Chapter 179 (Second Update) The Price (...)
Then, as Wei Xiujuan uttered her next sentence, Fu's mother's breath caught in her throat again after she had just breathed a sigh of relief.
"But I might not see my eldest granddaughter go to school."
Upon hearing this, Fu's mother's heart skipped a beat, and she said to her, "Xiujuan, what nonsense are you talking about?"
Then, softening her tone, she smiled and said, "You may not know, but my granddaughter is only one year old. I'm still thinking about watching her grow up, get married, and have children."
Wei Xiujuan smiled after hearing this, but after the smile faded, she still told her friend a painful truth.
"Yujuan, you can probably guess from my appearance that I'm sick."
"If you're sick, we'll go get treatment."
Wei Xiujuan shook her head: "It's no use. Actually, I'm not afraid. The only thing I'm worried about is my granddaughter."
She had two daughters and a son, and her son then had two sons and a daughter.
She wasn't worried about her two grandsons; her son and daughter-in-law would take care of them. But she was truly worried about her eldest granddaughter.
While I'm alive, I can still keep an eye on my son and daughter-in-law who favor sons over daughters. But if I'm gone, I really can't imagine how they'll treat her.
After countless nights of thinking, all she could think of was her former friend, Wei Yujuan.
If there's anyone in this world who can help me, it's probably only her.
Wei Xiujuan knew that her next request would be shameless, but she had no choice but to bite the bullet and say it.
"Yujuan, I've never asked anyone for anything in my life, but now I want to ask you for a favor."
"Don't beg, just tell me what you want!" Mother Fu was so anxious that tears were streaming down her face. They had grown up together, how could she possibly refuse?
Wei Xiujuan said, "It was I who was unfair."
At this point, Tang Mingli roughly guessed what Aunt Xiujuan wanted to ask for, and glanced at her husband.
Just then, Fu Ci also looked at her.
Both of them understood each other's gazes and remained silent, listening to Wei Xiujuan continue.
“I want my eldest granddaughter to be able to go to school and leave this village. But I know her parents will never let her go. So, I’m shamelessly begging you, Yujuan, please help my granddaughter so she can go to school, okay?”
Fu's mother couldn't bear to hear her former friend speak to her in such a humble tone, and tears and snot streamed down her face.
"I'll help, I definitely will."
When asked how much it would cost to send a child to school, Ms. Fu agreed without hesitation.
She was more worried about her friend's illness and hoped that her friend could go to Guangcheng with her for treatment.
Wei Xiujuan shook her head: "It's not that I don't want to be treated, it's just that it's really incurable."
"How will you know it can't be cured if you don't come with me to Guangcheng to see a doctor?"
"it's useless."
“Useful.”
...
Tang Mingli had never seen her mother-in-law so domineering.
Finally, Wei Xiujuan sighed, her smile fading, and said, "Let's talk about treatment later, okay?"
Fu's mother was initially unwilling, but she softened when she saw her friend's pleading eyes.
"Yujuan, although I'm asking you for help with my granddaughter's schooling, there are some things I'd like to explain to you."
As Wei Xiujuan recounted the story, Fu's mother realized that the matter was not as simple as she had thought—that she was willing to pay money.
Her son, like most of the men in the village for generations, held extremely strong patriarchal views, believing that a daughter's role was to bring the greatest value to the family.
So they don't let their daughter go to school, but keep her at home helping with chores. When she reaches marriageable age, they'll arrange a marriage and get a dowry; that's pretty much it.
If he knew that such a wealthy family was willing to support his daughter's education, he would not only not be grateful, but might even use his daughter as leverage.
Even when it came to her own biological son, Wei Xiujuan spoke so bluntly and bluntly.
A son is like his father; that's how her deceased husband was.
This is why she hasn't contacted anyone for so many years; she's afraid of implicating her friends.
This time, she chose to be selfish for her granddaughter's sake.
After saying this, Wei Xiujuan looked at her friend and asked her again, "Yujuan, even if it's so troublesome, are you willing to go through all this?"
"Of course," Mrs. Fu answered without hesitation.
This sentiment deeply moved Wei Xiujuan, and her eyes instantly welled up with tears.
"Okay, okay, okay." Wei Xiujuan said "okay" three times in a row, and then murmured, "However, I won't make things difficult for you."
At this moment, those present did not understand the true meaning of these words, nor did they have time to ponder their significance.
The reason was that Wei Xiujuan's son and daughter-in-law, who were working in the fields, had returned.
Before even entering the house, he heard his son shouting at the top of his lungs, "Oh my goodness, why is there a car parked in front of our house?"
After yelling, he turned around and saw several strangers sitting in the room, while his sick and bedridden mother sat there energetically to entertain them.
After a moment of stunned silence, he immediately realized that the car in front of the door belonged to these people, and these people were his mother's... distant relatives? Friends?
Regardless of the type of relationship, it's a happy one.
He grinned so wide his eyes disappeared, and asked his mother, "Mother, who are these people?"
Wei Xiujuan didn't want to explain too much to her son, and only pointed to Fu's mother and said, "This is my childhood playmate, Aunt Yujuan."
After saying that, he introduced his son to Fu's mother: "This is my son, Wang Tiechui."
"Aunt Yujuan," Wang Tiechui greeted her warmly.
Seeing that Wang Tiechui was about to try and get closer to her, Wei Xiujuan spoke first, saying to her friend, "If you have something to do, you can go back first. I'll see you off."
Fu's mother understood what she meant, but was still somewhat confused.
They still have a lot to say.
But then I thought that my friend must have her reasons for saying that, so I obediently stood up.
Wei Xiujuan escorted them to their car and, taking the opportunity to listen, lowered her voice to explain, "You should go back first. My son and daughter-in-law were stunned to see you arrive in a car."
Fu's mother said, "We're not going back. We'll stay at the town's guesthouse tonight and come see you again tomorrow."
"No, please."
Fu's mother insisted, "Yujuan, you can't persuade me."
Wei Xiujuan opened her mouth, but in the end, she didn't say anything.
Fu's mother interpreted this as a compromise, and suppressing her anxiety and unease, she got into her son's car and went to the town's guesthouse.
Let's start with Wei Xiujuan.
As soon as Fu's mother and the others left, Wang Tiechui grabbed his mother and pressed her for details about what had happened.
"Mom, you weren't lying to me after all. You really do have relatives and friends in the city."
"Mom, they came in a car. That car must have cost a lot of money. So you not only have relatives and friends in the city, but also very wealthy ones."
"Mom, why didn't you contact them sooner?"
Wang Tiechui was so excited that his face turned red, and he began to fantasize about benefiting from the wealth of these rich people and living a good life himself.
However, his dream was shattered by Wei Xiujuan the next second.
"Don't even think about it. Let me tell you, just live your life honestly and stop thinking about those things all the time. They're not your average family. If you dare to have any crooked ideas, you'll end up in jail."
"Oh, what wicked thoughts am I having? They look rich, and we look poor. What's wrong with rich people helping us poor people?"
"Pah, it's their business if they have money, why should I help you?" Wei Xiujuan warned her son. "Just remember what I said, don't get any crooked ideas."
Wang Tiechui got angry and said to his mother, "Mom, you used to be a city person, so why didn't you ask your old relatives and friends in the city to help our family?"
"Why?" Wei Xiujuan sneered.
Naturally, it's because they know in their hearts that these are a bunch of ungrateful wretches who will never be satisfied.
Wang Tiechui became angry and said many hurtful things, but all he got in return was his mother's silence.
Finally, at his wife's prompting, he changed his strategy and asked in a calmer tone, "Mom, why would one of your friends suddenly come to see you?"
The matter of her eldest granddaughter going to school would have to be brought up sooner or later, so Wei Xiujuan didn't hide it and simply said, "I called her from the town post office a while ago and got in touch with her. I want to ask her to take Niuhua to school."
Wang Niuhua, her eldest granddaughter.
Upon hearing this, Wang Tiechui became even more agitated: "Mother, you're delirious with illness. What's the point of sending a girl like Niuhua to school? Even if you're making a request, you should be asking for it for your two grandsons!"
grandson?
Wei Xiujuan wanted to laugh when she heard that.
All the other old ladies in the village liked to hold their grandsons, but she didn't, she really didn't.
The men in the Wang family all look the same when they grow up.
Wei Xiujuan said, "I can't worry about that. All I know is that Niuhua is nine years old and it's time for her to go to school."
If she doesn't go to school, she'll end up like her two daughters, getting married and having children when she reaches a certain age, repeating the tragic fate of the previous generation.
She has already let her daughter down; she can't let her granddaughter down too.
No matter what Wang Tiechui said, Wei Xiujuan wouldn't budge, which made him so angry that he almost wanted to slap his own mother.
“Mother, tell me, within a ten-mile radius, which village has a more filial mother than me? You were sick and couldn't work, so I let you rest at home, provided you with plenty of food and drink, and never kicked you out. I've been so filial to you, and this is how you treat me?”
Since she was going to play the emotional card, Wei Xiujuan was certainly capable of it.
She said, "My son, ask yourself honestly, from childhood to adulthood, have I been good to you?"
This question really stumped Wang Tiechui.
His mother treated him exceptionally well.
He doesn't compare himself to people from other villages, but within his own village, he dares to say that he's the only one who's never been beaten by his mother since he was a child.
His mother was educated and cultured; she was the kindest-tempered mother in the village.
Wang Tiechui remained silent, while Wei Xiujuan continued, "Son, I only ask one thing of you: let Niuhua go to school. You don't need to pay for it; Aunt Yujuan will take care of all of Niuhua's school expenses. You just need not to interfere."
Wang Tiechui remained silent.
He didn't say anything, but his wife couldn't stand it anymore.
"Niuhua is going to school, who will do the chores at home?"
"You, you..." Wei Xiujuan looked at her daughter-in-law, so angry that she almost couldn't catch her breath.
They're all women, so why are they so jealous of their daughters doing well?
Explaining it to them won't work. What should we do, and what price should we pay, to get our granddaughter into school?
Wei Xiujuan stood up shakily, her mind filled with this question.
What price must be paid to get my granddaughter into school?
-
It was dark outside, and Wang Niuhua was sleeping on the wooden bed when she was suddenly shaken awake.
She thought her grandmother was unwell, so she immediately sat up.
I had only called out "Grandma" once when I heard her say, "Get dressed, let's go out."
Where to?
"Go to town."
Are you going to the market?
Wang Niuhua was so excited that she suddenly didn't feel sleepy anymore.
She liked to go to the market in town with the adults, but her mother didn't like to take her. Only her grandmother would take her along occasionally.
This time, however, she wasn't going to the market, but to a turning point in her life.
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