Outside, the north wind howled, and the cold wind leaking through the crack in the door made the flames of the torches skewed. Xu Jin and Xie Xiaowan sat around a low table to eat dinner in the dim light of the fire, and a pile of red-hot coals was placed next to them, which slightly dispelled the cold.

Xie Xiaowan's little face was still flushed, and she quickly served Xu Jin a bowl of thick gruel, but she only served a bowl of thin rice soup.

Xu Jin didn't say a word, poured the two bowls of porridge back into the pot, then stirred it with a spoon, refilled the two bowls of porridge, tapped the little girl's forehead again, and said: "How many times have you said it, don't be special in the future!" ”

Xie Xiaowan stuck out his tongue and said, "Xianggong studied hard, he should eat more!" ”

"Xiaowan does housework, and it is even harder to take care of her father-in-law, hurry up and eat!" Xu Jin said with a smile.

Xie Xiaowan was drinking gruel, peeking at Xu Jin from time to time, her heart was warm, when she first married into the family, she felt that she was very miserable and her life was gray when she faced a poor and white family, and her husband who was sick in bed.

However, at this time, Xie Xiaowan felt that she was very happy and lucky, and she met such an approachable lover who would love his wife, which was a blessing that many women could not ask for by burning incense and worshiping Buddha.

Xie Xiaowan was immersed in her own little happiness, while Xu Jin was thinking about how to get out of the current predicament.

Although Xu Youguang has evenly mixed three buckets of rice for his family today, saving some food should be able to survive the cold winter, but after the winter and spring, there will be a harvest in June.

It's only mid-November now, and there are still six or seven months to survive until the summer harvest, so you can't always rely on others for relief, and your current physical condition, if you don't supplement nutrition, you can stand it if you eat gruel every day, in addition, the weather is getting colder and colder, and Xiaowan must also buy thick clothes.

Also, according to the usual practice, the county examination will be held in February next year, the government examination will be held in April, and the hospital examination will be held in August.

To take the exam, pen, ink, paper, inkstone, food, clothing, housing and transportation need money, all need money!

Therefore, the top priority is to make money, Xu Jin Shanghai has been fighting for decades, and what he is best at is making money, but in this small mountain village in the poor countryside, even if he has the ability to steal the sky, he can't use the ability of the white wolf with empty gloves.

"Xiaowan, do you know how much an acre of paddy field costs now?" Xu Jin suddenly asked.

Xie Xiaowan replied: "The upper field near Poyang Lake can be sold for fifteen taels of silver, the middle field is about ten taels, and the inferior field is five or six taels. We don't know here, but the price is estimated to be lower. ”

"That's it!" Xu Jin couldn't help frowning, even if it was counted as ten taels and one acres, he would only get sixty taels of silver after selling his six acres of paddy fields.

Xie Xiaowan was surprised: "Fifteen taels and one mu is still less?" It's enough for a farmer to spend three or four years. ”

Xu Jin couldn't help but be taken aback, he really didn't know very much about the purchasing power of one tael of silver in the Ming Dynasty, so sixty taels of silver was really a lot.

During the Zhengde period, it happened to be in the middle of the Ming Dynasty, and one or two pieces of silver could probably buy one stone of rice, of course, the price of rice was different in different places, but in general, one or two silver for one stone of rice.

Ordinary peasant families spend about three or four taels of silver a year, and the premise is that the grain is grown by themselves, so fifteen taels of silver is enough for such a family to spend four or five years, and if you save more, it can even spend five or six years.

"Why did Xianggong ask about this, could it be...... Xianggong wants to sell our family's land? Xie Xiaowan wondered.

Xu Jin nodded and said, "There is such a plan!" ”

Xie Xiaowan's face turned pale suddenly, and she said deliciously: "Xianggong, how did you come up with the idea of selling the land!" ”

Xu Jin was a little stunned, he just sold the land, he didn't need to react so much, and explained: "Xiaowan, you also know the situation at home, the grain given by the second brother can last until the beginning of spring at most, and there are still several months before the summer harvest, where will the money come from to buy grain if you don't sell the land?"

What's more, it will also cost money to take the county exam next year. So I plan to sell the land and move to the county seat, and with the capital, I can make money by doing a small business. ”

Xie Xiaowan was so anxious that tears flowed out, and she said in a trembling voice: "Xianggong, our family's land can't be sold, as long as there is land, we still have roots, and if we are diligent with our hands and feet, we won't starve, it's better than the rootless duckweed wandering in a foreign land." Besides, Xiang Gong is a scholar, how can he be sold and bought in those lowly markets. ”

Although Xu Jin was speechless, when he saw Xie Xiaowan's tearful and sad appearance, he was suddenly a little panicked, and a little distressed, so he quickly stood up and coaxed: "Xiaowan, don't cry, alas...... Now that you sell the land, you can buy it back in the future, and when you become a senior official in Xianggong High School, you can afford to buy as much land as you want. Don't you have confidence in the imperial examination? ”

Xie Xiaowan received some tears when she heard this, sniffed and said: "Xiaowan naturally has confidence in Xianggong, but can we not sell the land, first find the relatives to borrow some money and silver, and after the New Year, we will come back to cultivate the paddy fields, and when we have food, our family's life will not be so poor, and Xiaowan will also fish to earn money, and the borrowed money can be slowly repaid." ”

Xu Jin hurriedly shook his head and said: "No, how can I rest assured that you are a little girl going to the river to fish, how dangerous it is, what if there is an accident!" ”

"Xianggong, people are good at water, what accidents can happen, and besides, people are not little girls!" Xie Xiaowan said aggrievedly, but her emotions calmed down.

"As the saying goes, don't bully the mountains and the water, no matter how high the kung fu is, you are afraid of kitchen knives, and no matter how skilled the water is, there will be accidents, in short, you are not allowed to go fishing in the future, otherwise...... Family law waiting! Xu Jin deliberately reprimanded with a calm face.

Xie Xiaowan was suddenly frightened, her little face turned a little pale, and she lowered her head and said aggrievedly: "People know!" ”

Xu Jin's expression slowed down, wiped the tears on the little girl's face with his sleeve, and said softly: "Eat porridge, it's going to be cold!" ”

Xie Xiaowan lowered her head and tilted her neck slightly and did not move, Xu Jin was angry and funny, this little girl was soft on the outside and rigid on the inside, and she obviously did not agree to sell the land in her heart, but she did not dare to challenge the authority of the head of her family, so she protested in this way.

"Little girl, are you angry?" Xu Jin said with a smile.

"How dare Xiao Wan be angry, it's just that our family's land is handed down from our ancestors, if it is sold, what face will Xiao Wan have to see the ancestors of the Xu family in the future!" Xie Xiaowan said as tears came out again.

Xu Jin couldn't help but have a headache, and said helplessly: "Okay, the field is not sold, and you are crying, it's a big deal that you won't take the county exam next year!" ”

As soon as these words came out, the little girl's tears fell like broken pearls, Xu Jin realized that his tone was too much, and he coaxed him for a while, Xie Xiaowan stopped her tears, raised her crying face and sobbed: "Xianggong wants to sell the land and sell it, the husband is the wife, Xiaowan is a woman, can she still stop it, why should Xianggong say cruel words that do not take the imperial examination to hurt people!" ”

Xu Jin regretted it for a while, and hurriedly said: "It's Xianggong who is wrong, Xianggong shouldn't have hurt Xiaowan's heart by saying anything, Xianggong apologized to you, don't cry, you cry, Xianggong is also uncomfortable!" ”

Xie Xiaowan was hugged tightly by Xu Jin, both shy and sweet, it could be seen that Xianggong really cared about himself, and asked whose man could put down his body like this and apologize to his wife and admit his mistakes. At this moment, let alone selling land, Xie Xiaowan felt that even if Xianggong let him die, he would have no hesitation.

Xie Xiaowan can have this kind of thought, if it is put aside in modern times, it must be too incredible, and it seems very fake, but in a feudal society where male power is supreme, it is not strange at all.

Xu Jin has a modern soul, his worldview and values are completely different from the men here, in his opinion, men and women are equal, and he doesn't think that there is anything wrong with men coaxing women in a low voice, or even apologizing to women, so he didn't realize that his apology would move Xie Xiaowan like that.

Xie Xiaowan stuck to Xu Jin's arms for a while, then suddenly raised her head and said, "Xianggong, our family's land is still sold!" ”

Xu Jin had already dispelled the idea of selling the land, and was about to think of another way, but he couldn't help but be happy when he heard this, but immediately shook his head and said, "Don't sell it, don't sell it!" ”

Xie Xiaowan bit her lip and said with some embarrassment: "Xiaowan thought about it just now, Xianggong is right, you can buy it back after selling it, now our family's situation really needs money, with money, Xianggong can study with peace of mind and strive to be a talent next year!" ”

Xu Jinxi said: "You really think so? ”

Xie Xiaowan nodded and hummed lightly, Xu Jin couldn't help but kiss the former on the forehead, and said solemnly: "Don't worry, Lady, Xianggong will definitely not let you down, and you will come back after taking the exam next year." ”

Xie Xiaowan's heart couldn't help but tremble, and she buried her little face in Xu Jin's arms shyly, saying that this was the first time that Xianggong called himself a lady.

Xu Jin's mood is a little complicated, now he is more and more in the role of the original owner of the body, perhaps caused by the continuous fusion of nerdy memories, or moved by this kind little girl in his arms who makes people love and pity, and unconsciously accepted each other's identities.

At this moment, Xu Jin couldn't tell whether he was a nerd or an old man from modern times.

"Whatever, be free and do whatever you want, just live in the moment, since you are fortunate to pass through once in this life, why live up to Shaohua!" Xu Jin put aside his chaotic thoughts and hugged the little man in his arms tighter.

Xie Xiaowan felt Xu Jin's powerful embrace, and was shy and happy in her heart, this man is her husband, the dearest person in her life. The girl's heart was filled with infinite tenderness, and she involuntarily hugged Xu Jin's waist with her backhand.

The howling north wind blew through the dilapidated mud houses, the dim light of the fire on the walls emitted black smoke, and the ground was a swaying figure.

In the deep winter of the twelfth year of Zhengde in the Ming Dynasty, the north wind was fierce, the frost was like snow, and under the dim firelight, a poor couple hugged each other.