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

After the summer harvest, summer plowing will begin in the blink of an eye.

The "Three Summers" – summer harvest, summer planting, and summer management – ​​are the most arduous and tiring time of the year. Even the poorest people will cut off a couple of pounds of meat to nourish themselves during this period.

Sun Shan was also busy, and even Sun Bomin's birthday celebration was only briefly celebrated.

Sun Shan said apologetically, "Father, I'm sorry I couldn't host a banquet for you."

Sun Bomin shook his head repeatedly and said, "Whether it's a banquet or not doesn't matter. I'm already very satisfied that you're here with me to eat longevity noodles this year."

He pointed to the new clothes he was wearing and said happily, "Look at the clothes my daughter-in-law made for me. The material is so good and the handiwork is so good. Hehe, others can only dream of such a thing. I am already very happy."

She then pulled out a rather "childish" purse, her smile widening to her teeth: "This was sewn by my granddaughter. It's so pretty, even better than the ones you buy outside. Haha, she truly is my good Xiaoxiao. She's proficient in everything—music, chess, calligraphy, painting, needlework, reading, and writing. My Xiaoxiao is a little lady now, and she'll grow up to be a lady of a distinguished family."

Thinking of this, Sun Bomin became even happier: "I never thought that my Liu family could have a young lady from a prominent family. Hahaha, in the future, good men who want to marry Xiaoxiao will line up from one end of the village to the other. Hey, when the time comes, I must choose a good young and talented man for Xiaoxiao."

Su, who had been eavesdropping, pursed her lips and couldn't help but speak up: "Master, Xiaoxiao's first purse is just so-so, nothing special."

Then he added, "This purse is just for practice. I'll wait until tomorrow and have Xiaoxiao make a nicer one for me."

Little Fatty's "first embroidery piece" was a purse she made for Sun Bomin. When Su saw it, she was even more sour than if she had eaten a sour date.

Thinking about how hard I've worked to raise my little chubby girl, I sneered, "What a heartless girl! She only cooks for Grandpa and not Grandma. All those years of feeding her have been for nothing."

I already disliked Sister Yun, but now I dislike her even more. I'm sure Sister Yun is trying to sow discord between her and Little Fatty.

Anyway, no matter what the fault is, it's always the daughter-in-law's fault; how could her own chubby granddaughter be at fault?

If we're talking about sourness, Sun Shan is sour too.

The "premiere" of Little Fatty was actually given to Sun Bomin. As her father, he worked himself to the bone, using his wits and courage to become an official and earn money to support Little Fatty.

And what was the result? They have no conscience.

All those years of hard work have been for nothing. My sincere feelings were misplaced, like falling snowflakes, carrying a chilling cold.

Later, when Sister Yun saw Su Shi and Sun Shan chatting with Little Fatty in a sarcastic tone, she thought about it for three days and three nights and finally figured out that Su Shi and Sun Shan were jealous.

Sister Yun: ......

Is she really that childish? Even as a mother, she doesn't have the same money as her daughter. She's also the teacher and the biological mother.

Helpless, he could only coax Su and Sun Shan, saying that Little Fatty would make them an even prettier purse in a month.

While raising the feather duster high, he threatened the little fat girl that if she didn't obediently make purses for her grandma and grandpa, she would have to wait to eat "braised pork with rattan".

Little Fatty: ......

My life is so miserable, even more miserable than my third grandfather who was locked up in the backyard of the government office.

My third grandfather just couldn't go out, but he still managed to eat, drink, play, and sleep without missing a thing, and he even had a late-night snack from time to time.

And what about Little Fatty? Not only is she not allowed to leave the house, but she is also forced by Granny He every day to learn the manners of a well-bred young lady, to read and write, and to do needlework. Her mother also said that she would have to learn to play the zither and chess in a few days.

That's bad enough, but not having enough to eat is the worst.

Now, they have to work day and night to make purses for their grandparents.

They haven't even reached their birthday yet, so why should they do it?

I made it for my grandfather, and his chubby little fingers got pricked by the needle countless times. After finally finishing it, I had to make it for my grandmother and father.

At this moment, Little Fatty wanted to go back to Sunjia Village even more than Sister Yun.

Sun Shan and Su Shi had no idea of ​​Little Fatty's suffering. They only felt that in the near future, they would be able to use Little Fatty's money, and even the air they breathed would be sweet.

Sun Shan continued to be busy.

Summer is the most crucial time for agricultural production, and we must not let things fall apart.

On the one hand, they had to supervise all members of the government office to ensure they didn't slack off, and on the other hand, they continued to promote the importance of bird droppings fertilizer.

After all, there are still some particularly stubborn people who dare not try using fertilizer.

At this point, the propaganda team becomes very important.

Sun Shan summoned Xiao Wuzi, the yamen runner.

Xiao Wuzi bowed and greeted, "Sir, when would you like me to come in?"

Among all those yamen runners, Xiao Wuzi was considered one of Sun Shan's men.

The reason is that "work-related injuries" not only grant leave and full reimbursement of medical expenses, but also ensure that wages are paid in full.

At that moment, Xiao Wuzi desperately followed Sun Shan. He had never seen such a good superior before, and he was determined to curry favor with him.

Sun Shan pointed to Duanlongshan Town on the map and said directly, "Xiao Wuzi, very few people in this area use fertilizer. I'll arrange for you to go down and talk to the people there, so that they will start using fertilizer too."

Last time, Xiao Wuzi was sent to Duanlongshan Town to sell bird droppings fertilizer. As for the effect, only the village chief and the village head were willing to use the fertilizer; the other villagers were not really interested.

In this tax collection, Duanlongshan Town paid the least amount of taxes in the entire county.

Sun Shan heard from County Magistrate Wang that Duanlongshan Town was densely forested with few people and little arable land. Whenever taxes were collected, many villagers would run into the mountains to hide, making it the most difficult place to collect taxes in Yuanlu County.

none of them.

They were able to collect some grain, but they were picking on the weak—the village chief and the neighborhood head.

They're called "grassroots cadres," so if they don't take the lead in paying taxes, who will?

Of course, what's even more important is that these people come from families with educated members, making them easier to control.

Xiao Wuzi didn't object to going to Duanlongshan Town to work as a "salesman".

Instead, he voiced his concern: "Sir, the people of Duanlong Mountain are prone to tax evasion and resistance. What if we extend credit to them with bird droppings fertilizer, and they refuse to pay back the money?"

Sun Shan didn't care about this issue at all: "If anyone doesn't pay back the money, we won't let them use it next time. We can afford to lose money once or twice on fertilizer."

In fact, the production cost of bird droppings fertilizer is not high; the biggest cost is transportation.

Bird droppings are free, and labor is cheap; the only real headache is the inconvenient transportation.

Ah, "To get rich, build roads first" is a wise saying, and Sun Shan wholeheartedly agrees.

Sun Shan asked Xiao Wuzi to take two temporary workers over, and then find two locals to help promote the benefits of bird droppings fertilizer.

He said earnestly, "Xiao Wuzi, I'm entrusting this matter to you. The more households use fertilizer, the more rice can be harvested, and the fewer people will starve to death this year. Xiao Wuzi, please persuade the locals to use fertilizer. I hope there will be no more starving people in my county."

Just then, a ray of sunlight shone on Sun Shan, and Xiao Wuzi was stunned.

Suddenly I felt that Lord Sun was so great and lofty.

This light shone not only on Lord Sun's head, but also into his heart.

For a fleeting moment, Xiao Wuzi truly felt that Lord Sun was a good official who wholeheartedly sought the well-being of the people.