The daily life of a peasant girl taking the imperial examination

Zhuge Laigui looked at his niece, who had earned six taels of silver in a short time, and began to doubt his life.

But he quickly composed himself. What was there to be surprised about? His niece couldn't be viewed through the eyes of a normal person.

Not long after Zhuge Yunshu and Zhuge Laigui left the bookstore, they encountered Master Li and his two companions.

The three of them were carrying large and small bags, clearly indicating that they had bought a lot of good things.

"Oh dear, my uncle and I just came from the bookstore and didn't buy anything. Master, fellow students, you go wait for me by the donkey cart, I'll be right back."

After saying that, he grabbed Zhuge Laigui and ran away in a flash.

"Dahua, slow down, be careful not to bump into someone."

Looking at his flustered niece, Zhuge Laigui continued, "It's getting late, and there's nothing new to see on the street. Dahua, tell your uncle what you want to buy first. I know the town well, so it'll save you time."

Zhuge Yunshu originally planned to buy some meat to take home so that it would be ready for dinner, but all he saw were shops selling jewelry.

"Uncle, it's getting late. I'll buy some pastries and sweets to take home for my grandparents, cousins, and other relatives," Zhuge Yunshu said with a helpless expression.

"Okay, let's go to Yunji Pastry Shop first. Their food is affordable and delicious."

Zhuge Yunshu followed Zhuge Laigui to Yunji Pastry Shop and packed up all the remaining pastries.

There's not much to choose from. In this era, snacks are a luxury for ordinary people. No matter what they look like, they are rare items.

In addition, the Zhuge family has many members, so since they've already bought it, they have to make sure everyone gets a share.

After buying the pastries, Zhuge Yunshu also bought some dressing boxes, combs, hairpins, earrings, and some colorful hair ties from the jewelry shelves on the street, intending to give them to her grandmother, mother, aunt, and four cousins.

"Uncle, what do you think is a good gift for Grandpa?" Zhuge Yunshu thought and thought, but still couldn't come up with an idea.

"Why don't you buy some bar liquor? Your grandpa and the others love to drink it," Zhuge Laigui suggested.

So they went to the tavern and bought a few more jugs of wine, with Zhuge Yunshu buying extra portions.

On the way, they encountered vendors selling maltose and candied hawthorns, and Zhuge Yunshu bought them all because of their discounted prices.

"It's so great to have money; I can buy whatever I want," Zhuge Yunshu thought to himself.

And so, the shopping trip ended, and the two of them, carrying large and small bags, struggled to meet up with Master Li and the others.

Amidst everyone's surprised expressions, Zhuge Yunshu calmly explained, "My uncle is familiar with the town, and we had a clear goal in mind when we bought the items, so we were able to buy so many things in such a short time."

After everything was arranged, the once spacious donkey cart was now piled with miscellaneous items.

Fortunately, there were some gaps, which was enough for the four of them to sit.

Before leaving, Zhuge Yunshu gave Zhuge Laigui a portion of each type of wine and pastry, and instructed him, "Uncle, these are for Grandpa Liu, to thank them for their hospitality today." As he spoke, he took out a jewelry box, "These are for my aunt, and I also prepared some for my other aunts."

After saying this, Zhuge Laigui, deeply moved, set off for the village.

The donkey, perhaps because it was well-fed and watered, did not cause any trouble along the way.

The four of them, master and disciples, sat in the crowded donkey cart, chatting and laughing, enjoying themselves immensely.

Somehow, the conversation turned to Zhuge Yunshu's visit to the bookstore today.

"Junior Sister Yun Shu, what books did you buy at the bookstore today? Why did it take so long?" Zi Qing asked curiously.

"I'm not buying books. I'm taking the seven early childhood education books I copied earlier to a bookstore to sell," Zhuge Yunshu replied.

"So, how did it go? Did the bookstore accept it? What was the price?" Senior Brother Ziyun asked excitedly.

“We’ve received them. The ‘Hundred Family Surnames’ and ‘Thousand Character Classic’ are worth half a string of cash each because they have fewer characters. The other five books are worth one string of cash each,” Zhuge Yunshu explained.

"My God, copying books can make so much money!" Senior Brother Ziyun was very surprised.

Senior Brother Ziqing excitedly chimed in, "So, you earned six taels from seven early childhood education books, which is equivalent to a year's income for an average farming family. I want to give it a try too."

"I also want to copy books. Junior Sister Yun Shu, could you introduce us to someone?" Master Zi Yun rubbed her hands together, her face flushed.

Zhuge Yunshu pondered for a moment before speaking: "The introduction is no problem, but the bookstore has different grades for the writing materials used for copying books: A, B, and C. The higher the grade, the higher the price. Manager Shen from the bookstore gave me a B grade."

She didn't want her fellow students to mistakenly believe that all the writing implements and ink used for copying books could fetch the same high price as hers.

Master Li sat to the side, watching his three disciples' keen interest in copying books. He frowned and thought for a moment before saying, "Copying books is fine, but you must arrange your reading time properly and not put the cart before the horse."

He also knew that many scholars from poor families relieved their family's financial burden by copying books, but as a result, many were blinded by money and became addicted to copying books, which ultimately affected their careers in the imperial examinations.

“What you say is true. I copy books to earn money, but my ultimate goal is to familiarize myself with the content I have learned. Although it is hard work, it does help me,” Zhuge Yunshu quickly explained.

Hearing this answer, Master Li nodded in satisfaction. He wasn't stopping his disciples from copying the books, but he was afraid that they would lose more than they gained and eventually regret it.

Zhuge Yunshu and his three companions finally arrived at the village before nightfall.

Master Li drove the donkey cart and escorted his three disciples to their doorsteps one by one.

When they parted, Zhuge Yunshu received pastries from his two senior brothers and an inkstone from Master Li.

When Zhuge Yunshu prepared to give the wine he had bought to Master Li, he was sternly refused.

The reason left her both amused and exasperated: her master's wife wouldn't allow her to drink it.

Hearing the commotion at the courtyard gate, Old Chen quickly came out of her house.

Just then, Zhuge Yunshu saw him outside the courtyard gate and quickly called out, "Dahua is back! Eldest son's wife, second son's wife, hurry up and heat up the food."

Hearing the commotion, the members of the Zhuge family also came out of the house.

"Dahua, come in quickly. You must be exhausted after sitting in the donkey cart for so long!" her mother, Lin, said with concern.

"Oh dear, why are there so many things on the ground? Dazhu, Erzhu, Shuanzi, Gou Dan, quickly help your cousin carry them inside."

Seeing the pile of things at his daughter's feet, Zhuge Laifu quickly instructed his nephews to get to work.

They're all just teenagers; if they don't want to do it, are you suggesting their parents do it?

Zhuge Yunshu was warmly welcomed into the house by his family.

Just then, the two aunts finished heating up the food and brought it out.

She was indeed hungry at that time.

Looking at the untouched plate of stir-fried vegetables and eggs, Zhuge Yunshu guessed that it must have been made especially for her. Otherwise, since it wasn't a holiday or the busy farming season, her family would definitely be reluctant to eat it.

She picked up a piece of egg, put it in her mouth, and for some reason, it tasted even better than the meat and vegetables she had for lunch.

Perhaps this is the taste of home, something you can never forget.