Man Bao ran to find her sister-in-law on short legs. Ke Ke watched the whole process without saying a word.
Mrs. Zhou was obviously taken aback. She repeatedly asked Man Bao what Mr. Zhuang said at the time, and after confirming it, she put the things on the stove after a little thought, and said, "Let's go, sister-in-law will take you home first, and I will clean up later."
Man Bao's memory is particularly good, and it happened just now. Of course, she explained clearly, but Lao Zhou still asked three times, and then squatted on the threshold, and took out shredded tobacco from his waist pocket. , Stuffed it into the cigarette rod and didn't speak.
Everyone didn't speak, and Qian said to Xiao Qian: "You go to work first, this is not a small matter, we have to wait for the boss and the others to come back to make a decision."
Xiaoqian responded and went to the school to continue working.
Mrs. Qian glanced at Old Zhou, took Man Bao's little hand into the room, and looked down at her.
Seeing her round face full of bewilderment, one knew that she probably didn't understand the meaning.
After thinking about it, Qian asked, "Man Bao, do you want to study?"
Man Bao said: "I've been reading. I've already learned the "Thousand Characters". Mr. Zhuang said that he can teach me "The Analects of Confucius". I can count to one hundred."
Qian touched her little head, "Do you like reading?"
Man Bao nodded now, and said happily: "I like it, reading is very interesting. When I am in a good mood, reading "Thousand Characters" is like singing, and the mood is even better; when I am unhappy, I also read "Thousand Characters". "Character", and then I am happy when I read it."
Qian's eyes were a little blank, and he didn't know what to think of, and said after a while: "It's such a pity..."
Man Bao climbed onto the bed, sat next to his mother, raised his head and asked, "Mother, what's the pity?"
"It's a pity you're not a boy."
Man Bao pouted and said, "I don't want to be a boy. Boys are dirty and smelly, and they are not as beautiful as girls."
Qian couldn't help laughing, "Yes, our Manbao is clean and fragrant..."
But boys can carry on the family line.
Qian thought she was hard-hearted enough, but at this moment she couldn't help but shed tears.
Seeing her heartbroken, Man Bao quickly wiped away her tears. His own eyes couldn't help but turn red, and he asked in a crying voice, "Mother, why are you crying? Do you not like me going to school? Then, then I Go less in the future."
Qian couldn't help laughing, while wiping her tears, she twisted her nose and said, "What a cunning little guy, just like your father, he can speak nice words to coax people."
Man Bao opened his mouth wide, it was really hard to imagine that her father was such a father.
Qian was only sad for a moment, then hugged her and said: "Since you can read, then read. There are many benefits to reading. Although you are a girl, you are better than others when you study. You will not be deceived or deceived by others in the future." Harm, you can live your life better."
Although Qian is illiterate, and even a village woman who has never been out of the county, she has her own experience. She whispered: "Look at those men, those who can read have a better life than those who cannot. Counting is smarter than ignorance, and girls are the same."
Man Bao nodded fiercely, "Mr. said that reading can make sense, that idiot Bai Er, he said that he will not take the imperial examination, and he will inherit his father's land to collect rent and live, so Mr. will call him that. Someone who explains the reason No matter where you go, you will not feel guilty, you will act well, and you can... "
The following words are a bit difficult, Man Bao paused, and Keke reminded her before she could continue, "You can be invincible, your heart is undefeated, and your people are undefeated."
Although Man Bao didn't understand these words very well, she felt that Mr. Zhuang was so tall and tall at that time, she blushed when she heard it, and wished she could run around the river at the entrance of the village three times and yell, so she remembered Living.
She looked at her mother with bright eyes and said, "Mother, I want to study and be sensible!"
Seeing her earnest little face, Mrs. Qian almost agreed to her, but thinking of the current plight of the family, Mrs. Qian kept all her words in her heart, and listened to the opinions of the head of the family.
Zhou Dalang and the others came back at dinner time, when the sun was about to set, but everyone was starving, after all, breakfast was only porridge.
Everyone simply washed their hands and sat down at the dinner table. Old Zhou was not in a hurry to talk about business. After everyone had finished eating, he sat in the yard and called the boss, the second and the third to talk.
Xiaoqian glanced out, frowned slightly, grabbed the dishcloth and said nothing, Zhou Zhou's sister-in-law Feng also glanced into the yard, couldn't help whispering: "Father doesn't really want my sister-in-law to go to school, does he?"
He frowned and said: "No way, how much will it cost, sister-in-law, mother-in-law won't agree?"
Xiao Qian grabbed the rag, and she didn't really want my sister-in-law to go to school, but she was the one who brought her home at noon.
In fact, when she heard the news at noon, her first feeling was that she was happy. My sister-in-law can be accepted as an apprentice by Mr. Zhuang, so she will have a lot of promise in the future.
But when she returned to school, she thought that studying costs money.
Even if Mr. Zhuang accepts apprentices privately and does not accept his sister-in-law’s apprenticeship, there must be no less ceremony for apprenticeship, and he has to go to the ceremony on New Year’s and holidays.
In fact, Mr. Zhuang’s school income is not very high, because the big head is paid by the white landlord, but before Zhou Zhoulang lost money in the bet, the Zhou family failed to send any grandchildren to study in the school. One of the reasons is that they The family background is too thin to afford a scholar.
This was unaffordable before, and it is even more unaffordable now.
Moreover, their mother-in-law has a medicine jar at home, and they have to drink medicine every month, which makes the burden even heavier.
These thoughts washed away Xiaoqian's joy at the beginning, and now only worry is left.
Of course, what Xiaoqian can think of, the other men in the Zhou family are of course more thoughtful, especially the head of the family, Old Zhou Tou, who originally didn't want Man Bao to go to school, but his wife and Man Bao said in the afternoon The words made him hesitate again and again.
When it was time to eat dinner, he watched Man Bao holding a large bowl in his two small hands, almost buried his little head in the bowl, eating a bowl of thin white porridge with relish.
Looking at the three daughters-in-law next to him who had just put down the dishes and were about to clear the table, wash the dishes, and clean up, the balance in Old Zhou's heart slowly shifted to the other side.
His Man Bao is weak, white, fat, and cute. He is pampered by his father and brother at home, but what about ten or fifteen years from now
Was she going to marry a farmer like her brothers then, and become a peasant woman like her sisters-in-law
Old Zhou took two sharp puffs of cigarette, choked on it, took out the bong and knocked it, he said: "You all know the matter, tell me, what do you think?"
Zhou Zhoulang and Zhou Zhoulang looked at each other, then lowered their heads and said, "We will listen to father and elder brother."
Old Zhou glanced at the two of them, then looked at Zhou Dalang, "Dalang, tell me."
Zhou Dalang gritted his teeth and said, "Since Mr. Zhuang is willing to take her in, let's make a confession. When she grows up, if she can marry into the town, she won't have to beg for food like us."
"Yes!" Lao Zhou patted his thigh, "That's what I thought, how many girls in this world can read and count, you all do the math, among the children in the family, who is as smart as Man Bao? No matter how you count the big heads of eggs, Manbao can count them out. Our Manbao looks good, and we will definitely look better when we grow up. Let alone the town, maybe even the county can marry."
Zhou Zhou Lang struggled and said: "That's what I said, but it costs a lot of money to study, she is still a girl, she can't take the exam to become an official..."
Zhou Zhoulang lowered his voice under his father's gaze, and could only poke the third child.
Zhou Zhoulang said: "I listen to my father and elder brother."
Zhou Dalang & Tuesday Lang: "..."
Old Zhou Tou couldn't help taking another puff of his cigarette, and said, "Mr. Zhuang will definitely not accept Shu Xiu who is full of treasures, so we will just give a teacher's gift or something."
Zhou Zhoulang said: "The books, pens, ink, paper and inkstone have to be bought. Mr. Zhuang can't accept Man Bao as an apprentice, and Mr. Zhuang has to pay for these things. Dad, I don't know how much these things cost."
No one in the family has read books, and they don't know the exact price, but books, pens, ink, and paper are very expensive.
And this is precisely one of the reasons why old Zhou Tou hesitated the most. He smoked with a calm head, without saying a word.
Zhou Dalang had bruised veins in his hands, he gritted his teeth and said, "Father, Man Bao is a good boy. Mr. Zhuang also knows about our family's situation, so I'll ask him, we can just buy a book they want to learn now. Man Bao She's still young now, and she doesn't use paper and ink to practice calligraphy, and when she grows up a bit, the family should have saved some money."
Seeing that the eldest son spoke, old Zhou took a long breath, nodded and said, "Okay, let's do it this way, you and I will take Man Bao to apprentice the day after tomorrow, and then discuss it with Mr. Zhuang."
Tuesday Lang opened his mouth, but he didn't say anything else, but he was worried.
He was forty-six, and he was about to marry him. The original plan was to marry him a daughter-in-law for the New Year, so that they could go to the fields together in spring.
But he gambled, ruined all the family's money, and ruined his reputation. It is estimated that he will not be able to marry a wife within three years.
But the fourth child can get married a few years later, that's what he deserves, but what about the fifth child
The fifth child is also fourteen, and in two years they will have to talk about marriage, which costs a lot of money, not to mention their mother has to take medicine.
There are six brothers in the family, the three who are not married are not counted, and the three who are already married, although the eldest is stable, he is not smart enough, and the third is a very honest person.
The second child is a bit smarter, and because he often goes to the market to sell things, he thinks and wants a little more than the eldest.
Originally, as soon as the gambling happened, he calculated it in his heart. After three or two years, the family could save three or four pennies, and at that time, he would lend some money to the fifth child to talk about marriage.
After the fifth child finished, it was the turn of the fourth child and the sixth child. After the three younger ones talked about kissing, the family would have to be poor for at least another ten years, and then the big head would have to start talking about kissing.
He originally planned that it would be better for the family to work together, with his parents around and his brothers working together, so that earning money would actually be faster than his own family.
Although his younger brother, nephew, and his son will get married one after another, and he may not see any spare money for the rest of his life, at least there will be no shortage of food and clothing.
But if Man Bao's reading is added to this plan, then the family will really have no money left.
Zhou Zhoulang scratched his head, and finally said with a headache, forget it, anyway, the family is run by his parents, and they are the ones who worry about it. Now he just needs to be obedient and take care of his own little family.