He Zifeng went back and told Qiu Yu what he had said.
Qiu Yu was somewhat tempted, but she was still reluctant to part with her son, who was still young.
He Zifeng gently hugged Qiu Yu and said, "Children will grow up sooner or later." They had originally planned to send him to school, but considering his young age and their limited funds, they decided to wait until he was five. Now that they had this opportunity, they were able to come up with the tuition fees: "We can't let the child keep running this stall with us forever. Ranran is smart and can do math very quickly. We shouldn't let him waste his time."
Qiu Yu said, "I know, but..." He gently rested his head in He Zifeng's arms.
He Zifeng gently patted Qiu Yu's back, comforting him as if he were soothing a child.
This made Qiu Yu feel embarrassed. She said, "Let's ask Ranran."
"Um."
Children adapt very quickly. They've been living here for a while now, and the little guy helps them at their stall during the day and runs around the village playing in the evenings. He loves wildflowers, picking handfuls at a time to decorate his rabbit cage. Just now, he heard his stepfather calling him, answered crisply, and ran back home.
Qiu Yu saw that her son was covered in sweat from running, and the little guy didn't stand on ceremony, snuggling against her and rubbing against her. He secretly wiped the sweat on Qiu Yu's body. When Qiu Yu caught him doing something naughty, he just laughed.
Qiu Yu said, "There are no rules." He raised an eyebrow, and Xiao He Ran dared not do anything more.
When Qiu Yu disciplined her son, she wouldn't let He Zifeng interfere, and He Zifeng admired Qiu Yu quite a bit. After all, he couldn't help but soften when his son looked at him with pleading eyes.
After a while, Qiuyu finally brought her son out. The sun was almost setting outside. The family of three liked to talk in the yard.
Strangely enough, Qiu Yu was very strict with her son, but the son was closest to her, often snuggling up to her cheek and stealing kisses. The son would say in a childish voice that he loved his "little daddy" the most, a sentiment that even Qiu Yu found hard to resist.
They only had this one precious child in the family, and they doted on him. Seeing how close his son was to Qiu Yu, He Zifeng felt a little jealous and picked up the little boy and put him in his arms.
The little guy was so soft and squishy, He Zifeng really wished he could pluck the stars from the sky and give them to him.
He Zifeng asked, "Ranran, do you want to go to school?"
He had barely finished speaking when the little one in his arms forgot to blink.
He Zifeng said, "There are many children over there, you can play together. There are also teachers who talk about the principles of life."
Xiao Heran asked earnestly, "Can I write?"
“Of course,” He Zifeng said, “just like your older brother Dabao.”
Xiao Heran's face showed some interest. He said, "But going to school costs money." He probably heard this a lot when he was at the He family's old house and remembered it.
Qiu Yu came over and gently touched her son's face with her hand, saying, "Now that we have money, Ranran can go to school. Gouzi will go too."
Xiao Heran said, "Then I want to go too." He was sensible early. When he was little, he saw He Dabao and He Erbao talking about going to school, carrying their bamboo baskets and woven book boxes, looking very proud. But if he looked at them for too long, he would be scolded by Xiao Wanshi.
He didn't dare to look too much, but now his father says he can go to school with his schoolbag on his back.
Qiu Yu said, "I can only come home once a month over there, and I won't be able to see my father anymore."
Xiao Heran hesitated again.
He Zifeng said, "Ranran, if you want to go, then go. I'll pick you up from school with your uncle on your day off and cook you something delicious."
Xiao Heran nodded in agreement.
He Zifeng said, "Good boy." Seeing that it was getting late, he put the child to sleep, placing little He Ran inside against the wall. Qiu Yu was in the middle, and He Zifeng was on the edge of the bed.
As her son slept soundly beside her that night, Qiu Yu whispered, "We still have five hundred coins left." These days, the pancakes had sold well, earning about six hundred coins a day, but they had added two ounces to their earnings when they renovated their old house. Right now, they only had five hundred coins. After paying tuition, food expenses, and other necessities, they had about four hundred coins left.
He Zifeng said, "Tomorrow I'll go and find out what kind of person that teacher is. If he's suitable, I'll send the child over there."
Qiu Yu gave a muffled "hmm".
He Zifeng said, "Don't be sad, little birds always have to grow up. I'll stay with you."
Only when Qiu Yu was in He Zifeng's arms and felt the burning heat from his chest could she slightly alleviate his reluctance to part.
The next morning, after selling all his pancakes, He Zifeng packed up his stall and stored everything in the small backyard he rented. All the money he earned that day was in his money box, so he had more money to spare.
Qiu Yu was more thoughtful. She even brought three changes of clothes. It would be impolite to go out and meet people wearing clothes that were still smelling of oil and sauce from working in the morning.
After changing her clothes, Qiuyu took her son for a stroll in the street. They had been setting up their stall here for some time, but this was their first time going out for a walk.
He Zifeng went to the place that Gouzi's father had mentioned. It was a dilapidated house, but the sound of reading could be heard coming from inside.
Just like in the village, there were always some aunties chatting by the roadside. He Zifeng went up to them and asked, "Sister-in-law, how is this private school?"
He Zifeng was very tall and had a righteous air about him, making him instantly likable. Upon hearing what he said, the aunt couldn't stop smiling and said, "My grandson is already ten years old. He shouldn't call me 'sister-in-law' anymore; he should call me 'auntie'!"
The people around him were also very helpful in answering He Zifeng's questions: "If you ask other people, I don't know, but we've watched this Brother Lin grow up since he was a child."
"His scholarship was excellent. He passed the preliminary examination at the age of ten and became a Xiucai at the age of twenty. He could have taken the higher examinations, but his mother was an old man who was always sick, and he simply couldn't afford it. That's why he started a primary school. He said that he couldn't afford to study, but he wanted everyone else to be able to. There was no distinction based on social status; even fishmongers could send their children here."
Scholars have always been aloof and arrogant, while merchants are the lowest in social standing. Many private schools do not accept the sons of merchants, so his acceptance of one is already quite unusual.
If He Zifeng intended to please others, most people wouldn't be able to resist. These aunties saw that He Zifeng was polite, and they were thinking about finding a private school for their son. They even knew to inquire about it. This hands-on approach showed that he was a very responsible father, which naturally made it easy for him to win the favor of the female elders. Before long, He Zifeng had figured out everything.
He then thanked them and left.
After moving to another alley and asking several elderly people sitting at their doorsteps, they all gave similar answers before finally going back.
When they returned, her son was holding a sugar painting of a dragon, his little arm held out the whole time. He handed it to He Zifeng as soon as he saw him. Qiu Yu said, "Here, Ranran was reluctant to eat it, but she wanted to give it to you."
He Zifeng took a bite, and his son was finally satisfied. He sat on the stone bench in the backyard, swinging his legs, and focused on eating the sugar painting.
Qiu Yu's eyes urged her on, wanting to ask He Zifeng how things were going.
He Zifeng summarized what he had heard from elsewhere and told it to Qiu Yu. Even He Zifeng remarked that Master Lin was quite a spirited young man, who had been hailed as a child prodigy since childhood. It was said that he had no intention of getting married. He devoted himself entirely to running the school, planning to enroll thirty students, and more than ten children had already signed up in recent days.
Qiu Yu said, "Then let's go directly." Now that they've decided to go, the only concern is whether they can make it.
He Zifeng thought so too, and after asking Ranran, the little girl agreed. They then bought some fine grains at the rice shop. The grains here were about 20% more expensive than in the village, but they were more convenient. Afterwards, they took these things and knocked on the door of the private school.
The first time I saw this Master Lin, he was only in his early twenties. He had an ordinary appearance but was very refined. When He Zifeng and the others came to become his disciples, he explained the rules: they would have three days off on the 10th of each month, and the rest of the time they would have to study here. The accommodation here was a large dormitory, and the food was ordinary, but there was stewed meat once a month on the 5th. There were also some rules that forbade fighting and emphasized respect for teachers. Anyone who broke these rules would be expelled immediately.
Ranran wasn't shy at all. She said to Teacher Lin, "I won't make any mistakes. I'm very well-behaved." Then she took Teacher Lin's hand.
Even his two fathers were a little surprised by his overly familiar manner.
Lin Fuzi was already tempted by Xiao Heran's pretty and cute appearance, and when the little guy's soft little hand was holding his hand, how could he say no?
Qiu Yu said, "Then I'll leave it to Master Lin!"
Master Lin had the tuition fees collected and instructed them to buy some paper and pens, as well as primers like the Three Character Classic and the Thousand Character Classic.
Qiu Yu and He Zifeng hurriedly went to buy a stack of straw paper, two stacks of large Xuan paper, writing brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, and books. These items alone cost three hundred coins. He only chose mid-range items, not even the best ones. No wonder supporting a scholar is not easy. They went back to give them to the child before leaving.
Although I was mentally prepared, I still felt reluctant to leave when the time came.
Qiu Yu quickly turned and left. He Zifeng gave Ranran a few more instructions, and Ranran's eyes were red: "Don't worry, Daddy."
He Zifeng patted his son's hair before going back inside. Teacher Lin took He Ran's little hand and led him back to his room to study.
As soon as He Zifeng left the private school, Qiu Yu started crying. He Zifeng held her for a while before Qiu Yu gradually stopped crying.
After returning to the village, He Zifeng told Gouzi's father all the information he had gathered. Upon hearing this, Gouzi's father quickly hitched up his cart and sent Gouzi there. Before leaving, He Zifeng also told him to take a cotton quilt from his home with him.
Xiao Heran was popular with the children in the village. Usually, many children would take the initiative to play with him. Today, when they came to play with him, they were told that Xiao Heran had gone to the county school.
These children didn't know what elementary school was, they only knew that they had all gone, and they also clamored to go to elementary school. In no time, everyone in the village knew that He Zifeng had sent his children to school, and this news naturally reached the old He family residence as well.
Upon hearing this, Wan Hai angrily smashed a teacup: "They're deliberately trying to make things difficult for me."
Author's Note: Thank you everyone for your subscriptions, donations, and nutrient solutions. I've opened a giveaway for all subscribers, and the winner will be announced on the 26th.
There will be another update before midnight.
Future updates may consist of two 3,000-word chapters, or two chapters combined into one 6,000-word chapter; these will all be indicated.
Hope you enjoy watching.
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2021-08-18 14:10:17 and 2021-08-20 19:32:15!
Thank you to the little angel who threw the grenade: 1 charcoal;
Thank you to the little angels who threw landmines: Yu Qingchen (2); Fei Niu Fan Bu Hui Jia, Xi Lan, the ladies who confess their love, and Tan (1 each);
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Axi's Loquat Tree in Front of the Door (84 bottles); Cai Xiaobei (29 bottles); 23601781 (28 bottles); Zilan (20 bottles); Youxuan, ~-~, and Pangmiao (10 bottles); Likes Little Bear (9 bottles); 25988263 (7 bottles); Yu Qingchen (6 bottles); Fei (5 bottles); Hua Guiyue (4 bottles); I Want 30 Coins to Buy and Sell, Full Moon Eighteen (3 bottles); Little Lucky, and jwmikkeli (2 bottles).
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
