"Really?"

"Of course, but I can't lend it to you to take home. This is a book I borrowed, so it's not appropriate for you to take it home."

"I'm so grateful to have lent it to me. I heard from Mom that you're old enough to be in sixth grade, in the same class as my brother Zhuzi, right?"

"Yes, if you come here to learn, I can teach you if you don't understand anything. Don't worry, I can do the problems for fifth graders in elementary school, so teaching you won't be a problem."

"Then I'll come every day, just don't find me annoying."

"How could that be? I consider Sister Er Ya a friend. How about I sew it myself? You can read the book?"

"No need, it doesn't matter if it's just for a little while."

"Starting tomorrow is fine too. I'll sew the pants myself; it's simple. You can read the book."

"I will never forget your kindness," Liu Erya finally couldn't help but make the promise.

"Don't overthink it. There aren't that many rules between friends. Besides, as long as we understand each other and keep our hearts straight, we'll always be friends." Zhang Hongmei had to agree, because nobody wants a friend to stab them in the back.

"Don't worry, I would never do anything against my conscience. I have my principles, and yes, those are my principles."

"I trust Sister Er Ya." Zhang Hongmei had been in society for nearly ten years and could tell a lot about people. Liu Er Ya was a decent person and worth getting to know. As for a deeper friendship, that would have to be developed slowly in the future.

The casual clothes were easy to make, and they were finished just after 3 a.m. Liu Erya originally wanted to fold the two pieces of clothing and put them under the mattress overnight so that they would look better the next day, but Zhang Hongmei wouldn't allow it no matter what.

"Sister Erya, I have a solution. I'll go boil some water, get a teacup, and walk back and forth once, and that'll do the job."

"That's fine, but that would be too time-consuming."

"I have plenty of time, I can take my time and get it done."

"Okay, I'll cut out the pants for you, and we'll sew them together tomorrow, quick."

"No need, I'm fine. You can cut it out and I'll sew it slowly. You can start reading tomorrow. Do you still have any old pens or notebooks? If not, mine will do."

"Yes, I still have them all. I'll bring them over tomorrow."

"It's not long since we left, you need to hurry up and study, otherwise you won't have time after spring."

"Yes, we'll be busy with spring planting soon. Aren't you going to school?"

"Yes, self-study is faster, as long as you pass the exam."

"I wonder if I can do this?"

"I don't know either. This is a special case for me. The school is taking care of me, but if you have any ideas, I can help you ask. However, you still have to pay the tuition."

"Of course I want to go to school. I wish I could be like you. As for tuition, I have a year's worth of money. I'll figure out a way later."

"Okay, I'll ask the teacher when I take the exam at the end of the month how long you've been away from school?"

“It’s been a year. My older siblings are all in primary school. I want to study, but I’m too embarrassed to because my parents work hard to earn money.”

"Then take some time to go up the mountain and see if you can make money. There's always a way. Actually, if you told my third uncle, he might not refuse to give you money."

“No, I don’t want to make things difficult for them. My dad wanted me to continue my studies, but I was afraid my family would object. Now that I’m older and can work, I can ease their burden, so I’m not going to study anymore and I’ll work at home. At least I can earn my own living.”

"That's good, but if you don't want to get married early and live a life of toiling in the fields, you'll have to work hard yourself."

“I know, I want to go out, I don’t want to farm all the time.”

"Then work hard, I support you."

The two chatted without interrupting Liu Erya's work; by the time they finished talking, they had cut out the two pairs of pants.

Liu Erya didn't want to eat dinner at Zhang Hongmei's house, so she got out of bed, put on her shoes, and prepared to go home.

"Er Ya, even if you go back now, you might not get any food."

"Don't worry, my mom will definitely save some food for me. I'm leaving now, I'll come back earlier tomorrow."

When Liu Erya got home, she took out the pot of warm sweet potato porridge and ate two bowls of it with the pickled vegetables.

"Oh, so nobody's feeding you anymore? Why are you eating at home?" Liu Daya's shrill voice rang out.

Liu Erya ignored her, finished her meal, washed the dishes, and went to her parents' room. "Dad, it's the off-season for farming now, and I want to study with Hongmei. She promised to teach me if I don't understand something, and she has textbooks for fifth grade in elementary school at home."

"Okay, there's nothing much to do at home, so you can go read a book. But if you're not going home for dinner, bring your own food."

"Dad, I'm going home for dinner. Hongmei eats three meals a day, and I don't want to bring my own food." She thought to herself, "They're eating so well; how can I bring my own food to share with them? I'll just eat at home."

"If you've thought it through, then go for it. If you really succeed in your studies, Dad will sell everything we own to support you."

"No need, Dad. Hongmei said she'll ask the school if I can take the exam like her. If I pass, I'll earn my own tuition. If I don't pass, I'll still learn more."

"Well, you two can discuss it yourselves. If you have difficulty studying on your own, you can go to school. Your mother and I can afford to support you."

"No need. If I can't learn it on my own, I won't go to school. It won't make you two, Mom, suffer."

Liu Daya listened outside, feeling increasingly unwilling. She lifted the curtain and came in, bowing her head and stammering, "Dad, I want to go to school too."

"You? I remember you didn't even pass your fourth-grade graduation exam. If you miss it, just stay home and read through the fourth-grade books first, and then I'll have Zhu Zi give you some practice questions. If you pass, you can also read the fifth-grade books."

Liu Maocai was truly disappointed in Liu Daya. She had no talent for studying at all and had failed every exam in school. She only started talking about wanting to study because she saw that her younger sister could do less work while studying.

"Sanya, go and call your older brother over."

Liu Jianguo came in and said, "Dad, what do you want? I've already gone to bed."

"Your second sister wants to study the fifth-grade textbook on her own and find a way to take the exam without attending classes, and I agreed. Your eldest sister also wants to go to school. What about you? Do you still want to go to school?"

"Dad, I'm not going anymore. I'm not good at studying, and I always barely pass the exams. There's no point in going. My second sister is a good student, so she can go if she wants." He didn't mention Liu Daya at all, implying that she was even worse than him, always failing.

"Big brother, don't worry, I won't miss work. If I can do what Hongmei does, I'll go. If I have to go to school, I won't. Also, I'll prepare my own tuition. My New Year's money is enough for a year's tuition. I'll find a way to pay the rest, but I definitely won't ask Mom and Dad for money."

"Second sister, anything is fine. I won't stop you even if the family pays your tuition. You're smart, and you might even bring honor to the family."