It was not until the sky was dark that Chen Xi was called out to have a meal.

The Shen family did not separate the family. In the west room of the main house, the whole family was divided into two large tables. The square Eight Immortals table was painted with a layer of dark red paint. It may have been used for a long time, and the paint had become very light, leaving only a faint paint mark.

Just because both tables are big enough, not to mention small dolls, even more than twenty adults can barely squeeze them down.

These two tables were originally used to serve as a mat when hosting guests at home. Now the Shen family is in a downturn and cannot live a luxurious life. The rest of the tables are all closed in the backyard. Now everyone has two of them, just squeezed in.

The Shen family is Ding Xingwang, except for Shen Mingjun, Chen Xi's cheap father, only gave birth to him. The eldest uncle, second uncle, third uncle and fourth uncle are all in groups of children.

At first, Chen Xi felt that so many people were eating every day, but over time, they got used to it. After all, the Shen family had not been in decline for a long time, so there were many rules. Whether to eat or sleep or not is the most basic requirement, otherwise they would not be able to stand the noisy scenes of people.

Moreover, Chen Xi hates the naughty kid who is half old the most. He just runs his nose and wipes it on others with no problem. There are many such traces of drying after he is dry, but he even pretends to be ignorant.

Originally, the old lady sat on the table and Shen Mingwen sat on the other table. But now Shen Mingwen has entered the attic, so the other table is seated by Shen Mingwen's wife Wang.

There is nothing strange about everyone gathering around to eat. But what makes Chen Xi feel uncomfortable is that he pays too much attention to eating. I won’t talk about the seats of the elders and young people. Just picking up food and eating, these seemingly simple actions are not to be violated by the eyes.

Chen Xihun sat on the table for the first time after he passed through. Because he was the youngest, he had to wait until everyone moved his chopsticks before he was allowed to move. It was only then that time that his chopsticks reached out to prepare for picking up food, but my mother sucked his hand hard and told him that he had to dig the rice before picking up food before picking up food.

Of course, there are many similar details, and Chen Xi gradually got used to these rules, and now he has followed the rules.

But today's dining tables are slightly different. In the past, people always kept talking when eating, but now they talked endlessly, all about the uncle entering the attic.

Chen Xi's table is basically women and children, and children account for the majority. The older one is thirteen or fourteen years old, and Chen Xi's small body can't be grabbed at all. In addition, Chen Xi's mother is in charge of the kitchen today, and no one picks up food for him. She can only look at her second aunt sitting next to her with help.

However, the second aunt couldn't even pity him. She just kept picking up food for her children, as if she was afraid that she wouldn't be able to eat it if she was too late.

In fact, it's really too late to eat!

Every time Chen Xi eats, he will look at these uncles, aunts, brothers and sisters. He is so handsome. I am destined to be able to follow me and drink some soup.

Fortunately, although the Shen family has grassroots wild vegetables every day, it is still acceptable. They never let the children in their family go hungry and take care of how much they can eat. This is also the reliance of Chen Xi’s survival over the past few years.

The most commonly cooked dish in the Shen family is called "Bi Shui Qinglong". Its name is very good, but in fact it is a big pot of boiling water, sprinkle some chopped green onion and some wild vegetables, and even sprinkle salt very little.

In this era without industry, salt accounts for a large proportion of national economy, especially fiscal revenue.

Therefore, the production and operation of salt is usually monopolized by the government. The 200-liter official salt per kilogram is not something ordinary people can squander. Every day, Chen Xi can only bite the bullet and drink this so-called "blue water and green dragon". At the same time, he secretly decided in his heart that when he has money, he must eat salt purely

The old lady snorted coldly, stood up tremblingly, and angrily scolded: "The rules of ancestors are also the guidance of saints. If you don't eat or sleep, you will shut up. If you have something to do after eating, you will talk about it."

When everyone heard this, no one dared to speak again. Chen Xi stuffed a tender folded ear into his mouth, regardless of whether it tasted good or not. After chewing it for a few times, he swallowed it into his stomach.

As quiet as ever, Chen Xi was the first to eat, placed the chopsticks neatly by the bowl, and sat quietly.

After a while, after everyone finished their meal, Zhou, who had barely stuffed his stomach into the kitchen, and with Chen Xi's third and fourth aunts, quickly cleaned up the dishes and smeared the table cleanly, and then sat down next to Chen Xi.

Chen Xi smiled bitterly. He was an orphan in his previous life, and he never started a family after work. He had never seen what a family meeting was like in his life. This time, it was a good idea that the family meetings that these twenty or thirty people gathered together were eye-opening.

"Mom, I heard that my family plans to train a scholar. Is this a problem?" Uncle Er is quite slippery and likes to take advantage of the situation the most, so he asked first.

The old lady nodded with a smile and said, "This depends on your intention. If you agree, then I will send another child to the county town to study."

"Mom, I agree with this matter. Although our family has not been doing well over the years, we can't keep going like this. I have never studied, but I also know the principle of raising chickens and hatching chickens. If we don't train the younger generation, we will have no future in the future. Unless the elder brother can pass the imperial examination, our veins will only decline more and more. We will suffer more now, which is nothing." The fourth uncle Shen Mingxin said.

The old lady nodded and said, "Everyone understands the truth you said, but since you need to raise more children, it is not a matter of the morning and evening. After years of age, I am afraid that you will complain. I am old and my body is not as good as before. I will go there like this if I have illness or disaster. Can you keep it? How can you explain clearly if your family is harmonious?"

Although Zhou was so arrogant, she respected the old lady very much. She stood up and said respectfully: "Mom, my father and I have no objection. If the child can really make a contribution, it is nothing to suffer as an elder."

The old lady said with relief: "Okay, anyone of you disagrees? Otherwise, this matter will be decided!"

Everyone was silent, and the old lady was quite happy to see this: "After all, the Shen family has passed down the fragrance of books, and the family property of our ancestors is the only one left in the big house we live in and dozens of acres of land. Apart from leaving some classics handed down by our ancestors, our Shen family has no other skills, and there is no need to learn those skills."

"Over the years, everyone has been living a hard life. When the Yongzhuo era comes, their study has almost been cut off. This is not enough. If you want to enter the official position, you have to let your children go to private schools and spend money. Therefore, it is not easy to support your children to study! However, if you do not study, the classics handed down by your ancestors will be useless, and the ancestors' spirits in heaven will not rest in peace!"

Everyone was still silent and listened quietly to the old lady's words.

The old lady shook her head, sighed slightly, and continued, "I decided to let the boss take the exam twice. In less than six years, if she fails to pass the exam, she will teach her children at home and do good deeds. She will ask the villagers in the village to send their children to read a few words. You wives are still young and must have a successor to the Shen family. In the future, they will definitely be better than other children."

The second uncle Shen Mingyou said: "Mom, I think my elder brother will definitely be able to pass the imperial examination, but things are unpredictable. Our children are probably troubled enough for the elder brother, let alone those little babies in the village who are always wild? Let me just let my elder brother teach our children so that they can concentrate."

"snort"

Before Shen Mingyou finished speaking, the old lady snorted coldly: "I said that the Shen family is a big clan. Although our branches are now divided, the scattered branches are also inherited. From then on, do we think we are like small families? The big clan should do the big clan's affairs, and even if the teeth are broken, they have to swallow their stomachs. What's wrong with helping the villagers?"

"Mom, I have some words that I don't know whether to say or not?"

After the second brother said that, the fourth brother Shen Mingxin took over the conversation, his face was a little heavy, and he wanted to speak but stopped.

Li said impatiently: "Say it, just say whatever you have. If you don't talk about these things today, you will inevitably feel troubled in the future!"

When the fourth uncle heard this, he took a long breath: "Mom, I don't understand. As for the uncle and his generation, I, a junior, shouldn't criticize him. Moreover, he has been dead for more than ten years, but he doesn't say something so hard. It would be fine if our veins were separated at the beginning, so why should we still hold the genealogy of famous families?"

"Although I was only in my teens back then, I still remember the scene of our family being kicked out by my uncle. We all came to this Taohua Village with hunger and unfamiliar places. We spent several days to sort out the house and reclaim the barren fields for more than half a year. We should work hard on farming and sericulture. Why bother Shen and Shen's family?"

"Mom, we have already separated. Back then, my uncle sold a thousand taels of gold overnight. Where are we? There is no grain of rice filling, so where is it?"

"Bang"

Before Shen Mingxin could finish his words, he was interrupted by the old lady's heavy slap. The old man stood up tremblingly, pointed at Shen Mingxin, and said with regret:

"Do you still know that you are a descendant of the Shen family? According to family rules, as long as the eldest son does not fight for the eldest son, the descendants of other houses are qualified to be the head of the Shen family!"

"Besides, whether to establish a chief or a wise man, it has been a paradox since ancient times. Last time your cousin came to our house to apologize for guilt. Even if this matter has passed, what will you do if you miss it?"

"Your uncle is absurd by nature, and the Shen family is also ruined in his hands. But you descendants should not think about how to hold a grudge against him, but about how to revive the Shen family's business!"

The old lady said something loudly, and everyone was silent and did not dare to speak anymore. Shen Mingxin quickly apologized: "It's a bad boy, and I won't dare to say these things again in the future."

"I can't think about it. The more I think about it, the more I hate it, and the more I think about it, the more I feel uncomfortable." The old lady scolded with a cold face.

The fourth aunt Feng glared at her husband's eyes, hurriedly stepped forward to support the old lady, patted her back gently, and said, "Mom, you Lao Mo is angry. Your husband is not intentionally angry. How bad is your body so angry? Sit down and get angry."

The old lady didn't say much, sat back on the chair, rested for a while before saying, "I just said that you don't have to worry too much about choosing your children to enter a private school this time. In a few years, if Dalang fails to pass the imperial examination, he will come back to teach the children. If he passes the imperial examination, it will be better. All the children will be sent to the private school at that time."

Chen Xi was not catching a cold when he heard this.

When my uncle finished the two autumn exams, it would be at least six years later. He would have to stay in the mountain village during these six years. Even if he went to school again, it would be too late.

Now the only way out is to seize the opportunity in front of you.

The second aunt Qian's eyes were rolling and asked, "I wonder if you have a candidate in your heart?"

When the old lady heard this, she shook her head slightly: "There are candidates, but I know that it is not easy for you. And you all attach great importance to this matter. Old lady, I cannot be arbitrary, so I will leave it to you for discussion. After that, I will just say a word to me."

After the old lady said that, she nodded and closed her eyes, without saying anything.

Chen Xi was anxious. He didn't know what the old lady was selling, but she didn't dare to speak out, so she could only sit quietly on the chair.

The scene was a little silent for a moment, and the second wife Qian said first: "I think my Goro is very clever, and he must be a material for studying."

Just as she finished her words, Feng from the fourth room was unhappy and immediately retorted: "Second sister-in-law, everyone's children are very smart. No one in our family is a fool, right?"

Qian was not angry when he heard this, and nodded without saying a word.

Seeing their erotic look, the third aunt Sun was a little anxious and pulled her husband beside her, wanting to let him say something, but the third uncle Shen Mingtang was cowardly and followed the crowd. He laughed a few times and touched his head: "Yes, yes, right, that's right, how can our children be stupid?"

Sun is usually very timid, but for his son, he could only blush with a face: "I think my Silang is also good. Can you let my Silang go to school in the county? As long as I let Silang go to school, even if I am a cow and a horse for you in my life, I will never complain."

Looking at the timid and fearful third aunt Sun, who was looking red in face and rough in his neck, and tried hard to argue, Chen Xi was extremely moved, and he felt sorry for his parents all over the world!

However, Chen Xi knew that it was not that he had to fight for it. There was actually nothing to fight for with his knowledge. But if he wanted to stand out, he had to walk out of this mountain. Otherwise, no matter how good his knowledge was in the village, it would only be the fate of farming. Even if he was sorry for the people in front of him, if he was on the list of the future, he would naturally not forget his roots and treat his family badly.

Just as Chen Xi was thinking about his thoughts, the fourth aunt Feng held the corner of her skirt, looking a little confused, but her face was firm. She saw tears in her eyes and choked:

"Two sisters, please, let Liulang go to school. Liulang wanted to study since he was a child. Please, please, as long as Liulang has a future, he will treat you like his mother."

Seeing Feng's tears, the third aunt Sun's eyes turned red. He stepped forward to support her, but still refused to let go: "Sister, it's not that we are not merciless, whose children are not treasures that fall from themselves? We are all children's mothers, I can understand your mood, but"

Before she finished speaking, Qian, the second room, snorted coldly, and his tone was a little unkind: "I am also the child's mother. I also hope that his child will have a future. Who doesn't want his child to be famous after studying, literacy and exams? Everyone thinks that way, hum, it really goes with that sentence. Children who can cry have milk to eat, while children who don't cry can only starve to death."
Chapter completed!