Madam Ma was at a loss for words.
All these years, Zhou Shoushan had always been the most obedient and easygoing member of the family.
Whatever his parents arranged, he simply went along with it.
Who would’ve thought he’d actually dare to talk back to his elder sister-in-law in front of everyone today?
“Second Brother, what exactly are you trying to say?”
“I’m trying to help your Qinghe find a way to make a living!”
“My daughter’s future is my concern!”
Zhou Shoushan pulled his daughter behind him.
“From now on, if anyone tries to trade her marriage or her freedom for money, I’ll be the first to object!”
Zhou Qinghe raised her head.
Looking at her father’s back, which wasn’t particularly broad, she couldn’t stop her tears from falling.
This was the first time she’d ever heard her father say something like that.
Zhou Xiaozhou looked up at his father, finally feeling relieved as well.
Not bad.
His bargain-bin father might be honest and easygoing, but at least he had some backbone.
Zhou Xiaozhou ran over and wrapped both arms around his father’s leg.
“Papa’s the best!”
Zhou Shoushan looked down at his son. The tension in his face finally eased a little.
He bent down and picked Xiaozhou up.
“Xiaozhou, you did well today.”
“It’s all thanks to you for noticing something was wrong with the contract. Otherwise, your father would’ve really let your Eldest Sister down.”
Zhou Xiaozhou wrapped his arms around his father’s neck and whispered,
“Father, can we let Sister keep some of the money she earns for herself from now on?”
Zhou Shoushan froze.
Xiaozhou continued,
“Sister works every day, but she’s never bought herself any new clothes.”
“Last time, when Second Sister’s shoes broke, Eldest Sister gave her own pair to her.”
“Father, I don’t want Sister to have to work so hard anymore.”
The speaker was a four-year-old child, his words still carrying that soft, childish lisp.
Yet Zhou Shoushan felt a pang in his heart as he listened.
He looked toward his eldest daughter.
Only then did he notice just how worn-out her clothes were.
Her sleeves were too short, and her trouser legs were covered in patches.
A fifteen-year-old girl didn’t even own a single decent new outfit.
Suddenly, Zhou Shoushan felt a deep ache in his heart.
“Qinghe, your father will find a way to give you a better life from now on.”
Zhou Qinghe wiped her tears and nodded firmly.
“Father, I believe you.”
Madam Liu watched from the side, tears streaming down her own cheeks.
The family of four stood huddled together, leaving Madam Ma completely out of the picture.
The more she watched, the angrier she became.
Four taels of silver had just slipped through her fingers, yet Zhou Shoushan still had the leisure to stand around hugging his children!
“Fine! Second Brother, you’ve certainly grown a backbone!”
Madam Ma sneered.
“But what about Wenli’s school expenses? Is your second branch still going to contribute?”
The smile gradually disappeared from Zhou Shoushan’s face.
Before he could answer, Zhou Laogen struck his tobacco pipe firmly against the table.
“Enough! All of you, stop arguing!”
The courtyard fell silent once more.
Zhou Laogen looked at his eldest son’s wife, then turned toward his second son.
“If there’s a problem with the bonded labor contract, then we won’t sign it.”
“Qinghe is a member of the Zhou family, too. We can find her another suitable job later.”
Madam Ma was just about to speak when his glare silenced her.
“But Wenli’s education cannot be interrupted.”
Zhou Laogen’s voice was grave.
“His teacher said Wenli will be ready to prepare for the Tongsheng exam in the county next year. We’ve already spent so much money on his education over the years. We can’t let his future be ruined at this final stage just because we don’t have enough money for his shuxiu.”
Zhou Shoushan fell silent.
He knew his father had a point.
His nephew from the eldest branch had been studying for years.
If the Zhou family wanted to produce a scholar, Wenli was indeed their best hope at present.
But the problem was that the family really had no money left.
Zhou Laogen looked at him.
“Second Son, since you don’t want Qinghe going to the embroidery workshop, then we’ll find another way.”
“Tomorrow, we’ll go through the household accounts properly.”
“Let’s see exactly how much silver has been spent on Wenli’s education over the years.”
At that, Madam Ma finally broke into a smile.
Going through the accounts? That was just fine.
She had always been the one managing the family’s common funds.
The family had spent quite a bit over the years supporting her son’s education.
When the time came, she could simply make Second Brother shoulder a larger share. No one would be able to argue with that.
However, she failed to notice something.
The moment Zhou Xiaozhou heard the words go through the accounts, his eyes lit up.
He quietly tugged at Zhou Qinghe’s sleeve.
“Eldest Sister, do you still remember how much money our family made selling grain over the years?”
Zhou Qinghe nodded.
“Of course.”
“Mother asked me to keep track of it. Every time the family sold grain or Father earned wages from working, I wrote it all down in a little notebook.”
Zhou Xiaozhou smiled.
“That’s good.”
Zhou Qinghe looked at her younger brother in confusion.
“What is it?”
Zhou Xiaozhou leaned close to her ear and lowered his voice.
“Eldest Sister, tomorrow, let’s go through the accounts, too.”
“We can’t let other people decide how much money our family has just by saying so!”
Zhou Qinghe stared at him for a moment.
Then she couldn’t help smiling, either.
She reached out and gently rubbed her little brother’s head.
“You’re only four and a half. And you already want to help the grown-ups with their accounts?”
Zhou Xiaozhou puffed out his little chest.
“So what if I’m four and a half?”
“I even know that six is twice as much as three!”
Qinghe finally broke into a smile through her tears.
Neither of the siblings noticed that Madam Ma had already turned around at the doorway and was staring at them.
She hadn’t taken Zhou Xiaozhou seriously before.
But now, this four-and-a-half-year-old brat had already cost her four taels of silver.
She was certainly curious to see what kind of trouble the little rascal would stir up tomorrow when they went through the family’s common accounts!
At that moment, Zhou Xiaozhou had only one thought in mind.
There was nothing wrong with supporting his cousin’s preparation for the imperial examinations.
But if they wanted to trade his sister’s future for money, then every last coin had to be accounted for.
The next morning, just after daybreak, the Zhou family’s main hall was already packed with people.
Zhou Laogen set his tobacco pipe down on the table with a thud.
“Today, we’re going to get everything straightened out. I don’t want any more resentment or misunderstandings between us later.”
Madam Ma had brought out the account chest early that morning.
She’d spent half the night going through everything, arranging the account books in neat order.
Zhou Shougui sat beside his wife, his expression rather unpleasant.
Yesterday, Second Brother had talked back to his elder sister-in-law in front of their clan uncle over Qinghe’s labor contract. The whole neighborhood had heard about the quarrel.
He felt humiliated.
But whenever he thought about his son’s shuxiu for next year, he swallowed his anger.
“Father, Wenli will be sitting for the exam next year. His teacher says he’ll need a few more books, too.”
Zhou Shougui spoke first.
“Our family has supported his studies all these years. Who hasn’t contributed? He’s finally on the verge of making something of himself. We can’t just give up halfway now.”
Zhou Laogen nodded.
“That’s exactly why we’re going through the accounts today.”
Madam Ma immediately chimed in.
“There are only one tael and two qian of silver left in the family’s common funds. We still have to buy grain before the New Year. Where are we supposed to find any extra money?”
Madam Liu kept her head lowered and said nothing.
Zhou Shoushan, however, frowned.
“After last year’s autumn harvest, I handed over one tael and six qian to the common funds. In the eleventh month, I earned some money doing odd jobs for someone and handed over another six hundred wen. How come there’s so little left?”
Madam Ma’s expression stiffened.
“Dozens of mouths in this family need to eat! And Wenli’s studies cost money, too!”
“I never said we shouldn’t spend money.”
Zhou Shoushan looked at her.
“I just want to know where it went.”
The moment he said that, Madam Ma felt rather uncomfortable.
In the past, Second Brother had always been obedient. Once he handed over his money, he never asked another question.
Now, all because of one little girl, he’d suddenly learned to question her accounts!
“The accounts are all right here. Look for yourself!”
She shoved the account book across the table.
Zhou Shoushan immediately fell silent.
He could recognize a few characters, but actually going through an account book gave him a headache.
The corners of Madam Ma’s mouth lifted slightly.
“What? Can’t read it?”
“I can.”
Zhou Qinghe suddenly walked in from the doorway.
The young girl was carrying a cloth bundle in her arms, with Zhou Xiaozhou following close behind.
Old Madam Feng frowned.
“What are you children doing here? The adults are going through the accounts.”
Zhou Qinghe stopped in her tracks.
But Zhou Xiaozhou ran over and wrapped his arms around his grandmother’s.
“Grandma, Eldest Sister is helping Mother count the money!”
“Count the money?”
“That’s right! Eldest Sister is really fast at counting. Last time, when I bought two pieces of malt candy, the seller almost charged me too much. It was Sister who figured it out!”
Old Madam Feng found that rather amusing.
“You’re so little. What do you know about being overcharged?”
“I know!”
Zhou Xiaozhou nodded earnestly.
“Even one wen less means one less piece of candy!”
Zhou Laogen chuckled at the boy’s answer.
The tense atmosphere in the room finally eased a little.
“Enough. Let Qinghe take a look.”
Only then did Zhou Qinghe sit down.
She opened her cloth bundle, revealing a small notebook with worn, curled corners.
Madam Ma glanced at it.
“What’s that?”
“It’s where I’ve recorded the money my father earned from working over the years, as well as the money our family made from selling grain and eggs. My mother asked me to keep track of everything.”
Zhou Qinghe’s voice was a little unsteady.
She was afraid her aunt would get angry, and even more afraid her grandfather would think she was being troublesome.
But there was something her younger brother had said last night that she couldn’t stop thinking about.
Eldest Sister, we haven’t done anything wrong. So why should we be afraid of going through the accounts?
Taking a deep breath, she gathered her courage and opened the notebook.
“In the fourth month of last year, my father helped the Liu family harvest wheat and earned three hundred and sixty wen. In the sixth month, he helped unload grain at a grain shop in town and earned five hundred wen. In the eighth month, we sold eggs and handed over another two hundred and ten wen.”
She continued reading out the entries one by one.
Zhou Shoushan nodded repeatedly as he listened.
Every bit of that money was something he’d earned with his own two hands.
“And there’s the six hundred wen from the eleventh month. I remember that one. When Father came home that day, Mother even bought us two pieces of candy.”
Zhou Xiaozhou added from the side.
Zhou Shoushan patted his son’s head.
“You’re the only one who remembers the food!”