The daily life of a peasant girl taking the imperial examination

“Grandpa, shouldn’t we build a new house? My cousins ​​are all grown up, especially my eldest cousin, who is already fifteen this year. The people who are about to be married to him are still crammed together with my second cousin. Isn’t that a bit inappropriate?” Zhuge Yunshu suggested.

These words struck like a thunderbolt, startling everyone present into wide-eyed stares.

Especially the eldest aunt and second aunt, they have always been worried about the lack of rooms in the house. You know, not only is the eldest cousin Zhuge Yunren of marriageable age, but the second cousin Zhuge Yunyi is only two years younger than him.

Although they didn't say these things aloud, they kept them bottled up in their hearts.

After observing the expressions of everyone in the family, Grandpa Zhuge took a puff of his pipe and said, "Dahua, you'd better think this through. The cost of your studies will be considerable in the future, so you should make plans early."

In his mind, everything in the family had to give way to Da Hua's education.

After all, in farming families, the emergence of a talented scholar is considered a stroke of good fortune, like a blessing from one's ancestors.

Zhuge Yunshu was aware of his grandfather's worries, as studying for the imperial examinations, especially in the later stages, was extremely expensive.

Many talented children from farming families give up halfway through the exams because they cannot afford the high costs.

“Grandpa, I’ve thought it through. Although the imperial examination is very expensive, that’s something to consider later. I believe I can earn enough to cover the costs of the examination, so please don’t worry.”

Moreover, many current policies show that the country is strongly supporting talented scholars. She believes that as long as she remains at the forefront of scholars, she will not have to worry about not being able to afford to study.

However, she didn't tell her family these things, for fear that something unexpected might happen and she would be embarrassed.

"Grandpa is afraid that because you are young, the decision you make is the result of a momentary impulse."

After saying that, she looked at the rest of the family and said, “You should all remember Da Hua’s kindness, especially Da Zhu, Er Zhu, Shuan Zi and Gou Dan. You are all beneficiaries of the new house. Don’t take it for granted. Your cousin Da Hua is a loyal and righteous person. Remember, never do anything to hold her back. I hope you will always remember one thing: our whole family shares the same fate, whether it is good or bad.”

Who says that ancient farmers only knew how to farm? Zhuge Yunshu thought her grandfather was a wise old man.

Everything they say and do is carefully considered.

Listening to what Grandpa Zhuge said, the whole family expressed that they would never do anything that would harm the family or hold Da Hua back.

"Alright, I hope you can all keep your word. Da Hua, leave these things to the family. Just focus on your studies," Zhuge Fengshou instructed.

"I got it, Grandpa."

"Oh, right, Grandpa, I have another idea. Shouldn't we buy a vehicle? That way, we won't have to keep borrowing from the village chief if anything happens," Zhuge Yunshu suggested.

"Donkeys and oxen can both be used as means of transportation, but how much would that cost?" Uncle Zhuge Lairong asked.

"I inquired in town yesterday. A strong adult donkey costs about four taels of silver, and with the cart, it'll be at least seven or eight taels. An adult ox costs between eight and twelve taels, and with the cart, it'll be about fifteen taels," Zhuge Yunshu told his family.

Actually, she initially wanted to buy a horse, but after inquiring in town, she found out how expensive they were and immediately gave up the idea.

"This is too expensive. Maybe we shouldn't buy it for now," Grandma Chen said with a pained expression.

Zhuge Yunshu thought for a moment and still wanted to try. "It's definitely expensive, but having a car will make everything much more convenient for our family, and it can also be an extra source of income. For example, during the off-season, Dad, Uncle, and Uncle can take turns taking villagers to town for two copper coins each. One car can carry ten people, so that's twenty copper coins a day. Also, we can buy crops from the villagers at low prices and sell them at higher prices in town. You know that prices in town are much higher than in the village. We can also buy daily necessities or jewelry that women like at low prices from town and sell them in various villages. That's also a considerable income. Think about it, isn't this income more than what we earn by working hard in the fields?"

Of course, Zhuge Yunshu also had some things he didn't say, such as that not so many people go to town every day, and that not all the goods can be sold every day, but what business is without risk?

Her goal was to use these as bait to entice everyone in the family, especially to get her grandfather, the patriarch, to agree to her idea.

Otherwise, these silver coins wouldn't have suddenly increased in value if they were kept at home.

Most importantly, buying a car allows family members to earn extra income during the off-season from farming.

The Zhuge family members were very interested in what Zhuge Yunshu said. They felt that Da Hua had become exceptionally smart since she started studying. Otherwise, why didn't she come up with such a way to make money when others took a bus to town?

Looking at the third son and his wife again, they began to suspect that Da Hua might have been adopted by these two unreliable people.

"How about we buy a donkey? It'll be cheaper," Uncle Zhuge Laihua broke the silence.

Zhuge Laifu objected immediately, "Why buy a donkey? If you're going to buy one, buy an ox. During the busy farming season, it can lighten the workload at home, and during the off-season, it won't interfere with making money. It's a great thing."

Zhuge Yunshu agreed with her father's statement, "I also agree to buy cattle. We have ten mu of paddy fields and five mu of dry land. Every year, everyone works from dawn till dusk without any free time. With cattle, we can make things much easier. Most importantly, cattle can plow the fields, which is much more efficient than the whole family working from dawn till dusk in the fields. We can also rent the cattle to other families in the village. Although it's not a lot of money, it's still an extra source of income."

As the whole family listened to Zhuge Yunshu's logical analysis, they all sighed at the vast difference between those who read books and those who didn't.

“Dahua is right, let’s buy a cow. It’ll be more expensive at first, but it won’t be hard to make up for it later. Tomorrow, eldest, second, and third son, go to town and buy a cow. Also, load the cart with it. It’ll be easy to unpack and haul goods. Remember to negotiate the price carefully, don’t get ripped off,” Grandpa Zhuge said decisively.

After saying all this, it was getting late, and the Zhuge family members were all sent to rest by Old Master Zhuge.

Only a few of my cousins ​​remained unmoved and I couldn't get rid of them no matter what I did.

For no other reason than that Grandma Chen didn't share any of the maltose or candied hawthorns with them.

"Here you go, one by one. It's so late, all you know is to eat. Can't you wait until tomorrow?" Grandma Chen said irritably, distributing some to each of you.

"Thank you, Grandma." As soon as they got the things, the cousins ​​quickly left the main house.

They're not stupid; Grandma might forget about it tomorrow.

There are traces of this kind of thing in their family.