient times, family ties were stronger than anything else.

As for Jin Xiaoye's desire to buy land, then let her buy it!

Land provided a sense of security, and also, due to land consolidation, land prices in Chongcheng County had been steadily rising. This trend was likely to continue until war or regime changes resulted in a decrease in population.

So buying land was a good thing, and as for building a house… he could still earn money!

Jin Xiaoye was very excited, practically bouncing home.

Unfortunately, it was already dark, and she couldn't see the appearance of the banknote clearly. "Husband, I never thought I would have so much money in my life!"

"In the future, our money will only increase," Li Qingzhi whispered.

"Yes, our money will definitely increase!" Jin Xiaoye's tone was firm. "I want Damao and Ermao to live a good life, preferably without having to farm!" Farming was really tiring. When Jin Xiaoye was young, she always dreamed of being able to live in the city without having to farm.

Jin Xiaoye set up the wooden bed next to their original bed.

The wooden bed wasn't big; she would sleep on it, while Li Qingzhi and the two children would continue sleeping on the old bed.

As for sharing the same bed… they could talk about it when Li Qingzhi gained a bit more weight!

The two of them lay in bed chatting for a long time. Suddenly, Li Qingzhi spoke up, "Xiaoye, Mr. Zhu's book is almost finished, and I want to write Mr. Ding's book at home, but our home is a bit crowded…"

"I'll find someone to build a house for you and buy you a desk," Jin Xiaoye interrupted.

Li Qingzhi earned so much money from writing books… What was building a house? Jin Xiaoye now wanted to support Li Qingzhi!

Li Qingzhi was a bit worried. "If we buy land, then the money for building the house…"

"We won't build a brick house. If we use mud to build the walls, it won't cost much," Jin Xiaoye said. "We can ask people from the village to help, without paying them, just providing meals."

In their village, when building houses, they would ask villagers for help, not paying them, just providing meals.

However, building a house required various materials, which needed to be purchased.

But with the money she had now, it would be just enough to build a house.

Most importantly, whether it was her or Li Qingzhi, they would continue to have a steady stream of income!

Jin Xiaoye was full of hope for the future, and she began to talk to Li Qingzhi about their plans for the future, even starting to discuss how to find wives for Damao and Ermao!

Her joy infected Li Qingzhi, and his mood became better and better. In the darkness, he reached out his hand and held Jin Xiaoye's hand.

Jin Xiaoye didn't struggle, and even kissed Li Qingzhi's hand… She now felt that her man was truly the best man in the world, so lovable!

Thinking like this, Jin Xiaoye kissed him again and turned sideways, holding Li Qingzhi's hand to her chest, laughing, "Haha, husband, you're so good! I'm glad you came back!"

Li Qingzhi: "…Tonight, he might have trouble sleeping."

His Xiaoye was too cute!

Li Qingzhi, who used to sleep with his beloved children and liked to hold them in his arms while sleeping, now abandoned his beloved children and began to think about holding Jin Xiaoye in his arms to sleep.

On the other hand, the atmosphere in the Yao family was very bad.

Mr. Yao had talked to Jin Xiaoye mainly to vent, and after he finished, he returned home.

At home, his wife and daughter-in-law were wiping tears, while his son looked very anxious.

Yao Zhenfu saw Mr. Yao return and immediately asked, "Dad, what did you tell Jin Xiaoye? You didn't tell Jin Xiaoye about my situation, did you?"

"And what if I did?" Mr. Yao glared at his son. "You're so wasteful, and I can't talk about it?"

Yao Zhenfu's eyes reddened at his father's words. "Dad, I can't face anyone anymore…"

That morning, they went to see Xuniang, and after being threatened by Xuniang's husband, they went to Li Xiucai School in the afternoon.

Although Li Xiucai had accepted many students to earn money, he wouldn't intentionally cheat them. This was also why his school had a good reputation.

Mr. Yao found Li Xiucai and inquired about Yao Zhenfu's Xiucai told him the truth, saying that Yao Zhenfu had a chance to pass the county exam, but becoming a scholar in the next few years was almost impossible.

What was the use of just passing the county exam without becoming a scholar?

At that time, Mr. Yao said that Yao Zhenfu would no longer study, and he even wanted Li Xiucai to refund the tuition they had paid.

Li Xiucai, upon realizing that Yao Zhenfu's family was not well-off, immediately refunded three taels of silver to Mr. Yao.

Afterward, Mr. Yao asked Yao Zhenfu to pack up his things from the school and return to Miaoqian Village.

Now, whenever Yao Zhenfu thought of the way people looked at him in the school, he felt a wave of despair.

He might never have the face to see his classmates again!

If his dad still spread his affairs… he wouldn't even dare to see the people in Miaoqian Village!

"I asked Jin Xiaoye to inquire about who wants to buy land," Mr. Yao sighed. He did indeed tell Jin Xiaoye everything, but there was no need for his son to know.

Yao Zhenfu breathed a sigh of relief at his father's words. At this moment, Mr. Yao looked at Jin Moli again. "Moli, go back to your mother's house tomorrow and see if they want to buy land."

Jin Moli agreed.

She now felt like the sky was falling, but no matter how difficult it was, life had to go on.

She couldn't let Yao Zhenfu go to jail. If he really went to jail, what would happen to her and her children?

However, with the Yao family in its current state… would Yao Zhenfu still be able to do business and make money in the future?

Jin Moli felt a bit lost.

The next day, she went back to her parents' home.

Her father only returned home once a month, so since he wasn't there, she went to her mother, who was Jin Xiaoye's aunt.

Jin Xiaoye's aunt was a slightly plump woman who appeared prosperous.

In Miaoqian Village, she was someone many envied because she had both sons and daughters who were successful.

Now, when Jin Moli saw her mother, she burst into tears and threw herself into her arms.

Although Yao Zhenfu had told her not to tell anyone about their family's situation, Jin Moli couldn't hold it in and told her mother everything that had happened in the Yao family.

The more Jin Xiaoye's aunt listened, the angrier she became, and she scolded Yao Zhenfu harshly.

The mother and daughter talked for a long time, and then Jin Xiaoye's aunt took Jin Moli and her three sons to the Yao family's home.

Jin Xiaoye's uncle, who initially only earned two taels of silver per month as a carrier, later became an apprentice to a chef and started cooking for the officials in the army. He could earn three taels of silver a month now.

With access to various ingredients in the kitchen, he had some additional income… After a month, not only could he bring some food home, but he also had two extra taels of silver after paying one tael.

Over the years, Jin Xiaoye's aunt had accumulated one hundred taels of silver. She had always wanted to use this money to buy land.

However, there were few families selling land in Miaoqian Village, and when there was finally someone willing to sell, Jin Xiaoye's aunt was bargaining when suddenly someone named Li Qingzhi bought the land!

Now that the Yao family wanted to sell land, it was right up Jin Xiaoye's aunt's alley.

However, her daughter had suffered in the Yao family, and most of her dowry had been spent by Yao Zhenfu when they got married… So Jin Xiaoye's aunt naturally didn't want to pay the market price of one hundred taels of silver for four acres of land from the Yao family.

"My daughter's dowry was used by your son to keep a concubine! Our Jin family can't stand this injustice!" Jin Xiaoye's aunt caused a scene at the Yao family's home, finally proposing to buy five acres of land from the Yao family for one hundred taels of silver, with the extra acres as compensation for what Yao Zhenfu had done to Jin Molan.

Mr. Yao was reluctant!

In the past, he might not have cared about this little money, after all, he could earn quite a bit from his rowing job each year.

But now he was getting old and his son couldn't be counted on.

Losing one acre of land meant less income for the family!

The two sides couldn't come to an agreement.

Originally, Mr. Yao and his wife felt guilty towards Jin Moli because of what had happened with Yao Zhenfu outside, but after this ordeal, their guilt faded, and Yao Shaogong's wife even began to show a bad attitude towards Jin Moli again.

Yao Zhenfu was also annoyed. He had told Jin Moli not to talk about this matter, yet she still told her family!

He was losing face!

Yao Zhenfu stayed inside and refused to come out, hoping his father would sell the land quickly and end this matter.

As for whether to sell four acres or five acres of land… he didn't care.

The Yao family was in a mess, but Jin Xiaoye continued to paddle the boat as usual, not slacking off at all.

In fact, she paddled even harder because of her excitement.

However, there was a slight difference compared to usual.

Today, Jin Xiaoye didn't bring any food, so she bought a few steamed buns for her and Jin Xiaoshu for lunch. She even gave one to Grandma Jin, who followed her to pick up recyclables in the county town.

"Sis, why did you suddenly buy steamed buns today?" Jin Xiaoshu was curious.

"We earned money selling floral head flowers!" Jin Xiaoye said.

Indeed, they had earned quite a bit of money selling floral head flowers these past few days, making her dowry thicker! Jin Xiaoshu took a bite of the steamed bun and, as usual, praised it endlessly, "Sis, this steamed bun is so delicious, so fluffy and soft!"

"Mm." Jin Xiaoye also found the steamed bun delicious.

Jin Xiaoye was very excited that day, so she paddled the boat joyfully, laughing unconsciously whenever she saw someone, showing her big white teeth.

Jin Xiaoshu: "…" His sister really resembled his brother-in-law today, laughing like a fool whenever she saw someone.

When Jin Xiaoye returned home that day, Mr. Yao came to find her again. "Xiaoye, do you know anyone who wants to buy land? Our family's four acres of land fields are all together. In the past, even if we sold them together, we could get 110 taels. But this time, I'm only selling for 100 taels."

At first, Mr. Yao did intend to sell his own land to the Jin family.

If Aunt Jin's wasn't determined to buy Yao's four acres of land for 100 taels, just to push down the price, say, she wanted to buy their four acres of land for 90 taels and then lend them 10 taels of silver, then he would have agreed.

After all, his son did indeed spend Jin Moli's dowry, and he felt guilty about it.

But Aunt Jin's wanted five acres of land… and Yao's family only had a total of ten acres of land!

Speaking of which, Yao's family used to be considered wealthy in front of the Miaoqian Village. But once this land was sold, they became an ordinary family.

"My aunt doesn't want it?" Jin Xiaoye was a bit surprised.

Mr. Yao didn't hide anything and recounted what happened during the day.

After listening, Jin Xiaoye was surprised and speechless.

She was surprised that her aunt could actually come up with one hundred taels… She thought that her uncle's family savings were at most fifty taels.

After all, her uncle's family often made new clothes and secretly ate meat, so their expenses weren't small.

It seems that her uncle earns more than he lets on.

As for why she was speechless… Her aunt actually didn't seize such a good opportunity!

It's not common for people to sell land these days!

"Xiaoye, I plan to go to the county town tomorrow to ask around. If someone wants to buy land from your side, I'll go and inquire too," Mr. Yao said.

Jin Xiaoye thought for a moment and said, "Uncle Yao, there really is someone on my side who wants to buy land. Let's go with the price you mentioned, one hundred taels of silver for four acres of land."

"Really?" Mr. Yao was pleasantly surprised.

"How could it be false?" Jin Xiaoye smiled.

"Will he be willing to pay tomorrow?" Mr. Yao asked again. The husband of that woman, named Xuniang, requested that they gather the money within three days, which was quite tight.

"Yes, he can. We can handle this matter at the government office tomorrow," Jin Xiaoye said. She was quite uneasy leaving the one hundred taels of silver at home. If she could exchange it for land sooner… that would be great!

Mr. Yao immediately made an appointment with Jin Xiaoye and said they would go to the county office to transfer the land the next day.

Before leaving,Mr. Yao asked, "Xiaoye, who wants to buy the land?"

Jin Xiaoye replied, "It's someone I know in the county town. She wants to buy a few acres of land for rental. Uncle Yao, you'll meet her tomorrow." After some consideration, Jin Xiaoye decided to let Sister Wang act as the "buyer".

At that time, she would pretend that Sister Wang wanted to buy the land, but in reality, she would be the one buying it!

As for farming after buying the land… she planned to lease it out.

Jin Xiaoye was good at farming, but she didn't enjoy it at all.

She preferred to go out on the boat to sell things!

So, with a total of six acres of land in her family, she decided to lease it all out.

Families who leased the land for farming would give them most of the produce, which would be enough for them to eat.

After discussing with Mr. Yao, Jin Xiaoye went to find Li Qingzhi and told him about buying the land tomorrow.

Li Qingzhi strongly supported Jin Xiaoye's decision to lease out the land after buying it. "Xiaoye, this is a good idea!"

As for farming, it's something you only understand when you do it. Jin Xiaoye not only had to fertilize the land with manure but also endured a lot of hardships during transplanting.

In this era, the methods to prevent mosquitoes and insects were limited. Everyone's legs would be bitten by mosquitoes, causing many itchy bumps, and scratching could lead to broken skin.

That wasn't the worst; there were leeches in the fields!

Those leeches would silently climb onto people's legs and then burrow into any wounds… Li Qingzhi had once seen Jin Xiaoye calmly pulling a leech out of a wound on her leg. After pulling it out, there would be a small blood hole on her leg.

Rowing the boat was also tiring, but with Jin Xiaoshu's help, Jin Xiaoye, who was used to doing farm work, didn't find it too exhausting.

Because Jin Xiaoye didn't just row the boat, she sold various odds and ends, earning much more than farming.

"Ah Qing, come with us tomorrow," Jin Xiaoye said to Li Qingzhi. "I don't know many words, so I'm afraid I might mess up this matter."

"Okay," Li Qingzhi agreed without hesitation.

Early the next morning, Mr. Yao and his wife came with the land deed to find them.

Yao Zhenfu didn't come; he felt embarrassed and didn't want to go to the county seat for the time being.

In just a few days, Mr. Yao looked like he had aged ten years, his head drooping and his whole demeanor lackluster.

He had no interest in rowing the boat, so he took Jin Xiaoye's boat to the county seat.

After arriving in the county seat, Jin Xiaoye asked Jin Xiaoshu to stay on the boat and watch over Li Damao and Li Ermao. She then asked Mr. Yao and his wife to wait in place for a while.

Jin Xiaoye and Li Qingzhi acted separately. Li Qingzhi went to the Zhu family to say hello and agreed to meet later. As for Jin Xiaoye, she went to ask Sister Wang for help.

Jin Xiaoye didn't want anyone to know that she had money on her hands. She wanted to buy a few acres of land in her own name, which was not a big deal at all. Sister Wang readily agreed.

They quickly gathered together and went to the bank first.

"Others don't have cash on hand, only silver bills. So let's go to the bank first to exchange silver. Uncle Yao, you can hold the silver from the bank with confidence," Jin Xiaoye said to Mr. Yao.

Mr. Yao nodded at her words, showing a smile. He was indeed a bit worried, afraid of accidentally receiving counterfeit money. If they directly withdrew money from the bank, it would be reassuring.

Li Qingzhi followed Jin Xiaoye to the bank. He had the memories of the original owner and knew what the bank was like, but seeing it in person was still interesting.

When they arrived at the bank, a servant from a wealthy household came over to exchange two taels of silver for copper coins.

The bank's treasurer was a man with a graying goat-like beard, probably in his fifties or sixties. After examining the silver, he said it was of good quality and could be exchanged for 2,700 copper coins. Then he took out the scale and began weighing the copper coins.

The bank couldn't be bothered to count the copper coins, they simply weighed them. For example, if one copper coin weighed four grams, then weighing out four thousand grams would be equivalent to one thousand copper coins.

The copper coins obtained from exchanging two taels of silver amounted to over ten catties, all of which the servant put into the bag hanging on his back.

Li Qingzhi overheard the servant talking to the bank's treasurer and learned that he had come to exchange money because his young master wanted to go shopping. In Chongcheng County, people mostly used copper coins for shopping, so he exchanged silver for copper coins.

After the servant finished exchanging, it was Li Qingzhi and the others' turn. Jin Xiaoye took out the banknotes; the treasurer inspected them, then he took the key and went into the back room. After a while, he came out with several heavy ingots of silver and handed them to Jin Xiaoye.

Mr. Yao had exchanged copper coins for silver before, and the treasurer had given him mostly fragmented silver, cutting off a bit if the weight was too much and adding some if it was too little. This was the first time he had seen such large pieces of silver, and for a moment, he was somewhat dazed, then chuckled bitterly.

After exchanging the silver, they went to the county office.

Buying and selling real estate required payment, as well as giving a little bribe to the officials handling the matter, totaling about one or two taels of silver.

Sometimes, buyers and sellers would haggle over this small amount at the county office, but Jin Xiaoye was quite generous and simply paid the money.

Mr. Yao and his wife were illiterate, and they instinctively feared places like the county office. They kept their heads down and hardly dared to speak a word, so they had no idea that the land was actually registered under Li Qingzhi's name.

Once everything was done, Jin Xiaoye breathed a sigh of relief, but Mr. Yao's bitter smile deepened a bit more.

Mr. Yao's grandparents, as well as his parents, were very thrifty people. They saved money little by little, leaving Mr. Yao with ten acres of land fields, some dry fields, and several dozen taels of silver. After Mr. Yao used the silver to buy a boat, the Yao family became richer and richer… If he hadn't sent Yao Zhenfu to school but instead bought a few acres of land, Mr. Yao might have already become a landlord.

But now…

Mr. Yao planned to go to Xuniang's place tomorrow, and Jin Xiaoye would row the boat to take them home. As for Li Qingzhi… It was only noon, so he took Li Damao and Li Ermao with him to continue writing at the Zhu family's.

Since the money had already been collected, he wanted to finish Zhu Qian's book quickly.

After spending half a day writing three thousand words, Li Qingzhi left the Zhu family after dinner and saw Jin Xiaoye with two flowers on her head.

"Am I pretty?" Jin Xiaoye smiled when she saw Li Qingzhi, her eyes crescent-shaped.

Li Qingzhi smiled back. "Yes, you are."

"I also feel particularly pretty today." Jin Xiaoye touched the flowers on her head, her smile even brighter.

She felt particularly pretty today, not because of the flowers on her head, but because her family owned six acres of land.

Jin Xiaoye felt as if her bones were lighter; if a gust of wind came, she could be blown away.

After Li Qingzhi boarded the boat, Jin Xiaoye said again, "Ah Qing, do you know how much money I've earned selling head flowers these days?"

Li Qingzhi asked, "How much?"

Jin Xiaoye said, "In just a few days, I've earned over six hundred copper coins! Nearly five taels of silver!"

She exchanged head flowers for eggs, then sold the eggs, and in just a few days, she earned over six hundred coins. This was just the profit from selling head flowers; she also earned money from rowing the boat.

However, rowing the boat didn't bring in much money, and she wasn't diligent these days. Today, she didn't even open for business… After deducting the rent, there was no money left.

"Xiaoye, you're really amazing!" Li Qingzhi praised.

"I feel the same way!" Jin Xiaoye exclaimed, "Ah Qing, I asked more people to help me make flower accessories, and I went to find some traveling merchants this afternoon. I can sell the flower accessories to them later. Although the price will be lower, I can still earn a lot of money. In this way, in a month, I might be able to earn four or five taels of silver!"

Jin Xiaoye said a lot and then asked Li Da Mao and Li Er Mao, "Da Mao, Er Mao, is Mommy amazing?"

Without hesitation, Li Da Mao and Li Er Mao nodded vigorously, "Mommy is the most amazing!"

After Li Da Mao finished speaking, he looked at Li Qingzhi, his little face serious, "Daddy, you're also the most amazing."

"Daddy, how am I amazing?" Li Qingzhi asked with a smile.

Li Da Mao said, "Daddy, you said we can eat white rice every day, and we really do eat white rice every day!"

"We even eat meat every day!" Li Er Mao licked his lips.

Li Qingzhi pulled the two children over and kissed them a few times.

Li Da Mao and Li Er Mao were already used to Li Qingzhi's actions. After Li Qingzhi finished kissing them, they also kissed him on the cheek.

Jin Xiaoye saw this and came over to kiss the two children as well.

She rarely did this, but Li Da Mao and Li Er Mao were especially happy after being kissed, their eyes shining as they looked at her.

Jin Xiaoye smiled again.

Li Qingzhi noticed that since he went to the Zhu family to transcribe books and Jin Xiaoye started renting out boats to earn money, she had become more lively. These days, Jin Xiaoye smiled all day long and looked very adorable.

When they returned to the village of Miaoxian that day, no one came to buy flower accessories anymore.

However, Jin Xiaoye didn't mind. After all, she hadn't sold much in other villages yet! Moreover, outside of Chongcheng County, there were still vast areas to explore.

Li Qingzhi had traveled to many places, and those traveling merchants from the county town had also been to many places.

Jin Xiaoye really wanted to leave Chongcheng County and go see the world, but it was very difficult.

When they returned home that day, Old Li had already prepared dinner as usual.

They used to eat unpolished rice at home, as unpolished rice was more filling.

But recently, they had money, so Jin Xiaoye asked Old Li to polish the rice a bit cleaner. The rice they ate was much whiter than before.

"Xiaoye, I pulled weeds in the field today, and I also polished a lot of rice," Old Li said enthusiastically, pulling out a chair for Jin Xiaoye.

Jin Xiaoye asked, "What do you want?"

Old Li chuckled, "Xiaoye, can you give me five wen?"

In the past, Jin Xiaoye would definitely ask him what he needed the money for, and at most, she would give him two or three wen.

But today, Jin Xiaoye was happy!

She took out five copper coins and put them on the table, saying, "Take them."

Old Li looked at Jin Xiaoye incredulously, then eagerly grabbed the money in his hand.

When he got the money, Old Li couldn't help but ask, "Xiaoye, are you not feeling well? Why are you suddenly so generous?"

Jin Xiaoye was speechless.

Li Laogen continued, "Once you've given me the money, it's mine, and you can't take it back!"

"I won't take it back. Dad, I have something for you to do," Jin Xiaoye said.

"What's the matter? Xiaoye, just tell me, I'll do it well!" Li Laogen pledged solemnly.

"Dad, I want to build another room and renovate the kitchen. I want you to help level the land next to it these days," Jin Xiaoye said.

"We're going to build a house?" Li Laogen was overjoyed.

In the village, Li Laogen had always been looked down upon, and no one took him seriously.

Before Li Qingzhi, his son, appeared, he was also at the bottom of the Li family. With their small plot of land, his younger brother and nephew could easily finish the work without needing him!

In the eyes of his brother and nephew, he was just a lazy person living off others.

They would make him work, but they wouldn't let him eat properly. Unable to bear it at home, he could only wander around outside.

It wasn't until five years ago when he met Li Qingzhi by chance and Li Qingzhi acknowledged him as his father that he gained some respect in the village.

He, Li Laogen, had a son!

Later, when Li Qingzhi disappeared, he felt a bit panicked, but Jin Xiaoye didn't drive him away!

Li Laogen was quite satisfied with his life in the past few years. Although Jin Xiaoye often scolded him, she would always give him whatever she ate and treated him well.

Li Laogen thought he would live like this for the rest of his life. Who would have thought that Li Qingzhi would come back?

Although Li Qingzhi initially spent all of Jin Xiaoye's savings, but later…

For the past two months, Li Qingzhi had been bringing delicious food home every day, and Li Laogen could show off his bowl of rice at the riverside every day!

He used to not know what to say to the villagers, but now, he could have a good chat with them about how delicious the leftovers from the Zhu family were!

In Miaoqian Village, whose old man ate better than him?

For the past two months, Li Laogen had been feeling quite elated because he was busy showing off the food at home every evening, and he no longer went to gamble.

But today, he wanted to try his luck. Mainly because when he was pulling weeds in the field during the day, someone invited him to play dice in the evening.

Before, no one invited him, and he usually joined in himself, but this time, someone actually invited him… so he came to ask Jin Xiaoye for money.

But now… Jin Xiaoye unexpectedly wanted to build a house!

How could Li Laogen still remember about gambling? He was only thinking about building the house now.

In fact, the house they were going to build wouldn't be for him to live in. He already had a house. Most likely, the new house would be for Li Damao and Li Ermao.

But so what?

Their family was going to build a house, which was a matter of great face!

Their lives were getting better and better!

Jin Xiaoye said, "From now on, Qingzhi won't copy books at the Zhu family anymore. He'll do it at our own home. I plan to build a house for him as a study."

Li Laogen was extremely disappointed. "Then will I still have the leftovers from the Zhu family to eat?"

"No," Jin Xiaoye replied.

Li Laogen lost interest in the new house for a moment!

Jin Xiaoye continued, "Originally, Master Zhu let Qingzhi copy books out of pity. Qingzhi certainly can't rely on the Zhu family forever! But without the leftovers from the Zhu family, we can make some delicious food ourselves. I plan to buy another pot so that we can cook and stew with just one pot."

That sounded good too! Li Laogen became happy again. "Xiaoye, don't worry. I'll prepare the land tomorrow!"

"Dad, we also need to prepare some clay. You look for some, and if it's not enough, I'll go buy some," Jin Xiaoye said. Many families dug clay from their own land, but their land was scarce.

You couldn't just dig a hole in front of your own door!

In Chongcheng County, the most impressive houses were brick and tile houses, which looked very beautiful.

The worst ones were makeshift huts made of bamboo or similar materials. Some people who didn't have land would build a small hut on vacant land by the river as a shelter.

The most common type of house was a mud house built with rammed earth walls.

Li Laogen said, "I know, Xiaoye, don't worry. I'll make sure to prepare the clay. I often help others build houses, so I know this best!"

Regardless of whose family was building a house, they would provide meals for the laborers. Therefore, whenever someone in the village was building a house, Li Laogen would always join in to help.

He was small and not very strong, so he couldn't do much work, but he was always eager to eat.

"Dad, thank you so much!" Jin Xiaoye said.

"No trouble at all, this is for my good grandson!" Li Laogen looked at Li Damao and Li Ermao. "Are you happy that grandpa is going to build you a house?"

Li Laogen made it sound like he was the one paying for the house!

Jin Xiaoye didn't argue with Li Laogen and continued to eat her food.

After saying a few words to his grandchildren, Li Laogen couldn't sit still anymore and went back to the riverside with his bowl.

Li Laogen boasted every day at the riverside about what he had eaten. Everyone was tired of hearing it, so when they saw him coming, they all avoided him.

But Li Laogen had thick skin and approached them with his bowl. "My family is going to build a house!"

Li Qingzhi's family was actually going to build a house? The villagers became curious.

Li Laogen didn't mention that Li Qingzhi couldn't go to the Zhu family to copy books anymore. He only said that Jin Xiaoye and Li Qingzhi had earned money and wanted to build a house. "You know, our house is a bit small. We only have two rooms in total. There wasn't even a place to put a dining table before. Now that Damao and Ermao are getting older, we definitely need to build a few more rooms…"

The villagers responded, "…" Previously, it wasn't that the Li family couldn't afford a dining table; they simply couldn't afford it!

Everyone in the village knew each other's business!

However, now that Li Qingzhi could earn three taels of silver a month and Jin Xiaoye's boat rental wouldn't earn as much, they should be able to save up one or two taels of silver a month…

With a bit of money in their hands, it was normal for them to build a house!

The villagers congratulated Li Laogen one after another.

Elated, Li Laogen kept talking about this matter back and forth and completely forgot about the gambling.

At this moment, a woman in her thirties arrived at the riverside and asked the people around her, "Have you heard about what happened at Mr. Yao's house?"

The villagers immediately forgot about Li Laogen and inquired, "What happened at Mr. Yao's house?"

"Their family hasn't been acting normal these past few days, so I was curious!"

"Did something happen to Yao Zhenfu?"

…

The woman speaking was Jin Xiaoye's maternal neighbor and also her cousin-in-law. "Yao Zhenfu got into trouble. He found a lover in the county town, but when he got intimate with her, he was caught by the woman's husband!"

"And then?"

"Has Yao Zhenfu lost his mind? With someone as beautiful and good-natured as Jin Moli, why would he go looking for a lover?"

"Exactly, Jin Moli is so much better."

…

The villagers held Jin Moli in high regard. She was not only beautiful but also gentle. Before getting married, she didn't like to work, but after marriage, she seemed quite diligent.

In the eyes of many, she was more suitable to marry into a family than Jin Xiaoye.

"And then? What else happened?"

"Well, they have to compensate the other family! The other family is asking for a hundred taels of silver, and Mr. Yao is planning to sell their land!" Jin Xiaoye's cousin-in-law said, "This is confirmed news. It was Jin Moli's elder sister-in-law who told me. I heard that Yao Zhenfu used up all of Jin Moli's dowry on that fox spirit. The Jin family is furious!"

No one expected such a thing to happen in Mr. Yao's family!

What Li Qingzhi and Jin Xiaoye wanted to do by adding on to their house was nothing compared to this! The Yao family's situation was the real big news!

People started talking about Yao Zhenfu.

Not long ago, Yao Zhenfu was the only person in Miaoqian Village studying in the county town. The villagers always thought he was different, even though he wasn't very nice to the villagers. Whenever they saw him, they would still praise him for his prospects and abilities.

But now, this person with prospects and abilities was caught having an affair with someone else's wife in the county town!

The villagers became more and more enthusiastic as they talked.

When Li Qingzhi arrived at the riverside and felt the pleasure of being surrounded by living people, he realized that almost everyone in the village already knew about the Yao family's situation.

He and Jin Xiaoye hadn't said a word about it, but Jin Moli had let it slip.

But even if Jin Moli hadn't said anything, it wouldn't have stayed hidden for long. In rural areas like this, everyone was together all day, so no matter what happened in someone's family, it wouldn't take long for everyone to find out.

As Li Qingzhi passed by Yao's house that day, he noticed the chaos inside.

At a time like this, Mr. Yao definitely wouldn't want anyone coming to his house… Li Qingzhi didn't go over and returned home instead.

Building a house at home was a big deal! Jin Xiaoye was quite happy about it, and although Li Damao and Li Ermao didn't understand why their mother was so happy, they felt happy too when Jin Xiaoye was happy.

But they didn't celebrate because something had just happened next door.

At Yao's house…

Jin's aunt brought her three sons to Yao's house and was quarreling with Mr. Yao and his wife. As for Yao Zhenfu… he hid inside and didn't come out.

Jin's aunt had a loud voice. She recounted everything from Jin Moli being mistreated by Yao's mother over the years to Jin Moli's dowry being swindled by Yao Zhenfu. By the end, she was choked with emotion. "My good daughter, did she come to your house just to suffer? If that's the case, I might as well take her back!"

Mr. Yao remained silent with his head lowered. Yao's mother was not very polite to Jin Moli, but she didn't dare to show her temper to the Jin family.

They kept apologizing, but they refused to agree to sell their five acres of land for a hundred taels of silver.

They didn't even tell Jin's aunt that they had already sold the land, afraid that the Jin family would get angry and things would escalate.

Mr. Yao and his wife remained silent, and Jin's aunt left resentfully as night fell.

After Jin's aunt left, Yao Zhenfu came out from inside the house. "Dad, why don't you just sell the land? It's already been two days out of the three!"

Mr. Yao realized how unreliable his son was, but he didn't tell him that they had already sold the land.

Now hearing his son say this, Mr. Yao felt even more disappointed. "If we sell five acres of land, we'll only have five acres left!"

Yao Zhenfu said, "Don't we still have five acres left?"

Mr. Yao was so angry that he couldn't speak and couldn't help but slap his son again.

If it had been before, Jin Moli would have gone up to Yao Zhenfu to inquire about his well-being, but now she didn't want to move.

Yao Zhenfu had a lover in the county town and spent so much money on her. It really hurt her feelings.

She had been so good to Yao Zhenfu before because she didn't want to be treated like the previous Jin Xiaoye by Yao Zhenfu, but now that Yao Zhenfu was like this…

So what if she was abandoned by Yao Zhenfu? She had already given birth to children for him. Could Yao Zhenfu still abandon her?

Even if Jin Xiaoye made a scene, she hadn't done anything wrong!

After Yao Zhenfu was slapped, he felt resentful towards Jin Moli for not asking about him and for revealing his embarrassing affair. When they returned to their room, he erupted in anger: "Jin Moli, have you lost your mind? Didn't I tell you not to talk about my affairs? How am I supposed to face anyone now?"

"Are you going to stop people from talking about what you've done?" Jin Moli couldn't help but cry.

This only fueled Yao Zhenfu's fury. He blamed Jin Moli, feeling that if she had been better, he wouldn't have sought comfort elsewhere.

Jin Moli's tears flowed even more profusely.

They quarreled, and the next day, Jin Moli went back to her mother's house.

The Yao family was too preoccupied to pay attention to her. Early the next morning, Mr. Yao took Yao Zhenfu and rowed to the county town.

They arrived at Xuniang's residence and exchanged a hundred taels of silver with Xuniang's husband for the letters Yao Zhenfu had written to Xuniang and some of the tokens he had given her.

Before they went, Mr. Yao was worried that Xuniang's husband would demand more money after receiving the silver, but he didn't.

When they left Xuniang's place, Yao Zhenfu breathed a sigh of relief.

He didn't have to worry about Xuniang's husband reporting him to the authorities anymore!

"Dad, since you already had the money, why didn't you tell me earlier? I've been worried sick," Yao Zhenfu complained to his father.

Mr. Yao didn't answer. He silently untied the rope securing the boat and got on his boat first.

He picked up the bamboo pole on the boat and propelled the small boat away swiftly.

Yao Zhenfu, who hadn't boarded the boat yet, was dumbfounded. What was going on with his father? Was his father abandoning him?

Today, he didn't have a single cent on him. If his father left, how was he going to get back?

Yao Zhenfu shouted, "Dad, Dad!"

But Mr. Yao ignored him, rowing away.

Left behind by his own father, Yao Zhenfu felt angry and anxious. After his anger subsided, he could only slowly make his way back.

He had never walked from the county town to Miaoqian Village in the past ten years he had spent in the county town.

Mr. Yao felt sorry for him and always made sure to pick him up and drop him off.

But today, Yao Zhenfu had to walk back alone.

As he walked, he wished he could cover his face with his sleeve, fearing that someone might recognize him and mock him if they saw him.

The people in the county town probably didn't know about him and Xuniang, but since he left the school, his father's actions, such as asking his teacher for money, must have spread.

As he walked, he felt terrified whenever someone glanced at him, afraid that they were mocking him…

But Yao Zhenfu was overthinking. People from other villages didn't recognize him.

But the people from Miaoqian Village did!

As soon as Yao Zhenfu returned to Miaoqian Village, he heard someone say, "Isn't this Yao Zhenfu? Just came back from the county town? Did you go see your sweetheart?"

The speaker was Yao Zuming.

Yesterday evening, Yao Zhenfu's affair had already spread throughout Miaoqian Village.

Yao Zhenfu, who was once revered by everyone as a scholar, had gotten himself into such trouble… The people of Miaoqian Village sighed in dismay.

But most people wouldn't say anything to Yao Zhenfu's face; they would only talk about it privately. Only people like Yao Zuming would go to Yao Zhenfu and mock him.

Yao Zuming's last name was also Yao, and his grandfather was the brother of Yao Zhenfu's grandfather.

However, the two families had fallen out long ago and didn't get along.

Yao Zhenfu's expression changed repeatedly.

But Yao Zuming continued to laugh, "I heard you were caught by her husband when you were fooling around with your sweetheart? Were you even wearing pants when you got caught? Yao Zhenfu, did you get beaten up? If I were that man, I would have given you a good kick to make sure you can't perform as a man anymore!"

Yao Zhenfu was furious. "I was wearing pants!"

Yao Zuming laughed heartily. "I heard Mr. Yao is selling land to compensate. Yao Zhenfu, you're no longer a young master. You'll have to work in the fields with us in the future!"

Yao Zhenfu couldn't take it anymore. He covered his face with his sleeve and ran back home, locking himself inside.

For many days after that, the people of Miaoqian Village talked about the Yao family's affairs, just like they used to talk about Li Qingzhi.

The Yao family remained unsettled.

When Aunt Jin learned that Mr. Yao had sold the land to someone else, she went to Yao's house to cause a scene again and demand compensation.

Mr. Yao was in the wrong and eventually agreed to make up for Jin Moli's dowry.

What Aunt Jin wanted most was the land, but Mr. Yao had already sold it and spent the money. With no other option, she angrily took a chicken from Yao's house and complained everywhere that Mr. Yao was unkind, preferring to sell the land to someone else rather than to her.

But no one in the village took her seriously. They all knew she was being greedy and trying to haggle the price down, but ended up not being able to buy the land.

Then there was the matter of Jin Moli staying at her mother's house and not returning.

Now that the Yao family had little money left and couldn't afford to marry off Yao Zhenfu, they naturally hoped Jin Moli would come back. But despite Mr. Yao's several attempts to persuade her, she didn't return until Mr. Yao scolded Yao Zhenfu and forced him to bring her back, accompanied by gifts.

During this time, the Yao family suffered quite a bit of loss, but once everything was settled, Mr. Yao felt much more relaxed.

Yao Zhenfu doesn't study anymore, so he doesn't need to work so hard to make money!

Every time Mr. Yao thought about his son spending so much money to please Xuniang, he couldn't help but feel an impulse to treat himself better.

The Yao family has actually started eating meat!

In the blink of an eye, it's been half a month since Li Qingzhi bought the land from the Yao family.

On this day, Li Qingzhi got up early as usual and went to the county town with Jin Xiaoye.

Mr. Yao left with them when they left Miaoqian Village. After Yao Zhenfu didn't need to be picked up anymore, Mr. Yao always left early and returned late.

"Uncle Yao, good morning." Jin Xiaoye greeted Mr. Yao.

"Morning." Mr. Yao smiled and started rowing the boat.

Seeing that Mr. Yao looked much older, Jin Xiaoye asked, "Uncle Yao, rowing a boat can make good money. Do you want Zhenfu to learn it?"

Since Yao Zhenfu doesn't study anymore, according to Jin Xiaoye's thinking, he should be made to work.

The Yao family has boats, so it's good for Yao Zhenfu to learn how to row.

"He's unwilling. Now he just hides in the study all day and doesn't come out. If we don't bring him food, he won't come out to eat." Mr. Yao sighed.

When his son went to the Jin family to meet Jin Moli, he was scolded by the Jin family, and when he returned home, he locked himself in the study and wouldn't come out.

They were angry and simply ignored him, not bringing him food either.

As a result, his son didn't come out to eat at all!

They couldn't bear to see their son starve to death, so they had to bring him food in the end.

But even if they brought him food, Yao Zhenfu didn't want to see them, didn't want to open the door. They could only leave the food at the door — after they left, their son would take the food inside and eat it.

Mr. Yao complained for a long time.

He was a person who cared about his face, but now his face was completely lost, so he didn't care anymore.

After complaining, he had to continue working.

Jin Xiaoye couldn't help but sigh after listening.

Li Qingzhi's mood was equally complicated, not knowing what to say.

In fact, if Yao Zhenfu turned out this way, Mr. Yao also had some responsibility. The conditions at the Yao family were not good, but Mr. Yao sent Yao Zhenfu to study in the county town… Yao Zhenfu's mentality became unbalanced.

But the main reason was still Yao Zhenfu himself. He must have known the situation at home, but he could still enjoy himself in the county town, completely ignoring his family.

Li Qingzhi took Li Damao and Li Ermao to Zhu's house, first went to the kitchen to eat, and then went to write.

Zhu's autobiography should be finished today.

Li Qingzhi finished writing Zhu's autobiography in the afternoon. After finishing writing, he felt a sense of loss.

In his previous life, he used to write diaries, but he had never written a book. This was his first completed book.

After finishing writing, there was still time left, so Li Qingzhi went out to find Zhu Qian.

He knew Zhu Qian was at home today.

"Why did the virtuous nephew come?" Zhu Qian asked with a smile when he saw Li Qingzhi.

"Uncle Zhu, I have finished your autobiography." Li Qingzhi smiled and handed the final manuscript to Zhu Qian.

"Finished writing?" Zhu Qian, delighted yet faintly disappointed, then took the manuscript from Li Qingzhi's hand and started reading.

Li Qingzhi had only written two thousand words today in total, and Zhu Qian finished reading it in no time. "Nephew, you've written this book so well!"

Zhu Qian knew that the autobiography Li Qingzhi wrote for him was embellished, but precisely because of that, he liked this autobiography even more.

He even felt that it could be considered a family heirloom.

In Zhu Qian's original intention, the one hundred taels he gave Li Qingzhi was too little, but if he gave too much, it wouldn't be appropriate either, as Ding Xi would still need Li Qingzhi to write books!

If he raised the price too high, Ding Xi would be unhappy.

"Uncle Zhu, you're too kind. Uncle Zhu, I completed this book in one go, and there are some gaps in the middle. Could you please give me the previous drafts so I can rearrange them?" Li Qingzhi spoke up.

Every day he wrote three thousand words for this book, and after he finished, the Zhu family members took it away, barely making any modifications.

He did write it quite well, but he felt the book could be even more perfect with some revisions.

Moreover, through the process of editing and copying, he could also practice his calligraphy.

Li Qingzhi's handwriting was already very good now, not inferior to Zhu Xunmiao's. He could even write as neatly as printed words.

This was the type of handwriting that examiners liked the most during the imperial examinations, but in this era, it wasn't considered outstanding handwriting. He still hoped his handwriting could have some of his own characteristics.

Li Qingzhi planned to practice his handwriting in his spare time.

"Then I thank you very much, nephew!" Zhu Qian naturally welcomed Li Qingzhi's proposal. "I'll have someone give you thirty taels of silver as payment for helping with the editing!"

When Li Qingzhi left Zhu's house that day, he had fifty taels of silver in his pocket.

Among these fifty taels, thirty were for helping Zhu Qian edit the book, and the remaining twenty were the deposit Zhu Qian gave him to help Ding Xi write books.

In addition to this, Zhu Qian also had someone pack up the ink, paper, and inkstone he had prepared for Li Qingzhi before and gave them to him.

Plus, the few books Li Qingzhi borrowed from the Zhu family… he left with quite a few things.

Li Qingzhi tried to lift them but couldn't even budge them.

Although his health had improved a lot, he was still generally weak.

"Mr. Li, the master asked me to escort you!" Fortunately, Zhu Qian had arranged for someone to escort Li Qingzhi. This person carried the things and escorted Li Qingzhi all the way to the place where Jin Xiaoye usually came to pick him up.

Grandma Jin was already there.

During the days when the Yao family had trouble, Grandma Jin didn't come to the county town with them, but these days, she came every day!

Every morning, she would have breakfast at the Li family's house and then follow Jin Xiaoye to the county town to collect scraps.

Li Qingzhi asked her about her income from collecting scraps and learned that after half a month, she had earned about fifty cents in total, in addition to bringing back some firewood or other useful items for the family.

The Jin family wasn't short of money, as Li Qingzhi saw it, so Grandma Jin didn't need to do this, but Grandma Jin evidently enjoyed it.

All the snails on this side of the river pier had already been collected by Grandma Jin, so she didn't go into the water; she just sat on the stone steps waiting.

Seeing Li Qingzhi carrying so many things, Grandma Jin asked, "Why are you carrying so many things? Where did they come from?"

Li Qingzhi replied, "Grandma, I won't be copying books at Zhu's house anymore, so I packed up my things there."

"You won't be copying books at Zhu's house anymore? Does that mean you won't be earning money?" Grandma Jin frowned.

Li Qingzhi explained, "Not exactly. I've taken on other work, so I can copy books at home."

"Well, that's alright… But if you're not going to Zhu's house to copy books, then I won't be able to come to the county town." Grandma Jin was a bit unhappy.

Li Qingzhi was puzzled for a moment. How could Grandma Jin not come to the county town if he didn't go to copy books?

But after a moment's thought, he understood.

Jin Xiaoye went to the county town at fixed times every day, and also returned at fixed times, just to pick him up.

If he didn't go to Zhu's house to copy books, then Jin Xiaoye definitely wouldn't come like this.

For example, today, even if Jin Xiaoye had taken on work near Miaoqian Village, when it was time to come to the county town, he would have to come to pick Li Qingzhi up. But if Li Qingzhi didn't come to the county town, Jin Xiaoye could just go directly back to Miaoqian Village.

Grandma Jin could hitch a ride with him, but if she wanted Jin Xiaoye to specifically come and pick her up… Jin Xiaoye wouldn't be happy.

And Grandma Jin didn't pay him!

As they were talking, Jin Xiaoye arrived.

Jin Xiaoye wasn't wearing a floral headband today, but the cloth strip tying her hair was very pretty, which she had just acquired yesterday.

In this past half month, Jin Xiaoye's business had been doing extremely well.

In Chongcheng County, there were many women who could do needlework. Most of them didn't work in fabric workshops like Mrs. Xu, spending the whole day weaving fabric, but they didn't mind taking on some work in their spare time to earn some extra money.

Just doing some simple work like this, they could earn two eggs a day, and making egg drop soup for the whole family was something to be happy about!

As for the scraps of fabric… There were many fabric-making places in Chongcheng County, but now they needed large quantities, so they had to spend money to buy them.

After Li Qingzhi boarded the boat, he found that there were many old bricks on board.

Jin Xiaoye explained, "I bought these bricks. Old bricks are cheaper, and I plan to use them to build a hearth."

For the past half month, their family had been preparing to build a house, and the preparations were almost done. They planned to start building the house tomorrow.

This was also the date Jin Xiaoye set after knowing that Li Qingzhi would soon finish writing the book — when building the house, someone had to be at home to oversee things.

Although Li Laogen said he could help watch over things and repeatedly assured that he would do things well, Jin Xiaoye didn't believe him.

A few days ago, Jin Xiaoye had already bought a new pot, and now she had bought some bricks so they could build a hearth that could hold two pots.

In these days of earning more money, Jin Xiaoye had also overturned the idea of just building one room — she wanted to add two rooms!

In one of the two new rooms, a hearth would be built on the north side, and a table would be placed on the south side, to be used as a reception room for guests. The other room would be divided in half, with the south side used as Li Qingzhi's study and the north side having a bed for her and Li Qingzhi.

The other two rooms would also be arranged accordingly. For example, Li Laogen's room would have firewood piled up on the south side and Li Laogen would live on the north side.

As for the room they currently lived in, grain was piled up on the south side, and Li Damao and Li Ermao lived on the north side.

As for the hut, it would be built behind these four rooms.

Jin Xiaoye had originally wanted to build a pigsty behind as well to raise pigs, but Li Qingzhi didn't agree.

Their family didn't need to raise pigs now that they had enough money.

Pigs really did smell!

When they returned to Miaoqian Village, there were still many people gathered at the river pier.

Seeing Jin Xiaoye unloading bricks from the boat, everyone admired her greatly. "Xiaoye, you even bought bricks!"

"Xiaoye, your family's life is getting better and better!"

"Xiaoye, let me help you carry the bricks!"

Even some people approached Jin Xiaoye, asking if she could get cheap bricks for them.

Jin Xiaoye told them the price she had bought the bricks for, and the person immediately said they wanted to buy some too.

Most of the houses in their village were made of earth walls, but many people would use bricks to build hearths or other things.

"I can help you buy them and bring them back, but you'll have to pay for the transportation costs," Jin Xiaoye said.

"That's fair!"

Since she got the boat, Jin Xiaoye had become more and more popular in Miaoqian Village. Li Qingzhi watched with a smile, feeling that the future was full of hope.

However, while he felt this way, others in the village didn't share the sentiment.

Seeing Li Qingzhi return with a lot of things and hearing that he couldn't go to Zhu's house to copy books anymore, everyone looked at him sympathetically.

How nice it was at Zhu's house! Not only did they pay a silver coin a day, they even gave Li Qingzhi leftovers.

If Li Qingzhi couldn't go to Zhu's house to copy books anymore, could he still make money?

They all thought the Li family was going to become rich and noble, but now it seemed like that wasn't the case.

Li Qingzhi still brought back some leftovers.

Today, the Zhu family had duck for dinner, and Li Qingzhi brought back all the leftovers, including the thousand-layered duck rolls. He had already eaten, so he didn't touch them. Jin Xiaoye quietly ate, and Jin Xiaoshu, as usual, praised the dish incessantly, saying how delicious it was.

Except for Li Laogen, who was different from the others.

He looked sorrowful. "This is the last meal. I won't be able to eat such delicious food anymore…"

What was he saying about it being the last meal… Li Qingzhi said, "Dad, we'll be able to eat delicious food in the future too. Maybe one day, we'll be able to eat delicious food every day like the people at the Zhu's house."

Li Qingzhi couldn't guarantee that his imperial examination would go smoothly, but even if it didn't, he could still write books to earn money.

And there was Jin Xiaoye, her business was doing very well, so she should continue to make money.

In their family… eating meat every day shouldn't be a problem.

Li Laogen didn't believe Li Qingzhi's words. How could their family's life ever be as rich as Zhu's house!

But Jin Xiaoye had become more generous lately, so perhaps their family could afford to eat salted fish and tofu every day.

Thinking about this, Li Laogen picked up his bowl and headed to river pier.

Their family was going to build a house tomorrow, so he needed to talk to some people again.

After Li Laogen left, Jin Xiaoshu quickly finished his meal and went home. Li Qingzhi then took Li Damao and Li Ermao to the riverside for a bath.

Although they could still wear short sleeves these days, the river water had started to cool down a bit. But Li Damao and Li Ermao were used to rough living and didn't mind. They still took off their clothes and went into the river. If they stepped on or saw snails, they would pick them up and set them aside to feed the ducks when they got home.

After cleaning up the two children and washing their clothes, Li Qingzhi took them home.

He thought it would be best to build a bathroom behind the main hall.

People in Miaoqian Village often went without bathing for a whole winter, at most wiping their bodies. He himself, in his past life, hadn't bathed at all during those years.

But he liked bathing, just like he liked eating.

The feeling of cleaning his body was really nice!

If their family had a bathroom, they could take a hot bath in the winter, which would be so comfortable!

Not long after Li Qingzhi got home, Jin Xiaoye, who had finished bathing, returned.

She had washed her hair and was now drying it with a piece of cotton cloth.

This cotton cloth was newly bought by Jin Xiaoye. Since she had an income now, she had been gradually buying some small things for the house.

"Ah Qing, you brought back a lot of things from Master Zhu's house. What are they?" Jin Xiaoye asked curiously.

Li Qingzhi replied, "They are the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone I used at Master Zhu's house. Master Zhu gave them all to me."

"Those must be worth a lot of money, right?" Jin Xiaoye asked.

Since she had started rowing the boat, she had been in contact with more and more people and had learned more and more things.

After finding out that Li Qingzhi would copy books at home, she asked Mrs. Xu about it and found out that the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone were very expensive.

Mrs. Xu's son went to Li Xiucai's house to study, and it cost over ten taels of silver a year!

Of course, Mrs. Xu's son was already very frugal. She had also found out a few days ago that Yao Zhenfu, the neighbor next door, would spend fifty taels a year.

"Master Zhu prepared good inkstones and brushes for me. Altogether, they're probably worth over ten taels of silver," Li Qingzhi said.

Because Zhu Qian wholeheartedly befriended him, he gave him a few extra pieces of ink and a few more brushes.

That ink was all good ink, and those brushes were all good brushes. Most students would only use such good brushes and ink when they went to participate in the county examination.

"These things are so expensive?" Jin Xiaoye dared not touch those things anymore.

"Reading consumes a lot of money," Li Qingzhi sighed. In Daqi, the cost of reading was equivalent to sending a child to a private school in modern times, ranging from a few thousand to tens of thousands of taels a year, and of course, there were even more expensive options, with no upper limit.

The sources of income for ordinary people in Daqi were very limited. The vast majority of people relied on farming to support themselves, and since they didn't have much land, they naturally couldn't afford to send their children to school.

In fact, even in modern times, those farmers who only cultivated a few acres of their own land couldn't afford to send their children to private schools either.

Jin Xiaoye let out a deep sigh.

"Oh, Xiaoye, I have something for you," Li Qingzhi said.

"What is it?" Jin Xiaoye asked, then saw Li Qingzhi pull out several heavy silver ingots from his book box.

Last time, Zhu Qian gave Li Qingzhi banknotes, fearing that Li Qingzhi wouldn't be able to carry them.

But this time, he arranged for someone to send Li Qingzhi… and he gave Li Qingzhi silver.

The silver ingots were ten taels each, totaling five ingots. In the dimly lit room, there was no brilliance to them, but when Jin Xiaoye saw them, her breath seemed to stop.

Although Jin Xiaoye had seen hundred-tael banknotes before, silver was more tangible and lovable than banknotes.

"Where did you get so much money?" Jin Xiaoye's voice trembled.

Li Qingzhi whispered, "Thirty taels were given by Master Zhu for helping him revise that book. The remaining twenty taels are the deposit given by Master Ding."

Jin Xiaoye hugged Li Qingzhi tightly and kissed him on the face. "Husband, you're amazing! How are you so amazing?"

As soon as Jin Xiaoye finished kissing, the two children ran over. "Dad, I want to kiss too!"

Li Damao and Li Ermao skillfully went to kiss Li Qingzhi, one on each side, so much so that Li Qingzhi didn't have time to catch Jin Xiaoye, who was laughing foolishly, and kiss her a few more times.

By this time, Jin Xiaoye had already regained her senses. She hugged the silver in her arms, opened their family's box, and rummaged through it to find a place to hide the silver.

"Mom?" Li Damao and Li Ermao looked at Jin Xiaoye in confusion.

Jin Xiaoye put the silver in the box, turned around, hugged them, and gave them a few kisses. "Damao and Ermao, Mom will slaughter a duck for you to eat tomorrow!"

Li Damao and Li Ermao were extremely delighted.

They had worked so hard to feed the ducks just so they could eat their meat one day. Now, they could finally eat it!

Their father said they could eat meat every day in the future, so it seemed to be true!

It was already dark outside, so Li Qingzhi took the two children to bed.

Li Damao and Li Ermao lay beside Li Qingzhi, clinging to him and asking him to tell them stories.

There weren't many forms of entertainment these days, so listening to stories was a very interesting thing for the two children.

Li Qingzhi tried hard to make up stories to tell them. After telling them for a while, he stopped and said, "Damao and Ermao, let's continue tomorrow. Let's sleep now."

Li Ermao said, "Dad, just a little more, please."

Li Damao didn't say anything, but he silently kissed Li Qingzhi and propped up his upper body, waiting for Li Qingzhi to continue telling the story.

Li Qingzhi said, "I'm too tired now, let's continue tomorrow… " After speaking, he immediately closed his eyes and pretended to sleep.

Li Damao and Li Ermao had no choice but to lie down and sleep. They fell asleep shortly after.

Li Qingzhi whispered, "Xiaoye, are you asleep?"

"Not yet," Jin Xiaoye replied.

Li Qingzhi moved Li Ermao, who was leaning against Jin Xiaoye, to the other side and held Jin Xiaoye's hand. "Xiaoye, let's build a bathroom."

"Okay!" Jin Xiaoye readily agreed and kissed Li Qingzhi's hand again.

She was truly very happy, exceptionally happy.

Li Qingzhi continued, "We'll buy some furniture as well. The wooden planks from this bed can be used as the door, and we'll get a new bed…"

"Sure!" Jin Xiaoye was feeling a bit woozy by now and felt like she could agree to anything.

Li Qingzhi whispered, "The two children are getting older. Shouldn't they sleep separately now? We can all live together in the future."

"That's what I planned," Jin Xiaoye said, "but you mustn't overexert yourself. Your health isn't fully recovered yet!"

Li Qingzhi said, "…My health has really recovered! I'm just a bit thin!"

They talked about many things that day. Li Qingzhi even mentioned his intention to take the imperial examination.

Jin Xiaoye didn't object.

Although Yao Zhenfu caused a lot of trouble by going to study in the county town, Jin Xiaoye didn't have a problem with the idea of taking the imperial examination itself.

Mrs. Xu's son was planning to take the examination, and he was diligently studying. That was fine.

Yao Zhenfu, however, was different. He had already gotten involved with his sweetheart before getting married and showed no intention of studying seriously!

"If you want to take the examination, will you need to find a master to apprentice under? I remember that back then, the Yao family bought dried meat specifically to find a master. I went to watch the excitement," Jin Xiaoye chattered on, then added, "You can try it, but if you fail several times, you can't keep trying!"

Jin Xiaoye didn't mind Li Qingzhi taking the imperial examination. Li Qingzhi had already earned quite a bit of money, so it was okay for him to spend some of it on studying for a few years and taking the examinations.

But if Li Qingzhi failed repeatedly, that wouldn't be acceptable.

There was a senior scholar in the county town who was still hoping to become a xiucai (successful candidate in the provincial examination) at over fifty years old. Jin Xiaoye thought he was sick in the head.

"If I fail several times, I won't try again. As for finding a master, there's no hurry now," Li Qingzhi smiled, "I'll have to start by writing books to earn money."

Indeed, Li Qingzhi was different from Yao Zhenfu! When Jin Xiaoye heard that Li Qingzhi planned to continue writing books, she felt completely relieved.

The two of them talked a lot that day and went to bed relatively late. However, the next day, Jin Xiaoye got up early, ready to slaughter a duck!

It was the day they were going to build their house. Jin Xiaoye had hired someone to help build the house, along with several skilled workers who had tools. She also asked for help from several people in the village.

Those who came to help included her father, Jin Dajiang, her elder cousin, Jin Liushu, and three other relatives from the Jin family.

In addition, Li Laogen also called two people to help, one of whom was Li Laogen's nephew, and the other was Li Laogen's third brother.

Li Laogen's parents had three sons in total: Li Laogen, Li Laoer, and Li Laosan.

Initially, they doted on Li Laogen. After all, he was the eldest son, and according to the customs of the village, parents usually lived with their eldest son.

Even Li Laogen's name reflected how much his parents valued him—Lao'gen, the root of the Li family!

But Li Laogen was small and frail from a young age, making people doubt whether he could support himself.

Then, less than two years later, Li Laoer was born… Li Laogen received less and less attention from his parents over time. Later, when Li Laoer grew taller than Li Laogen in just a few years, Li Laogen received even less attention.

Li Laogen was small and weak, unable to do much work, and the Li family was very poor… By the time Li Laogen grew up, he was practically ignored by everyone. Furthermore, no one was willing to marry him, and Li Laoer got married and had children before him.

Li Laogen's parents eventually gave all their property to Li Laoer.

As for Li Laosan… he was similarly neglected by Li Laogen's parents and was basically raised by his two older brothers.

By the time he grew up, Li Laoer had already married, and the family didn't have the means to arrange marriages for both sons.

In other words, Li Laosan was destined to be a bachelor like Li Laogen.

However, Li Laosan was better in stature and appearance than Li Laogen… He found a widow and became a son-in-law by marriage.

The widow was from the neighboring village. Eight years after she got married, her husband fell ill and passed away, leaving her with a son and a daughter. To pay for her husband's medical treatment, their family had accumulated quite a bit of debt.

Alone and grieving, the widow wanted to find someone to marry into their family and take her husband's surname to maintain their family's reputation.

When the widow found Li Laosan, he agreed without hesitation.

He couldn't marry a wife on his own, and his second brother and sister-in-law looked down on him and Li Laogen. Every meal, they only gave them a little bit of food, and he was already starving.

Being able to work at the widow's house was a great blessing for him!

The widow's family owned much more land than his own.

So Li Laosan entered the widow's family as a son-in-law, changing his surname to the widow's husband's surname. From Li Laosan, he became Zhao Laosan. His life might not have been great afterward, but at least he could eat and dress warmly.

Just the year before Li Qingzhi came to Miaoqian Village, there was a flood in the Yao River, and Miaoqian Village also suffered from crop failure due to the flood. At that time, Li Laoer only gave Li Laogen a little bit of rice soup every day, and Li Laogen almost starved to death.

When a person is hungry for a long time, their brain swells and enlarges due to edema. At that time, Li Laogen's head became enlarged.

Feeling like he was about to die, he went to Zhao Laosan's house and shamelessly stayed there, relying on Zhao Laosan's family for food.

Although Zhao Laosan's wife didn't like Li Laogen, she didn't chase him away. That's how Li Laogen managed to save his life, and because of this, his relationship with his brother Zhao Laosan was still okay.

This time, when the family was going to build a house, Li Laogen actually didn't want Li Laoer's family to come and help. But they were relatives after all… so he went to inform Li Laoer, and then Li Laoer sent his son, Li Yaofeng, to Li Qingzhi's house to help.

As for Zhao Laosan, Li Laogen happily went to inform him. Since it was the off-season for farming, Zhao Laosan was naturally willing to come and help.

Li Qingzhi knew about the situation in the Li family. After arriving, he also saw Li Laoer and Li Yaofeng in the village.

Although he hadn't met Zhao Laosan himself, the original owner had, so he could recognize him.

As for the members of the Jin family, they were all from Miaoqian Village, and Li Qingzhi knew them all.

Jin Xiaoye collected the duck blood in a bowl, then soaked the duck in hot water to remove the feathers.

Of course, the duck feathers weren't discarded; they could be sold for a little money, though they weren't very valuable.

"Why doesn't this duck have to duck down?" Li Qingzhi asked Jin Xiaoye. He had seen duck down in the original owner's memory, but it wasn't used for making down jackets; instead, it was used for making cotton swabs.

Jin Xiaoye replied, "It does, but there's very little. The older the duck, the more duck down it has."

Oh, is that so? The more Li Qingzhi watched Jin Xiaoye efficiently clean the duck, the more he liked her.

She quickly finished preparing the duck. By this time, the people who came to help had also started to arrive.

Seeing Jin Xiaoye killing the duck, Jin Liushu's eyes lit up. "Jin Xiaoye, you're so generous, even killing a duck for us!"

Jin Xiaoye's father, Jin Dajiang, on the other hand, looked at the duck with a pained expression.

When hiring people to build a house, it was common to provide some good food, but there was no need to kill a duck. Some tofu and salted fish would have been enough.

Jin Xiaoye's mother also came over, intending to help with cooking. Her thoughts were the same as Jin Dajiang's, and she felt distressed.

However, with outsiders present, she didn't say anything and planned to tell Jin Xiaoye later when no one was around, asking her not to do this.

Jin Xiaoye probably knew what her mother was thinking, but now that she was making money and Li Qingzhi had brought back fifty taels of silver… it was just a duck. She didn't care anymore.

Jin Xiaoye said to her mother, "Mom, for lunch later, I'll make tofu stew with duck intestines, liver, and blood for everyone. I've also bought salted fish, so I'll steam that too. For dinner, I'll make dried bamboo shoots stewed with duck, and we'll steam the salted fish as well."

Jin's mother was dumbfounded. Which family would provide such good food for laborers when building a house?

Busy with her business, as soon as everyone arrived, Jin Xiaoye greeted them and then left.

Once Jin Xiaoye left, everyone began digging pits under the guidance of the master.

When building a house, you couldn't start directly from the ground; you had to dig several trenches first, then tamp the earth into walls in the trenches. This way, some of the walls would be underground, making them sturdy enough.

The laborers got busy, while Li Qingzhi took Jin's mother to the kitchen to prepare the meal.

Their original kitchen hadn't been demolished yet, so they could still use it to cook. However, there was only one pot, so they might have to cook in batches.

As soon as they entered the kitchen, Jin's mother said, "Ah… Ah Qing, maybe we shouldn't cook this duck…"

"We should." Li Qingzhi smiled.

The people helping were doing physical labor, and they usually only got two meals a day. They should have something good to eat.

The ducks at this time weren't fat, and there wasn't much meat on them. Split among so many people, wouldn't each person only get a small piece?

Jin's mother was a very introverted person. Hearing Li Qingzhi say this, she didn't know what to say and just silently prepared the meal.

She mixed the duck blood with water and salt, steaming it during cooking. The duck's internal organs were also steamed with ginger slices to remove any unwanted flavors, and the salted fish was also steamed…

If the pot hadn't been big enough and the steaming rack large enough, and if they hadn't made two pots of rice, they might not have been able to steam everything!

After cooking the rice and putting it in the rice bucket, Jin's mother added water to the pot and started cooking the duck blood and tofu soup.

Li Qingzhi found that Jin's mother's cooking was more exquisite than that of other people in the village, which was normal because both Jin's father and Uncle Jin earned money by cooking.

The tofu was bought by Li's father early in the morning, and then duck blood and duck innards were added. Such a pot of soup might not be up to the standards of wealthy people, but for the villagers, it was already a good dish.

Unfortunately, there was neither a thickening agent, nor MSG or chicken essence to enhance the flavor of the soup.

Li Qingzhi felt a bit out of place. Initially, he would even eat medicinal herbs, but now he cared about the taste of food!

Thinking like this, Li Qingzhi picked some pumpkin leaves from the ground and ate them raw, pressing them down a bit.

The taste of fresh, tender plants was actually quite good.

Jin's mother: "…" Pumpkin leaves were edible; sometimes they used them to dye glutinous rice balls. But eating them raw… Li Qingzhi wasn't a goat!

What was wrong with this son-in-law of hers? Had his brain really been damaged?

Jin's mother glanced at Li Qingzhi with a conflicted expression, then fished out a whole duck gizzard from the pot and cut one-third of it for Li Qingzhi. "Ah Qing, you eat."

She didn't cut the gizzard finely and put it in the soup, just to leave it for Li Qingzhi and the two children to eat.

Li Qingzhi smiled and ate it, then went out to invite everyone to eat.

Jin's mother had borrowed some extra bowls in advance and served a bowl of tofu soup to each of the workers, along with a piece of salted fish for each.

As for rice, they could have as much as they wanted; they would cook more if needed.

When hiring people to work, it was essential to feed them well.

"This is the first time I've come out to help, and I've never eaten so well."

"This salted fish is really appetizing!"

"The rice is also clean, it's white rice."

"This tofu soup is delicious, not inferior to the one made by Dajiang at all!"

…

Jin Dajiang chuckled amiably. His wife's cooking skills were learned from him. Everyone was very satisfied with the meal. Li Qingzhi saw that there were quite a few duck livers and intestines in his bowl of tofu soup, and his salted fish was larger than others', but he couldn't help but smile.

He felt his mother-in-law's care!

Half of the duck's internal organs were in the bowls of Li Qingzhi, Li Damao, and Li Ermao. Li Laogen couldn't help but grumble when he saw this, but he only dared to grumble privately. He didn't dare say anything in front of Jin's mother, even though Jin's mother was actually quite easy-going.

Li Laogen carried his bowl and went to talk to his younger brother, Zhao Laosan, telling him how much delicious food he had eaten before and how good the leftovers from Zhu's family tasted.

Zhao Laosan listened to Li Laogen talking about these things for the first time, and he listened very seriously, his eyes full of longing. "That's really nice…"

The meal in the afternoon still had salted fish, along with stewed duck with dried bamboo shoots, but most of it was actually dried bamboo shoots.

However, people in Miaoqian Village don't usually have access to dried bamboo shoots.

There was a bamboo forest in the village, and it wasn't difficult to find bamboo shoots in the spring, but dried bamboo shoots were something many families only bought for the Lunar New Year.

When Jin's mother served the dishes, she gave two duck legs to the two children and gave Li Qingzhi a piece of good meat.

Li Laogen, based on his experience from the previous meal, found Jin's mother and asked her for a piece of good meat. Jin's mother, being thin-skinned, gave him a piece.

Li Laogen couldn't keep things to himself. Li Qingzhi thought he would eat the meat immediately, but to his surprise, Li Laogen took out some used oiled paper and wrapped the meat in it, then gave it to Zhao Laosan. "Laosan, take this back and let Xiaodouzi eat it."

Zhao Laosan's wife had a son and a daughter with her former husband. After being with Zhao Laosan, she had another son named Zhao Xiaodou, who was eight years old this year.

It was the first time Zhao Laosan had received something from Li Laogen, and he was somewhat surprised. "I'll take the meat to Xiaodouzi later."

"Come tomorrow, you can bring Xiaodouzi over to have a meal here. The food here is good!" Li Laogen added.

"That's not really appropriate…" Zhao Laosan hesitated a bit but also felt tempted. They usually didn't have meat dishes at home, at most just an egg.

"What's inappropriate about it? We're all family!" Li Laogen patted his brother's shoulder. "In this household, I'm still in charge!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Laosan immediately agreed.

However, when Zhao Laosan and his family went to work the next day, Li Laogen found Li Qingzhi. "Ah Qing, my brother wants to bring his child tomorrow… The child is eight years old and can play with Damao and Ermao."

He looked at Li Qingzhi hopefully. Li Qingzhi said, "That sounds good."

Seeing Li Qingzhi's agreement, Li Laogen immediately felt relieved.

The weather had cooled down recently, so everyone worked for a whole day until the evening before leaving.

It was around this time that Jin Xiaoye returned. She brought back some more salted fish and also brought a bundle of kelp and a large piece of pork.

Jin's mother hadn't left yet, and when she saw the piece of pork, she couldn't help but cover her chest. "Xiaoye, why did you buy so much meat?" This meat weighed five or six kilograms. It would probably cost a significant sum of money to buy it; even if they had money, they couldn't spend it like this!

She thought today was the first day Jin Xiaoye would slaughter a duck, but Jin Xiaoye brought back so much meat…

"Mom, everyone is here to help, we can't skimp on meals. Half of this meat will be used to stew dried tofu tomorrow, and the other half will be salted and steamed the day after tomorrow," Jin Xiaoye stuffed the meat into her mother's hands, "Mom, you eat more then!"

Jin's mother felt her hands trembling! So much meat!

But at this moment, Jin Xiaoye continued, "Mom, from now on, our family will eat meat every day. You just need to cook, don't worry about me spending money!"

Jin's mother couldn't hold back anymore, "You… you… Eating meat every day, is that what it means to live?"

Saying this, Jin's mother cautiously looked at Li Qingzhi, fearing he might blame Jin Xiaoye for spending too much.

Li Qingzhi said, "Mom, I listen to Xiaoye!"

Jin's mother was touched instantly.

Although this son-in-law loved to eat grass, he was still a good person.

Jin Xiaoye brought back so much meat mainly because Li Qingzhi had brought home fifty taels of silver, and also because her business was doing well.

Before, Jin Xiaoye mainly waited for jobs in the county town by sailing her boat, helping to deliver goods or people. But now she didn't do that anymore.

Now she mainly sailed her boat around, selling flower heads and some other items.

After selling flower heads in nearby villages, she roughly knew what goods the people in the village needed. After that, Jin Xiaoye prepared various goods on her boat every day and went to those villages to sell, while also buying some things from the villagers to sell in the county town.

In addition, she bought some scrap cloth and had the women in the county town who knew how to sew process them into various small items, which she sold to people near Chongcheng County or to those small merchants on the dock.

There were many small merchants in Chongcheng County. They would rent a boat or share a boat with others, load local goods onto it, and sell them elsewhere, then buy goods from elsewhere.

Jin Xiaoye went to them to sell her flower heads. Most of these people ignored her, but some bought some goods.

Since Jin Xiaoye didn't have many goods on hand, she sold almost all of them.

In the evening, Jin Xiaoye said to Li Qingzhi, "At first, when I asked them if they wanted to buy flower heads, I felt very nervous. After asking a few times, I got used to it, and later, I knew how to persuade them!"

"You're really amazing."

"It's not that I'm amazing, it's because of Master Zhu. The stories you tell to Damao and Ermao about Master Zhu, I find them very reasonable!" Jin Xiaoye said.

Every night before bed, Li Qingzhi would tell stories to Damao and Ermao, including stories about Master Zhu.

Master Zhu was really skilled in business and had a thick skin. For example, when he started his small business, in order to sell the goods in his hands, he went door-to-door, smiling even when he was rejected…

Li Qingzhi would tell these stories to Damao and Ermao before bedtime, and they would listen with joy. Jin Xiaoye remembered them and even learned from them.

Li Qingzhi found that Jin Xiaoye had a strong learning ability and was enthusiastic about making money… she was very suitable to be a merchant.

Jin Xiaoye chatted with Li Qingzhi for a while about Zhu Qian's experiences, then said to Li Qingzhi, "Ah Qing, help me come up with some flattering words that I can memorize. I'll use them when doing business in the future."

Of course, Jin Xiaoye knew how to praise people, but she hadn't read many books and didn't know many flattering phrases.

Li Qingzhi, on the other hand, was different. Jin Xiaoye remembered that when Li Qingzhi helped her sell flower heads, he said many pleasing words all at once. After she learned and used them, the people who bought flower heads from her not only bought more but also felt very happy afterwards.

"Okay." Li Qingzhi began to help Jin Xiaoye think of flattering words, which Jin Xiaoye then memorized.

Early the next morning, Jin Xiaoye got up to cook.

She picked some vegetables from the field, sprinkled some salt on them, and then cut a few slices of meat to put on the steamer rack, which served as breakfast for the day.

As soon as she finished cooking, Jin Dajiang and his wife brought Jin Xiaoshu over.

Jin's mother saw the steamed vegetables and white rice in the pot and felt distressed again, "Xiaoye…" White rice and meat again early in the morning?

"Dad, mom, Xiaoshu, come and eat." Jin Xiaoye called her family.

Jin Xiaoshu sat down naturally, but Jin Dajiang and Jin's mother refused to eat and kept declining until Li Qingzhi began to persuade them. Only then did they sit down to eat, but they still refused to take any meat, only picking up some vegetables.

Seeing this, Jin Xiaoye divided the meat so that Li Laogen wouldn't keep picking up the meat, and her parents wouldn't dare to take any either.

After the meal, Jin Xiaoye pinched two rice balls to take with her for lunch.

Actually, they could totally afford to buy food in town now, but Jin Xiaoye felt it was unnecessary to spend that money.

After Jin Xiaoye left, Zhao Laonan came with his son, Zhao Xiaodou.

In the countryside these days, there weren't many fair-skinned people, so naturally, Zhao Xiaodou was a little black boy.

On the contrary, Li Damao and Li Ermao, because they had been following Li Qingzhi to Zhu's house for more than two months, playing indoors all day, not only gained some weight but also looked much fairer and cuter, which made them even more likable.

"Xiaodou!" Li Laogen was very happy to see Zhao Xiaodou. He took out two coins from his pocket and gave them to Zhao Xiaodou, "Xiaodou, Uncle will buy you some candy." When Li Laogen went to Zhao Laosan's house to freeload and eat, Zhao Xiaodou was just a toddler. At that time, in order to stay at Zhao Laosan's house, Li Laogen would play with Zhao Xiaodou all day. So when he left later, Zhao Xiaodou was particularly reluctant to let him go and pulled him to stay.

"Xiaodou, say thank you to Uncle." Zhao Laosan said.

Zhao Xiaodou immediately thanked Uncle.

Li Laogen was overjoyed and asked again, "Xiaodou, do you want some rice crust? Uncle will get it for you!"

The rice in the pot had already been eaten, but there was some rice crust left. Li Laogen used a shovel to take half of it and gave some to Zhao Lao San, then divided the rest between Zhao Xiaodou and Li Damao and Li Ermao.

Li Damao and Li Ermao were already full and not very interested, but Zhao Xiaodou was very happy to eat.

As for Zhao Laosan, he naturally favored Zhao Xiaodou, his own son, more than his stepchildren. As for Zhao Laosan's wife, since all three children were hers, she treated them all equally. But she couldn't ignore the fact that her ex-husband's parents were still alive, and they lived next door, where her ex-husband's brother also lived. For the Zhao family, Zhao Laosan's stepchildren were considered part of the family, but they favored the children from their side more. There were quite a few conflicts in the Zhao family, but they were all minor matters, such as Zhao Lao San sneaking to buy buns for Zhao Xiaodou without buying them for his stepchildren, or Zhao's grandmother sneaking cakes for her own children and not giving any to Zhao Xiaodou. There were no major problems, and Zhao Lao San's stepchildren still called him "dad" and treated Zhao Xiaodou fairly well.

"Brother, I can't eat anymore. Do you want this?" Li Damao was already full and didn't want to eat rice crust, so he asked Zhao Xiaodou.

"Yes!" Zhao Xiaodou took the rice crust from Li Damao's hand and ate it.

Seeing this, Li Ermao also passed his rice crust over, saying, "Brother, I'm also full."

Zhao Xiaodou, upon hearing this, accepted the rice crust from Li Ermao.

The Zhao family also ate two meals a day, and Zhao Xiaodou hadn't eaten anything since he got up!

The freshly cooked rice crust was fragrant with the aroma of rice and a hint of crispness… He felt very satisfied eating it, and after finishing, he took his two brothers to play.

Since returning home, Li Qingzhi hadn't been eating four bowls of rice in one meal anymore.

It's not that he couldn't afford it, but eating like that was a bit scary.

Now, he only ate two bowls per meal, the same amount as Jin Xiaoshu, showing a lot of restraint.

But eating like this, he always felt a bit unsatisfied… Holding the remaining rice crust in his hand, Li Qingzhi ate while watching the three children play nearby.

Zhao Xiaodou had a very good personality. When his dad asked him to play with Li Damao and Li Ermao, he took care of the two younger boys everywhere, without showing any impatience.

Zhao Xiaodou knew some games that Li Damao and Li Ermao hadn't played before. As for Li Damao and Li Ermao? They had been going to Zhu's house with Li Qingzhi every day recently. Li Qingzhi was afraid they would be bored, so he taught them some games.

They even had a set of wooden Go pieces. Li Qingzhi bought the cheapest Go pieces from the store, of course, they didn't know how to play Go, only backgammon.

The three children were having a great time, and Li Qingzhi, watching them, also felt very happy.

"Ah Qing, I'm going to pound rice." Li Laogen said to Li Qingzhi, and they went to borrow a stone mortar from the Yao family next door.

They hired people to work for them, and with the daily consumption of rice increasing, Li Laogen had to pound more.

"No trouble, Dad." Li Qingzhi said.

Li Laogen grinned, "No trouble at all."

Li Laogen happily went to pound the rice, and the other workers also gradually arrived at Li's house.

Building a house wasn't considered hard work for these workers. They chatted while working, talking about various things in the village, and occasionally peeked into the kitchen.

Jin Xiaoye bought meat yesterday with the intention of stewing dried tofu, but later Jin's mother said that stewing soybeans would be tastier, so she changed her mind to stew soybeans.

The soybeans were soaked yesterday, and early in the morning, Jin's mother stewed them together with pork. The aroma wafting from the pot was so enticing that it made the workers salivate, and they even worked a bit harder when building the earth walls.

After stewing the soybeans and pork, Jin's mother began to cook rice. During the cooking process, following Li Qingzhi's request, she also steamed a bowl of salted fish and some vegetables.

"Why steam salted fish when we already have meat…" Jin's mother couldn't understand it, but she didn't want to oppose it and could only cook according to Li Qingzhi's request.

Next door, at the Yao family's house, Jin Moli smelled the scent of meat wafting from the next door, feeling somewhat uncomfortable.

Her life had been better recently.

On one hand, after Yao's father stopped supporting his son's education, he occasionally bought some meat for the family to eat. On the other hand… Yao's mother was afraid that Jin Moli would run back to her natal family, so she dared not scold her as harshly as before.

If she drove her away, it wouldn't be easy for Yao Zhenfu to remarry, so even if Yao's mother was angry, she had to endure it.

However, although life was comfortable now, Jin Moli's mood was very bad.

Before, even though she had to work and didn't have meat to eat, she still lived better than Jin Xiaoye next door. Moreover, as long as she thought that Yao Zhenfu would become a wealthy man in the future… even if Yao's mother scolded her constantly, she still felt content.

But now… Yao Zhenfu stayed in his study all day and didn't even want to go out. Could he still become a wealthy man? Jin Moli felt very uneasy.

And there was Jin Xiaoye.

Jin Xiaoye rowed her boat outside every day, which must be very hard, but seeing Jin Xiaoye enjoying it so much, and seeing the Li family eating well every day… Jin Moli felt depressed, as if a heavy stone was pressing on her heart.

Jin Moli carried a basket to pick vegetables in her own backyard. Just as she stepped out, she saw Li Laogen pounding rice.

She really disliked Li Laogen, but pretending not to see him, she continued walking forward, and then she saw Zhao Xiaodou.

Jin Moli's heart skipped a beat, and her face turned pale.

In her previous life, at this time, Jin Moli had already remarried and lived in the village where Zhao Xiaodou was.

She remembered that it was almost a year later when something happened to Zhao Xiaodou, and it was very tragic.

When Zhao's family recruited Zhao Laosan to marry into the family, they had agreed with Zhao Laosan that Zhao's family's land would be inherited by Zhao Laosan's stepson in the future.

After all, those lands originally belonged to Zhao's family.

Because of this, Zhao Laosan began to plan for Zhao Xiaodou very early on. It seemed that around this time, Zhao Laosan learned that a wealthy family surnamed Hong in the county wanted to find a servant boy for their young master, so he sent Zhao Xiaodou over.

For rural people without money or land, working as a servant boy in a wealthy family was actually a good way out. Not to mention anything else, those servants in Zhu's family didn't go hungry and lived better than many rural people.

Zhu Qian had been sent to a wealthy family by his father to work as a servant boy for several years. After a few years, he even saved up enough money to start his own business.

When Jin Xiaoye was penniless, she also went to work as a laborer in a wealthy family.

Zhao Laosan sent Zhao Xiaodou to the Hong family to work as a servant boy, hoping that Zhao Xiaodou could eat well, dress warmly, and grow up well there. Maybe he could even gain the favor of the master and become a steward or manager in the future.

However, the young master of the Hong family was actually a lunatic who would hit people if he was slightly dissatisfied. Zhao Xiaodou was brought there to take care of him and was beaten all over.

The Hong family probably also frightened Zhao Xiaodou… Zhao Laosan visited Zhao Xiaodou once, but Zhao Xiaodou didn't dare to tell him about being beaten.

Then Zhao Xiaodou was accidentally beaten to death by the young master of the Hong family.

That was not all. It wasn't until several days later that the people in their village learned about this. When they went to inquire about it, Zhao Xiaodou had already been buried, and when they dug out the body, it looked so tragic.

Jin Moli accidentally caught a glimpse of it, and afterwards, she often had nightmares.

Because the young master of the Hong family was a lunatic, and the Hong family claimed it was an accident, in the end, the government only allowed the Hong family to keep the young master under supervision and not release him.

Apart from that, the Hong family only compensated the Zhao family with some money.

But what did that matter? Zhao Xiaodou was already dead.

Zhao Laosan was furious at the time. He was actually a good person all along, but that time, he took a kitchen knife and chopped the person who told him that the Hong family was a good family, and that the young master of the Hong family, although a bit sick, was obedient and easy to take care of.

The person wasn't killed, after all, he didn't know the specific situation, but after that, Zhao Laosan's mind started to go wrong.

He would tell everyone about Zhao Xiaodou's situation, saying that Zhao Xiaodou didn't want to go to the Hong family as a servant boy at the time. He cried and begged him while holding onto his legs, but he still forced Zhao Xiaodou to go.

He also said that when he went to see Zhao Xiaodou, Zhao Xiaodou didn't look right, with injuries on his face, but he was just comforted by the people of the Hong family and didn't take it seriously…

At that time, besides working in the fields, Zhao Laosan would talk about Zhao Xiaodou all the time. He would cry while talking about it. A few years later, he stopped doing anything and just kept calling out "Xiaodouzi." When he saw boys aged seven or eight in the village, he would insist on hugging them.

If it weren't for the fact that Zhao San's stepson was still decent and didn't kick Zhao Laosan out, giving Zhao Laosan food every day, Zhao Laosan might have starved to death.

But one winter evening later on, Zhao Laosan shouted that he wanted to go find Zhao Xiaodou and ran out of the house. He accidentally fell into the river and drowned.

Both Zhao Laosan and Zhao Xiaodou had tragic fates. Jin Moli had been staying in Miaoqian Village for the past few years and hadn't been to other villages, so she hadn't thought of this matter until now when she saw Zhao Xiaodou.

Li Qingzhi had been watching Zhao Xiaodou play with Li Damao and Li Ermao at first.

But after watching for a while, he found that Zhao Xiaodou was good at taking care of others and was very obedient. He didn't let the two children go far. So he went back to his and Jin Xiaoye's room, took a small stool, used the wooden board bed as a table, and started writing Ding Xi's book.

He planned to copy and modify Zhu Qian's book while practicing calligraphy. However, he realized that the current environment was not suitable for calligraphy practice.

With that, he started writing Ding Xi's book first.

Li Qingzhi didn't plan to practice calligraphy, so he wrote very quickly. By around ten in the morning, when Jin Xiaoye called him to eat, he had already written over a thousand words.

Jin Xiaoye didn't divide the yellow beans and salted fish, letting people pick them up with chopsticks themselves, but she divided the meat, giving about two taels per person.

Two taels of meat weren't much, but everyone was very happy eating, each with their own way of enjoying it.

Some people immediately ate the meat first before eating the rice, some ate slowly, taking small bites of rice and meat together, and some didn't eat any meat at first, leaving it in their bowls until they finished the rice, and then ate it last.

Zhao Xiaodou and Zhao Laosan left the meat until last to eat. Zhao San even divided his own meat in half and gave half to Zhao Xiaodou, asking him to eat more.

"Dad, I'm full with my own portion," Zhao Xiaodou put the meat Zhao Laosan gave him back into Zhao Laosan's bowl.

Zhao Laosan wanted to give the meat to his son to eat, but after several attempts, his son refused to eat… He finally happily ate it himself.

After eating, instead of rushing to work, everyone filled their bowls with water and drank while chatting.

Their bowls were oily, and the water poured in had a little oil, making it much tastier than ordinary water.

Li Qingzhi also chatted with them and learned many things he didn't know before.

As they were chatting, Jin Moli came over and called Jin Liushu "brother" and Jin Dajiang "uncle."

Jin Liushu was Uncle Jin's eldest son. He originally didn't want to help Jin Xiaoye, not because he disliked Jin Xiaoye, but simply because he was lazy and didn't want to work.

But after coming here and finding that the food prepared by Jin Xiaoye was very good, he didn't reject helping anymore. Of course, he would still slack off a bit when working, which was unavoidable.

Among the people who came to help this time, Jin Dajiang and Zhao Laosan were the most hardworking, while Jin Liushu and Li Yaofeng were the least hardworking.

Jin Liushu was lazy, and Li Yaofeng couldn't stand to see Li Laogen living well, so he deliberately did less work.

"Moli, how have you been lately?" Jin Liushu asked as soon as he saw his sister, looking at the house of the Yao family.

"Sister, I'm fine. Aren't you tired from working?" Jin Moli chatted with Jin Liushu.

"I was not tired at all. Xiaoye was quite generous this time and even gave us meat," Jin Liushu talked endlessly, saying how good and spacious the house Li Qingzhi was building was.

He didn't like working, but he had many friends. Sometimes when he went to the county town to do odd jobs and earned some money, he would go to a small restaurant in the county town to eat and chat with everyone, feeling very knowledgeable.

Jin Moli knew Jin Liushu well, so she steered the conversation towards the county town, then asked, "Brother, do you know the Hong family in the county town?"

"I know. They're a big family in the county town with several shops at home. Their ancestors used to be officials," Jin Liushu said, "The young master of the Hong family is said to be very smart, and he passed the imperial exam at a young age. He might even pass the imperial examination in the future."

"Said to be… I heard that the young master of the Hong family is a lunatic and likes to beat people?" Jin Moli said.

"Is that so? I heard that the young master of the Hong family's brain isn't working well, but whether he beats people or not, I don't know," Jin Liushu said.

"It should be true… The person who told me this said that the young master of the Hong family is fat and strong, and when he beats people, he doesn't hold back, always injuring them," Jin Moli also didn't know how to remind Zhao Laosan, so she just said it like this.

Zhao Laosan cherished Zhao Xiaodou very much. After knowing that the young master of the Hong family was violent, he wouldn't have sent Zhao Xiaodou to the Hong family.

If Zhao Xiaodou had been sent there anyway… Zhao Xiaodou didn't die immediately. She could have asked someone to pass a message to Zhao Laosan, asking him to bring Zhao Xiaodou back.

Jin Moli hated Li Laogen very much and wished he would die sooner, but she didn't have any grudge against Zhao Laosan, and since Zhao Xiaodou was a child… she didn't want anything to happen to Zhao Xiaodou.

After saying this, Jin Moli felt much relieved, but when she looked at the house Li Qingzhi was building, she felt angry again.

She had always been proud of the size of the houses in the Yao family, but now, Jin Xiaoye's family also had many houses!

Jin Moli didn't talk to Li Qingzhi and Li Laogen either. After chatting, she turned around and left.

Li Qingzhi was already used to this. Jin Moli looked gentle, but he could feel that she didn't like Jin Xiaoye and, consequently, didn't like him and Li Laogen either.

Jin Moli had secretly reminded Zhao Laosan. When she returned to the Yao family, they were also having lunch.

Yao's mother made more rice in the morning, and now she added water to the pot with plenty of leftover rice to make rice porridge.

In addition to rice porridge, Yao's mother also washed and cut some pickled vegetables as a side dish.

"Give this to Zhenfu." Yao's mother served a bowl of rice porridge and added a piece of pickled vegetables.

Jin Moli carried the bowl of rice and came to the door of Yao Zhenfu's study, placing it on the stool outside the door. "Your meal is outside."

As soon as Jin Moli turned around, the door behind her opened.

Yao Zhenfu had been hiding in the room because he felt embarrassed and didn't want to face anyone.

But after hiding for half a month, he couldn't stand it anymore. After all, he couldn't take a bath in the room, and besides reading, there was nothing else to do.

After thinking for a long time, Yao Zhenfu felt that he had to achieve something. When he succeeded, no one would dare to laugh at him.

As for what to do… he decided to take the imperial exam!

With this decision, Yao Zhenfu had been studying seriously for a few days, but when he studied… he felt hungry.

He used to eat well at school and sometimes bought extra food for himself. His stomach was used to being well-fed, so he could accept eating light food when he got home at night. But recently, he ate every meal at home, and even though there was a bit of meat in the dishes every other day, it was just a tiny bit!

Yao Zhenfu had a good appetite, and just eating that bit of food wasn't enough for him. These days, he always felt hungry, so as soon as he heard any movement, he couldn't wait to come out and get his meal.

But the result was just a bowl of rice porridge!

Yao Zhenfu couldn't help but call out to Jin Moli, "Jin Moli, I smell the fragrance of meat, where's the meat?"

"Our house doesn't have any meat, it's the Li family next door stewing meat," Jin Moli replied.

"Are they eating leftover food again? That's really uncultured…"

"They're stewing fresh meat. Li Qingzhi isn't going to the county town to copy books anymore."

"He's not going to the Zhu family to copy books? Does that mean he has nothing to do now?" Yao Zhenfu immediately asked.

"How would I know about other people's business!" Jin Moli's tone wasn't very good.

Yao Zhenfu felt relieved when he heard Jin Molai's words.

He suddenly thought that if he passed the imperial exam, he would be more powerful than Li Qingzhi!

Li Qingzhi didn't have much ability. He couldn't even memorize the "Three Character Classic" before. If it wasn't for Zhu Qian taking pity on him, he wouldn't have had the chance to go to the Zhu family to copy books.

Now that the Zhu family didn't want him to copy books anymore… Li Qingzhi probably could only stay at home every day like before and take care of the children.

But he was different. He had some knowledge. He failed the county exam before just because he didn't study hard.

He had learned everything he needed to learn, and now he would study hard at home for the next six months. By the beginning of next year, he would take the county exam, then the provincial exam, and finally the imperial exam…

Thinking like this, Yao Zhenfu came out of the room with a strong smell of sweat and sourness, clearing his throat and said, "Moli, can you boil some water for me? I want to take a bath."

He couldn't give up just because of a small setback. He had to study hard and pass the imperial exam!

Then Li Qingzhi would be nothing! Nothing at all!

Meanwhile, Li Qingzhi, who was considered nothing, was writing a book.

To get better light, he moved a stool and a wooden board to the doorway and wrote seriously.

After writing for a while, he would look up at Li Damao and Li Ermao.

Every time he saw his two children, Li Qingzhi felt a strong urge to work hard.

His children were so lovely… He didn't want them to spend their whole lives farming at home.

In this era, life for ordinary people was too difficult. Not only was the work hard, but there were also various corvées… Many men in the village died from corvées.

He didn't want his children to suffer such hardships. So at the very least, he had to become a juren.

If he wanted to avenge the original owner, he had to go further.

Thinking about the future, Li Damao and Li Ermao came to him with some wild vegetables they had picked. "Dad, have some to eat!"

Li Ermao even considerately fed the vegetables to Li Qingzhi's mouth!

His sons were really good!