"He'er, these are eggs laid by our chickens. Now that you are pregnant, you should eat more tonic food every day."
Xu He took a look at the eggs covered with sackcloth in the basket. It's not that he looked down on eggs. It's just that after she became pregnant, her fourth uncle's family sent her some eggs, and even Zhang Fangyuan's stingy uncle sent her some eggs. So the family had saved a lot of eggs.
He couldn't even finish eating one every day.
"Second sister, is there anything you want to do?"
Xu He still took the egg. If the visitor didn’t want anything, then he wouldn’t know what to say next.
Xu Shaochun was a little embarrassed. He looked around at the Zhang family and put his hands on his knees. "It's okay. I just came to see you because you are pregnant. I heard from mother that you and Zhang Fangyuan are doing well in business. You have both taught your fourth cousin Chen to be your apprentice."
"Second sister is not bad, too. People in the village say that you have become much more capable." Xu He looked straight at Xu Shaochun. Compared to the last time he saw his second sister at Xu's house, this person was much darker today. Her once watery face now had a yellow tinge. She had shed her former bright and fancy attire and wore a simple bun and a common blue cloth coat. At first glance, she was not much different from an ordinary village woman.
Xu Shaochun's bone structure was not actually very good, but in this era when a fair complexion could hide any ugliness, when she was a girl she was well taken care of at home and had a plump figure, and naturally hundreds of families were vying for her. Now, under the wear and tear of hard life, she has gradually lost the advantage of being a well-raised girl, and her appearance is not as good as before.
The girls and boys in this village are all dependent on their families for support.
It must be because life in her husband's family is not easy. Xu Shaochun, who loves beauty so much, no longer likes to dress up. But Xu He didn't know whether it was Fei's mother who didn't allow him to dress up, or whether she was too busy with farm work to devote herself to dressing up.
Xu Shaochun laughed dryly when she heard this. The words sounded like a compliment, but also like sarcasm. However, she did not care. After all, she had heard many unpleasant words in the Fei family, and she was no longer the girl who would cry and scream at the slightest injustice.
"Have some tea." Xu He pushed the tea bowl towards Xu Shaochun: "This is Maojian tea from the tea farm."
Xu Shaochun wanted to speak several times, but in the end he didn't say anything. He picked up the teacup and drank the tea first.
Xu He saw that she was hesitant to speak, and knew that she had something to say, so he didn't bother to beat around the bush with her: "Second sister, you came here today for something important, right?"
Having said that, Xu Shaochun felt that it would be even more difficult to speak if he didn't say anything more: "I want to borrow some money from you, my brother."
Xu Shaochun's voice was a little low. In fact, Xu He had a rough idea in his mind when he saw people coming. When paying taxes before, a lot of people came to borrow money. He and Zhang Fangyuan learned how to refuse. But he still asked, "I don't know what you want to borrow money for, my brother-in-law is a scholar, he gets paid every month, I think his life should be much better than those of ordinary people like us."
Xu Shaochun blushed, "With so many people in the family, we really can't afford the expenses. We could have gotten by with a tight budget, but your brother-in-law no longer goes to the academy in the city. He plans to find a way to make a living and open a private school in the village."
Xu He was slightly surprised when he heard this.
"My dear brother, your child will be born next year. Wouldn't it be convenient to send him to a private school? You and I have never read or written, and we have suffered so much. We must not let our children live the same hard life as we did."
Xu He was somewhat moved and said, "Second sister, I can't make the decision on this matter. Let me ask Zhang Fangyuan first."
Xu Heshaochun wanted to say a few more words, but it was obviously his first time to borrow money and he was not very experienced. Moreover, thinking of Zhang Fangyuan's fierce look, he did not dare to say much. He had to take back what he was saying excitedly and leaned slightly towards Xu He and nodded.
"I'll go ask him if he has any spare money. He's always in charge of the family affairs, so I can't interfere."
After saying that, Xu He went to the backyard.
Zhang Fangyuan was brushing Xiao Hei's hair and bathing him. The strong horse padded his hooves from time to time, obviously feeling comfortable. Zhang Fangyuan didn't listen to the conversation between the siblings. He looked at Xu He and asked, "Are you leaving?"
"No, I came to borrow money."
Zhang Fangyuan took back the brush and looked at Xu He: "Do you want to lend it to her?"
Without waiting for anyone to answer, he smiled and said, "If you want to borrow it, just borrow it. The money is with you anyway, so you decide."
Xu He's mouth twitched slightly. He was very happy that Zhang Fangyuan trusted him.
"My second sister said that Fei Lian wanted to open a private school in the village. I guess the preparations would cost some money."
Zhang Fangyuan became interested after hearing this: "Fei Lian is so self-righteous that he is willing to return to the village to build a village school. It's not easy. In our village, there is no teacher in the school, no doctor in the clinic, the children can't read, they can't read, and when they are sick or injured, there is only a poorly trained herbalist. We have to go to the city to invite a doctor every time. It's really sad."
"Regardless of the relationship between our family and the Fei family, it is a good thing that Fei Lian is willing to open a private school. Lending some money to start the school is also a good deed."
Xu He nodded, he thought so too.
For example, he and his second sister had never been to school since childhood and could not even read a single word. Unlike other villages, where there was a private school, people in the village could eavesdrop outside the window while cutting grass. Anyone who was eager to study could recognize a few words and would not be as annoyed as them.
For this reason, even though he didn't want to lend money to Xu Shaochun, he was still tempted because it would be good for the whole village.
Zhang Fangyuan thought for a moment and said, "But if we want to build a village school, the villagers will definitely help build the house when they know about it. If we have to spend money, it will only be spent on buying books and some other miscellaneous expenses. Don't lend too much. Just give her one thousand coins."
Xu He responded.
Xu Shaochun was very happy to get the money. She didn't expect the Zhang family to be so generous and give her one thousand coins at a time. In this way, she didn't have to run around at home and borrow money from her uncles and aunts. Holding the money makes me happy but also sad.
Xu He sent her to the gate of the yard. She walked a few steps away and turned back to look at Xu He again.
The villagers were right about what they said. He Ge'er had become more handsome. She had a slender and tall figure, a rosy complexion and bright eyes. Zhang Fangyuan loved him and he lived a good life. There were few people in the village who had a fate like him.
Thinking back to when she was still a girl at home, she looked down on this dusty young man. How could she, who had always been strong-willed, bow down and borrow money from He Ge'er? Life is full of ups and downs. If the earth had not yet buried us, we would really have no idea who is good and who is bad.
She withdrew her gaze. If she had married into this family in the first place, would her situation not be like this? Or if she had not coveted a scholar and chosen an ordinary man with a gentle mother-in-law, would her life have been much easier?
There is everything in this world, but unfortunately there is no if.
"Why did you take so long to come back?"
As soon as Xu Shaochun arrived at his yard, Fei's mother, who was washing rice, complained, as if she was afraid that he would run out and be lazy.
"Mother-in-law, we are going to borrow money, how can it be done so quickly?"
Mother Fei snorted, but did not refute it again. She asked again: "But did you borrow it?"
Xu Shaochun took out the money. Seeing the silver, Fei's mother breathed a sigh of relief: "At least the trip was not in vain. The Zhang family is really generous in doing business. Now I can use the money to pay off Lian'er's foreign debt."
"Where did you borrow the money?"
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were talking when suddenly a harsh voice was heard. They subconsciously turned around and saw Fei Lian standing at the door without them knowing when.
Xu Shaochun was originally dissatisfied with Fei Lian for treating people to dinner in order to save face in the city. He owed foreign debts and had no choice but to come back to ask for money. Since he had the nerve to borrow, he did not feel ashamed to borrow money from relatives to pay off his debts.
She said directly: "Who else can I borrow it from? My family."
"Did you go to borrow money from Xu He?!" Fei Lian usually speaks in a gentle and polite manner and rarely speaks loudly, but he suddenly shouted in a questioning tone, which not only scared Xu Shaochun, but also Fei's mother.
"My mother's family doesn't have any extra money. Hege'er's husband's family is a business, and they are the only ones with money. Who else can I borrow from except him?"
Xu Shaochun's original intention of saying this was to let the Fei family not look down on their Xu family, because they were also living a good life and had money to spend. Unexpectedly, this made Fei Lian even angrier: "You can borrow from anyone but not from them. You have completely disgraced the Fei family!"
Hearing this reprimand, Xu Shaochun felt angry and wronged: "You are too embarrassed to go to a bank to borrow money, but you think it's shameful to borrow money here!"
Seeing that the situation was not good, Mother Fei quickly grabbed Xu Shaochun and said, "Stop talking. Forget it, forget it. We'll have fried meat tonight. Go pick some celery from the fields."
Xu Shaochun's eyes turned red with anger: "Mother-in-law, why are you pretending to be a good person here? Didn't you ask me to go to He Ge'er's house to borrow money? Otherwise, would I be so shameless as to go to Zhang's house?"
Mother Fei's face darkened.
"Mom! How can you do this? You clearly know..." Fei Lian angrily shook his sleeves and said, "Give the money back!"
It would have been an easy time to borrow money, but this year the rice seedlings had fallen, and every household was struggling to make ends meet. Even if she ran around visiting all her uncles and aunts, she might only be able to borrow a thousand coins. Moreover, she had often boasted in front of her relatives about her son passing the imperial examination. If she went on to borrow money now, even if someone was willing to lend her the money, she would definitely be laughed at.
She has a strong temper and would never agree to that.
"Son, the bank is charging interest every day. Can we pay the money back first? Life is not going well for our family these days."
Fei Lian was in pain and full of regret.
In the past, scholars like him who came from a poor family were unknown and ignored in the academy. But after he passed the imperial examination, he was suddenly sought after. For a time, he could not resist such a sugar-coated bullet. He made friends with scholars from wealthy families in the city and followed them around to broaden his horizons. He was embarrassed to accept hospitality all the time, so he thought about returning the favor. As a result, he ended up owing money to the bank without realizing it.
It was not a lot. After borrowing 3,000 coins from the money shop, he came to his senses in time and told his family. He knew that he could no longer concentrate on studying in the academy, so he prepared to find a job to pay back the money and support his family.
He had evil intentions back then, thinking about making Heger regret not choosing him. His momentary recklessness actually led to disaster. Now his family went to the Zhang family to borrow money. Shaochun did not tell the Zhang family the reason, but once he asked for money, wouldn't it make people know about the family's difficulties?
He felt like there were ants crawling in his heart.
Xu Shaochun didn't understand why, she just felt that her husband valued his reputation too much. She was also a person who valued her reputation very much in the beginning, so what kind of dignity did she have after marrying into this family? She said, "I have already borrowed it, and if I pay it back now, it will only make people suspicious and laugh at me."
Mother Fei also responded: "Yes, Lian'er, the money has been borrowed back. No matter what excuse you give it back, people will think too much. Mother has already told the village chief about the village school. The village chief is very happy and will soon gather people to repair the village school. By then, everyone in the village will respect our family."
Fei Lian shook his head, sighed, turned around and went back to the house.
The news that the Fei family was going to open a private school in the village soon spread. After the busy farming season, the young and strong men in the family were still idle, so the village chief called on everyone to go to Gongshan to cut trees and bring back to build the village school. With so many people working together, the work went quickly and the foundation was laid in one day.
There are many families with children in the village, and they are all considering sending their children to the village school. I don't ask for passing the imperial examination to become a scholar like Fei Lian, but it would be great if I could learn to read and write, so that I won't be completely in the dark when I go out into the world, and I can also write letters to my family.
Everyone was planning to send their younger sons who were still unable to work to school, and they went to the Fei family several times to inquire about the situation and ask the teacher how much the tuition would be. When they heard that it would cost two hundred coins for half a year, many enthusiastic villagers were a little hesitant, but there were still some determined people who gritted their teeth and prepared the tuition fee.
Zhang Shicheng thought that Xiaomao was the only child in the family and he didn't expect him to do much work at home. Anyway, the village school was not like the academies in the city that only accepted boys, so he prepared money to send Xiaomao to study. Xu He thought that Xiao'e lived in their home, so even if she was a girl, she could be sent to school and Xiaomao could keep her company.
Zhang Shiyue was very happy that his daughter was going to school, and he planned to save a little more and use some of Xu Hekai's salary to pay Xiao'e's tuition. In the end, she was the one who took too much trouble. The Fei family came to borrow money, and they still had some conscience. Knowing that Zhang Shiyue and her daughter lived in Zhang Fangyuan's house, Fei's mother decided not to charge the girl's tuition, just as a thank you and to save Fei Lian's face.
Zhang Fangyuan and Xu He did not refuse either.
At the end of autumn, the village private school officially started classes. The Fei family recruited more than 20 students. Children of different heights and ages gathered together. For the first time in many years since the village was built, the sound of children reading could be heard.
The Fei family received a large amount of tuition fees and many gifts, and their home became well-off in a short time. Under Fei Lian's repeated urging, Xu Shaochun went to Zhang's house to repay the money.
Xu He leaned back in the rocking chair at home, protecting her belly and muttering, "We have a private school in our village now."
Zhang Fangyuan came back from Carpenter He's house, and seeing his wife basking in the late autumn sun, he said with a smile, "It's time to open a shop in the city."
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