Li Qing came back with a bundle of firewood on his back. He saw Li Yu staring blankly at the stove with a sad look. He hurriedly put down the firewood and walked to Li Yu. He knelt down and looked at Li Yu worriedly, "Sister, what's wrong with you? What's wrong with you?" Do not be sad."

Li Yu felt warm when he saw Li Qing's worried look, and said with a smile: "Sister, it's okay, I just remembered some things from the past."

Li Qing watched Li Yu smile and then breathed a sigh of relief. Thinking that she was worried about the future, he patted her thin chest to comfort Li Yu, "Sister, don't worry, I am very strong. I will make a lot of money for you in the future." Live a good life.”

Li Yu thought to himself: Silly boy, he wants to make a lot of money at such a young age. At this age, he should go to school and study.

"Aqing, do you want to study?"

Li Qing shook his head without hesitation, "Studying is very expensive and I won't go. I want to learn hunting and make money by selling wild animals like my father."

"Ah Qing, even if you don't take the imperial examination, if you want to make money, you must be able to write and do math. Otherwise, you won't even be able to calculate how much a wild boar can be sold. If someone wants to make a contract with you, you can write and read." ?"

Li Qing frowned and looked at Li Yu, "What should we do? Sister, can you do it?"

Li Yu nodded, "Yes, you should go to the school to learn and give it a try to see what path you should take in the future."

Li Qing kept shaking his head, "I won't go, and I won't worry about you being alone at home." After Li Qing finished speaking, his stomach made two "gurgling, gurgling" sounds.

"You must be hungry!" Li Yu stood up and patted Li Qing with a smile, "Go and ask aunt to come out and let's eat first."

"Sister, the food you cook is so fragrant. I feel hungry just from the smell." After speaking, Li Qing asked Li Mei to go.

Li Yu opened the lid of the pot and took out the rice. When he opened the steamer, the aroma of pig lung soup hit his nostrils. Ladle the pig lung and radish soup into a pottery pot and put it on the table. Wash a few semi-red chili peppers, cut them into short sections and chop them into pieces. Add salt and soy sauce to a bowl. Heat some boiling oil and pour the boiling oil on the chili peppers. Inside, chop some green onions and coriander and mix them with the chili peppers to make a fresh chili dipping sauce and scoop it into a small plate.

Li Mei and Li Qing arrived at the kitchen and said with a smile: "It's so hot." Li Mei opened the back door of the kitchen. As soon as the back door opened, a cool breeze blew in. She sniffed and said, "Yu'er, what did you make?" It smells so good.”

Li Yu pointed at the table and said with a smile: "Pig lung and radish soup."

Li Mei took a sip and drank some of the soup, and praised with a smile, "The fish is really good at cooking. The pig lung soup smells fishy when it's not done well, but after it's stewed, it tastes good when dipped in it and it's good for meals."

Li Qing looked at Li Yu and smiled, "My sister's cooking skills are getting better and better."

Li Mei smiled and said: "It's delicious. Eat more and gain weight."

After dinner, the aunt and nephew cleaned up the pots and stoves, poured two buckets of water into the pot and began to boil hot water. Li Mei took the bamboo mat out of the shop in the yard and squatted on it to sew a quilt.

Li Mei said to sister and brother Li Yu who were sitting in the yard enjoying the cool air: "Xiao Yu'er, Ah Qing, you are young and have lost your health in the Zhang family. You have to make up for it. In the future, if you eat three meals a day, don't eat two meals." . Our farmers eat two meals during the off-season, and some even mix it with sorghum rice, brown rice, and beans to eat multi-grain rice."

Li Yu asked: "Aunt, are taxes heavy now?"

Li Mei's face was full of sadness, "It's heavy, why isn't it heavy? The poll tax costs two hundred coins per person, and the field tax started from last year. Three stones of millet are collected per acre of land. One stone is required for three stones of millet. The maximum number of millets that can be harvested from one acre of field is four stones." Is it difficult to make ends meet in the coming years?”

"Do those families with a good reputation also have to pay taxes?"

"Those who are talented people do not have to pay head tax. Scholars are exempted from land tax by fifteen acres, and those who are educated are exempted from forty. They don't have to pay taxes and they don't have to do hard labor!"

Li Yu asked: "Are there many talented people in the village? Is it easy to take the exam?"

Li Mei sighed and said with a smile: "How can it be so easy to pass the scholar exam! Look at the Zhang family, Zhang Guisheng has been studying since he was four or five years old, and he didn't pass the scholar exam until he was seventeen this year. How much did it cost? That's all With money piled up, he is considered smart, while some people are still just children after taking exams their entire lives."

Li Yu finally understood why everyone in the village wanted to see Zhang Defa when there was a scholar in the Zhang family. It seemed that he had to send Li Qing to school to test whether Li Qing had any talent for reading.

"Aunt, is there a school in the village?"

Li Mei raised her head and glanced at Li Yu, "There is no school in Xishan Village, but we have one in Dongshan Village. It is owned by Zhou Xiucai, the youngest son of the Zhou family. Yu'er, do you want to send Ah Qing to study?"

Li Yu nodded, "I want to send Ah Qing to study and learn something. Even if he makes a business, he can settle the accounts and sign a contract without fear of being cheated."

Li Mei always felt uneasy when she thought of the Zhang family. She thought: It would be better to let Ah Qing go to school. If he becomes successful, he won't be afraid that Zhang Guisheng will take revenge on Yu'er if he becomes prosperous.

Li Mei nodded and said: "Okay, let's send Ah Qing to study. Ah Qing has been smart since he was a child and should be able to study. I will go back and ask Zhou Xiucai tomorrow."

When Li Qing saw that his sister and aunt decided to send him to school, he was worried about where the money would come from. Also, if my sister is at home alone, if the Zhang family comes to cause trouble, Li Qing frowned and said: "Sister, aunt, it is good to study, but where does the money come from? I am worried about my sister being at home alone, I am afraid that if the Zhang family comes to come and cause trouble."

Li Yu didn't expect that Li Qing could think so much at such a young age. He seemed to be a sensible child, but he couldn't say too much. Too many words would lead to mistakes, and he might get into trouble.

Li Mei comforted her and said: "Ah Qing, the silver Zhang Defa has returned is enough for you to study for a few years. Otherwise, you can study for two years first and see if you can do well in it. Then continue studying. When you become successful, you will be able to pay taxes and salary in the future." Taxes and labor are gone.

If not, as your sister said, you can also learn some skills in writing and arithmetic. If Zhang Guisheng passes the imperial examination in the future, he will be an official. Only if you have a future can you protect your sister from being bullied by the Zhang family. "

After hearing this, Li Qing was silent for a while, looked at Li Yu and said, "Sister, I'm going to try and continue reading if it works. If it doesn't work, I'll go home and go hunting in the mountains."

Li Yu nodded and said, "Okay, you and your aunt will go to the school tomorrow to see me. I'll be waiting for you at home." Li Yu turned back and looked at Li Mei, "Aunt, please come with me to make some clothes for Ah Qing, and wear them when you go to the school to see your husband." .”

"Okay, my quilt is also sewn. You can take it in and we'll start making clothes."

After Li Yu made the bed, he asked Li Qing to rest in the room and worked with Li Mei overnight to make a set of clothes.

Li Yu went to the room after washing up. Li Mei handed the silver and oilcloth bag in her backpack to Li Yu, and said with an angry smile: "You girl, just put these things in your backpack randomly, just in case someone touches them." It depends on where you go to find it.”

Li Yu blushed and said with a smile: "Take it out and put it there. Who would have thought that it would be forgotten in a hurry."

Li Mei opened the oilcloth bag, took out the jade pendant and braided a ribbon to tie it. She stroked the jade pendant and thought of her younger siblings. She looked at Li Yu and said softly: "Yu'er, this is the jade gourd your mother left for you. My aunt gave it to you." Take it with you to keep you safe."

Li Yuling lowered his head for a moment and asked Li Mei to take her with him. Li Mei looked at Li Yu and touched her head lovingly, "Brother and sister, you have a spirit in heaven. Please bless us Yu'er and Ah Qing to be safe in the future." "

Li Yu thanked him blankly and lay on the bed holding the jade gourd. Li Mei also lay down and soon made a slight sound of falling asleep.

Li Yu was lying there and found that he seemed to have entered a circular space, surrounded by a circle of shelves, and there was a booklet hanging on the shelf. Li Yu picked up the booklet and opened it curiously, and saw that it read: The Jade Gourd Storage Space welcomes its owner,

1. It can store food and stationary items.

Second, when you need to store, just touch the items that need to be stored and recite the jade gourd silently, and the items will automatically enter the space.

Third, every time you need to enter the space, silently recite the Jade Gourd to open the door, and you will automatically enter.

Fourth, when you come to pick up the stored items and leave, you can leave automatically by reciting the Jade Gourd silently.

5. Every time you enter the space to extract items, you only have a quarter of an hour. You cannot time out, and the timeout will automatically pop up.

After Li Yu read it, the booklet disappeared out of thin air.

Li Yu was so surprised that he wanted to try to see if it was true. He reached out and touched the silver lying under the pillow. He thought about the jade gourd silently and found that the silver was indeed gone.

Li Yu was extremely happy and said to himself: God, is this compensation for me? Thank you! Thank you!

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