Traveling Through Farmhouses: Taking the Baby on a Famine Escape

After dinner, Zhang Xixi took two watermelons to the Zhang family's house, and the two babies went with her!

As soon as they entered the door, the two children shouted loudly, "Grandpa, Grandma, we're here!"

When Chen and the others heard the two babies' voices, they came out of the kitchen, and Zhang Xixi quickly went up to greet them.

"Mother, sister-in-law, you haven't eaten yet!"

Mrs. Chen said, "I just finished eating and was washing the dishes. You've come at the perfect time. I stewed a duck today and saved some for you. Come in and have some!"

"Da Bao, Er Bao, come inside with Grandma and eat duck!"

"Mom, we've already eaten!" Zhang Xixi said, handing the watermelon in her hand to Chen Shi.

Da Bao and Er Bao also said, "Grandma, we're still full."

"Mother, you all go about your business. I need to speak with my eldest brother about something!"

"Alright, your older brother should be in the main room!"

Zhang Xixi took her two children to the main room and saw Zhang Wenbo tutoring his two nephews.

The two boys also came over, "Hello, Uncle, Cousin, and Second Cousin!"

"Brother, I need to talk to you about something!"

Zhang Wenbo gave his son a few instructions and then went into the yard with Zhang Xixi. The sun had just set, and some afterglow was still shining on the earth.

"Little sister, what's the matter that's so urgent?"

"Brother, it's the one I mentioned to you last time, the one who went to town to ask the tutor for help!"

Zhang Wenbo pondered for a moment and said, "I have thought about this matter carefully. Currently, only about ten children in the school are studying hard, and the rest are still at the beginner level. Later, we can teach them some arithmetic and some practical knowledge so that they can have a better life in the future. So, we only need to invite an old scholar back to teach!"

“Brother, I’m thinking that if possible, we should hire a scholar and a child prodigy. Wang Daniu and the others came to me today and said they also want to send their children to study here. In the future, the school will charge outsiders one tael of silver per year for tuition, and villagers five hundred coins. What do you think?”

"Sure, but it's not easy to find a teacher, and we'll have to talk to the village about it."

"Then, brother, let's go to town tomorrow to find a schoolteacher, and when we get back, we'll talk to the village head and the others."

Seeing that Zhang Wenbo had agreed, Zhang Xixi prepared to go back and called out to the two Baos, "Da Bao, Er Bao, let's go!"

"Mother, you go back first, we'll go back later!"

Zhang Wenbo also told them to play for a while before going back.

"Don't stay out too late!"

Zhang Xixi could only give one more word of advice before going home!

When she got home, Zhang Xixi went straight to the west wing. The Jin family was there, and the two little tigers had grown quite a bit and didn't look like kittens anymore.

Seeing Zhang Xixi come over, the two little tigers ran to Zhang Xixi's feet and rubbed against her, while whispering, "Master!"

so cute!

Zhang Xixi picked up the two little tigers and felt they were very comfortable to touch.

Xiao Jin and Xiao Hua stepped forward and shouted at Zhang Xixi, "Master, it's been a long time!"

It's not a long time, just a few days!

After playing with Xiao Jin and the others for a while, I bought four buckets of spiritual spring water for them from the system shop. After they finished drinking, I took the buckets to the storeroom.

That's how they got their wooden buckets. Luckily, Zhou Fu and the others didn't ask about the origin of the buckets, otherwise she really wouldn't know how to explain it!

The next day, Zhang Wenbo and Zhang Xixi went to town and went directly to the broker's house in the same alley.

Although Zhou Dashan's grandson was studying in town, they really didn't know where to find a teacher, so Zhang Xixi and her companion had no choice but to try their luck.

Unexpectedly, Ma Youqing learned of their purpose and said with a smile, "You've come at a really good time. A family just happened to come to town. The old man in the family is a student who has passed the imperial examination, and he also has a son who has passed the county-level examination."

What a coincidence!

Zhang Wenbo raised an eyebrow and asked, "The Horse Tooth people, where did that family come from? Are they reliable?"

Ma Youqing gave a detailed introduction to the Zhao family. The head of the family was named Zhao Quanfu, and his family of more than ten people had fled from Fuzhou.

Because their group was relatively small, the town mayor arranged for them to stay in Majia Village, which is located on the outskirts of town.

According to Ma Youqing, his family is very kind and easy to get along with!

However, just talking about it is not enough; we have to see it for ourselves!

Zhang Xixi and Zhang Wenbo exchanged a glance. "Could the Horse Tooth people take us to visit them?"

"Of course, but I need to make it clear first that if this goes through, the referral fee will be one tael per person."

Ma Youqing thought to himself that this was a one-off deal, and he wouldn't take a cut afterward, so the price was a bit higher.

"can!"

Zhang Xixi agreed. Although it was a bit expensive, it was worth it to hire a good teacher.

Zhang Xixi and Zhang Wenbo drove their horse-drawn carriage behind Ma Youqing's mule cart, heading towards the city gate.

Upon arriving at the village, Ma Youqing pointed out the location and then told Zhang Wenbo and Zhang Xixi to go and investigate on their own, lest they find out the actual situation.

After walking for a while, Zhang Xixi and the others arrived at a farmhouse near the foot of the mountain in Majia Village. The old earthen walls were covered with new thatched roofs.

This must be a house that the village allocated to them, which they then renovated themselves.

But with a scholar and a child prodigy in the family, even if they were fleeing from disaster, they should still have some money left over!

Zhang Xixi had no idea that the flood in Fuzhou broke out in the middle of the night. Many people were swept away by the water and their fates were unknown. Those who were better off dismantled their doors and other structures to use as boats to escape.

At a time like this, who cares about the family's money or banknotes? Survival is the most important thing!

Zhang Wenbo and Zhang Xixi pretended to be visiting relatives and went inside to inquire. Zhang Wenbo even found an opportune moment to reveal his identity as a scholar.

Seeing that they were chatting very congenially, Zhang Xixi took a look at Zhao Quanfu's family. Although they were all dressed in coarse cloth clothes, they had smiles on their faces. Zhao Quanfu and his son were also dressed in coarse cloth clothes, but they had fewer patches than the others.

This family treats all members equally; they don't treat the scholar and the young scholar with the same deference. That's quite good.

Zhao Quanfu was a bit older than his father, and his scholar son, Zhao Enrong, was the eldest, and he also looked a bit older than his older brother.

A short while later, Zhang Wenbo and Zhang Xixi said goodbye!

"Big brother, what do you think?"

"Yes, and Brother Zhao doesn't want to take the imperial examination anymore, so he can stay in our village to teach for a long time."

Seeing Zhang Wenbo's smiling face and his address of "Brother Zhao," Zhang Xixi knew they must be very satisfied!

"That's OK!"

Seeing Zhang Xixi and the others' expressions, Ma Youqing knew that the matter had been settled. After returning, he asked about tuition and other things.

Zhang Wenbo and Zhang Xixi agreed that a Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations) would receive ten taels of silver per month, and a Tongsheng (a student who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations) would receive eight taels of silver per month, with a set of clothes provided for each of the four seasons.

Ma Youqing noticed that the salary was even higher than in town, but considering that the remote village was quite far away, he understood.