The Journey Of The Peasant Mother-in-Law

Chapter 68: Father's Departure, Mother's Absence

Time passes quickly, and a week passed in the blink of an eye. After paying the tax on the family’s grain output, half of the remaining grains were sold.

The grain output in ancient times was too low. Even people like Zhulan who didn’t know anything about farming knew about the modern grain yield. In ancient times, with favorable weather conditions, Zhulan’s well-tended one-acre rice field yielded only 320 kilograms, and the corn yield, although slightly higher, was just under 550 kilograms.

Zhulan’s family earned a little over seven taels from selling half of their harvest. After deducting expenses such as seeds, they made a little over six taels in profit for the year.

However, this amount was not enough to cover their annual expenses. With two children studying, the cost of their education alone, including two years of private tutoring, amounts to one tael and four wens. Additionally, expenses for writing materials such as brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones made their two sons a financial burden. And this is only for their education, without even considering participation in official examinations.

In ancient times, the chances of a poor family producing a talented child were as rare as finding a rare species. The burden of financial constraints, particularly the lack of silver coins, was overwhelming for many.

Zhulan’s family’s food was sold, and Zhou Shuren also set off for the south. Zhulan knew that he couldn’t be short of money when he went out, so she gave Zhou Shuren fifty taels of silver, and even dug up the jewelry that she had never touched.

There was quite a lot of jewelry. The original owner of the body had a wise father who advised against using jewelry with significant social status implications. Consequently, the original owner selected jade bracelets and pearl jewelry but refrained from touching the jade pendant that had symbols on it.

Zhulan dug out and counted, there were six pairs of jade bracelets, two pearl necklaces, and more than a dozen red hairpins inlaid with pearls and other pieces of jewelry.

Pearls in ancient times were expensive, and the ones that could enter a wealthy family were top-grade in terms of size and roundness. So the jewelry hidden in the original body was worth a lot of money.

Zhulan gave a pair of well-crafted jade bracelets and a pearl necklace for Zhou Shuren. Regardless of whether he could make any profit from selling them, she considered the items as gone once they were given away. The family’s silver coins had dwindled rapidly under them, leaving them with little money and causing anxiety in their hearts.

On the first day of Zhou Shuren leaving home, Zhulan was so dazed that she couldn’t do anything. Being inseparable, the absence of Zhu Shuren left a sense of unease in her heart.

The next day, she started to think wildly, and had a nightmare at night, dreaming that Zhou Shuren died, and she was left alone in ancient times, not to mention regretting that she didn’t follow.

The sons of the Zhou family were worried. They thought that with their father gone, it seemed that they were going to lose their mother. The sons were frightened by the thought that their father returning only to find their mother gone.

On the third day, Zhulan felt that it was time to find something for herself. After dinner, she handed over the task to her eldest. “The courtyard wall in the house is too short. You and the second child can find some people to re-cut the courtyard wall to a height of at least two meters.”

Boss Zhou exhaled, Mother has something to do, as long as she has something to do, it was great. He hadn’t slept well in the past few days, “Ok Mother I will take care of it.”

Zhulan looked at Rong Chuan, who had no sense of existence, and the eldest grandson who wanted to play. She was not good at ancient Chinese, but she was good at mathematics. Ah, there are mathematical questions in the imperial examinations, and life is inseparable from mathematics. “From now on, the whole family will learn to count.”

Li shi was frightened, and instantly remembered the memory of her husband teaching her to read, and her whole body trembled, “Mother, I’ll be a grandma in a few years, so I don’t need to learn.”

Zhulan, “…”

Ancient times could be so baffling. So in ten years, won’t she be a great-grandma at the age of forty-six?

Mrs. Zhao’s eyes were shining brightly. This was a great chance to get close to Mother. She wished her shǎozi would not learn, “Mother, I must study hard.”

Li shi narrowed her eyes, perceiving her second sister-in-law’s scheming nature. With determination, she replied, “Mother, I will also study.”

Rong Chuan had a strong desire to learn, and now he had the opportunity to study. Even when he fell ill, he still made efforts to study. He was well aware that he started late in his educational journey. “Shěnshěn (1), I want to learn too,” he exclaimed.

Indeed, Zhang Rong Chuan referred to her as “Shěnshěn.”

In the village, where there was no actual blood relationship and no clear lineage order, people addressed each other based on age, resulting in a mix-up. However, within the same clan, it was different. The hierarchy could be discerned from the names themselves, and there was no confusion in terms of how to address one another.

Rong Chuan moved in, about the same age as the fourth son. Zhulan and Zhu Shuren had other ideas, so they corrected what Rong Chuan called them.

Of course, there was also the fact that the couple couldn’t bear the ten-year-old child calling them grandpa and grandma. In modern times, there were many people who got married late in their 30s.

To avoid such emotional discomfort, Zhou Shuren made the decision to take the provincial examination next year. If he passed and became a Xiucai (2), he would have a proper title. He would be addressed as “Zhou Xiucai” and his wife as “Xiucai Niangzi” (3). This way, they would no longer feel uneasy about the age-related titles.