flstandardbreds Chapter 114: A Bad Idea
Chapter 114: A Bad Idea
Half of the sun hid behind the mountains, its afterglow painting the evening glow red.
After a day's work, the villagers are all eating around this time.
In order to work more, villagers in the villages near Mishan usually only eat two meals a day, and they will eat some dry food or not eat at all for the last meal.
Of course, some families who were struggling financially would eat only two meals a day to save on food supplies.
At this moment, the Jiang family was sitting in the courtyard and starting to eat.
The village of Hewan is planted with wheat. The summer harvest has just ended, and there is still some finishing work to be done.
Jiang Shoutian was tanned even darker from working in the fields, and his lips were cracked and dry.
Jiang Laosan, standing to the side, was just like him. He looked like he was thirty, even though he was not yet twenty. He was drinking a ladle of cold water in large gulps. If you were to calculate carefully, Jiang Laosan was only eighteen years old this year. Years of hard work made him look much older.
Jiang Changtian is twenty, Jiang Lao Er is nineteen, and Jiang Shuixian is fifteen.
It's very common for women in the village to give birth to one child a year.
And then there are those who are not so particular, whose wives get pregnant before they've finished their postpartum period. If others hear about it, they'll just gossip a little.
Jiang Lao Er's wife, Wang, stretched out her dark, chubby hand and placed a radish mixed with vinegar and salt on the table.
Then he plopped down next to Jiang Lao Er.
The family's dinner consisted of a thin porridge, a cold radish salad, and stir-fried chives.
The batter was also the kind that was thin and watery with a few vegetable leaves floating on top.
Jiang Lao Er took a bite and then smashed the plate and bowl, cursing, "Is this even food? It's practically swill! Didn't we just harvest wheat? At least make some noodles!"
Wang looked very unhappy. She had been working in the fields for the past two days and was exhausted. She still had to cook when she got home, so she was full of complaints and couldn't hold back any longer.
“Don’t eat anymore. This is all the family can afford. We supported our eldest son’s education all those years ago, but now the family has separated, and we haven’t gotten any benefits. We even borrowed a lot of money to pay for your leg treatment. You’re a useless man. I must have had the worst luck in eight lifetimes to marry such a spineless coward.”
Jiang Lao Er was no longer of any use, and Wang Shi had long been dissatisfied. She went back to her parents' home and stayed there for a while, wanting to marry another man.
Her brother and sister-in-law, unable to bear the shame, kicked her out, and she slunk back to the Jiang family home.
Jiang Lao Er poured the gruel from the bowl directly onto Wang Shi's head, yelling, "You wretched woman, say that again if you dare!"
Wang screamed as she was burned, her obese body leaping up and nearly knocking over the table.
Fortunately, the food had been cooked for a while, otherwise Wang's face would have been burned.
"Jiang Lao Er, have you gone mad?!"
Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Lao Er slapped Wang Shi across the face again, yelling, "Say that again!"
Wang used to be bossy and domineering in front of men, but now that Jiang Lao Er has suddenly changed his personality and beats her at the slightest disagreement, she is afraid.
"Why are you so angry? I just said it casually."
Wang picked up a rag and wiped her face haphazardly, then looked at Xu and cried.
"Mother, you have to think of something! Our family can't go without an heir!"
Her own man is useless and has become a cripple. She's laughed at every time she goes out. She'd even be willing to borrow a sperm donor.
Xu's face was as black as the bottom of a pot, and she hadn't even said a word yet.
Jiang Shoutian, who was standing to the side, said, "The third son is not young anymore. It's time to start making arrangements. After the third son and his wife have their first child, we'll give you two a child to adopt."
Jiang Lao Er is truly unable to have children. Both of his daughters-in-law have married into the family, but they haven't given birth to a single grandson. The eldest son has even separated from the family.
Jiang Shoutian was extremely ashamed and couldn't hold his head up in front of the villagers.
Mrs. Xu said with a long face, "The family is already drowning in debt, where are we going to get the money to get a wife for our third son!"
Jiang Shuixian picked up a piece of radish and muttered, "That Lin woman has been married for three months and there's still no sign of pregnancy. I wonder if she's a barren hen."
"What nonsense are you spouting, you unmarried young lady? Eat!" Jiang Shoutian slammed his hand on the table, startling everyone.
Everyone fell silent.
Wang served Jiang Lao Er another bowl of porridge, just as someone came by the front door.
"Morita, are you eating?"
Jiang Shoutian forced a smile. "Dayou, you just got back from the fields? Would you like to come in and have something to eat?"
It was hot, so I left the door open. There was a cool breeze, and unexpectedly, someone came.
The visitor was a man about the same age as Jiang Shoutian. He stood at the gate without coming in, and spoke with a smile.
"No, I just ate. Fang'er from my family came back to her parents' house and said that your eldest son, Jiang Changtian, came back from the county and passed the imperial examination. He came in first place, and his name is something like 'Zi Shou'. Do you know what that means?"
He has a daughter who married into Xinghua Village, and today she brought back some firsthand gossip when she returned to her parents' home.
Jiang Shoutian was stunned; he hadn't heard of it.
Changtian passed the imperial examination and became a Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations)?!
"I forgot, she's still at the Lin family's. You probably don't know, but my Fang'er said she brought a lot of things for them. Goodness, quite a few people saw it; the donkey cart was completely full..."
The man talked for a while, but seeing that the Jiang family members were all dumbfounded, he felt it was pointless and said, "You guys eat, I'll go home first."
Actually, they went to talk to the next person.
Anyway, there was nothing to do after the meal. The only scholar in the village had passed the imperial examination and become a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the lowest level of the imperial examinations). Before that, the Jiang family had split up, so there was still a lot to talk about.
"Top scholar! My older brother actually got to be the top scholar!"
Jiang Shuixian realized what was happening and, in her excitement, dropped the radish she was eating onto the table.
Wouldn't that mean she'd have a top scholar as a brother, and then she could marry a scholar?!
Madam Xu's focus was on the donkey cart full of things. Her face darkened as she scolded, "Look at your good son! You've raised him to be an ingrate! He came back and ran off to the Lin family, giving them everything. Anyone who didn't know better would think he was marrying into the Lin family!"
I should have nipped this bastard in the bud back then; what good could it have done if I had raised it?
Wang asked curiously, "What can the chief examiner do?"
Jiang Shuixian, who desperately wanted to marry a scholar, excitedly exclaimed, "The top scholar is the one who gets the highest score in the imperial examination; the court rewards him with two shi of grain and ten taels of silver!"
"What! Two shi? Ten liang?!"
Everyone was stunned. Their family's few acres of land could only yield four shi of grain after half a year of farming, while Jiang Changtian, who passed the imperial examination, earned two shi, not to mention ten taels of silver.
Farmers could only save about five taels of silver a year; those who could save two taels were considered to be living a good life.
What does that even mean?
“We have money and food, Dad, let’s borrow it back to pay off our debts! Don’t let our eldest brother give it to the Lin family.” Jiang Lao Er said excitedly.
I never imagined that reading would have such benefits; I wish I had read books too.
What Jiang Shuixian meant was not that it was only for one year, but that it would be given every year.
Ms. Xu also had an idea, but when she thought of the couple's murderous intent, she shuddered and realized that she was sure she wouldn't get the money this way.
She turned to her husband and said, “My dear husband, we’re in a bit of trouble right now. Why don’t you go and ask our eldest son to lend us those ten taels? We can pay him back once we sell the grain.”
Let's get our hands on it first.
Jiang Shoutian frowned. "We just separated from the family not long ago. How am I supposed to ask for help?"
Jiang Lao Er, who was standing to the side, rolled his eyes and came up with a wicked idea.