Manbao ran to find her sister-in-law on her short legs, while Keke watched the whole process without saying a word.

Sister-in-law Zhou was obviously taken aback. She asked Manbao repeatedly what Mr. Zhuang said at that time. After confirming it, she put the things on the stove and said, "Let's go. Sister-in-law will take you home first, and we will clean up later."

Man Bao's memory was very good, and of course she explained clearly what happened just now, but Lao Zhou still asked three times, then squatted on the threshold and took out raw tobacco from the pocket at his waist.

, stuffed it into the cigarette rod and said nothing.

No one said anything, and Mr. Qian said to Mr. Qian: "You go ahead and do your work first. This matter is not a big one. We will have to wait until the boss and others come back before we can decide."

Xiao Qian responded and went to continue working in the school.

Qian glanced at Lao Zhou, took Man Bao's little hand and entered the room, looking down at her.

Seeing the confusion on her round face, I knew that she probably didn't understand the meaning.

After thinking for a while, Qian asked: "Manbao, do you want to study?"

Man Bao said: "I have been studying. I have already learned the Thousand-Character Classic. Mr. Zhuang said that he can teach me the Analects of Confucius. I can still count to a hundred."

Qian touched her little head and asked, "Do you like reading?"

Man Bao nodded and said happily: "I like it, reading is fun. When I am in a good mood, reading "The Thousand Character Essay" is like singing, and I feel better; when I am unhappy, I also read "The Thousand Character Essay"."

"Zi Wen", and then I became happy as I read it."

Qian's eyes were a little blank, and he didn't know what he thought of. After a while, he said: "It's such a pity..."

Manbao climbed onto the bed, sat next to her mother, raised her little head and asked, "Mom, 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, smelly, and not as beautiful as girls."

Mr. Qian couldn't help but smile, "Yes, our Manbao is clean and fragrant..."

But boys can carry on the family line.

Mr. Qian thought he was hard-hearted, but at this moment he couldn't help crying.

Man Bao looked extremely distressed and quickly wiped her tears. His own eyes couldn't help but turn red. He asked with a cry, "Mom, why are you crying? Do you not like me to study? Then, then I will

Go less often in the future."

Qian couldn't help but laugh out loud. While wiping her tears, she twisted her nose and said, "What a naughty little kid. Just like your father, he knows how to say nice things to coax people."

Man Bao opened her mouth wide, it was really hard to imagine that her father turned out to be that kind of father.

Qian was only sad for a moment, then hugged her and said: "Since you can read, then study. There are many benefits to studying. Although you are a girl, you are more capable than others when you study. You will not be deceived or deceived by others in the future."

If you don’t do harm, you can live a better life.”

Although Qian was illiterate and was even a village woman who had never left the county town, she had her own insights. She whispered: "Look at those men, those who are literate live a better life than those who are illiterate.

Those who count are smarter than those who are ignorant, and girls are the same."

Man Bao nodded sternly, "Sir, he said that reading can make you sensible. That idiot Bai Er said that he would not take the imperial examination and would inherit his father's land and live a living as a rent collector. So he said that. He is a reasonable person.

No matter where you go, you will not feel guilty and behave well, so you can..."

The next words were a bit difficult. Manbao paused for a moment, but Keke reminded her before she could continue, "You can be invincible, your heart is invincible, and your people are invincible."

Although Man Bao didn't understand these words very well, she felt that Mr. Zhuang was so tall and tall at that time. Her face turned red when she heard that she wanted to run around the river at the entrance of the village three times and yell, so she remembered

Lived.

She looked at her mother with bright eyes and said, "Mom, I want to study and be sensible!"

Qian looked at her serious little face and almost agreed to her, but thinking of the family's current predicament, Qian kept everything in her heart and listened to the head of the house's opinion.

Zhou Dalang and others came back during dinner time, when the sun was just about to set, but everyone was already very hungry. After all, they only had porridge for breakfast.

Everyone simply washed their hands and sat down at the dinner table. Lao Zhou was not in a hurry to get down to business. After everyone had finished eating, he sat in the yard and called the eldest, second and third eldest brother to talk.

Xiao Qian glanced outside, frowned slightly, and held on to the rag without saying anything. Sister-in-law Feng also glanced into the yard on Tuesday, and couldn't help but whisper: "My father-in-law doesn't really want my sister-in-law to go to school, right?"

Mrs. He frowned and said, "No, how much will it cost? Sister-in-law, my mother-in-law won't agree to it, right?"

Xiao Qian grabbed the rag. She didn't really want her sister-in-law to go to school, but she was the one who took her sister-in-law home at noon.

In fact, when she heard the news at noon, her first feeling was that she was happy. My sister-in-law could be accepted as an apprentice by Mr. Zhuang, and she would be very promising in the future.

But when she returned to school, she realized that studying costs money.

Even if Mr. Zhuang accepts apprentices privately and does not accept the apprenticeship of his sister-in-law, the apprenticeship ceremony is indispensable and must be done during the holidays. These are considered minors. Then you have to buy books if you want to study. You don’t have to spend money on pens, inks, paper, and inkstones.

?

In fact, Mr. Zhuang's school did not earn a very high income, because most of it was paid by Landlord Bai. However, before Zhou Lang lost money in gambling, the Zhou family could not send any grandson to study in the school. One of the reasons is that they

The family's financial resources are too small to support a scholar.

This was unaffordable before, and it is even more unaffordable now.

Moreover, their mother-in-law also has a medicine jar at home, and she needs to drink medicine every month, which makes the burden even heavier.

These thoughts wiped away Xiao Qian's initial joy, and now only worry remains.

Of course, what Xiao Qian could think of, other men in the Zhou family certainly thought more carefully, especially the head of the family, Lao Zhoutou. He originally didn't want Man Bao to go to school, but in the afternoon his wife and Man Bao talked in the room

The words made him hesitate again and again.

When it was time for dinner, he saw Man Bao holding a big bowl in his two little hands, almost burying his little head in the bowl, and eating the bowl of thin white porridge with gusto.

When he looked at the three daughters-in-law next to him who were clearing the table, washing dishes, and cleaning as soon as they put down the dishes, the balance in Lao Zhoutou's heart slowly tilted 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 will happen ten or fifteen years from now?

Will she also marry a farmer like her brothers and become a peasant woman like her sisters-in-law?

Lao Zhou took two puffs of cigarette, choked for a moment, then took out the pipe and smoked it. He said: "You all know the matter, tell me, what do you think?"

Zhou Erlang and Zhou Lang looked at each other, lowered their heads and said, "We listen to dad and eldest brother."

Old Zhou glanced at the two of them and looked at Zhou Dalang, "Dalang, tell me."

Zhou Dalang gritted his teeth and said: "Since Mr. Zhuang is willing to take her in, we will provide for her. When she grows up, if she can marry into the town, she will not have to beg for food in the fields like us."

"Yes!" Lao Zhou slapped his thigh, "That's what I think. How many girls in this world can be literate and can count. Do the math. Among the children in the family, who is as smart as Manbao? At home, It’s hard to count the heads of eggs, but Manbao can count them in just one count. We Manbao are good-looking, and we will definitely look better when we grow up. Not to mention the town, maybe everyone in the county can get married."

Zhou Erlang struggled and said: "That's what I say, but it will cost a lot of money to study. She is still a girl and cannot take the exam to become an official..."

Under his father's gaze, Zhou Erlang's voice gradually became lowered and he could only poke his third son.

Zhou Lang said: "I listen to dad and eldest brother."

Zhou Dalang & Tuesday Lang: "..."

Lao Zhoutou couldn't help but take another puff of cigarette and said: "Mr. Zhuang will definitely not accept a monk with a lot of treasures, so we will just give him a apprenticeship ceremony or something."

Zhou Zhoulang said: "The books, pens, inks, paper and inkstones must be bought. Mr. Zhuang cannot accept Man Bao as his apprentice. 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 sound very expensive.

And this was precisely one of the reasons why Lao Zhou was hesitant the most. He smoked calmly and said nothing.

Zhou Dalang had blue veins popping out on his hands. He gritted his teeth and said, "Dad, Man Bao is a good boy. Mr. Zhuang also knows the situation of our family. I'll go and beg him. Let's just buy one of the books they want to study now. Man Bao She is still young now and does not use paper and ink to practice calligraphy. When she grows up, the family should be able to save some money."

When Lao Zhou saw his eldest son speaking, he took a long breath and nodded: "Okay, let's do it like this. You and I will take Manbao to apprentice the day after tomorrow, and then we will discuss it with Mr. Zhuang."

Zhou Zhoulang opened his mouth, but he didn't say anything else, but he was worried in his heart.

He was already forty-six years old, and he was about to get married. The original plan was to marry him a wife for the Chinese New Year, so that they could go to the fields together in the spring.

But his gambling has ruined all the family's money, his reputation has also been ruined, and he probably won't be able to marry a wife within three years.

But the fourth child can get married a few years later, which is what he deserves, but what about the fifth child?

The fifth child is also fourteen, and they will have to get married in two years. This will cost a lot of money, not to mention that their mother will have to take medicine.

There are six brothers in the family, not counting the three who are not married, but the three who are married. Although the eldest is stable, he is not smart enough, and the third is a very honest person.

The second child is more clever, and because he often goes to the market to sell things, he thinks and wants a little more than the eldest child.

As soon as the gambling incident came up, he made a plan in his mind. After three or two years, his family would be able to save three or four ounces of money, and then he would lend some to his fifth brother for marriage.

After the fifth child is finished, it is the turn of the fourth and sixth children. After these three little ones talk about getting married, the family will have to be in poverty for at least ten more years, and then the big ones will also start talking about getting married.

He originally planned to work together as a family. With his parents here and his brothers working together, he could actually make money faster than his own family.

Although his younger brother, nephew, and son will get married one after another, he may not have any money left in his life, but at least he will not be short of food and clothing.

But if Manbao's education was added to this plan, the family would really have no money left.
Chapter completed!