"Awan."

"mother."

Several children called out in unison.

Ji Rong gave her the position. Zhou sat on the kang and looked at Ji Wan's forehead with his hands. "The fever has subsided, but it still takes a few days to recover."

Ji Wan looked up at her. She was wearing a coarse linen and had some patches on her body, but this could not hide her natural beauty. She was just malnourished and looked thin and haggard. She was slapped by Liu just now, and half of her face was swollen. Her originally white and slender hands also grew calluses.

It is a very unlucky thing for the daughter of a noble family to get to this point.

I have worked hard for more than ten years and returned to the poor mountain village, and I am even more unlucky.

"Mom, we have money now, why don't we expand the house a little longer? Arong lives with me, Aheng lives with you, and temporarily spare a room to make a kitchen, a mixed room, and a bathhouse."

In fact, she wanted to build a house again, but in this way, there would be no extra money at home, and Zhou would definitely disagree. Let's wait. When she makes money, she will not have to worry about not being able to afford a new house.

"Um."

Zhou looked at the children, all of them were pale and thin. They were all because of their cowardice that the children were unable to eat enough or wear warmth.

"Don't worry, Awan, I will never let you be bullied by others in the future."

Ji Wan said: "Mom, you are the one who suffers the most."

The daughter of a high-ranking family was so desolate that she was riding on her head by two rural women, acting like a blessing. She could not even save her children's lives. It was more than just suffering. It was simply miserable.

Zhou smiled, and there were tears in the corners of his eyes.

"I have already told Li Zheng just now that I can cook the stove today. If there are blacksmiths in the village, I can also add a pot to us. I will use a pound of white flour to ask Aunt Sun next door to help kill a chicken, and stew it to replenish your body."

Can eat meat.

Ji Rong opened her eyes wide happily. Since her father died two years ago, she could only eat meat during the New Year.

Aunt Sun's man's surname is Feng, and he lives on the east side of the Ji family. Sometimes he sees a few children from Zhou and will secretly help him. Once, Liu was discovered and scolded Ji Wan and his brother. Since then, Ji Wan and others dare not accept Aunt Feng's help.

Zhou quickly took the white flour and went to Aunt Feng's house, explaining the reason. Aunt Feng would not refuse, but said that she would not accept her white flour.

"It's just a skill to do something, how can I accept gifts?"

Aunt Sun is in her fifties and the man has gone long ago, with two sons under her knees. Both of his daughters-in-law Wu and Gao have learned from Zhou, and they have a good relationship with each other.

Zhou stuffed the white face into her hands, "Auntie Sun, just accept it. You have helped me a lot over the years, and I remember it in my heart."

Aunt Sun refused and said, "This is how I used it to steam steamed buns tonight. You four of you come and eat them together."

Zhou replied with a smile.

"good."

...

Ji Wan rested for an afternoon and felt that she was getting better. In the evening, she and Zhou took their younger brothers and sisters to Grandma Sun's house.

There are eight grandchildren of the Feng family, a total of thirteen people, plus four Zhou's grandmother and seventeen people. A pound of white flour just happened to steam seventeen steamed buns.

The north is poor, and poor families usually only want to eat white flour only during the New Year. The Feng family is not rich, and the children have not eaten white flour for a long time. Looking at the big white steamed buns, the younger ones, they couldn't help swallowing.

Zhou brought a large pot of chicken and winter bamboo shoots, and stir-fryed a cabbage and potatoes, and made braised fish. The fish was fished by two brothers from the Feng family in the afternoon. In the past, they were fished by the two brothers of the Feng family.

The house was sold in the town. Today, Zhou took the chicken and white flour. The Feng family could not be stingy. The two fish that were salvaged were cooked and they also satisfy the children's cravings.

The aroma of chicken and fish made people's appetite increase greatly. Ji Rong and several children from the Feng family couldn't help swallowing. Ji Heng held a steamed bun and ate it with relish.

Ji Wan gave him the soup and whispered, "Do not choke if you drink the soup."

"oh."

Ji Heng took a big sip of chicken soup with his sister's hand, and his eyes lit up, "It's delicious, the chicken soup is delicious."

He was having fun eating, and Ji Wan picked up the fish and picked all the thorns for him.

"Eat slowly, chew it and then swallow it."

Ji Heng ate all over his mouth and smiled foolishly at his sister.

Feng Xiaohu, who was the same age as him, saw that he was eating well, so he turned around and asked his elder sister Feng Yue to pick on him.

Feng Yue is the eldest daughter of Wu. She is fourteen years old this year. She has already made a marriage contract and will get married next year. It will be sunny in two days and the villagers will go up the mountain to hunt. The Feng brothers will also go and plan to sell her money to make her dowry.

Here, the Feng family was having dinner happily, while the Ji family Li was arguing with her husband.

"There are only a dozen taels of silver in the family. You gave it to three bedrooms. What should we do in the future? There are no cows. Who will go to the field next spring? The Chinese New Year will be next month. What should I buy new clothes for Ayun and A Song? The vegetable field has been divided into half. What should we eat? This is to starve us to death..."

Ji Yun and Ji Song were so cute that they were raised by her, and they also cried and made a fuss.

"Dad gave all the money to others, we have no food to eat in the future, wuwu..."

Ji Yuan's temples thundered and gritted his teeth and said, "You still have the face to cry. I'm busy making money outside all day long. What have you done? I'm idle at home and disrespect my elder sister-in-law and unfilial to my mother. I've taught my daughter to be vicious and mean. I'm going to kill people at a young age, which makes me lose face. What should I do if I don't give it to? Do you have to sue me and go to the government office and spend your whole life with me?"

"Why can't you live without money? Everyone in the village who is a wife can go to the fields to work. Why can't you? My sister-in-law can go to the fields to grow vegetables, and my second sister-in-law can be a female favorite to sell money. Why do you have to be a wife waiting for someone to serve? My sister-in-law and her second sister-in-law's children are pale and thin and covered in patches. You don't have to give birth all day and talk around and arrange your sister-in-law's second sister-in-law. What do you want Ayun and A Song to go out in new clothes? Prove that you treat your nephew badly, prove that I can't manage the family, and let everyone in the village come to see me for jokes?"

Li was spoiled and had long forgotten his duty as a wife. Today, her husband was scolded by her face. She spoke harshly and said every word was reasonable. She was immediately guilty and speechless.

Ji Yuan took a deep breath and said coldly: "There are only four acres of poor land left in the family for two days. You can cultivate it alone. There are more than 400 kilograms of white flour and more than 200 kilograms of black flour. Our family now has a small population, so it will not be a problem to survive the autumn harvest next year."

Where did Li's family plough the fields? Hearing this, he started crying again, "The cow was bought by my father when he was still there, why should I let my elder brother and the others share it? You are also making money, why should we share the least property in the end? We also need to support our mother..."

"Shut up!"

The emperor values ​​filial piety. If an official is unfilial, he will be punished with a low salary, and if he is severe, he will be demoted and exiled or even worse. If a commoner is unfilial, he will be sentenced to prison and sentenced and will be disqualified from taking the scientific examination forever.

Ji Yuan still wants to take the scientific examination and leave the head, how can he allow Li to mislead his future?

"The cow was bought by my elder brother and the others. Why do you have a shameless attitude to fight for?" Ji Yuan was very disgusted with Li's stingy family. He was not as capable as his sister-in-law and could manage the family, nor was he as beautiful as his second sister-in-law, and had no advantage in her body. The more Ji Yuan looked at Li, the more disliked her, and threatened coldly: "Listen to me. If you have any disrespect and filial piety to your mother in the future, I will give you a break. Also, teach Ayun and Asong and the others. If something happens today, I will not forgive you."

He was threatened to divorce his wife three times in a day. Seeing that Ji Yuan looked like he could really divorce his wife for his mother, Li immediately did not dare to say disrespectful words to his mother-in-law. But thinking that his life would definitely be worse than now, and he had to go to the field to plow the fields and plant vegetables to serve his mother-in-law, she couldn't help but feel sad and cried.

Ji Yuan glanced at her and knew that she didn't dare to make trouble again for the time being, and his tone also calmed down.

"I will be able to take the children's examination in April next year. As long as I pass the scholar, even if I can't pass the exam, I can be a teacher at the worst and earn at least a few dozen taels of silver a year. In the past few months, you must not have trouble."

When Li heard that he could earn dozens of taels a year, but now he has several times the income, he felt relieved.

－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－

Note: In ancient times, one kilogram was equal to sixteen taels.
Chapter completed!