Chapter 41: Negative Example Fan's Mother
The three little kids in Jianghehu really didn’t expect that they could have such a good lunch.
The first meal after the separation was good. Grandma said it was a celebration of moving to a new house;
There was breakfast the next day, because there were too many pancakes left over from the day before;
We had meat and eggs with rice for lunch because my grandfather brought people to help build the house;
Needless to say, dinner is also included.
However, there wasn’t much this morning. My mother-in-law still asked my sister to cook millet porridge, and there was still meat and eggs for lunch!
"Auntie, isn't this food so good?" Fan Jiang swallowed his saliva and asked.
Shui Qing asked directly: "Just tell me whether you like it or not?"
Not only Fan Jiang, but also Fan He and Fan Hu nodded at the same time. The three brothers nodded like chickens pecking at rice.
Shui Qing burst into laughter.
Fan Jin looked at her and smiled, and the corners of his lips curved upward.
After Shuiqing smiled, he ordered: "Go and get a bowl of rice. I think some villagers will come to hand over chicken head rice later."
Yan Qiuxing responded quickly, and the five children lined up in a very orderly manner to get bowls, rice, and soup. Among them, Fan Hu was too small, and Yan Qiu was afraid that he would be burned, so he filled the portion given to him.
Fan Hu was young, so he took the chopsticks for his brothers and sisters and handed them to them one by one.
The older ones help the younger ones, and the younger ones do what they can, without Shui Qing having to worry about the whole process.
During the meal, they talked about Wang Mazi and others' plans to break into the thatched house. Shui Qing sighed: "It seems that we need to earn enough money as soon as possible to build a courtyard."
There is a high fence, and there are densely packed iron nails on the fence, which is more than enough to protect against people.
Fan Jin hummed softly, his voice was deep, and he felt deeply that he was holding him back.
They can't do business, and they often fail in the imperial examinations. If it weren't for the clear water, their family's life would be...
He looked at his son and daughter, who had just eaten a few full meals in a row, and their faces were obviously much rosier. There was no clear water. Not to mention rice, meat, and eggs, their family was probably reluctant to eat even millet porridge and corn flour. .
Every time I have to count the rice carefully to live my life.
Among the five children, the eldest also understands this truth. Although the younger one does not understand it yet, he understands that if he follows his mother, he will have delicious food!
"Auntie, let's go get chicken rice crackers and peel them in the afternoon." Xing Hui announced during the break of eating.
"Well, we made an agreement when we were planting vegetables in the morning. The second sister and I will go fishing, and the eldest sister will peel them at home, leaving two to plant vegetables." Fan Jiang added.
Fan Jin laughed and shook his head to stop: "No, it's dangerous near the water. You are still too young."
Don't bully the mountains but the water. Places with a lot of water bodies attach great importance to fishing. Other families also send adults or older children to fish for them.
"Dad, it's okay. I can swim a long time ago. It doesn't matter if I fall into the water." Fan Jiang continued to fight.
One pound of chicken head rice equals two and a half pounds of rice. If they peel an extra pound, don't they also earn two and a half pounds of rice?
They had calculated clearly in the morning, but they also knew that the vegetable plot was very important, so they discussed it over and over again and reached a division of labor.
It’s all from their family anyway.
"Yes, daddy, just let us try it."
"We promise to stay safe!"
Shui Qing looked at the children and asked slowly: "You know we earn money by trading chicken heads for rice, right?"
The five children of different heights nodded in unison.
"There are so many chicken rice crackers in the lake and ponds. Do you think we can pick them all in the village?"
The five children hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "We can basically finish picking."
"We earn some for every pound that people in the village bring to us. They can earn rice by picking it, and we can earn it by selling it. There is not a big difference between others picking it and us picking it ourselves.
But we are currently short of vegetables, and you lack time to learn literacy, and your father happens to have time, so you said, how about using this time to read and literacy in the morning and plowing the land and growing vegetables in the afternoon? "Shui Qing asked with a smile.
My memory is good in the morning, so it is best for reading and recognizing words. In the afternoon, plowing and planting vegetables is a physical activity, which is a perfect balance between work and rest.
Fan Jin looked at Shui Qing in surprise, blinked, and reacted immediately.
Their family now doesn't have to worry about food and drink. After having enough food and clothing, they can spend their free time on useful things.
Shui Qing, aren't you going to copy books?
Shui Qing seemed to know what Fan Jin wanted to say, so she looked at him and said, "Compared with the money for copying books, I think it is more important for five children to be educated and literate. What do you think?"
Fan Jin nodded instinctively.
Reading makes people wise and sensible, and enables them to see the broader world outside. He hopes from the bottom of his heart that children can read and write.
"I will teach with my heart," he promised.
Yan Qiu heard his mother-in-law say, five children?
Can she and Xinghui also read and write?
Xing Hui looked at this and that, and asked in confusion: "Aniang, as long as the three younger brothers are educated and literate, can the eldest sister and I finish the work in the vegetable field?"
How can anyone in a girl’s home be literate?
Shui Qing didn't respond first, but asked: "You don't want to read and recognize words?"
Xinghui opened his mouth but didn't speak for a while.
Don't want to?
How could you not want to?
When Li Changlin, the grandson of the old village chief, used to recite articles in the yard in the morning, all the friends in the village would run to listen.
Even if he is beaten or scolded, he still enjoys it.
People who can read can work as bookkeepers in the city. They don’t have to dig in the soil with their faces facing the loess and their backs to the sky. They don’t have to weed in the scorching sun, and they don’t have to be exposed to wind and rain... They can earn more money than digging the land to grow food. .
Who wouldn't?
But paper, pen and ink are very expensive. Besides, she lowered her head and said dully, "It's useless for girls to study. It's a waste of money."
In the past, when she and her elder sister pestered Dad to teach them to read, Grandma often said this.
When Dad went to the capital to copy books, Grandma would beat them with a broom until they promised not to tell Dad about reading.
Yan Qiu said in a low voice, "Grandma said, when a girl reaches a certain age, she will marry someone else's family;
No matter how well you spend money to teach her, she will belong to someone else's family and will be of no use to your own family."
Shui Qing took a deep breath and told herself not to be annoyed.
After calming down, she said calmly, "Look at how your grandma lives. It's fine for others without property, but she has property, but what's the result?
The older she gets, the less property she has. One of her two sons is spoiled to the sky, while the other is suppressed for no reason. The grandchildren are even more so.
If a man can't stand up, has no responsibility, no morality, and no filial piety, can a family live well? Can you count on him in his old age?
Women encourage or condone cheating and playing tricks on each other, and they divide the work unfairly and deal with things unfairly. They don't treat their daughters-in-law as human beings and don't get their respect. They have a good life when they are young, but they are left with a miserable life when they are old.
If you listen to or do what your grandma says, your life and days will be the same as your grandma's in the future. Do you want that?"