The sun went down, leaving only a little bit of residual heat. After dinner, the Zhan family sat in the yard to enjoy the cool air, but the atmosphere seemed gloomy.
"You can't wait for a moment, Zhan Sanlang, are you going to heaven?" Little Yao looked at his little son who was jumping up and down like a wild monkey, and his anger welled up.
Ma was feeding water to the three-year-old Zhan Niuniu. She glanced at the nimble Zhan Sanlang and deliberately raised her voice, "Second sister-in-law, Sanlang's temperament is not for studying."
Little Yao's face turned extremely ugly. Even though Da Lang secretly taught San Lang half an hour more every day, the naughty boy failed to live up to his expectations and forgot more and more.
He ran out early in the morning and didn't come back until dinner. Little Yao really wished he could whip his little son with a thin bamboo wire.
Zhan Feiyu sat silently on the small stool, frustrated and too lazy to pay attention to the verbal dispute between the second aunt and the third aunt.
"Father, mother." Mrs. Li suddenly stood up and looked at the men of the Zhan family who were sitting together talking with cold eyes, "Xiaoyu finished memorizing the Three Character Classic the day before yesterday. Shouldn't Xiaoyu go to a private school?
"
For a moment, the yard was so quiet that only the chirping of crickets could be heard in the corner. No one in the Zhan family, old or young, expected that the kind-hearted and soft-spoken Li would suddenly say this.
"Mother?" Zhan Feiyu looked at Mrs. Li blankly, and a warm current surged into his heart. Mother spoke for her own sake.
Mrs. Li glanced at her daughter reassuringly, then looked firmly at Old Man Zhan and Mrs. Zhan. Her man was unreliable, so she could only rely on herself to fight for a chance for Xiaoyu. She knew better than anyone that mother and daughter were connected.
Xiaoyu wants to read.
In the deathly silence, a sharp voice suddenly sounded, "Ms. Li, shut up!"
Mrs. Zhan suddenly stood up, pointed at Mrs. Li, and started to curse, "Whose girl goes to a private school? Do you think the money comes from the flood? Li Fengyu, if you don't want to live anymore, get out of here."
Go back to your parents’ house!”
After scolding the eldest daughter-in-law, Mrs. Zhan turned her head and slapped the eldest daughter-in-law hard on the back. Her thin lips twitched and sharp curses came out with the spittle.
"How did I give birth to such a useless thing like you? It's not your wife's turn to be the master of the old Zhan family. What do you want to do? Erlang and Sanlang don't study, let the girl do it. Will Erlang and Sanlang still have the face to see people in the future?
Our Lao Zhan family has no one left?"
Mrs. Zhan's voice was sharp, and her old and rough palms, like chicken claws, slapped on Mr. Zhan's back, as if she was beating a life-and-death enemy.
"Mom, don't hit Big Brother, Big Brother just feels sorry for Xiaoyu." Zhan Laoer hurriedly stopped the naughty old lady Zhan and stopped her from continuing to hit Zhan Laozi.
"Don't I feel sorry for my granddaughter? It's because the family has no money!" Old Mrs. Zhan stared at Boss Zhan with a stern look, and cursed sternly on her mean and wrinkled face: "I'm not dead yet? Wait until I die.
, you can make the decision however you want!"
"Mom, I..." Boss Zhan opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say. Listening to his mother's death, Boss Zhan could only remain silent with a tense face.
"I'm going to hit you dead now just like you want!" Old Mrs. Zhan shouted sternly, trying to push away Mr. Zhan who was blocking her, as if she really wanted to hit the wall.
Although Zhan Laosan is lazy and lazy, he is also filial. He hugged Mrs. Zhan who was seeking death and hurriedly tried to persuade her: "Mom, what are you talking about?"
"My son and daughter-in-law are trying to force me, my mother, to death. I can't live anymore!" Lying on her youngest son's body, Mrs. Zhan cried loudly, her mournful voice piercing her heart like a soft knife.
"Third brother, help mother sit down." Second child Zhan warned. Seeing old lady Zhan helping the emotional old lady Zhan sit down, she then looked at the elder Zhan, who had a livid face, but was actually helpless.
After a long sigh, Zhan Laoer, who had made up his mind, said: "Brother, how about we let my Sanlang go to a private school this year, but we will pay for the repairs every year for the second house by ourselves. This year, let my parents give us a cushion first, and save it later." I’ll pay you back after you get the money.”
Zhan Laoer's attitude was sincere, and after careful consideration he continued: "Next year, let Erlang go to a private school. Shu Xiu is from home, and Xiaoyu wants to read and read. Let Dalang and the others come back from school and take turns teaching Xiaoyu how to write and ink. Uncle is out."
Little Yao was not happy when he heard this. They are all grandsons of the Zhan family. Why should they pay for Sanlang's repairs themselves? With ten taels of silver a year for repairs, wouldn't the private money for the second house have to be emptied?
But before little Yao could yell, Zhan Laoer looked over with a cold warning look.
Little Yao frowned in dissatisfaction, but he did not dare to go against Zhan Lao Er's wishes, but he just made the old man angry.
Zhan Feiyu looked at him mockingly as he spoke clearly and logically, as if his second uncle had suffered all the losses. This abacus was so accurate!
The second uncle asked Sanlang to go to a private school first. After one year, it became an established fact. Even if the family ran out of money next year, it would be impossible for Sanlang to step down and replace Erlang.
The final result is that the second son and the third son all go to private schools, and the dozen or so members of the Zhan family have to tighten their belts to live a comfortable life. Working as a cow and horse for the big family will only make it more miserable and tiring.
Ma was not happy at first, but she was short-sighted and had no brains. When she heard that the second wife was solely responsible for Sanlang's care and would not let the public pay for it, Ma felt that she had taken a big advantage and did not care that Erlang went to private school a year later. .
"This is a solution, but your second wife's life will be difficult in the future. This year, you will need ten taels of repairs, and pens, inks, paper, and inkstones are all money." Old man Zhan took two puffs of dry cigarettes and put on a perfunctory attitude to calm down the trouble. Everything will be fine as long as there is no noise or fuss.
"Dad, it's okay. We have two children studying in the second house. We can't let the eldest brother and the younger brother suffer. When I'm pulling goods, I can help with unloading and loading. If I put in more effort, I can make some money. Let my wife go back to her parents' house to borrow some. , let Dalang copy more books to earn some pen and ink money, grit your teeth and get through it."
Zhan Laoer hid the calculation and gleam in his eyes, and said with an open-minded smile: "It doesn't matter if I am a little bit tired, a little bit of a loss, brotherly harmony is the most important thing."
"Second brother." Boss Zhan looked at his second brother gratefully, feeling a little ashamed in his heart.
Ever since Li's sudden attack, Boss Zhan had a sullen face. He felt sorry for his daughter, but he also knew the embarrassment of the family. Under the dilemma, Boss Zhan became very irritable and his face became extremely ugly. However, he did not expect that his second brother would take the initiative to take on Sanlang. The money should have been paid by the public for repairs.
"Second brother, as you said, my second son will go again next year." A loud laugh rang out, and Zhan Laosan also nodded in agreement.
Zhan Laosan can't bear hardships, and Ma is a loser, so Zhan Laosan can't say that he will bear the burden of his son's cultivation. The second brother's method is good.