"Sister-in-law, I know you're saying all this for my own good. I've kept everything you've told me in my heart these past few days!"
“I grew up without my parents; my brothers raised me single-handedly, so I long for family and kinship!”
"But now I think you're right, sister-in-law. This world is so unfair to women. Women stay at home, work hard, raise children, and take care of their in-laws. Although they do a lot, it's hard for the world to recognize their efforts!"
"Therefore, even after I get married, I will still treat my family well, but I will also set boundaries for myself and have the courage to cut my losses in time!"
"Don't worry, sister-in-law. If I could still be fooled after learning from you for so long, then I deserve to have a bad life!"
Because she was worried that Zhou Xiaoting would become too romantic in the future, Lin Xue had been instilling feminist ideas in her quite a bit during this period.
I kept telling her about the principle of loving yourself before loving others. If she encounters a jerk, how should she cut her losses in time? What is the concept of minimalism?
"Hearing you say that, all my careful teaching over this period of time has not been in vain!"
"Xiaoting is the child I worry about the most. You, as her older brother and sister, must take good care of her in the future. We can't let her be bullied by her husband's family!"
Lin Xue spoke with a very serious expression.
She wasn't worried about Zhou Xiaomei. Zhou Xiaomei had a very resilient personality. Although she looked gentle and weak, that was just an appearance.
Although she has a delicate appearance, she has a resilient heart.
This can be seen from the fact that in the original owner's life, Zhou Xiaomei never chose to commit suicide.
This child later had several escape attempts. The reason she froze to death that winter was because she was punished after being caught while trying to escape.
Anyone who knows to run when faced with danger isn't stupid; she was just unlucky and lacked some skills when escaping.
"Don't worry, sister-in-law, Xiaoting is our little sister, we will definitely take good care of her!"
As the oldest among the children, Zhou Xiaocang demonstrated his due responsibility at this moment.
"Sister-in-law, are you leaving us?"
Zhou Xiaomei then came to Lin Xue's side, gently tugged at her sleeve, her face full of reluctance and conflict.
"No, I won't leave Qingshan County until you've settled down and started your own families!"
"So don't worry about me, you little crybaby!"
Reaching out, Lin Xue gently pinched Zhou Xiaomei's nose, her expression softening as she changed from her previous serious demeanor.
"Sister-in-law, I can't bear to see you leave!"
Zhou Xiaomei buried her face in Lin Xue's arm and didn't let go for a long time.
"Xiaoting, I've hired a retired governess from a wealthy family to teach you some of the rules and etiquette of such households!"
"They say you should marry your daughter up high and your wife down. I hope you can learn a lot from the old lady. After a year, I will give you a shop to manage and see how much you can learn in that year."
After distributing the items on the table, Lin Xue also distributed the horses from the stable to the five children.
Impartial and fair, one horse for each person.
"After you all have your own horses, remember to take good care of them. When you settle down and start your own families, your own horses will come with you to your new homes!"
From that day on, Lin Xue began to teach these children in a targeted manner.
A butler was hired for Zhou Xiaowu to help him manage the manor. From then on, Zhou Xiaowu spent most of his time at the manor, except for occasional visits.
Lin Xue also sent Zhou Xiaohai to Zhang Butou's side. At 14 years old, Zhou Xiaohai was already quite tall, and he didn't look out of place in the constable's uniform.
Although he is only a temporary worker now, the other constables have been taking good care of him, the newcomer, because of Lin Xue.
They also hired a capable female manager for Zhou Xiaomei. This woman was someone Lin Xue rescued on the way to a temple to offer incense and pray for blessings when she accompanied the county magistrate's wife.
She heard that her family had all been killed by villains, and now she was all alone and helpless.
Seeing that she was literate and had worked for a wealthy family, Lin Xue decided to keep her by Zhou Xiaomei's side.
Lin Xue could tell that although this woman had some secrets, she didn't have any bad intentions.
At most, she lied about her identity, but her gratitude towards Lin Xue was genuine, and she sincerely taught Zhou Xiaomei.
With the guidance of this female shopkeeper, Zhou Xiaomei quickly developed an interest in business.
The two of them went in and out together, and gradually opened their own restaurant.
Zhou Xiaoting, on the other hand, learned from the governess how to be a mistress of a household. (Here, "groom" refers to a servant of a certain status in a wealthy family, not a palace maid!)
Zhou Xiaocang surprised Lin Xue; she hadn't figured out what this kid wanted to do in the future.
But he himself set up a bookstore and started doing business with scholars.
In order to open this bookstore, Zhou Xiaocang put all of his 100 taels into it.
Fortunately, he had some connections with the county government, so no merchant dared to bully him because he was a newcomer.
"Xiao Cang, since you want to do business with scholars, then your sister-in-law will pass on a secret papermaking formula to you!"
"You must keep this secret recipe safe and never let anyone know about it!"
"The paper you produce might be of better quality than what's on the market, but the cost will be much lower. You absolutely must not reveal the cost of your paper production, or you might face a deadly disaster!"
"Then you can sell it for the same price as everyone else, or a little higher. As long as no one knows your capital, and with the county magistrate watching over you, no one will easily try to take advantage of you!"
Lin Xue never expected that Zhou Xiaocang would be the most successful among her siblings this week.
"Sister-in-law, don't you think I'm overestimating myself by starting this business? I'm a farmer who can't even read all the characters, yet I'm thinking of opening a bookstore!"
Zhou Xiaocang scratched his head. He was just thinking of taking a chance before he got married.
If he were a person with a family and a career, he certainly wouldn't dare to do something so crazy.
It is precisely because he does not yet have a wife and children that he dares to invest all his capital to venture out and fight.
"Everyone has their own choices, but since you've made your choice, you must stick to it and not just work hard for three days and then slack off for two!"
Lin Xue finally breathed a sigh of relief that the Zhou family's last child had found his own path to strive for.
Now she just needs to solve her own problems. Her current job is quite easy, and Lin Xue doesn't plan to quit and do anything else.
A person who can come and go freely in the county government office—that kind of identity is definitely useful in Qingshan County.
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