Chapter 2466 - 2440: Maybe Give It Some Thought

Manbao scratched her head, "The scholarly sister-in-law said her aunt is a bit eccentric, but that’s all I know."

Manbao waved her hand and said, "Let’s not talk about them anymore. Let’s go play in the fields later."

Bai Shan and the others had no objections.

It’s been over a year since they last came to the village.

Not much has changed in Pu Village, except the people look a bit healthier. Now that they’re farming Zhou Man’s official land, they can eat more robustly, nearly seven-tenths full year-round, and have some surplus grain to sell for money, which can be saved for future marriages of their children.

So when the villagers laboring in the fields saw Zhou Man and the others, they instinctively smiled and greeted them warmly, cautiously asking Zhou Man how she was doing at work and whether her superiors liked her.

Manbao, a bit puzzled, said her work was very satisfying, and as for her superiors... they kind of liked her?

After all, she had quite a few superiors and couldn’t ensure that each one liked her.

The villagers then prayed to all the gods and Buddhas, hoping they would bless Zhou Man with a smooth future and successful official career...

Manbao felt somewhat flattered by the villagers’ prayers. It made sense for her family to pray for her, but she wasn’t particularly familiar with these villagers.

Believing in gods and Buddhas required offerings. Even without offerings, it would still take away from the portion of the prayer from sincere believers who were unfamilar to her. Hence, she wouldn’t allocate her prayers to strangers.

Whenever she made a wish, it was either about her own matters or that of her close relatives.

Feeling grateful, Manbao was quickly pulled away by Bai Shan, who remarked only after they were out of earshot, "Why are you so surprised? They’re praying for your official success to ensure their own stability."

He continued, "As long as you have a successful career, this official land will always be yours, and they can continue to farm it."

Manbao: "Well, I’m happy about that."

She thought for a moment and then asked softly, "What do you think, if many people make the same wish, will the gods really hear and fulfill it, letting me have a successful career?"

Bai Shan: "...Aren’t you the one who doesn’t believe in gods and Buddhas?"

Manbao: "Well, for a good thing, it’s okay to believe a little."

Not to mention Bai Shan, even Yin Huo thought she was too fickle like a blade of grass in the wind.

The group strolled through the fields, laughing and chatting, glancing at the wheat fields, rice paddies, and various beans just starting to sprout. Then, Manbao and the others went to see the experimental fields.

Zhou Lichong was also in the village, and he conveniently acted as their guide.

Now, the experimental fields in the village had expanded significantly, covering as much as twelve mu, all managed by Zhou Lichong and his father.

He took out a notebook to show Manbao, saying, "This plot is planted with the new seeds that Auntie gave us in January. They’ve all been transplanted now. The seedlings look a bit skinny but have turned green again, showing that they’ve survived."

He pointed to two other fields and said, "These are seeds from last autumn, labeled as Type A3 and Type D2..."

The origin and yield of each type of seed could be traced in the notebook.

Details such as whether they were cold-tolerant, drought-tolerant, required more water, or attracted pests were all recorded by Zhou Lichong.

Some of these details were instructed by Zhou Man to be noted initially, while others were added by him later on.

Manbao found the records a bit confusing, but Zhou Lichong had them all memorized and would tell her the history of the seeds as they moved from plot to plot.

Bai Shan, listening to all this, remarked, "If not for your poor academics, you could have taken the Ming Mathematics exam and tried to enter the Ministry of Agriculture..."

Bai Shan paused and then exclaimed, "Why don’t you try taking the Ming Mathematics exam?"

At the mention of studying, Zhou Lichong’s confidence faltered, "That’s not possible. Many of the words I remember now, I learned just recently."

In terms of farming, Zhou Lichong couldn’t compare to Zhou Dalang. Even though the 12 mu of land had the help of tenants from Pu Village, Zhou Lichong ended up managing it because his father couldn’t read much.

Currently, Zhou Dalang only recognized his own name and some commonly used words but was still at the stage of recognizing them but not knowing how to write them.

So, Zhou Lichong stepped in. He had at least studied for two years and learned many words from his little aunt. He recognized basic characters.

If he couldn’t recall how to write certain words, he could refer to the thick dictionary his little aunt had or ask his wife for help.

By now, Zhou Lichong not only reinforced the words he’d learned before but also learned many new ones. However, he didn’t have the courage to consider taking the imperial exam.

Never mind whether he could actually do calculations, even if he could, who would want his chicken-scratch handwriting?

"Ming Mathematics... It seems more suited for Lijun," he said.

Manbao: "...No women have ever registered for the Ming Mathematics."

Zhou Lichong just smiled at his aunt, not having any intention to pursue it.

Manbao also thought it would be difficult for him to pass the exam, so she said, "You should keep studying. I’ll ask around and see when there’s a demand for Ming Mathematics candidates. Then you can give it a try."

Bai Shan suggested, "You can take the exam in Luojiang County."

Bai Erlang was startled and looked at Bai Shan in shock, "Are you suggesting using connections?"

Bai Shan couldn’t help but hit him, "What are you talking about? Am I that kind of person?"

Bai Shan explained to Zhou Lichong, "The capital has more people, and more literates. Some people can’t pass the Jinshi or Ming Classic exams, so they opt for the Scholar, Ming Book, and Ming Law exams. In comparison, Ming Mathematics is more niche and has fewer examinees."

"But even with fewer examinees, there are still those who take it. So in the capital, all these exams attract enough people, but not in small places." Bai Shan continued, "To my knowledge, Luojiang County hasn’t had anyone sign up for the Ming Mathematics exam for several years, leaving it vacant without passing candidates. If you’re willing, we can teach you."

"The Ming Mathematics exam doesn’t have many books to study, just the ’Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art’ in three parts, ’Five Classics of Mathematics,’ ’Five Cao Mathematics,’ ’Xiahou Yang Mathematical Classic,’ ’Zhang Qiujian Mathematical Classic,’ ’Zhou Bi Mathematical Classic,’ ’Haidao Mathematical Classic,’ ’Sunzi Mathematical Classic’ in one part each. ’Continuation of Numbers’ is in six parts, and ’Jigu Mathematical Classic’ in four parts. If you learn those books, you’ll definitely pass in Luojiang County."

Zhou Lichong felt dizzy. He knew of ’Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art’ and ’Five Classics of Mathematics.’ He had learned them from Mr. Zhuang, but only the basics. The deeper content was beyond him, and even Mr. Zhuang said what he had learned was enough. But now...

Zhou Lichong swallowed hard and looked at his little aunt, "Isn’t it too late for me to start learning now?"

"It’s not too late," Manbao replied, "How old are you? If you work until fifty, you still have thirty years left to work. Won’t two years be enough to learn these books?"

Zhou Lichong shook his head vigorously, seemingly wanting to shake it off.

Bai Erlang quickly interjected, "You can’t measure others by your own standards. This, this, at least four years!"

Zhou Lichong nodded repeatedly and then whispered, "It might take six years or even longer."

Yin Huo: "...Even if you pass the Ming Mathematics, it doesn’t come with any rank; at most, you’d be a calculation officer."

So should you reconsider?