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

Seeing the villagers' warehouses full, Sun had even more confidence in bird droppings fertilizer and in the future.

Dege asked in a low voice, "Shanzi, there's so much grain in Yuanlu County. It's the best business to trade grain. Hehe, people can not work, but they can't not eat. Hehe, Shanzi, this business is guaranteed to make a profit."

Dege couldn't help but daydream, imagining himself becoming a wealthy grain merchant with Sun Shan's support, and being the richest man in the world. Hehe, just thinking about it made him happy.

When Dege raised his tail, Sun Shan knew what he was thinking.

He said coldly, "Selling grain is fine, but we can't do anything illegal. Humph, De-ge, don't think about getting rich all the time. Too much desire often leads to taking risks and doing illegal things. If you suffer the consequences, don't drag me down with you."

The worst thing about selling grain is selling it to enemy countries; that's blatant treason, and we can't do that.

Upon hearing Sun Shan's words, De Ge'er immediately snapped out of his reverie. He quickly denied it, saying, "Shanzi, why do you think of me like that?"

He then added, "And Shanzi, we're brothers, you have to save me if I'm in trouble. You can't be so cold-hearted."

Before Sun Shan could speak, Gui Ge'er said, "Brother De, if you do anything that will implicate Brother Shan, even if Brother Shan turns a blind eye, I will still persuade Brother Shan to put the greater good before family. Brother Shan has a bright future ahead of him, and he can't let you drag him down."

He then added, "If necessary, we must ask the village chief to relocate your clan; we cannot let you implicate Sunjia Village."

These words infuriated Dege'er, who then grabbed Guige'er's neck from behind.

He said fiercely, "You little devil, you're even more cold-hearted than Shanzi. Humph, I'll beat you to death."

Gui Ge'er, with his neck stiffened, said righteously, "I will kill you and exterminate your clan. My brother Shan is a high-ranking official, and he absolutely cannot be implicated by you."

Seeing the two of them joking around, Sun Shan stopped them, saying, "Don't make noise."

Turning to Dege'er, he said, "Dege'er, when doing business, never dream of getting rich every day. Let's just make a little money. Haven't you heard the saying 'small fortunes are enough'? How many wealthy merchants can die peacefully after making a fortune?"

Dege was unconvinced, thinking to himself, "If I can't make money in business, why should I do business at all?"

It would be better to stay at the county school and work honestly.

Dege followed Sun Shan to work, all he wanted was to make a fortune and live a life of luxury.

Seeing Dege'er's expression, Sun Shan knew he was unconvinced.

He patiently explained, "Brother De, you can only wear a hat that fits your head. Think about it carefully. You can't even study well, how successful can you be in business? If business were so easy, there would be plenty of people getting rich."

I'm just afraid you'll become so obsessed with getting rich that you'll be tempted by others and end up doing illegal things. Sigh, then don't blame me, not even a miracle worker can save you. People, you need to be very self-aware and never be greedy.

Dege disagreed, saying, "Shanzi, Uncle Chen wasn't very good at studying either, but he still made a fortune."

Sun Shan slapped De Ge'er on the shoulder and said, "What makes you think you can compare to Uncle Chen? The Chen family is wealthy and powerful. What about you? If it weren't for your third uncle, you wouldn't even be able to afford a house. The Chen family has accumulated wealth for generations and has connections, so it's no wonder Uncle Chen succeeded easily. What about you? Your grandfather is just a country doctor; he can't compare to the Chen family."

Sun Shan then pointed to himself and said, "I'm just a lowly seventh-rank official; how could I possibly protect you?"

Sun Shan then gave De Ge'er several examples of people who were extremely wealthy but did not have a good end, such as Lü Buwei, Deng Tong, and Shi Chong.

Sun Shan spread his hands and said helplessly, "Brother De, it's not easy to be a wealthy businessman. Few have a good ending. Our Sun family should take a steady and pragmatic approach, accumulating wealth step by step. As long as we can make a living, that's good enough."

Dege'er's face paled at Sun Shan's words. He stammered, "Shanzi, it seems being too rich isn't a good thing. It attracts unwanted attention."

He sighed and said, "Alas, there's no one in the court. You're the only minor official in the entire Sun family, so you can only do small-scale business. Although I'm naturally gifted in business and can learn without a teacher, my family isn't supportive enough, so I have no choice but to be a small-time merchant."

Sun Shan & Gui Ge'er: .....

Aside from being slightly good-looking, Dege'er is really hard to describe.

I don't know who gave him that impression, daring to call him intelligent.

How smart can someone be if they can't even write properly?

Dege'er didn't notice Sun Shan's disdain at all.

Instead, the maidservant held more power than the mistress, urging Sun Shan: "Shanzi, I'm not trying to criticize you. Others become officials, but why are you so unambitious? Look at others, they get promoted one rank every year, and after a few years they're at least at the third or fourth rank. What about you? You're just not working hard enough."

"Ah, Shanzi, from now on, don't be lazy. Be a good official and work hard to curry favor. Try to please your superiors, especially the prefect. Send gifts and write letters to inquire about their well-being from time to time."

He paused, then continued, "It's best to cultivate relationships with your superiors and strive for a promotion as soon as possible. By the way, try to become a high-ranking official in the capital as soon as possible, rather than staying in a remote, impoverished county as a minor official."

Sun Shan & Gui Ge'er: .....

Gui Ge'er was about to retort when De Ge'er spoke up first: "Shanzi, besides working hard, you also need to flatter. Shanzi, believe me, only by pleasing your superiors can you have a good future."

Look at me. I started out doing odd jobs at the county school, and then what? The instructor thought I was teachable and liked me so much that he not only promoted me but also gave me a raise. Hey, Shanzi, you'd better learn from me in this regard, you know?

He patted Sun Shan on the shoulder earnestly, as if to say, "I've been there, listen to me."

Sun Shan was too lazy to argue with De Ge'er and warned him, "After the summer grain is harvested, you'll go sell the grain. Remember, don't be greedy. We'll take a small-scale, low-key, and pragmatic approach, quietly making a small fortune, understand? If you can't do it, I'll replace you."

When Dege heard that someone was going to be replaced, he hurriedly agreed: "Okay, okay, I'll do whatever you say. Shanzi, you can't replace him, I'm sticking with you for life."

After saying that, he put his hand on Gui Ge'er's shoulder and said cheerfully, "Gui Zi, do you want to do business with me?"

Gui Ge'er immediately shook off De Ge'er's hand and hurriedly ran to Sun Shan's side.

He said with utmost seriousness, "Brother De, I won't do business with you. I'll only stay by Brother Shan's side for the rest of my life, and I won't go anywhere else."

Brother De definitely wants to get rid of me so he can take advantage of my vulnerability.

Humph, wishful thinking.

He was Brother Shan's page, and no one could replace him.

After inspecting the granary, Sun Shan led Sun Bomin to the bird droppings fertilizer workshop.

The village chief and Grandpa Xiaoya followed closely behind, not even bothering to pick up the ears of grain from the field.

Sun Shan smiled and said, "Village chief, we'll go ahead, you guys go about your business."

The village chief hurriedly shook his head: "Sir, I know the back mountain best. It would be better if I led the way for you."

Little Yazi, showing his missing tooth, said, "Sir, we'll take you there; we know the way."

Lord Sun has finally come all this way to Big Bird Village, so he must accompany the whole group.

Lord Sun is their idol, and they wish they could be with him every day.