Aunt Guixiang turned over and snorted, "Don't I know you? You're going to say something like women and boys can't ride on men's heads. The village will be in chaos."
As the village chief, Zhao Youdang has his own considerations and overall perspective. Setting up schools is a good thing. It is also possible to let boys and girls go to school. Doesn’t the Shiqu Village allow boys and girls to attend school as auditors? The daughter-in-law at home only knows a few words and can teach them to the children, so it’s nothing.
But if girls and boys are not allowed to go to school, and the boys in the family are not allowed to go either, and they will be expelled from the workshop, then the situation will change. It was not just that Shen Qing wanted to help the girls and boys in the village. In Zhao Youdang's eyes, Shen Qing was beginning to use the workshop to exercise his power and interfere in the villagers' family affairs. How is this possible?
"Qing'er is young and ignorant, he can only see what's in front of him. His heart is good, but how can this matter be handled so easily? You often walk around the village, how can you not know? There are families who are partial to boys and girls, not to mention boys and girls, even for boys, there are some who only let the children they favor go, and leave the rest at home to work. Now that Qing'er has made such a request, how can these families not make a fuss?"
There are no spoiled children in the village. Children from poor families have to grow up early, and being in charge actually means working. Girls and boys aged six or seven, or even five or six, can take care of all the chores at home. Washing dishes, washing vegetables, feeding chickens, cutting grass for pigs, and leading younger siblings... When they are older, they can stand on a stool in front of the stove to cook, wash clothes for the whole family, go up the mountain to collect firewood, and cut grass for pigs.
What about the kid? Although the village values boys, they are a family that cannot give birth to boys. Once they have too many children, they will no longer be interested in them. It’s just like Wang San from Xiaoji Village, isn’t it like that?
The unfavored boy in the family had to work in the fields at a very young age. Although he could not swing the hoe, he was able to pull weeds, thin out seedlings, and water the fields. He even had to carry the water for drinking.
So why are the villagers so keen on having children? Having many children means more blessings. Besides the fact that their fighting power can intimidate other people in the village, for the poor who cannot afford slaves, their children are the best slaves. The more children there are, the more people can help their parents share the work.
Many people are very young, in their twenties or thirties, and can sit on the kang all day without getting out of bed. Their children take care of the housework in an orderly manner. They only need to move their mouths, and if they see that the work is not done well, they can just open their mouths and scold others, and they can live a very comfortable life.
Although not everyone is like this. But even though Aunt Lian Er loved her children very much, she was reluctant to let Lian Rong wash clothes. She would ask Lian Rong to pour water and soak the clothes before she washed the clothes herself.
Now Qingger is forcing the villagers to send their girls and boys to school. Naturally, these chores at home will fall back on the parents. Who would be happy to have so much more work to do?
Aunt Guixiang also grew up in the village, so she understood what Zhao Youdang said as soon as he mentioned it. After a moment of silence, Aunt Guixiang said, "Then they can choose not to send their children to school or to work in the workshop. They can just stay at home and be their own emperors. Our village originally had no school or workshop. Qingge opened a school and brought in noble people to build a workshop. This is for the benefit of the village. We don't owe them anything, and we don't have to give them the benefits."
Zhao Youdang gave Aunt Guixiang a thumbs up and said, "My wife is really sensible. She is worthy of being my wife! But how many people in this village are as sensible as you?"
As the wife of the village chief, Aunt Guixiang usually knows more things than others. In addition, the old village chief hired her for Zhao Youdang because he saw that she was smart and had ideas, and could help Zhao Youdang. However, there are many ignorant people in the village, and there are also people who are not satisfied with taking advantage of their ignorance.
Even if you explain the reasoning clearly to these people, they will cover their ears and refuse to listen, only resenting you for not giving them enough benefits!
"I know Brother Qing is holding a grudge. He is a boy, but he is as good as a boy in every way. Now he is lucky enough to meet a noble person, so naturally he wants to vent his anger." In Zhao Youdang's opinion, what Shen Qing is doing now is just to vent his anger. As a man, he would naturally feel a little bothered. Shen Qing must support the brothers and girls and give them supremacy. This made him feel a little uncomfortable, but Shen Qing had always respected him, so the discomfort was limited.
Shen Qing's meddling in village affairs caused his power to shift downward, and he was also bothered by that. But Shen Qing let his wife and son manage the workshop and paid them a good salary. Since they were the ones who helped him, they would be grateful and grateful, so the discomfort they felt was limited.
What he cared about most was that after Shen Qing intervened in the village affairs, he broke the rules passed down from generation to generation, which would bring endless troubles. "Just wait and see. Once this is said, there will be an uproar in the village! Qingge'er's opening of a school was originally a good thing, but now there will be few villagers who are grateful to him, and more who will hate him!"
This is how the villagers are. If you benefit everyone, build houses and set up workshops so that everyone can make money, then you are a good person; if it touches everyone's interests, especially the natural and rightful power of parents to control their children, then if an outsider forcibly interferes in other people's family affairs, then he is a bad person. They don't understand reason and don't have foresight. They only look at the immediate interests and focus on their feelings at the moment!
Zhao Youdang could imagine how many people would come to his house to complain once Shen Qing said this! This is not something that can be achieved overnight. As long as Qing'er continues to support Ge'er and Yatou, there is no telling how many tricks he will come up with and how much trouble they will cause!
Aunt Guixiang was silent for a long time before she said, "In the final analysis, you still want to smooth things over."
Zhao Youdang asked her back: "As the village chief, I hope that the village will be peaceful, without conflicts or troubles. So is there anything wrong with trying to smooth things over?"
She couldn't answer, so she turned over sullenly, wrapped herself in the quilt, turned her back to Zhao Youdang, and stopped talking. Of course she knew how to keep the village peaceful and stable. It means continuing the previous rules, don’t break them, follow them, and continue them.
She has been like this since she was born. She is bold and strong, smart and opinionated, but she still puts her husband first. Zhao Youdang actually has a good temper and always gives in to her at home. When she is unhappy, she will kick Zhao Youdang off the bed, but Zhao Youdang will not say anything.
But this is "giving in", he doesn't care. On major matters, Zhao Youdang was always the one who made the decisions at home, just like this time, just like now, she couldn't get the better of Zhao Youdang.
But Shen Qing's behavior these days was like a drop of water splashing into a hot oil pan that was calm on the surface, and it exploded in her heart belatedly. It turns out that this guy can do this, pinning the man to the ground and beating him, making the village chief have to look at his face and keep his words to himself.
Shen Qing asked her to manage the workshop, a small workshop with only about 20 people. Of course, she started out for the generous monthly salary Shen Qing gave her, but gradually she fell in love with the feeling of having power. Every day as soon as she woke up, she couldn't wait to go to the workshop to work. Everyone there listened to her. When she was building the house before, the men had to lower their heads and flatter her when they saw her.
Men don't mind women and boys riding on their heads. But it turns out that it feels so good to ride on their heads, no matter whether they mind or not.
By continuing with the previous rules, we can achieve stability and peace. But at this moment Wu Guixiang was thinking, why, on what basis? The price of stability is that women and men have to bow their heads and be tolerant, and that men are always one step ahead of them?
Wu Guixiang thought that she must help Qingger accomplish this task. She also has to learn to read and do accounting. Who says that housework must be done by women? Why can't she manage the workshop outside while Zhao Youdang cooks at home?
Shen Qing didn't know that he had such a great impact on Wu Guixiang. Early the next morning, he drove his cart and took Tieshan to Shiqu Village to pick up the shopkeeper Xiaomiao and headed straight to Anping County.
The mule cart he drove was newly purchased from the starch sausage workshop. Zhao Shitou went to the livestock market for several days before he selected two extremely beautiful big blue mules with beautiful muscle lines. They were usually used to grind mills in the workshop and were tied to the cart when needed. Shen Qing spent money to customize a cart with a sedan chair, and when they were tied up, they looked no worse than a horse-drawn carriage!
Who doesn’t like such a beautiful and strong mule? As soon as Shopkeeper Xiao Miao got on the car, he praised: "What a good animal!" Then he handed Shen Qing a small bundle: "My cousin asked me to give it to you."
His cousin is Miao Tongsheng.
Shen Qing opened it and found it was a handwritten collection of commonly used characters. There are also some uncommon and complex characters in "Three", "Hundred" and "Thousand", but this book contains the most commonly used characters, which are written in large and neat characters, and every stroke can be clearly seen.
Shen Qing could use this book. He was now learning to read with Song Kaiji at the end of the world and had already reached the level of a third-grade primary school student. However, there are still some differences between modern characters and ancient characters, and this book is just right for Shen Qing to use as a reference for learning.
"My uncle said, if there's anything you don't know, just ask me. You can also ask him when you have some free time."
"Thank you so much, Uncle Tongsheng." Shen Qing carefully put away the book, thought for a moment and asked, "How is Uncle Tongsheng now? I didn't bother you before, I haven't visited you for a long time."
Shen Qing wanted to visit Miao Tongsheng's home before, but Miao Tongsheng's wife passed away and it was also the Chinese New Year, so it was not convenient to visit.
"That's it. We have children at home, so we have to cheer up. The New Year gifts you gave before were later delivered to him by Uncle Miao Xing. They are all good things. My cousin asked me to thank you." said the shopkeeper Xiaomiao.
"I should also ask you to thank Uncle Tongsheng." Shen Qing touched the book in his arms, thinking that Uncle Miao had failed in the exams many times and had no idea what the imperial examinations were about. It would be great if we could find the corresponding books or test questions in modern times. They have a close relationship. If Miao Tongsheng can pass the examination and become a scholar, Shen Qing can also rely on him.
Shen Qing has done several elementary school examinations in modern times. The exam in his mind is just like that, just practicing questions!
"If you two want to thank each other, do it face to face. Why do you want me to be your mouthpiece?" Shopkeeper Xiaomiao said with a smile.
A few people chatted and laughed along the way, and soon the mule cart was almost at the city gate. Shen Qing suddenly remembered something, took out a tube of concealer from her purse, squeezed out a bean-sized amount and put it on her forehead to cover the mole. She then took out a box of powder and patted it on her forehead. Immediately, her forehead became white and smooth, and the mole was no longer visible at all.
Shopkeeper Xiaomiao and Tieshan stared at him with wide eyes.
Shen Qing explained, "I help you with your work, and sometimes I have to deal with some government officials. My status is easy to be looked down upon, and people don't take it seriously, which can mess up your work. Covering it up like this can save a lot of trouble."
They were still surprised. Qing Ge'er was doing very well in the county town. It turned out that he was pretending to be a man. This made sense to them.
In fact, Shen Qing now wears men's clothes in the village and rarely wears boys' clothes. The villagers have gradually gotten used to it. Some people even discussed privately that Qing Ge'er was supposed to be born a man, but he was born into a wrong family and ended up being a boy. This again involves topics like the Shen family not doing good deeds and Shen Zhigao should be cut off from the family.
Although Li Jiaofeng gave birth to a boy for Shen Zhigao, he suffered a difficult labor due to a fall during delivery. The child was sick and had to take medicine continuously. It’s not that the villagers are not kind enough to speak, it’s just that the child really looks like he can’t be raised.
"So the little boy was born? He was a good boy, smart and clever, but he died when he was a few years old. That was Shen Zhigao's fate, and it can't be changed!"
Tieshan was watching from the side. Especially after Shen Qing covered his mole, he actually looked more like a man than the gentle shopkeeper Xiao Miao next to him. He couldn't help but believe the rumor even more. After entering the city gate and seeing Shen Qing chatting and laughing with the Gold Tooth man who had been waiting for a long time, Xiaomiao and Tieshan no longer had any last bit of doubt in their hearts.
If Shen Qing met the Gold Tooth Man as a brother, it would certainly not be as convenient for him to talk and do things as it is now! But looking at Shen Qing's words and actions, Shen Qing's image in their minds was refreshed.
Shen Qing did not introduce Shopkeeper Xiaomiao and Tieshan to the Gold Tooth Man, and the Gold Tooth Man did not ask any questions. He just took a glance and assumed that they were Shen Qing's servants. It doesn’t matter who it is, they are just the background behind Shen Qing.
"I have specially found a Feng Shui expert. Four days from now will be a very good day. Seven days from now will also be a very good day. The next day will be the fifteenth day of next month." The man with the golden tooth took out the calligraphy written on the red paper and showed it to Shen Qing: "Sir, when do you plan to open the business? I will definitely come to support you then."
Everything is ready, Shen Qing doesn't want to delay any longer, he still has a lot to do: "Then let's do it in four days. I'd like to invite Brother Jin to come and support us then." He then pointed to the shopkeeper Xiao Miao and Tieshan beside him: "From now on, this shop will be handed over to them, as well as the two little girls and boys who work there, Brother Jin will help me take care of it."
Shopkeeper Xiaomiao didn't know the identity of the man with gold teeth, but judging from his conversation and temperament, he felt that he was a respectable man, so he hurried forward and bowed. Tieshan panicked for a moment, and then clumsily imitated the shopkeeper Xiaomiao and bowed in a weird way.
"Of course!" The man with the golden teeth just nodded at them with a smile, then quickly retracted his gaze and focused on Shen Qing again. He pulled Shen Qing aside and whispered in a low voice, "Are you satisfied with those two beauties, sir?"
Shen Qing:?
Shen Qing: “…”
Shen Qing reacted for a moment before he understood what the Gold Tooth Man meant. He felt very embarrassed, but he had to pretend to be calm and composed. "We were busy yesterday, so let them rest for a few days and we'll talk about it in two days."
The man with the golden tooth was very surprised. How could Master Shen bear not to visit these two beauties immediately? Is he a man after all?
However, Shen Qing was afraid that the man with the golden tooth would think he liked her and would continue to send beauties to him. He thought of Song Kaiji, a smile formed on his face, and he said to the man with the golden teeth solemnly: "But I already have a wife and a room elsewhere. These two beauties are fine, but if I take in more people, I will cry and make a fuss."
So that's how it is. With this explanation, the people with gold teeth understood a lot more. Isn’t it the same for Yang Shuban? He was afraid of his fierce wife and did not have any concubines. I didn’t expect that Mr. Shen would be like this too?
However, he did not show it on his face, but instead bowed to Shen Qing: "Mr. Shen is loyal and righteous, Jin admires him!"
It seems that this generous gift of mine was not given to the right place. The man with the golden tooth thought to himself, but he was not discouraged and kept trying! "I went back last night and sorted out the houses and storefronts that you asked about. I found a few that are very suitable. You can come and see them whenever you are free."
When it comes to making money and starting a career, Shen Qing's interest becomes much higher and he happily agrees.
Lantang Village, Old Shen’s family.
The boy born by Li Jiaofeng cried faintly, like a cat's meow. Shen Zhigao was extremely happy when the child was born. He finally had a child, and he wanted to name the child Yaozu.
It was Li Jiaofeng who persuaded him. The child is weak to begin with, and calling him by a big name will not be able to suppress his weakness and will be bad for the child. Wasn’t that the child of Miao family? How can the village kid be worthy of the name “Zhang”? Isn’t it gone?
Therefore, he was named Shen Qiang, hoping that he would be strong. The nickname is Shuanzi, and I hope the child can be tied up and not be taken away by God.
However, the good wish did not come true along with the name. The child was always weak and fell ill in the spring. Li Jiaofeng cried until her tears ran dry. She had struggled for several days to give birth to this child. The family really had little money, so she took out most of the betrothal money given by Shen Zhigao and the money left for her by her previous husband before she saw a doctor and bought medicine to cure the child.
Although she still has some money now, it is not much. She is determined to use the remaining money for emergencies and will not touch it unless it is absolutely necessary. Now that the child's life is no longer in danger, Li Jiaofeng regains her spirits and plans on how to squeeze some more money out of the Shen family to keep her child alive.
When Shen Zhigao came back from the fields that day, she started sobbing again.
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