Before dawn, Mrs. Wang Jiang got up and boiled eggs, filling more than half of the pot.
It was already the end of Mengdong, and the cold moon was about to enter. Boiled eggs could be stored for many days without spoiling, which was perfect for Wang Yuan to take with him on his way to the exam.
When Wang Yuan got up, Mrs. Wang Jiang had already packed the boiled eggs.
In the morning, there was good food on the table.
After all, Wang Yuan was about to go on a long journey. For breakfast, he had corn porridge, a boiled egg for each person, and a special plate of fried bacon.
Wang Yuan asked: "Mom, how many people are raising chickens in the village now?"
Mrs. Wang Jiang said with a smile: "Except for the new ones, every household raises chickens. Earthworms (earthworms) cost nothing. If you take better care of them, you can raise many chickens. You would be a fool not to raise them."
"That's good." Wang Yuan felt very happy.
Farmers have their own wisdom in labor, and Wang Yuan struggled for two years before finally experimenting with the rules of pit farming.
As a result, after word spread in Chuanqing Village, the villagers actually made improvements on their own.
First of all, the time for composting in the early stage has been shortened. Some people use the method of farm composting, which is to pile silt, rotten grass and a small amount of manure into a mound, and then cover it with straw and tarpaulin. It only takes four or five days for the first fermentation. Then the pile is turned over.
After the second fermentation, the fermentation efficiency is better and faster, and it is not easy to form a bad smell or sour taste.
Then, someone invented the tank culture method, which is to put waste soil into a large tank to raise earthworms, leaving holes at the bottom and waist of the tank for drainage. In summer, it can be moved to the shade, and in winter, it can be moved indoors to light a fire for warmth.
When the sun is shining, you can move them out to bask in the warm winter sun. This method is more convenient and controllable than Wang Yuan’s pit raising method, and you don’t have to worry about earthworms freezing to death or escaping in winter.
Today, in Chuanqingzhai, each family raises more than eight chickens on average, and some families even raise twenty or thirty chickens.
When Wang Yuan visited Fang Village Master yesterday, he also specifically asked the village master's wife, the eldest brother's mother-in-law, for tips on the composting method and the tank culture method. In the future, if he holds a local office, Wang Yuan plans to promote it, not to mention raising chickens.
Getting rich can at least increase farmers' income.
Zhou Chong was very surprised. He found that this village seemed to be very poor, because the staple food was sorghum, and corn was not very common, let alone rice. The clothes were also very ordinary, mostly made of Gebu and linen, unlike other villages in Yunnan and Guizhou.
The mountain people in the area are not far apart.
But the village seems to be very wealthy. Every family raises chickens and can often eat eggs. There are also many livestock, including ten cattle and hundreds of mules and donkeys!
If Jin Lei came to Chuanqing Village, he would definitely think that this place is a paradise.
Men farm and women weave, the folk customs are simple, the life is carefree, chickens and dogs hear each other, this is the favorite scene for scholars.
In fact, the most important point is that since the Miao people's rebellion, Chuanqingzhai has never paid taxes or been levied corvee - the tax collectors in Zhazuosi did not dare to go up the mountain for fear of accidentally destroying Chuanqingzhai.
Also forced to do the opposite.
"Brother Yuan, please take the exam well and pay attention to safety on the road," Wang Quan sent his son down the mountain and told him, "My father doesn't know anything about the imperial examination, so he can't help. It's all up to you to go through it yourself."
Wang Yuan smiled and said: "I know, dad, don't worry."
Wang Meng patted his younger brother on the shoulder: "I will take care of the house, so I don't have to worry."
Wang Yuan smiled and said: "Brother, if you don't want to study, there is no need to force it. But you must read the official book of admonitions I brought back this time. If you don't know the words, go ask Liu Carpenter for help. If you don't understand, outline the parts.
Come out, save up and go to the city to ask Master Shen for advice."
When scholars in ancient times became officials, they did not go to office with a blind eye. They had special official books as guidance.
In the Song Dynasty, there were "Outlines of Prefectures and Counties", "Laws for Governing Counties", "Proverbs of Hundred Officials", and "Introduction to the Day Curtain"; in the Yuan Dynasty, there were "Advice on Three Matters" and "Reporting Things for Good Government"; in the Ming Dynasty, there was "Collection of Official Admonitions".
”, “Records of Practical Administration”, “Biography of Shou Ling in Past Dynasties”, etc.
These books are rich in content, with detailed explanations on laws, litigation, prisons, calendars, disaster management, anti-theft, agricultural administration... As long as you act as an official honestly according to the books, you will definitely benefit one party.
It is a pity that many local officials like to act randomly and claim to govern by doing nothing, but in fact they only want to make money.
After saying goodbye, Wang Yuan took Zhou Chong to Guizhou City.
After staying in the city for a day, Wang Yuan, Jin Lei, Zou Mu and Zhang Yun went east together, and their former classmates and friends came to say goodbye.
Yue Zhen will wait until after the Chinese New Year before going to Nanjing Imperial College to study.
And Tian Qiu has returned to Sinan Mansion. The distance between that place and Guiyang is equivalent to that from Guiyang to the Yunnan border. The route taken when going to Beijing to take the exam is different.
Wang Yuan's route out of Guizhou was to go east through Longlisi, Xintiansi, Pingyuewei, Qingpingwei, and Xinglongwei. When they reached Pianqiaowei, they could change to the waterway, and after passing Zhenyuan, Sizhou had entered Huguang.
territory.
The four of us spent this Spring Festival in Yuezhou Prefecture (Yueyang).
They even visited Dongting Lake together and stayed in Yueyang for a few days. After having fun, they continued to set off.
The next step was much faster, and it was basically a waterway. It went down the Yangtze River to Zhenjiang, and then took the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal north, which made Ah Hei feel seasick for several days.
If you need to hire a new ship in Zhenjiang, you actually need to spend some money to take those "downwind ships" that transport goods. Merchant ships often follow the official ships. Firstly, they can prevent water bandits, and secondly, they can avoid trouble from the officials.
In this kind of long-distance water transport trade, even if the boss does not personally guarantee the goods, he will choose to send his confidants to take charge.
If it is the beginning of spring, the first ship that the boss takes is often not loaded with goods. It is parked at the dock for a few days, just waiting for people who are rushing to take the exam to come and board the ship. This is not only convenient for scholars, but also earns a lot of ship tickets.
Moreover, the tolls for ships that are not loaded with cargo are much lower. When the officials see that the ships are full of scholars, they will basically not embarrass the merchants.
More than 60% of Wang Yuan's four neighbors on the boat were Imperial College students.
These guys set off from Nanjing and can change ships in Zhenjiang in one day. They gather in groups and are extremely lively.
During the journey, everyone gradually became familiar with each other and got along relatively harmoniously with each other.
"This is Yu Kuan, whose courtesy name is Zhongli. He is a good friend of mine in the Imperial College." Jin Lei introduced.
Wang Yuan cupped his fists and said, "I've met Brother Zhongli. I'm Wang Yuan, and his words are Ruoxu."
Zou Mu and Zhang Yun also hurriedly greeted each other and exchanged pleasantries with each other. Yu Kuan's attitude towards Zhang Yun was obviously much colder. This was because Zhang Yun was a deputy list Gongsheng student, so no matter how good he was in the examination, he could not become a serious Jinshi.
Wang Yuan secretly despised this kind of guy who made friends based on his status, and classified him as someone who should not be deeply friends with, but his words became more enthusiastic.
It is better to offend a gentleman than a villain!
Lin Wenjun, another friend of Jin Lei's supervisor, is much more cheerful. This guy is from Putian, Zhejiang. Although he is only twenty-four years old, he is rare and mature. He is polite to everyone, and communicating with him is like a spring breeze. He is a true erudition.
Gentleman.
There is also Zhang Chong, a native of Tongchuan, Sichuan - he has the same name as the second brother of Zhang Yu, the person in charge of the Yunnan-Guizhou Provincial Examination, but he is not the same person.
This man was dressed very simply, and his clothes were washed white, but he was reluctant to change into new ones.
Although there were countless scholars on the ship, the only new friends who fell in love with Wang Yuan were Lin Wenjun and Zhang Chong.
Seeing that Zhang Chong was living a poor life, Wang Yuan always looked for opportunities to entertain and invite his friends to his room for a drink.
Jin Lei and Zhang Chong are in conflict with each other, and they will quarrel when they meet. One spends money like water, is proud of his talents, and has no money to spare, while the other is poor and frugal, has a strong temperament, and treats people with sincerity. Both of them are unforgiving and don't like to speak out directly.
, there will be a quarrel as soon as you say it.
Every time like this, it was Wang Yuan and Lin Wenjun who tried to smooth things over, while Jin Lei and Zhang Chong became so angry that they stopped talking.
Historically, Zhang Chong, who was frugal and strong, and Yu Kuan, who looked at people through cracks in the door, would both become Yang Tinghe's accomplices. In the end, during the Dali Conference incident, one was demoted and the other was imprisoned by Jiajing.
Civil servant factions really cannot be divided based on their character, there are all kinds of factions in them.