On the nineteenth day of the first month, Geng Qiu and A Hao went to Zhou's mansion as promised. The weather is already warm. It was only ten days and a half of work, and the spring breeze blew all over the land. After a thunderstorm, the originally bare earth began to be dyed with a light shade of green.

Along the way, the fields can be filled with busy peasants. Geng Qiu and Ah Hao rode mules, running on the mountain road with a fast horse, Geng Qiu's riding skills have risen sharply now, although he can't catch up with Ah Hao, but just riding a hurry, he is very skilled. The two of them were still on a wide and flat road, and they competed for a while.

"Oops, that's cool. If only it were all this kind of road. Geng Qiu got off the mule and asked the mule to drink water by the river, and he and Ah Hao also stopped by the way.

"If it were all such roads, our little village wouldn't be so poor." Ah Hao said.

"Yes. Also. The places with convenient roads are generally more affluent. Geng Qiu pulled up the mule, and the two began to hurry again. They didn't dare to wait too long on the road. Leave some more time for Ah Hao to study.

This time, Geng Qiu didn't gossip with Doctor Li and Steward Zhou, but went straight to the point and asked, "Steward Zhou, you are always familiar here, do you know where to buy some rice seeds?" ”

"Are you going to grow rice? Do you still have paddy fields at home? Steward Zhou asked curiously. He thought that the family was making a living from hunting, after all, the first time they met, he saw Geng Qiu and A Hao bring a few wild boars to sell, but he didn't expect Geng Qiu to talk about farming now. I really didn't expect it.

"A little bit, there are three or four acres of paddy fields. There are just no seeds. Geng Qiu replied.

"This is easy to do, I'll help you ask." Steward Zhou readily agreed. However, he himself did not understand farming, and although he was a little curious, he did not ask much.

Dr. Li has seen rice planting when he travels from south to north, and reminded: "I'm afraid I'm not going to start breeding, so hurry up." ”

"yes. If I have seeds, I'm going to start preparing for breeding. Geng Qiu replied.

"Xiao Gui, go and inquire, where are the rice seeds, or where is the rice grown?" When Steward Zhou heard this, he hurriedly called someone to ask. If you are past the breeding period, it doesn't make much sense to inquire about it.

Dr. Li took Ah Hao to get a needle, and Steward Zhou and Geng Qiu casually talked about some interesting things about the New Year. This time, the things Geng Qiu brought were fresh, and the fresh bamboo shoots that had not yet come to the soil were only a finger high tender vegetables. Although it is a wild vegetable, it also has a unique flavor. What's more, after eating cabbage radish for a winter, I have long wanted to change the taste. No, the master of the ceremony ordered: "Let the kitchen make a few dumplings with local vegetables to eat today." ”

"Okay, there will be more vegetables and vegetables in this moment, not to mention this wild vegetables, in a few days, the leeks in the fresh season will come out, and there will be more ingredients for dumplings." In a few days, all the wild vegetables in our garden will grow. Mother Ju said with a smile. In the past month or so, Master Yi's belly has grown a lot, and now he can't sit steadily, and he has been pregnant for more than six months. There are still three months to produce, and March and April are good seasons for production, neither hot nor cold, which is good for adults and children.

"It's just, don't tell me, I'm really a cat for a winter. When the weather is good, it's good to take a walk outside and tell the mother-in-law in the garden not to shovel all the wild vegetables. Let's go pick and come back and taste it. "Master Yi is in a very good mood. For more than a month, Master Zhou has taken great care of him, gentle and careful, for fear of upsetting him. Especially when he thought of Mrs. Zhou in the capital, Young Master Zhou, he was in a particularly happy mood, why all these years, he was alone in the New Year and the festival, and Master Zhou was in Beijing to accompany them. It's like he's not from the Zhou family.

This time it's good, Master Zhou stayed for the New Year, Mrs. Zhou and Young Master Zhou sent three people to pick them up, but Master Zhou ignored them. He knew that Master Zhou had opinions about his wife and son in his heart. Otherwise, he would not have come to Jianghuai to be an official. Although he didn't care whether Master Zhou accompanied him for the New Year, he was still very happy to be able to block the family.

After Ah Hao finished the needle, he still talked about his homework with the master of the instrument, and he benefited a lot from the guidance of the master of the instrument. He took out all the questions of Jizan and asked for advice, and the master of the ceremony explained them to him in detail.

Half an hour passed, and the master couldn't sit still, so Ah Hao hurriedly helped him to lie down on the low floor. The master of the ceremony touched his stomach and said, "Forgive me for losing my etiquette." This body is heavy, and I can't sit still. It's good that we can talk like that. ”

"I'm sorry for you. It shouldn't have bothered you. Ah Hao said embarrassedly. Pack up your books and don't want to talk to him about your homework anymore. I'm really afraid that I'm tired of him, and it's not good for the fetus.

"No, I'm just counting on you to come and talk and relieve your boredom. You don't know, this more than a month, can make me suffocated, quick, put the book down, and continue to the previous question. Master Yi was in a hurry and wanted to get up and grab him.

He is actually in good health, but he has a big belly and is uncomfortable to sit on. In this mansion, there is no second person who can talk to him about these things except Master Zhou, but he will not talk about these things with Master Zhou, and if he can talk to Ah Hao, he will be in a better mood. If Master Zhou had a heart, he would not have locked him up in this courtyard alone for many years. It's good to him now, but it's just for the sake of looking at his stomach, when the child is born in the future, he will have the surname Yu, not Zhou, and I don't know what kind of character Master Zhou will be. Anyway, Master Yi had already given up on Master Zhou, and he didn't expect anything from him.

Ah Hao couldn't get out, and saw that the master of the instrument was full of energy, so he had to sit down again, and observed the state of the master of the instrument while talking, but the master of the instrument was full of interest and did not look tired at all, so he gradually put his mind at ease and asked for advice seriously. The two talked for more than an hour unconsciously, and Ah Hao's questions were all asked.

This time, the master of the ceremony was even more satisfied, and said with a smile: "Very good, it seems that you have worked hard." I was right. ”

"It's over. If you hadn't solved my puzzles, I wouldn't have solved many of these problems. Ah Hao thanked him.

"I'll leave you a few homework this time, you go back and write it well, and bring it to me next time." In February, the county exam will be held, and the government exam will be held in April, and it will coincide with the hospital exam this year, and the time is only four or five months. Otherwise, you'll have to wait until next year or the year after. Master Yi said with a straight face.

"Yes, I see."

Not to mention that after returning home, Ah Hao studied harder. Geng Qiu also began to get busy. Because Steward Zhou didn't find rice seeds for a while, he planned to plant some other crops first. However, they only stayed at home for seven days before they came back to town. Because February is the day of the exams. Ah Hao had to go to the county to take the exam with the students from the town school, including Ah Xuan. However, the two of them still went to the Zhou Mansion first, and Ah Hao and Master Yi talked about their homework for a while, leaving a mule in the Zhou Mansion and letting the people of the Zhou Mansion help take care of it for a few days. Ah Hao walked with those students, and it was not good to ride a mule alone.

Geng Qiu didn't send him there, he had been going back and forth for many days, and he couldn't wait in the county, and it would cost money to eat and live in the hotel. In fact, there are very few parents who send students to the exam, unless they are from very good families, they will send students to the exam themselves or send someone to take the exam. Most of the people travel in groups, and if the conditions are slightly better, a few people rent a carriage together. If the conditions are poor, a few people walk together. Anyway, when you arrive in the county seat, there will be a special inn to receive students who come to take the exam. At this time of the year, these inns are dedicated to student business, so the conditions are not bad in all aspects. If you have money, you can rent a single room by yourself, and if you don't have money, you can rent a room for two or three people.

Geng Qiu came back alone, he was always a little uneasy along the way, he had the mentality of sending his children to the exam, although he didn't go to the exam site, but those who took the college entrance examination understood what a spectacular scene it was. It is estimated that even if the current exam is not as good as the college entrance examination, it is not much worse than the high school entrance examination. Fortunately, the county seat is not too far, and they are a group of people, and there are people leading the team. has a relationship with the Zhou Mansion, and Ah Hao is sandwiched between a group of students, and there is nothing special about it.

Despite this, Geng Qiu still feels like a year at home, he is a little careless at home, and he is really worried about his work. Not to mention him, even the third uncle and third aunt were just as nervous, and the people in the village chief's family were even more nervous, and Ah Qing even came over to talk to Geng Qiu for a while.

"Ah Xuan's grades are not average, we have this heart in mind."

"I don't know if Ah Hao's studies are good, anyway, my heart is up and down." Geng Qiu said.

"Yes. Whether it's good or not, I'm always worried. I'm afraid I didn't do well in the exam. Ah Qing sighed. In order to let Ah Xuan study, their family had a really hard time. Seeing that his children are getting bigger and bigger, he very much hopes that his younger brother can be successful in one fell swoop. After all, after passing the exam, you don't have to pay taxes. Although after passing the exam, you have to go to the school to study, and the cost is even greater. But winning the show will also bring some fame and fortune to the family. If you are at the top of the ranking, you can also get some silver and rice. Some poor students rely on this little money equivalent to scholarships to get by. This little bit of silver food can't make you live a worry-free life, but it can always solve most of your life.

The two families worked hard for almost a month, and at the end of February, Ah Hao came back, and Ah Hao waited directly with most people until the results came out, so he came back a little late. Some people whose family backgrounds are too poor, or who have something to do at home, come back as soon as they finish the exam. In fact, this result is not slow, because these people who have taken the test in April can go to the government to take the test again, and those who don't do well this time don't have to go, only wait for next year. Ah Hao unsurprisingly got a high score. Ah Xuan is also good, although his results are not as good as Ah Hao, but he is also good. Both families were very happy to hear the news.