The daily life of a peasant girl taking the imperial examination

For the ancients, studying was like a carp leaping over the dragon gate, and those with a high aptitude for studying had a higher chance of achieving this.

How could the Liu family not be excited? If possible, their in-laws might produce a student who becomes a scholar or a licentiate in the future, which would be a source of pride for them.

When the Liu family members took their leave, Old Chen gave the exquisite handkerchief given to her by her third daughter-in-law, Lin, as a gift to her future fourth daughter-in-law.

Zhuge Yunshu also gave his calligraphy to his future aunt, and it received unanimous praise.

The Zhuge family treated the Liu family members with great hospitality, seeing them off warmly.

After her aunts and cousins ​​finished packing, Zhuge Yunshu called the whole family together to see what was in the four gifts she had received.

"This purse is so exquisite, Third Sister-in-law, take a look. It feels just as good as your handiwork," the eldest aunt exclaimed in surprise.

After examining it carefully, Madam Lin said, "Indeed, the embroidery is exquisite, and the material is of the finest quality. It's worth at least one string of cash." (Note: One tael of silver equals two strings of cash, and one string of cash equals 500 coins.)

To be honest, in ancient rural areas, if a family had someone who could earn money by embroidering, the matchmakers would wear out their doorframes.

Look at her two aunts, they can only talk badly about her mother, Lin, behind her back, since their daughters are still counting on Lin to teach them embroidery.

"Let me make this clear first, all of these were earned by Da Hua through her own abilities. No matter what they are, you, as her aunts, cannot covet them," Old Chen warned her eldest and second daughters-in-law, whose eyes were gleaming.

The eldest and second aunts smiled awkwardly, feeling rather embarrassed that their mother-in-law had called them out in public.

Ignoring the ulterior motives of everyone in the family, Zhuge Yunshu emptied the contents of his purse, revealing five golden melon seeds in their sight.

Her mother, Madam Lin, subconsciously picked one up and gently bit it in her mouth. Her eyes lit up: "It's real. My stepmother used to reward me with something similar."

Seeing everyone's excited expressions, Zhuge Yunshu was also quite surprised. She quickly opened the remaining three pouches in one go.

Although not as amazing as the first pouch full of gold melon seeds, the exquisite silver peanuts were still quite pleasing to the eye.

None of the Zhuge family members had ever seen such things before, and they all marveled at the Liu family's generosity.

They knew the Liu family was wealthy, but they didn't expect them to be this wealthy, with such a generous gift for their first meeting.

"Our eldest daughter is so promising; she's already earning money for the family while still in school," said the eldest aunt.

Looking at the expressions on everyone's faces, Old Master Zhuge knew that money could tempt people, but he still reminded them, "Dahua is a promising person, and her future education will cost a lot of money. Third son's family, quickly put all of this away."

Old Mrs. Chen was very tempted by all of this, but what could she do? Da Hua was now her favorite granddaughter.

Although the Zhuge family members were also very reluctant, especially Su and Zhang, they thought about what had happened today and realized that it was Da Hua who ultimately saved their family's reputation, so they were able to let it go.

Zhuge Yunshu stopped her mother from collecting the items, quickly dividing the gold melon seeds and silver peanuts into two portions. She counted them: 10 gold melon seeds and 12 silver peanuts in total. Then she looked at the Zhuge family members:

"Dahua is able to go to school thanks to the support of her grandparents, uncles and aunts, cousins ​​and cousins. As a member of the family, I can't let Dahua keep all this money to herself, so I've decided to share it with everyone."

Zhuge Yunshu took nine golden melon seeds and distributed them to the women in his family. His eldest aunt, second aunt, and four cousins ​​looked at the golden melon seeds in their hands and felt as if they were hallucinating. They were all stunned and did not react for a moment.

He then distributed the silver peanuts to the men in the family. Looking at his bewildered family members, Zhuge Yunshu found it somewhat amusing and teased, "Grandpa, eldest uncle, second uncle, father, cousins, you're not angry because of my preferential treatment, are you?"

Only after hearing Zhuge Yunshu's words did the family members realize what was happening.

Her father, Zhuge Laifu, winked at his daughter, then protested with a stern face, "Why are we only given silver peanuts and not gold melon seeds? Do they do as much work as we men do?"

Zhuge Yunshu looked at her dramatic father and knew he was helping her, so she patiently explained, "Who told me to be biased? In my opinion, compared to Grandpa and Uncle, the hardest working people in the family are Grandma and Auntie. Not only do they have to give birth and raise children, but they also have to work in the fields with everyone else. After they come back, they don't even have time to rest before they have to cook for the whole family. They also have to wash everyone's clothes when they have a spare moment. There's always work to do all year round, so they deserve to be treated like this by Da Hua."

"And my older cousins ​​always secretly help me wash my clothes and clean my room. I've seen it all." Zhuge Yunshu had actually discovered this a long time ago, so she vowed that when she earned money in the future, she would definitely help her sisters save up for their dowries and become their support.

The women in the family all had tears in their eyes as they listened to Zhuge Yunshu's words. They had never expected that Da Hua, who usually did nothing, was so thoughtful and the only one in the family to speak up for them.

How adorable! Such a tiny little thing, yet speaking in such an old-fashioned way.

If Zhuge Yunshu could hear their true feelings, he would probably be depressed for half a day!

"Dahua, you'll have a lot of expenses in the future. Are you sure you won't regret doing this?" Grandpa Zhuge looked at his granddaughter. It would be a lie to say he wasn't moved by such a thoughtful gesture, but he was also worried that Dahua was too young to understand.

"Grandpa, I don't regret it. In my eyes, family is the most important thing, and money can't compare to it. Besides, don't I still have three silver peanuts left?" Zhuge Yunshu said truthfully.

Of course, this is only on the premise that they are worth it. Although everyone has their own little thoughts, how can there be no bumps and bruises when a large family is together?

In her past life, what she longed for most was family affection. Now that God has given her this opportunity, she will definitely cherish it.

"You all must remember how good Dahua is." Old Mrs. Chen said, her affection for her granddaughter growing stronger with each passing day.

"Dahua, just tell your aunt what you want to eat next time."

"Big Flower Cousin, from now on, your room cleaning duties will be handled by your older cousins."

"By the way, cousin Da Hua, from now on, you can give all your spare clothes to your older cousin. You can focus on your studies."

"Uh! We don't know what we can do either. From now on, the cousins ​​will be at Big Flower's beck and call."

Zhuge Yunshu: "..."

Faced with the warmth of his family, Zhuge Yunshu felt both embarrassed and touched.

Seriously, is this really a good idea? Aren't we turning her into a weak and helpless scholar?

"Dad, Da Hua has such a high talent for studying, she might go even further in the future, so our family should make plans early," Zhuge Laigui reminded him.

"Does going to school cost money? Doesn't Da Hua bring money home?" Grandma Chen was very puzzled.

Since Da Hua joined the clan school, she has not only not cost the family a penny, but has also brought a lot of income to the family.

This is not the fault of the Zhuge family. They have lived in the village for many years and the farthest place they have ever been is the town. It is normal that they did not know about schooling.