Three years later,
In the Liu family's chili field, Xiao Shi picked chilies while complaining, "Huanhuan, I don't want to go to school at all."
Xiao Shi is seven years old this year and has been in school for a few months. He was very excited a few days before starting school, saying that he wanted to take the imperial examination to become a scholar. But after half a month, he didn't want to go anymore.
If Shi Tou didn't finish the homework assigned by his teacher, he wouldn't be allowed to sleep.
Because the teacher was his cousin, he was stricter with him than others. If he dozed off, he would be punished by standing. But he got sleepy as soon as he heard the sound of reading aloud, and he didn't want to.
"Huanhuan, could you go and tell your second brother that I'll stay home with your eldest brother to raise chickens and pick chili peppers with you?"
In this family, only Huanhuan is on his side.
Liu Huan said dejectedly, "I'm sorry, I can't help you. You forgot I was just scolded yesterday."
She didn't dare to, because if she wasn't careful, she would be in trouble. In this family, the two of them were like cabbages, belonging to the lowest level.
The Su family has undergone considerable changes in the past three years. They have so many chickens that they had to use the vegetable garden next door to build a chicken coop. To prevent theft, they also raised a completely black dog named Xiao Hong.
That year, when Liu Huan's chili peppers came out, she secretly used them to cook for everyone. After being beaten up by Shi Tou, everyone actually started to like the taste.
Later, they started planting chili peppers on a large scale in the village and selling them. In the past two years, they have earned more than ten taels of silver from selling chili peppers and chickens. Because of the high demand, Su's father distributed chili pepper seeds to the villagers and encouraged the whole village to grow chili peppers together.
The fields in Maocao Village are now full of chili peppers, and this year's chili peppers have already been sold round after round.
Da Shi stopped going to school last year and stayed home with his father, Su, to raise chickens. According to him, all he needed to do was be able to read, as he couldn't understand anything else.
Shi Tou is the best student, and his teacher has high hopes for him. He is the quintessential "other people's child." This year, his teacher has mentioned many times that Shi Tou should go to school in town.
"Hey, Huanhuan, you and your brother are the only ones picking chili peppers?"
The person who called her was an aunt from the village. This year, apart from the rice offered as tribute, her family grew all the other crops, including chili peppers. They had already sold several batches, and this year they earned more from chili peppers than in previous years. That's why she always smiled when she saw the Su family.
Liu Huan replied with a smile, "Yes, Auntie, we'll pick some to take home and eat."
As the aunt walked towards her field, she said, "Then you should go back early. The sun is strong outside, so don't get sunburned."
Liu Huan was the fairest-skinned person in the village; even after being exposed to the sun every day, she would only get a tan. She would recover in a few days, which made the girls in the village extremely envious.
"Okay, I got it."
The two had just filled their baskets when, seeing that it was getting hotter, Liu Huan wanted to quit: "Brother, let's go home."
Xiao Shi didn't want to go back. He skipped school today, and if he went back, Shi Tou would definitely be waiting for him with a stick.
She then lay on her back basket, wailing, "Huanhuan, I'm scared."
Liu Huan patiently said, "But skipping school is wrong. Go back, admit your mistake, and promise not to do it again. He won't hit you then."
Xiao Shi could only follow behind. Before they even got home, Shi Tou came looking for them. He quickly hid behind Liu Huan, saying, "Huanhuan, shield me."
The food at home has improved a lot in the last two years. Shi Tou, who is eleven years old, is almost 160 cm tall. He is a little adult and can be quite scary when he gets angry.
To cover for Xiao Shi, Liu Huan smiled ingratiatingly: "Shi Shi, you guys got out of school so early?"
Shi Tou glanced at Xiao Shi, who was cowering behind him, and took the basket from Liu Huan's back. "Okay, let's go back."
Liu Huan started to play the victim: "Thank you Shi Tou for helping me. The basket was so heavy, my shoulders are sore."
The stone didn't say anything, it just kept carrying the stone forward.
Liu Huan turned back to Xiao Shi and gave him a helpless look, indicating that she couldn't help him.
Xiao Shixin was on tenterhooks. Oh no, this is going to be terrible when we get back.
When they got home, Su Ming was there too, but he wasn't there to cause trouble for Xiao Shi. Instead, he came to talk about Shi's schooling.
"Uncle, Aunt, I hope you will consider what I said. Shi Tou is smart, so we shouldn't let him be held back."
Su's father smoked his cigarette, lost in thought. He had bought the cigarette in town earlier this year, and it was much better than regular tobacco.
"But the town is far away, and it's inconvenient to go back and forth." What Su's mother said was something the whole family was considering.
"If you're worried about that, don't worry at all. The academy has dormitories, and he only comes back once a month. You can pick him up then. If he has financial difficulties, I can lend him some money, and he can pay it back when he grows up."
Su Ming was determined to persuade his parents, and he had considered all the factors.
At this moment, Shi Tou spoke up: "I'm not going to study anymore. I'll stay home, raise chickens, and grow chili peppers. I'll go back to school when I have money. Anyway, I'm still young."
Su's mother frowned and scolded, "The few of us can do the housework, we don't need you."
Seeing that her father remained silent for a long time, she became a little anxious: "Dad, give me an answer whether you're going or not."
Su's father stood up, as if he had figured it out: "Go to town to study, we'll go tomorrow."
Stone said sincerely, "Dad, I really can wait a little longer."
He didn't think about not graduating; instead, he wanted to be two years older and go to town to work and study at the same time.
Su's father interrupted him: "Go now. This money originally belonged to all of you, but now you're using it all by yourself. Just remember how good your older brothers and sisters are to you in the future."
The family currently has over ten taels of silver, which was originally intended to be used to repair the house. In two years, Da Shi will be getting married, and the house will not be big enough for them to live in.
A wedding requires a bride price, and Cao'er also needs to prepare a dowry...
But right now, nothing is more important than going to school. Fortunately, there is a livelihood at home, and money can be earned slowly.
Xiao Shi still couldn't escape his punishment; he wasn't even allowed to eat dinner. Shi made him copy the Thousand Character Classic twice, but Liu Huan secretly left him a pancake.
“You can’t do that again. Your parents paid for your tuition. You can’t let their hard work go to waste. Even if you don’t become a scholar, you’ll still need to be literate to find a job as an accountant. Otherwise, do you want to stay in this remote mountain for the rest of your life? I’ve already made a promise with Shi Tou that he will take me out of here in the future.”
Xiao Shi then became anxious: "I know I was wrong, Huanhuan. I will definitely study hard and go out into the world to bring honor to our ancestors."
"Yes, I believe in you, brother. You can definitely do it."
After listening to their conversation from outside, Stone left as if nothing had happened.
That evening, Liu Huan waited for him in his room. When he came in, she made up his bed. In the past two years, the stiff and blackened cotton quilts had been replaced, and the new ones were fluffy and warm.
"Stone, the bed is made up for you, come quickly."
He was cautious and ingratiating; this was the way Liu Huan would act after making a mistake.
"Just say what's on your mind, I'm not going to yell at you."
Hearing this, Liu Huan felt a little wronged. "Shitou, if you go to school in town, won't you forget about me when you have other good friends?"
For many years, she has painstakingly cultivated her relationship with her family, especially with Su Yi, and she doesn't want it to be ruined by distance.
Shi Tou reached out and patted her on the head. Wen Nu said, "What nonsense are you talking about? I'm going to study, not to play. Don't overthink it. You and Xiao Shi are enough to annoy me."
"Really?"
Shi Tou nodded seriously: "Of course it's true. You have to be good at home and don't go out alone. If you need anything, ask Xiao Shi to come with you. I'll come back to see you after a month."
Liu Huan: "Hmm~"
Shi Tou gently stroked the back of her round head: "Go to sleep."
From the time Liu Huan was four years old, they stopped sleeping together. Shi Tou said that men and women should not touch each other, and she made a fuss about it for several days to no avail. In the end, she had no choice but to obediently go to sleep in the small bed that Su's father made for her.
The day after the agreement was made, Su Ming arrived and gave Shi Tou the letter of recommendation he had written.
The villagers were going to sell chili peppers, so they all decided to go together.
Shi Tou was gone for two months and didn't come back. Liu Huan kept saying he was a liar and was quite unhappy.
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