Yang Cui told An Xiaohai to go to the free private school in Zhou'an Village on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month to study, and at the very least, he couldn't be completely illiterate.
After saying that, Yang Cui went home.
Regarding whether Gao Xiaoyu should be allowed to join the family, she had said everything she needed to say, and ultimately it was up to the An family to decide.
No one knows what the An family discussed, but they didn't come to see Yang Cui for several days, and Yang Cui also put the matter out of her mind.
Before they knew it, it was the Lantern Festival, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Yang Cui's family was happily eating glutinous rice cakes and sweet dumplings around the table when Qiu Mingxuan, who hadn't been seen for a long time, came over.
More than half a month has passed since I last saw her, and Qiu Mingxuan, who was already thin, has become even thinner, looking like she could be blown away by the wind.
"Brother Cen, sister-in-law." Qiu Mingxuan bowed to Cen and Yang, her sharp edges seemingly smoothed out.
"Why are you here?" Cen Xiao's expression was unreadable.
"Brother Cen, don't be angry. Today is a festival, and I'm here to celebrate and say goodbye."
That's surprising.
"I was ignorant before and caused trouble for Brother Cen and Sister-in-law. I apologize to you." After Qiu Mingxuan finished speaking, she bowed to Yang Cui and Cen Xiao again.
Yang Cui didn't know what Qiu Mingxuan was up to, but since she couldn't find any fault on the surface, Yang Cui naturally had to be as discreet as possible.
Yang Cui smiled and said, "We're all family, there's no need for grudges to last overnight; please sit down. Are you feeling better? When do you plan to set off? Are you feeling alright?"
"Thank you for your concern, sister-in-law. I am feeling much better now and will be setting off the day after tomorrow."
"Your health isn't good. We'll hire a doctor from the clinic to accompany you back to the capital. Don't worry if you feel unwell on the way."
"My sister-in-law is so thoughtful. I'll have someone invite her after we get back to the city."
...
The meal proceeded smoothly and uneventfully.
Qiu Mingxuan didn't stay long; after finishing her meal, she left.
"I thought there would be another cucumber-grabbing frenzy today, but it turned out to be so peaceful," Yang Cui said to Cen Xiao after Qiu Mingxuan left.
"The cucumbers are yours, and no one can take them away. If you're worried, keep a close eye on them every day and feed them well."
Yang Cui glanced at him: "It's not the theft itself that's scary, it's the thief's eye on you. Isn't Xiao Jiang's case a perfect example? So the master needs to be vigilant and self-aware. What's the use of me watching over him if the master isn't self-aware?
But this Qiu Mingxuan really surprised me. In storybooks, villainous female supporting characters would poison the heroine, drug her, find men to ruin her reputation, and so on—all sorts of methods were used. But she just left without doing anything. I feel like my victory was a foregone conclusion!
Cen Xiao slapped Yang Cui on the butt in annoyance: "What nonsense are you talking about? Where did you read those rubbish books? If she really dares to do that to you, I'll throw her into a bandit's den!"
That's how it's written in storybooks.
"Stop reading those rubbish books! Instead of wasting your time, why don't you discuss with your husband how to feed cucumbers..." With that, Cen Xiao leaned in...
——
The sixteenth day of the first lunar month.
The free private school was named First Hope Academy.
Accompanied by Cen Xiao, Yang Cui arrived at the scene at eight o'clock in the morning. The village chiefs of Zhou'an Village, Anjia Village, and Pigeon Village set off firecrackers to celebrate.
Following this, Yang Cui delivered a speech, offering words of encouragement. She also stated that students graduating from this Hope Academy would receive a reward of two taels of silver for passing the preliminary examination, twenty taels for passing the county-level examination, and fifty taels for passing the provincial-level examination. If they achieved first place in all of these examinations, the reward would be doubled!
These words immediately caused an uproar!
The rewards Yang Cui gave were truly generous; basically, as long as they excelled in their studies, they wouldn't face any financial pressure during their imperial examinations.
The Lin family felt a surge of envy, jealousy, and resentment once again.
Around nine o'clock, the teacher and students entered the classroom and began the lesson.
Yang Cui and her husband were surrounded by villagers who showered them with thanks, praising her as a great philanthropist.
When poor, one should cultivate one's own virtue; when successful, one should benefit all under heaven. Yang Cui felt that she hadn't done much. Thinking of modern-day Ms. Han and Principal Gu, what she had done was really nothing.
The eighteenth day of the first lunar month was the day Qiu Mingxuan left, and also the birthday of Kuang Meiyun.
Cen Xiao and Yang Cui took the children to the inn to see Qiu Mingxuan off. Only after Qiu Mingxuan's large group left did Yang Cui take her two daughters to Kuang Meiyun's house for a banquet.
Cen Xiao and Qiuqiu stayed at the Star Gazing Tower to wait for Yang Cui.
Yang Cui hadn't initially planned to bring her children to the banquet, but since the children would be going to the capital later, and Cen Xiao, as a first-rank general, associated with the wealthy and powerful, Yang Cui wanted to take the children out to broaden their horizons and get used to various banquets.
"Madam Cen, you've arrived. This servant is Wanqing. Our mistress instructed me to wait for you here."
"Thank you for your help, Miss Late Qing."
"Madam, you're too kind. Please come in."
Guided by the late Qing dynasty, Yang Cui and her daughters headed straight for the banquet hall.
Yang Cui and her two daughters arrived relatively early, as there were few guests in the hall. Upon seeing Yang Cui, Kuang Meiyun immediately stood up to greet her.
"Madam Cen, I am so sorry for not welcoming you properly with your presence."
"Miss Kuang, you're too kind."
Kwong Mei-wan is 28 years old. After her father passed away, as the second daughter, she single-handedly supported the Kwong family. She remains unmarried to this day and is a strong woman.
"Happy birthday, Aunt Yun." Er Ya and San Ya curtsied to Kuang Meiyun.
"So thoughtful." After saying that, Kuang Meiyun immediately instructed Wanqing, "Go and fetch the pair of white magnolia hairpins from my room."
“Both Miss Yangs are well-educated and beautiful. Madam Cen is very fortunate,” Kuang Meiyun praised.
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