Chapter 5

Whether rich or poor, there were only the two of them in the family.

In a strange world, Li Su could only huddle in this quiet little village, quietly observing the myriad aspects of this world. As he lived in the village for a long time, Li Su gradually got used to it and slowly realized that living a quiet and peaceful life for a lifetime was actually quite nice. Earning a bit more money, buying a larger piece of land, building a warm and comfortable house, and then marrying a virtuous and frugal wife who wasn't too ugly, and thus spending the rest of his life together, would be a good life.

He had neither the capital nor the mood to be a king or a tyrant, and he certainly didn't have the courage to play mind games with the emperor and ministers who ruled this world. Li Su was originally a timid person, and living a peaceful and safe life was more important than anything else.

In the distant Taiji Palace, Emperor Li Shimin should really lead the ministers to burn incense and offer sacrifices to heaven again, thanking the heavens for bestowing a穿越者 (time traveler) who had lost his ambition on the Tang Dynasty. Just by Li Su's simple and untroubled heart, which did not cause any trouble for the Tang Emperor, if Li Shimin were still a human, he should bestow Li Su with the title of a national duke, except for the "Shi" national duke.

In Li Su's view, the "content with a little wealth" peasant mentality should absolutely be praised and followed for life. Living to a ripe old age and dying peacefully in bed was the greatest achievement in life, more admirable than being ennobled or appointed as a minister, and not too difficult to achieve.

"Scaredy-cat, we have grain at home, it's time to get you a tutor to read books. Tomorrow, I'll take some meat and grain as a gift and ask Mr. Wang from the east of the village to teach you." Li Daizheng sat on the almost worn-out threshold, his eyes squinting with a deep look.

Li Su frowned: "Father, I don't want to read books."

"Read or I'll beat you to death!" Li Daizheng's eyes bulged, and his unreasonable mode was activated without warning.

"Father, let's talk about our ideals, okay?" Li Su was a cultured person; beating his father was a grave act of disrespect, so he chose to reason.

"Ideals... what are they?"

"They are aspirations, the goals of life."

"Ha... spit!" Li Daizheng spat a thick wad of phlegm on the ground. Li Su looked at the yellow stain with a conflicted expression, his cheeks twitching.

He endured it! But Li Su still got up, used a hoe to scoop up the soil and phlegm, and threw it over the fence into the neighboring Shi family's yard. The phlegm drew a perfect parabola before landing.

Li Daizheng watched this scene with wide eyes, his mouth agape, unsure whether to praise his son for being hygienic or scold him for being uncouth and harming the neighbors...

Li Su had a severe case of OCD, so severe that he would wash his shoes thoroughly after walking outside, not tolerating any dust or dirt. After coming to this accursed era, his OCD had lightened somewhat, as it was not appropriate for a poor family. Although it was less severe, it still persisted.

OCD has a range, and it only applied to his own territory. Li Su didn't care much about the cleanliness of others' territories, after all, he had only been there for a few days, and they weren't very familiar.

Putting down the hoe, Li Su washed his hands very carefully, then sat opposite Li Daizheng, smiling as bright as a summer flower.

"Come, let's continue talking about our ideals..."

Li Daizheng: "..."

"Father, let's discuss first, is reading books useful?" Li Su began the father-son discussion with a serious attitude.

"Of course it's useful."

"Alright, after ten years of hard study and reading the classics, what will I do?"

"Become an official, you coward."

"Our dynasty has the imperial examination system, but as everyone knows, the imperial examination is extremely difficult, with only one in ten passing. If a poor student wants to stand out, they can only submit their work to the powerful families. However, there are many poor families like stars in the sky, while the powerful families are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. How likely is it that I will meet a powerful family after ten years of hard study? How likely is it that my work will be recognized by them? We are a poor family, and it takes a lot of resources to support a student. In the end, there is still a high chance that I will never make it. Father, are you sure you want to get me a tutor?"

Li Daizheng stared at Li Su, speechless.

Li Su waved his hand cautiously: "Father, have you understood?"

Li Daizheng snapped back to reality, and his eyes quickly filled with a murderous look: "You coward, you've confused me. What are you blabbering about? Are you itching for a beating? Huh?"

Sure enough, the unreasonable mode was activated again. Under Li Daizheng's threatening gaze, the first father-son discussion on life ideals ended in discord...

"Ha... spit!" Li Daizheng spat on the ground again.

Li Su resignedly scooped it up and threw it into the Shi family's yard. This shows that a reasonable person is not necessarily cultured, and an unreasonable person is not necessarily cultured either, like a certain father who spits on the ground...

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Finally, Li Su made two friends in the village, or rather, reacquainted with them. They were originally his childhood friends. One day, when they came to visit, they punched Li Su's stomach and back hard, almost making him vomit his gall. Li Su immediately understood that he had met true friends. Through the strength of these punches, Li Su deeply felt that their friendship must be very strong; a slightly weaker friendship wouldn't have led to such a fierce punch.

One was a tall and robust man named Wang Zhuang, who was ugly, poor, and lazy. The other was a short man named Wang Zhi, who was also ugly, poor, and lazy, but from his name, it was clear he didn't engage in homosexuality.

The two were twin brothers, and their mother was quite remarkable, having given birth to four sons. Wang Zhuang and Wang Zhi were the eldest and second eldest. They had a five-year-old younger brother, and last summer, their mother, as expected, gave birth to the fourth son, causing a significant stir in Taiping Village. Even the magistrate of Jingyang County sent people down to award the Wang family a string of coins and invited the heroic mother to the county office, where she gave a report to midwives and doctors from the surrounding areas, detailing the positions and methods that could increase the success rate of having sons. The heroic mother was not shy and explained in great detail, earning prolonged applause from the audience...

During the Zhenguan era, the Tang Dynasty had a sparse population, and the wars of the previous Sui Dynasty had just ended. Coupled with Li Shimin's frequent military campaigns against the Eastern Turks, the population had sharply declined. Therefore, the government and local authorities had always encouraged childbirth, the more the better, and even offered rewards. For example, the mother of the Wang brothers was directly awarded a string of coins by the government. Moreover, raising four sons was a significant burden, so the government provided a certain amount of material support each year.

Abortion was absolutely illegal and considered a heinous crime. If Li Su were to open a painless abortion clinic in Taiping Village, he would likely be arrested by the county office on the first day of operation. The magistrate would personally tear him apart, as the annual population growth rate in his jurisdiction was recorded in the Ministry of Personnel's evaluation, and the private affairs of the people directly affected the officials' promotions.

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PS: Please follow and recommend!

I'm sorry, I haven't revised the previous text yet. Something happened yesterday regarding the contract I signed with Qidian, which has a significant impact on me.

Also, thank you to Fengzhi Haogao for the generous donation. Our first patron has appeared! A long-time reader who has followed three of my books, you're really quick. Thank you, and a big hug!~~

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