Chapter 306 Borrowing Milk from the Village Head's House
The sun shines warmly, and all things revive.
Wan Qiqi used the books and writing materials left behind by Wan Ziyan to teach the child to recognize characters.
Pingping looked up curiously and asked, "Mother, I found out that Uncle said something wrong."
"Hmm? What is it?" Wan Qiqi blinked, looking somewhat curious.
“Uncle said that Mom can’t read, but he’s wrong. Mom knows a lot of words!” Pingping said, gesturing exaggeratedly.
Wan Qiqi chuckled and patted Pingping's head, saying, "Shh! Uncle can't know about this, otherwise Mother won't have a reason to ask your uncle for help in the future, and then she won't be able to find an excuse to see your uncle!"
“Okay!” Pingping imitated Wan Qiqi and shushed her, then said to An'an and the little monkey, “You two are not allowed to say anything either.”
An'an replied, "Okay!"
The little monkey stammered, "Why...can't we?"
He believed that Wan Qiqi and Wan Ziyan were siblings with a good relationship, and they could see each other whenever they wanted, so why make up an excuse?
Wan Qiqi thought An An would question her, but unexpectedly it was the little monkey who questioned her. She smiled gently and said, "Because I'm afraid that if I can do everything, he won't have any worries."
She believed that Wan Ziyan must still have doubts about Wan Rong's matter and might investigate further.
If she does everything well and puts Wan Ziyan at ease, he will rush forward without hesitation and risk his life to find out about Wan Rong.
If he still has any concerns, he will be cautious.
In ancient times, people valued their reputation and honor more than their lives; they were willing to give up their lives for many things.
But in Wan Qiqi's eyes, life is the most precious thing.
As long as you're alive, there's still hope.
Once you die, you truly lose everything!
The little monkey was still puzzled by Wan Qiqi's words and didn't quite understand.
Wan Qiqi didn't dwell on the issue with the three children; instead, she had them continue practicing calligraphy.
She realized she was being a bit silly when she went to the mall to buy calligraphy brushes today.
The brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones in the calligraphy shop are expensive, but the ones in the mall are cheaper. Why can't she buy them in the mall?
An inkstone outside would cost at least several ounces, but the ones in her shop only cost one or two hundred coins.
For calligraphy practice paper, look for the rough, yellowed kind; they're incredibly cheap.
So, sending the little monkey to school isn't a bad idea; the tuition would be ten pieces of dried meat.
Wan Qiqi roughly calculated that ten strips of dried meat would cost about one to two thousand taels of silver.
It was paid once a quarter, and it cost about five taels of silver a year.
Wan Qiqi believed she could afford the tuition fee, but it would be much more difficult for the other villagers.
Five taels of silver is actually quite a lot, and you also need to buy writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones every month.
All told, it would cost at least several tens of taels a year.
For ordinary families, with taxes to pay every year, how could they afford to send their children to school?
Wan Qiqi then understood why people in the village always asked her if she could lower the tuition fees for the children.
Once enrolled, money can't be saved, and nobody wants to give up halfway.
Wan Qiqi suddenly had a whimsical idea: if she bought some writing brushes and ink from the mall and sold them to the villagers, would that alleviate their stress?
Just then, Chen Yongliang returned, interrupting her thoughts.
"Good heavens! When did we buy so much paper? How much did it cost?"
Chen Yongliang looked at the paper with An'an's drawing and felt a pang of heartache.
Wan Qiqi sighed softly, feeling that Chen Yongliang seemed to have never seen the world.
She stood up and blocked Chen Yongliang's path, saying, "Is there any result regarding the matter I asked you to inquire about?"
Chen Yongliang then withdrew his surprised gaze, patted his chest, and said, "Don't you trust me, sister-in-law?"
Wan Qiqi looked helpless as she stared at Chen Yongliang, as if asking: Do you think you're reliable?
Chen Yongliang couldn't help but recall the time he offended Tang Qiwen, and his spirits immediately deflated.
He then regained his composure and said, "I've found out. The village head's family raises sheep, and they just gave birth a couple of days ago. They have plenty of milk!"
Wan Qiqi was prepared for what she would offer in exchange if the other party was difficult to talk to.
Upon hearing that it was Chen Lizheng, she suddenly understood.
She knows Chen Lizheng well, so this will be easy to handle!
Without saying anything more, the two packed up and hurried to the village head's house.
At this time, only Zheng Shi was with Chen Lizheng, as Chen Lizheng and Chen Sanyuan were busy with the well-digging project in the village.
When Madam Zheng saw Wan Qiqi and Chen Yongliang arrive, she didn't ask them what they wanted to do, but invited them into the house and brought them tea and snacks.
Although she was the wife of the village head, Wan Qiqi is now the wife of the head of the criminal investigation department, which is different from her previous status.
The village head was a local gentry, while the village head was a clerk and a favorite of the county magistrate, whose status was far higher than that of the village head.
But in the village, Wan Qiqi chatted and greeted everyone as usual.
Zheng sat down with a smile and asked, "Qiqi, what brings you here? The old man went to the east of the village and took the villagers to dig. They've been working on it for quite a while! If you want to find him, you might have to go there yourself, otherwise it will probably be dark by the time he gets back."
Wan Qiqi laughed and said, "Auntie, I'm not looking for the village head, I'm looking for you."
"Looking for me?" Zheng was a little puzzled. What would a woman like her want?
How could it possibly be something that only women do?
Wan Qiqi continued, "Auntie, I heard that you raise sheep, and they just gave birth a couple of days ago?"
"Yes, she just gave birth a couple of days ago. I think your second son's wife also gave birth the other day, and I even went to your house to ask for some wedding cakes!" Zheng said with a smile, but then stopped and asked, "Is the baby not getting enough milk? Are you here to borrow some goat milk?"
Wan Qiqi hadn't expected Zheng to be so clever, guessing her purpose in just a few words.
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