Qiu Mingxuan's plan to force Cen Xiao to stop her from going on a hunger strike and refusing to take medicine failed. After being forced to take medicine twice by Dao Baqiang, she finally behaved herself.
However, her health was already poor, and this time she went too far, which made her health even worse.
Therefore, he could only stay in the inn and never left his room again.
The guesthouse is usually closed during the Chinese New Year, but they offered a lot of money, so the guesthouse owner was happy and all the staff stayed on duty to serve them.
Before they knew it, it was the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, the day Wang Xicai went to Zhou'an Village to propose marriage.
Chen Suyun thought Zhou Xiaoyun was a good match, and Wang Xicai had no objections. In addition, both of them were at the age to discuss marriage, so they had set a date some time ago for today to present their betrothal gifts.
Since it was Yang Cui who came to ask the question, she became the matchmaker, and she has to be there today for the betrothal ceremony.
Neither family was wealthy, so the betrothal gifts were simple. Chen Sumei prepared 66 catties of millet and 68 copper coins, which was actually quite good in the countryside.
Zhou Xiaoyun had no parents; everything was handled by Zhou Daqing and his wife, Zhou Zhuoshi.
After having a meal at the Zhou family's house, the two families exchanged birth dates and tokens, thus finalizing the marriage agreement.
However, Zhou Xiaoyun was still young, and would only turn thirteen in another month, so the two families set the wedding date for the twenty-second day of the first month of the year after next.
It's said to be the year after next, but it's only been a year since then, after all, today is already the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month.
After the two families agreed to the engagement, the Zhou family and Chen Sumei each gave Yang Cui a red envelope as a matchmaker's gift.
The money wasn't much, but it was a token of courtesy, and Yang Cui happily accepted it.
"Grandpa Zhou, on this auspicious day, I have something to tell you," Yang Cui said.
"What's up?"
Zhou Zhuoshi laughed and said, "I think it's probably a great thing."
"I plan to open a private school, free of charge."
"What did you say?" Zhou Daqing stared at Yang Cui in shock. "Xiaocui, what do you mean by 'free'?"
"It means there are no fees. We will also provide books, writing materials, but only for the children of our rice noodle factory workers. It is currently in the trial phase, and there are only two teachers. Each worker's family can only have one spot, and the spot cannot be transferred. We will only teach them to read and write, which is equivalent to just starting out."
"That's incredible!" Zhou Daqing exclaimed excitedly.
In Zhou'an Village, almost every household has someone working at the rice noodle factory, which means that at least one child from each Zhou family can go to school!
Zhou Daqing was extremely excited!
It's hard to believe that such good fortune has befallen them.
Yang Cui provided the writing materials (pens, ink, paper, and inkstone) and didn't charge any fees. Even though it was just for the children's early education, it actually saved each child several taels of silver.
Now, the Zhou family is making more and more money by raising chickens, ducks, and pigs, and working in a rice noodle factory. If this trend continues, as long as their child is smart and hardworking, they won't have to worry about not being able to afford to send him to school.
The Zhou family has many children, and surely some of them are intelligent. In ten years, they will definitely produce a few scholars and even a top scholar.
Zhou Daqing thought about many things, and the more he thought about it, the more excited he became.
She was speaking incoherently: "Xiao Cui, you...you..."
"Grandpa Zhou, please don't get so excited. To be honest, I have my own selfish reasons. I need help with my business, and some positions require people who can write and calculate. That's why I started the private school. Of course, it would be even better if the children could excel in their studies and pass the imperial examinations. I would consider this my contribution to the country's education."
"Haha, you're quite the talker, but Grandpa still wants to thank you. The one who benefits the most from what you've done is actually our Zhou family."
After Zhou Daqing finished speaking, he stood up and bowed solemnly to Yang Cui.
Yang Cui quickly stood up and offered a helping hand: "What are you doing?"
"We, the Zhou clan, thank you."
Zhou Zhuoshi understood Yang Cui's underlying meaning and asked, "Xiaocui, from what you're saying, if the children can't make a living through education, you'll put them to work in your factory?"
"That's not necessarily true, but if someone has good character and is literate, I would give them priority if I were to hire them."
Yang Cui said it was uncertain, but the Zhou family elders thought it was certain, otherwise Yang Cui would have no reason to run a private school.
“I’ve decided to vacate this house in Zhou’an Village to use as a private school. Since the school is right under your nose, I’ll need you to keep an eye on it from time to time, mainly to keep an eye on them and prevent them from causing trouble,” Yang Cui added.
When Yang Cui said "over there," everyone present understood that she was referring to the Lin family.
Life in Zhou'an Village is thriving now. Every household has bought a lot of New Year's goods, which is in stark contrast to the life of the Lin family. They have long been envious. The news of free education will definitely stimulate them even more, and it is hard to guarantee that they will not do something bad out of jealousy.
Zhou Zhuoshi said angrily, "Hmph! If those bastards dare to cause trouble, our Zhou clan will not be trifled with!"
"That's right! Not only will our Zhou clan object, but the people of Pigeon Village and Anjia Village will definitely object too. I just don't believe that the Lin clan is so powerful that they would dare to offend so many of us!"
The free reading program benefits not only people with the surname Zhou, but also people with the surnames An and Yan (most people in Pigeon Village have the surname Yan), which is equivalent to three families!
If the Lin family causes trouble, it will harm the interests of all three families, and I believe the other two families will not stand idly by.
"I'm not afraid of their open attacks, but I'm afraid of their underhanded tactics. In short, you'll have to be careful when the time comes."
"Don't worry, we'll definitely keep an eye on it." Since it concerns the future of the Zhou family, Zhou Daqing will care more than anyone else.
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