After pondering for a while, Qiao Muchen nodded firmly, indicating that he understood.
Seeing this, Wei Shulan and Zhao Yue quickly followed suit, nodding their heads to show that they also understood.
The Teacher smiled with satisfaction, waved his hand, and let them go into the schoolroom to read. He himself stood under the tree, thinking for a moment.
He had heard long ago that tax collectors would secretly employ tricks when collecting taxes. For example, when grain tax was due, they would deliberately use measuring containers a size larger than the standard to collect rice. Or, they might alter regulations, such as changing the age criteria for elders to pay taxes, thereby reaping significant benefits. He had known about such practices for a long time.
However, did the County Magistrate know about these schemes by the tax collectors? Was he deceived by his subordinates, or were these actions carried out under his instruction?
And the lesson he had just imparted to the children served as a reminder to them: people are complex, and one should not be too quick to label someone as good or bad.
At this moment, the classroom was filled with the sound of children reading, with Zhao Zhitong and Qiao Muchen’s voices being the loudest.
Scholar Meng couldn’t help but smile and walked back to the classroom.
As the weather grew colder and the New Year approached, the school also began its holiday break, and the children were overjoyed.
Because the New Year meant they could wear new clothes and eat good food!
In these times, poor rural folk could count the number of times they ate meat in a year on one hand.
Only during the New Year would families be willing to spend a considerable sum to buy a piece of meat and cook pork with cabbage, just to taste some meat.
In poor families, this would be considered a grand dish to serve guests.
The New Year atmosphere in the Zhao Family’s home grew more festive with each passing day. Even before the holiday began, Zhao Zhitong had pestered Scholar Meng for a pair of couplets. She treasured them and planned to paste them on the door of the room she shared with Zhao Ya.
Zhao Dong and Sun Mei were not idle either. Besides making new clothes and shoes for their family for the New Year, they had already begun to prepare various New Year goods.
Previously, they had slaughtered their family pig. Sun Mei had cured most of the remaining meat, which now hung in the courtyard, ready to be taken as gifts when visiting relatives for the New Year.
A small portion was stored in Zhao Zhitong’s space, saved for making dumplings during the New Year.
Therefore, they didn’t plan to buy more pork. However, they did need to prepare chicken, duck, and fish—especially fish, as it symbolized "surplus every year." Additionally, the little girl loved fish, so Zhao Dong directly bought four large fish to bring home.
Other types of meat, like beef, were available in the county town.
However, the Great Zhou Dynasty forbade the indiscriminate killing of cattle, so beef stalls were rare. There were only a few, and not only was the meat terribly expensive, but Sun Mei also worried that some of it might come from diseased cows. In the end, after hesitating, she decided not to buy any.
Mutton, on the other hand, was very precious. After much deliberation, Sun Mei eventually asked Zhao Dong to buy a piece of mutton from the county town. Boiling mutton soup in winter was excellent for warding off the cold.
Now that their family had an ox-cart, going to the marketplace or the county town to buy things was much more convenient. Basically, they could go whenever they pleased. Just a few days prior, Zhao Dong had gone to the large market and bought a sack of peanuts.
Since melon seeds weren’t available at this time, having peanuts to crack during the New Year added to the festive atmosphere.
After buying the peanuts, Zhao Dong took a basin to the riverbank, dug up a basinful of sand, and brought it back to roast the peanuts.
Perhaps it was because their family had recently built a house and bought an ox, revealing their wealth to the village.
Seeing a family that was once worse off than themselves now prospering, many people grew envious.
Some long-tongued women began making snide remarks on the streets. In the short time Zhao Dong went out to dig sand, he had already heard several versions of how their family had struck it rich.
Some relatively reasonable rumors stated that their family had made a lot of money by providing recipes to Guang Ju Restaurant. More outrageous ones claimed that Zhao Dong had discovered a hidden treasure, or even that their family had received guidance from immortals, enabling them to make their fortune.
Regardless of the version, the rumor that Zhao Dong’s family had money spread, eventually reaching the ears of some unscrupulous individuals who began to harbor ill intentions.
Every village has its share of idlers and troublemakers who shirk work—commonly known as local ruffians.
Zhao Village was no exception. Mr. Zhao from the east end of the village and Wang Mazi from the central part were notorious local ruffians.
They were idle all day and loved gambling. Neither had started a family, despite approaching middle age. They lived only for the moment, not thinking about tomorrow.
With the New Year approaching, they didn’t even have money for food; even the grain at their homes had been gambled away.
It was then that the rumors of Zhao Dong’s family’s wealth reached their ears.
Seeing the New Year approaching and themselves unable to afford even a full meal, the two conspired together, casting their malicious gaze upon Zhao Dong’s family.
That night, the weather was fine, with a bright moon and few stars.
A fire burned in the brazier in the courtyard. Sun Mei was roasting peanuts; this was already her third batch. She planned to roast more to give some to the Village Chief’s family and Shi Tou’s family, who had often helped them.
The iron shovel scraped through the sand with a SHHH. Zhao Ya sat on a small wooden stool, the front of her tunic forming a makeshift pocket filled with peanuts, which she ate while tending the fire.
Zhao Cheng and Zhao Dong were chopping firewood, preparing to heat their kang bed thoroughly for a warm night’s sleep.
Zhao Zhitong and Zhao Yu were squatting near the basket of roasted peanuts placed in the courtyard to cool, chattering away.
The puppy they had adopted, Da Bao, had grown considerably and was much stronger than when he first arrived.
Zhao Zhitong had even asked Sun Mei to use old, unworn clothes to make a small outfit for the puppy. Da Bao was now squatting obediently at Zhao Zhitong’s feet, wagging his tail, looking incredibly well-behaved.
This puppy was very smart. Zhao Zhitong had started training him in simple commands long ago, and he learned quickly. Because of this, Zhao Zhitong had bragged to her friends for a long time.
She would say that because she was the smartest, the dog she raised was naturally the smartest too.
Of course, too much boasting would eventually lead to the bubble bursting. It was Qiao Muchen who pricked it, insisting that his Shan Dian was smarter.
Over this, the two argued and didn’t speak to each other for two whole days. Both families were quite anxious at the time. However, when they found out the reason for the argument, they were left speechless and decided not to intervene, letting the children resolve it themselves.
And so, it wasn’t until three days later that they each brought their dogs to the school for a competition.
Naturally, each of the two dogs had its strengths. Zhao Zhitong’s Da Bao, having been lean since puppyhood, wasn’t boisterous. He was very obedient and highly responsive to commands, performing every action perfectly.
Qiao Muchen’s Shan Dian, however, was more energetic, the type that couldn’t stay still for a moment. He had strong athletic abilities. Shan Dian excelled in climbing slopes, running, and catching small animals. After much comparison, they finally reached a consensus: both dogs were equally intelligent. Only then did this bragging storm conclude.