Chapter 25: The Clever Xu Ling

Xu Fugui tugged at his wife’s sleeve, signaling her to keep quiet, while Wang Shi shot a sharp glance at her.

However, Xu Nian didn’t mind. Zheng Shi didn’t understand the complexities of the situation, but that was fine—she could explain it to her.

“Second Aunt, although our family has spent some silver recently, only those who pass the imperial exams and become officials can be exempt from taxes and labor. Do you know how much can be exempted?”

Zheng Shi shook her head.

“A 正八品 (eighth-rank official) is exempt from taxes on 480 mu of land, and because Beijiang’s land quality is poor, Zhenbei Wang grants an additional exemption of 150 mu.”

Zheng Shi’s eyes widened in shock, and the rest of the Xu family listened intently. This was their first time learning about such matters.

“And that’s not all. Only by entering officialdom can my father provide my younger brothers with more resources and connections in the future…”

Xu Laoye nodded repeatedly as he listened. When it came to long-term planning, his eldest granddaughter was the most farsighted.

Nightfall

Before going to bed, Xu Nian sprayed some water on two large wooden basins in her room. That was where she had started growing bean sprouts a few days ago.

To ensure a high success rate, she had soaked the soybeans in her spatial spring water before sprouting them.

She had prepared two basins—one using the soybeans Xu Laoye had bought and the other using the ones she had grown in her own space.

Xu Ling lay under the blankets, her fluffy little head peeking out.

“Big Sister, when will the things in the basin be ready to eat?”

Ever since Xu Nian started growing the sprouts, Xu Ling had asked her the same question every night.

“In about two more days,” Xu Nian replied.

After making sure the fire basin was properly set, she blew out the candle and climbed into bed. Tucking Xu Ling in, she whispered, “Go to sleep now.”

“Big Sister, will you tell me a story today?”

Xu Nian smiled softly. “Alright, I’ll tell you the story of the Three Little Pigs.

Once upon a time, deep in the forest, there lived a family of little pigs…”

As she heard Xu Ling’s breathing grow slow and steady, Xu Nian stopped speaking and closed her eyes. With a thought, she entered her space.

Inside the Space

The large tent inside her space was packed with harvested corn, sweet potatoes, and various fruits and vegetables.

The crops she had planted were just beginning to sprout. Since she had replanted seeds harvested from her previous batch, she wasn’t sure if it would affect the yield.

Next to the tent was a large pile of unthreshed rice. The sheer sight of it made Xu Nian feel dizzy, but she still resigned herself to the task. Taking out a wooden bucket, she began threshing the rice stalks.

After over two hours of hard work, she finally finished. Only after cleaning up a bit did she exit the space and drift into a deep sleep.

The Next Morning

The men of the household had all gone to clear land, while Wang Shi and her two daughters-in-law were working on the backyard vegetable garden.

The garden had clearly been left unattended for a long time. Windblown sand had formed small mounds, and the uneven ground was full of pits and depressions.

Wang Shi planned to tidy it up now so that they could plant vegetables when spring arrived.

Meanwhile, Xu Nian retrieved the planting trays that Xu Weian had made for her. She intended to grow some greens to sell along with the bean sprouts.

Each tray was a meter long, and there were five in total. Just picturing them inside her room, she realized there would barely be any space left to walk.

It seemed she would need her youngest uncle to make a shelf for them.

To ensure the vegetables grew well, she secretly spread some black soil from her space at the bottom of each tray.

She planned to grow pea shoots, spinach, and amaranth.

The amaranth had originally been collected during their journey here—she had stored it in her space and later planted it to save seeds.

Xu Ling followed Xu Nian in and out of the room, fascinated. She now believed that her eldest sister was the most amazing person in the family—there was nothing she couldn’t do.

Trailing behind Xu Ling was little Liuzi, pouting and muttering, “Fifth Sister, you haven’t finished yesterday’s story. Why are you just following Big Sister around?”

Xu Nian simply couldn’t tolerate the two little ones following her around anymore. Every time she turned around, she nearly bumped into them.

“Ling’er, take Xiao Liuzi and tell him the story of the Three Little Pigs. Big Sister will be done soon.”

Xu Ling lowered her head guiltily and quickly pulled Xiao Liuzi away. Could she admit that she didn’t remember the story at all? Last night, she had been dreaming about eating delicious food and had completely forgotten what Big Sister had said.

But she dared not say she forgot—what if Big Sister stopped telling her stories in the future?

Meanwhile, Xu Ji’s three brothers were practicing calligraphy in their room when the two little ones ran in.

“Second Brother, Big Sister said it’s time for Xiao Liuzi to start learning to read. She wants you to teach him.”

Xiao Liuzi was dumbfounded. Wasn’t he supposed to hear a story? How did that turn into a reading lesson?

Xu Ji noticed Xu Ling’s shifty gaze and immediately sensed something was off.

“Alright then, we were just getting tired of writing. Come here, Xiao Liuzi.”

Xu Ling, thinking her plan had worked, grinned and was about to slip away when Xu Ji called her back.

“Ling’er, you should join us too.”

Xu Ling pulled a long face. “Second Brother, do I have to?”

“Of course. Don’t you want to help Big Sister? If you can’t even read, how will you help her?”

Poor Xu Ling—at such a young age, she was already trapped by a few words from her second brother. With no way out, she could only shuffle over reluctantly.

Xu Kang and his brothers burst into laughter at their sister’s pitiful expression.

Xu Nian, hearing the laughter from inside the house, couldn’t help but feel puzzled. Since when was studying such a joyful activity?

The day passed in a blur of activity, and before she knew it, night had fallen. Originally, she had planned to wait one more day before eating the bean sprouts, but tonight, they were already on the dinner table.

“They’re so fresh and crunchy! Quite tasty,” Xu Laoye commented in surprise.

He hadn’t expected that the soybeans his granddaughter asked him to buy would be used for this.

“Da Ya, are you planning to sell these?” he asked.

Xu Nian swallowed her food before replying, “I won’t sell this batch. I didn’t grow much this time, so I’ll give some to our neighbors. They’ve helped us a lot, but we haven’t given them any proper thank-you gifts yet.

I’ll sell the next batch.”

Xu Laoye nodded in agreement. That made sense.

“Alright, tomorrow your grandmother can deliver them to each household.”

The adults discussed, but the children weren’t listening. They were too busy enjoying their meal.

Just as the Xu family finished eating, they heard voices outside.

Xu Youliang opened the door and was surprised to see his eldest brother and sister-in-law returning.

“Father, Eldest Brother and Sister-in-Law are back!”

Xu Laoye and the others hurried outside, and sure enough, it was Xu Yaozu and his wife.

Xu Laoye grew concerned. “Did something happen?”

He couldn’t be blamed for thinking that way. Da Ya had just visited the county office and hadn’t mentioned anything about a leave of absence.

Xu Yaozu approached with a bright smile. “It’s good news, Father! Let’s go inside—it’s cold out here.”

“Alright, alright, let’s talk inside,” Xu Laoye said, ushering everyone in.

Tian Shi stepped forward to greet her mother-in-law and exchanged pleasantries with her sisters-in-law before following the group into the main hall.

Zheng Shi and Xiao Wang Shi exchanged glances, marveling at their sister-in-law’s transformation. No wonder she was now an official’s wife—in just a short time, her demeanor had changed so much.

Once everyone was seated, Xu Laoye couldn’t hold back his curiosity. “What’s this good news that made you rush back so late at night?”

Xu Yaozu, visibly excited, took out three letters from his coat.

“These are recommendation letters from my superior—letters for Ji’er and the other two brothers to enter the county school!”