Chapter 487 A Dream of Youth 19
The adults always kept the children out of their arguments. The moment the argument started, Chen coaxed Xie Qi to take Xie Ning to play with the other cousins.
Xie Qi brought a lot of candy, but even more paper and pens. The pens weren't particularly good, but for a farm child, they were more precious than any food.
The other children of the Xie family did not attend the academy in town, but instead studied at the clan school in the village, which was built with donations led by Xie Wangzhi. Not only could the children of the Xie family attend the school, but children from the surrounding villages could also go.
Tuition fees are naturally required, but special discounts are given to members of the clan.
This was also Xie Wangzhi's way of giving back to his clan, which is why all the Xie clan members respected him.
The old lady was unreasonable. Even if you went to the clan elders, no one would side with her. Not to mention that Xie Yun was a member of the same clan, everyone still protected their own. As for Xie Wangzhi and the old lady, everyone knew in their hearts who was more important.
However, some people advised Grandfather Xie and the others that the old lady's life was only going to end in a few years, so why bother with her? Just ignore her. There were relatives in the village watching over her, so nothing would happen.
Upon hearing this, Grandfather Xie and the others readily accepted the situation and said no more.
Even more people tried to persuade the old lady, which made her keep a long face all day long. Even when she saw Xie Ning, her great-granddaughter who was returning home for the first time, she only gave her a small red envelope.
Grandmother Xie secretly opened it and saw that there were only three copper coins inside, which made her angry again.
"What does she mean by this? Our Bao'er only received three copper coins when he first came home. Back when we brought our son home, we at least got half a string of cash!"
We've given my mother-in-law plenty of money before, why is she being so stingy!
It's obvious they look down on their baby.
Grandfather Xie took the quilt out of the cupboard and spread it on the bed. Hearing Grandmother Xie's complaints, he said helplessly, "You know what kind of person Mother is. Even the girls in my eldest and second brothers' families are sidelined. Anyway, it's enough that Bao'er is loved by us. We don't lack those few coins."
"That's true, but what the elders have given me is a blessing. I'm just feeling a bit resentful. Luckily, my stepmother is a good person and doesn't hold it against me, otherwise I wouldn't have the face to tell anyone about this."
Xie Ning listened for a while and then went out of the house. Outside, things were bustling with activity as lunch was being prepared. Even Chen Shi was busy in the main kitchen.
A group of grown men sat at a table under the tree, chatting away. Xie Wangzhi smiled as he responded to the various family members, discussing both matters related to the clan school and the crops in the fields.
Xie Ning didn't want to join in the fun, so she went to find Xie Qi.
Before she even stepped out of the fence gate, she was picked up by a girl who smelled faintly of apricot blossoms. "Ning-jie, don't run around. There's a big yellow dog outside that can bite."
The girl looked to be about sixteen or seventeen years old, with a round face and round eyes. She had two dimples when she smiled. She was Xie Qiusheng, the eldest granddaughter of the second great-uncle.
"Sister A-Qiu, I want to go find my brother."
"They went to play on the back hillside. They're a bunch of rascals. Let's not join in their fun. Your cousin will give you some treats. Be a good girl, Ning'er."
Xie Ning remained silent for a while; it seemed that she was really not at an age where she should be running around.
A Qiu led Xie Ning to the entrance of the main kitchen, where several small stools were set up. Dolls about the same size as her sat there obediently, some playing with pebbles, others holding a rag doll.
Women passing by would casually slip them some food when they had a spare moment, which made the children even more reluctant to leave, and they would just stare longingly at the large kitchen.
They don't usually have many snacks, so this time when the third branch of the family came back, they were sure to set out several tables of food. Therefore, there must have been a lot of food, and the aroma wafting from the kitchen was enough to tempt them.
Xie Ning sighed. Since she couldn't go out, and she didn't want to play with stones, she decided to read a book instead.
Chen made her a small crossbody bag, which contained not only snacks but also her books. She could now recite the Thousand Character Classic fluently, so she was reading the Three Character Classic.
It wasn't a new book, but an annotated edition, mostly annotated by Xie Wangzhi, with some by Xie Qi. As for the others, Xie Ning couldn't tell who they were.
Although many annotations were written in small print, the handwriting was neat and did not look messy. Xie Ning found it very enjoyable because it contained many interesting little stories. She had read the Three Character Classic before, but she had never studied it so seriously.
I was immediately captivated at first glance.
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