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

When Sun Shan returned to the ancestral hall, Village Chief Shen quickly found a group of villagers to act as extras.

The extras were quite harmonious, with men and women, young and old. A group of people stood quietly at the entrance of the ancestral hall, waiting for Sun Shan's arrival.

The villagers also knew the importance of the matter. They would chatter in the corners where Sun Shan couldn't see them, but when Sun Shan came near, they wouldn't dare to say a word.

The village chief has just said that if anyone is disrespectful in front of the county magistrate, not only he but the entire village will be punished.

Sun Shan smiled gently, saying, "Fellow villagers, I've called you here today to ask about the effects of guano fertilizer. I apologize for disturbing you."

As soon as the words fell, the villagers looked at each other in confusion, without saying a word.

Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit awkward, Village Chief Shen jumped out and said, "Sir, please don't disturb me."

Emma, ​​it’s all because Lord Sun came so suddenly. If we had a designated day, we would have rehearsed again and again to give Lord Sun a satisfactory sense of ceremony.

Sun Shan smiled, pointed at an old man and asked, "Old man, have you used fertilizer at home?"

Elder Shen was the first one chosen to answer the question among the vast crowd.

Look, this is the elder of the clan, he is so special.

The elder of the Shen clan ate more salt than the melon-toothed child present ate rice, so he was very calm and composed: "Your Excellency, it is used. My family uses it."

Feeling that this answer was not strong enough, he added: "Sir, all the fields in my family have been used, not a single acre has been left out."

He glanced at Village Chief Shen stealthily.

Oh, if his eldest nephew hadn’t forced his family to use it, he definitely wouldn’t have used it.

There is no other way. After all, we are family and I have to help my nephew, otherwise my position as village chief will be in jeopardy.

Sun Shan didn't ask the old man why he used only guano fertilizer. He was not living in the clouds, so why not eat meat porridge?

It has been known for a long time that the government office gave the task to the head of the village, the head of the village gave the task to the villagers, and the task was passed down one level at a time, so the number of people using guano fertilizer was more than budgeted.

Sun Shan continued to ask, "Old man, do you think these fertilizers are useful? Are they good for the seedlings?"

At this point, the elder of the Shen clan had something to say, and replied happily: "It works very well. My lord, after using it, my seedlings are growing better than before. Oh, my lord, why didn't you give us these fertilizers earlier?"

Sun Shan saw that the old man was sincere and did not feel that he was being misled.

Smiling, he said, "Old man, it's not too late to use it now. In the past, when we filled the fields, we either used human feces or cow feces, and the quantity was really limited. Now that we have bird droppings, we can use them without hesitation."

Elder Shen also wanted to use it boldly, but the fertilizer was a bit expensive, so he asked, "Sir, although fertilizer can be bought on credit, it's not cheap. If the late rice is not bought on credit, I'm afraid I can't afford it."

Not only are the seedlings growing strong, but they are also producing many tillers. I believe the summer harvest will be better than before.

It's just too expensive. One acre of land costs several hundred coins, and poor land is even more expensive.

Clan leader Shen said with a worried look on his face, "Sir, I was thinking that fertilizer would be useful and wanted to convert my dry land into paddy fields. But fertilizer is really expensive and I can't afford it."

The elder of the Shen clan talked about farming endlessly, complaining about the low harvest and expensive fertilizer. He wanted to reclaim land, but he could only do so in the mountains.

Not only is it difficult to cultivate, it is also difficult to maintain.

Village chief Shen next door had his heart pounding and his eyes twitching so often, he was really afraid that the old uncle would say something wrong.

Emma, ​​I should have known not to arrange for my uncle to come as an extra.

Sun Shan listened patiently, nodding from time to time.

In response to the old man's question, I could only comfort him: "Don't worry, everything will be fine. We in Yuanlu County now have fertilizers, and even the poorest land will be transformed into good land. If one year doesn't work, two years will do, just like Yugong moving the mountain, and our land will slowly recover."

The elder of the Shen clan agreed and said, "Your Excellency is right. If I can't do it, my son will do it. If my son can't do it, my grandson will do it. Haha, he will definitely be able to cultivate the land well."

Sun Shan asked other villagers to answer.

First, he asked about fertilizer, then gradually about daily life. For example, what had he eaten today, when had he been to the county town, what was his usual occupation, what local specialties were available. He asked about everything, anything that came to mind.

Gradually, the atmosphere became more and more tense, and the villagers became more and more daring to speak out.

The brave little Yazi and the little girl also came up to Sun Shan to talk.

The whole Shenjia Village was filled with laughter and joy, and an afternoon passed just like that.

It was late at night and everyone was asleep, but Gui Ge'er was still lighting the lamp.

Today Sun Shan did not draw a picture, but wrote the date.

Recall what the villagers said during the day bit by bit. If you are unsure, ask Master Zhang next to you.

Master Zhang sighed and said, "Master, life in Shenxi Village isn't too bad. At least last winter, no one froze to death, and no one starved to death."

Sun Shan replied as he wrote down the numbers, "Not bad indeed. It's rare for a village to have a craft that allows people to make a living. It's much better than other villages."

As the saying goes, "live by the mountain, eat by the mountain; live by the water, eat by the water." There are patches of nanmu bamboo on the back mountain of Shenxi Village. The ancestors of the Shen family used the bamboo to develop a handicraft - silk basket.

The bamboo basket is oval in shape, with bamboo strands of uniform size and tightly and properly arranged. It is small and exquisite, beautiful and elegant, and durable.

The raw material of the wire basket is bamboo, which is boiled and roasted at high temperature, so it will not get moldy or be infested with insects. It is environmentally friendly and hygienic, and is most suitable for holding food.

There were also several silk threading baskets on the dining table in the back hall, and Nanny Wang praised them highly after using them.

Every household in Shenxi Village has a bamboo forest and can make baskets.

Whenever the baskets were produced, the Wang family would go to Shenxi Village to purchase them and transport them to Chenzhou Prefecture for sale.

Because of this unique craftsmanship, Shenxi Village is considered to be a leader among the villages in Yuanlu County. Perhaps only Da Niao Village, which caught up later, can compare with it.

Threading basket, all bamboo, no other accessories

Wire Basket

Sun Shan carefully inquired about the purchase price of the baskets from the villagers of Shenxi Village and concluded that the Wang family was quite unscrupulous.

The purchase price is extremely low, and as for the selling price, haha, it will definitely be several times higher.

Of course, Shenxi Village had no choice but to choose the Wang family, the dental dealer.

The Wang family has buyers and can sell in bulk. If they rely solely on Shenxi Village to sell one by one, it is unknown how long it will take to sell out.

Sun Shan meticulously documented his experiences in Shenxi Village. If more villages could find "industrial pillars" like Shenxi and Da Niao, the overall standard of living in Yuanlu County would surely see a qualitative leap.

Master Zhang said soothingly, "Master, don't worry. We will slowly explore and we will definitely find the village's characteristics and help the local villagers increase their income."

Sun Shan smiled and said, "Master, I understand."

Gui Ge'er said cheerfully, "Brother Shan, even if we can't find the village's unique characteristics, it's okay. We have guano fertilizer, which will definitely lead to a good harvest. With food, we won't go hungry, and we can earn a few more copper coins, and our lives will gradually get better."