When Wu Haogu hurried to the dripping eaves of the outer courtyard, he saw Wu Chengzhi and his younger brother Wu Haowen standing in the middle with a smile. There were more than a dozen earthy people in front of him, all of whom were dusty and roughly dressed, carrying large and small bags of luggage and local products in the countryside of Luoyang.

An old man who looks about fifty years old, thin and unshaven, was holding Wu Chengzhi's hand and speaking in Luoyang dialect: "When do you sometimes go back to Baibo Town to see it? Our generation of brothers are more than 80 years old, and they are the brothers who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are making the best. The so-called wealth and honor will not return to their hometown, like walking in brocade clothes at night, who knows..."

This old man actually called Wu Chengzhi "brother". This is not the meaning of "Xiao Geer", but his age is really younger than Wu Chengzhi... But his face looks too old, right?

Wu Chengzhixin said: Looking at the old man, most of his life will be hard! Apart from being shocked in the Kaifeng Prison, his father is a happy person in this life, otherwise he would not have been maintained so well. And this old man is actually younger than his father. It seems that the Bai Bo Wu family is not doing well.

Seeing that Wu Haogu came out, Wu Chengzhi smiled and waved to his son: "Darang, come and pay homage to your seventh uncle."

Wu Haogu smiled and went up to see the old man and greeted him: "I'm going to see my uncle and congratulate him on the holiday!"

"This is Dalang, right? Uncle Lao has heard of your name in Baibo Town." As the old man said, he handed over a string of copper coins worn with colorful ropes, "This is the New Year's money that Uncle Lao gave you."

The custom of New Year’s money first appeared in the Han Dynasty, and in the Tang Dynasty, it evolved into the custom of spending money in spring. Later, the custom of spending money in spring evolved into giving New Year’s Day to the younger generation. Generally, it only gives to juniors who have not started a family and started a career, and there is no need to give it to them after marrying a wife.

Wu Haogu accepted the New Year's money, thanked him, and stood behind his father Wu Chengzhi. Wu Chengzhi smiled at his second son again and said, "Second brother, you should take the brothers of the good generation to settle down to the West Cross Courtyard first."

Xikuanyuan is a house for Wu Haowen to start a family and start a business, and it is still empty now. Because Wu Haowen is alone, there is no need to occupy the yard and live with his parents as soon as he enters the yard. Therefore, this yard is just used to accommodate distant relatives from Luoyang.

Wu Erlang led a group of brothers from the good generation away, and Wu Haogu accompanied Wu Cheng to invite the old man who was peer to Wu Chengzhi into the guest hall when he entered the yard, and then took the seats. The maid of the Wu family immediately brought the fragrant tea and snacks to entertain guests.

"Is my hometown okay?"

After a few greetings, Wu Chengzhi inquired about the situation in his hometown in Luoyang. He had not had contact with Luoyang for many years, so his impression was still decades ago.

This Baibo Yimen Wu Ke is also a large clan in Luoyang. He is known as "a gathering two thousand clans and living together for three hundred years". I think it was the so-called "the first family in Luoyang" back then, and it was quite glorious. But today when I met a relative from Luoyang, Wu Chengzhi felt that they were very down and out, not like the first family in Luoyang...

After hearing Wu Chengzhi's question, Wu Chengchang was the old man who gave Wu Haogu New Year's money to shake his head repeatedly: "I can't bear a Jinshi for so many years, it's so hard!"

There was no scholar or scholar who had a fame in the Song Dynasty. If you can’t pass the Jinshi exam, you will be a poor person! Don’t say that scholars have a high status. If you don’t have a fame in the Jinshi, who are a scholar?

The so-called "scholars, farmers, industry and commerce" were very clear in the Tang Dynasty. Scholars were gentry, and they had to be reincarnated with their true abilities! There were special people in the court to compile the "Clan Chronicle", and the ones listed above were gentry. The agricultural, industry and commerce were also clearly divided. Industry and commerce were both "city-registered". Industry and commerce that had the last industry were municipal industry and commerce, and not gentry to do business and open workshops.

But by the Song Dynasty, the level of "scholars" was actually a bit bubbled. It should be said that scholars are scholars, but this standard is too empty and difficult to prove... How many books have you read are scholars? How to prove it?

Later in the Ming Dynasty, scholars in the Qing Dynasty had "surveillance" to prove their identity as scholars and juren. However, the Song Dynasty did not have this system, and the trial was only one exam, which only means that they were qualified to participate in the Ministry of Rites exam the following year. If they failed the exam, they had to take the trial exam again.

Except for the difficulty in proving the identity of scholars of scholars, the court actually does not give any preferential treatment to scholars. The so-called "not killing scholars or scholars" or so on is a civil servant!

Scholars who do not have an official position and are not very reborn are actually "agricultural, industrial and commercial". If you look down on the industry and commerce and disdain to do it, you are "agricultural". The so-called Baibo Yimenwu is just a group of farmers who live in a family and live without separation.

In the early years, when the Baibowu family was quite popular, there were officials in the clan, and there were also guards and clerks in Luoyang. They were also rich and powerful, but they were also rich.

However, after not having a Jinshi for decades, the power of the Baibo Wu family inevitably declined. Moreover, since Baibo Yimen Wu is the "Zhenyimen" who does not separate his family and eats big pots, it is not suitable for business and business, and can only rely on land to support the entire family and the children in the family to study.

However, the land income is very limited, and Luoyang is not a rich land. In addition, the Wu family gradually lost its political power and had to pay various taxes according to the standards of ordinary farmers, so their financial resources became increasingly difficult.

At the same time, the population of the tribe is increasing due to reproduction and growth. The number of people is large but the land does not increase, so the Baibowu family is naturally becoming increasingly declining. The landlord class, which had been living by collecting rent decades ago, has now become a farmer who farms and feeds on their own.

Under such circumstances, the Baipo Family School of Baibowu family has reached an unsustainable point. Although it is still in operation, its education level is too low. It is just that the children in the clan can read some words and read them, and they cannot cultivate Jinshi at all. Even the test for the Luoyang Prefecture westward has become a roadblock to prevent the rise of the Baibowu family. There are very few children who can pass the test for the test every time.

So the letters sent by Wu Chengzhi caused a sensation at Baibo Wu's family... Five thousand acres of study land! You can always collect hundreds of stones a year (one stone in the Song Dynasty was 92.5 Song kilograms, equivalent to 59.2 kilograms) of rent?

Although Baipo's private school cannot restore its heyday, it can always cultivate many children who can pass the test. If one of them goes to high school, then Baibo Yimen Wu can regain the glory of the past.

So Wu Zhongyi, the leader of the Wu clan of Baibo Yimen, sent his eldest son Wu Chengchang to bring more than a dozen children (that was to bring back the copper coins donated by Wu Chengzhi) and headed straight to Kaifeng Prefecture.

"I really don't want the life in my hometown to be so difficult..." After hearing what he had never seen before, Wu Chengzhi shook his head with him.

Wu Haogu, who was sitting aside, interrupted and asked, "Uncle Qi, I wonder how many Dingkou there are in my hometown now?"

"There are more than 1,300 males alone," Wu Chengchang smiled bitterly, "and guarding a thousand acres of fields and suffering from it."

One thousand hectares are 100,000 acres, and the average number of more than 1,300 people is more than 70 acres per capita, which seems to be quite a lot. But that more than 1,300 refers to male genitals, that is, male genitals plus male genitals, and women and boys who are not yet middle-aged have more than 60 years old. The per capita arable land may not even be lost.

Moreover, most of the fields in Luoyang are dry land and are not fertile. Even if you have a good harvest, you can earn 100 kilograms of wheat. If you deduct various taxes and farming costs and leave seeds, you can save 30 kilograms of wheat. In the bumper year, you will only have a net income of 900 kilograms of wheat, which is less than ten stones. If you sell it in rural Luoyang, you will have about 6 coins... This is the farmers who are the main ones among the four peoples of "scholars, farmers, industry and commerce", and the income of rich peasants! And it is the income of a good harvest, not the average income. If you want to consider the bumper year in a comprehensive way, the income will have to be reduced by half!

However, such a meager income was already very good among the farmers in the Song Dynasty. Therefore, Baibo Yimenwu can maintain the family heritage until today. Of course, Baibo Yimenwu can use such weak financial resources to maintain the education of his children, which is also closely related to the rules of the game of collecting scholars in articles.

Under the rules of picking scholars with a stubborn article, scholars do not need to be civil and military, nor do they need to study and practice. They only need to concentrate on learning Confucian classics and writing articles, and the learning cost is compressed to the minimum.

Yimen, which implemented egalitarianism and compulsory education within the family, just adapted to the imperial examination system of the Song Dynasty. It could educate the children with the largest number of children at a relatively low cost, and use the method of planting and harvesting to gain fame and fame for the family.

The high-cost elite education that allows both literature and martial arts to study practically is quite unfavorable to the prosperity of the family under the rules of selecting scholars in articles. Because unless you are particularly rich, high-cost education cannot guarantee enough people.

For example, Baibo Yimen Wu, who is only 30 acres of land per capita, and only a few coins of copper in his prime. And a horse that takes at least dozens of coins on the Hanfan Hushi in the northwest. After he leads it to Luoyang, he will have to spend more than one hundred coins! He can’t afford a horse, but he still wants to support Wen and Wu?

If the number of people who receive elite education is less, the probability of getting a Jinshi will naturally be lower... Even if the future after high school is better, it will be a high investment and low output and the money-loss transaction will naturally be less.

However, Wu Haogu is a person who is willing to lose money and gain publicity!

"Uncle Qi," Wu Haogu said with a smile, "I don't think the Wu family will continue like this... Even if they have 5,000 acres of study land, how much income can they earn in a year? How many good students can they teach?"

"Who said no!" Wu Chengchang smiled bitterly, "But what's the solution?"

Wu Haogu Yixiao: "There is a way."

"What a way?"

Wu Haogu’s ancient saying: “Tree moves to die, people move to live!”

"Move? Where to move?"
Chapter completed!