Country people like to go to bed early, not to mention it is winter again.
Not long after dinner, the lights in every house were gradually extinguished.
Qi Yu's ancestral house is a traditional farmhouse structure, with a bright room in the middle, also called the main room, which is similar to the living room in later generations and can be used to receive guests, make offerings, etc. The rooms on both sides are called dark rooms and are sleeping quarters. The room to the east is occupied by the Zhou family, and the west room is the couple's room of Qi Yu and Liu Quan.
In addition, there is a side room in the west room, which is filled with old books and daily sundries. It is also the study room of the original owner.
After tidying up in the study for a while, Qi Yu yawned.
Where will you sleep tonight?
This is a question of either choice, either spend one night in the study, or go to the wife's place.
I always feel like a dove occupying a magpie's nest, well... that's not right, I am that dove now.
Looking at the window, Qi Yu struggled for a while, and finally said something outside the window that he read at night, and then slipped back to the study.
This was my first night in this world, and I was so nervous that I couldn't sleep.
During the day, my brother-in-law's sarcastic remarks kept ringing in my ears. He failed the scientific examinations many times, which had reached the level of being looked down upon.
If you want to change this situation, you can only work hard and show good results to the world.
The ancients said that scholars should have high aspirations and be down-to-earth in work, and this is indeed true.
Being poor cares themselves, being wealthy cares the world.
In this era when everything is inferior and only education is good, the imperial examination is the only way out for you, and you must go on unswervingly. Only those who are on the list are qualified to talk about ideals and ambitions.
Studying is not cost-free. In addition to hard work, it also requires continuous financial support. Pens, ink, paper and inkstones, classic books, everything costs money. This expense is quite high, and because of this, very few children from poor families go to school.
It is just a gimmick to inspire the world that a scholar comes from a poor family. It is very rare in reality.
If you want to take the imperial examination, you must have a stable financial source, otherwise it will be difficult to make ends meet. Therefore, the top priority is to find a job to make a living, not only to pay off debts, but also to survive.
Solving the problem of survival is urgent.
But, what can I do?
To put it bluntly, scholars are not as useless as the legend says.
During weddings and funerals, you can help write invitations, and if you encounter a lawsuit, you can also imitate a complaint to earn some writing tips. But this kind of good thing only happens a few times a year, and at most it can only be treated as a part-time job.
Apart from that, all that's left is to help people copy books.
Copying books is very popular in this era. But for printed books that are not available on the market, people will usually choose to have them copied, and readers are the best writers. It is said that some diligent old boys even regard copying books as a profession.
Fortunately, Qi Yu inherited the original owner's calligraphy. There is no problem in reading and writing traditional Chinese characters. There is indeed no problem in copying and writing. You can try it. As for the art I learned in my spare time in my previous life, I still don’t see any use for it.
To be realistic, copying books only requires some time, no capital is needed, and there is no threshold for entry into the industry.
The next morning, Liu Quan went to the embroidery workshop to pick up the work. As for my wife, Mrs. Zhou, after breakfast, she sat in the yard and slept in the sun to warm herself up.
Qi Yu drank a bowl of porridge with pickles, which could barely be called porridge, nibbled on another steamed bun and walked out of the courtyard.
Before leaving, he saw Mr. Zhou's sad face and gave him a few words of enlightenment. Then he said he would go out for a walk and come back later.
Following his memory, after several twists and turns, Qi Yu finally came to a bookstore in the town.
This store is called 'Luming Bookstore' and is the only bookstore in town. This name is cleverly chosen, as it means that those who buy books here will be able to pass high school exams and attend the legendary deer-crowing banquet in the future.
Bookstores in the countryside are not as formal as those in the city. In addition to selling books, they also undertake various miscellaneous tasks such as copying books, drawings, and couplets. However, this also established a special circle for local scholars.
The original owner had purchased books here before his death, and he knew the shopkeeper You in the store.
As soon as they entered the door, the old shopkeeper squeezed out a smile and said: "It turns out that Mr. Qi is here. Please sit down inside."
Also called Mr., shame on, shame on!
Qi Yu hurriedly cupped his hands and said, "Stop making fun of me, shopkeeper. I was the reason for the jokes in the past because of my ignorance. I don't dare to take the word sir seriously. You are an elder, so just call me by my name."
Shopkeeper You was quite surprised by Qi Yu's politeness, but he still suppressed his confusion and said, "Tea, please."
"You're welcome, old shopkeeper. I'm here this time to take over some leisure work of copying books. I wonder if there is anything suitable right now?"
"What? You want to copy books?"
"To tell you the truth, my family is about to run out of food, and I would like to find some money to supplement my family income."
Ah! Is this person really Qi Yu?
Since when did he think about supporting his family?
Shopkeeper You widened his eyes, and after confirming that he had read correctly, he praised: "Young Master can think like this, which is already a great improvement. Haha, there are not many customers recently, only a small job worth ten thousand words, if you don't If it’s too little, take it home and copy it.”
The title "Master" is much more pleasant to the ears than the title "Mr." just now.
"That's great. Thank you so much, Shopkeeper You." Qi Yu didn't dare to express his gratitude and hurriedly thanked him.
"If I remember correctly, this is your first time copying a book. I want to tell you a few more words about the remuneration. The price is thirty cents for one thousand words. This book has ten thousand words, and the remuneration is three hundred Wen." Shopkeeper You said seriously.
This is the market price and reasonable.
Neither of them had any objections, so they signed a simple small deed on the account book as a proof for future use.
Qi Yu received the original book and manuscript paper and was about to turn around and leave, when he glanced at another contract displayed on the bookshelf. Just now Shopkeeper You said there was only one book to copy. Why is there an extra book now?
"Oh, this is a book called "Hundred Family Surnames" for children's enlightenment. Everyone thinks it has too few words and is unwilling to accept it. It has been here for more than half a month." Shopkeeper You explained when he saw his confusion.
"There are only more than 500 characters for a hundred surnames. It doesn't take much effort to copy one copy. Why don't I just take the next step?" Qi Yu said.
No matter how small a mosquito is, it's still meat, and it costs more than ten cents.
"Master, are you willing to take over?"
"It's just a little effort."
Shopkeeper You smiled happily and looked at him with a more friendly look: "Haha, I can't let you suffer. Let's do this. I will pay you a thousand-character salary. Also, since the young master's family is living in poverty, Then I will pay you a hundred cents in advance as a deposit, which can be regarded as helping you."
"Thank you very much!"
In fact, it is the industry standard to pay a deposit in advance, and the so-called favor is just a good excuse.
But from Shopkeeper You's point of view, Qi Yu's move had other intentions. He had been silent about the deposit just now. On the surface, he seemed to be quite unconcerned, but in fact he was not. You know, he is a scholar. He was embarrassed to say it out loud because of his face. Taking the surname of Baijia later on was actually a metaphor that he didn't care. It was a very subtle expression.
Qi Yu smiled kindly and without criticizing, thanked him again and left.
When I got one hundred pennies, I felt comfortable all over when I touched it.
Haha, when you have money, first buy a pair of cotton gloves for my wife to wear to warm her hands; then buy her some rouge and gouache. Women all need maintenance...
Of course, we have to save some money, as the family is still in debt.
Thinking of the white porridge that was even thinner than the water used to wash the pot in the morning, Qi Yu couldn't help but feel sad and walked towards the market involuntarily.
By the time he left the town, the one hundred pennies he had with him had turned into fifty pennies.
When he got home, he plunged into the kitchen. First, there was the sound of chopping meat, and then a strong smell of meat wafted up.
Liu Quan was doing needlework in the house. When she heard the noise, she walked out, only to see him rolling up his sleeves and working in the kitchen, looking happy and happy.
He...actually cooked?
Didn’t he often say that a gentleman is far away from the kitchen? Why don't you even care about your identity today?
Just as he was stunned, he saw Mr. Zhou coming out with a blind stick and complaining to his wife: "He is a scholar, how can you let him enter the kitchen? If this spreads out, he will be laughed at to death. Yeah? If you were serious, wouldn’t you stop him?”
Her mother-in-law told her that her ears were burning. Liu Quan hurriedly washed her hands and went into the kitchen. As soon as she entered the door, she saw him raising his face and smiling, saying: "I received the manuscript for copying the book today, and the shopkeeper paid me one hundred cents in advance." After paying the deposit, I bought some meat and came back. This is the remaining money, you can keep it."
Hearing these words, Mrs. Zhou immediately trembled with excitement and said: "Oh! Ah Ma can actually make money, great! This book is not in vain, he can copy it to support his family. His father, look Is it here..." After regaining consciousness, she still complained: "Ah, it's cheaper to buy meat in the evening, you have to remember."
Liu Quan's head started to heat up after hearing this. Did he already have this family in mind? After calming down, he said, "I'll do the cooking."
Qi Yu put on a smile and said softly: "You guys pampered me in the past. Let me make a meal to thank you today. Neither you nor my mother will interfere. You have to be obedient!"
"Oh well."
laugh!
Oil smoke rose.
In this era, vegetable oil is still very expensive, so large oil is usually used for cooking.
But I don’t want to put in too much oil, because fat meat is more expensive than lean meat. If you rub the bottom of the pot and it doesn’t stick, it means there is oil and water.
However, Qi Yu turned out to be a prodigal this time, as evidenced by the smoke rising from the pot.
The food is delicious, which is Zhou's praise for his son's cooking skills.
Can dishes with meat not be fragrant?
After eating, Qi Yu handed a pair of cotton gloves into Zhou's hands: "It's cold, wear some gloves to prevent you from getting frostbite again."
Mrs. Zhou's eyes were moist and she sighed: "As I've grown up, I know I feel sorry for my mother."
Then, Qi Yu pulled Liu Quan aside, shyly thrust a rouge box into her hand, and said quietly: "This color seems a bit thicker, I don't know if you like it..."
This not only made her feel sorry for her mother, but also her daughter-in-law, who had been neglecting her, became interested in her.
Could it be...that he was really possessed by a water ghost?
Whatever, whatever! Even if it is a water ghost, it is better than before.
Liu Quan looked at his sincere eyes, hummed softly, and couldn't help but look under the bed. You know, there is also a sharp knife used by gelding animals that has been sharpened many times...
