A man in a coarse cloth shirt is stepping on the top of the ladder, pouting and sticking to the roof. A few days ago, a strong wind blew away the thatch on the roof, and if the thatch was not replaced in time, once it rained, the house would be soaked in soup.

In the yard, his wife Feng was licking the grain, wiping the sweat on her face from time to time, and roaring at her five-year-old son in the yard from time to time, asking him not to climb the jujube tree naughtyly. In the house, the twelve-year-old daughter was learning to embroider with tears in her eyes, and her fingers were pricked with needles several times, and she looked very pitiful with blood.

This is an ordinary family of four, and the situation is no different from other poor families in Shandong, all of them are dressed in shabby clothes and have the same dishes.

However, this family is different from other people because they have clan status!

The man who pasted the wall was named Zhu Ciyi, a lieutenant in Fengguo, and although his title was low, he was a serious royal blood.

Lieutenant Fengguo, 200 Shilu rice per year, if it is real, it is enough for the family to have no worries about food and clothing. However, from beginning to end, Lu rice has never been actually issued, at the beginning it was half of the grain and half of the money, everyone knows that the treasure money of this era is useless, and it is too hard to even wipe the buttocks. In the forty-fourth year of Wanli, the treatment was further reduced, and it was changed to four percent grain and six percent banknotes.

But it is said that it is forty percent, in fact, after the deduction of the local government, coupled with the exploitation of the German Prince's Mansion, it is good to be able to receive an achievement. Twenty stone Lu rice is just enough for the family to eat a full stomach, and it is difficult to wear new clothes in a year. After all, every clan has a wife and children, and they are all a big family, and children who are not old can not be on the clan roster at all, and they will not be able to enjoy treatment.

After the Apocalypse, the situation changed dramatically, with natural and man-made disasters, invasions by foreign enemies, and a sharp reduction in local taxes in the imperial court, which was no longer able to support a large number of clans. Even Yicheng Lu rice often can't be received, and there are thousands of Shandong clans, most of which are the lowest level of auxiliary lieutenants and Fengguo lieutenants, and most of them can't eat enough, so there is Zhu Youlan who went to Beijing to sue the emperor.

Compared with those clans who were starving and begging, Zhu Ciyi's family had a better life, because his wife's family could often help one or two, but they were only barely starving.

"Today's borrowing of food was told by my sister-in-law, and my father didn't have a good face, if he didn't send Lu rice again, the whole family would really be hungry." His wife, Feng Shi, said as she spoke.

Zhu Ciyi didn't say anything, just silently pasted the roof.

"When I married you to find out your clan identity, I thought that I could have no worries about food and clothing, but I didn't expect that I couldn't even fill my stomach, what use do you say your clan identity is?"

Seeing Zhu Ciyi's appearance as a dead dog, Feng's voice couldn't help but get louder: "In the early years, the emperor issued an edict to allow the clan to fend for itself, and you are also a man with hands and feet, can't you go to work to support your family?" ”

Zhu Ciyi said in a sullen voice: "It's not that I haven't thought about it, but I can't do anything, it's too difficult to find a good job, if I work hard, I can't lift my hands and shoulders, where can I do it, besides, we are a clan, we can't be slaves to others, and we don't have to humiliate our ancestors." And once he fends for himself, he will no longer have the identity of the clan, and the hardcore imperial food will be gone. ”

"Hardcore imperial grain, hardcore fart, my mother was blind to marry you!" Feng couldn't help but scold.

Zhu Ciyi's face was extremely ugly, but he didn't say anything in the end.

"Is Seventh at home, Seventh?" Suddenly, someone shouted outside the wall.

"It's the fifth brother." Zhu Ciyi hurriedly got down from the ladder and opened the courtyard door. Feng's face suddenly became ugly.

"Have you heard about Lao Qi, Your Majesty has arrived in Jinan, and he wants to hold a township examination for our clan, as long as he can pass the examination, he can become an official." The fifth elder, Zhu Ciyi, said excitedly to Zhu Ciyi.

Zhu Ciyi sighed: "Fifth brother, although we said that we also went to Zongxue, but we only learned the Three Character Classic, the Hundred Family Names, and the Thousand Character Text, the Four Books and the Five Classics Sect was not taught at all, only taught our Emperor Ming Zuxun, our level is just to know some words and read some idle books, how to write a little bit of Bagu Wen, what imperial examination?" Isn't it a joke. ”

Zhu Cichen said: "We don't learn well, and others are the same?" This time, His Majesty is specially holding a township test for our clan, which belongs to the generals among the dwarves, maybe we can really be admitted, Lao Qi, as long as our brothers can be admitted, as an official and a half-post, there will be no need to worry about hunger in the future. ”

Zhu Ciyi shook his head: "Fifth brother, if you want to go, I won't go, to Jinan City for more than fifty miles, it takes a whole day to walk, and it costs a lot all the way, which is not cost-effective." ”

"Go, why not?" Feng, who was listening on the sidelines, couldn't help but say, "If you don't go, you can only wait for starvation, and if you go, maybe there will be a turnaround." ”

"You don't understand!" Zhu Ciyi said impatiently, "The exam is not full, those who study for ten or twenty years are often cold, and it is difficult to even get a showman, we have only studied Zongxue for four or five years, and we can barely recognize some words, how can we pass the exam?" ”

"How can I marry you?" Feng Shi scolded, "You don't even have the courage to take the exam, what can you do in the future, my child and I will have to starve to death with you." ”

"It's not that I don't go, isn't there no food at home, it will take at least four or five days to come and go, and the dry food alone will cost several catties, with these dry foods, how good is it for the children to eat a few more full meals?" was scolded in front of his brother, Zhu Ciyi was very embarrassed and argued.

"As long as you can pass the test, what's the matter if my child and I are hungry for a few days?" Feng Shi shouted angrily, "It's a big deal that after you leave, I will take the child back to my parents' house, desperately endure my sister-in-law's white eyes and finger scolding Huai, anyway, I am used to being thick-skinned, can my father and mother really drive their daughter and grandson out?" ”

Zhu Ciyi's eyes moistened suddenly: "Don't say it, I'll go." ”

"That, Seventh, younger brother and sister, can you prepare more dry food," Zhu Cixi rubbed his hands and said with embarrassment, "Seventh, you still have a good Yue family, but the fifth brother's Yue family is poor and only needs to beg for food." ”

Zhu Ciyi: "......"

Fung: "......"

Early the next morning, with the hope of the two families, the two brothers set off together.

"As long as we can pass the exam, our brothers will be developed, and we will truly become masters in the future, and we will no longer have to worry about our families going hungry. Go to his mother's clan identity, go to his mother's lieutenant Fengguo, whoever loves to be whom, Lao Tzu never wants to be a clan again. Along the way, Zhu Ciqi shouted excitedly.

Zhu Ciyi was very silent, he kept thinking about what kind of eyes his wife and children were suffering from now when he went to his father-in-law's house. As for the exam, to be honest, he still doesn't have hope, he knows his own family affairs, and with his own level, it is really too difficult to pass the exam.

After a day's journey, in the evening, the two tired and panting brothers finally arrived at the city of Jinan, and successfully entered the city before closing the city gates.