Jiang Zhi hadn't expected the Tian family to send their daughter to be an apprentice, but since they had already said it, and using an apprentice was more convenient and reassuring than hiring workers, she naturally accepted.
She gave Tian Tao a few words of encouragement and then called her to get up.
Beside them, Tian Xiaoquan and Xiaoxi were eager to try, clearly wanting to become apprentices at the pharmacy as well.
Jiang Zhi said, "You two are too young to do anything. If you can learn to read and write accounts within three years, then we can talk about becoming apprentices."
Tian Xiaoquan is eleven years old this year, and Xiaoxi will be ten years old soon. They have to help with chores at home every day. If they are sent to the pharmacy, they can only do small things, which will delay their studies.
Upon hearing this, Tian Xiaoquan became anxious: "I can remember all the characters that Xiucai taught me, and I can also do the work, more than Shi Houzi and Xu Qiang."
Shi Houzi was the only boy in the Shi family, and also the smartest one in the family.
But he was too thin, and at twelve years old, he wasn't much taller than a seven or eight-year-old.
Xu Qiang is Xu Genyou's eldest son, the same age as Shi Houzi. Although he hasn't grown much taller, he looks much stronger.
He was just like his father, Xu Genyou, in temperament; he didn't talk much and spent his days working quietly with his mother and grandmother.
Hearing Tian Xiaoquan compare himself to the other two boys, Jiang Zhi just smiled and said, "It's meaningless to compare yourself to others. You should compare yourself to yourself. I'll only see if you can do bookkeeping, write contracts, and write an article in three years."
Tian Xiaoquan chuckled: "Write contracts and essays? I'm not going to be an examiner. My father said I just need to be able to recognize a few characters like the scholars!"
He had seen Xia Yuan use a stone slab to keep accounts when selling herbs, and thought it wasn't difficult, but what was a contract?
Before Tian Xiaoquan could say anything more, Tian Gui and Tao'er's mother had already started scolding: "You can't do anything, and you're not as diligent as your sister. Learn to read properly, and become obedient and sensible before you go."
Jiang Zhi told Tian Gui not to yell at the child, and calmly said to Xiao Quan, "Do you think you don't need to study just because there are no examiners?"
"If I were an outsider, and I asked your sister to write a contract of apprenticeship—which was actually a modified indenture—and you didn't even know any of your family members, and you obediently signed and sealed it, then Tao'er would be taken away and sold by me. What would you do then?"
The Tian family's expressions immediately changed. They left their hometown because their family had used the excuse of arranging a marriage for their eleven-year-old daughter, Tao'er, but in reality, they almost sold her, which made them leave heartbroken.
Now that the old story has been brought up again, Jiang Zhi may not have meant anything by it, but the Tian family members are taking it to heart, and the thought of those people from their hometown is particularly painful.
Tian Gui glared angrily at Xiao Quan: "From now on, you must remember everything that the scholar will teach you."
Not only do you have to remember, you also have to write.
I'll give you the money from home right now to buy you paper and pens. If you don't behave like a human being, I'll beat you to death!
Someone was killed!
Tian Xiaoquan, who had been grinning just moments before, fell silent, scratched his head, and left the room.
Jiang Zhi found it amusing to see Tian Xiaoquan suddenly become so docile.
However, she strongly supports forcing children to go to school!
Children from farming families like Tian Xiaoquan are most likely to treat learning as play.
There are no shortcuts to learning; if you want to learn something truly valuable, you have to work hard.
The most important thing about learning is attitude. If children treat it as a game and parents don't care, then it's truly genius to achieve something in learning.
Even if you don't have the idea of taking the imperial examination now, you must try your best to learn more knowledge so that you will have more ways to make a living in society in the future.
After Xiaoquan left, Tiangui gestured to Tao'er's mother to have the children remove the bowls and chopsticks from the table.
Once only Tian Gui and Jiang Zhi were in the room, Tian Gui rubbed his hands together and asked with great difficulty, "Sister-in-law Jiang, I wanted to ask, is Xiaoman engaged yet?"
"Xiaoman...is not engaged!"
Jiang Zhi was a little surprised. In fact, since last year, several people had brought up Xiaoman's marriage in front of her.
It's already March, the third year since the mutiny. Xiaoman will be eighteen this year, the age to get married.
These things should have been Xiaoman's grandfather's concern, but no one from Xiaoman's family came to the village.
Moreover, Xiaoman's grandfather said that he would treat Xiaoman as his own child in the future and would entrust her with his marriage without worry.
But Xiaoman doesn't want to get married right now!
Last summer, Liu mentioned wanting to arrange a marriage for Xiaoman at her daughter-in-law Tian's family home, but Xiaoman refused outright.
Later, Pi also said that he wanted to act as a matchmaker but it didn't work out. When it came time for the New Year's Eve dinner, Xiaoman urged him to get married, but Xiaoman refused again, saying that the house hadn't been repaired yet and he was busy and didn't have time to get married and have children.
To be honest, Jiang Zhi also felt that Xiaoman was at the prime of her life, and it was really too early to talk about marriage.
Just like Qiaoyun and Errui now, both of them are only around twenty years old. Qiaoyun is at the age where she should be building her career, but now she has to stay at home to take care of the children.
Although Chunfeng and the others helped her, she was still very tired!
Now that Tian Gui is asking about Xiao Man's marriage again, he'll definitely mention which woman she's marrying.
Hearing Jiang Zhi say that Xiaoman wasn't engaged, Tian Gui visibly breathed a sigh of relief. He rubbed his hands together, his face flushed, and said, "Sister-in-law Jiang, I know you treat Xiaoman like your own child and will definitely think of him. What do you think... are Tao'er and Xiaoman a good match?"
"Tao'er...she's only thirteen years old, you're all in such a hurry!"
Jiang Zhi was genuinely surprised this time. She never imagined that someone who loved his wife and children so much would say such a thing.
Tian Gui hurriedly waved his hand: "No, Sister Jiang, I heard from Xiaoman that he's not in a hurry to get married. He insists on building up his business first. Tao'er is thirteen now, so we can get engaged first. She'll be sixteen when she finishes her three-year apprenticeship, and then they can get married!"
Jiang Zhi shook her head like a rattle-drum: "It's still too small!"
Deciding on a thirteen-year-old girl's marriage made her feel like a human trafficker, and she felt guilty.
Tian Gui became anxious: "Sixteen is not young to get married. Tao'er's mother was also sixteen when she married me!"
Jiang Zhi still disagreed: "Tao'er is too young and doesn't understand anything. If we get engaged now, it will be too late when she grows up and knows what kind of person she wants to marry."
Aside from her quick temper, Xiaoman has no major flaws, and Tian Tao'er is a well-behaved and hardworking farm girl. To ordinary people, they seem like a perfect match.
But Tao'er was young, and no one knew what would happen a few years later.
Seeing that Jiang Zhi kept saying that Tao'er was too young, Tian Gui sighed and said, "It would be such a pity if this marriage didn't work out."
To be honest, both Tao'er's mother and I have our eyes on Xiaoman. She's sensible and reliable, and her age is just right for Tao'er—she's only five years older. Neither of them is in a rush to get married right now.
"Sister Jiang, please think it over again!"
Jiang Zhi calmed down and thought about it carefully. To be honest, Tian Tao was a good person. Although the Tian family was poor, they were a decent family.
If Xiaoman herself has no objection, then this is not out of the question.
"How about this? I'll ask Xiaoman's family first. If they think it's good, then it's fine. But let's make it clear first, whether it works out or not, this matter cannot be told to anyone else," Jiang Zhi gave an answer.
Tian Gui was overjoyed: "That makes sense. I'll trouble Sister Jiang to ask her!"
Jiang Zhi left the Tian family with a belly full of questions.
She didn't understand. Tian Tao'er was still young and had only just agreed to become an apprentice at the pharmacy. Why was Tian Gui in such a hurry to get engaged to Xiaoman?
Since the woman brought it up herself, there must be a reason!
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