Chapter 728 A Dream of Youth 260
Seeing that everyone was tempted, Xie Ning slightly curled his lips and then tried to lure them with benefits.
Most families actively raise sons, partly due to ingrained beliefs, but also largely because men are believed to bring greater benefits.
Because this feudal society was more tolerant of men.
However, if women could also receive the same level of tolerance and have the same number of ways to benefit their families, then some families, if they have the resources, would be more likely to give their daughters an opportunity to be nurtured.
Or, if the men in the family are clearly incapable of contributing anything, then choosing to raise a daughter is an option...
Whether it's to allow daughters to support each other with their fathers and brothers, or to let daughters raise their sons, as long as some families can open the cage that confines women, then they will have the opportunity to break free from their constraints.
After all, the more power one has, the more likely one is to gain dominance.
There were dissenting voices, but Xie Ning didn't care. He believed that if more people did something and more people agreed with it, more and more people would follow suit.
It is impossible for dissenting voices to completely disappear from any matter or viewpoint.
Xie Ning understood this principle very well, so her goal was never to unify everyone's thoughts and suppress all dissenting voices, but rather to give those women who did not want to be confined to a cage an opportunity and a way out.
Tell them that there is another road here.
Madam Wu stared blankly at Xie Ning, who was speaking eloquently. Her words were so shocking that everyone was stunned for a long time.
Some families with only daughters were very tempted, but also worried, "Even if she could pass the exam to become a female official, what then? My family is poor, and I really can't afford to support my child."
Studying can be very expensive.
The clan school was free, but it didn't accept female students, let alone county schools.
Xie Ning also fell into deep thought, but before she could think for long, a boy ran over and said, "Cousin Ning, Uncle is looking for you."
"Put your umbrella up. It's raining, and there aren't any covered walkways to the main room to provide shelter from the rain."
Xie Ning accepted the oil-paper umbrella with surprise, then smiled and said, "Thank you, Great-Grandmother."
Li turned her head away somewhat uncomfortably, her mind still preoccupied with Xie Ning's words.
Her family was the eldest branch of the Xie family. Although they didn't go out to do business or have any children who became officials, they lived a wealthy life thanks to their land and the occasional assistance from the third branch of the family.
Now, the family's youngest grandson is also studying at school, and he's doing a little better than the eldest grandson, but only a little better.
The little granddaughter, who was four years younger than the little grandson, had been learning from Liu Ya of the second wife for a while. She could not only recognize characters, but also count and recite poems!
He's much better than my grandson.
Although Li was also from a farming family, she was pampered from a young age. Even though she placed all her hopes on her son and grandson, she treated her daughter and granddaughter quite well.
Xie Ning's success greatly impressed her, and she couldn't help but turn her gaze to her little granddaughter with her hair in two buns. Her grandson had run off somewhere and was running around, but Qi Ya was able to sit on the doorstep and read a book.
The Xie family built a small library with many books for the children to read. Xie Wangzhi did not restrict the girls from going in; on the contrary, he encouraged the girls in the family to read some books and learn to read.
At first, everyone thought that if the daughters knew more characters, they would be better able to get married. After all, it was said that the daughters of wealthy families were very talented, and being able to read and write was a basic requirement.
Furthermore, with Xie Wangzhi becoming an official, the Xie family's status has risen, and the standards for marriage partners for Xie family daughters have also increased accordingly. Naturally, they need to be taught more, otherwise it would be too shameful if they only knew how to cook and farm.
But Xie Ning's achievements have opened another door for them.
After returning to the room with the child, Li asked in a low voice, "Qiya, would you like to study medicine with your cousin Ning?"
Qi Ya is ten years old, an age when she should be sensible. She thinks Xie Ning is more capable than her father, grandfather, and the elders of the second branch of the Xie family. In her heart, she admires Xie Ning more than Xie Wangzhi.
Perhaps because she was also a woman, she also felt a certain longing.
When Li asked that question, Qi Ya felt her heart beating very fast.
However, she was also somewhat apprehensive because Xie Ning stood too high. Even though Xie Ning was gentle and polite, she always felt that the two were too far apart.
She was just a peasant girl who could read a few words. Although she and Xie Ning were cousins, they were not close. Li's words didn't feel real to her.
Qi Ya's eyelashes trembled. "Grandmother, I... I'm willing, but will Cousin Ning teach me?"
She became even more uneasy after saying that, "Besides, my cousin Ning is an official, she's very busy, how could she have time to teach me?"
"Why not? She's your cousin, we're relatives, what's wrong with helping her out?" Actually, Li had been holding back a lot of anger, which was that she felt she was not living as well as others.
She's a competitive person. First of all, she compares her own family with the other two families. It's one thing if they can't compare with the third family, but now they can't even compare with the second family. Even though her family's life is better than most families in the village, she still feels resentful.
But she was helpless. Even if she hardened her heart and whipped that grandson every day, she probably still couldn't help him.
If Qi Ya could become an official like Xie Ning, she could easily outshine the second wife's family. Otherwise, as the eldest wife, she would lose face.
Unexpectedly, the second wife next door had the same idea.
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