Chapter 9 Agree
Manbao ran with her short legs to find her sister-in-law, and Koko watched her the whole time without saying a word.
Mrs. Zhou was obviously startled. She repeatedly asked Manbao what Mr. Zhuang had said at that time. After confirming it, she thought for a moment and put the things on the stove. She said, "Let's go. I'll take you home first and come back to clean up later."
Manbao has a very good memory, and since it happened just now, of course she described it clearly. But Old Zhou still asked three times, then squatted on the doorstep, took out some raw tobacco from his waist pocket, stuffed it into his pipe, and said nothing.
No one spoke. Qian said to Little Qian, "You should go back to work first. This is a big deal. We have to wait until the eldest and the others come back before we can make a decision."
Xiao Qian responded and went back to the school to continue working.
Qian glanced at Old Zhou, took Manbao's little hand and walked into the house, looking down at her.
Seeing the confusion on her round face, I knew that she probably didn't understand the meaning yet.
After thinking for a while, Qian asked, "Manbao, do you want to study?"
Manbao said, "I've been studying. I've already learned the Thousand Character Classic. Mr. Zhuang said he can teach me the Analects of Confucius. I can even count to one hundred now."
Qian touched her little head and asked, "Do you like reading?"
Manbao nodded and said happily, "I like it. Reading is so interesting. When I'm in a good mood, reading Thousand Character Classic is like singing a song, which makes me feel even better. When I'm not happy, I also read Thousand Character Classic, and then I feel happier as I read."
Qian's eyes were somewhat blank, and it was unclear what she was thinking about. After a while, she said, "What a pity..."
Manbao climbed onto the bed, snuggled up to his mother, tilted his head back, and asked, "Mom, what's the pity?"
"It's a pity you're not a boy."
Manbao pouted and said, "I don't want to be a boy. Boys are dirty and smelly, and not as pretty as girls."
Qian couldn't help but smile, "Yes, our Manbao is clean and fragrant..."
But boys can carry on the family line.
Qian thought she was hard-hearted enough, but at this moment she couldn't help but burst into tears.
Manbao felt extremely distressed when he saw this and quickly wiped her tears. His own eyes also turned red and he asked in a tearful voice, "Mom, why are you crying? Don't you like me going to school? Well, then I will go less often in the future."
Qian couldn't help laughing. She wiped her tears and pinched her nose, saying, "What a rascal. Just like your father, all he knows how to do is say nice things to coax people."
Manbao opened her mouth wide, finding it hard to imagine that her father was that kind of person.
Qian was only sad for a moment, then she hugged her and said, "Since you can study, then study. Studying has many benefits. Although you are a girl, studying will make you more capable than others. You will not be deceived or harmed by others in the future, and you can live a better life."
Although Qian Shi was illiterate and a village woman who had never even left the county town, she had her own insights. She whispered, "Look at those men. Those who can read live better than those who can't. Those who know how to count are smarter than those who don't. The same goes for girls."
Manbao nodded vigorously. "The teacher said that reading can make one sensible. That idiot Bai Er said he would not take the imperial examination and would inherit his father's land and make a living by collecting rent. The teacher then criticized him. People who are sensible will not feel guilty no matter where they go. They will do good things. It's okay..."
The following words were a little difficult. Manbao paused for a moment, and it was only after Koko reminded her that she could continue, "You can be invincible if your heart is undefeated and you are undefeated as a person."
Although Manbao didn't quite understand what was said, she felt that Mr. Zhuang was so great at that time. Her face turned red when she heard it, and she wanted to run around the river at the entrance of the village three times and yell at him, so she remembered it.
She looked at her mother with sparkling eyes and said, "Mom, I want to study and learn more!"
Qian looked at her serious little face and almost agreed to her request, but thinking of the current predicament of her family, Qian suppressed all her words in her heart and decided to listen to the opinion of the head of the family.
Zhou Dalang and his companions returned at dinner time, when the sun was just about to set. However, everyone was already extremely hungry, as they had only had porridge for breakfast.
Everyone simply washed their hands and sat down at the dinner table. Old Zhou was in no hurry to talk about business. He waited until everyone had finished eating before he sat down in the yard and called the eldest, second and third sons to come over to talk.
Xiao Qian glanced outside, her brows slightly furrowed, and she clutched the rag without saying a word. Zhou Ersao Feng also glanced into the yard and couldn't help but whisper, "Father-in-law, don't you really want my aunt to go to school?"
He frowned and said, "No way, how much will it cost, sister-in-law, won't mother-in-law agree too?"
Xiao Qian grabbed the rag. She didn't really want her aunt to go to school, but she was the one who took her aunt home at noon.
In fact, when she heard the news at noon, her first feeling was happiness. Her younger sister would be able to be accepted as Mr. Zhuang's apprentice, and she would have a bright future.
But when she returned to school, she realized that studying costs money.
Even if Mr. Zhuang accepts disciples privately and does not accept tuition from my aunt, the gift of apprenticeship must be given, and gifts must be given during festivals. These are just small expenses. Then, if you want to study, you have to buy books, and pens, ink, paper, and inkstone. Which of them does not cost money?
In fact, the tuition fees of Mr. Zhuang's school were not very high, because the bulk of it was paid by the landlords. But before Zhou Silang lost money in gambling, the Zhou family was unable to send any of their grandsons to school. One of the reasons was that their family financial resources were too poor to support a scholar.
This was unaffordable before and even more so now.
Moreover, their family also has a mother-in-law who has to take medicine every month, which makes the burden even heavier.
These thoughts completely wiped out Xiao Qian's initial joy, and now only worry remained.
Of course, what Xiao Qian could think of, the other men in the Zhou family certainly thought more carefully, especially the head of the family, Old Zhou. He didn't want Manbao to go to school, but what his wife and Manbao said in the house in the afternoon made him hesitate again and again.
When it was time for dinner, he watched Manbao holding a big bowl in his two little hands, almost burying his little head in the bowl, and eating a bowl of thin white porridge with relish.
When he looked at his three daughters-in-law who had just put down their chopsticks and were about to clear the table, wash dishes and clean the house, the balance in Old Zhou's heart slowly tilted to the other side.
His Manbao is weak, white, fat and cute, and is spoiled by his father and brothers at home. But what will happen ten years later, or fifteen years later?
Would she then marry a farmer like her brothers and become a peasant woman like her sisters-in-law?
Old Zhou took two sharp puffs of his cigarette, choked a little, and then took out the pipe and knocked it. He said, "You all know what happened. Tell me, what are your thoughts?"
Zhou Erlang and Zhou Sanlang looked at each other, lowered their heads and said, "We will listen to Dad and Big Brother."
Old Zhou glanced at the two of them and looked at Zhou Dalang, "Dalang, go ahead."
Zhou Dalang gritted his teeth and said, "Since Mr. Zhuang is willing to take her in, then we will support her. When she grows up, if she can marry into the town, she won't have to beg for food like us."
"Right!" Old Zhou slapped his thigh. "That's what I think. How many girls in this world can read and count? Count it all. Among the children in your family, who is as smart as Manbao? We can't even count the number of eggs in our family, but Manbao can count them all in one go. Our Manbao is also beautiful. She will definitely be even more beautiful when she grows up. She might even be able to marry someone in the county, not just the town."
Zhou Erlang was troubled and said, "That's true, but it would cost a lot of money to study. She's still a girl, so she can't take the exam to become an official..."
Zhou Erlang's voice gradually lowered under his father's gaze, and he could only poke the third brother.
Zhou Sanlang said, "I'll listen to my father and elder brother."
Zhou Dalang & Zhou Erlang: "..."
Old Zhou couldn't help but take another drag of his cigarette and said, "Mr. Zhuang will definitely not accept a full-time salary, so we can just give him a gift of apprenticeship or something."
Zhou Erlang said, "We have to buy the books, brushes, inkstones, and paper. Mr. Zhuang can't accept Manbao as his apprentice and still have to pay for these things. Dad, I don't know how much these things will cost."
No one in the family had ever been to school, so they didn't know the exact prices, but the prices of books, pens, ink, and paper sounded very expensive.
This is precisely one of the reasons why Old Zhou was most hesitant. He smoked with a calm head and said nothing.
Zhou Dalang's veins bulged on his hands as he gritted his teeth and said, "Dad, Manbao is a good child. Mr. Zhuang knows our family's situation. I'll go and ask him to buy them any book they want to learn. Manbao is still young and doesn't need paper and ink to practice calligraphy. When she grows up a little, we should have saved some money."
Seeing his eldest son speak, Old Zhou sighed and nodded, "Okay, let's do it this way. The day after tomorrow, you and I will take Manbao to become his disciple, and then we'll discuss it with Mr. Zhuang."
Zhou Erlang opened his mouth but didn't say anything else. However, he was very worried.
He is 46 years old and is about to get married. The original plan was to find him a wife to celebrate the New Year so that they can go to the fields together in the spring.
But he gambled away all the family money, and his reputation was ruined. It was estimated that he would not be able to get married within three years.
But the fourth son can get married a few years later, that’s what he deserves, but what about the fifth son?
The fifth child is already fourteen years old, and he will have to get married in two years. The cost of marriage is not small, not to mention that their mother needs medicine.
There are six brothers in the family, not counting the three who are not married. As for the three who are married, the eldest brother is steady but not smart enough, and the youngest brother is a very honest person.
The second child is a little smarter, and because he often goes to the market to sell things, he thinks and wants more than the eldest child.
As soon as the gambling incident happened, he had already calculated in his mind that after three or two years, the family would be able to save at least three or four hundred dollars, and then he could lend some to the fifth brother to find a marriage.
After the fifth child, it is the turn of the fourth and sixth children. After these three younger ones find their marriages, the family will have to remain in poverty for at least another ten years, and then the eldest child will also have to start looking for marriage.
He originally planned that it would be better for the family to work together. With his parents around and his brothers working together, they could actually make money faster than if they were on their own.
Although his younger brother, nephew, and son will get married one after another, he may never have any extra money in his life, but at least he will not lack food and clothing.
But if Manbao's education is added to this plan, the family will really have no spare money.
Zhou Erlang scratched his head and finally said with a headache, forget it, the family belongs to his parents anyway, and they are the ones who have to worry. Now he just needs to be obedient and take care of his own family.
(End of this chapter)
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