Zhou Shuren let go of Zhulan, "You take a rest first, I'll ask Mingteng to run errands."
Zhulan was indeed tired, as she had been thinking all day. She waited for Zhou Shuren to go out, change clothes, and then lie down on the kang to rest.
When dinner was ready, Zhulan heard her granddaughter calling her to eat, and she realized that she had slept for more than an hour. Her granddaughter Jiang Miao was not very big, and she held the edge of the kang with both hands and said in a baby voice, "Grandma, it's time to eat."
Zhulan sat up and touched her granddaughter's bald head. This girl had bad hair and she shaved it every once in a while, unlike her older granddaughters who had long hair since childhood. The little girl didn't like being touched and shook her head. Zhulan smiled, withdrew her hand and put on her shoes.
Xuemei bent down and picked up her daughter. "Mom, this girl has come in several times. She saw that you were sleeping all the time, and she was always angry with me because I didn't let her speak. Now she can finally speak this time. Look how happy she is."
Jiang Miao pouted, "Mom is wrong, grandma is not mom, she is grandma."
Zhulan looked at the little girl who was seriously pointing out the wrong thing and laughed out loud, "Miaomiao is right, grandma is grandma."
The little girl was proud and acted like a fool.
Xuemei was speechless, "Mom, we shouldn't have listened to her."
Zhu Lan waved her hand. "You won't understand how old she is. Let's go eat. By the way, how long have you been here?"
Xuemei waited until her mother walked ahead before she followed, "We got here just as mother went to bed."
I feel excited when I think about mom and dad going to the county magistrate's house today. I didn't expect dad to be so capable!
No special meal was prepared for the evening. Xuemei and her husband lived closer to home now, and she was no longer a married woman who could only come home once in a while to have a meal. It would be inappropriate to prepare a special meal for her.
Besides, the food at Zhulan’s house is not shabby, and every meal is delicious.
After the meal, Xuemei wanted to ask her mother about her visit to the county magistrate's house, but her father looked at her and she understood. He felt sorry for her mother being tired, so he helped clear the table and went home quickly.
Zhulan went back to the room, and Zhou Shuren followed in. Zhulan asked, "Can you tell me now?"
Zhou Shuren took off his shoes and lay down on the kang. He was the most tired and had not rested for a whole day. "It's not the beginning of summer, it's going to be a rainy season. We are next to the river. This year, the county ordered to repair the dam. Many people are needed. The county magistrate thought Jiang Sheng was quite good and told me that Jiang Sheng would help keep records, and he would be paid one tael of silver a month, with three meals a day, and he would work until autumn."
Zhulan was pleasantly surprised, "This is great news!"
Although his studies were delayed, Zhou Shuren told me that Jiang Sheng had a solid foundation. Now he is free from the psychological pressure from the Jiang family. As long as he can stay stable next year and his luck is not too bad, he will have no problem passing the examination to become a scholar. So he is not afraid of wasting time. On the contrary, making money is what is important.
The eldest daughter and her husband have a lot of expenses every month. They don't have any land, so they have to buy food every month and pay rent. Jiang Sheng sometimes also invites people to dinner or something. It's really hard to save much money with five hundred coins a month.
Thinking about it this way, the eldest daughter's family is really poor. After Jiang Sheng passes the exam to become a scholar, they will have to prepare for the imperial examination. The grandson is grown up and also needs to start school, which will cost another amount of money. Zhulan sighed. If the eldest daughter's family wants to have more money, they have to wait until Jiang Sheng passes the exam to become a juren, but it will take who knows how many years.
Zhou Shuren heard Zhulan sigh, "Why are you so worried?"
Zhulan calculated the accounts and said, "I am worried that Xuemei has no family background. She doesn't have an acre of land, but only a house. However, she has a lot of expenses every month."
Zhou Shuren was silent for a while. "We will move to Pingzhou next year and let Xuemei and her husband live with the children. They will help look after the house and land. We will provide a year's worth of food as compensation for looking after the land and house. This is the last thing we, as parents, can do for them."
In the future, apart from studying, he will no longer help Jiang Sheng. Supporting the family is Jiang Sheng's own responsibility, and putting pressure on Jiang Sheng will give him motivation.
Zhulan spread the quilt and said, "Okay."