Upon hearing this, Landlord Xu’s face immediately turned cold, but he didn’t lash out right away. Instead, he carefully observed his son.
It was the afternoon, when the light was at its brightest, illuminating the entire room.
Master Xu was handsome, wearing a sapphire-blue round-collared robe with a mandarin duck sachet hanging from his waist. Every detail of his appearance was meticulously maintained.
At this moment, he was looking at his father with barely concealed unease in his eyes.
No wonder the saying goes: “Better to follow a beggar mother than an official father.”
The eldest son’s heart leaned toward that woman and her two children…
Landlord Xu felt troubled. He couldn’t keep blaming the eldest son—that would only push him further away. The father-son relationship between Yue Ge’er and his father still needed to be preserved.
Thinking this, Landlord Xu composed himself and said:
“What kind of talk is this, eldest son? Speaking of one being in heaven and the other on earth—is that something a father should say?”
“Yue Ge’er has barely seen you since he was little. When he called for his father, no one answered. I still remember when he first learned to talk, he kept calling ‘daddy, daddy,’ pointing at everyone and asking if they were his father…”
Landlord Xu beat his chest, tears welling in his eyes:
“Anyone who saw it said the child was pitiful. Now that you’ve finally returned, how could you compare him to Yuan Ge’er like this? Are you even human?”
“Eldest son, you must have a conscience.”
Master Xu grew restless under these words, lowering his head and murmuring:
“That’s not what I meant. I care for Yue Ge’er too, but Yuan Ge’er is so pitiful. He’s almost six and hasn’t properly begun his education, so… that’s what I was thinking.”
Landlord Xu sneered inwardly.
Bah! He’s just drunk too much of that wretched woman’s bewitching potion, pretending to be righteous.
If not for me, who knows how much Yue Ge’er would have been bullied.
Landlord Xu’s protective instincts surged. His good grandson only had him to rely on—the boy’s own father was completely useless!
So, Landlord Xu sighed, looking at his disappointing son with renewed determination. Weary, he said:
“Let’s not talk about this anymore. As long as you, his father, understand in your heart. Regarding education, don’t even think about Scholar Feng. Who is he? Without Yue Ge’er, our Xu family wouldn’t even be able to set foot in the Feng residence.”
“Hao Ge’er has more legitimate claims, yet I haven’t even considered having him seek a teacher.”
Under his father’s relentless arguments, Master Xu gradually emerged from the spell of his comfortable life. His mind cleared, and he became more receptive to reason.
Now nodding, he felt Landlord Xu made sense, showing some shame on his face. His lips moved as if to say something conciliatory.
Landlord Xu noticed this from the corner of his eye but remained unmoved, continuing:
“However, you don’t need to worry…” Landlord Xu paused, then revealed his plan to open a clan school.
Master Xu was astonished:
“Father, a clan school would cost far more than one or two hundred taels of silver! Our Xu clan has so many members. The expenses for ink, paper, brushes, and the teacher’s tuition fees—it’s a bottomless pit!”
He stamped his foot in anxiety, his mind constantly calculating the escalating costs until his eyes glazed over and his head throbbed.
“Ahem, enough. The clan school must be established.”
Landlord Xu declared solemnly that his grandfather—Master Xu’s great-grandfather—had dreamed of starting a clan school.
This wish had been passed down through generations, but their ancestors had always postponed it for various reasons.
Today, he would fulfill their forefathers’ legacy!
Master Xu drooped dispiritedly. A clan school—who wouldn’t want one? But they had no money.
If you have money, why not buy land or start a business? At the very least, if you’re going to spend silver on education, you’d only fund your own descendants.
Those who truly establish clan schools are either families with officials in their ranks or wealthy nobles.
“…Perfect, Hao Ge’er and Yuan Ge’er can also attend the clan school.”
After rambling on at length, Landlord Xu finally concluded the topic, still feeling he hadn’t said enough.
He took some pleasure in watching his son’s devastated expression.
When Master Xu left, he walked as if floating on air. Upon seeing Li Niang, he sat down and gulped a large mouthful of cold tea.
Li Niang hurriedly snatched the teacup from him, her heart aching:
“Xu Lang, the tea is cold. Drinking too much of it will chill your heart and organs, and you’ll fall ill.”
“Hah, I don’t need tea to feel cold—my heart is already frozen.” Master Xu leaned back against the chair and spoke weakly.
His heart was bleeding!
Most of the Xu family’s future assets would be his. Now, with the establishment of the clan school, who knew how much silver would be drained away? How could Master Xu not feel the pain?
“Has Yuan Ge’er’s matter fallen through?”
That was the first thought that came to Li Niang’s mind. Anxious, she hurriedly asked Xu Lang.
“Studying under Scholar Feng is out of the question… but Yuan Ge’er will still have a chance to study.”
Li Niang was somewhat disappointed but felt she could accept it. After all, things must be pursued gradually.
She had assumed Xu Lang’s sorrowful demeanor was for her son. After a moment of secret pride, she leaned closer to Master Xu and said in a soft, gentle voice:
“As long as he can study, that’s enough. It’s all because of my humble background that Yuan Ge’er isn’t valued. I shouldn’t ask for more—having a bowl of rice to eat is sufficient. I just feel sorry for the child…”
Before Li Niang could finish her plea for pity, Master Xu irritably pushed her away.
His heart was burning with frustration, and her clinging only made him feel hotter than ever!
“Enough. I don’t know what madness has taken hold of my father, but he’s decided to open a clan school. A huge sum of silver will be thrown in, and it’ll all go to waste.”
“No, my family can’t bear the entire cost.”
Every bit of savings counts.
Having experienced the hardships of earning money himself, Master Xu was, in fact, a frugal man.
With that, he hurried out the door.
Li Niang stared in astonishment at Master Xu’s retreating figure, twisting the handkerchief in her hand into a knot.
What… what was going on?
…
The Xu family had prospered for several generations and naturally wasn’t limited to Landlord Xu’s branch alone. There were several hundred other Xu family members who had branched out over time.
Although Landlord Xu’s family was the wealthiest among the Xu clan, the others, when united, still represented a considerable force. Establishing a clan school couldn’t proceed without their involvement.
Landlord Xu took the lead, proposing to cover seventy percent of the costs and fund the construction of the school building himself.
After some discussion, the other Xu family members unanimously agreed.
The final plan was as follows: the clan school would only admit Xu children under the age of ten. One set of books would be provided for every three students, and the cheapest available writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones would be distributed.
The school would not provide meals free of charge.
Students would be tested every three months, and those who failed would be expelled.
Dali secured the role of managing the accounts for Master Xu, who scrutinized every penny. Stingy to the core, even after cutting every possible corner, the final calculated sum nearly made him faint.
At a minimum, it would cost one hundred and sixty taels of silver per year!
The Xu family’s share, at seventy percent, came to one hundred and twelve taels.
It was important to note that in a good year, the Xu family’s net surplus, after expenses, was only two hundred taels.
Now, the school alone would consume more than half of that!
Once the accounts were finalized, the other Xu clan members, though somewhat embarrassed, grew even more enthusiastic about pushing for the school’s completion—
What a huge bargain to take advantage of!
Not to mention Master Xu, who always wore a gloomy expression and carried his abacus everywhere, even Landlord Xu felt deeply distressed.
Seizing this opportunity, Xu Yue casually suggested that her sisters should also attend school. After all, with the family contributing so much money, wouldn’t it be a pity to have only two people attending?
Including the girls, that would make seven students attending the clan school—at least the loss would be a little less.
Master Xu, overwhelmed by the accounts, didn’t hesitate at all and gave his full support.
When some in the clan gossiped about it, he stepped forward to settle the score:
“Building the clan school is our duty—we spent a huge sum without hesitation, covering seventy percent of the costs. With only seven of our children taking up spots, how much space is that really? Does having money make us guilty?”
Emphasizing the words “huge sum,” Master Xu glanced sideways and added:
“Some people don’t contribute a cent, yet they take advantage and still complain it’s not enough. Pah! Shameless.”
The gossiper fled in embarrassment. From then on, Master Xu made a name for himself in one decisive battle, and no one dared to mutter another word about Yuan Niang and the others attending school.