Han Ze was recovering from his illness these days, and in her spare time, Wang Caiwei embroidered some purses and handkerchiefs. After leaving the clinic, the two went directly to the embroidery shop to sell the purses and handkerchiefs. Her embroidery was meticulous, and the purses and handkerchiefs were embroidered in a unique and clever way. The embroidery shop gave her ten coins for a purse and fifteen coins for a handkerchief. She embroidered ten purses and fifteen handkerchiefs, and earned a total of three hundred and twenty-five coins.
According to his original memory, Han Ze knew that there was a bookstore not far from the embroidery shop. After they left the shop, he suggested going to the bookstore to take a look.
Wang Caiwei touched the copper coins in her purse and stood there hesitantly. Han Ze looked at her and asked with a smile, "What's wrong?"
Wang Caiwei was in a dilemma for a moment, and her delicate face was filled with anxiety. She lowered her eyes and whispered, "My husband, there is no food at home. We need to use the money we just got to buy some food. I'm afraid the remaining money is not enough to buy books."
After saying this, she did not dare to look at her husband, for fear that he would be embarrassed.
Han Ze was slightly stunned, then smiled and said, "You don't have to buy books when you go to the library, just go and take a look."
Wang Caiwei looked at the smile on her husband's cheek and felt sad and unhappy. If she could embroider more purse handkerchiefs, her husband would be able to buy the books he liked.
My husband is a talented writer. If he had not been weak, he would have passed the imperial examination long ago. Now that he has recovered and his family has money to support him in taking the imperial examination, he would have passed it in one go. Unfortunately, his family is short of money.
She looked determined and said, "My husband, don't worry. I will embroider more purse handkerchiefs when I get home, and I will definitely be able to collect enough money for you to take the college entrance examination next April."
Han Ze smiled slightly, "No hurry. Let's go to the library first."
Arriving at the entrance of the library, Wang Caiwei hesitated and said, "I'll wait for you outside. Please go in."
"Let's go in together." Han Ze glanced at her.
Wang Caiwei was stunned. She rarely refuted her husband's words. After hesitating for a moment, seeing that her husband's face was serious, she followed him into the library.
The owner of the library saw the couple and didn't say anything.
Han Ze casually glanced at the library. It was quiet and there were no customers. He asked, "Boss, how much does it cost to copy a book here?"
The shopkeeper pondered and said, "It depends on what book you are copying. It depends on the thickness of the book and the handwriting. Generally, it costs one penny per page."
Han Ze nodded slightly and asked, "Can I take the paper back and copy it?"
The shopkeeper was surprised. Han Ze had studied in the town for many years and often came to the library to read. He was very familiar with Han Ze. In the past, Han Ze was in poor health and had never mentioned copying books. But now he actually proposed to copy books. He looked at him carefully. Could it be that he was well
However, this was someone else's private matter, so he didn't ask any more questions. He just said, "You are a frequent visitor to the library. The teachers in your school often borrow books from the library. I trust you, but you still need to pay a deposit before you can take the books back to copy."
Wang Caiwei never thought that her husband would copy books to earn money. She wanted to dissuade him, but because they were outside, she couldn't say much. She just frowned slightly. She didn't know how much deposit she had to pay, and was afraid that the money was not enough and her husband would lose face.
Han Ze looked at her soothingly, but Wang Caiwei met her husband's eyes and was not comforted at all. Instead, she became more worried. Her husband had no money in his pocket, so how could she pay the deposit? She also needed to use her money to buy food, otherwise the family would go hungry.
Han Ze smiled and didn't care. He asked the shopkeeper again: "If I only copy enlightenment books, I don't need to take the books in the library back to copy them. In this way, I don't need to pay a deposit?"
The shopkeeper had heard that Han Ze was good at reading. The introductory books were simple and easy to memorize, so it was not surprising that he could memorize them. He smiled and said, "If you can copy them down word for word, you don't have to borrow books from the library, and you don't have to pay a deposit."
As for paper, he didn't have to worry. He was the only bookstore in the whole town, and one could only buy pens, ink, paper and inkstone from him. Han Ze was a scholar, and scholars valued their reputation. Moreover, if he wanted to take the imperial examinations in the future, he would not do anything that would affect his reputation, so he was very relieved.
Han Ze nodded, and Wang Caiwei slowly breathed a sigh of relief, as she didn't have to pay a deposit.
The shopkeeper looked at Han Ze and said, "It costs 45 coins to copy a copy of the Three Character Classic, 30 coins to copy the Thousand Character Classic, and 100 Family Names is cheaper because it has fewer characters. I can only give you 15 coins."
After they came out of the library, Wang Caiwei said softly, "Husband, the college entrance examination will be held in April next year. Will copying books affect your studies? I can do more embroidery, so you don't have to work so hard."
Han Ze shook his head and smiled, "I have been ill for so many days. I haven't read a book or touched a pen for a long time. Not only is my handwriting rusty, but I have also forgotten a lot of knowledge. Copying books will not affect my reading, but will help deepen my memory of knowledge."
Wang Caiwei also knew some words, so she understood what her husband said. After thinking for a moment, she gently advised, "Since copying books is beneficial to studying, you should copy them, but don't get too tired, after all, you are in good health."
Han Ze looked at her and said seriously, "No one knows the benefits of having a healthy body better than me."
I have been sick for so long, I don’t want to be sick again.
Considering the need to buy rice, flour and food, the two turned around and went to the grain store, and bought ten kilograms of rice, ten kilograms of flour, and fifty kilograms of coarse noodles, spending three hundred coins at once.
With more than twenty coins left, Han Ze suggested buying some candies for the children, but Wang Caiwei disagreed. She said, "It doesn't matter whether they eat candies or not. Let's save the remaining money."
When she came, her mother-in-law gave her fifty coins. Her husband spent twenty coins on the doctor, leaving thirty coins. She used the money from her embroidery work to buy food and had twenty-five coins left.
In order to save money, the two of them did not take the oxcart when they came. After buying the food, they had to use the oxcart when they went back. The two of them had to give four cents to the oxcart driver, and there would be fifty-one cents left, which she planned to give to her mother-in-law when she went back.
The family was short of money and had foreign debts. Han Ze couldn't say anything and could only let the children suffer.
Seeing that he remained silent, Wang Caiwei said, "I bought some rice and flour today. I'll go home and make noodles for them. If they have enough food, they'll be happy."
Han Ze understood and felt more or less unhappy. There were many people in his family, more than a dozen adults and children. After paying taxes on the grain from the fields, there was not much left. He also had to pay for his medical treatment, so there was not much money to buy food. It was common for the children to not have enough to eat. At this time, what they needed was not candy or snacks, but a full meal.
...
Old Mrs. Han looked at the rice jar with only one bowl of rice left in it with a worried look on her face. A few days ago, her daughters-in-law took turns cooking. The eldest daughter-in-law was thrifty and knew how to live, but the second and third daughters-in-law were lavish and ate up all the food in the house in a short time. In a fit of anger, she stopped them from cooking.
She sighed, thought for a moment, and grabbed a handful of rice. This handful of rice could only be used to make porridge, and the rest could be used to make porridge tomorrow. There was still a month before the wheat could be harvested, and there would be no food at home. What would this family eat
You can't ask others to borrow money to buy food.
Even if they went to borrow money, the villagers knew everything about their family. They all knew that their family was in debt. If they lent money to them, they would not be able to pay it back in a short time. Who would be willing to lend money to them? Even if she went to her daughter's house to borrow money, she didn't have the face to do so. She owed her daughter more than ten taels of silver for medicine, and she didn't know when she would be able to pay it back.
When Han Ze carried the grain home, Old Lady Han was sitting behind the stove, sighing and burning the fire. Han Ze walked to the door of the kitchen panting and asked, "Mom, where is the flour?"
Old lady Han cried out, and hurriedly stood up. She exclaimed, "Why did you buy so much flour? You are in good health now, so you must not get tired. After buying the food, why didn't you let Erlang and Sanlang go and carry it back? Put it on the stone platform quickly, and I will clean it up later."
But I couldn't help wondering, how much money would they get for so much grain? Where did they get the money
Wang Caiwei followed Han Ze, carrying rice and papers brought back from the library.
When Erlang's wife and Sanlang's wife heard their mother-in-law's voice, they led their children out of the house.
Han Ze put the flour on the stone platform and said with a smile, "Caiwei used the money from her embroidery work. She said her family had no food, so she bought some back. We can't let the children go hungry."
Old Lady Han also guessed that it was the money from the eldest daughter-in-law's embroidery work. She glanced at the second and third daughters-in-law and said meaningfully, "The eldest daughter-in-law is still the best. She knows how to think about the family, unlike some people who only know how to eat and drink and think about their own little family."
The second and third daughters-in-law's faces changed, but they were very dissatisfied in their hearts. The eldest son spent so much money on medical treatment and education, shouldn't they buy some rice and flour to bring back? The little gratitude that had just risen to Wang Caiwei was instantly wiped out by the scolding of the mother-in-law.
In fact, not only the second and third sisters-in-law changed their expressions, but Wang Caiwei also felt uncomfortable when her mother-in-law praised her in front of her and belittled her two younger siblings.
If my mother-in-law likes someone, that person is good even if they have some flaws. If she doesn't like someone, she can always tell their faults. Obviously, my two younger brothers and sisters are the ones my mother-in-law doesn't like.
After scolding, Mrs. Han went to ask Han Ze if he had seen a doctor. She told him that the doctor said he was better and no longer sick. The whole family breathed a sigh of relief.
No matter how dissatisfied the second and third daughters-in-law were with their mother-in-law's favoritism, Wang Caiwei kneaded the dough and rolled the noodles. Each of them ate a big bowl. Touching their stomachs that were finally full, they smiled with satisfaction. Nothing could compare to a full meal.
There was not much work to do in the fields these two days, so Han Youtian and his two younger sons could finish it. The daughters-in-law did not have to go to the fields. After eating and cleaning up, Wang Caiwei took out her needlework basket and started embroidering handkerchiefs. She embroidered quickly, with simple patterns, and she was very skilled. When she was not busy, she could embroider a handkerchief a day.
Old Lady Han thought about how much money her eldest daughter-in-law could earn from her embroidery. She looked at the two younger daughters-in-law who were resting beside her and shouted, "You two lazy women, your eldest sister-in-law never puts down her needlework. If you embroider a handkerchief every day like her, even if you embroider one every two or three days, you can still earn some snacks for the children. You don't have to go out to the fields, and you just stay in bed and sleep all day. Why are you so sleepy?"
The second son's wife, Zheng, rolled her eyes and said, "Mother, can you give us all the money we earned from embroidering handkerchiefs?"
Old Mrs. Han's face darkened, and she said with a fierce look, glaring eyes, and her hands on her hips, "I am not that short-sighted. You can embroider as much as you want. You can save the money you make. I don't want a penny from you."
The second and third daughters-in-law were delighted, thinking of what the eldest sister-in-law said, that a handkerchief cost 15 cents, and a purse cost 10 cents. Even if they embroidered five handkerchiefs and five purses a month, they could earn more than a hundred cents. With that hundred cents, they could buy anything for the children.
Thinking of this, the two hurried to the house to get the needlework basket. When they really started to embroider the handkerchief, they were stumped. Why were the flowers they embroidered not as beautiful as the one embroidered by the eldest sister-in-law? No matter how they looked at it, it seemed wrong.
Wang Caiwei told them that it didn’t matter if the embroidery work was a little worse, but the embroidered handkerchiefs would be cheaper and could be sold for money.
They breathed a sigh of relief. The cheaper it was, the better it would be if they embroidered more. The older sister-in-law's embroidery wasn't that good before, but it took practice. When their embroidery became good, they could always sell it for ten cents a bag. As long as they could make money, it wouldn't dampen their enthusiasm.
Old lady Han looked at her three daughters-in-law who were doing needlework under the eaves, and was very satisfied. She nodded secretly, saying that it was right. The eldest daughter would be well again, and when she passed the examination next year, the whole family would work together, and there was no need to worry about a bad life. If they kept making noise and gossiping all day, even the biggest family would break up.
In the mind of Mrs. Han, as long as her eldest son was healthy, she would not think that he would not pass the examination. With her son's intelligence, he would definitely pass the examination.
Han Zelue took a nap and planned to copy books when he woke up. The room was a little dark and not as dry and cool as outside. He didn't care too much and directly moved the table and chairs to copy books in the yard.
When Mrs. Han saw his movements, her face froze and she walked up to him and asked, "Are you practicing calligraphy?"
Han Ze lowered his head, but continued writing without stopping: "I haven't touched a pen for a long time, my hands are rusty, let me practice calligraphy."
He was not lying. After experiencing several worlds, he could write calligraphy, and his writing was pretty good, but the writing was different from his original body's. His original body was a top student, so of course his writing was also good. As for whose handwriting was better, he arrogantly thought that his handwriting should be better than his original body's, but he was doing the task for his original body, so even if his handwriting was better than his original body's, he could only practice writing like his original body's handwriting.
So, when he said that copying books can help improve one's calligraphy, he meant that he wanted to integrate his calligraphy with the original author's, so that his current calligraphy would be even better, and people would not doubt his progress.
Of course, copying books can not only help him practice his calligraphy, but even if his handwriting is better, he has never taken the imperial examination. It takes time to integrate what he has learned in his original memory and make it his own. Otherwise, let alone taking the imperial examination, he will have no hope of passing the college entrance examination next year.
Besides, the wages for copying books can help him solve his current problems. Regardless of how much money he earns, at least he can provide his family with enough food, and perhaps even save enough money for next year's college entrance examination.
Killing three birds with one stone was his purpose in choosing to copy books.
Old Lady Han smiled and said, "Practice slowly. I won't bother you anymore."
Then he drove the children outside and said, "Come on, come on, go find some wild vegetables with grandma. We'll have wild vegetable dumpling soup tonight."
There are seven grandchildren. The oldest is seven and a half years old, and the youngest is Xiaobao from the second son’s family, who is only one and a half years old. The child is young and is now sleeping soundly in bed.
Children from farming families are tough. After adults are busy in the fields and at home, they have no time to take care of the children. Generally, the older ones take care of the younger ones. When they are older, they will help their parents with small chores within their ability, like finding wild vegetables in the fields or on the roadside, cutting grass for pigs, feeding the chickens and ducks at home, etc.
Old Mrs. Han carried a basket and went to the fields with her grandchildren. Halfway along the way, she met old couple Han Youlin. Han Youlin and Han Youtian were brothers. Han Youlin's wife's surname was Wang. Mrs. Han Wang looked at the string of children behind her brother and sister-in-law and found it quite funny. She asked, "Where are you, the old lady and the grandchildren, doing?"
Mrs. Han was both helpless and amused: "Now Han Ze is well and practicing calligraphy at home. I was afraid that the children would disturb him with their noise. They wanted to eat wild vegetable dumpling soup, so I took them out to dig wild vegetables. There are many children at home, so there are only a lot of them."
When Han Wang heard that Han Ze was in good health, she was happy for him and asked, "From what you said, does Han Ze still plan to leave next year?"
Old Lady Han sighed, "With the eldest son's health, if you don't let him study, what else can he do? Now that he is well, he can take the exam if he wants. I still don't believe that God would let the eldest son survive without giving him a way to live."
Han Wangshi comforted him, "Han Ze has gone through so much hardship, it's time for his luck to change. Don't worry too much."
Old Mrs. Han gave a bitter smile. As long as her eldest son failed to pass the imperial examination, she would be worried every day. How could she not worry
Han Wang looked at Han Jinxiu behind her and frowned, "Old Lady Lu said she was looking for an apprentice in the village, about six or seven years old. In our village, families with girls aged six or seven should bring their children to Grandma Lu for her to see. It's up to Grandma Lu to choose who to choose. Your Jinxiu is over seven years old, so she's old enough. Why don't you let her try? A girl should learn some skills so that she won't be despised when she gets married."
How could old lady Han not know that Granny Lu was recruiting apprentices? The key point was that Daya had already informed them in advance that Chunxue should become Granny Lu's disciple. Daya had helped Han Ze so much, and if Jinxiu were to compete with her for the only apprenticeship spot, how disappointed her daughter would be.
Han Jinxiu was a thoughtful person. She liked embroidery and knew that Granny Lu in the village was very good at embroidery. Her mother also said that she could become her apprentice. She had always been thinking about her. When she heard the conversation between Big Breast and Grandma, she was moved, but she lowered her head and said nothing.
When he got home, Han Ze saw Han Jinxiu looking unhappy. He asked gently, "What's wrong with Jinxiu?"
Han Jinxiu's face was tense, and she said seriously, "Dad, I want to learn embroidery from Grandma Lu."
Han Ze was not surprised. In his original memory, there was a scene of Han Jinxiu embroidering. He said, "I want to ask Granny Lu to be my teacher. Ask your mother to take you to visit her and see her standards for accepting disciples."
Han Jinxiu felt a little aggrieved: "It seems that mother doesn't intend to let me worship Grandma Lu as my master."
She knew the reason, but she thought that there were so many girls in the village who wanted to be taught by Granny Lu, and it wouldn't make a difference to Chunxue if she was one more or one less, so why didn't her mother let her try
After thinking about it, Han Ze understood the reason. The good impression Han Daya left in the hearts of her family was very difficult to break.
"I'll talk to your mother."
Han Jinxiu smiled!
After dinner, Han Ze said to Wang Caiwei, "Tomorrow, take Jinxiu to visit Granny Lu and ask her about the conditions for accepting a disciple."
Wang Caiwei hesitated, "My eldest sister said Chunxue also wanted to learn embroidery from Granny Lu. It's fine for outsiders to compete with her for the position of apprentice, but it's not good for Jinxiu to compete with her."
Han Ze said with a smile: "I heard that Granny Lu is quite strict in accepting disciples. I'm not trying to belittle Chunxue, but there are so many girls in the village vying for a place as a disciple. How confident do you think Chunxue is that Granny Lu will choose her?"
Wang Caiwei frowned and said nothing.
Han Ze added, "In my opinion, Granny Lu is recruiting apprentices in the village, and all the six or seven-year-old girls in the village are competing for a place as an apprentice. This is no longer a matter for any one child, but a matter for the whole family. Chunxue and Jinxiu are both our children. If they compete together for the place of an apprentice, more people means more opportunities. Who knows, one of them will be chosen by Granny Lu? When that happens, our family will be the winner."
Wang Caiwei's eyes suddenly widened, and she carefully considered her husband's words. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense to her.
If Granny Lu was choosing between Chunxue and Jinxiu as her apprentice, she would ask Jinxiu to give the spot to Chunxue without saying a word.
Now all the girls in the village who are six or seven years old are competing for the quota. If Jinxiu gives way again, then she will not be giving way to Chunxue, but to all the girls in the village who are competing for the apprentice position.
If Jinxiu also participated in the competition for the apprenticeship quota, no matter which of the two children was chosen by Grandma Lu, their family would be the first to benefit. If Jinxiu did not participate in the competition for the quota, and the quota fell to someone else's family, Jinxiu would not even fight for it, which would be unfair to him and not beneficial to their family.
"Tomorrow, I will take Jinxiu to visit Grandma Lu, and explain the situation to my eldest sister so that she won't think too much." Wang Caiwei figured it out and felt relieved.
Han Ze smiled and nodded, "Jinxiu is a child with her own ideas. I don't want to clip her wings. Even if she is a girl, she should have her own ideas. Although the son pays the father's debt, we are still young. We should pay what we owe to our elder sister ourselves. There is no need to involve the child."
Wang Caiwei felt ashamed. She was narrow-minded and felt that she owed her elder sister a favor. She wished that both adults and children would repay her so as not to feel guilty about her elder sister's kindness.
Han Ze looked at her and comforted her, "You mean well. There's no need to feel guilty about the child. Jinxiu won't blame you."
Wang Caiwei knew that Jinxiu would not blame her, which made her feel even more ashamed. Jinxiu was so young, and she actually let the debt of favor owed by them adults be borne by the child. It was really wrong.
The two of them were talking about Jinxiu's apprenticeship to learn embroidery. In Han Erlang's room, Zheng coaxed the two children to sleep and lay on the bed, muttering quietly: "My eldest brother was practicing calligraphy in the yard today. Judging from his posture, is he going to take part in the college entrance examination next year?"
Han Erlang closed his eyes and said in a muffled voice: "Brother has studied for so many years. If he doesn't take the exam to become a scholar, not only will he be unwilling, but even our parents won't be willing either."
Zheng felt unhappy after hearing what he said. She was very dissatisfied: "It costs several taels of silver to enter the examination room every time. It would be fine if he passed the exam, but he always fainted in the examination room. If he faints in the examination room again next year, wouldn't it be another waste of money?"
Han Erlang frowned: "Brother is feeling better now. How could he be so unlucky that he faints every time."
Zheng sat up suddenly, "But the eldest son is just so unlucky. He always faints when he enters the examination room. But your parents don't believe in evil and insist on letting the eldest son pass the examination."
Han Erlang opened his eyes and said, "What are you yelling about? It's late at night, keep your voice down."
Zheng lay down again and said, "Erlang, I want to separate the family."
In the dark night, Han Erlang didn't say anything. After a long while, he said in a low voice: "Don't talk nonsense. My parents won't agree."
Zheng suddenly said, "Erlang, you, are you also dissatisfied? Do you also want to split the family?"
Han Erlang smiled bitterly. All the money he earned over the years was spent on his eldest brother. How could he not have some ideas? But his parents were the ones in charge of the family. What could he do
Seeing that he didn't say anything, Zheng became more certain that her husband was also blaming his parents. If that was the case, it would be easy to deal with.
The author has something to say: Good night ^o^
Thanks to 32718295 for throwing 1 mine. Throwing time: 2018-10-29 23:51:57