Zhou Erzhu's wife has been married into the family for seven or eight years, so she naturally knows that her mother-in-law is extremely biased. She loves the eldest son and dotes on the youngest, but she doesn't care about Zhou Erzhu, who is in the middle.
Zhou Erzhu's father-in-law was a well-known bamboo craftsman in the area, skilled in bamboo weaving. He raised several children with this craft and even gritted his teeth to send his eldest son to a private school for a few years. Unfortunately, the eldest son was not academically inclined and failed the imperial examinations several times, so he had to return home to farm. His younger son, after studying for a few years, was sent to work as a waiter in a restaurant in the city. In those days, having someone in the family go to school was a difficult thing for the whole family. Not to mention tuition fees, the writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones were all very expensive. The Zhou family could only let the youngest son continue his studies after the eldest son finished. As for Zhou Erzhu, he was taken to work in the fields by his mother from a young age.
When I got home at noon, Gouwazi had already helped light the fire and heated up the cornbread.
Looking at her sensible son, Zhou Er's wife said to Zhou Erzhu, "Don't listen to your mother's nonsense. I think Madam Zheng is a very capable person. I'm already thinking that when our bamboo paper is finished, I'll be able to ride with the delivery truck out of here and see the outside world. I want to know if the outside world is the same as our Luzhou, or if there's anything different about it."
Ever since the road was repaired, going out to see it has become an obsession for Zhou Ersao. She thinks about following this repaired road to see what Miaozhou, which others have been talking about, is like. If she has the opportunity, she can take a boat to the capital to see it. That would truly be a life without regrets.
Later, when Zhou Ersao, the manager of the paper mill, traveled from Huitouling to Miaozhou by horse-drawn cart carrying bamboo paper, and then from Miaozhou by boat to the capital, she felt as if she were in a dream. It was at this time that Zhou Ersao realized that she really had to thank herself and her husband for their perseverance. It was because of their perseverance that they were able to persist despite the gossip of others, persisting until Xu Zhi opened the bamboo paper workshop and persisting in making bamboo paper under Xu Zhi's guidance. Because of the emergence of bamboo paper, not only did Huitouling undergo earth-shattering changes, but many surrounding villages also received a lot of extra income every year because someone in their family worked in the workshop.
Of course, that's all in the future. At this time, Xu Zhi was actually quite uncertain. She was very afraid that the Great Yan would attack. Her career had just started, and this poor and backward Luzhou was about to have a better life because of the road that was built. However, the Great Yan, which was just across the river, was making moves. Although Xu Di had inflicted a great deal of damage on them, no one knew whether the Great Yan would give up its invasion plans because of this setback.
Xu Di comforted her, telling her not to worry and to just follow the plan. He said that the Great Yan no longer had the courage to invade, and that many things would soon be resolved.
Xu Zhi didn't quite understand what Xu Di meant by "many things will have results soon." She couldn't do anything but worry, so she simply calmed down and began to carry out her plans in a bold and decisive manner.
Xu Zhi was too busy to notice anything unusual about Xu Di until Zheng Boyuan told her one day that her older brother seemed to have something on his mind and looked a little off.
Xu Zhi and Xu Di grew up together. In her mind, her older brother was omnipotent. Now, she was suddenly told that her older brother was acting strangely, as if he had something on his mind. Xu Zhi was a little skeptical. But after calming down and observing him carefully, she realized that her brother was indeed acting strangely.
Xu Zhi spent an entire evening having Li Niangzi prepare food and wine, and then she pulled Xu Di to have dinner with her.
Xu Di chuckled and said, "What are you trying to do? How can we, as siblings, be so formal with each other?"
Xu Zhi pulled Xu Di to sit down and said, "Brother, you have helped us so much since we came to Luzhou with Boyuan. There are some things I can't say in front of Boyuan, so I can only have a meal with you alone to express my gratitude."
Xu Di smiled and shook his head, saying, "It's only right that I help you. Even if you hadn't come to Luzhou, I would still be doing these things here. Xiao Jiu, is something the matter?"
Xu Zhi shook her head and said, "Brother, I'm fine. I'd like to ask you if something's wrong?"
Xu Di was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and said, "Why would my sister ask such a question?"
Xu Zhi said with some heartache, "Brother, I've been busy with the workshop these days and didn't notice anything unusual about you. It was Brother Boyuan who told me, and that's when I realized that you've been hiding something on your mind, something that's really making you feel bad."
After hearing Xu Zhi's words, Xu Di wanted to keep it from her, but he also felt that he couldn't keep these things to himself, since his sister would eventually hear about them from other places. So he put down his chopsticks and began to tell her about the great victory in Hexi.
Although Xu Zhi was young at that time, she was not a child in the true sense. Those memories became very vivid when Xu Di brought them up. She listened to Xu Di tell her about the Su-surname advisor who was by the side of the fifth prince of the Northern Di when they met in Hexi, and she heard her brother talk about the concubine Zhu in the mansion. Gradually, Xu Di told her about the two people he captured alive at sea in Penglai, and then about how Xu Di personally led people to the camp of the Great Yan a few days ago.
Xu Di's voice was very low as he said to Xu Zhi, "Xiao Jiu, I grew up with my parents in Hexi. Back then, I felt that the people were really suffering. They depended on the heavens for their livelihood. If the heavens were kind, the weather would be good and the harvest would be plentiful. If the heavens weren't kind, the crops wouldn't be harvested and the people would starve. This country was supported by these simple and honest people. If those in power were extravagant and corrupt, and the court was in chaos, I wouldn't complain. I would have sought my own death. The old regime was overthrown, and a new regime was established. We would gradually develop a stable situation so that the people could live a good life. But what about now?"
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
