my grandmother

Chapter 15 The door to the new world

After walking for half a street, Li Xiaonan pulled Li Jinzhu and asked, "Elder Sister, my brother has passed the examination as a scholar and is going to attend classes at the county school. Will my brother go alone?"

"What do you think?" Li Jinzhu looked sideways at Li Xiaonan.

"Big brother can't do it alone. My brother and I can't do it together. My brother has to go to school. Eldest sister, why don't we move to the county town?" Li Xiaonan laughed.

"Nongzi Xiaojutou, since I was a child, I have been focused on running to the county." Li Jinzhu patted Li Xiaonan on the back.

"But, you have to think about it. We have all gone to the county seat, so what about our paddy field? It takes a day to go back and forth from Lizhuang to the county seat. Also, we all moved there. Where do we live? What do we eat? What about your brother? Can a little lin rice support our big family?"

"If you rent out the land, let's rent it to Uncle Santang. I think Uncle Santang is very good. We collect rent every year; my brother is now a scholar, and the clan will definitely give you copper coins for renting the house; also, when we arrive The county town is not idle, we can weave and sell it, and do some small business, I think earning copper coins in the county town is definitely much easier than farming.”

Li Xiaonan was serious and answered Li Jinzhu's questions one by one.

"Business is not easy to do. We have never done business. Weaving~~ If there are three looms, your second sister and third sister and I can weave two bolts of cloth in one day without having to work in the fields. In addition to your brother's rice and rent, if the clan is willing to give out the copper coins for renting the house, it will not be impossible. When we get home, we can discuss it with your second sister and third sister."

Li Jinzhu calculated carefully and nodded with a smile.

She also wanted to move out of Xiaolizhuang, there was no place for people to miss that village.

"Okay!" Li Xiaonan raised her voice at the end.

Li Xiaonan and Li Jinzhu walked back to the foot shop until it was almost dark.Li Wenhua was actually a cup of tea later than the two of them.

"Are you in a hurry? There are so many old clothes shops in Hangzhou. I took a look around in these streets first, and then I heard people say that old clothes in Nancheng are cheap, so I went to Nancheng, and they were really much cheaper. !

"Look, this long gown is made of authentic Yangsi cloth, which has only been washed once. Look at how fine the cloth is. Look at the stitching. It's only [-] bucks!"

Li Wenhua took out a mulberry paper bag from his bosom, carefully unwrapped it, and showed a corner for Li Jinzhu to see.

"Uncle Santang has been running all day just to buy this gown?" Li Xiaonan stretched her head to look at the exposed corner of indigo.

Li Wenhua gave Li Xiaonan a supercilious look and ignored her.

This little girl doesn't do anything, either eat or sleep, he hates such lazy people the most!
"Is this for Xuedong?" Li Jinzhu touched it carefully.

"Scholar! Don't call me by name anymore.

"Tomorrow's celery feast, there are rules for what to wear. Oh, it's this kind of blue, and it has to be rolled with green and white edges. See, it's like this!

"Our Dalang is a scholar. From now on, we have to wear long gowns every day. I have such fine cloth at home. When we get home, we will take out one and you will make another one for Dalang. You can wear two of them interchangeably. That's enough, what about Dalang?"

Li Wenhua turned his head and looked around, his eyes fell on the bowl of steamed eggs with shrimps in front of Li Xiaonan, and his brows were furrowed in distress.

"I went to thank God with the second young master of the Hong family. I left early in the morning and said that there will be banquets at noon and evening." Li Jinzhu replied.

Li Xiaonan held her chin, smiled and looked at her third uncle who was very distressed by the steamed eggs with shrimps.

"Then let's eat something casually, this bowl of steamed eggs, how can a little girl like her eat this, and there are shrimps." Li Wenhua couldn't help it, it was all his copper coins!
"It was confessed by Xuedong." Li Jinzhu immediately pushed on Li Xuedong.

As long as Xuedong said it, she, the uncle of the third hall, would not say a word, otherwise, the uncle of the third hall would feel distressed endlessly.

Sure enough, Li Wenhua swallowed the following words forcefully.

Alas, this little girl's delicious food and lazy cooking are all her brother and sister's habit, especially her brother!
If Xuedong didn't come back to eat, Li Wenhua just ordered a large plate of stir-fried vegetables with oil residue, and a bowl of rice for each person.

After dinner, Li Wenhua was going to rest as soon as it got dark, so he went to bed first. Li Jinzhu was worried, so he cut the fine cloth that he bought during the day, and took advantage of the double-headed lamp on the counter of the foot shop to do needlework, etc. Li Xuedong is back.

Before and after Xuzheng, a large car stopped at the door of the foot shop, and the boy sitting in front of the car jumped out of the car to put the footstool on, and Li Xuedong stuck his head out of the car.

Li Jinzhu rushed out to greet him, and so did the foot shop clerk on duty.

The leader behind the car carried a big bag and handed it to the waiter, "Excuse me, send it to Mr. Li's house."

"Sister, I won't get out of the car. Goodbye." Hong Zhenye lay on the car window, his red face was full of smiles, he smelled of alcohol, and waved his hand back and forth to greet Li Jinzhu.

"Thank you." Li Jinzhu stepped forward to support Li Xuedong, and thanked him.

"I didn't drink, so I just took a sip, it's okay." Li Xuedong broke away from the elder sister.

"Are you all right?" Li Jinzhu went up to smell it, and sure enough, the smell of alcohol was on her body, but not in her mouth.

"My little one asked the kitchen to boil two barrels of hot water quickly. Mr. Li's body smells like wine, so he needs to wash it off well. Otherwise, tomorrow's celery picking feast will smell like wine, which is not good." Delivered to the door of the room, attentive suggestion.

Li Jinzhu thanked the buddy, took the burden and went into the room.

Li Xiaonan was reclined on the bed reading a new history of former courts that she bought today, hurriedly put down the book, leaned over, looked at Li Xuedong carefully, and asked with concern: "How is it?"

Li Xuedong waved his hands at Li Xiaonan, took the bundle from Li Jinzhu's hand, first touched it quickly, untied it hastily, picked up the two lacquered red seals on the top, and held them to Li Jinzhu.

"Sister, this one is from the Kunshan Chamber of Commerce, and this one is from the Pingjiang Association. They are all silver bills. This is ten taels, and here is also ten taels!" Li Xuedong held his breath and suppressed his voice, excited again. It's scary again.

"Ah?" Li Jinzhu's eyes widened, "Why do you take other people's copper tin?"

"I didn't want it, I said no, it was Brother Hong, it was Master Hong Er, who asked me to take it, saying that it should be taken, and saying that everyone else took it, so I can't take it." Li Xuedong explained hastily.

"The congratulatory gift from them?" Li Xiaonan stretched her head to look at the two red envelopes and asked.

"That's right, that's what they said." Li Xuedong nodded quickly.

"How can there be congratulations for silver? How can there be twelve taels of congratulations?" Li Jinzhu didn't believe it at all.

"Elder sister, they are all rich people, they can eat several taels of silver for a meal, right brother?" Li Xiaonan reached out to flip through the clothes in the bag.

"Yes, yes! They are all wearing silk! At noon, Pingjiang Club will invite all the students from Pingjiang Mansion, and at night, Kunshan Chamber of Commerce will only invite Brother Hong and me. Sigh!"

Li Xuedong's alas came out violently, full of excitement, he raised his hands and waved them down together.

"I have never heard of it! I have never seen it! I have never eaten it!"

Li Xuedong bit each one hard.

"What is this? How can you take other people's things!" Li Jinzhu stared at the fan case that Li Xiaonan took out from the bag, and there was a folding fan in the fan case.

"Brother Hong! Brother Hong bought it for me. It means that I can't wear this outfit to the celery picking banquet tomorrow. It's the court's rule." Li Xuedong tugged on his home-woven jacket and explained hastily.

Li Xiaonan put the clothes in the bundle on the bed one by one:

Two lined fine silk gowns, both with indigo blue and white edges, two pairs of lined indigo fine silk trousers, two sets of white fine silk underwear, two pairs of indigo silk platform shoes, an embroidered belt, a White jade hairpin, an embroidered purse, an embroidered fan cover with fan, an exquisite silver sachet with incense balls, which smells good, and two pairs of fine cotton socks.

"Brother Hong gave it all. He said that we have a lot of entertainment these days, so we need two good clothes." Li Xuedong explained timidly, looking at the elder sister.

"It's all silk, how much copper is it? Silk is very expensive!" Li Jinzhu did not dare to reach out to touch it, but bent down to look at it, and motioned to Li Xiaonan, "Wrap it up quickly, we can't take other people's things."

"I said no! Brother Hong has to give it to me, I can't hold him back." Li Xuedong hurriedly explained.

He knew that the elder sister would definitely not let her take it, but he really couldn't compete with Hong Zhenye.

"My brother rubbed against Mr. Hong's family, took two boxes of books from Hong's family, and a box of pens, inks, papers and inkstones." Li Xiaonan folded the gown carefully.

Li Jinzhu was at a loss for words for a moment, then sighed, "When I mentioned this matter with your second elder sister, I was so worried. They helped Xuedong in this way, hoping that Xuedong would be an official butcher in the future, and he could help him. Looking at them, Ke Xuedong..."

Li Jinzhu was vague about the latter words.

"Later, how dare we think about it again, how can we return this favor?" Li Jinzhu paused, and his voice fell extremely low, "Your second sister and I always feel like liars."

"I think so too. The better brother Hong treats me, the more I feel..." Li Xuedong looked at the bundle of clothes with a sad face.

All day long, he was very guilty.

"Betting is risky, and I'm willing to bet and admit defeat. I think the Hong family must not think too much about it." Li Xiaonan rewrapped the clothes and hairpins.

"In the past, there was no way. In order to survive, we can no longer be like before." Li Jinzhu said solemnly.

Li Xuedong and Li Xiaonan nodded together.

　When nouns appear, explain them in time:

　　Before making up, we will be together at the end of each chapter in the future. There are some things that Xiaoxian can't think of. Everyone raises them in the comments, and Xiaoxian will explain them.

　　Students, commonly known as scholars, after passing the exam, they are actually qualified as a publicly funded student, so they are called students, similar to being admitted to a university now.

　　A student who is admitted to a scholar university is considered a graduate. In theory, a scholar university can only take three subjects, which is about ten years, but in fact, there are also scholars who have spent a lifetime in a scholar university.

　　Of course, Xiucai University is the same as going to university now. Freshmen are required to register and have school uniforms, but they don’t have to pay tuition fees, and the state will provide subsidies, usually one stone of a meter a month.

　　Xiucai University has to attend classes, do homework, and take exams. If you get to the top of the exam, you will be rewarded. If you fail the exam, you will be punished. If you fail the exam three times, you will be expelled.

　　This Xiucai university is divided into county schools and prefectural schools. The analogy is county-level universities and regional-level universities.

　　Whether the students enter the county school or enter the prefectural school, after passing the exam, they get a red case, that is, a big hit list, and at this time they will be divided, and then Xuezheng (provincial education department) will express the list of freshmen to each county school, government office The school, the county school received the list of new students and went through the admission procedures.

　　To stay in the county means to stay in the county where the school is located, and to transfer to the prefecture means to be assigned to the prefecture of the state to which it belongs.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)