Chapter 472 The Girl in the Alley
"Mother, I want to eat..."
An An pointed to the sugar figurine stall on the street, looking at Wan Qiqi with an innocent expression and a pleading look on her face.
"There will be something to eat when we get home, so let's not eat anymore, okay?" Wan Qiqi glanced at the finished sugar figurine and felt a little too sweet.
If children eat too much of this, they will get cavities.
An'an refused to give up, tugged at Wan Qiqi's clothes and shook them, saying in a soft, sweet voice, "Mother, Uncle got first place in the exam, that's something to celebrate, let's celebrate for him, okay?"
Wan Qiqi had to admit that her daughter knew how to focus on the important things.
Wan Ziyan won first place, which deserves celebration.
Although he/she is not here, this is something to be happy about.
When the sugar-selling uncle saw them stop there, he chuckled and said, "Madam, did someone in your family take the imperial examination and come in first place? That's incredible!"
As he spoke, he stood up the sugar figurine he had just drawn and said, "This is an eagle I made, wishing my wife's family members could soar through the heavens."
Wan Qiqi was already considering buying one, and hearing the sugar figurine seller's words made her even happier. She said, "Thank you, uncle, please draw another one for me."
She looked at Pingping and asked, "What kind of sugar figurine do you want?"
Pingping was taken aback. He thought his mother would only buy things for his younger sister, but he didn't expect her to buy things for him too. He obediently replied, "Anything is fine, Mother, please decide."
He likes anything made of sugar, since it's gone once it's in his mouth.
Wan Qiqi pondered for a moment and said, "Uncle, have you ever seen a fox? Could you draw one for me?"
The sugar figurine vendor paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "I have actually seen a fox before. I'll draw one for you."
As he spoke, he began to act.
Then he asked, "Woman, why do you choose the cunning fox instead of the many auspicious animals?"
"Foxes are cunning and quick-witted, which I think is a good thing." Wan Qiqi felt that as a businesswoman, one should be as cunning as a fox, otherwise one would be taken advantage of.
Pingping nodded repeatedly, indicating his agreement with Wan Qiqi's words. In fact, he didn't understand what "smooth" meant, while "witty" probably meant "clever."
Mother hopes he can be more clever!
Two children walked ahead carrying sugar figurines, with Wan Qiqi following behind. Looking at the two little ones, a faint smile curved her lips.
She never imagined that she would be picking up her child from school in ancient times; it was unbelievable!
The three of them walked and stopped, and what should have been a ten-minute journey took them more than twenty minutes.
However, Wan Qiqi quite enjoyed this comfort and freedom, which made her feel exceptionally calm.
Just then, the two little ones stopped at the entrance of a small alley in front of their house.
The two exchanged a glance, and An'an walked in curiously, with Pingping following behind.
When Wan Qiqi saw the two little ones enter the alley, she quickly chased after them, fearing something might happen.
As soon as I reached the alley entrance, I heard crying coming from inside.
Judging from the sound, it must be a child, crying very sadly.
When Pingping saw her mother coming, she immediately ran back and hid behind Wan Qiqi.
Only An'an remained bold enough to follow the sound and stop beside the girl who was hiding and crying in the corner.
"Sister, what's wrong?" An'an, holding a sugar figurine, winked at the girl who was crying with her head in her hands.
The girl sobbed twice, wiped away her tears, and looked at An'an with red eyes and a hint of confusion in her gaze.
Seeing that she didn't speak, An'an turned around and saw that her mother was still in the same place. She immediately ran back and grabbed Wan Qiqi's clothes, saying, "Mother, there's a sister crying over there. She's crying so sadly. Should we go and see her?"
An'an practically had "I'll go help" written all over her face.
Wan Qiqi didn't want to meddle in other people's business, because she had caused a lot of trouble by doing so before.
She looked up and carefully examined the girl for a while. She was wearing coarse linen clothes, which even had several patches.
In front of the girl were torn-up books and a few pieces of paper...
Upon seeing this, Wan Qiqi was involuntarily pulled forward by An An.
It goes without saying how valuable books are in this era, and it goes without saying how expensive paper is.
But how could a girl dressed in tattered clothes have these things in her hands?
Isn't it true that only men are allowed to study, and women are not allowed to study?
Wan Qiqi stepped forward and looked at the girl on the ground again.
Her skin was slightly rough, her fingers had calluses from farm work, and even her trousers were a bit too short.
It is clear that this is a child from a poor family, not a rich girl.
This made Wan Qiqi even more curious: how did this girl end up with a book?
She looked down and saw that although the book was torn to shreds, she could still see the sentence, "If the teaching is not strict, it is the teacher's laziness."
Wan Qiqi was stunned for a moment.
This is the "Three Character Classic" used by ancient people to begin their education, and a single copy would cost at least several taels of silver.
Even if it's a copied copy, it would still cost at least several hundred coins.
Judging from the handwriting, the person who copied it must have been very talented.
The girl looked at Wan Qiqi, and the tears she had stopped flowing again, as if she had been stimulated by something.
An'an immediately handed over the sugar figurine in her hand and said, "Sister, don't cry. Eat some candy, it will make you feel better."
The girl held the sugar figurine, paused for a moment, and seemed somewhat dazed.
Wan Qiqi gestured for An'an to step back. She picked up the book from the ground, smoothed it out bit by bit, and handed it to the girl, saying, "Are you sad because someone tore your book?"
The girl nodded, then shook her head, and said, "My parents say that a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent, and that learning these things is useless to me. I won't need them when I get married, and I won't need them to learn any skills either..."
As she spoke, she seemed to feel increasingly aggrieved, and her eyes reddened even more.
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