Once they were seated on the ox cart, Qinghe finally asked in a quiet voice,
“Father, how much more do we need?”
Zhou Shoushan thought for a moment.
“We need to keep some silver aside for the winter. The most we can spare right now is seven or eight hundred wen.”
“Then we’re still quite a bit short.”
Qinghe lowered her eyes.
She had earned money selling chestnuts today and had originally felt quite proud of herself.
But compared with the tuition fee, those few copper coins suddenly seemed insignificant.
Zhou Xiaozhou leaned against his eldest sister.
“Eldest Sister, don’t be sad.”
Qinghe patted his head.
“Your sister isn’t sad.”
“You’re lying.”
Xiaozhou spoke softly.
“You weren’t smiling just now.”
Qinghe froze.
After a moment, she smiled gently.
“All right, perhaps I am a little sad.”
“I was just thinking that if Eldest Sister could earn more money, you could start studying sooner.”
Zhou Xiaozhou took her hand.
“Eldest Sister, you’re already amazing.”
He spoke earnestly.
“Wanting to study is my own business. I can’t let Eldest Sister tire herself out worrying about me every day.”
Qinghe lowered her head.
Looking at his soft, little hand, her heart filled with warmth.
After returning home, Zhou Shoushan told Madam Liu everything.
After listening, Madam Liu sat by the kang and thought for a long time.
“If Teacher Shen is willing to accept half a year’s tuition first, we can keep saving for a while. It’s not completely hopeless.”
“But what about Father and Mother…”
Zhou Shoushan hesitated.
Madam Liu shook her head.
“We haven’t saved enough money yet. Let’s not rush to tell them.”
She paused before continuing.
“Besides, Xiaozhou is still young. There’s no harm in waiting a little longer before enrolling him.”
Zhou Xiaozhou had been sitting nearby, looking through the old practice papers.
Hearing this, he raised his head.
“Mother, I can study at home first!”
Madam Liu smiled and asked,
“Who will teach you?”
“Second Sister!”
Zhou Qingzhu was sewing clothes by the window. Hearing her younger brother call her, she froze.
“Me?”
“Of course!”
Zhou Xiaozhou ran over.
“Second Sister, don’t you know lots of characters?”
Qingzhu blushed.
“Not that many. I only know a little.”
“Then teach me that little bit first.”
Zhou Xiaozhou spoke with complete confidence.
“Once I’ve learned them, I’ll study new ones together with Second Sister!”
Zhou Qingzhu looked at him and couldn’t help laughing.
“You certainly know how to make arrangements.”
She put down her needlework and took an old booklet from the bottom of the storage chest.
It was something she had kept from her childhood, back when she learned to recognize characters from an elderly villager who knew how to read.
The pages were already worn, but she had taken very good care of it.
Zhou Xiaozhou flipped through it.
There were only some common characters inside.
He didn’t complain. Instead, he asked earnestly,
“Second Sister, how do you pronounce this character?”
Qingzhu pointed it out to him.
“It’s ‘禾. (‘he’)’”
“Like the ‘he’ in seedlings?”
“That’s right.”
Qingzhu’s eyes lit up.
“How did you know?”
Zhou Xiaozhou blinked.
“Because my Eldest Sister is called Qinghe!”
Qingzhu smiled and nodded.
“That’s right.”
She taught him several more characters.
Her little brother learned quickly and remembered them after only a short while.
The more she taught, the happier Qingzhu became.
By dinnertime, Madam Liu came to call them, only to discover that the siblings were still bent over the table.
“You’ve been studying for so long. Aren’t your eyes tired?”
Zhou Qingzhu hurriedly put the book away.
“Not at all.”
Zhou Xiaozhou shook his head as well.
Looking at the two of them, Madam Liu couldn’t help smiling.
“If you enjoy it, just take your time learning. What’s the rush?”
Zhou Xiaozhou looked up.
“Mother, Second Sister is really good at teaching!”
Qingzhu’s face warmed.
Madam Liu looked at her daughter and suddenly remembered something.
“Qingzhu, do you want to study, too?”
Qingzhu froze.
After a long moment, she finally spoke in a small voice.
“Mother, I just like learning to read.”
Madam Liu looked at her daughter, suddenly feeling a pang of sadness.
Whenever the family discussed supporting Xiaozhou’s education, everyone seemed to think it was only natural.
Yet Qingzhu clearly loved learning to read, and no one had ever seriously asked her about it.
Madam Liu reached out and gently stroked her daughter’s head.
“If there’s an opportunity in the future, Mother will let you study more, too.”
Qingzhu’s eyes grew warm.
“Really?”
“Really.”
Outside the door, Zhou Shoushan heard the conversation between mother and daughter and paused in his steps.
He didn’t enter and interrupt them.
He simply gazed at the evening shadows in the courtyard, slowly coming to a decision.
His son had to study.
And his daughter wanted to learn to read, too. He couldn’t keep making her study secretly.
As for the money, he was her father. He would just have to find another way.
After making up his mind, Zhou Shoushan went to see his father the following day.
Zhou Laogen was drying tobacco leaves in the courtyard.
When he saw his son approaching, he didn’t even raise his head.
“What is it?”
“Father, I want to send Xiaozhou to a private school.”
Zhou Laogen’s hands stopped moving.
“What did you say?”
“I want Xiaozhou to study.”
Zhou Shoushan repeated himself.
Zhou Laogen raised his head and studied his son for quite some time.
“Do you know how much money it costs to study?”
“I do.”
“And you still dare to bring this up?”
Zhou Laogen put down the tobacco leaves.
“Supporting Wenli alone is already putting a strain on the family. Xiaozhou is only four and a half. He can barely even walk steadily, and now you want to go through all this trouble?”
Zhou Shoushan didn’t back down.
“I took him to meet Teacher Shen in town. The teacher said Xiaozhou was bright and agreed to let him come for a trial period.”
Zhou Laogen was taken aback.
“Teacher Shen?”
“Teacher Shen from Qingxi Academy.”
Zhou Shoushan carefully explained everything that had happened.
After listening, Zhou Laogen fell silent for a long time.
Just then, Madam Ma came out of the kitchen and happened to hear the last few sentences.
“Second Brother, you want to send your child to study, too?”
Her voice immediately rose.
“Wenli will be taking the exams next year. As his uncle, shouldn’t you be thinking about supporting your nephew first? Instead, you’re rushing to pave the way for your own son?”
Zhou Shoushan frowned.
“Sister-in-law, I’ll find a way to pay for Xiaozhou’s schooling myself.”
“That’s easy for you to say!”
Madam Ma sneered.
“You say you’ll pay for it yourself now, but when you run short of money later, won’t you come begging the family’s common funds for more?”
Zhou Shoushan was about to explain when Madam Liu walked over, holding Zhou Xiaozhou’s hand.
“Don’t worry, Sister-in-law.”
Her voice wasn’t loud, but every word was clear.
“Our second branch won’t be short on its required contribution to the family’s common funds. And Xiaozhou’s schooling won’t take a single coin from Wenli’s education money.”
Madam Ma was left speechless.
Hearing the commotion, Old Madam Feng came out of the house.
“Xiaozhou is still so young. What’s the point of sending him to study? Wouldn’t it be better to let him play at home for another couple of years?”
Zhou Xiaozhou quickly ran over.
“Grandma, I want to study.”
Old Madam Feng picked him up.
“My sweet boy, studying is hard work. You’ll have to get up before dawn every day, and the teacher will scold you, too.”
“I’m not afraid.”
“If you can’t write properly, the teacher will scold you for that as well.”
“Then I’ll practice more.”
Old Madam Feng looked at her little grandson in her arms and suddenly didn’t know how to persuade him otherwise.
The child usually loved laughing and playing. Sometimes he would even slack off and act spoiled.
But whenever studying came up, his eyes were filled with determination.
Zhou Laogen finally spoke.
“Xiaozhou, why are you so determined to study?”
Zhou Xiaozhou turned to look at him.
“Grandpa, I want to become an official scholar just like my Cousin.”
Madam Ma immediately let out a mocking laugh.
“A four-and-a-half-year-old child already knows about passing the imperial examinations?”
“I do.”
Xiaozhou nodded seriously.
“If I pass the exams, I’ll become capable, and our family will be able to live better, too.”
Madam Ma was about to say something more, but Zhou Laogen raised a hand to stop her.
“That’s quite an ambition.”
He looked at Zhou Shoushan.
“Is the teacher really willing to take him?”
“Yes. But the teacher wants him to attend on a trial basis first. Whether he can stay will depend on how he does from then on.”
Zhou Laogen thought for a moment.
“Since the teacher is willing to give him a chance, let him try.”
Zhou Shoushan’s heart leaped with joy.
“Father!”
“Don’t get too happy yet.”
Zhou Laogen’s expression turned stern.
“You know how difficult things are for this family right now. The second branch will have to bear Xiaozhou’s education expenses itself.”
“I understand.”
“Also, if he truly isn’t suited for studying, don’t force it just to save face.”
Zhou Shoushan nodded solemnly.
“All right.”
Madam Ma felt deeply displeased.
She had thought her father-in-law would reject the idea outright. She hadn’t expected him to agree!
Unable to hold back, she muttered,
“What can a four-and-a-half-year-old child possibly accomplish by studying?”
Zhou Xiaozhou poked his head out from Old Madam Feng’s arms.
“Eldest Aunt, I don’t know either.”
Madam Ma froze.
“Then why are you still going?”
“Because if I don’t go, I’ll know even less.”
Xiaozhou broke into a smile.
“Teacher said studying requires diligence. I want to give it a try first.”
After hearing this, Zhou Laogen actually laughed.
“That makes a fair bit of sense.”
Madam Ma angrily turned her head away.
That evening, Zhou Shoushan told his wife and children the good news.
Zhou Qinghe was so excited that she nearly knocked over the basket of needlework in her hands.
“Grandpa really agreed?”
“He did.”
Zhou Shoushan smiled.
“But we’ll still have to find a way to gather the money little by little.”
Qinghe immediately said,
“Father, I’ll sell even more chestnuts next time!”
Zhou Qingzhu spoke up as well.
“I can start teaching Xiaozhou how to write.”
Zhou Xiaozao thought for a long time, trying to figure out what she could contribute. But she couldn’t think of anything she knew how to do.
She grew so anxious that she stamped her feet.
“Then what am I supposed to do?”
Zhou Xiaozhou wrapped his arms around her.
“Third Sister, you’re in charge of playing with me!”
Xiaozao immediately broke into a smile.
“Okay!”
Madam Liu watched her children, a smile appearing in her eyes as well.
Life was poor, but as long as the whole family was willing to keep moving forward together, things would gradually get better.
Zhou Shoushan, however, had already begun making plans.
There were still several days before the next market day.
He needed to find some more work and gather enough money for his son’s enrollment.