The family has had food these days, and Mrs. Han has asked her three daughters-in-law to take turns cooking. Her son has grown up, married a daughter-in-law, and has six or seven grandchildren. She can't let an old woman serve the whole family. The second and third daughters-in-law are lavish and don't know how to save money. That's okay. With her watching them, they dare not do anything.
Wang Caiwei stopped talking, as she always listened to her mother-in-law. Sanlang's wife, Wu, had been married to the Han family for several years and only had one daughter. She was not confident enough, and even though she was unwilling, she would do whatever her mother-in-law said and scoop as much rice as her mother-in-law asked her to, without any resistance.
Erlang's wife, Zheng, had many brothers in her family. She was proud of having given birth to two boys for the Han family, and she was very proud in front of her husband's family. In front of her mother-in-law, she scooped as much rice as she was asked to scoop. When her mother-in-law turned around and left the kitchen, she secretly scooped half a bowl of rice, washed it and poured it into the pot. She thought that if her mother-in-law knew about it, it didn't matter. As long as she could have a full meal, she would just be scolded.
Old lady Han has been cooking for her whole life. She can tell the difference between a handful of rice and half a bowl of rice porridge at a glance. Not only can she tell, but anyone in the family can tell. Usually, you can't even get two grains of rice out of a bowl of porridge with chopsticks. The porridge is so watery that you can see the bottom of the bowl at a glance. Now, not only can you get rice out of the bowl, but you can also scoop a few mouthfuls. Only a fool can't tell the difference.
Mrs. Han's face immediately turned black. She started to curse at this hypocritical and spendthrift woman.
Zheng shrugged her shoulders and pretended she didn't exist. Anyway, her mother-in-law often scolded her, so she got used to it. Wu secretly glanced at her second sister-in-law and admired her very much. This was the difference between having a son and not having a son. She would not dare to go against her mother-in-law's wishes even if she was beaten to death. She couldn't help but envy her. It would be great if she could give birth to a son.
Han Ze was quite amused. There are policies from above and countermeasures from below. The adults and children at home all looked pale and wanted to have a full meal. There was nothing wrong with that. He could understand Zheng.
He interrupted at the right time: "Mother, I am already well, and I can earn some money by copying books every day. No matter whether the food is good or bad, it should at least fill the stomachs of our parents and children."
Zheng's tense body relaxed. Her mother-in-law would not listen to the advice of others, but she would definitely listen to her eldest brother's words. It was true that she was used to being scolded, but she was not a mean person. Who would like to be scolded for no reason? She was grateful to her eldest brother for speaking for her.
Sure enough, as soon as Han Ze opened his mouth, Mrs. Han's mood eased, and she swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue. She used chopsticks to scoop up the rice in the bowl, still feeling very distressed, and kept cursing the spendthrift woman in her heart, but she was also thinking about it in her heart, and looked at the children carefully, and saw that they all shrank their heads, wishing they could hide under the table. Is she that scary
She was a little unhappy, cleared her throat, and said unkindly: "Okay, I didn't say anything, you all look so scared. Forget it this time, but next time when you cook, don't add rice secretly, otherwise I won't forgive you. A family can't be without some rules."
Han Ze advised calmly: "Mom, in just a few days, I have copied ten books and earned a lot of money. You don't have to worry too much about food. You still have to fill your stomach no matter what."
Of course, Old Lady Han knew that her eldest son could earn a lot of money by copying books, but the family was in debt, and the eldest son had to take the imperial examination next year, which required money everywhere. If she didn't save money, what would she do if she ran out of money and delayed her eldest son's imperial examination
Han Ze understood Mrs. Han's concerns, and he said, "Mom, the debt owed to my eldest sister's family can only be paid back slowly. I don't think my eldest sister will mind."
Old Lady Han was silent for a moment, then whispered, "It's easy to talk to your elder sister. But the money you owe to the villagers..."
Han Ze added: "As for the money we owe to the villagers, we will pay it back when we have more money in our hands."
What else could Mrs. Han say? She could only listen to the eldest son. The eldest son had spent a lot of money on his studies and medical treatment in the past few years. The debts outside were all because of him. I think he was very anxious. Unfortunately, he had not passed the examination for so many years. I think he must have felt bad. Thinking of this, she didn't want to say anything. If she said too much, it would embarrass her son. She waved her hand and said, "Let's eat."
Zheng escaped a disaster, and she no longer had to cook in secret, which made her feel relieved. Thinking that this result was all thanks to her uncle, she felt a little ashamed.
But the shame only lasted for a moment, and the guilt disappeared without a trace. The reason why the family didn't have enough food to eat was because of my uncle. If he had a conscience, he would not have allowed my mother-in-law to let the family go hungry.
There was less than 100 kilograms of food, and a family of more than a dozen people could not eat for long. Fortunately, Han Ze's wages for copying books were quickly received, and with the money, he could buy food.
At first, Han Ze copied books slowly in order to practice calligraphy. When he integrated the original body with his calligraphy, his hand speed became faster. It was no problem for him to copy a copy of "Three Character Classic" in one day. In just ten days, Han Ze copied seven copies of "Three Character Classic", five copies of "Hundred Family Names", and five copies of "Thousand Character Classic".
When he took the book to the town, the bookstore owner was very satisfied after reading it. After calculating, he gave him 540 coins according to the agreed wages. When he left the bookstore, Wang Caiwei said, "My husband, you earned more money in ten days than I earn in a month."
As she spoke, her face was full of smiles and her tone was filled with deep pride, which showed that although she said it, she was not sad in her heart that her husband earned more money than her.
Han Ze smiled and said, "After studying for so many years, this is the only time I've earned money. There's nothing much to say. Let's go buy some food."
Wang Caiwei didn't think so. Not everyone could read. As they talked, they turned a corner and went to the grain store. They also bought rice and flour, spending three hundred coins. On the way back, they passed by the vegetable market. Han Ze stood in front of the meat stall and didn't move. He looked at Wang Caiwei and suggested: "Buy two pounds of meat to take back."
Wang Caiwei looked embarrassed. One pound of meat cost more than ten coins, and the money from two pounds of meat could buy several pounds of grain.
Han Ze smiled and said, "Let's buy two pounds of meat. We haven't had meat in our house for a long time, and the children are craving for it."
Not to mention the children, even adults would be greedy.
Wang Caiwei gritted her teeth and said, "I didn't have a penny before, but it was fine. Now I have money, it's just two catties of meat, buy it, buy it." As she said this, she asked the boss to weigh two catties of meat.
When they got home, Mrs. Han saw that they had bought more rice and flour. She frowned and looked disapproving: "We haven't finished eating the food at home, why are you buying more food?"
Wang Caiwei carried the things and followed Han Ze silently.
Han Ze put the rice and flour on the stone platform and explained with a smile: "There is not much food left at home. It won't last for a few days, so I bought some back."
Old Wife Han knew her eldest son's stubbornness, and she also knew that her eldest son had recovered and wanted to make amends to his family, so she swallowed the words that were about to come to her lips, and finally said, "No matter what, we should save enough money for next year's imperial examination."
Han Ze nodded: "Mom, don't worry, I know what's going on."
The wheat harvest was about to begin. After the harvest, he wouldn't have to spend money to buy food, and he could save some money.
It was Zheng's turn to cook today. She was cooking porridge. Wang Caiwei put the meat she bought on the chopping board. She had sharp eyes and saw the meat and immediately her eyes flashed with rage: "Sister-in-law, have you cut the meat? Are we going to stew it for lunch?"
This is meat. How long has it been since they had meat? Just thinking about it makes me drool.
Wang Caiwei said softly, "Let's stew it."
The meat is bought to be eaten, there is no need to keep it.
Zheng rubbed her hands, feeling a little embarrassed, and said hesitantly, "Sister-in-law, I'm not very good at cooking, how about you stew the meat?"
This is meat. If she doesn't take good care of it, not only will her mother-in-law scold her, but she will also feel sad.
Wang Caiwei had not originally planned to let her stew the meat. Her second brother's wife's cooking skills were not very good, and the meat bought with the money her husband had worked hard to earn could not be wasted by her.
Although Wang Caiwei's cooking skills could not compare with those of the chefs in the restaurants, she could cook ordinary farm meals in a decent manner. After a while, the aroma of meat filled the air. When the children smelled the aroma, they all ran to the kitchen, stood by the stove, poked their heads out, stared at the pot, and kept swallowing their saliva.
Old Lady Han entered the kitchen and shouted with a dark face, "What are you all doing here? Get out."
The children were startled. Han Jinxiu was afraid of her grandmother's power, so she quickly grabbed her brothers and sisters and ran out. Although they ran out, the children did not run far, but hid in the yard, constantly looking into the kitchen, as if they had run away after the meat was cooked.
Han Ze smiled and did not stop them.
When the men from the Han family came back and saw the stewed meat on the table, they all salivated. Not to mention the children, they couldn't help drooling because they hadn't eaten meat for a long time. Mrs. Han waved her hand, bought the meat, and let them eat to their heart's content.
As a result, all the family members, both adults and children, ate with their mouths drooling. Even Han Ze, who hadn't eaten meat for a few days, couldn't help but eat two pieces of meat.
After the wheat was harvested and the second season's crops were planted, the season entered the hot summer. These days, Han Ze copied books to supplement the family's income. While the whole family had enough to eat, occasionally there was a plate of meat on the table. After eating their fill and without worries, their faces gradually became rosy and no longer pale.
Nowadays, Han Ze's copying speed is getting faster and faster. He can copy a copy of "Three Character Classic" in half a day. Of course, in order to prepare for the imperial examination next year, he not only copies enlightenment books, but as time goes by, he begins to copy the Four Books and Five Classics.
Among the Four Books, The Great Learning has relatively few words, only about 2,000. Starting with the Four Books, he not only had to memorize them, but also write them down word for word.
In the previous worlds, he read the Four Books and Five Classics several times, but he couldn't recite them. Fortunately, with the memory of his original body, it was not difficult for him. After copying them down and organizing them into books, he had to understand them. As a result, the speed of copying books slowed down again. But Han Ze was not in a hurry. There was no rush. Learning is not something that can be achieved overnight.
When Han Ze had memorized all the Four Books and Five Classics, Old Lady Han urged him and Wang Caiwei to go to town to give the Wang family New Year gifts. Han Ze suddenly realized that the New Year was coming. He had been in this world for nearly eight months.
However, before sending the New Year gifts to the Wang family, he had to send the copied Four Books and Five Classics to the library. The Four Books and Five Classics had a lot of words, and it was not easy to copy them, so the wages were relatively high. He actually received ten taels of silver for a set of copied Four Books and Five Classics. With these ten taels of silver, he would not have to copy books again next year, and he would not have to worry about not having money for the imperial examinations.
Thinking of sending gifts to Yue's family, Han Ze gave Wang Caiwei two taels of silver and asked her to prepare the gifts. Wang Caiwei refused, as she had her own ideas. Ten taels of silver seemed like a lot, and her husband would need about five taels of silver for the imperial examination. But just in case, it would be a good idea to have more silver.
As for the gifts to her parents, her smile showed some helplessness. If her husband had become a scholar, they would not say anything even if they gave less gifts. But now that her husband did not pass the examination, even if he used the ten taels of silver to buy gifts, they would not be very happy.
Han Ze understood her idea after a moment's thought. Wang Caiwei said vaguely: "Just give it as the annual gift in previous years."
In previous years, they would catch a chicken from their home and buy some cakes in town, which would be considered a New Year gift. She knew that her father and two brothers would not like it, but there was nothing they could do because their family was poor. Giving a chicken was the best the family could do, and they could not afford to give anything extra, not to mention that there was more than one son in the family.
There are three sons and three daughters-in-law. Each daughter-in-law gave a chicken, so three chickens were given away at a time. The mother-in-law worked hard to raise chickens for a year, but her family couldn't enjoy them and they even despised them. Even though she had a good temper, she still had some thoughts in her mind.
Han Ze followed her lead and said, "When life gets better at home, I'll give them more New Year gifts. I'm sorry that you've been wronged over the years."
Wang Caiwei shook her head slightly. She did not feel aggrieved. Her parents' family had no shortage of food, drink and other necessities. She knew very well what they lacked.
Han Ze was ill, and Wang Caiwei went back to her parents' home to borrow money but failed to get it. After returning, she spent all day embroidering at home and never went back to her mother's home. Wang Caiwei's mother, Wang Xu, saw that her daughter had not visited for a long time, and guessed that her son-in-law might not be seriously ill. Although she was worried about him, she did not ask more questions.
She was afraid that if she heard that her son-in-law had an accident, her daughter would ask her to borrow money again. If she didn't lend the money, she would feel uneasy. What if something happened to her son-in-law and her daughter resented her? Seeing that the New Year was approaching, she estimated that her daughter would come to give a New Year gift. If Han Ze was well, she would come with him.
Finally, her daughter and son-in-law brought the child to her home. When Wang Xu saw her son-in-law, she found him energetic and rosy-cheeked, so she was relieved. But she was also secretly puzzled. How come her son-in-law looked better than in previous years? Could it be that he met some miracle doctor who cured him
Mr. Wang had high expectations for his son-in-law Han Ze, but now he is disappointed. In the first half of the year, his son-in-law was not in good health, and his daughter came to borrow money. He was not unaware of it, but he pretended to be deaf and dumb. He never thought that his son-in-law was very resilient and managed to get through it.
He didn't have any regrets. His son-in-law's survival didn't mean he could pass the exam. In the past, he looked fine before entering the examination room, but he still fainted in the examination room. Even if his son-in-law had to take the exam again next year, who knew if he would faint again
In other words, even though Han Ze is his son-in-law, he is not his biological son. He is a businessman, and since he has lost confidence in him, he will not waste money on him.
Mr. Wang asked, "Will it happen again next year?"
Although he would not waste money on his son-in-law, he would not treat him with disrespect when he came to visit. But he would not be too enthusiastic either, and would only say a few polite words of concern.
Han Ze smiled, seeing the indifference in the old man's eyes, but he didn't take it to heart, and just said gently: "Take the test again next year. If you still can't pass it, then don't plan to take it again."
Old Master Wang stroked his beard, and was quite satisfied with his answer. If he had to take the exam even if he failed, wouldn't that be a burden to his daughter? Even if he didn't value his daughter, she was still the daughter of his Wang family who was married off. Just as he was about to answer, Boss Wang came in, and he smiled brightly: "Dad, Caixia and her brother-in-law are here."
Han Ze raised his eyebrows slightly. In his original memory, Wang Caiwei had an older sister, Wang Caixia, who was the daughter of Mr. Wang’s first wife. Wang Caixia’s husband’s surname was Liu, and they ran a restaurant in the county town. Her husband passed the imperial examination last year and was favored by Mr. Wang.
Mr. Wang smiled, the joy in his eyes was obvious, and he said quickly, "Let them in quickly."
Boss Wang smiled and said, "Dad, they've already come in."
As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Caixia and her family entered the house.
Wang Caixia married into the county town, and Wang Caiwei married into the Han family. One lived in the county town and the other in the countryside, which were very far apart. When they were girls, the two sisters did not have a very good relationship. After they got married, they had no contact at all. Even when they returned to their parents' home, it was rare for them to meet.
Wang Caiwei hadn't seen this elder sister for two years. She had disliked her since she was a little girl, and of course she didn't like her mother and her brother either. Unexpectedly, after not seeing her for two years, her elder sister was still the same as before. She was younger than her elder sister, but she looked older than her elder sister. It seemed that her elder sister was married and had a good life.
Wang Caixia didn't expect Wang Caiwei to be at her mother's house. She glanced at their family casually, then retracted her gaze and said with a smile, "I didn't expect my sister to come today too."
Wang Caiwei smiled and called out, "Sister, brother-in-law."
The two sisters stopped talking.
Wang Caixia turned to look at Mr. Wang, who had already started chatting with his eldest son-in-law. She smiled helplessly at Wang Caiwei.
Wang Caiwei looked a little unnatural. She was not stupid enough not to notice that her father had a different attitude towards her husband and brother-in-law, but she still managed a smile and looked at Han Ze, fearing that he would think too much. Han Ze smiled indifferently, indicating that he did not care.
Wang Caiwei felt bitter in her heart. When she returned to her parents' home today, she saw that her father looked down on her husband. She should have thought that her husband had failed in the exams many times, and her father must have lost faith in her husband. But her husband was very talented in writing, and the reason he didn't pass the exam was because he was not in good health. Now that he is well, he will definitely pass the exam next year. As his father's son-in-law, he must feel very uncomfortable when his father treats her husband so poorly and treats his brother-in-law well.
At noon, when the meal started, Mr. Wang asked his eldest son-in-law to sit next to him. As for Han Ze, he casually said a few polite words and did not ask any more questions. Mr. Wang smiled and said to Han Ze: "My father and my eldest brother-in-law have always gotten along well. Brother-in-law, please don't be surprised."
Han Ze didn't find it strange. After all, the father-in-law and son-in-law got along well. As for whether they really got along well, he didn't care. He smiled and said, "I won't be surprised."
Boss Wang was just talking. Even if Han Ze was unhappy, he would not take it seriously. No matter how close or distant they were, to put it bluntly, even if Han Ze passed the imperial examination, he was not as important as his elder brother-in-law in his eyes.
After the banquet, Wang Xu pulled her daughter into the room and asked, "My son-in-law has turned 20, and he still needs to take the imperial examination?"
Wang Caiwei smiled and nodded: "Well, my husband is in good health, and he will definitely pass the exam next year."
Wang Xu tapped her daughter's forehead, "Why are you so stupid? Mother knows that my son-in-law is in good health. But my son-in-law has bad luck. Even if he is talented, he is not destined to be a scholar. Otherwise, how could he faint every time he enters the examination room? Others also have poor health, why didn't they faint?"
Wang Caiwei was a little unhappy. She didn't believe in luck or bad luck. She said, "Speaking of luck, who can be as lucky as my husband? His health was so poor before, and he was obviously getting worse. My husband even stopped taking medicine, but his health got better day by day. Now he has no problems at all. Isn't this good luck?"
"Are you serious?"
Wang Xu was shocked. "Did my son-in-law really get better without taking any medicine?"
Wang Caiwei nodded, "My husband has been taking medicine for a long time, but there is no effect. He refused to take the medicine. My mother-in-law thought that it would be okay if he didn't take the medicine for one or two meals, so she agreed to it. Who would have thought that he would get better as soon as he stopped taking the medicine."
"Why is it so weird?" Wang Xu didn't believe it. She frowned and said, "Is there something wrong with the medicine? Otherwise, how can I get better as soon as I stop taking the medicine?"
Wang Caiwei shook her head in amusement, "How can there be anything wrong with the medicine? The medicine was given by my eldest sister-in-law and father-in-law."
The person involved is confused, but the bystander is clear. Wang Xu firmly believed that there was something wrong with the medicine. She said seriously: "The son-in-law stopped taking the medicine and he got better. You didn't even think that the son-in-law's poor health was caused by the medicine?"
Wang Caiwei stood up suddenly, looking flustered: "The medicine was given by my eldest sister-in-law and father-in-law, what could be the problem?"
Wang Xu shook her head and said helplessly, "I think there is no smart person in your family. My son-in-law will be fine if he stops taking the medicine. He keeps taking the medicine but his health is not getting better. It's such an obvious problem, why don't you think about the medicine?"
Wang Caiwei sat down, lowered her head, and wondered what she was thinking.
Wang Xu stared at her and suddenly said, "It may not be that he didn't notice it."
Wang Caiwei suddenly raised her head to look at her, and Wang Xu said, "If it was your eldest sister-in-law's father-in-law who prescribed the wrong medicine, and it was his poor medical skills that caused his son-in-law's poor health, your father-in-law and mother-in-law might choose to remain silent for the sake of your eldest sister-in-law."
Wang Caiwei was panicking. Could it be that there was something wrong with her husband's medicine? Did her parents-in-law know about it
Wang Xu was older after all, so she said, "My son-in-law is in good health. Since your father-in-law and mother-in-law choose to remain silent, you should just pretend that you don't know anything."
Wang Caiwei wiped her wet eyes and said, "I know. My elder sister has helped our family a lot. If I tell this, it will cause her to have conflicts with her parents-in-law, and I will feel uneasy. But my husband has suffered so much, isn't it in vain?"
Wang Xu narrowed her eyes and said, "That means his elder sister has suffered in vain. If you tell this to others, your mother-in-law will have some opinion of you, and it is more likely to change your position in her heart."
Wang Caiwei frowned slightly, not understanding what her mother meant.
Wang Xu glared at her and said, "Why did I give birth to such a silly girl like you?"
Wang Caiwei pursed her lips and said nothing.
Wang Xu said, "Your elder sister-in-law is your mother-in-law's daughter. As a daughter-in-law, if you instigate a quarrel between your elder sister-in-law and her father-in-law, do you think she will like you?"
Wang Caiwei bit her lip. She knew what her mother meant, but she didn't intend to say it out loud. She just felt guilty towards her husband, after all, he had suffered so much.
Wang Xu sighed, thought for a moment and said seriously: "You should know what to say and what not to say as a daughter-in-law. It's not that I don't allow you to ask, you can bring this up with your son-in-law. Just do whatever your son-in-law asks you to do."
She thought that with her daughter's weak character, it was not easy for her to win the favor of Old Lady Han, which also showed that Old Lady Han was not a harsh mother-in-law.
She added, "Even so, your son-in-law is not sure about passing the imperial examination. After all, his fainting has nothing to do with the medicine prescribed by your eldest sister-in-law and father-in-law. I think he should not waste money on taking the imperial examination. He might as well buy two acres of land with that money."
Wang Caiwei said, "Mom, please don't say discouraging words. Regardless of whether my husband can pass the exam or not, he said that he would try again next year, so I will support him in trying again."
Wang Xu was furious: "Just try it, spend all your little money on him, and let your whole family starve with him, and then you will be satisfied."
Wang Caiwei said firmly: "I am his wife, if I don't support him, who else will?"
No one believes that her husband can pass the imperial examination, but she believes that her husband will definitely pass the imperial examination next year.
Wang Xu tried to persuade her daughter a few times, but when she saw that her daughter didn't listen, she stopped talking. If she talked too much, it would only make her daughter annoyed, so why bother
Wang Caiwei talked to Wang Xu for a few words, and when she came out, she saw Wang Caixia saying goodbye to Old Man Wang, so she followed suit.
Wang Lao Da and Wang Lao Er sent the two sisters to the door and separated at the door. One family took a carriage to the county town, and the other family walked to the countryside.
Liu Xiucai glanced at the backs of Han Ze's family and said thoughtfully: "When I accompanied you back to your parents' home, I often heard them say that your brother-in-law is very talented. I believe he will be able to pass the exam next year."
Wang Caixia said casually: "You think anyone can pass the exam to become a scholar? There are so many scholars with outstanding talents in the world. My brother-in-law is in poor health, has bad luck, and his family background is not comparable to yours. How can he pass the exam to become a scholar?"
Liu Xiucai looked at his wife with a half-smile, "You don't seem to like your sister's family?"
Wang Caixia asked back: "She is not my biological sister. She bullied me since I was a child because she has a mother who loves her. Why should I like her?"
Liu Xiucai thought about it and realized that this was the case. He didn't like his stepmother's brothers and sisters, so he said with deep sympathy, "You are right."
Then, as if he had thought of something, he said, "She bullied you when she was little. Now that you've grown up, you're living a better life than her. Who knows how sad she must be? Look at that family who went back to her parents' home, still wearing patched clothes. Your sister must be envious of you."
Wang Caixia smiled proudly: "Of course she envies me. Apart from other things, the fact that my husband is a scholar is enough to make her envious, even jealous."
Mr. Liu laughed out loud.
The two of them were talking about Wang Caiwei, and Wang Caiwei was also talking to Han Ze about Wang Caixia and her husband. She was not as jealous as Wang Caixia said, of course, she was envious.
Wang Caiwei was used to being treated poorly by her father and brothers from her natal family. She didn't think it was a big deal, but she was afraid that her husband would think too much and even more afraid of undermining his self-confidence. She said carefully, "My husband will definitely pass the exam and become a scholar next year."
Han Ze laughed: "I don't even have confidence in myself, but you have confidence in me."
Having said that, Han Ze is actually quite confident in himself. However, things are not set in stone yet, so he can't be too sure.
Wang Caiwei insisted: "My husband will definitely pass the exam and become a scholar."
Han Jinxiu heard what her parents said and said, "I also believe that Dad will be able to pass the exam and become a scholar next year."
The second oldest, Han Jinye, agreed with his elder sister: "I also believe that Dad will be able to pass the exam and become a scholar next year."
Han Jinxiu smiled with satisfaction, and then looked at the twins. The twins understood what their sister meant, and said in unison: "We also believe that Dad will be able to pass the exam next year."
Han Ze was both amused and confused. "Okay, since you have such confidence in Daddy, then Daddy should encourage himself and strive to pass the exam next year."