Hearing that his own son couldn't even afford to attend a private school, Mingjue felt inexplicably sad.
"No need, you just need to pay."
He felt that reading books wasn't very useful.
Honestly, there aren't many poor kids like him who can succeed through education.
They were ultimately different from those scions of noble families.
Unless he's a genius, but he's very self-aware, he isn't.
"Why are you so stubborn, child?" Mingjue sighed. "I'm doing this for your own good. It's always good to read more books."
Ning Anuo chuckled, her laughter tinged with sarcasm.
“Let me tell you, there is actually a family with a scholar in our village, at the end of the village. His house is quite big, and he has a lot of family members, but they are extremely poor. Originally, their family was one of the best in our village, but they wanted to support a scholar to change their family's situation. But this scholar is the one who has dragged their whole family down.”
"A book costs one tael of silver, a stack of Xuan paper costs five hundred copper coins, and the best brushes and inkstones also cost a lot of silver. Of course, even using the lowest grade of Xuan paper and the worst brushes and ink, it is still a burden for a family like ours."
He had seen many scholars copying books.
He copied one book after another, just so he could read more books without spending money.
The same applies to the family at the end of the village.
Those children who study aren't bad either.
That's already quite economical.
He also earns money by copying books on weekdays, but it's far from enough to cover the expenses of reading.
So, this family still lived a very hard life.
However, their family is quite harmonious, with brothers being friendly and respectful to each other, and even the sister-in-law is a very nice person.
A while ago, this scholar finally passed the imperial examination and obtained the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations).
When the yamen runners announced the good news, the scholar even kowtowed to his family.
Even my sister-in-law kowtowed, and she was so moved that she burst into tears.
Although the ending was good, the process was too difficult.
He didn't want his family to suffer like that.
Besides, he didn't have the talent for studying.
"this--"
Mingzhi frowned and said, "We can pay for it—"
"No need, I can't accept a reward without merit," Ning Anuo refused outright.
“You saved my father’s life. My father’s life is very valuable.”
Mingzhi bit her lower lip, trying to persuade Ning Anuo.
Thinking back to the past two years, when he didn't want to study, he would run around the yard and even smash a lot of inkstones and tear up a lot of Xuan paper when he was angry.
Thinking about it now, I can't help but feel even more upset.
If they hadn't been switched at birth, this child wouldn't need to worry about any of this; he could be learning in the best possible environment.
"Whether it's your father's life or not, any human life has value," Ning Anuo retorted. "Well, there are also worthless scumbags, like my own mother—"
Mingzhi: "..."
I always felt that his mother, who was far away in Beijing, was being subtly criticized.
"So you don't need to keep bringing this up."
Ning Anuo actually wanted to ask them for more money, since these people weren't short of money anyway.
However, seeing that his brother didn't seem to intend to ask for more money, he felt embarrassed to bring it up.
His brother—seems to like that ginger tea—
"What's so great about this girl? She's not as good as my Duoduo," Ning Anuo thought to herself.
“Dad, I think we should probably talk to him about this.”
Only in this way will this family accept their help.
Of course, if Ning Anuo wanted to switch back, he would naturally agree.
"This matter must be discussed with your mother before a decision can be made." Of course, as far as Mingjue was concerned, he wanted both children.
If he really had to let go of one of them, he would prefer that Mingzhi stay by his side.
The same was true for Lady Hou.
After all, he was the son she had raised herself. Compared to a biological son she had never met, the bond of spending every day together was stronger than blood ties.
However, if their own son were willing to return to their side, they would naturally be willing to take good care of him.
In their view, given the choice between a poor farming family and a noble family, most people would choose the noble family.
Lady Hou immediately had a courtyard prepared, right next to Mingzhi's courtyard.
She desperately hoped that the two children could love each other.
However, they never expected that Ning Anuo would completely reject them after learning about this.
The atmosphere at the Ning family's residence was somewhat heavy.
Whether it's Grandma Ning, Ning Anuo, or Qian Duo.
The only person who was somewhat calm was Ning Hongze.
After all, he already knew about this.
But—there's always a need to put on a show.
You're saying I'm your son?
"right."
"I'm your biological son, and he's my grandmother's biological grandson? My father's biological son?"
Ning Anuo took a deep breath and uttered the words with some difficulty.
"How could that be? Our two families are so different in social standing, how could such a thing happen?"
"It's true. No need to say anything else, just look at my face and compare it to yours—you look a lot like your mother—"
Mingzhi didn't want to believe it was true, but that was the truth.
"If you want to return to the Marquis's mansion, I am willing to give up the position of heir apparent to you." This position of heir apparent did not belong to him in the first place. He believed that with his own abilities, he would definitely be able to earn a title back.
"I don't want to."
"ah--"
“I don’t want to,” Ning Anuo said again. “Let it be this way. You can continue being the heir of the Marquis’s mansion, and I will continue being my country boy. I don’t want to leave Grandma, leave my brother, or leave Duoduo.”
Being the heir of a marquis's family always brings so many troubles; it's better to stay in the countryside and enjoy a carefree life.
"Brother, Grandma, will you dislike me?"
Ning Anuo walked to Grandma Ning's side, squatted down, and buried her head in her knees. "Grandma—"
He was actually very worried that his grandmother would dislike him.
When Grandma saw Mingzhi before, the joy on her face seemed genuine.
Will Grandma like Mingzhi more?
“Child, if you continue to stay and be a child of the Ning family, all that wealth and glory will pass you by.”
Grandma Ning said, her voice choked with emotion.
This incident was a big blow to her.
Of course, in a way, she should be the beneficiary, after all, her own grandson took someone else's place and enjoyed so many years of wealth and luxury.
Thinking about this, she felt somewhat sorry for Ning Anuo.
Emotionally, she naturally loved Ning Anuo more. Even though Mingzhi and her son looked alike, so many years of affection couldn't be erased by a face or blood ties.
"I don't need anything, I just want to stay by your side—"
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