Chapter 326 - Farming Season (1/2)
Now, they just had to wait for the results to be published. In mid-March, the list of qualified candidates for the prefectural examination was announced. The names of the three kids were all listed in the front. Yu Xiaocao looked through the list and saw that her younger uncle’s, Yu Bo, name was also listed on there.
“Brother Qian Wen, you also came to check the results! My second sister squeezed inside, so just ask her to help you check it!” Hearing Little Shitou’s voice from behind, Xiaocao looked over the list again and saw Qian Wen’s results. His name wasn’t too far behind her younger brother’s name.
She worked hard to get out of the crowd and found her younger brother. With a smile, she patted him on the shoulder and said, “Well done, you’re within the top twenty!! As long as you work hard, our family will have a little county scholar-official soon.”
With a gentle smile, Qian Wen said, “Congratulations, Little Shitou!”
Yu Xiaocao said with a smile, “Qian Wen, I saw your name, too. So, congratulations to you, too!! When you guys go to the prefectural city for the examination, please help us take care of our Little Shitou.”
As if he had already expected this result, Qian Wen didn’t show an overjoyed expression. He nodded and said, “With the relationship between our families, I would do so even if you didn’t ask me.”
After chatting with Qian Wen for a while, Yu Xiaocao brought her younger brother back to Dongshan Village. There was less than a month before the prefectural examination. After the results for the exam was announced, Rongxuan Academy only gave the students two days off. It was already mid-March, and she needed to go home to cultivate the early-maturing vegetables. It would be too late if she delayed it any longer. She planned on using these next two days to sow all the vegetables fields, and then let her father and the rest of the family handle tending the fields afterwards.
When they got back to Dongshan Village, they saw a lot of horses parked in front of their house. Upon entering, they confirmed that it was indeed Royal Prince Yang.
Zhu Junyang drank the fragrant tea, which was top-quality biluochun that he brought over himself. Even if it was the same tea leaves, tea made from the Yu Family’s water would taste more fragrant than other places. It was the same for the Yu Family’s food. Even the rice had a much better mouthfeel. Could it be that the water in the Yu Family’s well was different than that of other places?
His elegance when tasting tea with his eyes lowered, his graceful disposition, and his indifferent and beautiful face… This simple courtyard seemed to have also become more vivid. Yu Xiaocao was amazed once again!
Hearing the movement, Zhu Junyang lifted his eyes and looked over. Seeing the glow within Xiaocao’s eyes, his heart suddenly felt more relaxed and comfortable. With a faint smile, he softly asked, “How was Little Shitou’s results for the exam? Is he on the list for qualified examinees?”
Little Shitou interjected, “I passed! I’m qualified to participate in the prefectural examination!!”
A bright smile appeared on the faces of Yu Hai and Madam Liu, who were originally worried. Yu Caifeng and her husband also quickly congratulated them. Yu Hai humbly replied, “This is just the first stage. We don’t know how the next two stages will turn out. Don’t be so happy yet. Little Shitou, you can’t be too proud ah. You need to continue to work hard.”
Little Shitou nodded hard. Madam Liu couldn’t help but smile, and said, “You guys must be hungry. Mother will cook something yummy for you guys!!”
Yu Xiaocao wanted to go help, but Madam Liu said to her, “Yan’er can help me. You should go work on the vegetable seeds. Since you weren’t home, we just plowed and fertilized the fields. Now we just need to plant the seeds.”
Yu Hai also said, “We should also pre-soak the watermelon seeds. I originally wanted to do it myself, but your mother was afraid that I would mess it up and delay the harvest. These past few days, we have been continuously receiving orders from the prefectural city, hoping that we can grow more watermelons.”
Yu Xiaocao thought about it and said, “Then let’s plant watermelons in our over ten mu of farmland in the village. We can grow the corn in the plantation located on the outskirts of Tanggu Town. By the way, Father, not a single grain was reaped in the plantation last autumn. The tenant farmers must be having a hard time, right?”
Yu Hai nodded and said, “Yes, it hasn’t been easy. It’s not only our plantation, but it was also the same for others. It was just slightly better at our Dongshan Village. The only thing that I could do was to waive their rents.”
The majority of the common people had no extra grain at home. They all relied on their autumn harvest to get through the cold winter and the period before the new crops were ready. Although the imperial court had distributed food for disaster relief and there was average-priced grain for sale in town, there were still many people who couldn’t afford grain. As a result, there was an increase in people selling their houses, land, and children at the beginning of spring.
Yu Xiaocao thought about it and said, “After Younger Brother takes the prefectural examination, let’s also plant the corn. The plantation has over a hundred mu of land, so we’ll need a lot of people to plow, fertilize, sow, and manage the fields. The tenant farmers definitely don’t have enough food to last them until the corn is ready to be reaped. Why don’t we hire the tenant farms as long-term workers? Those who work more will be paid more, and those who do a good job will get a bonus. What do you think?”
“That’s a good idea. Let’s work out the rules first. In a couple of days, I’ll go to the plantation with your oldest paternal uncle and ask for their opinion.” Yu Hai felt that this was a very good idea.