Zhuang Er glanced at the carriage going away, turned around and asked again.
"Bao'er said that a school will be built in the village, but is that true?"
Zhuang Keqing smiled slightly, his eyebrows slightly curved, nodded slightly, and greeted the father and son to come in.
"Second uncle, have a drink."
After that, he poured another glass for his cousin on the side.
"Sister Ke'er, if a school is really built, at my age, can I still go?"
Zhuang Baonian had been holding it in for a long time, and now he was holding the cup in both hands to take the drink, looking at Zhuang Keqing with bright eyes, like a dog wagging its tail to please.
"Of course, you can go at any time if you are guaranteed a year, and I'll pay the tuition fee for you."
Zhuang Keqing was amused by his cousin and immediately agreed to go. Zhuang Er was so surprised that he shook his head.
"How can you get this money out?"
Unexpectedly, Zhuang Keqing had a serious expression on her face. She glanced at the anxious Zhuang Baonian, and then returned her gaze to Zhuang Er.
"It's only five hundred coins a year. We Baonian are so smart, why don't you give him a chance?"
"this……"
Zhuang Er paused.
It's not that he can't even afford 500 yuan, but his son is already fifteen this year. In other families, it would have been long ago to say goodbye, but his mother never let go, so it was delayed.
He originally thought that if his mother disagreed, he would save some money and save some money in the past two years. When the baby boy grows up to sixteen or seventeen, he can find a good wife and his life will be smooth.
But now that the family has been separated, I have lost my land, and I don’t know how many more years it will take to save a betrothal gift for my son. If the child goes to school at this time, it will be fine if he can get a good education, but if he can’t
To come up with something, wouldn't it be a waste of several years, relying on him alone, and in the end I might not even be able to save enough money to marry a wife.
"Dad, I really want to study. Even if I can't be as good a scholar as my brother-in-law, at least I can read a few words. That's better than a lot of people in our village who can't even write their own names."
Zhuang Baonian was very opinionated. Seeing that his father was still hesitating and anxious, his voice was louder.
Seeing his son's anxious look, Zhuang Er felt a rare feeling of anxiety in his heart.
It would be great if there was still money at home!
"Brother Baonian, there is a mung bean cake I made before in the kitchen outside. It is fragrant, sweet, and slightly cold. How about asking my brother-in-law to take you to try it?"
Seeing that his second uncle was in a bad mood, Zhuang Keqing hurriedly raised his head and winked at Shen Ling, asking him to take Zhuang Baonian out to prevent the child from causing trouble and causing any problems.
After the two of them went out, Zhuang Keqing continued: "Second uncle, I can guess a thing or two about your worries, but the matter has reached this point. What you should consider is how to take care of your family and how to let them live a good life with you.
That’s it.”
"Just like what I said just now, please give brother Baonian a chance. Why shouldn't you give yourself a chance?"
Zhuang Er was shocked when he heard this.
Yes, has he lived for himself in these many years?
Why not give yourself a chance!
He has done a good job of human kindness, filial piety and righteousness over the years, but what did he get in return?
There are only brothers’ calculations and mother’s scolding and harsh accusations!
'Erlang, you not only have mother, you also have me and Bao'er.'
The words his wife said in the morning suddenly rang in his ears again, and Zhuang Er's mind suddenly became clear.
It's just a tofu recipe, so why are you so timid, afraid of your mother coming to snatch it away, or your younger brother coming to snatch it away from you?
After Zhuang Keqing said those words, he stopped talking. He only held the cup and drank carefully, leaving time for Zhuang Er to figure it out.
Her second uncle is good at everything, but sometimes he attaches too much importance to friendship and is a little indecisive. But I don't know that some people will never be satisfied.
If the interruption continues, it will only become more and more troublesome in the future!
"Girl, I understand everything you said."
After a long time, Zhuang Er raised his head, his eyes clear.
Zhuang Keqing felt relieved immediately.
The more stubborn and stubborn a person is, once they have made up their mind to make a decision, they will not change it easily.
Now that the second uncle has agreed to her, he will definitely not let her down.
"The second uncle will come to my house in three days. He will teach you the method then. Then he will go with me to Zhao's house in town and agree to take over the delivery in the future."
After a few words, the rest of the matter was settled. Before Zhuang Er could react, Zhuang Keqing was already talking about the village school again.
"Second uncle, when I told Bao'er to go to school just now, I didn't mean to overstep my bounds. It's just that the opportunity is really rare."
"But, Ke Bao'er is already this age."
"This is the right age."
Zhuang Keqing smiled slightly and explained everything he had discussed with Zuo Jin before.
After he finished speaking, Zhuang Er suddenly realized.
It turns out that Wu Fuji built a school in the village with the intention of cultivating talents, and Bao'er is at the right age. As long as he is willing to study hard, he will eventually become a shopkeeper or accountant. If he has the skills, he can just do it casually.
After a few calculations, it turned out that it was much more than what they earned from working in the fields all year long.
"Girl, second uncle, second uncle really doesn't know how to thank you!"
Zhuang Er sighed inwardly.
He just escorted his niece and nephew-in-law twice to take the exam. This is what the elders should do, so why should she plan for her own family like this?
As for my mother and my third brother, I always thought of them, but only got the result they have now. Comparing the two, we should know which ones are sincere and which ones are fake.
It was only at this moment that Zhuang Er made up his mind. Even if his future mother came to the door and made a fuss, he couldn't let his niece know the secret and make his niece feel bad.
Within two days, the news that Wu Fu Ji was going to build a school had spread in the village. However, except for Zhuang Er and the village chief, no one knew about the Zhuang family's departure from the village.
Only a few days before they were about to leave, the villagers got the news and came to send gifts and say goodbye.
"The main house of the banker is going to be moved to the state capital. Should the account be moved? If it is moved, it will no longer belong to our Erli Village."
The older villagers murmured, and when they received the news that they would not change their household registration, they repeatedly praised this family as a family that never forgets its roots and knows where its roots are and cannot cut them off.
Before leaving, Zhuang Keqing handed over two acres of his paddy field to Zhuang Er for cultivation. The chickens he kept at home were also moved there. He only kept some durable dry goods and kept them for the state capital for support for some time.
.
In addition, Shen Ling won the scholarship and was exempted from the grain tax of 50 acres. She decided to put four acres of Zhuang Er's farmland on it. In addition to the remaining 46 acres, 10 acres were put on the village chief's house, and the other 25 acres were put on the village chief's house.
After a few elders had their names, and there were still some left, the villagers were allowed to draw lots, and whoever won the lottery would be named under whose name they were. This was done every two years, so that everyone could get some benefits.
Zhuang Keqing's arrangement was naturally not based on his temper, and there was some deep meaning in it.
Every household in rural areas has deep roots. Most of the time, the village chiefs and elders have more practical power to enforce the law than the county magistrate. The words like Qian's crying before asking the county magistrate to make the decision can only be heard as a joke. To be serious
If the old lady is placed in the county seat, she will not even dare to enter the county government office.
Although the banker left, his household registration remained in the village. A Ling was his son-in-law and was not looked down upon by other scholars. If he was going to be successful in the imperial examination, his reputation was especially important.
My family had a grudge against the third family before, and there was an old Qian couple on top of the third family. In today's world, filial piety is highly valued. If the three parties instigated the old people to cause trouble, at least the villagers would have a witness.
It's not that Dafang is unfilial to his parents and doesn't care about his siblings, but they still have brotherly feelings for Zhuang Er.
Shen Ling had no objections to all of Zhuang Keqing's arrangements. These days, he was just busy burying the books in his mind so that he could give them to Master Zhao as a way of thanking him for his teachings.
Shopkeeper Pan Da, who stayed in the village to prepare for the school, also got the news. After knowing that they were going to the state capital, he even sent a letter to the local shopkeeper to teach him how to take good care of them.
The state capital is far away from Erli Village. This move is not as good as last time to rush for the exam. Qin Manzhi and Aman also want to go on the road together. Zhuang Er is worried that Shen Ling will not be able to take care of him along the way, so he also wants to follow him.
On the day of departure, Zhuang Keqing didn't want to disturb the villagers, so his family set off early. Who would have thought that before they had walked halfway through the village path, people followed them one after another, carrying and carrying everything they wanted. Give it to the banker's big house.
"Girl, even though we are gone, don't forget us!"
"What nonsense are you talking about! Friendship is the most important thing for a girl. She will definitely not forget us. And maybe in two years, when Mr. Shen wins the imperial examination, we can take the second place!"
This was said with great success, and everyone was very happy after hearing it, which somewhat relieved the sadness of parting.
It was still dark when a large number of people arrived at the entrance of the village enthusiastically.
"Be careful on the way here!"
"Zhuangji, be careful when you're on the road and don't make any mistakes!"
"Girl, you must remember that your roots are in Erli Village."
The villagers watched the mule cart go away, shouting loudly, and felt a hint of melancholy in their hearts.
The banker's girl will definitely not forget them.