Slow River County
Ever since the establishment of the dynasty, peace had been restored to the land. The officials had also started to build roads and canals. This official road was one of the achievements of the county magistrate.
On both sides of the official road were large fields of wheat. The winter wheat had already been planted and had even sprouted. From afar, one could see groups of farmers working on the fields.
"Bring honor to our ancestors, and return to our hometown in glory!"
Not long after noon, an ox-cart appeared on the road. The ox-cart driver was leading the way, his face was full of smiles. To be able to carry the newly promoted Master Top Scorer was something to be proud of. Chen Yuan sat beside the ox-cart driver and replied to Pei Zi Yun.
As they neared the village, Chen Yuan hurriedly called for the ox-cart driver to stop the ox-cart. He then opened the curtains and pointed to the fields outside, "Young Master, all the fields outside belong to you. Although it's not a whole field, it adds up to 50 mu. You can rent it out to different people."
Pei Zi Yun listened to Chen Yuan and alighted from the ox-cart. He then looked at the fields on both sides of the official road. There were two seasons of wheat and rice. The first season of rice was harvested in September, and it was already October. Many farmers were busy working in the fields.
The water in the fields had long been drained, and had been left to dry for half a month. These farmers were now hoeing the fields and planting the winter wheat.
"Young Master, we bought the fields a little late, but we can still replant them."
"There's also some rape that we can plant."
One of the farmers started hoeing the fields and started hoeing large chunks of soil. The farmer had already hoed half of the fields.
Seeing Chen Yuan, the farmers started to greet him. These fields were bought by Chen Yuan, and it was said that he had connections with the Pei family.
In the hearts of these farmers, the Pei family was not ordinary. Their ancestors were officials in the previous dynasty. In this dynasty, they became Elementary Scholars, and then High Scholars. They were not ordinary people.
Some of the farmers started to greet them. Chen Yuan hurriedly said, "All of you, come and pay your respects to Master Pei. Master Pei has just returned from the capital city, and will not stay in the fields for long."
Hearing this, the farmers who were greeting him were startled. They stole a glance at the young man in front of them. He was seventeen or eighteen years old, and had a dignified air about him. He was the High Scholar, Master Pei. He was shocked and hurriedly called for the farmers who were busy to come over.
Pei Zi Yun was just about to stop them when he thought about it. In this world, there were many things that he could not change. He could only go along with them. If he did not allow them to pay their respects, who knew if they would have other intentions.
"Greetings, Master."
Before long, the tenant farmers had gathered around Pei Zi Yun and paid their respects to him. Pei Zi Yun swept his gaze across them and saw that they were all honest people. There were about twenty of them, and they all accepted his greetings.
Chen Yuan looked on and was very envious. He then said, "The tenant farmers are connected to the wasteland, but there's no time to cultivate the wasteland. We can only cultivate it now. We'll use a water wheel to guide the water and dig a small canal. We'll plant rice next year!"
Chen Yuan pointed and saw that there were people working along the river. It was a waterwheel being built. He was surprised, "You've already built it so quickly?"
"Young Master, the Imperial Court wanted to promote the waterwheel, but it was expensive. It cost hundreds of taels of silver, and not many families could afford it. That's why we had some in stock, and as soon as we heard about it, we shipped it over the same day."
Pei Zi Yun took a closer look. This water wheel was fifteen meters tall, and its axles were supported by wooden spokes. At the top of each spoke was a scraper and a water bucket.
As the river flowed, the wooden spokes rotated slowly, filling the bucket with water. The bucket was then lifted up, and the water was then poured into the canal, into the fields.
There were even temporary workers digging the canal.
"How much can this water wheel irrigate?"
"Young Master, there are three types of water wheels. The large one can irrigate six to seven hundred mu of land. The small one can irrigate one to two hundred mu of land. This is the medium one, and can irrigate four to five hundred mu of land."
"You're really efficient!" At this point, Pei Zi Yun could not help but admire Chen Yuan's capabilities. Actually, it was understandable. In this world where officials were the rulers, although the Xu Dynasty did not despise merchants, for a mere hawker to be able to become a rich man in ten years, one could imagine the difficulty of such a feat. He must have had some capabilities. It was a pity that he did not see the bigger picture, and ended up in jail in his previous life. His ten years of hard work had gone to waste.
Just as he was thinking about this, he heard the sound of firecrackers being set off. He looked up and saw the village chief, village chief and other villagers all walking up to him. He then saw a dark-skinned man in front of him. It was the Chief Patrol Officer.
"I don't dare, how would I dare to receive your excellency?" Everyone else was kowtowing and bowing. Pei Zi Yun was a Top Scorer, and had no choice but to accept it. However, this person was surprised.
"How would I dare to address you as your excellency?" The Chief Patrol Officer, who was originally cold and stern, had a face full of smiles. This Chief Patrol Officer had heard that Pei Zi Yun had become a High Scholar, and had brought his men to patrol Snail Village. This was a good opportunity for them to establish a good relationship. This was the start of a new dynasty, and Pei Zi Yun was still young. As long as he was willing to study hard, he might even become a Grand Scholar.
If he didn't become a Grand Scholar, the Top Scorer could still be promoted to a lower ninth rank official. Although they were of the same rank, he could at least become a county magistrate. If he could be promoted to a lower ninth rank official, that would already be the limit.
At this point, they exchanged pleasantries. One was an official, and the other was a Top Scorer. They smiled at each other. Behind them was Cao San, who had already been promoted a rank, and was considered a military official. However, he didn't dare to raise his head. He then kowtowed, "Greetings to Master Top Scorer."
"We're all fellow villagers, please rise!" Pei Zi Yun helped the village chief up.
"Old master, the construction of the ancestral hall has been completed. Please light the incense and open it." The third uncle told him that during the war years, the Pei family's ancestral hall had been destroyed. Hence, the few of them had no choice but to move here.
The people who had left their village were poor. Fortunately, Pei Zi Yun was such a talented person. Now that he had become a High Scholar, he could rebuild the ancestral hall. At this point, many of the Pei family members were crying.
"This is a big matter. Master Top Scorer, please go ahead." The Chief Patrol Officer was very understanding.
Everyone crowded around Pei Zi Yun as they walked towards the ancestral hall. The ancestral hall wasn't far from Snail Village. The Black Wind bandits had already been wiped out. Hence, it wasn't a big deal to build it outside the village.
They had invited a Feng Shui master to come and inspect the ancestral hall. He had chosen the location of the ancestral hall and decided on the exact location. As they neared the ancestral hall, they noticed that it had already been completed. The exterior walls were painted white, and there were tiles on the walls. There were two small stone lions in front of the door. Pei Zi Yun was an Elementary Scholar, but he was a High Scholar now.
The Village Chief of Snail Village looked at it enviously.
As they neared, they noticed that the main door was made of stone. Stone carvings were expensive, and required a lot of time and effort. However, Pei Zi Yun had left behind a sum of money before he left.
There were two large red doors, and on top of the doors was a plaque that read, "Pei Family Ancestral Hall".
The Chief Patrol Officer and the Village Chief escorted them to the entrance of the ancestral hall, but didn't enter. Instead, they sat down at a table. This was an internal affair of the Pei family, and outsiders shouldn't interfere.
"Mother!" Pei Qian Shi instructed the servants to set up a table in front of the main door. At this point, Pei Zi Yun stepped forward and knelt down, "My son has returned."
"My son has returned, and brought the Top Scorer with him." Pei Qian Shi rubbed her eyes and said, "Send your father into the ancestral hall!"
"Yes!" Pei Zi Yun received his father's ancestral tablet and waved his hands. The sound of firecrackers could be heard as the doors of the ancestral hall opened. Besides Pei Zi Yun, everyone else had their own ancestral tablets.
"Send them into the ancestral hall!" Someone shouted.
The Pei family members followed Pei Zi Yun into the ancestral hall. The tablet for the Lord of the Temple was for Pei Zi Yun's father, and the other tablets were placed aside.
"Light the incense!" Pei Zi Yun took the incense and placed it into the incense burner.
"Third kowtow!" The entire clan bowed in unison, as the smoke from the incense rose into the air, adding a sense of mystery to the entire hall. Soon after, the third uncle recited the sacrificial rites, informing the ancestors that Pei Zi Yun had become a High Scholar.
Pei Zi Yun looked at the ancestral hall, and noticed that there were some changes. The Plum Blossom was vibrating slightly, but had disappeared. Pei Zi Yun then thought to himself, 'Based on the original owner's memories and knowledge, I can rebuild the ancestral hall and offer sacrifices to the ancestors. The original Pei family's ancestral hall had been damaged during the war. Now that I'm rebuilding it, should I rebuild it on the same spot, or move it to a new location?'
As he thought about it, he laughed.
After the sacrificial rites were completed, the third uncle said, "The family school has been built."
As he said this, he led the way. The ancestral hall was separated from the surrounding school, and the doors were usually shut tight. When they got closer to the school, they could see that it was a classroom.
The teacher that they had invited looked to be a fifty year old student. He was getting on in years, and had no hopes of becoming a High Scholar. He was teaching his students in a room. When he heard the firecrackers outside, he felt a sense of melancholy.
A few of the Pei Family's children were shaking their heads as they read, but they couldn't help but look outside. When the old man saw them, he didn't hit them with a ruler like he usually did. He only used the ruler to threaten them when they crossed the line.
Usually, the old student would use a ruler to punish them. At this point, the children had been taught a lesson. They sat down obediently and pretended to recite.
At this point, a group of people walked over. The old student stood up in shock, "Greetings master Top Scorer."
Pei Zi Yun hurriedly helped him up and looked around before saying, "The family school has just been built, and the conditions are simple and crude. I apologize for troubling teacher. Here is a gift of five taels of silver. Teacher, please accept it, and learn a thing or two from it."
This five taels of silver was shiny and shiny. The old student hurriedly rejected it, "I've already accepted the school fees, how can I accept more?"
Pei Zi Yun then said, "Since you are the teacher of the family school, you will be able to learn from me in the future. This is a matter of course. If you accept it like this, you are treating me like an outsider!"
After a while, the old student finally accepted the silver and bowed in thanks. He was feeling complicated, happy and sad at the same time. He had worked hard all his life, and yet he couldn't even become an Elementary Scholar. This young man had become a Top Scorer at the age of fifteen. How could the difference between them be so huge?
Outside the ancestral hall, the Chief Patrol Officer and the Village Chief were having a conversation. The Chief Patrol Officer sighed, "This Pei family indeed has the protection of their ancestors. From the previous dynasty until today, they have met with a calamity, and their family has fallen into disgrace. Who would have thought that with this Master Top Scorer, they would be able to return home in glory. As the Chief Patrol Officer, I am envious of them."
The Chief Patrol Officer then added, "That's right. This Pei family is really lucky to have produced a Top Scorer. If one day, my Snail Village's Zhang family can produce a High Scholar as well, that would bring glory to our ancestors."
When the Chief Patrol Officer heard this, he thought to himself, 'You're just a poor villager, what kind of High Scholar can you produce? This Pei family has been a family of scholars for generations.'
The Village Chief sighed to himself. At that time, he had no intention of offering High Scholar Pei's childhood sweetheart to the Pei family. How would things have turned out like this? Pei Zi Yun was just an Elementary Scholar, and didn't think much of it. Now that he had become a High Scholar, there were many things that he couldn't take care of.
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