I Crossed Over with My Enemy, Only to Find Him Running the Empire - Chapter 67

Chapter 67: Day Student

Wu Ya nodded in coordination. “That’s right, Mother. We had good luck today.” As he spoke, he pulled a small money pouch from his robe and handed it to Zhang Jinhua. “Please keep this money.”

Zhang Jinhua took the pouch, expecting a few copper coins, but was surprised by its weight as she balanced it in her hand. It was quite heavy.

She opened the pouch doubtfully, and when she saw the silver inside, her eyes widened instantly.

“This is…” Zhang Jinhua’s hands trembled slightly.

Wu Duofu leaned in to look as well and was equally shocked. “So much silver? There must be five or six tales here!”

Everyone else at the table stopped their chopsticks, staring in astonishment at the pouch of silver. In Wanfu Village, an ordinary peasant family might not save up a few taels of silver in an entire year; producing five or six taels all at once was no small matter.

Wu Ya explained using the story he and Li Qiaoqiao had agreed upon: “It’s mainly because Qiaoqiao had great luck. She found a wild lingzhi mushroom that fetched a good price. Combined with the game we hunted and a small portion of the wild beans, we managed to scrape this much together.”

Zhang Jinhua counted the money again and again, unable to hide the beaming smile on her face. “Good, wonderful! Our Fourth Branch is truly turning their luck around!”

Wu Duofu also broke into a smile, his gaze toward Li Qiaoqiao holding a few more degrees of approval. “Qiaoqiao is indeed a blessed one.”

Blushing slightly at the praise, Li Qiaoqiao lowered her head to poke at the rice in her bowl. She stole a glance at Wu Ya and saw him eating calmly.

The atmosphere at the table was light and cheerful; Zhang Jinhua even added a spoonful of lard to everyone’s rice. Sensing this was the right moment, Li Qiaoqiao cleared her throat softly to get everyone’s attention.

“Father, Mother, I have an idea,” Li Qiaoqiao said seriously as she set down her chopsticks. “Tieniu’s mind is clear now, and he’s very bright. I want to send him to study.”

The table went dead silent.

The eldest sister-in-law, Mrs. Wei, was the first to react, her voice shrill: “Study? Tieniu is already married; what’s he doing studying now? Wouldn’t that make us a laughingstock?”

Li Qiaoqiao was prepared. She said unhurriedly, “Sister-in-law, that’s not right. I’ve heard that in the Kingdom of Xijin, plenty of people take the imperial exams after marrying. What’s there to laugh at? Tieniu isn’t old. If he starts studying now, who’s to say he won’t bring home a scholarly title in the future?”

Mrs. Wei scoffed. “Even if he goes to study, he’d have to start from the basics. Sitting with a bunch of little children, where would he put his face?”

“Is ‘face’ more important or a future?” Li Qiaoqiao countered. “Besides, Tieniu is smart. It won’t take him long to catch up; he won’t be with the children forever.”

Zhang Jinhua and Wu Duofu exchanged a look but didn’t immediately voice an opinion. Wu Duofu furrowed his brows, appearing to seriously weigh the feasibility of the matter.

Seeing this, Li Qiaoqiao struck while the iron was hot: “We have some savings now, so supporting Tieniu’s studies shouldn’t be a problem. If he truly gains a title one day, it would be a great honor for our ancestors.”

Zhang Jinhua was clearly moved. She looked at Wu Duofu. “Old man, what do you think?”

Wu Duofu remained silent for a while before slowly speaking: “Studying is a good thing, but this needs long-term planning. Tieniu is a family man after all; if he’s to study, we must consider everything thoroughly.”

Li Qiaoqiao knew this couldn’t be rushed. Seeing that Wu Duofu hadn’t rejected it outright, she considered the first step a success. She nodded. “Father is right. We’ll discuss it slowly.”

…

The next morning, as the sky was just turning grey, the Wu courtyard was already stirring.

Zhang Jinhua was busy at the stove with breakfast while Li Qiaoqiao helped feed the fire; corn porridge bubbled in the large iron pot. Wu Duofu squatted on the doorstep, puffing on his dry tobacco pipe and squinting at the whitening eastern sky.

The sons woke up one by one. Wu Tiezhu carried buckets to the well for water, while Wu Ya picked up a broom and silently began sweeping the courtyard.

“Father, I want to discuss something with you.” Wu Ya swept near the doorstep and stopped his work, speaking in a low voice to Wu Duofu.

Wu Duofu exhaled a ring of smoke. “What is it?”

“I still want to learn to read and study.” Wu Ya’s voice wasn’t loud, but his tone was firm.

The courtyard grew a few degrees quieter. Mrs. Wei, who was hanging laundry, paused her hands and pricked up her ears to listen.

Wu Duofu frowned at his fourth son. “You want to try for a scholarly title too?”

“I don’t seek a title; I just want to recognize a few characters and learn some arithmetic so I won’t be cheated when buying and selling things,” Wu Ya said practically. “I won’t go to the primary classes to squeeze in with the children. I’ll just buy a few books to read by myself. If there’s something I don’t understand, I’ll go ask a tutor.”

Mrs. Wei set down the clothes and walked over quickly, a fake smile plastered on her face. “It’s a good thing for the Fourth Brother to have this ambition, but you know our family’s situation. Supporting one scholar is already a strain.”

She turned to Wu Duofu. “Father, Canghai is taking the Xiucai (Licentiate) exam next year. His teacher says he’s very well-prepared. If he passes, our family can finally change its social standing.”

Wu Duofu nodded. Canghai was his eldest grandson and the hope of the entire family.

Seeing her father-in-law agree, Mrs. Wei spoke with even more energy: “Once Canghai becomes a Xiucai, not only will we be exempt from land taxes and labor service, but he won’t even have to kneel before the County Magistrate. He could start a small school and earn twenty or thirty taels a year easily. If Fourth Brother really wants to learn, why not wait until Canghai passes and learn from him? Why waste that money now?”

Li Qiaoqiao stepped out of the kitchen, smiling brightly. “Sister-in-law is right. Canghai is a bright boy; he’ll surely pass next year. Then the Wu family will truly be prestigious.”

Mrs. Wei was a bit surprised that Li Qiaoqiao was siding with her.

Li Qiaoqiao continued: “However, Tieniu’s idea also makes sense. He often goes to town to sell mountain goods. If he can’t read or do sums, it’s easy to be swindled. I’ve heard that the town school has a ‘day student’ option where you just go to listen to lectures for two months during the day without staying overnight. It doesn’t cost much. If Tieniu goes for two months to learn common characters and the abacus, it’ll be enough for his needs.”

Wu Duofu pondered in silence, clearly calculating the expense.

Li Qiaoqiao added, “If money is tight at home, I can go back into the mountains to hunt more game to cover the tuition.”

Mrs. Wei had wanted to object further, but hearing Li Qiaoqiao say this, she swallowed her words. If the Fourth Branch was paying for it themselves, further interference would seem too heartless.

Wu Duofu tapped his pipe against the stone. “What can one learn in two months?”

“A few hundred characters and how to keep accounts with an abacus. It’s enough,” Wu Ya said quickly. “I’m not aiming for a title, so I don’t need to learn all the ‘archaic classical prose’.”

Wu Duofu thought for a moment and finally nodded. “Fine. Go study for two months. But don’t let it interfere with the farm work.”

“Don’t worry, Father. I’ll go to class during the day and come back to work in the evenings,” Wu Ya promised.

Zhang Jinhua poked her head out from the kitchen. “Tieniu, just learn a few characters. Don’t turn into a bookworm. Look at the son of Wang Lao Wu in the village who studied for a few years and now he can’t carry anything or lift a hand; he doesn’t even know how to farm anymore.”

“Mother, I’m just learning practical things. I won’t be like that,” Wu Ya replied.

The matter was settled.

Though Mrs. Wei still felt a bit uneasy, she said no more since the Fourth Branch was paying and it was only for two months. She turned back to her room, planning to sew a new set of shoe soles for her son Canghai at the town academy.