Chapter 75: Conquering the People 2/2

With so many people around, Li Qingzhi still touched her hand!

Jin Xiaoye glared at Li Qingzhi but felt quite good.

Li Qingzhi said she was beautiful. Who wouldn’t like being called beautiful by others?

“Xiaoye, eat more.” Li Qingzhi picked up a piece of meat for Jin Xiaoye.

Jin Xiaoye pulled her hand away from Li Qingzhi’s and picked up a piece of meat for him.

This meal was eaten quite early, and it was still bright outside when Jin Xiaoye and her mother went to help Fang Jinniang tidy up the dowry.

Jin Moli didn’t dare to move the things around randomly. She followed behind Jin Xiaoye, doing whatever Jin Xiaoye instructed, being exceptionally obedient. When Fang Jinniang came over, she even smiled at Fang Jinniang in an attempt to please her.

Jin Xiaoye felt quite helpless.

Her mother was really… Luckily, Jin Xiaoshu married Fang Jinniang, or else her mother would have been bullied.

She had realized from a very young age that her mother couldn’t be relied upon. Later on, she ended up protecting her mother instead.

Although Fang Jinniang’s eyesight had improved a bit, she could only see the outlines of people a little clearer, but she couldn’t make out Jin Moli’s expressions.

“Mother.” Fang Jinniang smiled at Jin Moli.

“Ah.” Jin Moli was overjoyed, the more she looked at Fang Jinniang, the more she liked her.

Her son would have good days in the future!

Li Qingzhi saw this scene and chuckled lightly.

He had seen a saying before: when a person is hungry, the only thing they think about is how to fill their stomach. But once they’re full, various troubles arise.

People in Miaoqian Village were living relatively well, but they still lacked food and clothing. Their thoughts were simple, and they didn’t care much about reputation and such.

Fang Jinniang could live well here.

That night, Li Qingzhi embraced Jin Xiaoye again, experiencing another bridal night.

He really enjoyed being close to Jin Xiaoye!

The next morning, Li Laogen had already gone to the county town to have tea with Mr. Yao. They set off particularly early, almost before dawn.

Li Qingzhi supported Li Laogen’s hobby. It was better for him to go for tea than to gamble with others.

As usual, Li Qingzhi cooked with Jin Xiaoye and read to her while doing so. Jin Xiaoye was no longer satisfied with just recognizing words. After listening to him read for a while, she went to practice writing at their dining table.

Seeing this, Li Damao also took some paper and knelt on a stool to write.

Li Ermao didn’t like writing, so he grabbed some grains to feed the chickens.

Their ducks had already been eaten up, but the hen was still there.

After having more grains at home, Li Laogen mentioned wanting to buy some chicks to raise, but Li Qingzhi thought it wasn’t necessary and refused.

The chickens here were all free-range, and having too many of them would result in chicken droppings everywhere.

Besides… Li Qingzhi didn’t plan to stay in the countryside forever. He would definitely move to the city in the future.

Li Qingzhi sat behind the stove, roasting the fire and reading a book.

Although he had a photographic memory, the books at this time contained a lot of information… He usually quickly skimmed through them to remember everything, then slowly read them again to fully understand.

This way, his reading speed wasn’t fast.

While he was roasting the fire, Jin Xiaoshu and Fang Jinniang arrived.

Although it was their second day of marriage, both of them planned to go to the county town to make money. Fang Jinniang also wanted Jin Xiaoshu to accompany her to see Fang Xiuniang.

As for eating at the Li family’s house, Fang Jinniang felt a bit hesitant, but Jin Xiaoshu was used to it. “Brother-in-law, what are we having today?”

Li Qingzhi said, “Mother gave me some meat yesterday. It’s on the steaming rack.”

His mother-in-law was very concerned about him, and because Jin Xiaoshu had paid for yesterday’s banquet… Jin Moli specially left a large bowl of meat for her son-in-law to nourish him.

“That’s great!” Jin Xiaoshu was very happy.

They had white rice for breakfast, along with a large bowl of meat from the Jin family, and three large bowls of stir-fried vegetables.

Stir-fried vegetables, especially Shanghai greens, were the most commonly eaten vegetables in Miaoqian Village during the winter. These vegetables, grown without the use of fertilizers, were very delicious. Even after being touched by frost, they still tasted sweet. Li Qingzhi always cooked a lot, saving some for lunch.

After eating, Jin Xiaoye and the others went to the county town, while Li Qingzhi stayed at home.

Before the end of the month, he had to transcribe and revise Zhu Qian’s autobiography and improve his right-hand handwriting. Additionally, he needed to finish Ding Xi’s autobiography.

In December, Li Qingzhi planned to focus on reading books related to the Zhu family and the county magistrate’s office and the imperial examinations for a month. After the New Year, he would go to Li Xiucai’s place to study intensively for two months… Then, he would start preparing for the imperial examinations.

Li Qingzhi was practicing calligraphy at home when the village chief, Jin Xiaoye’s uncle, hurriedly came and informed him of something: “The government is conscripting laborers. Since you weren’t here in the past few years, and Li Laogen is getting old, your family hasn’t sent anyone. This time, you must send someone, or else you’ll have to pay.”

“Thank you for letting me know,” Li Qingzhi said.

“I’ll go inform others.” The village chief left and went to the next household.

Yesterday’s wedding was done quite decently, and the villagers were discussing Fang Jinniang’s dowry when the village chief came to notify them about the conscription.

Nobody in the village, whether man or woman, was in a good mood.

No one liked to go to work without pay.

However, most people planned to go, partly because the village chief told them that this time the work was near the county town and relatively easy, and partly because… if they didn’t go to work, they would have to pay money, which they couldn’t bear.

It wasn’t necessary to go to work like being drafted into the military; there was no need to pay money for not going.

The number of people conscripted varied each time, but this time, the county magistrate wanted to do a big job, so more people were drafted.

As long as there was a suitable man in the family, each household had to send one person. Moreover, if there were more than four eligible men in a household, they had to send two people.

Li Qingzhi intended to pay instead of going, as for the Jin family…

The ones conscripted by the county magistrate were men aged eighteen to forty. Jin Xiaoshu and Jin Dajiang were not among them, and there were only three eligible men in the Jin family, so only one person needed to be sent.

However, considering the situation of the Jin family, there was bound to be another argument…