When Zhuang Dalang came back and saw Bai Shan and the others, he smiled and took the money to Zhuang Ji'an and asked him to buy some fresh meat.
"Hurry up, today is New Year's Eve, and the stall will end very early."
Zhuang Ji'an took the money and ran out. Their home was not far from the butcher stall, so he came back not long after.
Zhuang Dalang and Bai Dalang were relatively familiar with each other, but they didn't talk much, and they talked more about daily life.
However, this time he paid special attention to the date of their departure after the new year. Apparently Mr. Zhuang had told him that he would still go to Beijing with them after the new year.
Mr. Zhuang emphatically asked Bai Shan and the others to take care of Mr. Zhuang. He knew that the three of Bai Shan and the others were different from Bai Dalang. The three of them kowtowed to become their disciples.
Bai Shan and the other three agreed seriously, and then both sides had nothing to say.
It happened that Zhuang Ji'an came back. Zhuang Dalang stood up with a smile and went to help in the kitchen. Mr. Zhuang suddenly raised his head and asked Zhuang Ji'an, "Ji'an, would you like to go to the capital with your grandfather to take a look?"
Zhuang Dalang stopped for a moment, frowned and turned around, "Father, after the Chinese New Year, I will take Ji An with me to practice. Mr. Zhang also said that Ji An can take my position in the future. The capital is too far."
Mr. Zhuang ignored Zhuang Dalang and only looked at Zhuang Ji'an.
Zhuang Ji'an hesitated for a moment, then glanced at his father and still refused, "Grandpa, I want to stay at home."
Mr. Zhuang felt a little disappointed in his heart. After a long time, he sighed and nodded: "Okay."
With slightly trembling hands, he took a snack from the paper bag and gave it to his little grandson Zhuang Jiran who was sitting next to him.
Zhuang Jiran happily took it. Zhuang Dalang saw it, paused and said: "Jiran, go to the kitchen and help your mother light the fire."
Zhuang Jiran stuffed a piece of snack into his mouth and ran away.
Mr. Zhuang was suddenly left with only one granddaughter.
Mr. Zhuang reached out and touched her head, and also smiled and handed her a piece of snack.
For some reason, Man Bao, Bai Shan and Bai Erlang suddenly felt that their husband was sad. Even Bai Dalang felt that the atmosphere was not right. The four of them looked at each other and immediately found a topic to divert Mr. Zhuang's attention.
Man Bao said: "Sir, my fourth brother wants to buy some tea in the county. Do you know where I can buy tea?"
Mr. Zhuang thought for a while and said: "Luojiang County only has some loose tea, and there are no big tea mountains. If you want to buy tea, you have to go to Suizhou, right?"
Mr. Zhuang began to wonder if he had any friends who were familiar with Suizhou. When he thought about it, there were really two of them.
Mr. Zhuang said with a smile: "After the third year of junior high school, let your fourth brother go to the city when he has time. I will introduce two friends to him."
Man Bao just asked casually, but she didn't expect it to happen. She was pleasantly surprised and agreed immediately.
Zhuang Jisi, who was only five years old, looked up at Man Bao, then at his grandfather, and asked, "Grandpa, are you going out to eat delicious food?"
Mr. Zhuang laughed, nodded and asked, "Are you going?"
Zhuang Jisi nodded immediately, "I want to go."
"Then grandpa will take you there."
Man Bao thought she was very cute, so he also picked up a piece of snack for her to eat, but Mr. Zhuang stopped her and said with a smile: "It won't be long before we have lunch, but we can't eat any more."
Zhuang Jisi watched eagerly.
Mr. Zhuang smiled and said: "Grandpa will keep it for you. You can eat two more pieces at night, and keep the rest to eat later."
Only then did Zhuang Jisi become happy.
The children couldn't sit still, and Zhuang Jisi was the same, not to mention that she couldn't understand anything her grandfather and several brothers and sisters said, so after finishing the snack, she moved her little buttocks and wanted to run out.
Mr. Zhuang did not restrain her, patted her little head and said: "Let's go out and play."
Zhuang Jisi ran away.
After she left, Bai Shan asked, "Sir, do you want to take Ji An to the capital?"
Mr. Zhuang smiled lightly and said, "His parents can't bear to let him go, so forget it."
He looked at Bai Dalang and said with a smile: "I originally thought that maybe he would like to study in the county school, and then I would ask Dalang's classmates who are still in the county school to take care of him."
Bai Dalang was surprised when he heard this, "Since Ji An can be admitted to the county school, why doesn't Senior Brother Zhuang want him to continue studying and instead wants to take him with him?"
Mr. Zhuang shook his head and said: "He is an average student and cannot pass the exam. But I know a few friends and can still attend the county school with some money."
It was just that such a purchased auditor might be ostracized by the students in the county school, so he wanted to ask Bai Dalang to help take care of him.
After all, he knows his husband, but his husband often doesn't care about the affairs between students.
Bai Erlang whispered in a low voice: "Sir, your knowledge is no worse than those of the teachers in the county school..."
Mr. Zhuang let out a long sigh and didn't speak for a long time.
He looked outside the door. From here he could see the kitchen opposite. After a long time, he said softly: "Everyone has his own ambitions. As long as his children and grandchildren are safe, that's all."
Even so, he still felt a little confused in his heart.
Originally, he had given up long ago and no longer thought about letting his children enter the official career. After all, he had paid a high price for this in the first half of his life, and Dalang was not willing to do so.
But after going to the capital again, he felt that he didn't seem to be in such a bad situation, so he started to think about cultivating his descendants again.
But Zhuang Dalang was unwilling. He knew his son better than his father. Similarly, he knew his father better than his son. He understood both his son and his father.
In his opinion, his father was already smart enough and powerful enough, but he was framed and his life turned into that.
His life as a child was so miserable, and he didn't want his descendants to live like that again.
He is not as smart as his father, and neither is his son, and he knows that neither of them can endure the hardship of studying.
Then they might as well be honest. In this Luojiang County, although they are not rich, they still have enough food and clothing and are safe and comfortable. In his opinion, this is enough.
Sister-in-law Zhuang doesn't want her child to leave with her father-in-law. The child is so young and is no longer in front of her parents. How can that be done?
Seeing her husband enter the kitchen with a bad face, she glanced out and asked in a low voice: "Why, father-in-law mentioned asking Ji An to go to the capital again?"
Zhuang Dalang responded.
Sister-in-law Zhuang said: "I have already agreed in advance that I will not allow Ji An to go to the capital. He is still young."
Zhuang Dalang nodded, "I understand, I didn't agree."
Sister-in-law Zhuang breathed a sigh of relief. While chopping the meat, she glanced outside and whispered, "I just saw it. The gifts sent by the Zhou family this year are much more valuable. The colors on the silk and satin are particularly beautiful. I touched them and poured them out."
It’s much better than what the Bai family sent.”
Zhuang Dalang said: "Then put it away. Later you can cut some to make new clothes for the girl and you."
Sister-in-law Zhuang happily agreed and whispered: "We haven't seen each other for more than half a year. Zhou Manchuang is getting more and more beautiful. Our Ji An is also old. How do you think she is?"
Zhuang Dalang frowned, "It's not good, there's a difference in seniority."
Sister-in-law Zhuang didn't care, "What kind of seniority is this? Ji An also had sex with his father-in-law when he was a child. Isn't he his father-in-law's student? If their family pays attention to this, then let Ji An also worship his father-in-law as his husband.
"
Zhuang Dalang didn't say anything. Scholars really don't care about this. There are many fathers and sons who are brothers, but...
Zhuang Dalang frowned and said, "I'll talk to dad in the afternoon."
He also thinks Zhou Man is good, mainly because she is literate and knows etiquette.