bookrandom Chapter 344: Making Connections
Chapter 344: Making Connections
Wu Daqiang is younger than Chen Ziqi. It’s not that he doesn’t want to give it a try, but his family’s financial situation does not allow it and his father cannot afford the cost of his subsequent exams.
Now Wu Daqiang's living expenses are all earned by himself every month. His father's tuition for the academy is already the limit. Even so, his stepmother will secretly criticize him every time he goes home on vacation. His younger brother has also been sent to the town for enlightenment, so there will be more places to spend money in the future.
The two brothers Shi Sheng and Shi Ping were a little younger. They looked at each other and understood that every family has its own problems.
They also have no confidence in their own knowledge, and it is estimated that they will not rank well in this expanded entrance examination.
They all shook their heads and said, "We can't take the next exam either. Let's try again in three years!"
Luo Hong looked at Lin Keyu, who was sure that he would not be able to go, and then looked at Wan Tongsheng, who also shook his head: "Uncle Luo, I don't plan to take the exam. My son will be five years old soon. I will expand the academy in the future. When I have the title of scholar, I will be able to recruit more students. My wife and eldest daughter have suffered a lot these years. My eldest daughter is about to get married, and money is really not enough."
"Everyone knows that I'm old, and I can't afford to wait another three years. I decided to give it a try this time. This is the only chance I can take. If I fail, I can find a job as a teacher in a college or open a smaller enlightenment college somewhere. I can also train my children at home."
"Uncle Luo, then we can go to Qingzhou together to take the exam."
"Hahaha, the exam isn't even finished yet, and you're already arranging the next exam?"
"Uncle Luo, I have confidence in you, and I have some confidence in myself, otherwise how can I take the next exam!"
"It's a good thing to have confidence! Then we can go to Gyeongju together later. Maybe we can go to the capital together later?"
"Hahaha..." Everyone else laughed.
"Brother Chen, if you become rich and powerful, please don't forget me!"
"Brother Wu, the friendship between the four of us has long surpassed that of classmates. We are now true friends. It would be too polite to say these things."
"After Brother Chen goes to take the exam, we will definitely get together when we have time."
"No problem. After the exam, let's go out and relax. Let's get drunk."
"You can relax for a while. If you make money, share it with your friends. In the three years, in addition to studying, you should also save as much money as possible for the exam."
Wu Daqiang lives in the county town, while the brothers Shi Sheng and Shi Ping live in a village north of the town. They usually study in the county school. They all passed the county school entrance examination and are considered poor students. In addition to tuition fees, they all live in the cheapest six-person room.
However, the other two did not have a good relationship with them. They had flattered the son of a clerk in the county town. The four of them could not stand the servility of the two and were unwilling to associate with them.
"As long as we pass the exam and become scholars, we can reduce taxes every year, and our family can save a lot. Brother Wu, you are in the county town, and if your family doesn't have much land, I can help you find a good family, and I guarantee that there will be no mistakes."
"That's great. I don't want to use this quota as a favor to my family! I have already thought about it. When the time comes, I will find a wealthy family that needs a teacher to go back and teach their children. I won't live at home for a few years. I'm too lazy to argue with my stepmother."
"That's fine. You can ask the Su family when the time comes. I think the head of the Su family is a good person. There have been no rumors in the county that they bully others by taking advantage of their power. Their reputation has always been very good."
"Let's talk about it after you pass the exam. It's too early to talk about this now."
The four people over there have a good relationship, and three of them can chat endlessly.
Luo Hong talked with Chen Ziqi about the future itinerary. Chen Ziqi was indeed not from an ordinary family and knew more about going to Gyeongju Prefecture to take the exam than others.
"Uncle Luo, it takes about ten days to get from here to Gyeongju Prefecture. The exam results will be announced in early June. I have to go back to the county. The exam will start on August 18th. I plan to leave at the end of July. My mother will also go with me this time. When we get to Gyeongju Prefecture, we plan to rent a yard. Whether we pass the exam or not, we plan to settle down in Gyeongju Prefecture. If we fail, we can take the exam again in three years. If we pass, we can go directly to the capital next year."
Luo Hong nodded. He had a general understanding of Chen Ziqi's family situation. He and his widowed mother depended on each other for survival. His mother owned an embroidery workshop, so she should have some family assets. In addition, she had good embroidery skills, so she could make a living anywhere. Chen Ziqi was also an independent and self-reliant child, so he should be able to live a good life if he settled in the provincial capital.
"I will go with you then. As for the future plans, I still need to discuss it with my family. The previous ones are almost the same. I will rent a yard in the capital. But after the results are announced, I will have to go back to the county town. If I want to go to the capital to participate in the spring examination next year, we can only meet again in the capital."
Chen Ziqi nodded, it was pretty much what he thought.
He learned that Luo Hong and Liu's father were a large family with different surnames. They were probably fleeing famine from the northwest, and several families with good relationships were banding together for warmth.
"Uncle Luo, Uncle Liu, you can actually run a good braised food business in Qingzhou. I had this braised food at noon today, and it was the best I've ever had. You should be able to run a good business no matter where you open a shop."
"Zi Qi, your uncle Liu and I also know this, but a tall tree attracts the wind. We are afraid that we can't keep this braised pork recipe, and some big family or big force will want our recipe. For the safety of our family, we are afraid that we can't keep it."
In this dynasty, some restaurants would make braised chicken, duck, goose, etc. for sale. They did not have braised pig offal, pig head, and pig feet like this. If such a recipe was really known by some black-hearted big forces, people without backers would not be able to keep it.
Luo Hong continued, "Otherwise, do you think I still want to take the exam at my age? We don't have to worry about these problems in our hometown. Life is relatively comfortable, and we don't want to pursue a career in politics. After arriving here, the situation is really stronger than us. If we don't seek development, we will be easily bullied. Even if I pass the exam and become a scholar, our family can still survive in that small place in the county. If we want to go to the prefectural capital, or even a larger place, we can only go up or seek shelter."
"Uncle Luo, you are right."
Chen Ziqi knew from the very beginning that Liu's father made friends with the four of them and brought them back home to live with the intention of making friends with them.