After that, Ye Xiaoyu got busy and refused to let her cousin help, doing it all by herself, which left Ye Wanying both amused and exasperated...

"You really don't need my help?"

Xiaoyu shook her head firmly: "No! It's just a few dishes, I can do it."

"Okay, call me if you need anything, I'm going out for a walk."

"good."

Ye Wanying went out alone this time without her precious son. After leaving, she headed towards the main house, and along the way, she encountered several of the students Xiaoyu had mentioned who attended night school. They were indeed reading and reciting their books while walking.

I really want to say that even if you spend 24 hours a day reading except for eating and going to the bathroom, you still won't have any talent. If you have a good memory, you can memorize things by rote, but if you're just average, then it's really... a waste of time!

However, these are other people's business, and Ye Wanying naturally wouldn't say anything.

...

Approaching the main house again, he confirmed that he hadn't misread the names on the ancestral tablets before; in the center, a line of calligraphy read, "Ancestral Tablets of the Hong Family's Generations."

The bottom section lists the names of the men in the family within four generations on the left and the names of the women on the right.

Ye Wanying was familiar with one of the names of the men from the Hong family below, because if she was not mistaken, that name belonged to the old man who had returned from overseas and was sent down to the village to watch the cowshed—Hong Zhongguo!

Actually, if it were just a familiar name, it wouldn't be a big deal. After all, there are so many people in the world, and it's not uncommon for two or three people to share the same name. The important thing is that the names Tan Fengxiu, Hong Jiaxing, and Hong Jiaqing all appeared. One could be a coincidence, but surely all four names can't be coincidences?

As far as I can remember, the old man often talked about his wife from his youth, and even secretly wrote the three characters "Tan Fengxiu" on the ground with a twig.

Those who lived close by in the village should have a better memory of it.

As for why Ye Wanying remembers it so clearly, it's because when she was little, her parents secretly sent her to that old man to study, so it's inevitable that she knows more.

Later, it wasn't just Ye Wanying who secretly studied there; Xiaoyu and several other children from the village would also sneak over after finishing their chores, taking advantage of the darkness.

Because every family has children studying there, the villagers turn a blind eye and pretend they don't know anything, and no one reports it.

Otherwise, how could Xiaoyu, who has never been to school, know how to read and write?

But when Ye Wanying was about eight or nine years old, the old man from the cowshed suddenly disappeared one day and was never heard from again.

Some people said the old man had run away to Xiangcheng, while others said that people from higher up had come and arrested him. There were all sorts of rumors, but Ye Wanying didn't think so.

It is highly likely that the old man died, or committed suicide!

Those were truly difficult times. Poor families simply didn't have enough to eat or wear, but for those who were sent down to the countryside due to their class background, they were dragged out and subjected to struggle sessions every now and then. They suffered physical and mental humiliation, and without strong endurance, they couldn't have endured it to the end.

Many of those who persevered to the end eventually went crazy, didn't they?

"Girl, are you looking to rent a place?"

Ye Wanying immediately snapped out of her daze and, upon seeing the elderly man with a full head of white hair in front of her, her expression changed slightly...