The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 499 - 488 Going to School Together

Chapter 499: Chapter 488 Going to School Together

Yang Heshu turned his head away and stopped speaking to him. The idea sounded feasible, but he wasn’t a fool. Such a thing was not within the power of a minor county magistrate to do, let alone something his father could possibly accomplish.

So, it was best to keep those impractical ideas in mind, but not necessary to inquire further.

However...

Yang Heshu looked at the three children, and finally, his gaze rested on the faces of Manbao and Bai Shanbao; these two children were truly clever.

He couldn’t help but narrow his eyes and smile, saying to them, "You must study hard and go to the Imperial Academy in the capital city in the future."

Manbao asked curiously, "Can I go to the Imperial Academy too?"

Yang Heshu looked at her with pity but didn’t want to dash her hopes directly, "Until today, no woman has been admitted to the Imperial Academy."

Manbao, confident in herself, pointed at Bai Shanbao and said, "If he can get in, I definitely can too."

Manbao decided to go back and study even more diligently.

Bai Shanbao, too, was inspired by her fighting spirit and naturally did not want to be left behind. As both put in great effort, Bai Erlang soon found himself left far behind.

Fortunately, after the new year, the villagers from the nearby three villages came to their door with their children, wanting to continue sending them to study.

This time, there were about ten fewer children sent back, and the oldest groups did not return.

Those who came back were about Bai Erlang’s age or younger.

After some thought, Mr. Zhuang rejected the generous remuneration offered by the Bai Family and agreed to their request.

Ms. Liu and Old Master Bai did not stop Mr. Zhuang from continuing his school, but they also did not wish to lose that payment.

The two of them knew that Mr. Zhuang’s teaching of Bai Shan and Bai Er was worth the remuneration.

Once Manbao returned home, she proposed, "Dad, let’s send Datou and Daya to school too."

"That won’t do. Aren’t they learning to read with you?"

"What I teach them can’t compare with what a teacher can, and without brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone, the characters they write look terrible and unsuitable for keeping accounts."

Old Zhou thought for a moment but shook his head, "With so many children at home, sending them all to school would cost too much money and require buying a lot of books and writing materials. No, it won’t do."

Manbao said, "We’re not short on money at home now."

"But we’re not that well-off either."

Manbao pouted and went to see her mother.

Ms. Qian then looked at her sons and asked, "What do you think?"

Zhou Dalang and his brothers exchanged glances and said, "Mother, we’ll ask the children tonight."

The children naturally wanted to go, even Datou, who was the eldest, "Although studying is difficult, and I don’t like it much, I know it’s useful. I want to learn to write properly. Sister-in-law began teaching us to plan and budget, but we never seem to get it right."

Daya nodded repeatedly, "Sister-in-law said that as soon as the teacher explained it, she understood. Maybe she’s not teaching it well."

Zhou Dalang fell silent for a long time, sending the children off to sleep before saying to Junior Ms.Qian, "I remember when our young uncle was very young, he went to town with us. Passing by a school, he simply listened from outside the windows and memorized several characters right away. Later, he would walk almost an hour to town to secretly listen to lessons."

"It’s the same with Manbao... Look how smart our young uncle and Manbao are." Zhou Dalang whispered, "Dad has to take care of the whole family and definitely wouldn’t want to spend the money, plus each family’s number of children is different. I think it’s better if we pay for it ourselves."

Junior Ms.Qian calculated for a moment before frowning, "The remuneration isn’t much, but buying so many books and writing materials will cost a lot, and..."

She lowered her voice, "All the house cleaning, grass cutting, and laundry have always been done by the children. If they all go to school, who is going to do these chores?"

"Then we’ll do them," Zhou Dalang had a certain stubbornness he inherited from Ms. Qian, whispering, "As long as they and the children they have in the future are even half as smart as Manbao."

Junior Ms.Qian thought about it and then nodded, "Alright."

Zhou Er was also discussing the matter of schooling with Ms.Feng, "... The children aren’t young anymore, and both Second Son and Erya have been learning with Manbao for several years now. They recognize characters, so studying under Mr. Zhuang for a couple of years should be enough to learn what Manbao hasn’t taught or hasn’t gotten to yet, and then they can come back."

"Will grandfather give money?"

"Dad won’t be happy, but I think mom might be willing. We’ll see. In any case, we should prepare; if worst comes to worst, we’ll send them ourselves."

Ms.Feng had no objection and smiled, "Anyway, sending one won’t cost that much."

She may not handle the household finances, but she knew how much money her husband had.

Zhou Er, however, was surprised, "Why say one? Second Son, Erya, and Sanya are going. That’s three."

"Erya and Sanya are going too?"

"Of course, hmmm, Sanya is still young; maybe she shouldn’t go yet. Let her stay home and learn more from Manbao for a couple of years. Once she’s older, it will be the same as her sister; go for a couple of years and then come back." Zhou Er planned and felt more satisfied with the idea the more he thought about it. "That’s good, it will save quite a bit of money."

"What’s the use of girls learning to read?"

"Look at Manbao. What do you think?"

Ms.Feng: "... But that’s Sister-in-law."

"Erya is also very smart, definitely smarter than Second Son."

Ms.Feng: "You know that’s not what I mean."

"Then what do you mean?" Zhou Er frowned, realizing what she meant, and his frown deepened, "Times have changed, the family isn’t short on money, and if Erya learns to keep accounts, how good would that be? You don’t know, nowadays, even those who set up stalls on the streets of the county need some arithmetic skills; otherwise, they could be easily fooled by the local ruffians without realizing it."

"Look at our home’s Manbao. Would you worry about her being taken advantage of by someone who thinks she’s a simpleton?" Zhou Er said, "How much of the money the family earns now is made by Manbao, and how much is made by us brothers? The difference between being educated and uneducated is significant, don’t you want your daughter to have a good life in the future?"

"Well, at least we should ask big brother and sister-in-law and see if they are sending Daya."

"Don’t worry about it. Sister-in-law certainly won’t mind. You see, although Daya is a girl, sister-in-law isn’t biased."

"Are you saying I am biased?"

"I didn’t say that. You said it yourself."

Ms.Feng got so annoyed that she pinched him.

Zhou Sanlang didn’t have this worry; he had only two boys, one barely learning to stand and not yet walking, so he simply sent the older one, Silang, to school.

Zhou SiiLang, on the other hand, was quite worried. He looked at his son from left to right and couldn’t help but complain to Ms.Fang, "Don’t people say a nephew resembles his aunt? Why does this boy look nothing like Manbao? Will he be able to study in the future?"

Ms.Fang got so annoyed that she pushed him aside, took the child to bed, and said, "What you hear is that a nephew resembles his uncle, I’ve never heard of a nephew resembling his aunt."

"Who says? I’ve heard more than one person say so."

"Stop torturing your son’s brain. You should worry about your wallet first; studying costs a lot of money. When your son is ready for school, will you have enough to pay?"

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