Liu Huilan had put it as tactfully as she could.
Back when Meng Juan first married into the family, she had opposed Yingzi going to school. Every day she complained that educating a girl was a waste of food and money. Although she never said it outright, she constantly threw things around the house and quarreled with Zhou Lijun. In the end, with no other choice, Liu Huilan persuaded Yingzi to quit school.
Yingzi had always been an obedient child.
Even though she had passed the entrance examination for middle school, she never went.
To spare his parents and younger sister from more trouble, Zhou Xingli had used his own money to build three rooms for his elder brother’s family so they could move out and live separately.
Who would have thought Meng Juan would still try to interfere in this household?
Just take Yingzi’s schooling for example.
Both Meng Juan and Lin Yi were Yingzi’s sisters-in-law, yet their attitudes couldn’t have been more different.
Who was acting out of genuine concern and who was motivated by selfishness was obvious at a glance.
Before this incident, Liu Huilan and Zhou Xiangdong had favored Lin Yi largely because she was the last connection they had to their deceased son.
Whenever they saw her, it felt as though their son was still alive.
It wasn’t that they particularly liked Lin Yi’s personality.
They simply considered her family.
Even if she had flaws, she was still their own child.
But now…
Liu Huilan genuinely felt that Lin Yi was a good person.
Far kinder than Meng Juan.
This time, as the mother-in-law, she was no longer willing to endure it.
Hearing those words, Meng Juan’s anger flared immediately.
But Liu Huilan was still the head of the household.
No matter how unhappy Meng Juan was, there was nothing she could do.
She could only slam the door and storm off.
Yingzi looked at Lin Yi with pitiful eyes.
“Second Sister-in-law…”
She was afraid Lin Yi might change her mind.
Lin Yi smiled.
“Then hurry up and study. I’ve already guaranteed to your teacher that you can do it. If you can’t even pass the qualifying exam, the school won’t accept you.”
Yingzi’s eyes instantly widened.
“I’ll start studying right away!”
Lin Yi took out a textbook and sat beside Yingzi to tutor her.
Of course, returning to school wasn’t as simple as saying she would.
Yingzi had to pass the qualifying examination before she could take the primary-to-middle-school entrance exam.
They couldn’t let her drag down Fu Yang’s class.
As the studying began, everyone gradually forgot about the unpleasantness with Meng Juan.
Lin Yi certainly didn’t dwell on it.
As far as she was concerned, as long as she achieved her goal, that was enough.
How many people she upset along the way had nothing to do with her.
Besides, Meng Juan hadn’t opposed Yingzi’s education for Yingzi’s own good.
She had done it purely for her own selfish interests.
Even if Yingzi eventually became successful, Meng Juan wouldn’t have been happy for her.
Since that was the case, why should Lin Yi care what she thought?
Before long, Lin Yi had no time to think about Meng Juan anyway.
Yingzi was giving her a much bigger headache.
Out of ten simple addition and subtraction problems…
Yingzi got seven wrong.
Lin Yi stared at the worksheet.
“How did you study before? What kind of scores did you usually get on your exams?”
Yingzi answered honestly,
“About fifty points. Sometimes… I could get sixty.”
Lin Yi fell silent.
How had she even managed to pass the primary school graduation exam with scores like that?
Now that Yingzi had been out of school for more than two years…
She probably couldn’t even score fifty or sixty anymore.
Lin Yi took the worksheet and crossed out every incorrect answer.
“Second Sister-in-law!”
“How did you know they were wrong? You didn’t even work them out!”
Only then did Lin Yi notice that Yingzi solved every math problem by counting on her fingers one by one.
Good grief…
“Come here.”
“I’ll teach you another way to calculate. You won’t need to count on your fingers anymore.”
“You can really do math without using your fingers?”
“Of course.”
Yingzi looked at Lin Yi as though she were some kind of immortal.
She had always thought her third brother was amazing.
Who would have guessed her second sister-in-law was just as incredible?
“Second Sister-in-law, why don’t you marry my third brother instead? He’s so smart, and you’re so smart too. If my second brother never comes back, it would be nice if you married my third brother.”
Lin Yi was speechless.
What kind of nonsense was this child saying?
She lightly tapped Yingzi on the forehead.
“If you used that little brain of yours for studying, you’d be much better off.”
…
While Lin Yi stayed home tutoring Yingzi, a major piece of news quietly spread throughout the village.
The town authorities had decided to establish the position of Women’s Director in the village.
The person would be responsible for explaining government policies to the villagers, taking over much of the ideological education normally handled by visiting cadres, and helping improve everyone’s political awareness so the whole village could progress together.
The idea had come after the two female instructors sent to the countryside, Xu Wenjuan and Liu Rui, reported the village’s situation to their superiors.
Their report had caught the attention of the town leaders, who approved the proposal.
The incident involving Matchmaker Liu had given the two women plenty to think about.
Officials sent from town often didn’t understand the complicated relationships within the village, making it difficult to handle disputes fairly.
A local Women’s Director would be different.
Having grown up in the village, she would understand the conflicts among the villagers far better.
The question now was—
Who should fill the position?
That became a major issue.
The town leadership asked Liu Dalong to nominate several candidates from the village.
Afterward, everyone would vote to decide the winner.
Otherwise, if someone were simply appointed, many villagers would refuse to accept the decision.
So…
Who would become the village’s first Women’s Director?
The entire village immediately erupted with excitement.
Back during the War of Resistance, the village had indeed had a Women’s Director.
She had organized all the women in the village to make shoes, socks, and padded cotton clothing for the soldiers, deliver food and supplies, and care for the wounded.
But after the war ended, none of the villages in their area had kept the position.
The title of Women’s Director was not something just anyone could hold.
It was an honorable position.
Whoever became the Women’s Director would bring great honor to their family and ancestors.
Who wouldn’t want such a position?
The problem was that no matter who was chosen, plenty of villagers would refuse to accept it.
Liu Dalong frowned.
“Can’t we just make a list of candidates? Pick the people in the village who are suitable, then let everyone vote. Whoever gets elected becomes the Women’s Director.”
If the villagers chose the person themselves…
Surely no one would have any objections then.