Chapter 378: One after another came to plead for mercy
"Well, some people do go too far."
Wei Jingyi and the others nodded in agreement. They weren't blind, so they'd naturally noticed the looks some people gave Wanwan and the others. Honestly, they'd been quite angry at the time. Wasn't Wanwan good enough for them? She'd already given them more than enough. It was truly disheartening to see people's greed grow.
"Uncle Yi, Uncle Han, I hope you can understand."
We are all smart people, and some things don't need to be said too bluntly. Shen Xiangwan didn't mean to continue talking. If nothing unexpected happened, Zhao Dashan and the others would be here later.
"Okay, we'll go back first."
After confirming her true thoughts, Wei Jingyi and Wei Jinghan stopped arguing and stood up to go back. It was a rare opportunity to rest, so they decided to stay at home and enjoy the company of their grandchildren during this time.
"Yuanyue, please help me see Uncle Yi and Uncle Han off."
"Why would you send it? It's just a few steps away."
He gave her a sidelong look in a feigned annoyance, and the two of them strode away with their hands behind their backs.
Shen Xiangwan didn't force it. The little cub who had been teasing the little ball came over and leaned against her: "Auntie, don't I have to go to school too?"
"Well, not for now."
Nodding, Shen Xiangwan lifted his body and let him stand: "Don't lean on me all the time, aren't you hot?"
"It's hot, Auntie, how about we have a smoothie?"
How can it not be hot?
The little cub took the opportunity to make a request. The smoothie was a food that Shen Xiangwan had just made a few days ago. The little cub liked it very much, but she only allowed him to eat two bowls a day, one at noon and one in the afternoon after school. He had already eaten the lunch portion today.
"not good."
Shen Xiangwan rejected his request without a second thought: "Eating too much smoothie will upset your stomach. We just had lunch not long ago, let's eat later."
"oh."
The bright eyes suddenly dimmed, and the little cub ran dejectedly towards the crib. After a while, he and the little dumpling started giggling.
"What a heartless little bastard!"
Shaking his head with a smile, Shen Xiangwan picked up the teacup and took a few sips: "Have you dealt with the matter in the workshop?"
"Well, all three of them resigned."
Yuanying spoke as she picked up the teapot and filled it with tea. As early as when she came back, she had dealt with those three people before they got off work, and she did it in front of everyone. She had long seen that the lady wanted to use this incident to make an example of someone, to let everyone know that the Wei family was kind, but they were not easy to bully.
"I intend to..."
"Wanwan, are you home?"
Just as Shen Xiangwan was about to tell them about the next plan, Zhao Dashan's voice rang out. Everyone looked at each other, and Zhao Yuping stood up and called the child: "I'll take him to play at Yan's house."
"Um."
Nodding, Shen Xiangwan rushed outside and said, "Uncle Zhao, I'm here. Come in."
"good."
The next second, Zhao Dashan came in with Yang Lichang and the village heads of several nearby villages. Zhao Yuping was somewhat worried when she took the child out. She couldn't help but look back. Seeing Chen Xiangwan nodded to her, Yun Mengyi and Yue Ruyan also stayed in the main room, she turned around and continued to leave with the child.
"Why is Village Chief Yang here too? Please take a seat."
He casually pointed to the seat opposite, and Shen Xiangwan's attitude was not as enthusiastic as before.
"Excuse me, Madam Wei."
After all, they needed his help. Village Chief Yang was a little reserved, and Zhao Dashan said a little awkwardly: "Wanwan, they are all village chiefs of several nearby villages."
"Village leaders, please take a seat."
Shen Xiangwan treated everyone equally, neither overly enthusiastic nor cold, with a faint smile on his lips. Everyone looked at each other and sat down at the same time. Yuan Yue quickly asked the servants to bring tea, but no one moved. They all came for school matters and didn't know how to start the conversation for a while, so the atmosphere was inevitably a little cold.
"Is there something going on with Village Chief Yang and the other village heads?"
After an unknown amount of time, Shen Xiangwan broke the silence first. She didn't want to keep staring at them.
"Something's wrong indeed."
After all, he was the head of a village in charge of several villages. He took over the conversation dryly, and after a long silence, he said, "Madam Wei, we want to ask about the school. We have heard about Chen's situation, but people like her are a minority after all. Most people are grateful to the Wei family. Please, for the sake of the children, reopen the school."
He knew it was impossible to impress Shen Xiangwan with just these few words, but he always needed a start, right? After the incident, he quickly understood the situation and vaguely realized that Shen Xiangwan's closure of the school was probably not just because of Chen's mother and son. He had to confirm it before he could prescribe the right medicine.
"Yes, Mrs. Wei, we are always grateful to you for making sure that all the children have books to read."
Several village chiefs nodded in agreement, each with naked sincerity on their face.
Shen Xiangwan didn't respond immediately. Instead, she slowly picked up her teacup and took a few sips before saying, "Village Chief Yang, I closed the school not just because of Chen's mother and son. You didn't see what happened at the time. So many people came to pick up the children, and not a single one said a word of justice. Some even pointed fingers and pointed directly at my children. The oldest of them is only ten years old. Just think about how much damage this would cause to their young hearts."
"Although that situation has subsided since I showed up, some people still look at us with obvious scrutiny and speculation. They've clearly been instigated by the Chen family, believing that our Wei family is hypocritical and unkind despite being rich. So, why should I continue to put my reputation on the line and put it past everyone's expectations? Forget about the school. I'm not planning on opening it."
She believed that some of them were smart and should have noticed something. Shen Xiangwan didn't beat around the bush and clearly expressed her displeasure. After she finished, without waiting for them to say anything, she added: "I believe you all know that opening a school is not an easy task, and the money it costs is not a small amount. With all due respect, the twenty cents for each of your children's pens, ink, paper, and inkstone is not even enough. I have to pay a large sum of money every month, but I spend money and effort, and in the end, I get nothing in return. It's really disheartening."
She was not talking nonsense. Although the price of books had been brought down after the printed version came out, the price of pens, ink, paper and inkstone was still expensive. Moreover, children needed someone to help take care of them while they were studying in school. She also needed to provide her with cold tea in the summer and hot water in the winter. These all needed to be included in the cost. Her investment might not be much, but she had put a lot of thought into it.
[End of this chapter]
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