Chapter 1466 - 5: Training (Part 5)

Several of his grandsons are struggling, but his granddaughter has a talent for sewing. It’s very likely she will stay long-term at a clothing shop, becoming a permanent worker, which means she can earn more.

He shares all this with Zhao Mingming.

He doesn’t even know why he tells Zhao Mingming these things. Although he is honest and sincere, having lived through chaotic times with people around him leaving one after another, he still has a guarded nature and understands the principle of not revealing one’s wealth. But when squatting beside Zhao Mingming, whenever she asks, he can’t help but tell her.

Moreover, whenever she asks a question, he can’t help but answer with three.

By the time he has finally finished chatting with Zhao Mingming, pouring out all the happy and troubling things at home, the sky is almost dark.

With enthusiasm, Zhao Mingming offers to treat him to dinner and stay at her house overnight.

The old man immediately refuses, "We farmers can temporarily stay at Jushan Hall when we enter the city, so I’ll stay there."

"Jushan Hall cannot be as comfortable as home. It’s my fault for forgetting to check the time while chatting. Elder, how about staying at my place tonight? My house has extra rooms."

The old man still refuses, so Zhao Mingming says, "Alright, then don’t stay, but you must eat. Come on, let’s go, the government office has public meals, I can take them home to eat."

Upon hearing about the public food, the old man swallows the words of refusal, excitedly follows Zhao Mingming into the county government to get meals, thinking government meals shouldn’t be wasted.

Zhao Mingming holds a two-tiered large lunchbox, whether taking rice or dishes, she fills them to the top. Before leaving, she sweetly grabs several buns and flatbreads from the main staple window.

The old man follows her, holding her lunchbox, and seeing her grabbing five or six flatbreads with one hand and pinching seven or eight big buns with the other, he immediately grins widely.

Zhao Mingming leads him to her public rental house.

Following behind her, the old man asks quietly, "Young lady, you’re taking so much food yourself, your superior doesn’t mind?"

Zhao Mingming replies, "I have a big appetite, naturally eat a lot. Besides, every official, regardless of rank, has three opportunities a year to bring family to visit the government office. This extra portion is for family."

There are so many talented people in the world, not everyone has to become an official, especially since officials also have to pay taxes and many benefits have been reduced.

To attract talent, Zhao Hanzhang not only gives financial benefits but also orders government offices in various places to construct public rental housing. This type of housing is specifically rented to local officials, with low rent and reasonable layout.

In addition, officials can bring their families every year to visit the office where they work. Each local government also holds family events annually, allowing families to share the honor and encouraging more aspiring young people to choose recruitment exams and enter government service.

The results are okay.

The old man becomes envious, watching Zhao Mingming, "None of my sons are good at studying, and I don’t know how their children will be after they marry. If just one could pass the county government exam like the young lady, our family could transform its status."

Zhao Mingming laughs, "It’s not that exaggerated, just a small clerk in the county government. Once you have grandsons and granddaughters, encourage them to study hard. As long as you’re willing to support them, I think passing the county and district exams shouldn’t be hard."

In Zhao Mingming’s view, county and district exams are indeed not difficult. Having a rough understanding of the Four Books and Five Classics, arithmetic and elementary knowledge are tested, and the rest is policy argument and writing and evaluating official documents, very simple.

At this point, Zhao Mingming has yet to realize the vast gap between her and ordinary students. What she finds easy is precisely what they struggle with the most, while the poem and prose writing, the topic-setting of the Four Books and Five Classics which trouble her, are the parts that excellent students excel in county and district exams.

Zhao Mingming treats the elderly to a meal and personally sends him to Jushan Hall, staying until he checks in before leaving.

Jushan Hall is also established by the government, and basically every county has one.

The nature is similar to low-rent housing, but the low-rent housing is long-term rented to local impoverished families to provide them a place to live.

Jushan Hall, however, is short-term rental housing, provided for farmers entering the county town, temporarily impoverished people, etc., staying requires no money, even no registration document, though reasons will be asked.

For people like the old man, who enter the city to sell some agricultural and sideline products or take a look at the notice wall, the managers seldom ask much, they just allocate a room and leave it at that.

Managers prefer those who look perplexed when asked the reason or those who simply say they’re impoverished, penniless, coming to stay in times of hunger and cold. With further inquiry, if they have no household registration, the managers become happy.

This means they can excel, leave people behind, register households, assign land...

Know that since the seventh year of Yuanzhen, it’s very hard to find people without registration outside, not even vagrants exist anymore.

Whenever vagrants appear in a location, the County Magistrate becomes very happy, surely keeping them there, leaving one means the county’s population increases by one, further inquiring about their original place of residence can even report the original county magistrate.

How poor must the County Magistrate of that county be to let people become vagrants under Your Majesty’s management?

Know that Yongye fields can’t be bought or sold, how would people lose land and become vagrants?

Surely the local County Magistrate and big landowners must have committed terrible deeds, exposing them is an achievement!

Since the summer harvest is over, many farmers recently entered the city to sell goods and get information, so Jushan Hall is full.

Zhao Mingming wanders around Jushan Hall, farmers gather in groups discussing loudly, talking about this year’s harvest and taxes.

Some farmers who’s literacy class results are good is already using fingers to calculate everyone’s summer taxes.

Zhao Mingming listens for a while, restrains herself from stepping in to correct them, turns and quietly leaves.

She’s out of Jushan Hall, yet the voices follow, "Listen to me, don’t worry about it, with your family’s five people’s land, prepare eight shi of grain, it’s definitely correct."

"But my family paid only six shi three dou last year, this year I’ve heard it’s four per ten, even less than last year, how come more needs to be paid? Plus there’s autumn tax, taxes are collected twice, summer tax shouldn’t be so much?"

"Don’t listen to him, don’t listen to him, he calculated wrong."

"Bullshit, my literacy class has 102 people, I ranked third, how would I calculate wrong?"

"You obviously recognize the most words, first in recognizing script, why ranked third? Because your arithmetic is poor! Old Chen, let me calculate for you..."

"Stop arguing, stop arguing, Old Chen, it’s your family’s turn to escort taxes this year, whom does your family plan to send?"

A despondent sigh echoes in Zhao Mingming’s ear, "Not decided yet, I want to send the eldest, but he earns the most, this trip two months, it might delay farming."

"Your family’s still alright, having many able-bodied men, sending anyone’s fine, my brother-in-law’s family is truly unlucky, only my brother-in-law is an able-bodied man, it’s his family’s turn this year, once he leaves, just mother and son remain, we’ll have to look after them, my wife has already settled it, this year at autumn harvest, we’ll combine with my brother-in-law’s family, becoming one, uncertain if it will delay farming."

Zhao Mingming doesn’t listen anymore, strides towards her public rental house.

Fan Lianyin and Zu Daosheng, just back from overtime, are sitting blankly on the steps holding tea, a vacant look.

Seeing Zhao Mingming return, the two lazily get up to greet her, after Zhao Mingming gestures no need for formalities, they sit back down, continuing their vacant stare.

Zhao Mingming pulls over a chair to sit opposite them, "Are you exhausted?"

The two nod together.