Traveling through time and space to become a child, supporting the family by catching fish and shrim

After Xu Fei finished speaking, he felt a little guilty. He looked around and made sure no one noticed. Then he cleared his throat and said, "Brother Chen, our clinic's purchase price for Five-Step Snake is three taels each. Do you think this price is satisfactory?"

Chen Lang knew nothing about the trading value of snakes. Although he felt that three taels of silver was a bit high, he thought about it again. The five-step snake was so famous and it was alive, so the price of three taels should not be too outrageous.

However, Chen Lang didn't know that if someone else came to sell the five-step snake, the clinic would only give one or two taels of silver for each one.

Three or two, it was completely Xu Fei's way of repaying Chen Lang for saving his master's life.

"Satisfied, very satisfied." Chen Lang nodded happily.

Xu Fei took out six taels of silver and handed it to Chen Lang, saying, "Brother Chen, let me remind you that although snakes are expensive, catching venomous snakes is very risky. You're not a professional snake catcher, so don't catch them for money in the future. If you risk your life, it will be very bad."

Chen Lang was looking at the twenty taels of silver in his purse and was secretly happy, and he didn't hear Xu Fei's reminder at all.

Twenty taels of silver is worth about two hundred thousand in modern society.

If we take factors such as productivity, purchasing power and currency into consideration, it is possible that twenty taels of silver is equal to two million.

After all, these days, the gross income of an ordinary family of five is about six taels of silver a year. After deducting various miscellaneous taxes and daily expenses, it is considered very good for a family of five to save one tael of silver a year.

This is also the reason why Qin insisted on not dividing the family. The fifty-cent subsidy Chen Lang received from the government office every month was six cents of silver in a year, while the annual expenses of Chen Lang's family of three at home were less than one cent of silver.

As for Old Man Chen, Chen Sanlang and Chen Silang, the most they earned in a year was only two taels. This means that Chen Lang's annual subsidy accounted for a quarter of the annual income of the other three men in the Chen family!

So how can this family be divided?

The reason why money is so hard to make is related to war and banditry. In the past two years, the number of bandits around Fuyang River has decreased a lot, and ordinary people no longer have to worry about being killed by bandits while they are asleep at night.

But even without the bandits, the court's taxes continued to increase year by year, saying that it needed to expand its military to prevent the Western Liang Kingdom.

As for the imperial court's tax collection methods, they were sometimes even more brutal than those of bandits.

So the lives of ordinary people are still very hard.

This is also why many children from poor families try their best to study, because once they pass the imperial examination, the court will give them subsidies. A student will get fifty wen, a scholar will get one liang, and when they reach the level of a juren or a gongsheng, the monthly subsidy will be dozens or even hundreds of liang!

As long as they are not too extravagant, a few dozen taels a month is enough for a family of five to live a very comfortable life.

"Brother Chen, are you listening?" Seeing Chen Lang laughing foolishly, Xu Fei waved his hand in front of his eyes.

Chen Lang came back to his senses and asked, "What did you say?"

Xu Fei said, "I say, don't go catching venomous snakes just for the money. It's too risky. It's not worth risking your life."

Chen Lang said, "Thanks for the reminder. I value my life very much and won't take big risks just to make money."

Xu Fei said, "That's good. Of course, if you're lucky enough to catch a snake in the future, whether it's poisonous or not, you can bring it to Pingzhilin and we'll buy it at the market price."

Chen Lang bowed and said, "Thank you. Goodbye!"

After reaching the door, Chen Lang turned back.

Xu Fei asked, "Brother Chen, do you have any further advice?"

Chen Lang said, "Oh, I want to buy some herbs like star anise, galangal, and cinnamon."

As Xu Fei prepared the medicine, he asked, "Brother Chen, what's wrong with you? I'm telling you, don't make your own medicine. I've met many patients who, after getting sick, randomly made their own medicine, and ended up getting worse. What could have been a small amount of money to cure ended up costing ten times the price."

Chen Lang smiled and said, "The doctor misunderstood. I didn't prescribe these medicines to treat illnesses, but to cook."

Xu Fei suddenly realized and said, "Oh, if it's something like stewing, you can add some medicinal herbs to it to make it a tonic."

"But I still say that medicine is three parts poison. Brother Chen, don't just pursue medicinal tonics and ignore the toxicity of the herbs."

Chen Lang bowed and said, "Thank you for the reminder, Doctor. I will keep it in mind."

Xu Fei handed the wrapped medicine to Chen Lang and said, "Don't call me doctor all the time. My name is Xu Fei. I'm probably a few years younger than Brother Chen. You can just call me brother."

Chen Lang said without pretense, "Brother Xu, how much are these?"

"These herbs don't cost much, Brother Chen, just take them and use them," Xu Fei said. "But you must remember my reminder."

Chen Lang nodded: "Don't worry, I won't forget."

Xu Fei added, "Brother Chen, we have no way of repaying you for saving my master. If you need Ping Zhilin in the future, just ask. We will not refuse."

Chen Lang pondered for a moment and said, "Actually, I do have something I'd like to trouble Brother Xu for help with."

"However, if this matter is not handled properly, it may affect Pingzhilin's reputation."

The thing Chen Lang was talking about was the separation of the family.

He can earn twenty taels today, and he will earn more twenty taels in the future.

It is not safe to keep this money at home, and it is too heavy to carry with you. Moreover, there are many thieves in the county. If it is stolen, there will be no place to cry.

Chen Lang urgently needs a place where he can safely keep his money.

But the difficulty of dividing the family has been mentioned just now. There is no way the Chen family will let him, their money bag, go.

Even if Chen Lang was not afraid of being beaten and took the initiative to go to the government office to propose a separation, when he became rich in the future, the Chen family would definitely come to him and even go to the government office to sue him.

When the government hears this case, it will also take into account that Chen Lang insisted on dividing the family property because he was unfilial to his parents. At that time, it would not be as easy as just getting a beating with a stick. He might even end up in jail.

Even if the government did not support the Chen family's lawsuit, the reputation of Chen Lang's family of three would be completely ruined in the countryside.

Rich people divide their property and abandon their parents. This is the scene that the country people cannot tolerate the most.

Chen Lang himself is a two-faced person and doesn't care about other people's ridicule.

But Li Xiuzhi is thin-skinned, and Guoguo is so young. She is ridiculed and even beaten by her peers every day. She might even develop depression.

Therefore, the Chen family can only take the initiative to go to the government office to propose the matter of dividing the family. In this way, even if they become rich in the future, they don’t have to worry about them going to the government office to complain, let alone being pointed at by the villagers.

After all, it was the Chen family who gave up on me first, not me who became rich and then disowned my parents.

There is only one way to do this.

That means your life is at stake. Not only will the treatment cost a lot of money, but you may also be left disabled after being cured.

Only in this way would Old Man Chen and Qin be willing to let go of Chen Lang, the money bag.