The moonlight was bright, illuminating the land.

Old Madam Zhao sat in the courtyard, weaving dried grass into kindling.

She paused for a moment and said, “Your eldest aunt has three chickens and twenty ducks. At noon, just half a basket of wild vegetables and weeds is enough to feed them. Who has time to help with this?”

Chunhua, the eldest granddaughter of the Zhao family, had always done such chores.

She was about to respond when her mother, Mrs. Sun, tugged at her.

Mrs. Sun sneered inwardly.

Their sister-in-law had earned so much money but never shared a single copper coin with them, yet she still expected them to help feed her chickens and ducks?

What kind of wishful thinking was that?

Old Madam Zhao was clearly biased.

The eldest daughter-in-law and her family had already moved out, yet she still wanted the old house’s members to help with chores.

Why? Just because she gave birth to four sons?

Thinking of this, Mrs. Sun felt an overwhelming bitterness.

Not only could she not give birth to a son, but she couldn’t even get pregnant…

“I’ll help, Grandma,” Xia Hua volunteered. “Just feeding them until they’re full, right? Is there anything else I need to do?”

Old Madam Zhao thought for a moment. “Help clean up the yard—clear out the chicken and duck droppings. Your eldest aunt said she’ll pay two coins a day for the help. I’ll take one, and you can keep the other.”

Xia Hua was in disbelief. “Just half a basket of weeds for one coin?”

Picking lantern fruits required climbing the mountain and searching carefully, but chicken and duck feed—wild greens and weeds—were everywhere along the fields.

It was practically free money!

Mrs. Sun’s eyes widened in shock.

Even though Old Madam Zhao kept one coin, there was still another left. If saved up, it could eventually buy a piece of pretty floral fabric.

She forced a smile and said, “Xia Hua is only eleven, and she’s not strong. Let Chunhua do it instead.”

“Third Aunt,” said Mrs. Wen with a smile, “It’s just half a basket of weeds. Xia Hua can carry it. And even if she can’t, making two trips isn’t a big deal.” She then turned to Xia Hua. “If you’re earning money, you better do the job well. If your aunt isn’t satisfied, she might give it to Chunhua instead.”

Xia Hua immediately responded, “Mom, I won’t slack off!”

And with that, the decision was made.

Mrs. Sun was so furious she felt like spitting blood.

She reached out and pinched Chunhua. “You silent fool! If you had spoken up earlier, would it have gone to someone else?”

Tears welled up in Chunhua’s eyes.

She had wanted to take the job, but her mother had stopped her. How was that her fault?

..

The night in Dahe Village was stiflingly hot. The sounds of insects and birds filled the darkness, and as the morning breeze rolled in, the village slowly came to life.

Cheng Wanwan woke up early.

After days of hard work, her back ached, but it was nothing unbearable.

She and her four sons loaded up their icy desserts onto a cart and headed straight for Hekou Town.

By mid-morning, the docks were lively.

The family split up to sell their goods, and since their cold treats had gained a good reputation, business was booming.

In less than half an hour, they had sold out of two barrels of ice jelly.

With nothing left to sell, they made their way to Nanfu Academy.

It was still early, so they found a step to sit on and rest.

Cheng Wanwan turned to her children. “Do you want to study at Nanfu Academy?”

Zhao Dashan scratched his head. “They probably don’t let outsiders sell things inside, right?”

Cheng Wanwan: “…”

She took a deep breath and rephrased, “I mean, do you want to study there?”

Zhao Sanniu shook his head like a rattle drum. “No, no, no! I’m dumb. I wouldn’t understand anything.”

Zhao Ergou spoke up, “I asked the uncle nearby. The tuition at Nanfu Academy is two taels of silver per month, and we’d need to buy books, ink, and brushes. Even the cheapest set costs at least one tael of silver. We can’t afford it.”

Cheng Wanwan smiled. “If you want to study, we’ll find a way. The question is, do you want to?”

Zhao Sidan’s eyes showed longing. “Mom, I want to study. But it’s too expensive. If I go to school, does that mean we won’t be able to afford meat anymore?”

“Then I’ll just work harder to make money,” Cheng Wanwan said, ruffling his hair. “We’ll send you to study first. Once you learn, you can come back and teach your older brothers, okay?”

Sidan was still young—just the right age to start school.

Cheng Wanwan had wanted to send her children to study for a long time, but the opportunity hadn’t arisen.

Now that they had some savings, if they worked hard for a few more days, they could afford the tuition.

A kind passerby overheard and said, “Nanfu Academy only accepts students who have already had basic education. Your sons probably don’t know how to read yet, so you’ll have to start them in a primary school first.”

Cheng Wanwan covered her face in realization.

Right… Nanfu Academy didn’t accept beginners.

But their village didn’t have a private school, and the nearest one was in Chengjia Village. She would never send her children there.

That left only Ping’an Town’s private school—she’d have to inquire about it later.

..

By noon, the bell at Nanfu Academy rang, and Cheng Wanwan put the matter aside for now.

She returned to her stall, and soon, students gathered in small groups to buy ice jelly. The treats sold fast, and in no time, more than half was gone.

As the students enjoyed their snacks, they chatted about their classes.

Cheng Wanwan listened closely.

She was unfamiliar with this era and needed to gather as much information as possible.

“There’s been no rain for days. The farmland within a thousand miles of Hekou Town will yield nothing. I wonder what the government will do.”

“This could be a topic for our monthly exam. We should start preparing our essays.”

“I heard a village near Ping’an Town found a water source and dug canals to irrigate their fields, saving thousands of acres of rice crops.”

“Really? That’s incredible.”

Cheng Wanwan was surprised.

News of this had already spread to Hekou Town?

Even these bookish students, usually oblivious to the world, knew about it.

The drought must be serious, covering a vast area—otherwise, it wouldn’t have become a classroom discussion.

“Mom, I see Cousin Cheng!” Zhao Sanniu suddenly exclaimed, eyes wide. “Isn’t that him in the middle over there?”

Zhao Sidang tried to stop him, but it was too late—Cheng Wanwan had already looked.

A young man dressed in the white-and-blue uniform of Nanfu Academy, holding two books, was walking out of the school gates.

He hadn’t planned on coming over, but he felt someone watching him.

When he looked up, his eyes met Cheng Wanwan’s.

Cheng Zhao immediately broke into a smile.

He had known it—he hadn’t been mistaken that day. It really was Second Aunt.

But why was she selling ice jelly outside the academy?

So the famous cold treat everyone had been raving about in the academy these past few days was actually being sold by his Second Aunt?

Cheng Zhao had always liked his Second Aunt.

Most of his tuition fees had been paid by her, and she treated him better than his younger cousins.

She must be selling ice jelly here to raise money for his tuition.

Without hesitation, he strode toward her.