After the banquet, Shen Huali invited Baiyou and Li Dazhong to stay at his home, but his house was really small. Baiyou and Li Dazhong brought the coachman, maid, and cook with them, so Baiyou and Li Dazhong went to stay in an inn.
In the evening, after washing up, Li Qiao and Tao Zhu did not conduct prenatal education for the baby in their belly as usual, but read letters from home.
Even with the help of the Han family's caravan, it would take several months to communicate with each other. Li Qiao now understood the power of the words "a letter from home is worth ten thousand gold."
Ever since he left Sanliu Village, he would think of the people and things in Sanliu Village from time to time.
care.
This kind of emotion that he had never experienced in his previous life, he finally felt it in this life.
Tao Zhu and Li Qiao leaned on the soft quilt and read letters from home together. Although there were many literate people in the family, this letter was written by Li Yuning and Li Yuan.
"Yes, the handwriting of the siblings has improved again."
Li Qiao stared at the delicate and smart hairpin flowers on the paper, praising them and sighing at the same time.
Ancient people are ancient people, and they are much better at practicing calligraphy than modern people like him.
"Yes." Tao Zhu couldn't help but praise, but after he praised her, he immediately shouted happily: "Ah, Chuntao is pregnant."
Li Qiao took a closer look, but no, Li Chuntao was pregnant. She was pregnant when they were still in Sanliu Village, but it was not diagnosed until they set out for the capital. Counting now, it has been more than six months.
"Then let's prepare one more thing for the baby and let the Han family's caravan carry it back together."
Tao Zhu said happily.
"Okay." Li Qiao nodded. He and Tao Zhu had already bought a bunch of gifts and were waiting for the Han family's caravan to return to Beijing.
However, this gift needs another gift.
"This year's sweet potato harvest will be bumper, and the money we received will be more than last year." Tao Zhu continued to look at it for a while and couldn't help but laugh again.
The Yongxing County-Tongli County model was very successful last year, so this year the five counties in Hexi Prefecture will cooperate with other bordering counties. In this way, the income from vermicelli noodles that the couple can share will naturally increase.
However, because the prefect wanted to keep the recipe for vermicelli, he did not allow starch production in counties outside Hexi Prefecture. Farmers in these counties wanted to make money from vermicelli and had to transport sweet potatoes to the five counties of Hexi Prefecture.
In this way, because the manpower in the five counties of Hexi Prefecture is limited, it is impossible for the counties bordering the five counties of Hexi Prefecture to sell all their sweet potatoes to the five counties.
Therefore, even if their husband's income will increase, the increase will be limited. According to Li Gu Liliang's prediction, the amount of money they can receive this year will be between 270,000 and 300,000 taels. between.
This is calculated after tax.
Last year there were only 220,000 taels, but this year it suddenly increased to nearly 300,000 taels. How could Tao Zhu be unhappy?
"Before we set off to Shengjing to take the exam, we had 300,000 taels in cash. Counting the 220,000 taels from last year's vermicelli income, that's 500,000 taels."
"If we add this year's nearly 300,000 taels, we will be real millionaires by the Chinese New Year next year."
For example, he and Li Qiao didn't put the income from Wangyue Tower, duck goods workshop, dim sum shop, royal dim sum shop, and Qiuli paste into their savings. They regarded it as daily household money.
Although this amount of money may be large, his family's expenses are really large. They use this money to buy land and house, pay wages, daily expenses, etc.
So, if you want to be a real millionaire, you have to wait until next year.
However, I am so happy!
This year, there are almost 800,000 taels of silver in savings!
The smile on Tao Zhu's face grew bigger and bigger as he thought about it. He turned to look at Li Qiao. Looking at Li Qiao's handsome face so close to him, he couldn't help but put down the letter in his hand, held Li Qiao's face in his hands and kissed her heavily. Go down.
happy!
Li Qiao was naturally happy. He held Tao Zhu's waist with both hands and deepened the kiss. When the kiss ended, the two of them had changed from leaning on the quilt to lying on the kang.
However, because Tao Zhu is already five months pregnant and obviously pregnant, the two of them kiss while lying down in a single posture. Most of the time, Tao Zhu lies on his back and Li Qiao lies on her stomach, carefully avoiding his belly.
Tao Zhu's cheeks were flushed. To prevent things from getting out of hand, Tao Zhu reached for the letter paper again.
What remains on the letter paper are daily trivial matters.
For example, the watermelons sold well this year. Li Gu bought another hundred acres of high-quality farmland in other towns. Li Dong—Li Xia’s younger brother, Li Chun’s son, is two years younger than Li Xia. He is fifteen this year and is about to Engaged.
The other party was from Dahe Village, and was the matchmaker made by Wang Guihua. Although the girl was from the countryside, she was very beautiful, with fair skin and big eyes. Li Dong fell in love with her at first sight.
What's more important is that the little girl is also hard-working and can do any work in the family fields.
However, Li Chunsheng felt that Li Dong was still young and his temper had not yet been settled, and he wanted Li Dong to take it easy.
Father and son have quarreled several times over this matter.
However, Li Chunsheng's attitude has relaxed recently, so Li Shu estimates that the marriage will probably be finalized.
"Since it was introduced by my sister-in-law, my character must be up to standard. The rest is up to Li Dong. He can just like him."
Li Qiao said.
"Hmm... maybe Brother Chunsheng feels that the gap between Xiaodong and Brother Xia is too big."
Tao Zhu guessed.
When Li Xia came to Shengjing with him and Li Qiao, Li Xia wanted to stay with them and stay in Shengjing for the rest of his life.
Although he and Li Qiao don't have any family backgrounds, they won't find a farm boy for Li Xia, because he and Li Qiao have almost no contact with farm boys now.
Even though there is a field now, it is too far away for him and Li Qiao to go there often.
But now that Li Dong has found a farm girl, Li Chunsheng feels a gap in his heart. This is normal.
"There are still too few people in our family. If Li Dong finds a girl from the county town or a girl from an official family, will this girl's family move to Sanliu Village as a whole like the Zhang family? Probably not."
"I think this is pretty good. As a boy, if you marry a senior citizen, there will be a lot of inconveniences. Just look at the three uncles and three aunts. Before, they were so powerful in front of us that they wished they could go to heaven. But in front of Baiyou, They are all docile little sheep.”
"If Li Dong really marries this little girl, then the little girl's family can come to work in our house. If Li Dong wants to come to the capital in the future, he can just bring his wife over."
"You already have me as the number one scholar, so are you still worried that you won't have a good future in the future?"
Li Qiao flicked the letter paper in Tao Zhu's hand as he spoke. Brother Chunsheng's ideas were a bit old-fashioned.
Tao Zhu was amused by Li Qiao's last sentence about the number one scholar, but he agreed with it: "Actually, it's not bad to stay in Sanliu Village all the time. Sanliu Village always has to retain people, and the wages are higher than here in Shengjing." high."
"Yes, Dashan and Brother Qian only have thirty taels of silver a month." Li Qiao hummed.
Li Qiao felt that the people from the Li family who stayed in Sanliu Village were looking after his and Tao Zhu's homes. These people could not come to Shengjing to experience the bustling city of Dasheng. This was true hard work and merit. In order to compensate these people, he Everyone's salary has been raised a lot.
Li Gu, for example, originally earned eight taels of silver a month. Counting the red envelopes received during festivals, his annual income was about three hundred taels——
If you give me too much, Li Gu won't want it.
But now, because Li Ershan came to Shengjing and could no longer be Li Gu's assistant, this job was taken over by Li Chunsheng and his wife.
Li Qiao raised their wages to fifty taels a month, and at the end of each year they received a 20% share of the income from his family's fields.
There are also Li Chuntao and Li Shu. Their wages are also mentioned at forty taels a month, and each of them can get 5% of the dim sum shop's monthly share.
Over at the duck shop, Zhou Jingui and Li Ping are in charge. They both also have forty taels a month, and each of them can get one percent of the duck shop's monthly share.
In addition, in the month when there is a festival, there is an additional twenty taels of silver for the festival fee. This number will double during the Chinese New Year.
As for Li Liang and Wang Guihua, they have been making maltose to supply snacks, and they are also in charge of the fields. Li Gu and Li Chunsheng can't manage it at all.
Therefore, Li Qiao paid the couple a very high salary, eighty taels per month for each person, and at the end of the year they could also receive a 20% share of his family's farm income.
The wages of the remaining people have also increased a lot, which is a huge improvement compared to before.
It was very common in ancient times for me to be an official in another place and have to let my family take care of my ancestral property.
Because the mountains are high and the roads are far away, you may not be able to return to your hometown for half your life. Therefore, it is common for family members to secretly leave their belongings.
The first generation may still have some conscience and not do such things very much, but by the second and third generations, they have almost no scruples when it comes to greed.
Li Qiao trusted and was grateful to his family. It was because of these people that he and Tao Zhu could concentrate on preparing for the imperial examination.
Therefore, he doesn't mind spending his money on his family.
But, the first and second generations of my family are reliable, but what about the third generation?
His idea is similar to Sheng Hong's. He will first provide for his family with high wages, and if there is anything in the future, he won't have to worry about handling it.
Therefore, Li Qiao really felt that it would be good for Li Dong to stay in Sanliu Village.
Li Dong was young and worked as an assistant to several foremen in charge of the fields, earning twenty taels of silver a month.
Although this is not as good as Li Xia's thirty taels, it is not bad either.
Anyway, as long as he, the champion uncle, is here, Li Dong will have a way out no matter what choice he makes. Now it's up to him.
But, after all, this is the matter between Li Chunsheng and Li Dong, so Li Qiao doesn't intend to interfere.
Then I read the letter, which was about the situation in Zhujia Village, Sanliu Village, including the surrounding villages and counties. With Li Qiao becoming the top student in high school, more people went to Pingcheng and Sanliu Village to buy vermicelli.
There are more people from out of town visiting. Pingcheng’s land prices and all walks of life are developing very well, including Sanliu Village. Many people want to go and settle in Sanliu Village.
He was the top scholar in high school and the Jinshi in Zhuangwen High School. Two officials from the capital came out of a small village, and many people wanted to live here to feel happy.
But Zhuang Fengshou refused all such requests. The people in Sanliu Village wanted to make vermicelli. If outsiders came to live here, what would happen if the recipe was lost?
Moreover, the joy of Li Qiao and Zhuang Wen is of course reserved for the people in their own village. Most of the boys studying in private schools in Sanliu Village are very serious now.
What if another Jinshi appears here?
If this doesn't work, it's worth being happy to be a scholar.
"The village chief is far-sighted and should not allow outsiders to live in the village," Li Qiao said.
"Yeah! The village chief is reliable!"
Tao Zhu nodded heavily.
The two people put their heads against each other and quickly read the letter to the end. When they saw the content of the last paragraph, they both frowned in unison.
Because the content of this paragraph is that Tao Tao and Lai Dongmei went to their house to give advice to Li Shu, Li Liang Wang Guihua. The two said that taking care of Tao Shu, Tao Laohan, Tao Laotao and the three of them were too hard, and asked Li Qiao to give them wages.
When Li Qiao asked Tao Tao's family to take care of Tao Shu, Tao old man and Tao old lady, he did not pay Tao Tao's family any wages.
There was no food money for Tao Shu and the other three.
However, before leaving Sanliu Village this year, because he was going to become an official, Li Qiao was afraid of being caught in pigtails, so he gave Tao Tao's family fifty taels of silver every month as food expenses for Tao Shu and the others.
As for the wages of Tao Tao's family, they still don't have any.
Li Qiao would not give them wages if he had bullied Tao Zhu.
As for Lai Dongmei, Li Qiao and Tao Zhu ignored her at all. If they wanted to reconcile, they would reconcile with Tao Shu. If they didn't want to reconcile, then he and Tao Zhu would not give Lai Dongmei a morsel of food or a penny.
But Lai Dongmei never ran away. Instead, she and Tao Tao's family took care of Tao Shu, old man Tao, and old lady Tao.
