Chapter 40: Zhao Xiaodou 4/4

Zhao Laosan cherished Zhao Xiaodou very much. After knowing that the young master of the Hong family was violent, he wouldn’t have sent Zhao Xiaodou to the Hong family. 

If Zhao Xiaodou had been sent there anyway… Zhao Xiaodou didn’t die immediately. She could have asked someone to pass a message to Zhao Laosan, asking him to bring Zhao Xiaodou back.

Jin Moli hated Li Laogen very much and wished he would die sooner, but she didn’t have any grudge against Zhao Laosan, and since Zhao Xiaodou was a child… she didn’t want anything to happen to Zhao Xiaodou.

After saying this, Jin Moli felt much relieved, but when she looked at the house Li Qingzhi was building, she felt angry again.

She had always been proud of the size of the houses in the Yao family, but now, Jin Xiaoye’s family also had many houses!

Jin Moli didn’t talk to Li Qingzhi and Li Laogen either. After chatting, she turned around and left.

Li Qingzhi was already used to this. Jin Moli looked gentle, but he could feel that she didn’t like Jin Xiaoye and, consequently, didn’t like him and Li Laogen either.

Jin Moli had secretly reminded Zhao Laosan. When she returned to the Yao family, they were also having lunch.

Yao’s mother made more rice in the morning, and now she added water to the pot with plenty of leftover rice to make rice porridge.

In addition to rice porridge, Yao’s mother also washed and cut some pickled vegetables as a side dish.

“Give this to Zhenfu.” Yao’s mother served a bowl of rice porridge and added a piece of pickled vegetables.

Jin Moli carried the bowl of rice and came to the door of Yao Zhenfu’s study, placing it on the stool outside the door. “Your meal is outside.”

As soon as Jin Moli turned around, the door behind her opened.

Yao Zhenfu had been hiding in the room because he felt embarrassed and didn’t want to face anyone.

But after hiding for half a month, he couldn’t stand it anymore. After all, he couldn’t take a bath in the room, and besides reading, there was nothing else to do.

After thinking for a long time, Yao Zhenfu felt that he had to achieve something. When he succeeded, no one would dare to laugh at him.

As for what to do… he decided to take the imperial exam!

With this decision, Yao Zhenfu had been studying seriously for a few days, but when he studied… he felt hungry.

He used to eat well at school and sometimes bought extra food for himself. His stomach was used to being well-fed, so he could accept eating light food when he got home at night. But recently, he ate every meal at home, and even though there was a bit of meat in the dishes every other day, it was just a tiny bit!

Yao Zhenfu had a good appetite, and just eating that bit of food wasn’t enough for him. These days, he always felt hungry, so as soon as he heard any movement, he couldn’t wait to come out and get his meal.

But the result was just a bowl of rice porridge!

Yao Zhenfu couldn’t help but call out to Jin Moli, “Jin Moli, I smell the fragrance of meat, where’s the meat?”

“Our house doesn’t have any meat, it’s the Li family next door stewing meat,” Jin Moli replied.

“Are they eating leftover food again? That’s really uncultured…”

“They’re stewing fresh meat. Li Qingzhi isn’t going to the county town to copy books anymore.”

“He’s not going to the Zhu family to copy books? Does that mean he has nothing to do now?” Yao Zhenfu immediately asked.

“How would I know about other people’s business!” Jin Moli’s tone wasn’t very good.

Yao Zhenfu felt relieved when he heard Jin Molai’s words.

He suddenly thought that if he passed the imperial exam, he would be more powerful than Li Qingzhi!

Li Qingzhi didn’t have much ability. He couldn’t even memorize the “Three Character Classic” before. If it wasn’t for Zhu Qian taking pity on him, he wouldn’t have had the chance to go to the Zhu family to copy books.

Now that the Zhu family didn’t want him to copy books anymore… Li Qingzhi probably could only stay at home every day like before and take care of the children.

But he was different. He had some knowledge. He failed the county exam before just because he didn’t study hard.

He had learned everything he needed to learn, and now he would study hard at home for the next six months. By the beginning of next year, he would take the county exam, then the provincial exam, and finally the imperial exam…

Thinking like this, Yao Zhenfu came out of the room with a strong smell of sweat and sourness, clearing his throat and said, “Moli, can you boil some water for me? I want to take a bath.”

He couldn’t give up just because of a small setback. He had to study hard and pass the imperial exam!

Then Li Qingzhi would be nothing! Nothing at all!

Meanwhile, Li Qingzhi, who was considered nothing, was writing a book.

To get better light, he moved a stool and a wooden board to the doorway and wrote seriously.

After writing for a while, he would look up at Li Damao and Li Ermao.

Every time he saw his two children, Li Qingzhi felt a strong urge to work hard.

His children were so lovely… He didn’t want them to spend their whole lives farming at home.

In this era, life for ordinary people was too difficult. Not only was the work hard, but there were also various corvées… Many men in the village died from corvées.

He didn’t want his children to suffer such hardships. So at the very least, he had to become a juren.

If he wanted to avenge the original owner, he had to go further.

Thinking about the future, Li Damao and Li Ermao came to him with some wild vegetables they had picked. “Dad, have some to eat!”

Li Ermao even considerately fed the vegetables to Li Qingzhi’s mouth!

His sons were really good!