The Daily Life of Farming and Raising Children in Ancient Mountain Residences

Chapter 220: The Scholar’s Wife

The arrogance of the Zheng family was unknown to the examinees like Shen Lie, who had entered the examination hall and received their exam papers. As a plain commoner from Qiyang County’s Shili Village, Shen Lie had never set foot in Shezhou before and didn’t even know who the Zheng family was.

At this moment, his sole focus was on answering the two exam papers he had received well. Out of over seventy examinees, with only forty being selected, he hoped to at least avoid falling outside the top forty.

In fact, in this year’s examination, aside from a few candidates from Daxing Village who wore plain clothes, most of the examinees dressed quite respectably. There were very few truly impoverished candidates. Not only Shen Lie but even Wei Qinghe was sweating nervously.

This year’s exam papers were special. The subjects were selected by the candidates when they registered, and the papers were printed according to the subjects chosen. This was partly because the candidates’ abilities varied and the requirements of the governor and chief clerk had set the bar lower, and partly due to paper shortages, making it impossible to prepare a large number of papers in advance.

Following the advice of Sang Luo the previous night, Shen Lie tried to calm himself. He quickly reviewed both exam papers, finding that he could answer most of the questions. This eased his mind considerably. He set the papers aside, took out his inkstone and brush from the exam basket, and began to prepare. These were items he had grown accustomed to using in recent days. Adding water and grinding the ink went smoothly. Once everything was ready, he began to dip the brush in ink and answer the questions on the first paper.

—

Shen Ning, back home, had finished his chores but felt as restless as if he had a rabbit in his heart, unable to stay still, pacing back and forth in agitation.

Sang Luo felt dizzy from looking around. She made some dried beans, grabbed a basket and two hoes, carrying one herself and handing the other to Shen Ning. “Let’s go, help me dig up some winter bamboo shoots to make dried bamboo shoots. It’s better than pacing around here. This is the exam; we still have to wait for the results. How long are you going to keep pacing?”

Shen Ning took the hoe and followed Sang Luo. While walking, he asked, “Sister-in-law, aren’t you nervous?”

“I am nervous, but whether the exam goes well or not depends on their usual efforts and how they perform now. Our nervousness won’t change anything.” Thus, she refused to let anxiety get the best of her.

To dig bamboo shoots, they first had to cross their own two mountains and then go further in to find the bamboo forest. So, the aunt and nephew headed directly to the mountain top.

Zhao Dalang and Zhao Silang had already felled quite a few trees from the mountain top in recent days, estimating that in another seven or eight days, it would be nearly done. When they saw Sang Luo and Shen Ning coming, they greeted them and asked Sang Luo, “Sister Sang, what about the smaller trees that aren’t yet mature? What’s your plan for those?”

Yam can actually be planted without cutting down all the trees. Over the past two years, they had been planting yams here and there without clearing the entire forest.

Sang Luo looked at the smaller trees Zhao Silang mentioned, many of which were as thick as her arm, and said, “Cut them down too. I have a use for them. Once everything is cleared and the land is leveled, we can plant more yams.”

“Alright then,” Zhao Silang said, feeling relieved that there was a use for the trees. There were many mountains in this area, so if their own land ran out of timber, they could go further into the mountains to cut more, as long as it wasn’t excessive and was just for their own use, no one would complain.

He was also curious, “Sister Sang, are you going to plant yams on all twenty acres of your land? Next year, many families will be planting food crops, and yams won’t be the main staple. Many people from this mountain area will be planting them, and it might be hard to sell a lot at a good price.”

This issue had been discussed by the brothers and their family for several days. They were worried Sang Luo might suffer a loss. The more people plant something, the less valuable it becomes. Their parents had told them to find a chance to remind her.

Sang Luo smiled and said, “Don’t worry. As long as there’s food in the coming years, there won’t be a shortage. Your family also has fifty acres of mountain land, right? If used well, we are close to the city here. Whether it’s planting or raising something, it’s easy to sell in the city. There’s no worry about the market. As for yams, they are not cultivated artificially in our Da Qi; they are used as wild medicinal herbs. By next year, more people will know about them. Even if they’re sold as just tubers, they can fetch a good price. For the first year or two, it will indeed be a good business.”

There were other uses as well, such as making yam noodles, but Sang Luo didn’t mention that as she was planning to use it for her own livelihood.

Zhao Dalang and Zhao Silang were pleased to hear that yams would sell well as tubers next year. They had fifty acres of mountain land and had only considered planting beans, not fully decided on other uses.

Zhao Silang, who was more daring and articulate than his elder brother, asked, “If it’s convenient for you, could you tell us about your plans for the other twenty acres of land? Our family also has a lot of mountain land. If you don’t mind sharing, we’d like to learn from you. If it’s not convenient, just consider I didn’t ask.”

There was no inconvenience in sharing this information. The Zhao family was straightforward, and they planned to continue seeking their help in the future, with the work going through the hands of the two brothers.

Sang Luo said, “On the other mountain, I plan to plant some fruit trees, beans, and vegetables, and raise some chickens in the mountains. Aside from the fruit trees, the other things have a quick yield. In addition to supplying our own needs, any surplus can be sent to the city to sell. It will be quite a busy job—felling trees, clearing land, and building chicken coops. I’ll need your help.”

Zhao Dalang and Zhao Silang didn’t quite understand why chickens and geese couldn’t just be raised behind the house. The garden was quite large, and vegetables could also be planted there. However, if they needed to be sold in the city, then indeed, more could be grown in the mountains.

Sang Luo was well-informed, and this was a recognized fact among the mountain folks. Even though the brothers didn’t fully understand, they were subconsciously considering which vegetables could be planted with which fruit trees. Zhao Dalang, who was less talkative, was hesitant to ask further. Zhao Silang, however, was more direct and asked, “What kind of fruit trees are you planning to plant?”

Sang Luo pondered and said, “They aren’t particularly valuable—mountain grapes, chestnut trees, and jujube trees. Whatever seedlings can be found in the forest, I’ll plant them. You don’t need to follow my lead exactly. It’s best to arrange what suits you. I’m just trying things out myself.”

She was planting chestnut and jujube trees for her own consumption and needed some empty land for chicken coops. Planting grapes was intended for making raisins and wine, which the Zhao family wouldn’t make, so it might not be suitable for them.

Zhao Dalang and Zhao Silang found it hard to imagine why they needed to grow these things themselves when they could find them in the mountains. However, they trusted Sang Luo’s reasoning. Both brothers agreed enthusiastically, saying, “Don’t worry, Sister Sang. We’ll work faster and try to clear this land as soon as possible, and then get the other mountain ready for you.”

Sang Luo had mentioned that they would need to fell trees, clear land, and build chicken coops on the other mountain, which was a job they would be hired for. Just this mention made the Zhao brothers very happy.

Sang Luo smiled and continued with Shen Ning into the mountains.

Finding winter bamboo shoots required some skill. Shen Ning learned a lot from his sister-in-law, and even though they had already dug in the bamboo forest before, they still found more than twenty shoots.

Checking the time, it was already early in the morning. Not knowing when Shen Lie and Shen An would return, they didn’t want to collect too many. They hurried back, peeled and cleaned the bamboo shoots, boiled them in salted water, sliced them, and laid them out on drying mats.

Once the work was done and the sun was approaching noon, they were about to head out for a while when they heard some noise from the direction of the field. Looking over, they saw Shen Lie and Shen An striding toward them.

Sang Luo and Shen Ning hurried to greet them. Shen Lie, walking quickly, reached them before they could get too far.

“Did you finish the exam?”

Both brothers nodded.

Shen Ning asked, “Was it smooth? Were the questions difficult?”

Sang Luo also looked at Shen Lie and Shen An.

Shen An scratched his head and said, “The Classics were not difficult; I could do them all. But for the meanings of the texts, there were six or seven questions I didn’t know, so I left them blank in the end.”

They had studied in the mountains without a teacher, so while memorizing the texts was not hard, interpreting them was. Some of the interpretations were unclear even to Wang Yunzheng and Wei Qinghe, and such questions had appeared on the exam.

Sang Luo looked at Shen Lie. Shen Lie said, “I’m about the same as Xiao An, struggling mostly with the interpretations. I answered a few questions based on interpretations you mentioned before, though I wasn’t sure if they were correct. I did my best, but we’ll only know how we did when the results are published tomorrow.”

Sang Luo was not very familiar with the Four Books and Five Classics either. Some of the characters she could only match up with what she had heard Wei Qinghe and others read. Thus, she could teach Shen Lie where she understood, and some parts she also didn’t know.

When Shen Lie asked about such questions, she would say it might be correct but wasn’t sure, and she didn’t dare teach others. Shen Lie answered based on her input, which was better than leaving the answers blank.

“Just do your best. Put the exam basket down and take a break. I’ll go prepare lunch.”

Shen Lie didn’t rest. Seeing that lunch wouldn’t be ready immediately, he greeted Sang Luo and took a hoe to work in the mountains.

Sang Luo glanced out from the kitchen window and asked Shen An, who was also preparing to leave, “Were there many people taking the exam today?”

Shen An nodded, “Seventy-three.”

Sang Luo had an idea of how many people were there and let Shen An go.

Shen Lie was especially busy that day. By the time he went to bed at night, he wasn’t completely at ease.

Sang Luo snuggled into his arms, and he instinctively held her close.

“Worried about not doing well on the exam?” She pressed close to him, her voice soft in the dim light of the night.

Shen Lie’s night vision was much better than Sang Luo’s. He could clearly see her features and the expression on her face. Holding her hand on his chest, he replied, “A little bit.”

Sang Luo chuckled softly and said, “Tomorrow morning, I’ll go with you to check the results. If you pass, then I’ll be the wife of a scholar from now on. If not, you can try again next year or the year after. Or, if you become a farmer, I’ll be happy to be a farmer’s wife too.”

Shen Lie’s heart, originally tense, was now softened by her words. He felt a mix of warmth and desire, his hand moving to the back of her head, their breaths merging together.

How could he bear to make her a farmer’s wife?

The more they were together, the more he wanted to cherish her deeply, to protect and present the best to her.

After not being intimate for many days, it was difficult to control the passion that had built up. The old wooden bed couldn’t withstand their activity, and Sang Luo’s face flushed deeply. She was just glad that Shen Ning’s room was not too close to theirs. At first, she was shy, but soon she was too engrossed to care.

Shen Lie was good in every way, but this aspect was challenging. He tried to comfort her, but in the end, it was her own tears. The effect was indeed good; Shen Lie’s stress from the day was released, and after helping Sang Luo clean up, he looked at her sleeping face and smiled.

Farmer and farmer’s wife?

His smile grew wider as he gently kissed her cheek, holding his beloved through the night.