It had been a long time since Mo Qianshang last mentioned reading to the children.
When she returned that day, she called all the children to the main room.
Qin Heming came in first, then sat down in a row with his younger siblings: "Mother, what do you want from us?"
Mo Qianshang smiled and looked at them: "That's right. I think that now that the family's life is better and my affairs are more stable, the older ones, like Heming, you've already passed the age of enlightenment, and the second and third brothers are the same. They shouldn't just stay at home all day like this."
Qin Qingyu interjected, "But Mother, it's good enough that I'm following you up the mountain to collect and identify medicinal herbs now."
Mo Qianshang glared at him, feigning anger: "Even if you like these things, does studying medicine mean you don't need to read and write? Identifying herbs is a skill, but reading and writing are your duty, do you understand?"
Qin Baiyi listened in the courtyard. He had heard many people urge him to study, but Mo Qianshang said that reading and learning to read were his duty. Didn't she know that the vast majority of people couldn't afford to study?
Mo Qianshang had no idea what Qin Baiyi outside was thinking, otherwise she would definitely want to slap all her textbooks from nine years of compulsory education in his face.
Illiteracy is intolerable!
The children fell silent. Although they were not very old, they had experienced many ups and downs and were more mature than their peers, especially the eldest, Qin Heming. He couldn't possibly disagree with Mo Qianshang's suggestion.
He even had his own considerations: "But Mother, there are so many things to do at home now. Although I am young, I can still run errands for you. If Qingyu, Zixuan, and I all go to school, only Xiaoyun and Qianya will be left at home. Qianya is still young, and Aunt Yao will have to take care of her. How can you manage?"
It has to be said that Qin Heming is very good-looking. Perhaps because he has many younger siblings, he looks like a big brother, and sometimes even makes Mo Qianshang forget that he is just a seven-year-old child.
But a child is still a child. Mo Qianshang could tell at a glance that although he said that, there was hesitation in his eyes. He obviously still wanted to go to school.
Mo Qianshang said, "You children don't need to worry about things at home. There are so many people on this mountain, and there are also people from Dongshan Village. I have money in my hands now. If we really need help, do you think we're the only one who needs your help?"
Although she wasn't very old, her tone was earnest: "But studying is different. Others can do the housework, but no one can study for you. As long as you go, study hard. It's not necessarily for the sake of passing the imperial examinations and becoming an official, but to understand things and broaden your horizons."
"Even if you don't learn it well, no matter what you do in the future, you can't not learn to read. Otherwise, even if you want to study medicine, you won't be able to understand medical books, so you'll be taking a detour, right?"
Qin Heming understood what Mo Qianshang was saying, but he still hesitated: "But Mother, if we all go, what if something happens to the family..."
Mo Qianshang immediately reached out and flicked his forehead: "Can't you say something auspicious? Not to mention that your mother specially built a high walled compound, even if something happens, you little kids can help at home, right? You should study hard, and when you become successful and upright men, you will be able to protect the people you want to protect."
Qin Heming was completely speechless.
The brothers looked at each other and all agreed to go to school in the county town.
Speaking of this, Mo Qianshang remembered something else and called out to Qin Baiyi.
As Qin Baiyi entered, Mo Qianshang said, "By the way, I've been thinking about it again these past few days, and I think it's still worthwhile to buy a house in the county town."
Qin Baiyi poured himself a cup of tea: "What are you thinking?"
“Even if the schoolhouse has accommodations, the food and lodging are definitely not as good as at home. It’s not good to keep the children locked up in the academy all the time. It would be better to let Sister Yao take the girls to the county town so they can eat whatever they want.”
"Besides, if we buy a bigger courtyard, it's not like I can't use it. For example, with Mengji's place, we have to come all the way to Qingping Mountain every time we pick something up. It's fine now, but in winter, we have to go all the way to the county town just to see the children, and it takes a long time for the children to come back. Everyone suffers."
Mo Qianshang currently has a thousand taels of silver, several hundred of which are from jade she mined on her mountain, which was taken away by Master Wen. After deducting the food and wages paid to the people of Dongshan Village, she still has this much left.
However, if she buys a house, the renovations will likely cost her a fortune, and then she'll just have to wait for the potatoes to sell so she can earn some money.
Qin Baiyi felt that Mo Qianshang made sense. He thought it was okay for boys to suffer a little, but since Mo Qianshang cared about the children, he didn't want to go against her.
Once the decision was made, Mo Qianshang took the children to the county town on a chosen day; it was a family trip.
She had never bought a house in the county town and wasn't very familiar with these things, but at least she knew Meng Zhuo in the county town. Meng Zhuo's family had lived here for generations and knew everything about the county town.
As soon as she arrived at Mengji Pastry Shop, before she even entered, she saw customers coming and going, indicating that the situation was much better than when she first came.
As Mo Qianshang walked in, Madam Meng immediately saw her and quickly greeted her, "What brings you here, Sister Mo? Come on, find a place to sit down, I have some snacks for you!"
"Sister Meng, don't bother. We're all family, no need to be so polite." Mo Qianshang said, but she couldn't stop Madam Meng's enthusiasm. Mainly, she had brought such a large group of children, and it would be impolite not to entertain them.
After seeing the guests off, Meng Zhuo came over with a smile and said, "Let her keep busy. It's always us who come to your residence, and it's rare for you to come."
Mo Qianshang felt that Meng Zhuo seemed less wooden than before: "Boss Meng, what are you saying? Your store's business is getting better and better, so I wouldn't dare to bother you easily. The reason I came here today is because I have something to ask you."
Mo Qianshang told Meng Zhuo about the children coming to the county town to study and needing to find a house. Meng Zhuo scratched his head thoughtfully and said, "Well, I really don't know anyone who sells houses. I'm afraid we'll have to go to a real estate agency for this."
As they were talking, Madam Meng came over and put down the tray she was carrying: "Buying a house? What a coincidence! I actually overheard a customer talking about selling a house the other day."
Seeing that Mo Qianshang was interested, she sat down and continued, "This regular customer is the owner of a pawnshop on our street. He lives separately from his elderly parents, but now they want to go back to their hometown to retire and live with their other sons instead of him. So they asked him to sell the house, and he also wants to open a new shop!"
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