"Nobody wants to do the work on the mountain. The clever ones work for half a day and then leave. Most of the people who stay are old farmers."
They left their farm work to work in the county town, probably because their families were starving. The employers in the county town, used to having their own people, rarely hired them.
Although we give less, it's still some money in the bank, and with your little jar hanging around, it's natural to keep it.
Their hands are calloused and covered in new wounds; every penny they earn is stained with blood and sweat. Your methods are correct, but you've chosen the wrong people.
Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci listened quietly. Jin Shanyao smiled and said, "Would you like some roasted rabbit? It's been so long since we roasted rabbit on the mountain."
Meng Anci nestled in Jin Shanyao's arms, "Auntie, who should I use this trick on?"
Jin Shanyao snapped her fingers in the air, and Dahuang disappeared in a flash. She then gestured for Xiaoli to gather firewood before continuing, "The cheapest hairpin on Old Madam Su's head costs twenty taels."
She could easily take out a hundred taels to buy talisman paper, and she dared to spend three thousand taels to treat Lord Su's illness. You can see the calluses on her hands.
The two little creatures shook their heads, and Jin Shanyao carefully piled up the branches that the Xiaoli had gathered.
"When Magistrate Yang celebrated his birthday, the banquet alone cost a hundred taels of silver, but he was very careful about the five or ten taels his subordinates gave him as a token of respect."
Their money is like water in a river; taking a sip won't harm them.
For the poor, money is the last grain of rice in their bowl; if you take even one extra grain, they might go hungry tonight.
At this moment, Dahuang ran back from a distance and dropped two wild rabbits at Jin Shanyao's feet. Jin Shanyao took the rabbits and began to skin and process them.
"We can be ruthless and cunning in our actions, but we cannot bully others by abusing our power. Oppressing the weak is not a skill, but it also makes us seem like we have no bottom line."
"Besides, you've screwed them over this time. They won't come when it's time to collect the medicinal herbs. Word will spread, Anzhi Hall will not only be unable to hire anyone, but its reputation will also be ruined."
The two little ones squatted by the fire, listening intently as the rabbit meat sizzled and released its aroma.
Meng Anzhi concluded that it's okay to scheme against those stronger than you, but not against those weaker than you. You should have a long-term vision before doing anything and not just focus on immediate gains.
Meng Anci concluded that being an official brings wealth... He wanted to be an official, not a farmer.
Once the rabbit meat was roasted, Jin Shanyao broke off two rabbit legs and handed them to the two little ones. The two lads blew off the dust, took a big bite of the rabbit leg, and exclaimed how delicious it was. Auntie's roasted wild rabbit was the best.
After eating and drinking their fill, the two of them gradually felt their eyelids grow heavy, and before they knew it, they leaned against Dahuang and Xiaoli and fell asleep.
As darkness fell, Jin Shanyao stood barefoot on the ground, her Spiritual Power seeping into the ground from her feet, expanding little by little until it covered the entire Lush Mountain.
Nourished by Spiritual Power, all the vegetation on Lush Mountain instantly came back to life, and the seeds scattered on the ground and the saplings planted quietly took root and sprouted.
The Spiritual Power traveled down the mountainside, going deeper and deeper until it encountered moist soil, and continued its exploration along the moist soil.
Found it... Jin Shanyao her lips, a slight smile playing on her lips.
A surge of Spiritual Power shot straight from Lush Mountain to the water source, and with a deafening roar, the barrier was smashed open.
With a whoosh, the surging river flowed into Lush Mountain along with the Spiritual Power, instantly forming an underground river that gradually soaked the soil.
The plants, nourished by Spiritual Power, gained strength, and their roots desperately burrowed into the soil, drinking water voraciously. They hadn't felt this carefree in a long time.
Lush Mountain trembled slightly from this Spiritual Power, which even affected the county town.
Xuanxin sensed this Spiritual Power, snapped his eyes open, and greedily inhaled the air.
"No mistake, that's the smell... Hahaha..." At first, he thought Jin Shanyao possessed a rare treasure and wanted to steal it for herself.
Only after seeing it did he realize that the Jin Shanyao itself was a rare treasure, and he wanted to eat it... As long as he ate this woman, he could achieve immortality and cultivate into a god.
He had been hiding in the shadows for too long, and he longed to be in the sunlight. Even if his master forbade him to come, he would disobey orders and come to find out for himself.
As for that useless master, let him die... A murderous glint flashed in Xuanxin's eyes.
On Lush Mountain, Jin Shanyao slowly withdrew her Spiritual Power, picked up the two children, and slowly walked down the mountain.
At this hour in the past, there would be hardly anyone on the streets, but today is unusually quiet.
Qing He, Qing Yang, and Lu Chi were standing in the courtyard when they saw Jin Shanyao enter. They quickly went to take the child from her arms.
"Master, did you know there was an earthquake?"
"Earthquake?"
Jin Shanyao her hand, a moment of unease creeping over her. The commotion seemed to have gotten too loud; no wonder the street was packed with people. "I know," she said, "I almost lost my balance when I first moved."
Qing He chimed in, "Absolutely! I was so scared I jumped right out of the house. We were just about to go look for you."
Jin Shanyao and said, "Don't worry, it's alright. Take the child inside."
Qing He took the sleeping Meng Anci from her arms. "Master, will there be another earthquake? How about we sleep in the courtyard tonight?"
"Don't worry, the ground won't shake. Go to sleep."
Qing He opened her mouth, wanting to say something more, but remembering her master's unpredictable divination abilities, she swallowed her words.
As luck would have it, just as Jin Shanyao had opened up the underground river, a heavy rainstorm struck.
Lush Mountain was stained with patches of emerald green by the rain, and the vegetation grew quietly in the rain. In early August, Anzhi Hall finally got to eat the wild mushrooms produced by his own family.
Before they knew it, the day for the results of the preliminary examinations arrived.
The area outside the yamen was packed with people. Meng Anci was short and couldn't see anything, so he could only clench his fists and squeeze through the gaps in the crowd.
The higher the level of the imperial examination, the fewer people looked at the results. For the prefectural examination, people would almost take it if they knew a single character.
"Coming, coming."
Someone shouted, and the crowded people instantly parted to make way. The constable slammed the notice down on the wall, turned around, and left without looking back.
Meng Anci was jostled around by the crowd, all he could see were buttocks. Suddenly, his small body was lifted up, startling him so much that he let out a howl, before he was settled firmly on Jin Shanyao's shoulder.
He held his aunt's head in his arms, peered through the crowd to look at the list, looked at it twice, his heart suddenly leaped up and then plummeted down.
The faint light in his eyes vanished, and he froze in mid-air, completely bewildered... He failed the exam?
Jin Shanyao had no time to worry about herself or whether she would have to delay her return to Heavenly Court for another year. Instead, she held the little cub in her arms and gently comforted it.
"It's okay, you're still young. If you didn't pass this year, you can try again next year."
Before she could finish speaking, Meng Anci grabbed her neck and hugged her tightly, followed by a loud "Wah!"... her wet tears soaked her neck.
Meng Anci cried her heart out.
He failed the imperial examination for the lowest degree; how can he then use the emperor to command the feudal lords?
His dream...
Meng Anci cried so hard he couldn't take care of himself.
From the moment he entered the academy, everyone praised him for his intelligence, saying he was a potential top scholar. To live up to this title, he would get up before dawn every day to study.
Even when he closes his eyes to sleep at night, he silently recites scriptures. How could he have failed the exam despite working so hard?
Jin Shanyao his back, and Meng Anzhi raised her hand to remove the red velvet flower from her hair and tucked it into her sleeve.
For a moment, no one spoke, and Meng Anci cried all the way home.
After arriving home, Meng Anci cried in the study, while Meng Anzhi read books in the study.
While Meng Anzhi was crying in her bedroom, she was reading a book in her bedroom.
While Meng Anzhi was crying in the outhouse, she was reading a book there.
Meng Anci forgot to cry. He leaned against the outhouse door, his red and swollen eyes glaring at Meng Anzhi, "You come with me when I go to the outhouse."
"I don't mind the smell of your poop," Meng Anzhi turned the page and continued reading.
Meng Anci her feet in anger, " Meng Anzhi, don't go too far!"
"Are you going to hit me... with that raspy voice..."
Meng Anci's voice was hoarse from crying so loudly. He pointed at Meng Anzhi and said, "Don't take advantage of me just because I'm young. Auntie said that bullying the weak is a sign of weakness..."
"Oh, so you're going to hit me?"
Meng Anci that he tried to push Meng Anzhi, but he missed... Meng Anzhi kept holding her book and didn't even glance at him.
A scholar can be killed but not humiliated; today he's showing no mercy to his family!