Because Zhu Ping'an was threatened by the black-bellied little girl to tell a story in the afternoon, he didn't have time to grill fish today. When he went home from school, he still took the whole fish basket home. There were not as many fish as yesterday, but there were only five palm-sized fish to comfort him.
I rode the old ox back home and found the house in a mess.
Fourth Aunt, Third Aunt, and mother Chen were quarreling with eldest aunt and grandmother in the yard, causing chaos and confusion.
It must have been caused by my aunt asking my grandmother for two strings of money, but I don't know who started it. Three against one, my grandmother said nothing, and my mother couldn't suffer any loss, so Zhu Ping'an didn't step forward.
"Sister-in-law, you are not colluding with the Yue family to play tricks on us, are you? The Yue family sent us one string of money a few days ago, and you asked mother for two strings of money yesterday. The interest rate of usury can't be that high, right? Second sister-in-law, third sister-in-law and I are just asking, and you say that we are causing trouble for the family and destroying the relationship between brothers. Can't we even ask?" Fourth Aunt looked aggrieved and complained bitterly.
"Didn't I tell you? It's not what you think. Your eldest brother is going to the county town to study for a few days. He will definitely pass the imperial examination next time. Then our family will enjoy a prosperous life together. We will be able to sit on an equal footing with the county magistrate without having to kneel, and we will be exempt from taxes and labor service. I'm not saying anything bad to you, fourth brother and sister-in-law, but you should take a long-term view. Your eldest brother will not forget you when he becomes successful." The eldest aunt responded well to the questioning of the fourth aunt, with a tense smile on her face, just like an eldest sister persuading her ignorant younger sister.
"Hit, hit, hit! Eldest sister-in-law always says this, but eldest brother has never won!" Fourth Aunt muttered in a low voice.
"Fourth brother's wife, what did you just say?" The smile on the eldest aunt's face could no longer be suppressed and broke.
"No, he didn't say anything. How do we know whether eldest brother used the two strings of money to study or to please his wife's parents?" Aunt Four shook her heads repeatedly. Everyone knew that it was her sister-in-law's wish that eldest brother passed the imperial examination, but she didn't dare to offend him and just changed the subject.
"That's right, sister-in-law. Two strings of cash is not a small amount. If we use it ourselves, Jun'er can go to school, and it's enough for my son Zhu'er to go to school as well." Mother Chen followed.
Hearing this, the aunt looked at Zhu Ping'an, who was riding an old yellow ox and carrying a fish basket, with a bit of disdain on her face, but she still smiled and said:
"Second sister-in-law, I think Zhuer is doing well herding cattle. Look, Zhuer has caught fish again. I didn't want my Juner to go to elementary school. I wanted to keep him herding cattle, but the fortune teller insisted that my Juner was the god of literature. He even said so after consulting several fortune tellers. He also said that if I didn't send Juner to school, it would be unjust. I was so scared that I told my mother at home. I didn't expect her grandmother to send the money to me."
Zhu Ping'an saw that his mother's face turned blue with anger because of his great aunt's sarcastic words, and he saw that his mother was about to go up and fight with his great aunt.
At this time, Zhu Pingjun also came back from school outside the door, because Zhu Pingan rode the old ox faster.
"Mom, I don't want to go to school anymore. The old teacher doesn't like me and hits my palms every day. Look, they are swollen. Anyway, I will never go again."
Zhu Pingjun started yelling as soon as he entered the room. He stretched out his little hands that were beaten red by the teacher, cried with snot and tears, and said that he would never go to school again.
Although Zhu Pingan was dressed simply and with patches on his clothes, he was chubby and quiet; Zhu Pingjun was dressed well, with new clothes, but his face was covered with snot and tears, and there were traces of mud on his face. Zhu Pingan looked more like a student of elementary school, while Zhu Pingjun looked like a monkey in human clothing, more like a cowherd.
When mother Chen saw this scene, the anger on her face suddenly disappeared, and she returned the same expression and look to her aunt as before.
The aunt was provoked by Mother Chen's words, and then she looked at her son who was crying and making a fuss, saying that the teacher slapped his hands every day and he refused to go to school anymore, and she suddenly exploded.
"I told you not to go to school anymore, I told you not to study hard in school... Do you know how much effort your parents put in to pay for your tuition..." The eldest aunt could no longer maintain her composure as she argued with her sisters-in-law. She was so angry that she grabbed Zhu Pingjun, took the broomstick that was placed aside, and hit Zhu Pingjun on his butt with it.
"Oh, sister-in-law, don't hit the child even if you are angry. Jun'er is so young and doesn't know anything. He is the Star of Literature, don't let him get hurt." Mother Chen was not someone who was willing to suffer a loss. Her words sounded like she was protecting Zhu Pingjun, but in fact, her words were full of ridicule for her aunt.
"Sister-in-law, you just said how much effort you put into Juner's tuition. Did I hear you right? Didn't you say that Juner's schooling was paid for by your family?" The fourth aunt had sharp ears and she caught hold of what her aunt said and wouldn't let go.
The third aunt, who had been silent all this time, also spoke up, "I heard my eldest sister-in-law say that, too."
The aunt who was scolding her son paused when she heard this. Zhu Pingjun broke free from her aunt's hand, but he didn't run away. He just lay on the ground and rolled over, crying, "Beat me to death, beat me to death, I won't go to school anymore."
In the blink of an eye, Zhu Pingjun turned into a mud monkey. Two white streaks of tears ran down his face, forming a sharp contrast with the mud on his face. There were also two lines of muddy snot hanging from his nose, and he was crying so miserably.
"Brother Jun, get up. The ground is dirty." The little girl Yu'er came out timidly from a corner, walked up to Zhu Pingjun and coaxed him.
Zhu Pingjun rolled over on his own and ignored Xiao Yuer.
Zhu Ping'an got off the old ox and came over with the fish basket. He looked at Zhu Pingjun, who looked like a mud monkey, and then at Xiao Yu'er, who was blinking her big watery eyes and asking for help, and said:
"Let's go, Xiaoyu'er. Brother has caught several fish from the river. Let's put them in the basin and play with them. One of the fish has a colorful back. It's really pretty."
As Zhu Ping'an spoke, he took Xiao Yu'er and the fish basket and walked towards the well in the yard, where there was a basin of water.
"There are beautiful fish. Wait for me, wait for me, I want to go too." Zhu Pingjun, who had been rolling on the ground crying, stopped crying when he heard that there were fun and interesting things. He crawled up from the ground, stretched out his muddy paws to wipe his tears and snot, and happily caught up with Zhu Pingan as if nothing had happened.
Everyone in the yard stared at the scene in a daze.
Then
The fourth aunt was the first to react and questioned the eldest aunt, "Sister-in-law, you haven't answered what I and the third sister-in-law asked just now. Isn't it the Yue family who paid for Jun'er's elementary school? Why did you and the eldest brother spend so much effort on it?"
"That's right, sister-in-law, you have to tell us about it."
"Yes, sister-in-law, we are a family. We can't hide anything from our sisters-in-law."
The yard began to become noisy again.