The daily life of a peasant girl taking the imperial examination

Fourteen-year-old Sun Erya, eight-year-old Sun Siya, and five-year-old Sun Liuya heard the commotion in the yard and quickly came out of the inner room.

They were seen holding bamboo strips and rattan, clearly weaving baskets, bamboo crates, and straw hats, which was a major source of income for the Sun family.

However, recently, for some reason, these items haven't been selling very well, which is why Sun Wuya has had time to go out and beg.

"Sister Wuya, it smells so good!" Five-year-old Sun Liuya stared at the two plump white steamed buns like a little wolf cub who hadn't eaten for days, her eyes fixed on the food.

It's no wonder she was so craving it. You see, she had never eaten anything that smelled so good since she was old enough to understand. She had smelled it a few times, though. That's why she loved going out with Sister Wuya to beg for food. She felt like she could spend the whole day inhaling the aroma of steamed buns and noodle shops. Of course, that was only if the owners didn't chase them away.

Seeing Sun Liuya's greedy look, Sun Wuya quickly tore off a small piece of steamed bun skin and stuffed it into Liuya's mouth. Watching her sister squint her eyes and enjoy it, she couldn't help but swallow a few times. She wanted to eat it too!

Just then, the broken door of the Sun family was opened from the outside. Sun Wuya and Sun Liuya reacted instinctively, like two little animals guarding their food, and quickly covered the two steamed buns with their hands, glaring fiercely at the door.

The newcomers were none other than Sun Dagou and Sun Ergou, who were out selling woven goods. At this moment, their faces could be described as extremely dejected.

The reason was simple: they hadn't sold many straw hats and bamboo baskets that day, and both of them had injuries on their faces.

This is clearly a case of someone who lost a fight with others for good territory and ended up getting beaten up instead.

The Sun family members were used to this scene.

Just when things were at their lowest point, Sun Wuya announced some good news. She told the whole Sun family exactly what Zhuge Yunshu had told her.

After saying that, she added, "Grandma, Wuya thinks this young lady looks about the same age as Sister Siya, and she is very kind. Most importantly, she is a scholar. Wuya doesn't think she is a bad person who would deceive people."

What she was really thinking was: Why would a bad person be willing to give her so many steamed buns?

Children are innocent and clear-headed; in their eyes, food that is readily available is much more valuable than coins.

However, she was unaware of the impact her words would have on the rest of her family.

Except for Sun Liuya, everyone else stared wide-eyed in shock. This joy was unprecedented. This young lady wasn't just pitying them and giving them a few copper coins or steamed buns; she was giving them a job to make a living. Finally, Granny Sun was the first to recover. She stared at Wuya earnestly and said:

"Does that young lady have any elders with her? Do they know that we are considered lowly people?"

In Jingling Prefecture, not all children who are dressed in rags and are thin and pale are considered lowly. For example, in a small area in the south of the city, some poor people who are struggling to make ends meet will also go out to beg on the streets. And because of their status, these people often occupy the best locations in Jingling Prefecture.

"The young lady said that no matter where they live, as long as they are clever and willing to work hard, she will take them."

Sun Wuya's words were a great boost to the Sun family.

Upon seeing this, Sun Ergou immediately ran out of the house.

Less than half an hour later, he came running in with two panting Sun Si Gou and Sun Wu Gou.

Grandma Sun looked around and, after organizing her thoughts, began to speak:

"Among you, only Si Gou, Wu Gou, Si Ya, and Wu Ya best meet that lady's requirements. Da Gou, Er Gou, and Er Ya are relatively older, and we don't know if that lady will accept them... Since she takes pity on us and wants to give us a chance to earn a living, we must seize the opportunity and do it flawlessly... That is the best way to repay that lady."

At this point, Granny Sun thought about it carefully again, and then said to Big Dog Sun:

"Go to your Aunt Li, Aunt Zhang, and Aunt Liu's houses and tell them I have some things to discuss with them."

Aunt Li's family was the one that had given Granny Sun a bowl of thin porridge before. Aunt Zhang and Aunt Liu were the families with the most able-bodied men in this narrow alley. For this reason, no one in this lowly neighborhood dared to mess with these two families.

With that in mind, Grandma Sun was willing to do this favor.

Before long, Sun Dagou led the three aunts into their yard.

Grandma Sun didn't say any polite words, but went straight to the point. She told the three families in detail about the good things that happened to Wuya that day.

Upon hearing this, the three were overjoyed that Granny Sun was willing to share such a good job with each of their three families, all of whom had three spots.

You know, the men at the docks only earn eight copper coins a day carrying heavy loads. But the boss Sun Wuya met was asking for twenty copper coins a day.

Although the higher the pay, the higher the demands, they believed that their children had endured all kinds of hardship, so they were certain that they could complete the work well for this generous employer.

......

Zhuge Yunshu was still inspecting the old clothes that Zhang Hao had found, which were suitable for children around sixty to ten years old, when she was told that a group of young children were looking for her outside the gate.

Zhuge Yunshu was very pleased to see this.

She hadn't expected the little girl to be so efficient.

When the maid Zhang Shulan brought led the people to the inner room of the Ancient Rhyme Fragrance Shop, Zhuge Yunshu saw that the fifteen people were very neatly dressed. Although their clothes still had some patches, they were clearly the best and cleanest clothes she could find.

Zhuge Yunshu first had the fifteen people give a simple ancient version of self-introduction. They were all eloquent, and many of them were even literate and knew arithmetic.

So, with a wave of his hand, he kept all fifteen people behind.

Upon seeing this, Zhuge Yun Chu and Wang Yi consciously walked over and sat down at the desk, then picked up the brushes on the table to begin taking notes.

After all this was done, they took the booklet with the names written on it and called out names from top to bottom. Then, according to the order of the names, each person lined up to receive their clothes for the next day.

According to Sun Wuya, these items do not need to be returned. Thinking of this, the smiles on the faces of these teenagers never faded.

Looking at these faces, though pale and thin, yet still full of vitality, Zhuge Yunshu felt a deep sense of emotion for some reason. However, she quickly composed herself and began to give the young boys their final training before they started their jobs.