Hearing this, Lin Yuanqiu probably knew the cause of the matter. After thinking about it, he went to the big room to see how his cousin was doing, but he couldn't find anyone.
The cousin was here, her eyes were red, and she seemed to have cried just now. Seeing this, Lin Yuanqiu stepped forward to inquire about today's events.
Chunmei didn't hide it. In her opinion, her little cousin was precocious and might be able to come up with good ideas.
So he told me exactly what happened.
It turns out that the family that matchmaker Zhang was talking about today is in Lianxia Village, not far from Xiaogaoshan Village. The girl's family is three years older than Lin Yuanfeng, and she is eighteen years old.
Matchmaker Zhang said, this is called a female college student holding gold bricks. It's good. She also said that although the girl can't speak, she is good at all housework. Not only that, Matchmaker Zhang also said that if the marriage can be achieved, the woman will be married by then. I promise to come with the dowry of two taels of silver.
No matter how matchmaker Zhang said it was like a flower, Zhou's head still shook like a rattle. How could she agree? If she really wanted to be so good, the girl wouldn't have waited until she was eighteen years old to say yes.
In fact, Mrs. Zhou really wanted to scold Matchmaker Zhang. She was a good young man with all hands and feet, so why should she call her a mute daughter-in-law? Isn't this bullying?
But thinking that she would have to ask for help from others in the future, Zhou could only suppress the anger in her heart.
Unexpectedly, Mrs. Zhou didn't get angry, but Matchmaker Zhang became angry. She said that the reason why she came to the house today was because she had received a hundred yuan of hard-earned money from the woman. She also said that when the matter was completed, she would give another hundred yuan as a thank you.
The thank-you gift of two hundred yuan was not too small, so Matchmaker Zhang naturally took it seriously.
So she considered all the dozens of men's families she had on hand and asked her to be matchmakers. Those who could not afford to eat were not considered. Those with good family backgrounds would definitely look down on them, so they were not considered.
In the end, Matchmaker Zhang discovered that only the Lin family was the most suitable. For the girl's family, although the Lin family was in a poor financial situation, they could still have enough to eat. Besides, with the two taels of silver as a dowry, the girl's life would certainly not be bad.
With the Lin family's family background, a woman with such a large dowry should be able to ask for it, not to mention that in the eyes of Matchmaker Zhang, there is nothing to be afraid of if the daughter-in-law can't speak, as long as she can have a baby, she will definitely not dislike it if she wants to come to the Lin family.
So Matchmaker Zhang, who felt that she was very sure, came to the door excitedly.
But she never expected that Mrs. Zhou would disagree.
The Lin family is too picky!
Matchmaker Zhang was really dissatisfied and said angrily, "When getting married, you have to pay attention to the right match. There is a suitable family for you right now. If you don't like it, it will be difficult to find someone who matches your family in the future."
Hearing that her left sentence matched the right sentence, Zhou was so angry that she finally couldn't help but curse.
Matchmaker Zhang had never been so angry. In addition, she didn't earn two hundred coins today, so she felt unhappy, so she immediately grabbed Mrs. Zhou's hair.
Seeing this, Ms. Feng on the side stopped and said, "What are you doing?" She rushed up to help, and then Mr. Liu also went up...
When Wu came back from outside, what she saw was Matchmaker Zhang rushing out with her hair disheveled.
And her three daughters-in-law were not much better. Either their hair was loose or their faces were scratched.
Wu became angry, "I can't beat him three times against one, and I've lost my face eighty miles away!"
But then she thought, Wu remembered that now was not the time to care about winning or losing in a fight. How could she easily offend this matchmaker? She also had several grandchildren at home.
Especially the eldest grandson, please don't let it affect your marriage plans in the future.
But how could it not be affected? The matchmaker Zhang and the other two matchmakers nearby were also familiar with each other. I don’t know how she told them. Anyway, Zhou, who had been up all night, went to ask for her with snacks the next day. When they helped arrange marriage, they were all rejected.
In the end, Zhou could only return home in despair.
Only two days later, rumors spread in the village. They said that Lin Dagui's family was too high-minded in choosing their granddaughter-in-law. Even the bride's family's dowry of two taels of silver was too small. She really fell in love with money and didn't even look at it. What's the situation at home?
After hearing this, the women who originally wanted to talk to Mrs. Wu about the daughters of their relatives gave up their thoughts. Even the dowry of two taels of silver was too small, and their relatives who were so poor that they could hardly afford to eat, It's definitely more disdainful.
It's just that they really didn't expect that the Wu family was very poor, but they wanted to provoke their grandson's daughter-in-law, so they wanted to support the whole family through her grandson's dowry.
They say good things don't go out, and bad things spread thousands of miles. Within a few days, the rumors spread to several surrounding villages.
Now, it was obviously difficult for Lin Yuanfeng to talk about getting married.
Mrs. Zhou was so anxious that she couldn't sleep all night long, and there were many blisters in her mouth.
If she had known that things would turn out like this, she would have resisted anything she said that day.
Lao Lintou and the Wu family have no other options. Now they are afraid that they can only wait until the rumors have passed before bringing up the matter of their eldest grandson's marriage.
…
On this day, Lin Yuanqiu, who was preparing to go to school with his schoolbag on his back, saw his cousin coming back with a load of firewood.
At this time, Chenshi has not arrived yet. It seems that the cousin went out before dawn again today.
After rumors spread in the village, Lin Yuanfeng, who was originally cheerful, became quiet and kept working hard every day. No, for more than ten days in a row, he went to the back mountain to chop firewood before dawn. .
Lin Yuanqiu felt a little distressed when he saw his cousin's much thinner face. He was fifteen years old, which in modern times was just a junior high school student, but he was burdened with a heavy psychological burden here.
"Brother, I want to talk to you." Lin Yuanqiu felt that he needed to say something.
Seeing Lin Yuanfeng put down the load of firewood and looked at him, Lin Yuanqiu continued, "In our hearts, brother, you are the best brother in the world. We are reluctant to let such a good brother be hurt by those unfounded rumors."
Lin Yuanfeng's eyes gradually turned red. Afraid of being seen by his little cousin, he hurriedly knelt down and pretended to sort out the firewood in his load. He said, "Go to school as soon as possible. I'll slap you on the palm if you're late."
After finishing speaking, he saw that the person in front of him was still standing still. When he looked up, he saw his little cousin looking at him eagerly. She must be waiting for his answer. Lin Yuanfeng blushed and said, "I know, I know." , Big brother knows!”
In the big house, Mrs. Zhou's eyes were filled with tears when she saw this scene.
After breakfast, Mrs. Wu was about to mention to the old man about making summer shirts for everyone in the family, when she saw the boss and his wife coming over, and the eldest daughter-in-law was holding a wooden box in her hands.
Before Wu could ask what was going on, she saw Zhou opening the wooden box, which contained half a box of copper plates.
"Father, mother, daughter-in-law and husband-in-law have agreed that the money will be used for Gouzi's education. Also, the money from embroidery work in the future will not be given to us. All the money will be left for Gouzi's education!"
…
Chapter 28 Learning to read
Lin Dazhu nodded vigorously, indicating that he thought so too.
No matter how the dog learns in the future or whether he will be successful, as long as there is hope, it is good.
Yes, it is hope. What I need most now is hope.
Lin Dazhu felt that this period of time was the most difficult for him, a hundred times harder than doing the most painful and tiring corvee.
Really, he no longer wants to explain the rumors again and again to everyone he meets, he no longer wants to hear someone say that the marriage is actually a good match for your family, and he no longer wants to see those who understand the whole story turn to his family. The sympathetic look he cast, because their family has never lacked such looks in so many years.
Lin Dazhu couldn't tell how he felt. Anyway, from the bottom of his heart, he never wanted to live such a life again, because this family was not only populated by people like them, but also had so many children in the family. How could he let the children live their whole lives? In the sympathetic eyes of others?
Thinking of Lin Youzhi's scene at the family banquet, and then thinking of his little nephew getting up early every day to study hard, and the thick white paper as a reward for family studies, Lin Dazhu thought to himself that his family could give it a try without any requirements. Too many. Even if the nephew can pass the exam as a Tongsheng, their family's situation will be greatly changed.
So, Lin Dazhu told Mrs. Zhou her thoughts. At this time, Mrs. Zhou was at her most desperate. Her husband's words were a life-saving straw for her, and Mrs. Zhou immediately agreed.
Seeing his wife's face full of expectations, Lin Dazhu felt that he had to say something in advance to avoid conflicts in the future. He cleared his throat and said, "I mean, if, if we spend money, but if Gouzi never takes the exam, Where is Shang Tongsheng?"
"What are you afraid of!" Mrs. Zhou replied without hesitation, "No matter how bad it is, we can still go ahead. Previously, we only had more than a dozen coins on hand."
If the third brother hadn't come up with the embroidery business, where would their big house's savings be? By the way, his embroidery skills were taught by his third brother and sister.
Then he thought about the third brother and sister's face being scratched by Matchmaker Zhang in order to help him, and the second brother and sister's hair being torn out.
Ms. Zhou felt that it was a blessing for her, Zhou Jinxiang, to have such a pair of sisters-in-law who were as close to her as sisters in this life.
After hearing what the boss and his wife said, Lao Lintou finally made up his mind, which he had been undecided about.
Years ago, Lao Lintou had the idea of sending his grandson to school, especially when the family banquet was arranged to have dinner at Fengkou. However, the family did not have much money at that time, and the eldest grandson also wanted to marry him.
After getting the income from selling embroidery, Old Lintou was wavering between whether to send his grandson to school or save money to buy paddy fields. Old Lintou calculated it carefully. Based on the current monthly income, the one-year contract was over and he could sell embroidery. If the income from goods can reach 40 to 50 taels, then it will definitely be no problem to buy six or seven acres of paddy field.
With these acres of paddy fields, we can get a lot more food for a year. After all, it is our own land. As long as we pay the land tax, the remaining food will be all our own. Unlike those who are farmed by tenants and have to work hard all year. In the end, not even half of what ended up in the pocket.
Sometimes Lao Lintou would think that the reason why he was wavering was because he had no confidence in his grandson's studies. He was afraid that the money that could have been used to buy paddy fields would be wasted.
But at this time, Lao Lintou decided not to think about anything. He had been farming for decades, but he didn't see any good results. Instead, he lived hard every year.
Old Lintou thought to himself that if he didn't make up his mind to try to change, then in the future, his sons, grandsons, great-grandsons, and the great-great-grandsons who would come after him would all still have to forage in the fields.
So, let’s put the purchase of paddy fields aside for now. The most important thing at home is to provide education for the dog first.
"Boss, go call your second and third brothers over."
Then, Old Lintou said to Mrs. Zhou, "Put away the money box first. If you really want to support Gouzi's education, I won't use your private room. Dad has thought about it. All expenses for Gouzi's education will be borne by the public." Creampie.”
Soon, Lin Erzhu, Lin Sanzhu, and Liu and Feng all came over.
Old Lintou quickly stated his plan.
That means that from today onwards, Gouzi’s education is the family’s business. The father-in-law will provide money for Gouzi’s education, including the expenses for going to a private school in the town after three years of schooling, all of which will be borne by the father-in-law. .
Seeing the eldest brother and sister-in-law nodding without hesitation, Lin Erzhu and Mrs. Liu also nodded repeatedly.
Of course they had no objection. During this period, Lin Erzhu and his wife were also full of anger. Their eldest nephew was in trouble like this when he was talking about marriage. He thought that when his sister-in-law asked the matchmaker, she might as well have brought two bags. I went for snacks, but as a result, what is being said now? The reason why those people confuse right and wrong and talk like this is because they think their family is easy to bully.
The more Lin Erzhu thought about it, the more irritated he became. If his mother hadn't been holding him back and said that the children in the family would have to get married in the future, it would be too much trouble, otherwise he would have overturned the dining table of the dead matchmaker's family.
Thinking of this, Lin Erzhu nodded vigorously, "Dad, we all listen to you!"
Just like his father said, even for those rumors, their family had to gain some ambition.
Mrs. Liu also said, "My husband is right, we all listen to our parents. Also, mom, from now on, the money from selling embroidery work will no longer be distributed to us. Let's save it all for Gouzi's education." .”
After hearing what his second brother and sister said, Lin Dazhu was a little excited, "Yes, we all listen to our parents. Even if our family tightens our belts, we still have to surrender the dog!"
Old Lintou and Wu were also very excited. Although they were incompetent, the babies they gave birth to were all very good.
Thinking of the children, Old Lintou and Wu immediately looked at Lin Sanzhu. The third child hadn't even spoken yet. They all said that brothers working together are more powerful than gold, so the third child must also express his determination.
Lin Dazhu and Lin Erzhu also looked at their younger brother.
At this time, Lin Sanzhu had just recovered from the shock. He was wondering how he could be so good when his family suddenly had to provide education for his dog.
Looking at the eldest brother and second brother, as well as the eldest and second sister-in-law, they are all full of expectation.
Lin Sanzhu shook his head like a rattle at that moment, "No, no, no, father, mother, eldest brother, second brother, eldest sister-in-law, second sister-in-law, the money for Gouzi's education should be paid by our third wife ourselves."
Upon hearing this, everyone in the room, including Mrs. Feng, was stunned. If I remember correctly, when Gouzi shouted that he wanted to study, the bad thing (third brother) (father-in-law) didn't keep asking the family to pay for it. Do you want to offer money? Why don't you agree now?
Of course Lin Sanzhu didn't agree. Looking at how excited the eldest and second brothers were, were they ready to hand over the burden of the smoke from the ancestral graves to their own dogs?
This is not possible. His dog will not take on this responsibility. It will cost the family a lot of money, but in the end he will not pass the exam. It cannot be said that his dog is a waste of money.
So, it’s better not to.
Lin Sanzhu didn't think it was that difficult when Gouzi talked about studying. However, after dealing with Master Gao, Lin Sanzhu realized that he thought the imperial examination was too easy. He heard from Master Gao that last year, several colleges across the street had a total of 120,000 students. More than ten people went to take the county examination, but in the end only two of them passed the exam.
It can be seen how difficult the imperial examination is. Lin Sanzhu felt that although his dog was smart, the other children studying were not fools. To be on the safe side, he, the father, should pay for his dog's education.
Old Lintou frowned, "Do you think that with the money you have, Gouzi can read out the book?"
