The whole family travels through time and space, and the three of them struggle together

There's a strange wind blowing through Qingshan Town lately. Every young person who sees someone asks, "Have you had peaches today?"

At first, no one knew what was going on and thought it was about skipping classes. Then a long line formed in front of Lai Fu Restaurant. Then, at the exact time of every hour, the person in front of the line could buy a bamboo tube drink and a reed stem.

The bamboo tube was placed in an oil-paper bag with a pattern on it. It showed a little man with a peach-shaped head and a sentence written next to it, "Have you had a peach today?". Only then did everyone realize that it was this peach.

Moreover, Lai Fu Restaurant also sells a limited edition of a cake called "Peach Crisp" and a peach cream sandwich cake. The cream is especially delicious, so it is said to be delicious.

However, these two items are in extremely limited supply, so only a select few can snag them. If anyone else wants to buy them later, they'll just tell you, "Sorry, they're sold out. You can pre-order them for pickup the next day at 7:00 PM, but they only have cream-filled layer cakes, and only five per day; they can't bake more. The other peach pastry is freshly baked and doesn't take pre-orders!"

Some people are doing good things, so why not just pay more? Shopkeeper Li, I also want to pay more for the order, but they just say one thing and I won’t do it! Isn’t that infuriating?

Chen Xiuying expressed that she felt aggrieved. It was not that she meant to anger anyone, but she was really too busy recently. No, no, no, it should be that the whole family was too busy.

Her initial plan was sound: to sell only 200 cups a day, giving 150 to Lai Fu Restaurant and selling another 50 herself. This was mainly because her home was close to the private school, so 50 cups was a relatively easy sell. Chengji Teahouse hadn't considered this; they were already selling tea, so it wouldn't be easy to get in front of them. This way, fifty cups per hour would be enough, and they'd be done in four hours.

As it turned out, ideals were full of hope, but reality was very skinny. The idea had only been implemented for three days when Manager Li from Lai Fu Restaurant came to the door.

"No, there are too many people queuing in front of the door. The amount you have is not enough. You need to add more!"

"How much?"

"Why not double it?"

Double that to three hundred, plus the fifty cups I sold, that's an average of eighty-seven and a half cups an hour, nearly ninety cups. "That's too much, I can't do it!"

"Then add a hundred cups?" It can't be any less, otherwise my trip would be in vain.

Adding one hundred cups makes two hundred and fifty cups, plus my own fifty cups, an average of seventy-five cups per hour. It's still a bit too much.

Chen Xiuying was about to refuse when her mother interrupted her. "One hundred cups, huh? Sure!" Then she politely sent Shopkeeper Li away.

Then he said to his daughter, "Are you stupid? You're chasing away business that's right at your doorstep?"

Chen Xiuying: "Mom, I don't have that milk."

"Ask Dajiang to deliver it again at noon!"

"We don't have the ingredients yet. We need to prepare the fruit pulp and jelly."

"Then let Mrs. Yu make it for you at home and send it over at noon."

"She also has to prepare reeds at home, cook and take care of the children."

"Who can't get reeds? You can spend a dozen coins a day and Guo Long and Guo Hu will help you get them."

"They still have to herd cattle."

"Wherever the cattle are driven, just tie the rope and eat. It won't delay work!"

"That's fine, but that bamboo tube isn't enough. There aren't many bamboos as thick as water cups on the mountain!"

"Then just tell the restaurant that two bamboo tubes are worth one penny, and they'll take the initiative to buy them back for you. Any other questions?"

"Yes, Sisi is running out of packaging bags."

"Then let the children just draw, and let Wang and your two sisters-in-law help with the bags. They'll be paid one penny for ten bags, and I'm sure they'll be willing to do it."

"Well, that's all we can do."

As a result, just as the mother and daughter finished their plan, the principal of Donglu Private School came to visit them.

"Xiuying, your milk tea is very good, and I like it too. But I heard you also have some cakes, could you give us some as well?

It doesn't have to be much, just the lunch break will do. Don't you know, every time the fragrance from your house wafts out, the children in the school all drool, and some even become distracted in class. This can't go on like this in the long run!

Look at me and your father, we have been friends for so many years, can we give you a little more discount?"

Chen Xiuying... you're truly worthy of being the headmaster! Peach-flavored cakes aren't good; boiling the water takes too long. But there's a simple cream roll that tastes pretty good. No other place has it, and it's a school special. Do you think that'll work?

So, when Song Zhao rode to his sister's house, this was what he saw.

The two old ladies, Chen's mother and Zhou's mother, were cutting paper, and little Sisi was leading a group of children in drawing.

On the other side, an old woman and her maid were peeling peaches. A young boy was cutting reeds. An old man, Xu Wu, and a young boy were making bamboo tubes.

Chen Xiuying was busy stirring on the stove, while her two sisters-in-law were busy beating eggs.

I thought there were no more idle people, but no, there are still three! Master Chen is leading Zhou Dajiang and Chen Mingyuan in class.

Chen Mingyuan is about to take the exam, so it’s better to sharpen your sword before the battle. There is hope in slowness, so study hard!

Although Zhou Dajiang doesn't have to go down, he still has to take an exam to enter the Yunlai Academy in the provincial capital. Do you think you're allowed in for free?

So, no one noticed Song Zhao for a while. But after a short while, Erbao finished drawing the little man on his hand and looked up to see him, "The general is here!"

Thanks to Anger, Song Zhao's appearance was memorized by all the children of the Zhou and Chen families. Even though Song Zhao was wearing casual clothes, the children recognized him at a glance.

They immediately threw down their pens, put down their paintings, ran forward and surrounded Song Zhao.

"Uncle General, you're here! Come in and sit down!" The speaker was the little adult Zhou Sisi, who pulled Song Zhao into the house.

When Chen Xiuying heard the sound, she handed the spatula in her hand to her sister-in-law and hurried out to greet her.

"I'm so happy to have you here. Big brother, please come in and sit down. I'll go prepare dinner for you." Chen Xiuying invited him into the living room and Zhou Dajiang came in right after her.

Song Zhao: "Don't be busy. The emperor has other tasks for me to perform. I have to say a few words to you and then I have to leave."

Zhou Sisi: "Then wait for me, I have two letters!" Then she ran back to the room.

Chen Xiuying: "You are too hasty. Wait for me for a moment." Fortunately, the things for Ang'er had been prepared long ago, otherwise it would be too late to catch him now.

Chen Xiuying didn't prepare anything expensive for the child, and she didn't have the time. She only asked Wang Shi to sew two sets of underwear and a set of summer clothes for the child, as well as Zhou Sisi's new book "Journey to the West" and the new puppets from her workshop, depicting Tang Sanzang and his disciples on their journey to obtain Buddhist scriptures.

He put the things in his bag and handed it directly to his eldest brother. He then turned around and packed two pots of cake and put ice in a tube of milk tea. "These are for you to eat on the road."

When she was done getting ready, Zhou Sisi ran in with two letters and handed them to Song Zhao, "One is for An Ge'er, and the other is for Brother Tingye."

Song Zhao took the letter and put it in his arms.

"I should go now. His Majesty is still waiting for my report."

Zhou Dajiang: "Take care on your journey! I haven't had time to prepare anything today. I'll send another batch back when I get back to the factory to deliver the goods."

"Okay, no need for all the formalities, let's all go back!" Song Zhao came and left in a hurry, only paused for a short while, and then left in a hurry.

Watching Song Zhao's receding back, Chen Xiuying sighed silently in her heart, "Alas, it's really not easy to be a soldier. Even if you go back to recuperate, you still have to do things on the way."

Chapter 133 Three Years Later, Passing the Imperial Examination

Song Zhao's coming and going was really just a small episode, and everyone had to continue with their work.

During this busy period, Chen Mingyuan pulled his examination basket with wheels and stepped into the gate of the county examination.

Originally, the county examination was held in February every year, with five consecutive examinations. After passing, the prefectural examination was held in April, with three consecutive examinations. Those who passed both the county and prefectural examinations could be called tongsheng.

After ascending the throne, the new emperor had been eager to quickly assemble his own team. Since this year also marked the Empress Dowager's 40th birthday, he issued an imperial decree to hold additional special examinations, from county to palace examinations. This autumn, the county and prefectural examinations would be added; next autumn, the academy and provincial examinations would be added; and the spring of the year after, the metropolitan and palace examinations would be added, completely staggered with the current imperial examination schedule.

When the decree was issued, students everywhere rejoiced. Only Master Chen felt sorry for Zhou Dajiang. If it hadn't happened, he might have had another chance to take the imperial examination. However, it was good that Mingyuan could catch up now.

-

Time flies, and two years have passed in a flash.

During these two years, Chen Mingyuan finally succeeded in being promoted to a student under Master Chen's earnest expectations.

Zhou Dajiang was admitted to Yunlai Academy as he wished and became a day student of Yunlai Academy.

The Qingshangou processing plant also gained a reputation in East China for its development of pesticide sprayers, wheat threshers, and water pumps. The additional investment from Datong Trading Company directly made the plant the largest in Qingshan Town, adding another fifty employees.

Zhou Dahe, Tian the carpenter and others, under the guidance of Zhou Dajiang, mastered the art of using taps, dies and wrenches on the hands.

After "Journey to the West", Zhou Sisi also drew "Magic School" and "Treasure Hunt". These two stories are also serialized and are quite long. So far, "Treasure Hunt" has only been published in the eleventh place.

Two years ago, Chen Xiuying took a series of actions to sell out the peaches in her family. Not only did she sell out all the peaches, but she also sold out all the apples that came with them.

"Have you had a peach today?" is a popular saying not only in Qingshan Town but also in Fucheng. People in both areas can now enjoy the cold drink "Peach Blossoms" in the summer and the hot drink "Fruit Treasures for You" in the fall. Furthermore, these two fruit-flavored sandwich cakes have become local specialties in Fucheng.

Yes, Chen Xiuying's milk tea and cakes, after repeated requests from Shopkeeper Chen, are now sold not only in Qingshan Town, but also in the provincial capital.

Originally, Chen Xiuying didn't want to go with Zhou Dajiang to study at the academy. After all, she had a lot of work to do at home, so she might as well study. The academy also had accommodation.

Later, there happened to be a suitable farm for sale in the city, and with the repeated requests of the shopkeeper Chen, she bought the farm and hired a family to take care of it.

The family consisted of eight people: the elderly couple, their two sons, their wives, and two half-grown grandchildren. They came from the same area as the Guo family and were cousins ​​of Da Dezi's father. They were known as Guo Laoqi. His two sons were named Guo Youli and Guo Youxin, and his two grandchildren were named Guo Chun and Guo Yang. His two daughters-in-law were cousins, both surnamed Yu, and were known as the Big and Small Yu clans.

There are still peach trees and fruit trees planted in the manor. Chen Xiuying only goes there in summer and autumn when the fruits are about to ripen. Zhou Dajiang usually lives there.

At the same time, in order to make it easier to make milk tea and cakes, two cows were also driven over.

The city has a large population and a huge demand. Even though Chen Xiuying brings Qing'er and the two Yu sisters together to work on it, the demand still cannot keep up with the supply.

During the summer and autumn, the headquarters of Qingshan Town was occupied by the eldest sister-in-law Zhang and the younger sister-in-law Li. They were responsible for baking cakes, while Chen's mother and Zhou's mother began to make milk tea. The tasks of gluing bags, making bamboo tubes, and preparing reed stalks were all handed over to Da Dezi's family.

The pictures on the packaging bags were also changed from hand-painted to stamps. After selling all the peaches that summer, Zhou Dajiang asked Tian the carpenter to make the little figures drawn by his daughter into stamps. Starting from "Guozhen has you", all of them were stamps.

And in the autumn of that year, Zhou Dajiang and Chen Mingyuan, holding their "pass every exam" exam baskets, stepped into the examination room for the academy exam as everyone watched.

The chief examiner for the academy examination was the provincial education commissioner. The examination was conducted in two sessions: the first, the main test, consisted of two essays and one poem. The second, the secondary test, consisted of one essay and one poem. The top scorer in the academy examination was designated "An Shou" (a title), while the remaining successful candidates were called "shengyuan," commonly known as "xiucai." The top thirty were designated "students on government stipends," receiving a monthly stipend of six dou (a dou of rice) and four liang (a tael) of silver.

After three years of encouragement from his father-in-law and a year of diligent study at Yunlai Academy, Zhou Dajiang finally achieved 29th place and became a student on government stipend. While Chen Mingyuan also worked hard, he hadn't studied as long as Zhou Dajiang, so he barely finished last and became a scholar. Still, this was quite impressive.

Qingshangou had two scholars at once, and everyone was excited. This had never happened before! Master Chen not only made his son a scholar, but also made his son-in-law a student on the government government stipend. You know, the government paid for students on the government government stipend!

This shows how powerful Master Chen is! As for Zhou Dajiang's study at Yunlai Academy for a year, everyone chose to ignore it.

All of a sudden, Master Chen became unexpectedly famous, and the heads of nearby villages began to ask Zhang if they could allow their children to attend the school in Qingshangou.

Village Chief Zhang was so frightened that he kept shaking his head. "No! The ancestral hall is already full of children from our own village. It's almost full!"

Qingshangou School has indeed been recruiting students over the past two years. With the child's father working in the factory, the family's conditions have been improving day by day. We all have a competitive mentality. If other people's children can go to school, what's the difference between ours? Whether it's learning to read or counting, we have to learn!

So, it was not that Village Chief Zhang was making excuses, but the ancestral hall was really full.

Zhou Sisi also said, "I'm so exhausted lately! It's too much of a hassle to take care of so many kids!" Furthermore, the kids have different painting skills, so they can't be taught together. Even when we go sketching outdoors, we have to take them separately, and they have to be with Xu Wu. "Please don't add more kids; it's too tiring!"