Chen Ji's scalp was numb for a while, and his heart was raised to his throat.

Chen Xiujie stopped slightly, and the afterglow fell to Chen Wenxuan, nodding solemnly. Although he didn't say anything on the spot, he must have listened to the words and paid attention.

After the end of the year, the first real family dinner began in a rather strange atmosphere.

Chen Ji knew that he couldn't be the focus, so he was a little quiet when he ate, during which Chen Xiujie looked at him a few times, he pretended not to know, and buried his head in pulling the rice in the bowl.

Mrs. Chen is old, her body has just recovered, and she has not participated in the family's dinner. Lin Yunyi and Chen Wenxuan paid attention to the atmosphere on the table, but they also focused on the dishes in front of them, counting the rice grains and sending them to their mouths.

Chen Ji's voice was abrupt. Pulling down a bowl of rice, he had already put down his chopsticks, looked up and said, "I've eaten." ”

Chen Xiujie glanced at her, Lin Yunyi put down the dishes and chopsticks, and asked, "The food is not in harmony?" ”

Chen Ji usually goes out with a group of fox friends and dogs, and is used to eating big fish and meat outside, and it is inevitable that he will not be used to the light side dishes at home.

Chen Ji shook his head: "Okay, it's just that I can't eat much recently." ”

Lin Yunyi was puzzled for a while, and when she saw Chen Xiujie's eyes, she nodded, and said, "I'll explain to the kitchen to make porridge later." Brother Ji is really growing his body, and it's not okay to eat so much. ”

Chen Ji agreed. He got up and prepared to go back to the house.

Chen Xiujie put down her chopsticks, raised her eyes, and said, "Sit down." He turned his head and said to Lin Yunyi: "Make an exception tonight and have a drink." ”

Chen Wenxuan bit her chopsticks gently, a little girly for the first time, blinking her eyes, not knowing what she was thinking.

Lin Yunyi was slightly stunned, and said with her chin bowed: "I'll get it." ”

Seeing this, Chen Ji had no choice but to sit back.

Chen Xiujie stopped talking, handed over the bowl, Chen Wenxuan took it, and took the bowl of rice.

Chen Xiujie elegantly finished the small half bowl of rice, Lin Yunyi had already come over with a wine jug, and then took a cup and was about to pour wine, Chen Xiujie raised his hand to stop it.

"Eat first."

……

Chen Ji sat silently, and after a while, he lifted his chopsticks again and picked up the plate of vegetables in front of him.

As the sky grew darker, there was occasionally a dull thunderclap, and the wind rushed in with some dampness, and went on a rampage, not knowing where it was going.

Chen Xiujie finished picking up the last grain of rice and gently put down the small bowl. took the mouthwash tea handed by Lin Yunyi and rinsed it, and then took out a small handkerchief from his body and wiped his mouth.

Chen Ji looks at it in his eyes, it is really delicate enough.

"Once you've eaten, let's go." Chen Xiujie got up, glanced at Chen Ji, and then said to Lin Yunyi, "You eat slowly, I'll tell him something." ”

Lin Yunyi nodded.

Chen Xiujie lifted the wine jug on the table, took a small glass, and motioned for Chen Ji to take it himself. Seeing this posture, Lin Yunyi couldn't help but persuade: "Master, Brother Ji has just recovered from his illness......

Chen Xiujie smiled: "It's not in the way, I know it in my heart." ”

Chen Ji reluctantly got up and walked over to get the wine glass, and said to Lin Yunyi: "Auntie, don't worry, I also have a number in my heart." ”

Lin Yunyi's eyes were worried, Chen Wenxuan couldn't sit still anymore, got up and interjected. Chen Ji took advantage of this time to leave the dinner table with Chen Xiujie and walked outside.

In the yard, under the broken plum tree, Chen Xiujie squatted down, and there was no prestige of general judgment.

Chen Ji squatted down in the empty space on the side, a bit of an "equal" with his father. Chen Xiujie was not surprised, she poured herself a glass with the wine jug, and squinted her eyes: "I'll pour it for you?" ”

Chen Ji was a little unsure of what the situation was, so he took the wine jug over, pondered for a moment, and poured himself a small half glass.

"Yo he, drinking with your father, so shameless?"

Chen Ji was then renewed.

Lao Chen nodded with satisfaction, leaned over and touched the glass, and did it first.

Chen Ji held his breath and dried it too.

Lao Chen put the small wine glass forward, leaned back, leaned against the plum tree, tilted his head, and said: "During this time, I also thought about it, I used to let you go too much, so there will definitely be some changes in the future, you have to be prepared." Of course, drinking with you tonight is also my recognition that you have grown up, Wen Xuan reminded me that you are almost eighteen. ”

Chen Xiujie paused and looked over: "I used to think that no matter how bad you are, as long as you don't become that kind of traitorous bastard, I, Chen Xiujie, can also raise it, tell you about family affairs, and cultivate the third generation while I still have some energy!" So it's up to you to go all these years. ”

When Chen Ji heard this, he was a little aggrieved.

"But too many things have happened in the past year, and the old Chen family can't afford to toss."

In an instant, Chen Ji seemed to see a trace of twilight from Lao Chen.

"Tell me tonight what your plans are. Looking at the ones you tossed, I'm afraid it's impossible to read! ”

Chen Ji awkwardly raised the wine glass and took a sip, and after the wine stains on the edge of the glass came into contact with his lips, there was a burning sensation. came back to his senses, but he no longer avoided Chen Xiujie's gaze: "If it is feasible, I still want to take the test." Instead, he changed his face and quipped: "Of course, if you are prosperous in official luck, Dad, you will suddenly enter the cabinet one day, and Enyin is not bad as a petty official for your son." ”

Chen Xiujie snorted: "It's beautiful to think about." Then he thought about it seriously, and said: "It's not realistic to enter the cabinet to do things, but if you can achieve a high position in the province, I'm afraid it's over." Further up, there was no one in the court. ”

"It's enough for you to have this mind, and in the next two years, it shouldn't be a big problem to take the exam."

"Well, there is always a Jinshi father, and the family has a deep history."

Chen Xiujie smiled and asked, "So what industries did you toss?" ”

Chen Ji squatted a little uncomfortable, this will not reply immediately, got up and went back to the house to get two small sticks, one by one sat down comfortably, he continued the topic, said: "I won't put it down." ”

Chen Xiujie frowned and said, "Why? ”

Chen Ji's face was solemn, he pondered for a while, and said, "Dad, what do you think of the Jokhang Imperial Court now?" ”

"Why do you ask?"

Chen Ji said: "The imperial court sends a newspaper from the capital to various places every month. It's all good news and not bad news, although I am stupid, I can also see something. To put it mildly, today's imperial court is already in turmoil. ”

Chen Xiujie's eyes were slightly condensed and did not interrupt.

Chen Ji picked up some words and said: "Such as the Liaodong soldiers outside the Guan, and the rebellion of the rogues in the provinces, and other big things, and don't talk nonsense. However, focusing on Shandong Province, rogues, pirates, and thieves have reached the point where they cannot be suppressed in the past two years. Lao Chen, where do you think the root cause is? ”

Chen Xiujie thought for a while, "The reasons for this are very complicated, and it is not clear in one or two sentences. ”

Chen Ji nodded and shook his head, and said solemnly: "In my humble opinion, in the final analysis, it's just because I can't eat enough!" ”

“…… So you tossed those things? And what can be done? Shandong is not an important place for grain production, and with the little land in your hand, how much help will it be to the overall situation? ”

Chen Ji replied: "The reason why the people can't eat is the land, not to mention the high land tax, just the amount of land, how much has been swallowed up by those big families in the past hundred years?" Not to mention the amount of land that brought land to the big clans to evade taxes! ”

"Let's just say that I Chen Ji, but a small Xiucai, the land under his name and more than 300 acres, the entire Chen Jiawa more than 300 households, there are more than 200 households without land to plant......" Chen Ji said Xingtou, his voice couldn't help but be a little louder, "In addition, Qingxiu Mountain, where Chen Jiawa is located, has a total of more than 1,800 acres of land, all of which are occupied by more than a dozen powerful people in Qingzhou, which means that more than 800 households in Qingxiu Mountain, more than 600 households can only rent the land of the magnates, that is, at the end of the year, outside the imperial court taxes, These families also have to pay another part of the rent, and the food that can be left in their pockets throughout the year is often not enough to eat for half a year...... Moreover, the imperial court had a time limit for forced labor every year, and these people who were supposed to farm had to leave the land, and even had to work for those who evaded forced labor in various ways...... The land must be planted with heart to have food. ”

Chen Ji cleared his throat, and saw that Chen Xiujie was thinking about it seriously, and he was a little helpless, his words, if he thought about it seriously, would be a big net involving all aspects, and he couldn't make sense at all.

"Looking at the whole of Jokhang, this kind of thing will only get worse. Of course, I know very well that once these things are done, they will inevitably suffer a great backlash, so I dare not say anything, I can only fight for something within my ability! Chen Ji looked over and sighed lightly, "A few years ago, Xu Ge Lao had a book called "Taixi Water Law", and I deeply felt that there was always some hope for starting from agriculture. And I heard that Tessie has a lot of crops that Dazhao doesn't have, and I want to try it. ”

Chen Xiujie's face was serious, and she stared at Chen Ji for a while, and said suspiciously: "Are you really Chen Ji?" ”

Chen Ji's heart was pinched, but there was no panic on his face, this time he woke up and he had already recognized his identity as "Chen Ji", he was naturally Chen Ji.

"Unless you're going to change my name?"

Chen Xiujie took a deep breath and said, "What you say is somewhat reasonable, but since you have understood the difficulty, what are you insisting on?" ”

"The big families occupy the land, and in essence, most of it is also to be released to collect rent, so that I can be the one who rents the land, and then recruit the people who have no land to grow as long-term workers...... As long as there is a stable, even if the hope is very low, where will ordinary people think of chaos? As for the affairs of the court, it is the affairs of you officials, and even if I have the heart, I am powerless! ”

Chen Xiujie paused and asked: "What you said is light, if it is really so easy, how can those people who rent the land of the big families not survive, although the court decree is the reason, but there must be other reasons, such as the land does not produce much grain!" ”

Chen Ji glanced at his father and praised it.