So, just one day later, matchmakers came to her door one after another. Without exception, they all came to arrange marriage for Chunmei.
The marriage partners were all from the town, including landlord Zhang's youngest son, Yuan Lu's eldest grandson, and the owner of Zhou Ji Buzhuang, etc.
Much better than the ones I talked about before. Mrs. Zhou had never thought that her daughter could marry into such a good family, so she was a little hesitant for a moment.
Thinking of what her nephew had said before, Mrs. Zhou told Chunmei about the situation of these families.
My daughter is now sixteen, so she should be able to come up with a good idea for herself.
…
The grain in the fields will be harvested soon. According to the past, after drying, the field tax will be paid. Therefore, the family must make arrangements for land tax exemption as soon as possible.
Lao Lintou lay on the kang and did the calculations. His family had six acres of paddy field, his eldest granddaughter-in-law had four acres of dowry land, Dani's family had six acres, and Erni's family had eight acres. The total total was twenty-four acres, and there were still sixteen acres more. share.
Thinking of his grandson's words about leaving the remaining four acres for the family and leaving the rest to the clan, Old Lintou couldn't help but nodded. It was a good idea. He would discuss it with his clan uncle tomorrow.
Wu said, "Do you think my elder brother and sister-in-law are also thinking about this?"
Old Lintou was extremely certain, "No."
If he wanted to avoid the land tax, he would have to transfer the paddy fields to his family. How could his elder brother feel free to do this? Otherwise, the fields would be swallowed up by his own family.
It has to be said that Old Lintou knew his eldest brother very well. Lin Jincai really thought this way. He originally occupied most of the paddy fields when the family was separated, which made his second brother dissatisfied.
If he took advantage of the reason of being attached to the fields and directly swallowed up his family's paddy fields, then the world would be in trouble and the earth and the earth would be ineffective. After all, the second brother's grandson is now a scholar, regardless of the clan uncle and the others. A few of them, all they have to do is hang around people every day.
Therefore, no matter how hard he died, he would not put his family's fields under his second brother's name.
…
While the Gao family came over to congratulate them, Lin Sanzhu and Lin Yuanqiu followed the returning carriage to the town.
The father and son were planning to send invitations to Master Zhou and Lin Youzhi.
After passing the examination as a scholar, it was natural to celebrate. After the busy farming season was over, Lao Lintou prepared to invite him to a banquet.
Originally, the banquet was planned to be placed at home, but after the clan leader and several clan elders found out, they directly gave the idea of placing it in the ancestral hall. He also said that this was a major event for the Lin family, and that all the women in the clan would be asked to come over to help. It must be done in a dignified manner.
When I heard that the banquet was held in the ancestral hall, Old Lintou's voice was trembling when he spoke.
This is the place where the ancestors lived, and his little grandson is really proud of the family.
…
After arriving at Zhou Xiucai's house, Lin Yuanqiu found out that his wife had just returned from visiting friends in other counties.
No, Zhou Xiucai probably ended his trip early and hurried back after learning that his student had passed the examination.
Lin Yuanqiu held up his hands and made a respectful student salute to Zhou Xiucai, "Thank you, Master, for your sincere teachings to the students!"
Zhou Xiucai was a little tearful. He really didn't expect that he could teach a scholar in his lifetime, and he was still a junior.
So one can imagine the excitement in my heart right now.
Zhou Zixu on the side couldn't hold it back anymore, "Brother Lin, I haven't seen you for more than ten days, why are you acting like this?"
How much sun has this been?
What are boys afraid of when they get tanned? Lin Yuanqiu didn't care. He clapped his fingers and told Zhou Zixu one by one what he had done since his field break.
"I picked up rice ears for a few days, helped turn and dry the rice, and went to the stream to catch fish and shrimp twice. By the way, after washing the fish and shrimp, I wrapped them in eggs and flour, and then fried them in a pan. , the crunchy and fragrant taste is so delicious.”
Zhou Zixu took a sip and said, "Brother Lin, how about I follow you to your house later?"
He also wanted to catch fish and shrimps and eat them.
Lin Yuanqiu definitely had no objection. Although he and his father were going to the county town to apply for scholar documents tomorrow, there were still third and fourth brothers at home. It would be the same for them to accompany Zhou Zixu then.
After seeing his uncle and father nodding in agreement, Zhou Zixu ran to pack a change of clothes.
After a while, he came out carrying a big baggage.
Looking at the bundle as big as a wooden basin, Lin Yuanqiu was simply shocked. Did Brother Zhou bring all the winter cotton-padded jackets?
By the way, the one who understands his son is naturally his father.
Seeing his son's smiling eyes and the baggage hanging straight down, Zhou Xing was sure that at least half of the baggage was filled with toys.
Forget it, he has been stuck at home for so long, and school will start again in a few days, so let him relax.
…
Chapter 72 Banquet
Seeing that Lin Yuanqiu had brought his classmate back, and the child was Master Zhou's great-nephew, the family naturally welcomed him warmly.
At dinner, Zhou Zixu felt such a family atmosphere for the first time.
Unlike his own family, the Lin family's meal was obviously much more relaxed. No, a few adults would chat from time to time, talking about how the grain harvest was this year and how much better it was compared to last year.
I saw Grandpa Lin holding a large bowl of rice and eating it neatly and crisply. Zhou Zixu suddenly realized that he seemed to know why his grandparents were not eating well.
It's not because I'm older and have a smaller appetite. It must be because the atmosphere at the dinner table is too stuffy.
Isn't it just boring? As soon as you hold the bowl, your mouth can only be used for eating. If you say a word, you will definitely be scolded.
And when eating and chewing vegetables, you must make no sound, otherwise you will be scolded for being unruly.
Zhou Zixu felt that under such circumstances, no matter how delicious the food was, it would definitely not taste as good as it was.
Looking at Brother Lin and the others, although they did not eat in silence while eating, they followed all the other rules that should be followed. There was no one who smacked his lips, no one who turned the dishes, and they drank the soup softly and elegantly.
It’s great if you can do this.
Zhou Zixu decided that when he returned, he would have a good talk with his grandparents. We are all a family, why do we have to work so hard just to have a meal?
Lin Yuanqiu didn't know that he, his roommate and classmate, had the idea of going back to persuade his grandparents to change their rules after having a meal at his house.
At this time, Lin Yuanqiu was talking to his third brother and fourth brother that he was going to the county town tomorrow and asked them to help take care of Zhou Zixu.
Lin Yuanhuai nodded after hearing this, saying that he would definitely take good care of the guests.
Lin Yuanbai patted his chest and said, "Fifth brother, don't worry, fourth brother will definitely entertain the guests."
After that, he asked, "Tomorrow, shall we catch grasshoppers, or use bamboo cages to catch fish and shrimps? By the way, if you want to dig out bird eggs from the trees, that's okay too!"
Lin Yuanbai acted like you can order whatever you want.
Zhou Zixu was a little excited when he heard that he could actually climb a tree and dig out bird eggs. But thinking about Brother Lin talking about the deliciousness of fried fish and shrimp, Zhou Zixu thought that it would be better to put aside the bird eggs and so on for now, and he'd better go catch the small fish and shrimp first.
After dinner, Lin Yuanhuai, Lin Yuanbai, and Zhou Zixu quickly discussed the issue of catching fish and shrimp.
It was said that tomorrow we would go to the side near the foot of the mountain to catch them. The fifth brother caught a lot of them there last time. Another suggestion is, why don't we just bring the flour and eggs tomorrow? There are stoves and iron pots in the grass huts on the mountain, and even lard is ready. When we catch fish and shrimps, we can go directly to the grass huts to fry them. It's time to eat.
The person who said this was Lin Yuanhuai. The last time his mother fried crispy fish and shrimp, he had been watching from the side. Isn't it just to put the batter with eggs and salt on the small fish and shrimp, and then put it directly into the oil pan to fry? I will definitely do it myself.
Zhou Zixu had no objection at all. It was both catching and eating, so don’t be too happy about it, okay?
By the way, Zhou Zixu suddenly remembered that there were "Yellow Fat" and "Diabolo" in the baggage he brought, and he would take them to the mountains to play with them tomorrow.
The three people here were talking lively, and Lin Yuanqiu, looking at the people who were beaming with joy at this time, wanted to say, "I want to catch fish and shrimp together tomorrow, and I also want to eat delicious fried fish and shrimp." .”
However, my scholar documents are still waiting to be processed, and there is also the matter of land tax exemption, which must be done as soon as possible.
In addition to the land deed from the eldest aunt and the second aunt's house, yesterday Patriarch Lin also brought the land deed from the clan school. It was the twelve acres of paddy field donated by Lin Youzhi.
On Lin Yuanqiu's side, after deducting the four acres left by his family, the remaining free land and tax acres were exactly twelve acres, which was just right.
Chief Lin was excited. After the tax exemption, the clan's twelve acres of paddy fields would be able to produce a lot more food every year. In this way, the tribe's academic account can also be a lot more comfortable.
Yesterday, he had already discussed with several clan elders that next year he would set up another classroom and hire a teacher, so that the clan school could accommodate more children.
Also, the clan is planning to cancel the original rule that each child can only attend clan school for three years.
By eliminating the tax on twelve acres of paddy fields, ethnic studies can generate a lot more income every year. Therefore, it is still affordable to let the children study for a few more years.
In this way, many children in the clan will not end their studies early because their families cannot afford to attend private schools in the town.
The purpose of these actions of Patriarch Lin and the elders is to hope that there will be a few more children like Lin Yuanqiu in the clan, who will be able to pass the exams and bring glory to the Lin family.
…
Early the next morning, Lin Yuanqiu followed Lin Sanzhu on the carriage to the county seat.
The father and son did not delay. On the second day after arriving in the county seat, they went directly to the county government office to apply for scholar documents.
After completing the paperwork, the next step is to apply for exemption from land tax by applying for a paddy field.
The college examination had just ended, and there were many scholars who came to the Yamen to handle this matter in the past few days. Therefore, the master bookkeeper and scribes, who were very familiar with it, quickly recorded all the land deeds in Lin Yuanqiu's name and informed Lin Yuanqiu. , starting from now, these paddy fields no longer need to pay land tax.
Lin Yuanqiu nodded, took the field deed, folded it, and carefully put it in his pocket.
As for why we need to be so cautious, of course we are afraid that if we accidentally lose it, these dozens of acres of paddy fields may become someone else's.
The reason for this concern is that the transfer procedures in the Yamen are too simple.
No, no matter who it is, as long as you have the deed in your hand, you can directly complete the transfer procedures. In the previous life, if the property holder was not present, the transfer would not be possible at all.
It occurred to me that before coming to the county town, I was still thinking about whether my eldest uncle and the others would come with me. At that time, his father told him not to use it, but Lin Yuanqiu didn't quite believe it.
Now it seems that I have thought too much.
Lin Yuanqiu thought that if he had property in the future, whether it was the house deed, land deed, or land deed, he would have to hide it.
Thinking of the monthly Linshan silver, Lin Yuanqiu asked the chief clerk about it. His home was quite far away from the county seat. If he could save it for several months and collect it together, he wouldn't have to go there every month. The county seat ran away.
Lin Yuanqiu felt relieved after being told that he could receive it monthly, quarterly, or save it once a year.
The father and son went to the Yamen early, so all the things were done by now, and the hour had not yet passed.
The two of them had no intention of staying in the county seat for another day. After leaving the county government office, the father and son went directly back to the inn. Then they packed their bags and checked out of the room, and the two of them went to the car dealership located at the south gate of the county. There are carriages and horses available for hire here, so it is quite convenient to return to Hengxi Town.
After setting off from Zhoushan County at Sishi, when we arrived at Xiaogaoshan Village, the sun was almost setting in the west.
When Lin Yuanqiu got off the carriage and saw Zhou Zixu coming out of the yard, he was so tired from riding the carriage that he was so frightened that his horns disappeared.
I saw a bright blister growing on Zhou Zixu's lips. The red and swollen appearance made it look like his upper lip was much thicker, giving people a feeling of "the sky is full of heaven and earth".
Thinking of the crispy dried fish, Lin Yuanqiu quickly understood the reason. He wanted to laugh a little, but he didn't know how much fish Brother Zhou had eaten in the past two days. He actually ate all the fish.
Zhou Zixu was a little aggrieved. He only ate twice yesterday morning and afternoon. As a result, when he woke up early this morning, he felt some pain in his mouth. After looking in the mirror, he realized that there was such a thing.
