Ch 181: Planning Ahead: Making Account Books
Dayong and Dacheng could no longer bear it, stepping forward and each delivering a punch.
The two were knocked to the ground, crying out in pain and cursing as they crawled back.
Dameng and Xiaomeng each kicked them on their buttocks, and they dared not curse again.
Today, they collected thirty-five taels; the money for building the house is completely sufficient.
When Qiao Lian’er drove the carriage to order building materials, she pricked up her ears, listening for any discussions on the street, but heard nothing.
She guessed that if there were any unusual movements, they would likely wait until after the autumn harvest.
She also heard that uncle say they would increase taxation, and land rent is one of the main sources of taxation.
But to be honest, after the heavy rain season, after ten more days of sunshine, the rice can be harvested. In August, every household is harvesting rice. The house will be finished, almost by September.
Time is a little tight, but if those people arrive at the fastest speed, she will also be able to avoid them in time.
Now the family has five hundred taels; there is absolutely no problem with all the materials. The remaining money can be saved as capital for future life.
Qiao Lian’er thought as she drove the carriage, if Daze Country were in danger, she would be willing to donate a portion of her wealth, but it would be impossible for her to give it all, because the vast majority of families would not donate as much as her, but those people would obviously not reason with her.
When supplies become insufficient, it will be a scramble for whatever is available.
How should she hide the money she has accumulated?
Returning home, Qiao Lian’er began to do the accounting.
Actually, everyone knows the prices of the snacks she sells at her stall, and the prices at which restaurants wholesale ingredients from her are also public.
From the number of people lining up at her stall and the number of bosses and shopkeepers wholesaling ingredients from her, those who are observant could deduce how much money her family earns in a day.
It’s not good to tamper with this, nor is it possible to do so, because the restaurants record how many ingredients they wholesale, and if it doesn’t match, she will be in danger.
So she can only start from one point, that is, the cost of the ingredients.
Yes, write down the cost of the ingredients, and reconcile it with the money earned in the following days. If the calculation comes out to be roughly the five hundred taels for building the house, then she can get away with it.
Now she should record the previous ones first, and then record the later ones day by day. After all, the ink from a month ago and the ink from a month later are different. Some people were caught for forging accounts for this reason.
The mushrooms sold previously should also be recorded, down to the smallest detail, so that it appears authentic.
For those she couldn’t quite remember, Qiao Lian’er carefully verified them with her family. In addition, she had done a rough accounting before, so it went relatively smoothly.
After finishing the accounts, almost half the night had passed. After the men finished practicing their martial arts moves, Qiao Lian’er taught everyone to practice brushstrokes.
At this time, Song Rui’er was kneeling before the Song family members, sobbing with tears on his face.
Song Laoer held a thorny stick, and Song Rui’er’s back was covered in blood, his clothes torn.
Chen Shi had a gloomy expression, wishing she could break Song Rui’er’s bones: “It’s true that a child who isn’t your own isn’t as dear. We guarded against everything, but not against internal thieves. You’ve disgraced both your father and me. You don’t care about our reputation at all.”
“Grandmother, Mother, Father, I really want to study, I really want to go to school. I will repay you ten thousand times what I took from home after I pass the imperial examination.”
“Believe me, I will pass. I am much smarter than those fools in the village school.”
Song Rui’er’s expression was resolute. He knew he would be beaten when the Song family returned from the county town, but he didn’t regret it. If he had a second chance, he would still do it; he would rather die than not be able to study.
“You think you can pass? What guarantees do you have? With just your mouth? Many scholars fail to even become xiucai, dying as mere tongsheng, let alone passing the imperial examination.” Song Laoer sneered, completely disbelieving him.
If it weren’t for being beaten up in the county town and having stayed up all night, he would have beaten this kid even more severely, to the point of death.
Old Mrs. Song hadn’t spoken; she was observing Song Rui’er’s expression.
There were several times before when Song Rui’er came to her asking to study, but she didn’t allow it.
The path of studying requires continuous investment, and it’s difficult to see a return. Many families would not easily make such a decision.
Only seven or eight families sent their children to the village school because it was cheaper.
If they went to the town, they would have to rent a house, and compare themselves to the children of wealthy families, buying expensive writing supplies. It would cost more than ten taels a year.
But now she saw a determination in Song Rui’er’s eyes, as if he would really die if he couldn’t study.
She also thought about their repeated setbacks in the county town. The Qiao family could escort goods and run a snack stall to make big money; they couldn’t do those things, so they could only rely on studying.
Therefore, Old Madam Song’s thoughts changed.
Why not gamble on this path of studying?
Besides, the third son’s return was not far off. When he saw his son being sent to study, he would certainly be moved.
Chen Shi couldn’t bear it any longer. After resting for a while, she was about to hit Song Rui’er again.
“Alright,” Old Madam Song stopped her.
Then she looked at Song Rui’er: “Are you really determined to study and pass the examination?”
“Yes, I must study, I must pass.”
“If you fail, you must return the silver the Song family spent on your education,” Old Madam Song said.
Seeing Old Madam Song relent, Song Laoer and Chen Shi exchanged surprised glances.
Before, Old Madam Song had strongly opposed Song Rui’er’s desire to study, so they beat him so severely to prevent Old Madam Song from asking them to repay the money.
“Good, if I fail, I will repay double,” Song Rui’er vowed, word by word.
Old Madam Song took a deep breath: “Alright, you can go to school from now on.”
Song Laoer’s eyes lit up, and he immediately changed his mind. If this kid passed the examination, wouldn’t he also enjoy the benefits?
Chen Shi was already imagining that she, as his mother, might even become an Imperial Consort.
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A few days later, everyone saw that the clear sky of the previous days had gathered layers upon layers of dark clouds.
These clouds were dark gray, but enormous in size. As time went on, the color of the clouds deepened, and they appeared heavier. Occasionally, there was a faint flicker of thunder and lightning.
A wind blew through the mid-air, directly into people’s necks, mixed with the characteristic mugginess of July, and a few hints of chill.
Looking at the mountain, the trees and bamboo forests swayed in the wind’s direction, with a whistling, roaring wind.
This is the prelude to a heavy rain.
