After dinner, Yang Shaowen did not let his younger siblings go to bed early, nor did Yang Yuhua take out the spinning wheel to spin. With a dim candle, Yang Shaowen summoned several younger brothers and sisters and held a family meeting. The theme of the meeting is very simple, which is the livelihood of the family. "Yuhua, how many days can the food at home last?" Yang Yuhua felt a little nervous when her elder brother asked about livelihood issues. Naturally, the food reserves are not much, and it will take almost two months for the yarn she spins and the cloth to be sent to the flower yarn shop in the town for sale. The last time the gauze was sold was just a few days ago, which meant that for nearly two months, the family no longer had any income. Some time ago, the family continued to receive some assistance from neighbors in the countryside. As the saying goes, helping the emergency does not help the poor. Now that my eldest brother has recovered, this unconventional income is gone. It can be said that the family is always in danger of running out of food. She didn¡¯t dare to tell the truth. Her eldest brother couldn¡¯t bear it well. He jumped into the river some time ago. The main reason was because he was worried about the difficulties at home. After thinking for a while, Yang Yuhua said in a relaxed tone: "Brother Huzi left 30 kilograms of rice for us. Let's save some, just eat sweet potatoes and drink water twice a day. We can deal with it in two months. Two months later , I can sell another batch of gauze, and I can support the food supply!¡± The actual situation is that there are not many sweet potatoes at home. When the time comes, she will inevitably have to pick some wild vegetables, or borrow some bran from a neighbor's house. Only thirty kilograms of rice? How can it be enough to feed five people for two months? An adult needs to eat about a kilogram of rice every day. Although the two brothers are young, they are growing up and their appetites cannot be smaller. As for sweet potatoes, Yang Shaowen thinks they are not very nutritious. Moreover, he had seen a small pile of sweet potatoes piled in the kitchen, and it seemed that the portion was not quite sufficient. He was nearly thirty years old, and after a little observation, he knew that Yang Yuhua's words were an ambush, probably because he didn't want him to worry too much. The existential crisis is urgent and imminent. Seeing the frown on Yang Shaowen's face, even though the two brothers Shao Ming and Shao Kuan were young, they knew that their eldest brother was on to something wrong again. Yang Shaoming comforted him and said: "Brother, don't worry too much. My sister is in great trouble now. He is taking us now and can weave six pieces of cloth in almost two months. Last time, the cloth that my sister knitted was successfully sold to the town. In the floral yarn shop, she didn¡¯t have that ability before. Brother, you know that people wouldn¡¯t accept the fabrics she woven because they were too defective.¡± Yang Yuhua said confidently: ¡°My skills are improving very quickly now. By the end of the year, I am confident that I can reach the speed of 9 pieces of cloth in two months. If I am given another year, I will almost become the fastest weaver in the nearby countryside and reach the level of 15 pieces in two months. With an income of 120 kilograms of rice, our family can almost have enough to eat.¡± Yang Shaokuan also expressed his gratitude: ¡°Besides, my second brother and I have opened a piece of wasteland in the back mountain, and we can plant crops next year. Yes, this is also a huge amount of income!¡± Of course, Yang Shaokuan¡¯s words are just putting money on his face. The fact is that he and Yang Shaoming have been busy for several days and have achieved nothing at all. They can't even think about planting crops next year. On the one hand, the two were young and infirm, but mainly because the wasteland in the back mountains was simply not suitable for reclamation. The terrain there is high, a certain distance from the water source, and the mountain behind was originally a mass grave, and the soil contained a lot of gravel. Thinking about it, there are only a few people in southern Jiangsu. If the back mountain had the value of reclamation, it would have been reclaimed by nearby farmers, and it would not be their turn to get the brothers. Seeing that her brothers and sisters were all contributing to the family, Xiao Xiangxiang also came to join in the fun: "There's me, there's me. Xiangxiang is also very capable." She didn't think about what she could do in the end. , I can¡¯t say that she is the best at eating. But in the end, it reminded her of a skill she had just learned the day before yesterday: "Xiangxiang knows how to roll cotton slivers (the first step of manual spinning, rolling lint into slivers of about one foot, which are used in the next spinning process) , the tampons rubbed by Xiangxiang are so good, even my sister who is always very picky praises Xiangxiang! " Yang Shaowen is very proud of his younger brothers and sisters. They are such sensible and progressive children, and they still speak for him in their words! This brother's forgiving attitude is really remarkable. "My younger brothers and sisters are all well-behaved. As an older brother, I have to work hard and set a good example for you. My older brother has to make a lot of money, try to make the whole family eat rice every day, live a comfortable life, and let my parents in heaven We can rest assured." But when it came to his future career, Yang Shaowen felt a little embarrassed. I was originally a programmer, but this skill was of no use in the late Qing Dynasty. He didn't have any special skills in other aspects. Even if he did, he probably wouldn't be of any use in the agricultural society of the late Qing Dynasty. Are you going to farm? He was originally a child from a rural area, so he could afford the hardship. But the problem is, their family has no land now.kind. Besides, I am a graduate student in the 21st century. In the 19th century, I was reduced to farming. Isn't it too miserable? Or take the imperial examination according to the original struggle trajectory of Yang Shaowen? He shook his head in affirmation. The road to the imperial examination was too narrow and definitely not worth pursuing. Not to mention that the late Qing Dynasty is now in turmoil. In the 20th year of Guangxu, which should be around 1894, the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1894 had already begun, and half of the late Qing Dynasty was already buried in the ground. If you take the imperial examination at this time, wouldn't you just be a stupid stick? Since the Manchu Qing Dynasty is almost over, why not join the promising career of a revolutionary party yourself and give another push to the collapse of the Manchu Qing Dynasty? After some consideration, he voted no for this path. He understands his own character, and he still hopes to live a more stable life. A life of decisive killing and bloodshed is not suitable for him. What's more, his top priority is to solve the problem of food and storage for the family. If you work for the revolutionary party, you won't get money so quickly. He thought about several paths, but none of them seemed to suit him very well, which made him feel a little confused. Seeing him shaking his head and nodding unconsciously, Yang Yuhua couldn't help but asked curiously: "Brother, what are you thinking about, so absorbed?" "I'm thinking, what should I do for a living in the future?" Yang Yuhua is a person of this era. She is the oldest among them, and Yang Shaowen also wants to hear her opinion: "Yuhua, think about it for me, what should I do in the future?" "Is there anything good to think about? Of course it is. Take the Jinshi exam and then become a high official in the imperial court!" Yang Yuhua blurted out without thinking, "This is how our ancestors of the Yang family built their family business. This is a tradition." Yang Yuhua said with a firm face. If you can find a job as a tutor to supplement your family income, that¡¯s fine. If others don¡¯t like us, that¡¯s okay. Brother, just focus on your studies at home and I¡¯ll just live a simpler life.¡± Shao Wen put his arms around Yang Yuhua's thin shoulders and said with some emotion: "You silly sister, my eldest brother is such a big man, how can I have the nerve to let you support me!" "What's more, there is no future in the imperial examination after completing the imperial examination, and I will not do it in the future. Are you going to take any exams again? Living a down-to-earth life in the Yang family is serious business!" Yang Shaowen murmured to himself and said casually. To Yang Yuhua, it sounded like a thunder!