The night is dark.
When Zhao Dawang returned home from studying for the first time, people in the courtyard were all staring at him.
Old Man Zhao coughed: "Whatever you learned today, teach Erwang to learn it too."
Zhao Erwang had a sad face: "Grandpa, can I not learn? I don't like to read or do arithmetic..."
"If you don't want to learn, I don't want to teach you yet!" Zhao Dawang snorted, "Cousin Cheng is so amazing, he can do everything. I will definitely become as powerful as Cousin Cheng in the future."
"You kid, you must be taught." Old Man Zhao said sternly, "Erwang, if you don't study hard, don't call me grandpa in the future."
Zhao Erwang had a bitter look on his face, so he had no choice but to accept his fate and follow Zhao Dawang to learn how to read and learn the basic concepts of abacus.
Mr. Sun was sitting on the side, very unhappy.
The eldest son can read and write because his eldest sister-in-law has a great nephew.
The second wife can go and learn together because the old man and the old lady are partial.
They are all the grandchildren of the Zhao family, why can only Dawang and Erwang learn these things.
Sun said: "Since Erwang doesn't want to learn, don't force the child. Chunhua and Donghua are both smart. Let them learn together."
Old Mrs. Zhao said disapprovingly: "Two girls, whatever they want to learn, it will be of no use to them."
"Mother, you are right." Ms. Sun chuckled, "Isn't my sister-in-law doing business? If Chunhua and Donghua marry a businessman in the future, we will not be able to settle accounts. You must be able to read and write to keep accounts. , it’s not too late to learn now.”
Donghua twisted her body, not wanting to learn at all. She would rather be asked by grandma to dig wild vegetables.
However, under her mother's cold gaze, she could only speak against her heart: "Grandma, Grandpa, I want to learn."
Old Man Zhao exhaled a puff of smoke and waved his hand: "The four flowers of spring, summer, autumn and winter all learn from Dawang."
Mrs. Sun was dissatisfied again. The eldest family had four children studying, and her family only had two children. After all, it was their third family who suffered the loss.
The children were outside learning today's new knowledge. Mrs. Sun took her man back to the room and muttered: "I will definitely get pregnant this month. Zhao Youcai, please come here a few more times. You must have a son this time, otherwise you will always get pregnant." It's our family that suffers..."
Zhao Youcai usually didn't dislike his two daughters, but he also wanted a son in his heart. After all, his eldest brother and his second brother both had sons, but he was the only one who didn't have one. His mother had asked him to adopt one from his eldest brother and raise him. Ji Yan sternly refused. He was still young, and so was his mother-in-law, and it was not like she couldn't have children.
The two of them were working in the back room.
Studying is in full swing outside.
Zhao Dawang was teaching, and five younger brothers and sisters gathered around to listen together. Old man Zhao appeared to be smoking, but in fact he was listening carefully. Old Mrs. Zhao listened to it for a few times, and she understood that people are originally good-natured... and the family atmosphere was harmonious.
Dahe Village in the early morning is shrouded in hazy sunlight.
Cheng Wanwan got up in the morning to make food, and Wu Huiniang insisted on helping, so Cheng Wanwan held her down and sat by the stove to watch the fire.
At this time, people came into the yard one after another looking for her.
"Da Shan Niang, can you go to town and bring me thirty ducks back today?"
"My mother-in-law said that twenty ducks were missing yesterday, and she wants to get twenty more. Can Dashan Niang help?"
"My family also wants to buy some chickens and ducks to raise, as many as we want..."
Early in the morning, Cheng Wanwan received an order for four hundred ducks.
Dahe Village has a large population, close to 200 households, and a few hundred ducks is not that many at all.
Cheng Wanwan told Zhao Sidan before going out: "Catch more locusts and come back. Don't feed the chickens yet. Lock them up and raise them. I will use them when I come back."
Zhao Sidan licked his lips: "Mom, do you want to fry locusts for us to eat?"
"You're a snack foodie." Cheng Wanwan patted him on the head, "Most of the locusts in disaster years are poisonous, and it's hard to tell them apart. Chickens and ducks can eat them. It's best not to eat them."
She wanted Sidan to catch locusts for an experiment.
She has been reading books on agricultural locust control in the past few days, and she has gained some in-depth understanding of this aspect. She mainly studies the ingredients of pesticides. She wants to use ancient herbs to replace these ingredients, but she doesn’t know if it is feasible. But you will know after doing an experiment.
Zhao Da added a pallet cart behind the ox cart, with people sitting in the front and a wooden bucket of ice powder in the back.
The last stop of the delivery was Ping'an Town. Cheng Wanwan asked Zhao Ergou to buy some salt, while she walked to the alley and quietly bought four hundred ducks.
Fifty ducks were squeezed into one cage, a total of eight cages. She strung the cages together with a rope and prepared to drag them out of the alley, and then asked Zhao Dalai to help her carry the duck cages onto the oxcart.
When walking out of the alley, I passed the back door of a house.
"boom!"
The back door was suddenly knocked open from the inside.
A heavy object hit the door panel, breaking open the ajar back door.
Inside, there was a young boy and a woman in her twenties, who were facing each other coldly.
The young man pointed at the woman's nose and cursed: "If you dare to seduce my father again, I will smash your whole house to pieces!"
"Your father and I have a matchmaker. It's a legitimate relationship. How can we talk about seduction?" The woman's face turned livid with anger. "However, if I marry your father, I will have an unreasonable stepson like you. I can't bear it. You, get out of my house now!"
The young man frowned and said, "You swear you will never look for my father again. I will leave immediately."
The two of them looked at each other coldly, and the air was filled with smoke.
Cheng Wanwan didn't want to watch the excitement, so she quietly dragged the duck cage away from the place of right and wrong.
"Shen Zheng, what are you doing here?!"
A figure walked from the front door to the backyard, a familiar voice.
Cheng Wanwan looked over and saw that it was the county magistrate. She glanced at the young man and then at the magistrate, and she immediately understood.
She actually... broke into the magistrate's family affairs.
She quickly pulled the duck cage, trying to reduce her presence, but four hundred ducks were too capable of quacking.
Shen Zheng was arguing with the woman just now and didn't notice the sound outside. At this moment, the county magistrate suddenly appeared and the entire backyard fell silent.
"Quack!"
Just the quacking of ducks.
Cheng Wanwan smiled dryly and waved: "You guys go on, I, I'm passing by..."
She bent over and left quickly.
Magistrate Shen withdrew his gaze and stared at his son with an angry expression: "If you don't study hard in the academy, what are you doing here?"
"Dad, is she the woman you plan to marry back? I don't agree..."
In the yard, the father and son quarreled.
The woman's eyes were red: "My Lord County Magistrate, you and I have only met once. We have never discussed marriage. Master Shen humiliated me like this. How can I live as a woman..."
Magistrate Shen had a big headache. He came out to meet this woman under pressure from his mother. He didn't really want to get married. After his son made such a fuss, it seemed that he would have to marry back if he didn't marry. Fortunately, there was no one nearby at the moment. Man, no one saw me after making such a fuss, except...
Magistrate Shen lowered his attitude and said, "Don't worry, Madam Xu, no outsiders will know about this matter, and it will not affect your reputation."
Cheng Wanwan brought eight cages of ducks and just met Zhao Ergou when Magistrate Shen and his son walked over.
