Third Yang chuckled softly, “My Jiefu admitted himself that he’s not as knowledgeable as my Jie in many areas. You don’t think my Jie is only good at accounting, do you? You’d be very wrong. My sister and Jiefu settling in Shanghe Village is a blessing for the village.”

With chaos looming, the couple had their own plans; they should be secretly happy about settling in Shanghe Village.

Liu Lizheng stared blankly as Third Yang walked away, his attitude towards Yang Shi becoming more cautious.

The lesson ended; it was just a simple lesson on recognizing characters. The students were more interested in the blackboard and chalk.

Yang Xi was too pregnant; she left before the entire lesson was over, nodding to Lizheng as she came out.

At noon, the children had a one-hour break. If they were hungry, they could go home for a snack or rest in the classroom.

In the afternoon, Zhou Yu gave each child a wooden board and taught them how to use a blackboard. “You’ve just learned to read, so you don’t need pen and ink yet. From now on, the blackboard will be your paper, and you must cherish it.”

To encourage the children to use chalk sparingly, they only used one piece every few days.

Once they ran out, they had to wait for the next batch to be distributed. Of course, if they had enough money, they could buy more. Third Yang took a liking to the blackboard and chalk, but Zhou Yu didn’t agree to let him sell them; some things weren’t ready to be taken out yet.

When the school opened, Zhou Bing and Zhou Xiaodi received a monthly salary for teaching. This was their earned money; both of them had family wealth. Zhou Yu only charged them their monthly earnings for food.

Zhou Bing, who ranked second in the county examination, felt his monthly salary from the school was too low and was embarrassed to pay such a small food fee. He went to the county to illustrate travelogues.

Having studied calligraphy and painting since childhood, Zhou Bing was very good at it, earning several hundred coins for each painting. Zhou Xiaodi was extremely envious. Unable to resist Zhou Xiaodi’s gaze, Zhou Bing personally taught him for two days, and that was the end of it.

Zhou Xiaodi didn’t want to be the lowest earner in the family, so he didn’t dare ask his older brother. Instead, he secretly asked his sister-in-law, “Sister-in-law, what can I do to earn money?”

He also wanted to take the imperial examination to become a scholar, but unfortunately, he couldn’t.

Yang Xi didn’t offer any advice. “Think about it yourself.”

Seeing that his sister-in-law really wouldn’t give him any ideas, Zhou Xiaodi lowered his head and left.

When Third Yang found out, he said, “You come with me, I’ll hire you.”

Zhou Xiaodi was speechless.

Third Yang wasn’t worried about not earning money at all!

Yang Xi would occasionally attend her classes. Although she didn’t teach directly, she made sure the students got used to her presence. Recently, there had been a lot of gossip about her in the village, but no one dared to say anything to her face. Li Shi had come once, but seeing that Yang Xi didn’t care, she stopped talking about it.

Yang Xi really didn’t care. Let them talk; she couldn’t hear them anyway. She was happy to stir up some waves in the hearts of the women in the village.

A few days later, the Wu family stopped digging bamboo shoots, and Li Shi’s two daughters had some free time. Finally, they could come to the Zhou family to learn to read.

Yang Xi hadn’t seen the two girls for several days. They were darker and thinner, their hands roughened from hard work, but they weren’t ashamed at all, remaining poised and confident.

Yang Xi gestured for them to sit down and talk. “Have you finished all the work at home?”

Eldest Miss Wu’s eyes sparkled. “Mostly done.”

The hard work was worth it; it all brought in money!

Yang Xi smiled. “Looks like you’ve earned quite a bit of money.”

Eldest Miss Wu didn’t hide anything. “I earned one and a half taels of silver just from bamboo shoots. Adding what my father and brother earned, we’ve saved over three taels of silver since settling down.”

They also had two acres of newly cultivated land, and the year had only just begun; the future looked incredibly promising.

The youngest of the Wu family, the nine-year-old Second Miss Wu, spoke like a little adult, “Mother said to save more money for Third Brother’s wedding and for Eldest Sister’s dowry.”

Eldest Miss Wu blushed, “You talk too much.”

Second Miss Wu chuckled, “Madam, recently a matchmaker has come to inquire about my sister!”

Yang Xi didn’t know that Li Shi was very busy and rarely came to the Zhou family unless there was something important. Looking at Eldest Miss Wu, this girl was the same age as Zhou Xiaomei and was fifteen this year.

Yang Xi asked, “What did your mother say?”

Eldest Miss Wu blushed slightly, her tone less cheerful than before, “My mother said I’m too young and wants to keep me for two more years.”

Second Miss Wu pouted, “My mother doesn’t approve of the families that propose marriage. She’s afraid my sister will be bullied.”

Yang Xi asked, “Do you get along with the girls in the village?”

Second Miss Wu shook her head, “The girls in the village don’t have time to come out. Some girls are really pitiful. My neighbor on the left has a girl the same age as me. I could fit two of her in one room. She’s so thin and small, and she does a lot of work every day…”

“So capable! I still hear her mother complaining that she doesn’t do enough work.”

Eldest Miss Wu said, “Do you think everyone dotes on their daughters like our mothers do?”

Second Miss Wu said, “The girls in our village are all incredibly capable.”

Eldest Miss Wu was speechless. “Our village has a small population. Back then, men were treated like animals, and women were treated like men. If something happened, the woman had to shoulder the responsibility. Different environments raise different girls.”

In their hometown, a weak and timid girl couldn’t shoulder the responsibility. The border was often raided, and if a weak and indecisive girl took charge, the whole family would face certain death.

The South was different; life was peaceful. Who wouldn’t want to marry an obedient and gentle woman to live a good life with?

Yang Xi smiled at Second Miss Wu, “I see you have quite a few ideas. What kind of Jiefu do you want?”

Second Miss Wu rolled her eyes. She really liked a Jiefu like Third Yang. Her brothers were all too clumsy with words, and the Wu family needed someone eloquent. Unfortunately, she knew that was impossible, so she had to settle for second best. “I think Brother Ye is very good.”

Eldest Miss Wu’s face flushed red. “I’ll tear your mouth apart, you little brat!”

Second Miss Wu cried out and dodged away. “Madam asked, sister, you can’t bully me.”

Yang Xi laughed heartily. Second Miss Wu was so interesting. However, Eldest Master Ye and Eldest Miss Wu were indeed a good match. She didn’t believe the Ye family didn’t know that a matchmaker had gone to the Wu family. The Ye family hadn’t made a move, so they obviously had no intention of getting married.

Yang Xi said, “Alright, your sister is right. You’re not allowed to tell anyone except me.”

Second Miss Wu covered her mouth and blinked, indicating that she understood.

Yang Xi talked with the two girls for a while longer, then took the blackboard and taught them to read. Perhaps all the intelligence in the Wu family had been transferred to the daughters, because the two girls learned very quickly.

After studying for a while, Miss Wu, worried that Madam Yang was tired, asked, “Madam, shall we stop here for today?”

Yang Xi nodded, “Alright.”

Second Miss Wu said, “We can’t call you Madam anymore. Should we call you Xiānsheng too?”

Yang Xi’s eyes softened, “Okay.”   

Miss Wu, the second daughter, was extremely excited, “We have a teacher now! Humph, my third and fourth brothers are so stupid; they only want to practice martial arts, they don’t even come to school when it’s open.”   

Yang Xi chuckled, “Your third and fourth brothers are with Xi Xuan; even if they don’t come, Xi Xuan will teach them.”   

Second Miss Wu didn’t understand, “Who is Xi Xuan?”   

Yang Xi chuckled, “It’s Third Yang.”   

Few people remembered this boy’s real name, only his birth name, Third Yang.   

Second Miss Wu lowered her head and muttered, “The name is so nice.”   

Yang Xi’s heart stirred; these two girls also had names, Da Ni and Er Ni, but no formal names. “I am your xiānsheng; shall I name you?”   

The two girls were excited and said in unison, “Yes!”   

(End of Chapter)

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