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. In the middle is the bright room, also called the main room, which is similar to the living room in later generations and can be used to receive guests, worship, etc. The rooms on both sides are called dark rooms, which are used for sleeping.
Bedroom. The one 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 make do with one night in the study, or go to my 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 had 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. I failed the scientific examinations many times, which has 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 your only way out, and you must go on unswervingly. Only those who are on the list are qualified to talk about their ideals and ambitions.
Reading is not cost-free. In addition to hard work, it also requires continuous financial support. Pens, inks, paper, inkstones, classic books, everything costs money. This expense is quite expensive, and because of this, children from poor families
Very few people read.
It is just a gimmick to encourage people to come from a poor family, and it is very rare in reality.
If you want to take the imperial examination, you must have a stable source of income, 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 write invitations for others, and you can also imitate complaints when facing lawsuits 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 slap in the face.
Just doing odd jobs.
Apart from that, all that's left is to help others 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 students even regard copying books as a job.
do it 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 he learned in his spare time in his previous life, he can't see anything about it yet.
usefulness.
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. My wife, Zhou, after breakfast, sat in the yard and slept in the sun.
Qi Yu drank a bowl of porridge with pickles, which could barely be called porridge, nibbled on a steamed bun and walked out of the courtyard.
Before leaving, he saw Mr. Zhou's sad face and gave him a few words of advice, then 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 ‘Lu Ming Bookstore’, and it is the only bookstore in the town. The name is clever because it means that the books bought here will be able to pass high school and attend the legendary Lu Ming 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, painting paintings, and etiquette couplets. However, this has 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 we 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. It was my stupidity and ignorance that made me laugh in the past. 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 ask for some money to supplement my family income."
Ha! 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, which is 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 on the bookshelf. Shopkeeper You said just now that there was only one book to copy, so 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 doubts.
"There are only more than 500 characters for a hundred surnames. It doesn't take much effort to copy them. 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 pence 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 in Shopkeeper You's view, Qi Yu's move had other intentions. Just now, he had kept silent about the deposit. On the surface, he seemed to be quite unconcerned, but in fact, he was not. You must know that he is a scholar.
I was too embarrassed to say it out loud because of my face. Taking the surname Bai Jia later was actually a metaphor that I didn't care, which was a very subtle expression.
Qi Yu smiled affably 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 very happy.
He...actually cooked?
Didn't he often say that a gentleman is far away from the chef? Why didn't he even care about his identity today?
Just as he was stunned, he saw Mr. Zhou coming out with a blind stick and complained to his wife: "He is a scholar, how can you let him into the kitchen? If this spreads out, he will be laughed at to death.
Yeah? If you were serious, wouldn’t you stop him from ordering it?”
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, Mr. Zhou immediately trembled excitedly and said: "Oh! Ah Ma can actually make money, great! This book is not in vain, he can copy it to support his family. Dad, look
Is it here yet..." After regaining consciousness, she did not forget to complain: "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. He already had this family in mind. After calming down, he said, "I'll cook the food."
Qi Yu put on a smile and said softly: "You were the ones who pampered me in the past. Let me make a meal to thank you today. Neither you nor my mother will interfere. You must 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, and if it rubs against the bottom of the pan and it doesn’t stick, it means there is oil and water.
However, Qi Yu became a prodigal this time, as evidenced by the smoke rising from the pot.
The food is delicious. This 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."
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..."
Not only did this make my mother feel sorry for her, but my daughter-in-law, who had always been neglecting her, also became interested in her.
Could it be...that he was really possessed by a water ghost?
No matter what, no matter! 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 was also a sharp knife used by geldings that had been sharpened many times hidden there...
