The wicked sister-in-law is in charge; meals include fish and shrimp.

Chapter 184 Handing over public food

Wen Zhuzi was so badly beaten that he dared not utter another word, and could only watch helplessly as she packed up her things and left.

After she left, he lay down on the floor and lifted the bed board to see the few copper coins he had hidden in the crack of the bed.

After checking that everyone was present, he felt relieved and put the bed back and covered it with weeds.

This was all the wealth he owned; if that shameless woman took it, he would definitely fight her to the death.

Wu Hong wandered aimlessly around the village with a bundle on her back, eventually ending up at the village entrance.

She looked back reluctantly, then her face hardened with determination.

Hmph, so what if she got dumped? She's still young! She wouldn't be afraid even if she married an old bachelor!

She touched the loose silver coins in her pocket and smiled.

Luckily, she was quick-witted and had searched through his house while he was still asleep, finding the silver coins.

Otherwise, how could she have dared to pack her bags and leave so readily?

If she had known it would turn out like this, she should have flipped through it more times! That damned leper really ruined her life!

After taking a nap, Lai Zi got up and groped around inside the cabinet, but after searching for a long time, he couldn't find even a single mouse hair.

He panicked instantly, lit a fire and looked inside, but there wasn't a trace of silver left.

"Who! Damn it! Stealing my money!"

He was so angry that he paced around the room, thinking that only Wu Hong had ever come here.

"You damned woman!"

He rushed out of the house and went to the old house. The gate was wide open. He rushed in and shouted, but no one answered him. When he entered the house, he found that there was no one there.

I originally wanted to use something as collateral, but after searching around, I couldn't find anything of value.

He cursed again, and when he left the yard, he saw that the water ladle on the ground was still relatively new, so he picked it up and took it back with him.

After the autumn harvest, it's time to pay taxes. This year, unlike previous years, people have more food to eat for the winter, and everyone is smiling more.

Wen Luozhi frowned repeatedly as she watched the grain-collecting soldier's actions.

Is it really okay for his hands to be shaking like he has Parkinson's? The rice is all over the ground! Everyone worked so hard to grow it!

And she could see with her naked eye that the amount was enough, so why hadn't the scale moved?

She pursed her lips and stared intently at the person's hand.

Wen Zijin gently tugged at her sleeve and shook her head at her.

Because he could read and write, he would come back to watch over the tax collection every year.

Such situations are commonplace; what can ordinary people say? They have little influence.

When it was their turn, Wen Luozhi looked at the spilled rice with a pained expression.

"Fifth Brother, you must pass the imperial examination to become a scholar, and then become the top scholar."

She clenched her fists; if she could lay a hand on them, these men would have been beaten black and blue long ago.

Wen Zijin nodded silently. He needed to become strong quickly to protect his family.

After collecting the grain all morning, the people finally left. Everyone squatted on the ground picking up the spilled grain and cursed those people for generations.

The village chief seemed to age ten years in an instant. He took a puff of his pipe and said, "Alright, alright everyone! Go back and get ready for dinner."

"It's not the first time this has happened! Being sad for a moment is enough!"

Even so, his eyes were still red-rimmed. What could he do?!

Unless the village produces a few more scholars! Then not only will taxes be abolished, but grain will also be provided.

We're just waiting for the village school to be built. Then the children can study hard and strive for success, and they won't have to feel so stifled anymore.

Everyone picked up the grain and went home. Wen Luozhi sat on the swing in the yard, swaying back and forth, looking dejected.

Wen Muchuan came out to check on the pigs and saw that she looked unhappy. He went over, steadied the swing, and asked with a smile, "What's wrong, sweetie? Is it because your fifth brother's cooking at noon wasn't good?"

Wen Luozhi shook her head. Although none of her older brothers cooked well, Wen Zijin's cooking was the best among them.

Wen Muchuan thought about it and realized that apart from collecting grain, there was nothing else that happened this morning.

He patted Wen Luozhi's head and smiled, comforting her, "What's the big deal? We've been doing this for so many years."

"Now that our family is better off, we don't have to worry about going hungry after paying our grain taxes!"

Speaking of this, he was quite emotional. When his children were young, what he feared most was paying grain taxes.

He was only allocated a few small plots of land, and the soil was so poor that he couldn't grow much grain even if he tried for a year.

The children were all pale and thin, clearly from hunger. He was terrified that they would all starve to death.

He became even more afraid after his little girl was born, because his wife had no breast milk and could only feed their daughter some porridge.

He worked day and night, and whenever he had a spare moment, he would go up the mountain to hunt and exchange the money for a few copper coins, which he would then use to buy fine rice to make rice porridge for his youngest daughter.

As they were fed, they grew bigger and bigger, which naturally made them incredibly rare and precious.

Wen Luozhi sighed and said with a regretful expression, "Father, if only women could also serve as officials in the court."

She jumped down and sat on the stone bench, resting her chin on her hands, looking indignant.

Hmph, if she becomes an official, she'll teach these lowly lackeys who eat the blood and sweat of the common people a good lesson, and give them twenty lashes in front of everyone to vent their anger!

Upon hearing this, Wen Muchuan paused in his pouring of water, then said softly, "It's not that our Jing Kingdom has no cases of women serving in the court, but that was a very, very long time ago."

He only heard his grandfather mention it once when he was a child. At that time, his grandmother regretted that she had not given birth to a successful son, let alone a daughter.

Others believe that a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent, but even though he was a peasant who toiled in the fields, he still believed that a woman's talent did not necessarily surpass that of a man.

Look how capable his little daughter is now! She's better than any of the young men in the surrounding villages!

If those rules were still in place, he truly believed that his little daughter could easily hold a minor official position.

Upon hearing this, Wen Luozhi's eyes lit up, and she suddenly lost interest in becoming an official.

Whether she could become an official, a good official, or a high-ranking official, she still had to rely on her fifth brother.

As for children, it's good enough if one of them can get into officialdom!

As for her, Wen Luozhi wants to have some fun with the entire Imperial Merchants!

"Father, I want to become a royal merchant!"

She raised her fist, her pretty face serious.

"Imperial Merchant? What's that?!"

Wen Muchuan looked puzzled, while Wen Luozhi chuckled and said, "Dad will know what it is once I've succeeded."

She didn't know when her fifth brother would pass the imperial examination and become a scholar, let alone the top scholar. She could go ahead and do it.

She wants to expand her business to the county seat, right under the emperor's nose!

Maybe I can help Fifth Brother in the future?

The more she thought about it, the more excited she became. She gulped down the water in her cup and excitedly ran upstairs to the second floor.

"Fifth Brother, Fifth Brother! I've set a new goal!"

Wen Zijin was tidying up the bookshelf when she heard her voice and a slight smile appeared on her lips.

He had no idea where she learned these strange words, but luckily he had asked her beforehand and knew what they meant.