The sickly son died young? After the marriage exchange, I will bring prosperity to his entire clan f

The woman didn't look down on Du Mingxian. Everyone has a few poor relatives. If they had any money, they wouldn't be working here.

"This kind of good job isn't something everyone can get. Is your sister married?"

"Married."

"Is her husband a scholar?"

Du Mingxian shook her head, "No, we're just ordinary farmers who make a living off a few acres of meager land."

“Oh dear, that won’t do.” The woman lowered her voice again after saying that. “Most of the people here are family members of scholars. If you don’t have a scholar in your family, it will be difficult for you to get in.”

"Huh? Is that how it is? I didn't know there was such a rule." Du Mingxian was now certain that there was a problem with the courtyard and the work.

The woman nodded emphatically. “There are many things you don’t know. Let me tell you, I arrived the earliest. If I hadn’t managed to win over everyone I could, I wouldn’t be sitting here. I would be willing to go outside and bring in more people. The referral fee is also very high.”

Du Mingxian was extremely surprised, "Does everyone in this courtyard have a child taking exams next year?"

"Yes, but there are also those who are different. Their families are extremely poor, but people are still willing to hire them. Anyway, we're all just doing work, so they're giving us a little bit of convenience."

"Yes, the landlords are really kind. If it weren't for their willingness to give us these jobs, I don't know how long we would have had to hold on until after the exams next year. We've been so frugal with all the money we have, it's almost gone."

The woman readily agreed, "So we must work hard and earn more money."

Du Mingxian chatted with the woman while working. She didn't do much work, but she heard a lot of gossip. Sure enough, she had good observation skills. This woman was a know-it-all. She hadn't been here long, but she had already learned a lot of gossip.

Du Mingxian's servants worked for an hour, and then Aunt Xu arrived, accompanied by another newcomer. Her clothes were patched, and it was clear that she was struggling financially.

Aunt Xu found a secluded spot and led the other person to sit down. Then, just as she had led Du Mingxian yesterday, she led the newcomer around.

The older woman next to Du Mingxian was extremely envious. "I don't know where that old lady found this person. Look at her, she doesn't do anything all day, and she can earn a lot of money just by introducing one person."

“Aunt Xu is kind-hearted. Perhaps she saw that the other person was struggling financially, so she introduced him to us.”

The woman looked at Du Mingxian in surprise and suddenly said, "Oh my, you changed your clothes today. I almost didn't recognize you. You were brought here by that old lady yesterday, weren't you?"

"Yes."

"No wonder. But I'll tell you something in secret, but don't tell anyone. I'm only telling you because I know you're a very honest person."

"it is good."

The woman looked around and muttered to herself, "If someone deliberately pretends to be a family member of a test taker to come in, they'll be taken away."

Du Mingxian had also thought about this question: "Will the owner here send someone to investigate? How would they know who the examinee's family member is?"

"I don't know about that, but you know, they can find out. Anyway, it's best not to favor anyone."

Du Mingxian nodded slightly. Anyway, she wasn't going to introduce anyone in, but she still needed to understand what was going on here.

"Are the two courtyards in front the same as ours? I see there are quite a few people there, and some are even going to the back courtyard, do you know that, sister?"

Hearing this question, the woman's eyes lit up, as if she knew everything. "Let me tell you, the people who go to the backyard are the most capable. They can earn an ounce of silver every two days doing sewing work, but the styles are different from ours."

"We..." Du Mingxian glanced around and saw that everyone's materials were different, but they all had one thing in common: they were all men's clothing, and none of them were women's clothing.

Moreover, there are no sizes; everything is sewn by themselves. However, the fabrics are all pre-cut, so all they need to do is sew.

“These are just ordinary clothes. The clothes underneath are much nicer. It’s a pity, though. One of my sisters went in. She’s so busy every day that you never see her. You don’t know, we’ve been working here for over a month. My sister is now wearing fine cotton clothes. Look at me.”

The woman's eyes were filled with envy, and her tone was full of regret.

"The eldest sister has been here longer, so why wasn't she chosen to go to the backyard? And there are still requirements?"

"Yes, yes, you have to be quick, skilled, and..." The woman pointed to her mouth with her finger, "Keep your mouth shut. Someone like me who feels uncomfortable if I don't talk, I can't go to the backyard."

"I tried to stay silent for a few days to see if I could be chosen to go to the backyard, but it didn't work. After a day of keeping quiet, I felt like I was about to die."

"Later, my husband said that since I couldn't stand it, I shouldn't go. Anyway, what we've earned now is enough for us to spend, so that's fine. If my husband passes the imperial examination next year, our good days will come. If he doesn't pass, then he can go back and run a private school, and then I won't have to work so hard."

Du Mingxian could tell that the woman's husband felt sorry for her. "Sister's husband treats her very well."

"Of course, what a woman wants most in her life is someone who cares for her and understands her needs. But judging from your appearance, you must be living a very comfortable life."

Du Mingxian nodded with a light laugh, somewhat curious about how she had figured it out.

The other person was talkative and couldn't hold back. Seeing Du Mingxian's expression, he guessed what was going on. "Curious about how I know? I'll tell you, I can read faces."

"Face reading?"

"Yes, I can tell whether they are doing well or not."

Du Mingxian looked on in disbelief. Seeing her disbelief, the woman hurriedly said, "The old lady who brought you here yesterday, she's doing alright, but she's a worrier. Although she looks happy, the weariness between her brows is undeniable."

"The one that the old lady introduced today looks like she has a hard life. Her family must be very poor to have been selected. Look at her, her clothes, and her thin body. Tsk tsk, her family must have abused her."

Du Mingxian followed the woman's words and looked over. She didn't quite see through Aunt Xu, but she could guess that Aunt Xu had brought her son to take the exam. Aunt Xu's son seemed to care about nothing, and he often didn't study and went out frequently.

That must be why Aunt Xu is worried.

The one next to Aunt Xu... looks like she's been abused, and her life seems very miserable.

The sound continued.

"Look at that one by the door. She was brought by the same old lady who brought you here yesterday morning. She moves very quickly and doesn't say a word. She'll be selected to go to the inner courtyard soon, where the pay is much higher."

"She appears ordinary, her life is neither good nor bad, at least she doesn't have any particularly upsetting things going on, which is already better than many people."