Meng Zhao found his attitude a bit strange. Although he wasn't usually talkative, he wouldn't be so evasive as he was now. She frowned and asked with concern, "Second brother, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Shen Qing subconsciously looked up, and Meng Zhao was startled when she saw his face clearly. "Second brother, what happened to your face? Did someone bully you?"
There was a clear red mark on Shen Qinghe's face, as if he had been hit.
Shen Qinghe quickly shook his head, his tone somewhat flustered, "No, no... there was a bug just now, and I swatted it myself."
Meng Zhao kept a blank face, thinking to himself: I'm not stupid, where would mosquitoes come from in this cold weather?
But then she thought again, Shen Qinghe has grown up and has her own little secrets, so it's normal that she doesn't want to tell her. So she sighed, "Fine, you can keep it to yourself, but you're the star of the day, you can't be blushing."
She had Shen Qinghe sit down on the stool, found a towel, wet it, wrung it out, and gently pressed it against his face.
Shen Qinghe sat upright, his hands clenched into fists, not daring to look at Meng Zhao's face. His gaze shifted and landed on the exposed part of her wrist.
Her skin was fair and smooth, her fingers were as white as jade, her nails were neatly trimmed, and her fingertips were rounded with a slight pink tinge. Shen Qinghe's Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and then she held her breath, afraid that Meng Zhao would hear her heartbeat.
Meng Zhao murmured, "Why is it getting redder the more I apply it? I'm sure it's a cold compress, so does it need to be a hot compress?"
Her breath brushed against Shen Qinghe's earlobe. Unable to hold back any longer, she abruptly released her grip on his hands, grabbed Meng Zhao's wrist with one hand, and took the towel with the other, her voice a little hurried, "Sister-in-law, I can do it myself."
After saying that, he practically ran out of the kitchen.
At this moment, everyone in the village was having a feast at the Shen family's house, and the village was deserted. Shen Qinghe ran all the way to the riverbank before stopping, looking at his face reflected in the water, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
Over the past two years, he's grown up, and his features do look more like his older brother's. Could it be that his sister-in-law really wanted to drug him because he looks like his older brother?
The moment this thought crossed his mind, a strong sense of dissatisfaction welled up within him. But then, he became puzzled by this dissatisfaction.
Why is he angry? Could it be that he really has feelings for his sister-in-law?
Guilt, anger, resentment... all sorts of emotions intertwined, leaving Shen Qinghe feeling utterly chaotic and almost driven mad. She suddenly scooped up a handful of icy river water and slapped it hard against her face, trying to clear her head.
No matter how hard he tries, some thoughts, once they sprout, will become uncontrollable and spread like wildfire.
Meng Zhao watched Shen Qinghe's hurried departure, feeling a little strange, but didn't think much of it.
She looked away and turned back to her work. Just then, Teacher Wei from the village school came over. "Madam Meng, since the students are on holiday today, I'd like to report to you about the village school."
"Alright, it's too noisy here, let's go to the village school."
The two walked one after the other to the village school, where Master Wei finally spoke: "There are currently nineteen students from this village and twelve from other villages in the village school. Because they are of different ages, I have divided them into two classes based on the age of seven..."
After Master Wei finished speaking, Meng Zhao nodded. "Master Wei, you've really worked hard. The number of students in the village school is increasing. Do you think we should hire another teacher?"
Master Wei shook his head. "Although Lady Wei is a young lady from a secluded family, her talent is no less than that of men. She can now teach at the village school, so I am sufficient for the time being." He paused here, his expression suddenly hesitant, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.
Meng Zhao noticed his hesitation. "Master Wei, is there something you want to say? Please speak freely."
Master Wei sighed, his tone tinged with helplessness and regret. "It's like this," he said, "a few days ago, a child from the village school came to me asking if he could get half of his tuition back if he dropped out. I've been teaching him for half a year. This child is extremely talented, but unfortunately, his family is poor. I had heard the village head mention that if there are talented students in the village who are from impoverished families, they can apply for a scholarship, so I persuaded this child to wait a few days. But since this child isn't from Shenjia Village, I came to see Madam Meng to see if there's any way I can help him."
After listening, Meng Zhao understood and nodded. "What about the child? Can I take a look?"
Master Wei immediately replied, “Of course! I specifically asked him to come to the school today, I’ll go and call him right now.”
Before long, Master Wei led in a boy who was about ten years old. His clothes were too big, obviously made from the old clothes of the adults in his family. Although his clothes were simple, his back was straight and his eyes were clear, without the slightest fear.
Meng Zhao sized him up for a few moments, then asked gently, "I heard you want to drop out of school. What's the reason?"
Although he didn't know why Master Wei had brought him here, Master Wei had just instructed him to answer whatever came to mind, so he replied, "My father has passed away from illness, and my family... really can't afford to support my studies anymore."
"And what about you? Do you still want to continue your studies?"
"I think so." The child nodded emphatically, and Meng Zhao saw a hint of stubbornness in his eyes.
Meng Zhao wasn't very familiar with the curriculum taught at the village school, but she had seen Wei Jinglan prepare lessons and had heard Shen Qingze and Shen Qingyu recite their lessons. So, based on her memory, she prepared a few test questions, which the child answered flawlessly without any hesitation.
Meng Zhao secretly praised him, just as Master Wei had said, he did have some talent. She pondered for a moment and then said:
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