The terrifying dream woke Zhou Sui up early; she dared not sleep, fearing that Song Qi'an in her dream might say something frightening again.
Zhou Sui has already taught Li Qiuju how to make popcorn, so now she only needs to prepare the ingredients for her stall every day.
"Sis, how about I go with you? The first period in the morning is self-study, it's okay if I don't go." Zhou Xu had already packed his schoolbag and luggage, but he was still a little worried that Zhou Sui could carry so much stuff.
Zhou Sui stood up and straightened his collar. Zhou Xu was wearing new clothes that she had just bought a couple of days ago. She had to admit that her younger brother was quite handsome.
Unlike Song Qi'an's aggressive demeanor, Zhou Xu has a roguish charm because he has a pair of captivating eyes, especially when he smiles, those eyes seem to be alluring.
"Don't worry about it, I'll go with Mom and the others later."
"Remember what you promised me: study hard at school, try to get into a university, and give yourself more options."
Zhou Xu snapped his legs together and saluted. "Rest assured, sir, I guarantee the mission will be accomplished."
The boy's voice was clear and loud, and Zhou Sui couldn't help but laugh.
"Oh, right, sister." Zhou Xu's voice was a little softer, "When I brought breakfast to Grandma this morning, I heard Second Aunt scolding Xiaoyu again, and Xiaoyu even cried."
"Sister, why don't you try to persuade Xiaoyu too? What else can she do if she doesn't go to school?"
“I told her yesterday and she just left. You have a good relationship with her, so maybe she'll listen to you.”
“There was a girl in my class who didn’t study. She went home and was married off to a widowed man. I heard that he had a very hard life.”
When Zhou Xu remembered, his face was solemn, indicating that he had taken Zhou Sui's words to heart.
"I'll go take a look later."
"Alright, you should hurry up and go, or you'll be late." With that, Zhou Sui took out the money she had prepared beforehand from her pocket.
"Sister, Mom has already given me my living expenses." Zhou Xu kept his hands in his pockets and didn't take them out.
"This isn't living expenses; it's your share of the business you've done these past two days." Zhou Sui didn't wait for him to refuse, stuffing the money into his backpack and pushing him out.
"I don't want it. You covered all the costs, how can I take the money? Besides, you bought me clothes and shoes, so I'm making a profit."
Zhou Xu was still rambling on when Zhou Sui pushed him out forcefully and slammed the door shut. "Hurry up and go, stop talking nonsense."
Li Qiuju gave him living expenses and pocket money; how he spent it was entirely up to Zhou Xu.
Just a short while after the door was closed, Zhou Sui heard Zhang Cui's loud shout.
"Get out of here! You can't read a book or do anything all day, what are you doing at home?"
“Fine, I’ll go. You think you’re the only one who can make money selling clothes? I can too, and I can support myself.” Another voice said, its tone trembling with tears.
Hearing the commotion, Li Qiuju came out of the house. "Your second aunt is scolding Xiaoyu again."
Zhou Sui's lips twitched; it sounded like this was about to escalate into a mutual insult.
When he pushed open the door, he saw that Zhou Yu had already walked a few steps away with a bag, but Zhou Peng stopped her from leaving.
Zhang Cui stood at the door cursing, "Let her go. I'll see how much she's worth and whether she can support herself. I'll wait and see how she survives."
"Mom, just shut up." Zhou Peng was at his wit's end. He had just managed to persuade her to stop when Zhang Cui started yelling at him. Zhou Yu, like a bull throwing a tantrum, was about to rush outside.
A crowd of onlookers had already gathered around, and some were even adding fuel to the fire, saying, "Zhou Yu, you really don't know any better."
“Listen to your mother and stay home. You’re not young anymore. It’s about time you found someone to marry. Then your mother won’t have to support you anymore.”
"Sister-in-law Zhou, am I right?"
Zhou Sui looked up and saw that the person speaking was Ma Ruonan, who was known in the village for favoring sons over daughters. Zhao Xiaoqing was her daughter.
Zhang Cui, who had been leaning against the door frame, immediately stood up straight upon hearing this. "Ma Ruonan, are you out of your mind to get married? My daughter is only a few years old. Don't you think before you speak?"
She has the right to say whatever she wants about her daughter; no outsiders are allowed to say a word.
As more and more people gathered, Zhou Sui lowered her head and said to Li Qiuju, "Mom, go and take Second Aunt back inside, so people won't laugh at us."
She tried to pull Zhou Yu in, but Zhou Yu stubbornly refused to come inside.
Zhou Peng snatched the luggage from her hands and put it in Zhou Sui's hands. Then he picked Zhou Yu up by the waist and carried her home despite her struggles.
If only this had been done earlier! Zhou Sui hurriedly followed him inside, closing the courtyard gate to block the onlookers' view of the commotion.
The mother and daughter inside stared at each other, neither willing to back down.
Looking at the old man and the young man, Zhou Sui saw that one was in the midst of his rebellious youth, while the other was already short-tempered, and with menopause on top of that, things were simply out of control.
In the end, Zhou Yuxian was defeated, and she suddenly burst into tears.
“I told you long ago that I’m not cut out for studying. I should have saved that money to buy my older brother a good job, but you wouldn’t listen and insisted that I go to school.”
"You blame me again for not getting a high score, saying I wasted your money."
"I can't not study, but I can't study either. What am I supposed to do?"
"I listened in class and did the homework assigned by the teacher. What can I do if I'm not as smart as others?"
"If you complain that I eat at home because I don't study, then I'll go out and work. I won't be at home and will be in your way, okay?"
Zhou Yu cried and shouted, almost unable to breathe. Zhou Sui gently patted her back and handed her a tissue.
Zhang Cui was also furious. Pointing at Zhou Yu, she said to Li Qiuju, "Sister-in-law, look at this brat, how can I not scold her?"
"Am I making you study to harm you? Are you studying for my sake?"
“When I was your age, I couldn’t go to school. I couldn’t read a single word and was completely clueless. You have no idea how hard it is to be illiterate.”
“Sui Sui, tell her, am I hurting her?” Zhou Sui, who was suddenly called out, was taken aback.
In reality, neither side is right or wrong in this matter. Zhang Cui has been through it all and wants her child to study more so that he doesn't end up like her.
But some people are just not cut out for studying, like Zhou Yu.
"Second Aunt, let me ask you, do you want Xiaoyu to study or go out to work?" Zhou Sui asked.
"Work? Who would hire someone like her?"
Okay, I understand. Zhou Sui pulled Zhou Yu aside and said, "Xiao Yu, tell me the truth, do you really not want to study?"
Zhou Yu wiped away her tears, looking aggrieved. "Sister, I've been studying really hard. I got 40 points on my math midterm and 60 points on the final."
“My teachers all say I’ve improved, but my mom says I can’t even get a passing grade and that I’m embarrassing her.”
Having said all that, what else could Zhou Sui not understand?
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