As for Lin Sanzhu, he was filled with pride when he saw his son sitting at the same table with the clan leaders.
His dog is so awesome. As a father, he is already in his thirties, but he has never sat at the same table with the clan leader. However, his precious dog, only nine years old, has been with the clan leader. , the clan elders are on an equal footing.
When it was almost time to apply, several clan elders returned home with the help of their juniors.
Seeing that the clan leader and clan elders had all left, Wu closed the courtyard door, and then the whole family gathered in the main room. They all looked beaming and smiling, as if they were mice who had stolen oil.
Lin Sanzhu, whose excitement had not yet subsided, thought of the benefits of being a scholar and couldn't help but said, "Father, mother, our family's six acres of paddy fields will no longer have to pay land tax in the future."
Yes, yes, yes, Lao Lintou, Wu, and everyone else in the room, including Chun Cao and Chun Yan, nodded happily.
Lin Yuanqiu quickly thought about the tax-free field. According to Dajing's law, anyone who passes the exam as a scholar can be exempted from land tax on the forty acres of land under their name.
My family only has six acres of paddy field, plus my sister-in-law’s four acres, the total is only ten acres. The remaining thirty acres of paddy field are tax-free.
Obviously, Lao Lintou and Lin Dazhu have also thought about this problem. Even if their families want to buy land, they will definitely not be able to buy so much. So how should they arrange the remaining tax-free acres?
Several people involuntarily looked over to Lin Yuanqiu, wanting to hear what he meant.
Lin Yuanqiu had already made up his mind, so he said, "Sir, let's go to the aunt's and second aunt's houses first to see if they have any plans to add paddy fields to our house."
Yes! There are also the houses of the eldest daughter and the second daughter. Old Lintou hurriedly ordered Lin Dazhu and Lin Erzhu to go to Dani Erni's house tomorrow.
Wu also nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, you two will go there tomorrow morning."
If it weren't for the fact that it was almost midnight, Mrs. Wu would have wished that the eldest and second son would go to their two girls' homes right now.
Thinking that Dani and Erni would not have to pay land tax, and they would be able to produce a lot more food every year, Mrs. Wu was filled with smiles.
It's great to be exempted from land tax if you are admitted as a scholar!
What Wu didn't know was that the benefits of becoming a scholar were more than just that.
No, on the second day, just as the family was preparing to go to the fields, horse-drawn carriages carrying gifts came over.
Although Hengxi Town is not big, there are many landlords and members. Therefore, after learning that another person in their town had passed the exam, they asked their housekeeper to send congratulatory gifts as usual.
The same was true when Lin Youzhi was admitted as a scholar, but this time there were many more people sending congratulatory gifts.
The reason is obvious. This is a nine-year-old scholar with a bright future. It is very possible that he will be admitted to the Juren Jinshi in the future, so if we don't establish a good relationship now, it will be worse.
…
Chapter 71 Gifts
Seeing so many carriages heading towards Lin Dagui's house in the west end of the village, the villagers seemed to have seen again the time four years ago when Lin Youzhi passed the scholar examination.
At that time, many wealthy families in the town came to send gifts, and within a month, Lin Youzhi's family moved to the town. As for the house I lived in, I heard it was given to me by a member of my family.
Therefore, Lin Dagui's family was about to move to the town without any hesitation.
Several women who were chatting saw Qin quickly walking towards the west end of the village. They grabbed her and couldn't help but said:
"Oh, I'm talking about Shilin's wife, your natal nephew will really find your daughter's in-laws. Look, look at this situation. When your natal niece gets married, maybe the wedding room will be set up directly. In the new house in town."
Another aunt with a square face also said, "Isn't that right? If your grandniece is really lucky, then her life in the town is almost the same as that of a young lady from a landlord's family."
Qin smiled and said nothing. She knew the people in front of her. Even though they looked like they had honey on their lips at the moment, when she turned around, they might scold them in a weird way.
Obviously, Qin's guess was quite accurate. No, after she walked away, the women said with unconvinced faces:
"Hmph, what an air of arrogance. Now her niece and granddaughter haven't even gotten married yet. Boiled ducks can fly, let alone getting married."
"That is, wait until her grand-niece is annulled and see how majestic she will be!"
In the eyes of several women, now that the noble family is prosperous, it is not normal for their grandson to have a better marriage.
And there are many people in the village who have the same idea. If Mrs. Wu knew about it, she would definitely not be able to help but curse them for overthinking. Her family cannot do such immoral things!
…
Although he was not mentally prepared for these people who suddenly came to deliver congratulatory gifts, Old Lintou was not a fool either, and there was also a clear-minded Lin Sanzhu.
So, the father and son went to the house to discuss for a while, and then decided on the rules for receiving congratulatory gifts, that is, fields and houses, as well as congratulatory gifts of more than ten taels of silver were all declined.
Upon hearing this, the housekeepers who had the land deeds, house deeds, and large bags of money became a little anxious. Their master had said that this gift must be sent to them. Several people wondered whether it was the scholar's family who was pretending to refuse. After all, this was the land and money that came to their door. There was no reason not to want it.
With this in mind, several people hurriedly handed over the congratulatory gifts. Seeing this, Lao Lintou and Lin Sanzhu declined again.
After several back and forths, the housekeepers finally believed that the scholar's family really didn't want to accept heavy gifts. In the end, everyone had to give up, get on the carriage and go back to resume their lives.
As for Old Lintou, Lin Sanzhu, and Wu, they couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief after politely sending the person away.
Especially Wu, she really didn't expect that one day she would be chased and given gifts.
To be honest, when the old man and his third son forcibly returned the house, money, and land deeds to others, Mrs. Wu felt extremely reluctant to part with them.
God, this is a house in town! There are still a lot of paddy fields. If they were harvested all, their family would be rich.
But Wu knew that it was definitely right not to accept it. As the old man said, Yuanqiu might have a great future, but we can't be so short-sighted.
The villagers who gathered outside the courtyard gate to watch the excitement were all shocked when they saw what Lao Lintou's family was doing.
I'm afraid this family is not stupid. There is no reason to extrapolate the money sent to the door. They don't want so many good things. What a scholar who worked so hard and failed in the exam!
Oops, I've lost money, I've lost money now.
The chattering villagers returned to the fields and began to cut rice. However, almost an hour later, they saw many carriages clattering from the village road to the west of the village.
Is this someone coming to give you gifts again?
Let's go and have a look!
So everyone hurriedly put their sickles away from their belts, then hurried up to the field ridge, and rushed towards Lao Lintou's house like flying one by one.
Anyway, it won't rain for a while that day, so I'd better wait until I've finished watching the fun before harvesting food.
It can be said that in the entire small mountain village, Lin Jincai's family is probably the only one who can squat in the fields to collect food.
No, those few day laborers should be the only ones who really work hard to collect food.
As for Lin Jincai and the others, they felt unspeakably uncomfortable as they watched the carriages going to the second house. How could they feel at ease?
When the villagers arrived, the cloth, cakes, tea and other things on the carriages were already being unloaded.
It turned out that after the housekeepers told the scholar that the family did not accept heavy gifts, the master immediately changed the gifts to lighter ones.
Some people who felt that they really couldn't get rid of the ten taels of silver simply exchanged them for items of equal value, such as cloth and satin, cakes and snacks, silk flower jewelry, pens, inks, paper and inkstones.
Then tie it up one by one with red silk, which looks a lot more respectable.
Old Lintou and Lin Sanzhu didn't have the nerve to refuse. This was their second trip. If they didn't accept it, they would look a bit pretentious.
Therefore, after seven or eight housekeepers left in the carriage, the two tables in the main room and the Kang in the east room were already piled full of things.
Women are naturally irresistible to fabrics. Therefore, after seeing the brightly colored materials, the women in the family, whether it was the seven-year-old sisters Chunyan and Chuncao, or the three sisters-in-law of the Zhou family, Everyone has a bright smile.
Especially Mrs. Wu, thinking that with so much fabric, not only making new clothes for everyone in the family, but also the future dowries of her granddaughters, she wouldn’t have to worry about it.
Lin Yuanqiu, who was having dinner with his uncle at his aunt's house, had no idea that the family had received many gifts.
Maybe it was because I had been immersed in studying for several years and wanted to let myself go after being admitted as a scholar. After knowing that his eldest uncle was a good bamboo craftsman, Lin Yuanqiu wanted him to make a bamboo shrimp pot for himself.
When he was a child in his previous life, when he was at his grandfather's house, Lin Yuanqiu used this bamboo cage to catch a lot of fish and shrimp. Thinking of the taste of coating it in flour and frying it, he couldn't wait to try it.
There is a small stream more than one foot wide in Xiaogaoshan Village, not far from the mountain where he lives. Lin Yuanqiu plans to try to catch it when the time comes.
After all, he was a bamboo craftsman. After listening to Lin Yuanqiu's description, Uncle Lin quickly made the shrimp pot. The bottom of the cylinder of the shrimp pot was separated by a funnel-shaped bamboo curtain. After small fish and shrimps swim in, it is almost impossible to come out.
Ever since she found out that her nephew had passed the scholar examination and came here today to discuss the exemption of land tax, Lin Dani's tears had not stopped.
I thought about how my nephew's parents-in-law had treated her very differently since she passed the Tongsheng Examination, and her sisters-in-law were no longer like before, making all kinds of jokes about her parents' poverty.
But now, my nephew has been admitted as a scholar, and she is also allowed to enjoy the benefit of being exempted from land tax. I am a daughter who has been married to a foreigner for more than ten years, but I didn't expect that my mother-in-law still thinks of her. How can I not be moved by Lin Dani.
Of course Uncle Lin agreed to put the paddy field at home in the name of the Yue family. This would save a lot of food, and no one else could ask for it.
Unlike Uncle Lin, who has separated from his brothers, Second Aunt Lin, who was married in Sixia Village, still lives with her parents-in-law. However, the Zhou family only has one son, Uncle Lin, so there is no need to separate the family.
After hearing Lin Erzhu talk about land tax exemption, Lin Ergu's parents-in-law didn't think much and quickly nodded in agreement.
Only a fool would refuse to agree to such a good thing that cannot be found even with a lantern.
Also, their family has accumulated great virtues and married such a good daughter-in-law. They don't talk about running the house on weekdays. No, when good things happen to the in-laws, they still think about them.
…
When Lin Dazhu and Lin Erzhu returned home, they were stunned by the abundant gifts in front of them.
Lin Yuanqiu was also surprised. He didn't expect that so many people would come home to send congratulatory gifts after he had only been out for half a day.
At this moment, Lin Yuanqiu finally realized deeply the qualitative leap that ordinary people make after becoming a scholar.
Seeing his son's surprised look, Lin Sanzhu handed him the gift booklet that Lin Yuanfeng had remembered, "These are all sent after I declined. You don't know, originally they sent houses, fields and so on." , your father and I declined them all."
Lin Yuanqiu opened the book and saw the cashier numbers recorded on the first page. There were five taels and six taels, among which the one with ten taels was the most. He looked at the final calculated total of one hundred and twenty-six taels of silver.
And for things like cloth, silk and satin, a total of three pages were written down. Thinking about it, the value of these things will never be less than a hundred taels of silver.
If you add it all up, there will be two or three hundred taels of silver.
Lin Yuanqiu thought to himself that if he had not refused those heavy gifts, the total amount of money would have been doubled several times.
To be honest, Lin Yuanqiu was quite surprised by his father and his grandfather's decision not to accept heavy gifts.
You must know that his family is not a wealthy family. Faced with such a huge temptation, his ability to not be greedy or greedy is beyond his expectation.
Therefore, when they were in private, Lin Yuanqiu couldn't help but ask about the doubts in his heart.
Lin Sanzhu rolled his eyes and said, "I think your father is stupid. You will have to take the imperial examination in the future."
If their family accepts these heavy gifts today, and their dog is lucky enough to pass the imperial examination or become a Jinshi in the future, then envious people will talk about his family taking over the house and land, wouldn't it affect the dog's future?
From Lin Sanzhu's point of view, the reason why Lin Youzhi accepted him before was because he was no longer prepared to take the exam, which was completely different from his family's situation, okay?
Besides, Lin Youzhi lives in Hengxi Town, and those who give gifts will definitely cause trouble to him in the future, so Lin Youzhi will accept the house and fields with peace of mind.
What Lao Lintou and Lin Sanzhu didn't expect was that because they did not accept heavy gifts, the wealthy families in the town had a good impression of their family. Originally, they thought that because they were from peasant families and finally had the opportunity to live a prosperous life, they must have thought that the more money they had delivered to their door, the better. But unexpectedly, they were unwilling to accept it at all.
Those with smarter minds immediately understood the intention of doing this, which was to build a good reputation for the scholar.
From this point of view, the young scholar will definitely continue to take the entrance examination in the future. Then thinking about Lin Yuanqiu's second place in the house examination and tenth place in the college examination, an idea quickly arose in their minds.
