Chapter 9 Agreement_2

Junior Ms.Qian glanced outside and furrowed her brows slightly, clutching a rag without speaking. Second Sister-in-law Zhou, Ms. Feng, also looked into the courtyard and couldn't help but whisper softly, "Father-in-law won't really be thinking of letting the little girl go to school, right?"

Ms. He frowned and said, "Impossible, right? That would cost so much money. Eldest sister-in-law, Mother-In-Law wouldn't have agreed, would she?"

Junior Ms. Qian clutched the rag; she also wasn't keen on the idea of the little girl going to school, but it had been her who had brought the girl home at noon.

In fact, when she had heard the news at noon, her initial reaction was one of happiness. If the girl could become a disciple of Mr. Zhuang, she would have such great prospects.

But when she returned to the school, she remembered: schooling costs money.

Even if Mr. Zhuang privately took on disciples and didn't accept the girl's tuition fee, the gift for becoming an apprentice couldn't be omitted. During festivals, they still would have to give presents. These were the minor costs. But if you're reading, you have to buy books, right? None of pen, ink, paper, and inkstone come without a cost, do they?

Actually, the tuition at Mr. Zhuang's school wasn't very high, since most of it was covered by Landlord Bai. But before Zhou SiLang lost money gambling, the Zhou Family hadn't been able to send any of their grandsons to study, in part because their financial foundation was too weak to support a scholar.

What was unaffordable in the past was even less so now.

Moreover, they also had an old lady to take care of at home, who needed to take medicine every month, further adding to the burdens.

All these considerations washed away Junior Ms. Qian's initial joy, leaving only worry behind.

Of course, what Junior Ms. Qian could think of, other men in the Zhou Family had already considered even more thoroughly—especially the head of the family, Old Zhou. He hadn't been too keen on letting Manbao go to school, but the conversation his wife and Manbao had had in the room that afternoon made him hesitate time and again.

At dinner, he watched as Manbao held a large bowl with both little hands, nearly burying her face in it as she ate the watery porridge with relish.

When he glanced over at his three daughters-in-law who had just put down their bowls and were getting ready to clear the table, wash the dishes, and clean up, the balance in Old Zhou's heart began to tip to the other side.

His Manbao was frail and looked pale and chubby—adorable—and spoiled by her father and brothers at home. But what about in ten, fifteen years from now?

Would she need to marry a farmer just like her brothers and become a farmer's wife like her sisters-in-law?

Old Zhou took a few fierce puffs of his pipe, choked a little, and then knocked out his pipe, saying, "You all know the situation. Speak up, what are your thoughts?"

Zhou Er and Zhou San exchanged glances, bowed their heads, and said, "We will follow Father and Eldest brother's decision."

Old Zhou glanced at them and turned to Zhou Dalang, "Dalang, you speak."

Dalang bit his lip and said, "Since Mr. Zhuang is willing to take her, then let's support her. When she grows up, if she can marry into town, she won't have to scour the fields for food like us."

"Exactly!" Old Zhou slapped his thigh, "That's exactly what I was thinking. How many girls in this world can read and write, let alone do math? You all think about it, among the children at home, who is as smart as Manbao? She can count out the number of eggs in the house at a glance, while Datou can never sort it out correctly. Our Manbao is also pretty, and she will certainly be more beautiful when she grows up. She could marry not just into town—maybe even into the county."

Zhou ErLang was conflicted and said, "That's all well and good, but it costs a lot of money to study, doesn't it? And she's a girl; she can't take exams to become an official..."

Zhou ErLang trailed off under his father's gaze, nudging Zhou San instead.

Zhou San said, "I will listen to Father and Eldest Brother."

Zhou Dalang & Zhou ErLang: "..."

Unable to help himself, Old Zhou took another puff of his pipe and said, "Mr. Zhuang surely won't accept Manbao's tuition fee. We'll just prepare a gift for the apprenticeship."

Zhou ErLang then said, "But we still have to buy books and supplies like pen, ink, paper, and inkstone, right? We can't expect Mr. Zhuang to provide everything for Manbao, Father. We don't even know how much these things will cost."

Nobody in the family had ever been schooled, so they had no idea about the actual prices, but books, pens, inks, papers—they all sounded expensive.

And that was precisely one of the reasons Old Zhou hesitated most. He smoked silently, not uttering a word.

Dalang's veins on his hands bulged as he bit his lip fiercely, saying, "Father, Manbao is a good child, and Mr. Zhuang is aware of our family's situation. I'll ask him. Whatever book they're studying now, we'll buy just one copy. Manbao is still young and doesn't need paper and ink for practice yet. By the time she grows older, our family should have saved up a bit of money."

Seeing his eldest son speak up, Old Zhou let out a sigh of relief and nodded, "Alright, that's what we'll do. The day after tomorrow, you and I will take Manbao for the apprenticeship and discuss it with Mr. Zhuang."

Zhou ErLang opened his mouth as if to speak, but in the end, he didn't voice his concerns, though he was full of anxiety.

Four was already forty-six, due for marriage negotiations; the plan was to find him a bride for the New Year, so that come spring, they could farm the fields together.

But he gambled away the family's money, tarnishing his reputation; it would likely take three years before he could even think of marrying.

Four could delay his marriage for a few years; it was his fault, after all. But what about Five?

Five was already fourteen; in two years, he would need to talk about marriage. The expenses of a wedding were not small, not to mention their mother still needed her medicine.

There were six brothers in the family, excluding the three unmarried ones, and among the three that were married, Eldest was steady but not very clever. Third was an absolute honest man.

Only Two had some wit about him, and since he frequented the market to sell things, his thoughts were a bit more expansive than Eldest's.

Originally, after the gambling incident, he had calculated that in three or four years, they could save a bit of money. Then they could borrow some to arrange a marriage for Five.

After Five would come Four and Sixth. Once these three younger ones were married off, the family would be destitute for at least another decade, then Datou would also need to start thinking about marriage.

He had always planned that it was better for the family to work together. With parents present, brothers could pool their strength and earn money a bit faster.

Although his younger brothers, nephews, and his own son might marry one after the other, which meant he might never see spare money in his lifetime, they wouldn't lack food and clothing.

But if his plan included Manbao's schooling, then the family would truly have no extra money at all.

Zhou ErLang scratched his head, finally expressing his headache, thinking to himself, forget it, after all, the household was run by his parents. If there were worries, they would bear them. For now, all he had to do was obey and take care of his own small family.