I'm already a concubine, who wants to fight with you?

Chapter 156 Old acquaintance?
Some of the medicinal herbs are cold-resistant, so Xie Fei went to plow the land early.

This field hasn't been plowed for several months, and it didn't move at all when I dug it with a hoe.

Fortunately, Yuan San also came to help. He was only wearing a short shirt with his sleeves rolled up to his arms, revealing his fierce but not rough muscle lines, which looked very powerful.

He was much more useful than an old ox. He dug wherever Xie Fei pointed. After a whole morning, he finally turned over the medicinal field.

Xie Fei also needs to apply fertilizer to nourish the soil and then come back to sow seeds in two days.

Except for the elderly and weak who are taking care of the children, all the middle-aged men and women in the village are not here.

The men went to work at the docks, and the women looked after the shops.

This year is off to a good start. Everyone is holding their breath and determined to do something big.

In the afternoon, just as Xie Fei and Yuan San returned to the yard, Mother Liu came.

"The soybeans sent by the people at the foot of the mountain are best ground into tofu. I thought you might like them, so I sent some to you."

Xie Fei wiped the sweat off his face with a handkerchief and grabbed a handful of soybeans.

The soybeans are not round and evenly shaped, and they are all different sizes, and they don't have any smell.

But it's pretty good that ordinary people can grow such beans.

"The people living down the mountain have something to ask for. Why are they suddenly sending us beans?" Xie Fei didn't think so. He thought that they were sending beans because they couldn't finish eating them.

Mother Liu said, "Nothing else. When the snow was the heaviest after the New Year, the thatched house collapsed under the snow, and the family of five had nowhere to go. My old man let them stay in the village for a few days."

After the snow stopped, the Chen family helped rebuild the thatched hut.

The family was so grateful that they sent the beans.

Xie Fei said: "I see. I didn't expect that Uncle Chen looks fierce, but he is actually kind."

Mother Liu smiled and said, "I am actually a kind-hearted old man, but it is really hard for me to put on a good face, as if everyone owes me a thousand or eight hundred.

He doesn't have any bad intentions, he's just not good at expressing himself. If he has offended me in any way, please be magnanimous and don't take it personally."

Xie Fei said, "What are you talking about, Madam Liu? I'm staying at the farm, please take care of me."

Both parties were very polite, and it would have seemed hypocritical to continue talking about it, so Mother Liu didn't ask any more questions about it.

She had another trip to the city, and Xie Fei also wanted to go and check out the medicinal seeds, so he went with her.

Yuan San came out of the house and heard it. He also insisted on going, acting like a spoiled child and refusing to listen to advice.

Xie Fei said unhappily: "The city is so strict, why are you going with them?"

"I'm worried," Yuan San said seriously, "There are many scholars from all over the country coming to the capital. No matter how strict the inspection is, it is inevitable that some evil spirits will sneak in among them."

"You are the most dangerous one." Xie Fei said, "If you are found out, won't I be doomed?"

Mother Liu also said: "Please... Don't worry, the old man and I will definitely fight to the death to protect Miss Xie."

It was useless for Yuan San to argue any further. Thinking about Chen De and Liu Mama, they knew they had some skills, so he had to give up.

At the gate of the village, Chen De harnessed a bullock cart and laid a cushion on the cart to prevent Xie Fei from feeling uncomfortable due to the bumpy ride.

Yuan San leaned against the wooden pillar and looked at Xie Fei resentfully.

Xie Fei said with a smile: "Don't look at me like that, I'm not going out to eat, drink and have fun without you. We will be back after we finish our business."

Yuan San reminded again, "Come back before dark, don't be too late."

"Don't worry." Xie Fei got in the car and left with Liu's mother and Chen De.

There were indeed several times more people in the town than usual, and judging from their accents, most of them were from other places, and they were all young faces.

Xie Fei said: "This year's candidates are quite young."

Mother Liu didn't understand this and asked, "Did those who took part in the Spring Examination in the past have to be very old?" Xie Fei smiled and said, "That's right. They went from the Tongshi to the Xiangshi, and then to the Huishi and Dianshi. They studied hard for many years, and those who were not talented had to take the exams from childhood to old age."

There are county examinations, prefectural examinations and academy examinations for the children, and only those who pass them can become scholars.

The Xiucai then took the provincial examination held every three years, and those who passed were called Juren. The Juren then took the metropolitan examination, also known as the spring examination, and those who passed were called Gongshi.

Although there are only a few hundred scholars who can come to the capital every year, they all come from far away places, crossing mountains and rivers.

Families with some money would not only have a coachman, a book boy, and a servant, but they would even bring a teacher along, just like they were going on a tour.

Xie Fei had seen a candidate for the imperial examination bring dozens of followers into the city and book an inn.

In addition, there were some wanderers who came to join in the fun of the Spring Examination, so the capital was always bustling every time the examination came.

When we arrived at the city gate, there was a long line outside.

Xie Fei was waiting when he suddenly heard someone shouting from the carriage next to him, "Fei'er?"

The voice sounded familiar. Xie Fei turned around and saw that it was indeed Xie Jing.

When sisters meet, it is natural for them to talk.

Xie Fei got on Xie Jing's carriage and said, "Didn't you leave Beijing?"

Xie Jing pursed his lips tightly, his face slightly anxious: "Sister Yang wrote to me and said that my mother is ill."

As soon as she received the letter, she rushed back to the capital overnight, but her carriage was blocked at the city gate and did not move for most of the hour.

Xie Fei frowned and said meaningfully: "A letter written by Xie Yang?"

"You also think it may not be true, right?" Xie Jing also had some doubts, but Zhuang Wenxiu was her biological mother after all.

No one can remain indifferent when hearing that their mother is sick.

Xie Fei thought carefully about whether there was anything happening in the capital recently that required him to trick Xie Jing back.

But since the Chinese New Year, she has basically stayed at the farm and rarely asked about things in the outside world.

"Since you are worried, there is no harm in going back to see her. After all, Yang'er is your biological sister and she will not harm you."

Xie Jing had returned to his usual cold expression and said, "It's hard to say."

After finally entering the city, the two sisters parted ways, Xie Jing returned home, and Xie Fei went to the herbal medicine shop first.

She bought a lot of herbs, some of which could be sown, but most herbs took a long time to grow, and it might take a year or two to produce a harvest.

Mother Liu had to go do other things, so Chen De followed behind Xie Fei to protect him.

While waiting for the waiter to prepare the medicine, Xie Fei asked casually, "Is my servant an old acquaintance of the Chen family?"

Chen De's eyes froze slightly, and the scar on his face trembled. After a moment of surprise, he regained his composure.

"Why do you ask that, little girl?"

Xie Fei smiled and said, "Just look at Mama Liu and Chen Zhuangtou, they are both very kind to my servant."

One evening, she was sitting in the house reading a medical book when Chen Dafa came to deliver some fish.

Because Yuan San was cutting wood in the yard, when Chen Dafa came in, he was very respectful and bowed to Yuan San with his fists clasped slightly.

Xie Fei immediately raised his eyebrows, thinking that this matter was not simple.

But she didn't ask Yuan San. After all, if Yuan San didn't want to say, he would always have a thousand reasons to fool her.

Xie Fei was just waiting for Yuan San to speak for himself one day, and he was very curious.

(End of this chapter)