bayedsolid Chapter 65 Jia the Scholar
Chapter 65 Jia the Scholar
Lishu Village is not far from Xiajiazhuang. It takes half an hour to walk there, but only a little over fifteen minutes by donkey cart.
This village is much larger than Xiajiazhuang, with more than a hundred households, but it is a village with various surnames.
Jia Xiucai was the only scholar in the surrounding area, and it is said that when he passed the exam more than 20 years ago, it caused quite a stir.
The Jia family was just an ordinary farming family. In order to support his education, not only did his parents tighten their belts, but his sister also married a man who was twenty years older than her, just for the fifty taels of dowry. Later, she left Longxi with the man and has been out of contact with him for many years.
His older brother also got married in his twenties, but later, in order to support his younger brother, his wife almost divorced him.
His parents now live with their eldest son. In order not to be disliked by their eldest daughter-in-law, they dare to help him a little in secret at most. However, the old couple have no money and can only secretly send him some food.
Jia Xiucai's wife, Liu, was from the same village. The two were childhood sweethearts and she always supported him in his imperial examinations. After he passed the first level of the imperial examinations, he was able to hold his head high for a while. However, after failing to pass the second level for more than 20 years, he became the subject of ridicule.
Jia Liu was depressed and overworked, which led to a miscarriage. She was unable to have children after that.
Over the years, Jia Xiucai had been studying, always hoping to pass the imperial examination and change his life. As a result, he had no income and relied entirely on Liu's embroidery work and tending to two acres of land to make a living.
They were truly ashamed to hold their heads up in the village.
Yunyi listened with a sigh, after all, the imperial examination in ancient times was so cruel, and the story of Fan Jin passing the imperial examination in modern textbooks satirizes this phenomenon.
"Among the villages around here, he's the only one to have achieved the xiucai degree. However, Li Family Village does have another tongsheng degree holder, but that person is already seventy years old and probably no longer able to teach." The village chief accompanied Yunyi. "If he doesn't agree later, we'll think of another way."
Yunyi nodded, thinking to herself that if they disagreed, it must be because they were dissatisfied with their income. As long as the money was enough, nothing was impossible.
Soon, under the village chief's direction, Lao Zhou parked the car in front of Jia Xiucai's house.
As soon as they stopped, they saw the gate open, and a woman with dark skin came out carrying a hoe. She paused for a moment when she saw the donkey cart.
"Is this Jia Xiucai's house?" The village chief got out of the car and spoke first.
“Yes, you are…” Jia Liu looked them over suspiciously.
"We're from Xiajiazhuang," the village chief smiled. "We've come to talk to Scholar Jia about something. Is he here?"
"Yes, I am." Jia Liu nodded. "Come in." Then she went inside and called for people.
Yunyi looked around the courtyard. Although it looked a bit dilapidated, it was quite clean.
Soon, a man who looked somewhat thin came out of the house. He nodded slightly when he saw the village chief and Yunyi: "May I ask what business you have with me?"
The village chief looked at Yunyi.
"Hello, sir." Yunyi stepped forward and clasped her hands in greeting. "We are from Xiajiazhuang. My name is Yunyi. We have several children and would like to invite you to be our tutor."
Scholar Jia was taken aback.
At this moment, Lao Zhou had already brought over the snacks and drinks he brought from the donkey cart and placed them on the ground.
“In the town’s school, the tuition for a scholar is between eight hundred and one tael of silver per month. I’ll give you two taels of silver a month, plus food, lodging, and clothes and shoes for all four seasons.” Yunyi looked at Scholar Jia. “Of course, if your wife is willing to stay with you, I agree to provide food and lodging.”
"How much did you say?" Jia Liushi exclaimed in surprise.
"I said two taels of silver for food and lodging," Yunyi repeated.
Madam Jia turned to look at Jia Xiucai, her expression suggesting satisfaction, but she said nothing, simply looking at her husband and letting him make his own decision.
Scholar Jia was also stunned: "This...so much?"
"As long as you have real skills and can teach children, that's enough," Yunyi smiled.
"You're not a liar, are you?" Jia Liu suddenly asked.
"I am the village chief of Xiajiazhuang. My name is Xia Baolai. Last year, Xia Xiaoyue from our village married Liu Daneng. I have also been to your village. If you don't believe me, you can ask Liu Laosi. He knows me."
"Hehe, that's not what I meant. I just felt..." Jia Liu smiled awkwardly, "Thank you, but my husband..." Her heart was full of bitterness. For more than 20 years, she had always supported her husband, but reality was making it hard for her to hold on any longer.
“I agree,” Jia Xiucai suddenly said.
“Brother Zian, you…” Jia Liu was stunned.
“These years have been tough on you.” Jia Zian sighed. “If I continue to persist, it will only continue to make you suffer. Although I am unwilling, I cannot let you ruin the rest of your life.”
Tears streamed down Jia Liu's face.
“When we got married, I said I would buy him a silver bracelet. Now more than twenty years have passed, and it’s time for me to keep my promise. Otherwise, would I still be a man?” Jia Zi’an said, then looked at Yun Yi. “I want to bring my wife with me. Is that alright?”
"Sure, then someone will take care of your food and clothing."
"Thank you." Jia Zian bowed deeply to Yun Yi.
Suddenly, Jia Liushi began to sob.
Jia Zian went over and gently patted her back.
Yunyi and the village chief exchanged a glance, then both looked away. It was a private matter between the couple, and they shouldn't interfere.
Fortunately, Jia Liu quickly calmed down, wiped away her tears, and said, "Look at me, I lost my composure. Come inside and sit down, I'll go cook right away."
"Sister-in-law, you don't need to bother us." Yunyi waved her hand. "Since you've agreed, we won't disturb you any longer. Let's see which day is suitable, and I'll have Uncle Zhou come and pick you up."
“We don’t have much to pack, so we can leave today.” Jia Zi’an glanced at his wife. Over the years, they had been unable to hold their heads high in the village, so it was better to leave first and come back to pack after they settled down there. Anyway, it wasn’t far away.
"Alright, we'll wait for you outside." Yunyi and the village chief went to the door to wait.
The couple were quick, and they came out in a quarter of an hour. Jia Zian carried a book box on his back, while Jia Liushi carried two bundles.
"Please wait for us a moment." After loading the book box and bundle onto the donkey cart, Jia Zi'an, carrying the snacks and wine that Yunyi had brought, left with his wife.
But they returned quickly.
"We're leaving now, so we'll send these over to my parents-in-law and my parents," Jia Liushi explained to Yunyi. "It's a way of showing our filial piety."
"Over the years, we've been so grateful for their help," Jia Zian said with a touch of shame. "We also have to thank Village Chief Xia and the landlord."