"ah?"

Everyone was stunned, especially Madam Yu and Madam Qin, who had just been thankful that they hadn't been assigned to a job that required writing, but now they were being told to learn it along with them.

This is going to kill me!

"Third sister-in-law, we're all getting on in years, our memories aren't what they used to be, we probably won't be able to learn it well, right?"

Yu hesitated before speaking, and Qin quickly nodded in agreement: "Yes, yes, yes, my sister-in-law and I are getting old and our memories are really not good. Why don't we just give up? My younger sister and the Shen family's sister are still young, let them learn!"

At this point, sentimentality is no longer important; the most important thing is to extricate myself from the abyss of studying.

He Jiuniang couldn't help but roll her eyes and said speechlessly, "My eldest sister-in-law and second sister-in-law are only twenty years old. How dare they say they are old? Even my parents aren't that old. I want them to learn along with me."

Upon hearing this, Madam Yu's words of defense instantly vanished. Indeed, no matter how old she was, could she possibly defeat her parents?

That was settled. After that, everyone performed their duties. He Jiuniang took Lu Guilan and Shen Shi to familiarize themselves with the work that needed to be done, and then personally demonstrated how to record things.

Since the two are illiterate, they can only temporarily use some special symbols to record things. They originally thought it would be difficult, but after using He Jiu Niang's method, they quickly grasped the essentials.

"Third Sister-in-law, we can remember things using this method now, so can we stop studying?"

Lu Guilan asked in a low voice, making sure that Yu Shi and the others couldn't hear her.

“No way.” He Jiuniang ruthlessly shattered her illusions. “Although this method works now, it’s only suitable for small quantities. When the quantity increases, errors will occur. Besides, as I said, you’re not just doing this one job; you’ll be busy in the future.”

Lu Guilan sighed deeply and went to work, looking disheveled.

They should cherish this short time before they start studying, because they won't be able to be so carefree anymore...

The first day of work was a great experience. The female workers did a good job and there were no defective products. Lu Guilan noted down the number of products each person completed, and then they finished work and went home for dinner.

During the meal, He Jiuniang talked about the upcoming tasks. Sun Shi was already assigned patrol duties after waking up from her afternoon nap, and now she was told that she would have to study with everyone after the meal. She was so angry that she wanted to smash her rice bowl!

The men were so surprised they couldn't speak; the meat in their bowls suddenly didn't taste good anymore.

Especially Lu Lao Da and Lu Lao Er, they not only have to learn from them, but also take turns selling clothes, and in the future, they will also be entrusted with handling business negotiations.

Honestly, it's quite remarkable that you can feel so sick and unable to eat during such a famine.

"Third brother's wife, it's fine for the young people to learn, but why are the two of us learning that stuff? We're practically half-buried, isn't this just making things difficult for us!"

Old Lu felt hurt and extremely aggrieved.

The few characters he learned when he was young were all forced upon him by the people from the escort agency. They said that if he couldn't read, he wouldn't be allowed to work as a镖局 (escort agency). That was all to earn a living, but now there's no need for that at all. Why make things difficult for an old man like him?

Madam Sun nodded in agreement. She rarely agreed with the old man's words, but now she wholeheartedly agreed.

She even felt that the third son's wife was maliciously retaliating against what she had said about her that morning!

He Jiuniang had already prepared her words: "Father and Mother, if you two don't want to learn, I won't force you. I just thought that the whole family should learn, so we should all learn together. The more we know, the less likely we are to be bullied. Even if we quarrel, we can say a few more words than those who can't read, right?"

Sun was initially unwilling, but when she heard that more literacy would make arguing more effective, she became somewhat tempted.

Every time she argues, she feels like she can't find anything to say and regrets it afterwards. If she knew a few more words, wouldn't she be able to argue with everyone in the village without being able to win?

"Is it really that miraculous?"

Her face showed excitement, but she was also somewhat disbelieving of He Jiuniang, feeling that this great traitor was deceiving her.

"You'll know once you try."

He Jiuniang raised an eyebrow, deliberately keeping her mouth shut, just to keep everyone in suspense.

"study!"

Mrs. Sun slammed her hand on the table. As an old woman from the countryside, she might not be good at many things, but she could never lose an argument!

Back in her hometown, she would often resort to physical violence to teach others a lesson when she couldn't win an argument. That was when she was young. But now that she's older, she can't just resort to violence. She'll use words instead of her fists!

Old Man Lu: ...Old women need to argue, but he doesn't!

But... there are no buts...

Once Sun has made a decision, no one in the family dares to object.

Old Lu sighed. What else could he do? He had to learn!

You can only pamper your own wife!

With both of them speaking, the others naturally couldn't say anything more. However, the meal tasted bland and unpalatable, and they had never felt so miserable before.

After dinner, the whole family sat in a row in the courtyard, where Leizi, Jiezi, and a few others who were studying taught them to read.

They're all adults; they don't need to take exams or learn classical Chinese. All they need to do is teach them basic literacy, which is quite simple.

It's just that it's inevitably difficult for people of this age to learn these things. A single word needs to be taught many times, but since they are facing their parents and grandparents, the boys don't dare to complain.

Among them, the dog learned the fastest.

Gou'er sat with Sun Shi, and after he learned something, he would earnestly teach Sun Shi. He even had his own set of methods, which made Sun Shi learn faster than her sons and daughters-in-law.

"That dog is amazing!"

"This child has been incredibly smart since he was little!"

After receiving a few words of praise, everyone continued learning their own lessons.

They studied until dark, thinking they could finally rest, but He Jiuniang, like a wealthy man, lit several lamps, instantly brightening the courtyard so everyone could continue studying.

The suffering was indescribable...

The two embroiderers were temporarily staying at the Lu family's house. Looking at this scene, they couldn't help but sigh. They never expected this scene. This was something that ordinary peasant families could not do.

Even the wealthiest families in the city might not be able to do that.

Seeing the Lu family members learning so enthusiastically, the two of them quietly joined in. It's always good to learn more!

The next day, He Jiuniang went to the county town to ask Yu Tao for help in hiring twenty embroiderers, all of whom signed confidentiality agreements, since they were going to make unique designs.

"If you ask me, I still suggest you buy all these people back and sign a life-or-death contract. Their lives will be in your hands, so naturally they won't dare to do anything to betray you."

Yu Tao suggested that buying and selling people was legal in this era, as long as the other party was willing to sell themselves.

He Jiuniang thought for a moment, then shook her head: "Forget it, let's wait until the workshop expands a bit more. It's just starting out now. If I dare to buy people, I don't know how I'll be dealt with when I get back."

At the very least, he couldn't escape a beating from the Sun family.