Leaving the Confucius Academy.
Chen Qingqing asked Liu Laohan to wait for her on the street in Qingshui Town.
She planned to visit her older brother, Chen Feng.
Walking down the street, Lin was sullen. Chen Qingqing knew she was worried about Chen Han, so she smiled and comforted her.
“Mother, Xiaohan has grown up. For his future success, you should let go when the time comes. You can’t let him be trapped in Nanshan Village for the rest of his life, an illiterate man who toils in the fields.”
Hearing her words, Madam Lin's brows relaxed slightly, and she sighed softly, "How could I not know this? It's just that Xiao Han is only eight years old and has to live alone outside. I can't help but worry about him."
Chen Qingqing took Lin's arm and smiled, "Mother, don't worry. Xiao Han likes to read. No matter what he becomes in the future, it's always good to be able to read and write. Besides, he's smart and eager to learn. I believe he will definitely achieve something in the future."
These days she's been teaching Chen Han some basic knowledge, and to her surprise, the boy learns it all so quickly and understands it instantly.
He's a complete prodigy. If he doesn't get misled by bad people and focuses on his studies, he'll definitely have a bright future.
Madam Lin patted Chen Qingqing's hand and smiled, "Mother is alright, let's go, let's go see your older brother and give him the clothes while we're at it."
Qingshui Restaurant.
Chen Feng did the odd jobs in the kitchen day after day, but he never forgot his original aspiration. Whenever he had free time, he would secretly observe the cooking techniques of the master chefs.
He would silently remember which seasonings were used.
At this moment, Chen Feng was rolling up his sleeves and squatting on the ground, rubbing a large ladle.
He first wiped it with coarse furnace ash, then scrubbed it with fine sand.
The process isn't complete until the large wok is slicked back until it shines, then rinsed thoroughly with clean water.
Chen Feng was exhausted and covered in sweat, so he didn't notice Chen Qingqing and Lin Shi walking over.
Chen Qingqing looked at the dozen or so large iron ladles on the ground waiting to be cleaned up and couldn't help but feel a little sorry for them.
You have to understand, this job of scraping spoons is dirty, tiring, and tedious. It involves the same posture and the same movements over and over again, and nobody would be willing to do it if the pay wasn't high enough.
With a look of heartache, she softly called out, "Big Brother,"
Madam Lin's voice was also choked with emotion, "Feng'er, Mother has come to see you."
Hearing the familiar voices, Chen Feng suddenly looked up and saw Lin Shi and Chen Qingqing standing in front of him. He looked incredulous and asked, "Mother, little sister? What brings you here?"
Lin had not seen her eldest son, Chen Feng, for more than half a year, and she felt sad and guilty at the moment.
Other people's children are already married by this age, but his child is suffering and working odd jobs outside.
Her eyes reddened with self-reproach. It was her incompetence as a mother that caused her eldest son to suffer this hardship.
Madam Lin wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with her sleeve. "Feng'er, you look even thinner than you did during the New Year. Is this work too tiring?"
Fearing that Lin would worry, Chen Feng lied and said, "Mother, Manager Wu is very good to me. There is food and lodging here, and the work is not tiring at all. It's just that I can eat a lot but I don't gain weight."
"Mother knows you're trying to comfort me. It's not like being at home when you're learning a trade all by yourself. You must take good care of yourself."
"Mom, don't worry, your son isn't a three-year-old child. He can take good care of himself."
"Okay, that's good." Lin's eyes reddened as she spoke.
Chen Qingqing frowned as she looked at Chen Feng, whose face was covered in dust. "Big brother, it's not mealtime yet, why are you still working?"
Chen Feng smiled and said, "These spatulas will be used soon, so I took advantage of the free time to clean the large spatulas that I didn't have time to wash last night."
"You're not doing all this work by yourself, are you?"
Chen Feng said nonchalantly, "This little bit of work is nothing. I can finish it in a little while. Besides, I get used to doing this at least a hundred or two hundred times a day."
"What, you rub against me a hundred times a day? Wu Shiren is treating you like a slave."
"No, Manager Wu has been very kind to me." Chen Feng said, scratching his head and looking around. "By the way, you haven't said what you're here in town for. Where are Dad and Xiao Han?"
Lin continued, "Your father went to the docks to find work, and Xiaohan went to study at the Confucius Academy."
As she spoke, she handed the package in her hand to Chen Feng, saying, "This is cotton cloth that your little sister bought. Mother made two sets of clothes for you. Keep them to change into."
Chen Feng was taken aback, then frowned. To be honest, he disliked scholars.
If the Chen family hadn't been supporting Chen Zhancai's education, they wouldn't have been so poor.
He won't be forced to stay at home any longer.
He came out to become an apprentice in order to get rid of the Chen Zhancai family, who were like bloodsuckers.
I thought that after separating from the old family home and severing ties, things would definitely get better for our family.
But he never expected that his parents would send Chen Han to school.
Although Chen Feng was dissatisfied, he tried his best to keep his tone calm.
"Mother, let's sell these clothes. After all, Xiaohan's schooling in town is quite expensive. We should save this spare money for his tuition!"
Chen Qingqing could tell he was unhappy and understood that Chen Feng had a misunderstanding about studying. All of this stemmed from the deep psychological trauma caused to him by Chen Zhancai's greed.
Changing his views on reading will probably not be easy in a short time.
Chen Qingqing patiently said, "Brother, although studying costs money, it can make people wise and prevent everyone from being as greedy and insatiable as Chen Zhancai."
Our Xiaohan will know what's good for him. If he's past the age of going to school and still hasn't accomplished anything, then we'll just stop him from studying.
Now that he has this idea, let's support him.
After all, studying isn't just about achieving fame and fortune; learning more knowledge will benefit you in whatever you do in the future.
You're learning a trade here so you can have a better life in the future, and Xiaohan's studies are for the same reason.
Chen Feng hadn't returned to Nanshan Village recently, but he had heard some of what had happened at home from Wu Shiren.
The younger sister not only found ginseng, but also cured Master Fan's chronic illness, earning a lot of money from these two things alone.
Since she wanted to support her younger brother's education, he, as the older brother, had to support him.
After a moment of silence, although he still felt a little awkward, he also felt that his sister's words made sense, and his expression softened slightly.
"Little sister, I'll listen to you, but let's make this clear first: if Xiao Han isn't good at studying, you can't spoil him. Don't let him become like Grandpa and Grandma, who spoiled Uncle rotten."
Chen Qingqing smiled and nodded, took the clothes from Lin Shi's hands and handed them to him, "Quickly put these clothes away. They were sewn by our mother stitch by stitch. If you don't wear them, you'll be letting her down."
Chen Feng grinned and said, "Mom, you've worked hard."
"As long as you siblings are well, I'm not tired." Lin's eyes welled up with tears again as she spoke, and she unconsciously wiped them away...
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