Chapter 398 Wild Boar Meat Sausage (2)_1
As the year drew to a close, pork was not cheap, costing twenty-five Wen for a pound. Wild boar meat was rarely seen in the market, but affluent families always sought novelty and freshness, willing to pay fifty Wen per pound if necessary. These three hundred pounds of wild boar meat could be exchanged for two large fatty pigs. To simply chop it up for sausage filling for the New Year is truly squandering!
Mo Yan couldn’t outright say her family did not lack silver or pork, so she found another reason: "My father has been under the care of several teachers at the Academy and hasn’t properly thanked them for their kindness. With the New Year approaching, we can only make some sausages to present as New Year gifts."
This was not something Mo Yan made up on a whim. After all, in an era that honored teachers and valued education, giving New Year gifts to educators was customary. It didn’t need to be anything particularly valuable, but it had to be presentable.
"So that’s the case, then you do need to prepare some fine goods. Those wild boar sausages are indeed respectable!" Aunt Cai had meant well with her remarks, without any other implication. Hearing Mo Yan’s explanation, she repeatedly expressed her agreement, "Wait until next year when your father passes the imperial examinations and becomes a Scholar, then you’ll likely have to hold a banquet to express your thanks to his teachers!"
A surge of joy went through Mo Yan’s heart, but she modestly replied, "Every year there are numerous students attending the provincial exam, but only a few succeed. Who can tell what will happen next year!"
Aunt Cai heard this and quickly elbowed her, "Tsk, tsk, tsk, girl, how can you speak such discouraging words? If you’re not at ease, why not have your father burn more paper offerings to the ancestors on the thirtieth to bless him with success?"
Mrs. Xiong and Mrs. Zhou also voiced their agreement repeatedly. In their eyes, Mo Qingze was knowledgeable and diligent; even without ancestral blessings, he was capable of passing the exam to become a Scholar.
Burning paper to seek ancestral blessings? Mo Yan felt embarrassed upon hearing this. If ancestral blessings were effective, what need would scholars have for enduring toils like tying their hair to the rafters or pricking their thighs, and for the hardships of years of study?