The Daily Life of a Rich Peasant's Boy in the Imperial Examination

After safely sending the candidates to and from the examination room, three days later, Sun Dali formed a team and returned to Yuanlu.

Before coming here, we had agreed that we would not wait for the results to come out before leaving. If you want to see the results before leaving, you can still stay in Wang's Villa, but you will be responsible for your own food and the return fare.

If you don't wait for the results and follow the Sun family guards, your food and accommodation will still be provided by the government office.

How to choose depends on each candidate weighing the pros and cons and making a free choice.

In the end, only a few poor students who felt they had average test scores followed Sun Dali back. The other students remained in Chenzhou Prefecture and waited for the results to come out before returning home.

If you pass the exam, you won’t be able to attend the “Hairpin Flower Banquet” if you’re not there.

They also want to see what they looked like in high school.

Sun Dali pulled a bag from his pocket, handed it to Sun Shan, and said, "Teacher Deng gave me all the donation money before I left. I still have over 100 taels left."

After he finished speaking, he handed Sun Shan an account book.

Sun Dali, Sun Heitan and Sun Caogen can't write very well, so they can't keep account books.

When they went there, Wang Jiaxing was in charge of keeping the account books. When they arrived in Chenzhou Prefecture, because the exam was approaching, Wang Jiaxing did not have enough time to review and could not do the account books, so he asked Aunt Wang for a servant to help him with the account books.

Fortunately, the bills are simple and you just need to record your expenses.

Sun Shan opened the account book and took a look. All the records on it were expenses. By subtracting the three hundred taels, he knew how much was left.

Sun Dali continued, "This time in Chenzhou Prefecture, the candidates stayed at the Wang Family Villa, and their food and drink were relatively simple, so the expenses were also low."

After a pause, he added, "Old Lady Wang knew we were coming, so she sent a lot of oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, firewood, and rice. This way, we can spend less."

Sun Shan was stunned and asked in surprise, "You said that the old lady from the Wang family sent something to the examinees?"

Sun Dali nodded and said, "Yes, he sent a lot of things. He also arranged for servants to take us around Chenzhou Prefecture and told us where to buy things. He also sent two servants to help with the work."

Then he continued, "Old Lady Wang also praised you, Master, saying that it was a blessing for the people of Yuanlu to have a magistrate like you. She also said that as a woman, she couldn't repay her hometown well, so she could only send some things over, and hoped that you wouldn't mind."

Sun Dali added, "Master, Mrs. Wang said a little, but it's actually quite a bit. She's very generous."

Sun Shan couldn't help but fall into deep thought. It seemed that anyone who could climb to the top and become the winner in the end, whether a man or a woman, was a smart person.

These daily necessities are just a drop in the bucket for Mrs. Wang, but doing so seems particularly thoughtful and makes people feel warm.

This is an old lady full of wisdom, no wonder she has the last laugh.

Sun Shan asked, "Did Old Lady Wang say anything else? Was it said by a servant or did she say it herself?"

Sun Dali smiled innocently and said, "The old lady knew we were coming, and that this escort was arranged by the government, so she came to me to inquire about the situation."

So it was Old Lady Wang who convened the meeting personally.

Sun Dali continued, "The old lady has a kind face and is dressed in luxurious clothes. Her family must be very wealthy."

Sun Heitan added, "Uncle Dali is not only rich, but also a big family in Chenzhou Prefecture. Such a noble old lady, speaking softly and kindly to us."

Sun Caogen echoed, "Luckily, we only know simple Yuanlu dialect and can't speak Mandarin, so we didn't seem nervous. It's really nerve-wracking to talk to an old lady from a wealthy family."

Because the Sun family guards could not speak the local dialect or Mandarin well, they had no way to communicate with the old lady of the Wang family.

Even with Wang Jiaxing present, he could only roughly understand what the other party meant by guessing.

As a result, the Sun family guards breathed a sigh of relief.

Coming from the countryside, I don’t know what to say when I meet rich people.

The most important thing is to be afraid of saying the wrong thing and offending others without knowing it.

Sun Shan looked at Sun Caogen with amusement and said helplessly, "You need to learn the local dialect and Mandarin well. There will be many such incidents in the future. If you can't communicate, you won't be able to get things done well."

Sun Dali scratched his head and chuckled, "Master, this time when I went out, haha, my Yuanlu dialect has improved a lot. Hey, talking to them is like talking to a chicken, which forced me to study hard. With such hard work, I have learned quite a lot."

People don’t know how capable they are unless they push themselves.

Sun Dali is now more confident in learning Yuanlu dialect, then learning Mandarin, and learning to read and write.

I am more confident that I can replace the village chief in the future.

Sun Heitan also said, "Yes, I can understand and speak a lot of Yuanlu dialect now. It's a lot better than before. It seems that I need to spend more time with local people in the future so that I can learn it faster."

The Sun family guards who were traveling with us were unable to communicate with the candidates, so they pushed themselves to learn a lot of local dialect.

Haha, learning a language depends mainly on the environment. Once the environment is good, you will make rapid progress.

Sun Shan looked at the account book and calculated how long it would take Sun Dali and his group to reach Chenzhou Prefecture. He then took out some silver from the remaining 100 taels as wages for the guards.

You can't just shine with love, you have to get paid for doing things.

Of course, the wages are paid at a rate lower than the market price, which is definitely much cheaper than that of a bodyguard.

Sun Shan took out the money and wrote it down in the account book.

He said to Sun Dali, "These are your wages. It's not much. I'm sorry for putting you in such a difficult position."

Sun Dali was surprised to find that he would be paid. His eyes sparkled as he said, "Master, it's quite a bit. It's a lot more than what we get from doing odd jobs outside."

Sun Shan's guard salary was 10 taels per year. He thought he would not be paid for his work during the year, but he did not expect to earn extra money.

The Sun family guards were already very happy.

As for why Sun Dali received the wages with a clear conscience, it was because the money belonged to the public, not Sun Shan’s private treasury.

Haha, eating public money, using public money, and spending public money is natural and brings endless joy.

Gui Ge'er said enviously: "Uncle Dali, you guys are so lucky. We made a lot of money this time."

If Shan Ge couldn't leave him, Gui Ge'er would also want to earn extra money.

Sun Dali said proudly: "Next time there is a mission, I will take you there, hahahaha."

After hearing this, everyone laughed happily.

Gui Ge'er thought that even if there was a mission, he would not go. His mission was to serve Shan Ge well, and everything else was just trivial.

Sun Shan handed the account book and the remaining silver to Sun Dali and said, "Take these to Instructor Deng. He will take care of the rest of the money, and the government won't interfere."

Since it was given to Instructor Deng in the first place, and there is still some left, I will give it back to Instructor Deng.

Sun Shan didn't want to get involved in money matters, so as not to cause trouble and be troublesome and thankless.

Sun Dali nodded repeatedly and said, "Okay, Master, I'll send it to the teacher right away and tell him about the examination."