Zhang Xiaobao stood in front of the window and looked at the rain that seemed to never stop. He muttered, "Now we don't lack water anymore. I wonder if those places that have matured earlier are like us. When it's time to harvest, they don't need to harvest the crops in the fields anymore. They can just germinate and wait to be planted."
"That shouldn't be the case, right? If that's the case, the price of food this year will increase by a lot. It's impossible for the whole country to have rain at the same time. It's just like how other places don't have droughts. The drought-stricken places have already failed, so it's not that bad. When the time comes, we can wait for the imperial court to provide relief. Li Longji is still a good person in the early stages. "
Wang Juan was also annoyed by the endless rain. It was mainly because the house was damp and they couldn't go to the swimming pool outside. It was fine if they stayed in the house and did nothing. If they wanted to read, they had to light up a lamp.
Zhang Xiaobao felt that he was indeed a little worried. The lack of food had nothing to do with Zhang Xiaobao and his family in Zhuangzi. Naturally, there would be people who were worried. He couldn't just buy some food now and sell it at a fair price. He had already achieved his goal of seeking credit for his family, so there was no need to continue to worry.
As for buying food at a low price and selling it specifically for the sake of benefiting from the country's disaster, he didn't plan to do so. He wouldn't be able to earn much money. It was unlike the food that was sold during the drought. The quantity of food was not much, only a few hundred thousand catties. He could take the opportunity to increase the price. If he wanted to make a fortune here, he would need at least tens of thousands of tons. It was easy to be targeted by others. If he sold too much, he would lose his credit, and he wouldn't be able to live in peace.
"Xiao Bao, why don't we use an umbrella to catch fish? It should be easier to catch fish at this time. I heard that it's easier to catch fish when it's raining."
Wang Juan was a little annoyed by the air pressure. Seeing that Zhang Xiaobao didn't say anything, she suggested from the side.
"That depends on the type of fish. Even if we don't catch them, we'll catch them in our own pond. It just so happens that after two days of rain, the ground is already moist. We can get people to connect the six ponds. At this time, the construction is easy. We can dig a hole at a time."
Zhang Xiaobao didn't want to catch it. He and Wang Juan could only drag a very small net, and they couldn't throw it far. They didn't know how long it would take to catch one on the shore. As for fishing, there was no need to think about it. If they met a slightly bigger fish, they could drag the two of them into the water.
"That's a good idea. Let's see how many straw raincoats and straw hats there are in the grocery store. Give them to the farmers and let them dig ditches. We'll take care of their meals. Give each of them three copper coins as wages. Let the doctors in Zhuangzi make some medicinal decoctions so that they won't catch a cold."
After hearing Zhang Xiaobao's words, Wang Juan agreed and immediately arranged it. The farmers were also idling at home. When they heard that there was work to do, the laborers at home all brought their tools out. They didn't care about the wages and food. Their only wish was to do something for their master.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan didn't continue to stay in the house. Accompanied by Pomegranate, they held a large umbrella and ran to the small river in front of the courtyard to watch the water slowly rise.
Between the Clouds and the Water Restaurant had a lot fewer guests. Only a few outsiders who didn't want to rush back in the rain continued to stay in the courtyard behind the restaurant. However, the market wasn't affected. It seemed that there were more people than usual.
Most of these people were mainly here to sell vegetables. Vegetables were not afraid of being drenched by the rain. After getting wet, they looked more green. Ergou gave a slightly higher price and lowered the price of fruits. At this time, the usually sweet fruits were no longer sweet.
When evening came, the rain finally became heavier and was accompanied by the rumbling of thunder. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan didn't seem to hear such a loud noise and still got up to study. Pomegranate also didn't sleep today. She sat at the door and yawned as she watched the two young masters study. From time to time, she was scared by the thunder and trembled. She only calmed down when she saw that the lights were on in the inner and outer rooms.
In the courtyard of the Shuiyun House, the family of four had not yet fallen asleep. Young Man was always crying. As the older sister, she had to hold her in her arms, recite the things she had learned, and coax her younger brother. The two adults, on the other hand, were whispering to each other.
As Wang Juan said, it didn't rain everywhere. In Henan Road, there was still not a drop of water. Xiao Hong and Cherries were calculating under the window. These days, they had collected a lot of eggs. Some of them were directly pickled, and some were exchanged for things on the same day. They tried not to keep them as much as possible. Otherwise, there would be no place to put them.
Yao Chong had sent two reports in a row, but there was still no reply. He didn't know how long this matter would be delayed. He already planned to leave early tomorrow morning. County Magistrate Cheng was also arranging for people to pack up and prepare to leave at dawn. After all, Sanshui County couldn't be without a county magistrate.
Only the merchants who also came with food to get some benefits didn't have the slightest intention of leaving. They hated Xiao Hong and Cherries in their hearts. Not only did they bring so much food at one time, but they also used those eggs to exchange for food in the provincial government outside to lower the price here.
The people who came to sell the grain made a lot of money. These people wanted to get more benefits, so they took out the money to buy more grain. When they came back, they found that the local people were no longer as crazy as before. Almost all the local government had posted notices saying that a large amount of grain would be shipped over soon, and they should not buy at a high price.
Erniu was not like them. He didn't listen to the young master and sell the food in his hands. He directly rushed to Shandong without any hesitation. He had more tasks. In addition to continuing to carry stones, he also had to go to the seaside to buy kelp. He spent the money, dried the kelp, and transported it back to Zhuangzi.
*****
Two days passed quietly. While the children were waiting, the sun came out in the morning. Perhaps God also knew that the children were anxious. Last night, there was a thunderstorm, but before dawn, it became a clear sky.
All the children of the appropriate age in Zhang Wang's Ge Manor were ready. Each of them had a Rubik's Cube. In total, there were 55 people. Some families didn't have children, so the adults came to watch the fun. Some families had two children of the right age, so naturally, they came holding hands and waiting for the competition.
In addition to them, there was also the young master of the Li family, Li Xun. His team was the most spectacular. Together with the foreign children who heard the news and signed up, there were more than 80 people. In particular, there were two children who were 'scholars' who usually talked about poetry in the restaurant.
The father of these two children may not have done well in the imperial examinations, but when it came to educating them, he was not bad at all. They started practicing calligraphy when they were three or four years old. Now, they were eleven or twelve years old. After so many years of writing, they had a good foundation.
The appearance of these outsiders made the children of Zhuangzi feel a great deal of pressure. They felt that the first place of the four categories was going to slip away from their eyes.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan knew about this situation. The two of them discussed for a while and decided that they would not take any remedial measures. It was good to let the children of Zhuangzi see how good the others were. Otherwise, they would always think that they were better than others just because they knew a few words.
After seeing the gap, it was good that they would work harder in their studies. A small number of children who were discouraged could be corrected through some persuasion. The two of them were looking forward to seeing Liu'er the most. They wanted to see how she would perform this time.
The competition was about to begin. The venue was the open space in front of the restaurant Between the Clouds and the Water. Someone had already paved the ground with sand. The tables and chairs were neatly arranged, and the four treasures of the study were placed on top of them.
The children were all sitting on the chairs, looking around from time to time. They seemed a little nervous. There were many people watching from the surroundings. There were farmers of Zhuangzi, adults who had brought their children from outside, and those bored 'scholars' who were sitting near the windows of the restaurant.
The first category of the competition was the Rubik's Cube. It was originally supposed to be a calligraphy competition. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were afraid that if the children of Zhuangzi lost, they would not be able to show off their skills later on. They did not expect them to win first place. It was fine as long as they could perform well.
On the roof of the second floor, Zhang Xiaobao was being carried down by two servant girls in the courtyard. There were several ropes tied around his body to prevent the two of them from accidentally falling down. Today, the roof of the second floor was not open to the public.
"Xiao Bao, I heard that there are two children from outside who are good at calligraphy. Do you think that Li Xun will lose to them? If Li Xun does not win even once and becomes jealous of this competition, we will end up making a fool of ourselves. "
Wang Juan looked at the situation below and turned her head to give Zhang Xiaobao a look. Her lips moved as she asked Zhang Xiaobao.
"It shouldn't be, right? No matter what, he was educated in that kind of environment. The teachers he hired are also better than those from other places. Calligraphy not only requires practice, but also comprehension. He is definitely more mature than other children of the same age. "
Zhang Xiaobao was actually a little worried. What if Li Xun, this child, was too timid to win and did not display his original ability? If he really lost, then it would be troublesome. Future plans would need to be adjusted accordingly, and the effect would also be reduced.
While they were talking, the competition was about to begin. All the children's Rubik's Cubes were collected and arranged in the same order. Then, they were sent back to each child. With a command, the children all worked hard to turn the Rubik's Cubes in their hands.
Some of the children were anxious. The more they worked, the slower their progress would be. Li Xun was the most stable of the bunch. When he received the Rubik's Cube, he first glanced at the others. He felt that he would be able to win this competition. The people from his family had worked together to figure out the Rubik's Cube. He didn't believe that others would have such ability.
Both of his hands were fiddling with the Rubik's Cube. The strength of each stroke was just right. He would never let the Rubik's Cube get stuck because of his strength. Just as he was about to face the Rubik's Cube, a young girl on the other side shouted, "I'm done."
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