The road to wealth of a peasant widow

Chapter 183 Grabbing water

one year later.

"Brother, have a safe trip!"

"Brother, take care of yourself!"

"Brother, remember what you said. Don't forget it when you come back~!"

"Changping, take care of yourself when you go out. Be careful with what you eat and be on guard against others!"

Chen Cui looked at her eldest son who was about to go out and gave him final instructions.

"Yeah, I know, you all go back, I'll be back after the exam!"

Changping nodded and waved to his relatives, not wanting them to stay here any longer.

"Dagui, don't be afraid to spend money, stay at a better inn, and help Changping take care of the chores so that he can concentrate on preparing for the exam and not be distracted by chores."

Xu Dagui responded loudly: "Madam, don't worry, I will definitely take good care of the young master. You just stay home and wait for news about the young master's high school admission!"

Chen Cui smiled but said nothing. Instead, she said to Chang Ping, "Just do your best. Don't force the result. You know our family's financial situation. You brothers will have no shortage of food to eat in the future. Just think of this trip as an opportunity to see the world!"

Changping nodded slightly but said nothing.

"Master, can we set off now?"

The sun was about to rise, and if they didn't set off now they would be delayed in their journey. The driver couldn't help but remind them.

The carriage that Changping was riding in finally set off, and he embarked on the road to Jincheng amid the reluctant gazes of his family.

Chen Cui took the children home in a mule cart, with Xiaoman driving in the front.

It was now the beginning of July, still in the dog days of summer, the hottest time of the year. Although it was still morning, the temperature had already risen very high, and the car was not very ventilated, so Suisui kept picking up her small fan to fan herself.

"Mom, it's too hot today. Look, my second and youngest brothers are both suffering from the heat. Can we have some iced canned food when we get home?"

Suisui looked at Chen Cui with hopeful eyes, hoping that she would approve.

Seeing the three children's faces flushed with heat, Chen Cui herself felt anxious, but she couldn't let the children eat cold food so early in the morning: "Go home and finish your homework, and eat in the afternoon."

Sui Sui couldn't help but let out a small cheer.

Chen Cui turned and looked at her two sons.

Changping went to Jincheng to take the provincial examination, and the two sons at home were not having an easy time either.

"I asked Aunt Mai to make a pot of cold drinks. It's great for cooling off. Take some with you when you go to school later, so you don't get overwhelmed by the heat in the academy."

"Well, thank you, mother!"

Longnan Academy is good in every way, except that the building is a bit old and not cool enough inside.

In such a hot day, people would sweat even if they stayed in the house and did nothing, not to mention that they were scholars who dressed properly and had to concentrate on reading and writing, which made it even hotter. The clothes these two people took off after coming back every day were full of sweat odor.

Chen Cui often prepared warm water for bathing when they were supposed to arrive home, so that they could take a shower and cool off as soon as they got home.

After taking a shower and eating, Chang'an and Changfu went to the study to study without wasting a moment.

They will take part in the college entrance examination next year, and if they pass, they will be able to obtain the title of scholar like their elder brother.

However, if my elder brother can pass the provincial examination this year, he will become a juren.

Although the three brothers studied together, the eldest brother was always one step ahead of them and passed all his exams in one try. This made the two brothers, who were equally diligent, envious and filled with a sense of urgency.

They should work harder and strive to catch up with their eldest brother as soon as possible, so that the three brothers can stand at the same height in the future, instead of them always standing low and looking up.

When she got home, Chen Cui felt her back was wet with sweat, so she quickly washed her face and wet Sui Sui's face as well to cool her down.

Xiaoman drove a mule cart to take Chang'an and Changfu to school. Although they were still hot sitting in the cart, it was better than walking. Otherwise, it would not look good to arrive at the academy sweating so much early in the morning.

As soon as Suisui entered her room, she changed her clothes, wearing a short-sleeved top and pants that reached her calves. She also asked Mai to bring her a basin of water in the room so that she could wipe her body when she felt hot.

Chen Cui couldn't change clothes like her daughter. She could only wear such clothes when she went to bed at night. Now she could only fan herself with her hands.

It was only at this time that she would miss modern life. After all, air conditioners and electric fans are now popular, and most people can enjoy the coolness.

Chen Cui secretly regretted that she didn't build an ice cellar at home because she was afraid that her house would be too conspicuous and wanted to keep a low profile. That's why this summer was so unbearable.

This year, when the weather gets cooler, we will send people to dig a large ice cellar to store more ice, so that we won’t suffer this kind of suffering next year.

Having said that, I don’t know whether ice is easy to buy. There has not been much rainfall since last winter, and the continued high temperatures in summer have caused the water levels of many rivers to drop sharply. If the drought continues, it may not be easy to cut ice this year, and the price of ice will definitely rise then.

Thinking of the drought, Chen Cui couldn't help but frown.

The drought this year is even more severe than the year before. It is said that several villages near the rivers on the outskirts of the city have had several armed fights over water, and even the yamen runners have been involved.

People from the government office forced the village chiefs of several villages to sit down and discuss the water distribution agreement before the matter was resolved.

Generally speaking, unless someone died, village chiefs or clan leaders would come forward to resolve issues in the village. People in the yamen were happy to have less time and did not bother to deal with the trivial matters of the country folk. There was no money to be made in such poor and remote areas, so it was all in vain.

But if someone dies, the nature of the matter is different.

A murder case means that the local public order is unstable. Not only does the government have to step in to try the case, but it also has to report to the governor. Finally, the case file has to be sent to the capital and presented to the three courts.

With so many homicide cases, the higher-ups will definitely have opinions, which would be tantamount to bringing discredit to the entire Gansu province.

The village chief of a village is usually the patriarch of the family with the largest number of people in the village. Conflicts between villages are equivalent to struggles between clans. Minor conflicts on a daily basis are fine, but large-scale fights like this cannot be tolerated by the higher-ups.

However, such fights over water were not limited to those happening near the government office. In a letter Liu Youcai wrote earlier, he mentioned that the people from Zhoujiawa next door almost came to blows with the people from his own village over water sources, leading to a dispute between the two villages.

However, because Liujiaping has received much attention from above in recent years because of Chen Cui's family, Liu Youcai has become particularly prominent among the village leaders. Not to mention him, all the people in Liujiaping are proud of it, and they stand straighter when they go out than people from other villages.

Chen from their village was a lady of noble title who had been commended by the emperor and was even given a memorial archway. Among Chen's three sons, one was a scholar and the other two were young men who would become officials in the future. Which village could be as blessed as theirs!