Chapter 53

The Cai family’s life was tight, but the Yin family was having a particularly good meal today.  

Spicy snails in sauce, a dish the family couldn’t get enough of lately, was naturally on the table. Another dish was okra cooked with fresh oyster sauce.  

Additionally, Song Wenhui had specially bought some pork ribs to stir-fry with carrots.  

Previously, it was always Jiang Wan and her daughter making money to help the family by buying oil and meat, but now that he could earn money too, he wanted to buy some good food for everyone to enjoy together.  

“Wanwan, this dish made with oyster sauce is really delicious, but the okra is a bit too slippery, and I can’t quite get used to it,” her father, Yin Ning, said. Hearing this, Yin Ning’s expression was so odd that his daughter almost couldn’t hold back a laugh.  

It wasn’t just that he couldn’t get used to it—if he wasn’t worried about his cousin being upset, he would have spit it out on the spot.  

“Uncle, if you can’t eat it, just spit it out. Everyone has different tastes, and I don’t really like okra either.”  

Jiang Wan then turned to her aunt and cousin.  

“Cousin, Aunt, can you eat it?”  

Both women were silent for a moment before they quietly took the small pieces of okra from their bowls and placed them on the table.  

Jiang Wan laughed.  

Well, it seems that only her mother liked okra in the entire family of five.  

“Are you all not eating it? Then I’ll eat it all!”  

Yin Huaixi, who rarely got to enjoy the familiar taste of oyster sauce okra, happily finished the whole plate by herself and even drank two bowls of porridge.  

Yin Huaishan was silent.  

In the past, his little sister would stop after half a bowl and say she was full. Now, the bowl was much bigger, and she could eat two bowls!  

His little sister really had suffered…  

If Yin Huaixi knew what her brother was thinking at that moment, her expression would surely be quite complicated.  

In fact, the original owner had always had a small appetite.  

It was just that when she was little, her grandmother told her that being overweight wasn’t attractive, and later she heard that Jiang Cheng preferred slim women, so she had always endured her hunger, claiming to be full.  

She was clearly a young lady, but she always went against her own desires. The original owner’s memory only held true happiness when she was with her daughter.  

Yin Huaixi wasn’t like that; she never forced herself.  

As long as conditions allowed, she ate whatever she wanted. People only lived for a few decades, so she believed in enjoying life in the moment.  

She thought this way and also taught her daughter the same, which was why the two of them were fairly extravagant with their spending.  

For example, today, as soon as Yin Huaixi entered the city, she bought some candy, hair ties, and hairpins for herself.  

There were several types of hair ties at the stall: plain ones cost one coin each, and colored ones cost two coins each.  

Yin Huaixi picked the most beautiful colors and even chose hairpins that cost a few extra coins to avoid the old-fashioned styles.  

Song Wenhui couldn’t bring herself to be as extravagant. She only bought the simplest styles for her husband and herself. She didn’t buy any hair ties because Yin Huaixi had already bought several sets, planning to let the two sisters alternate wearing them.  

After the meal, the two women used their new hair ties to redo their daughters’ hair, and both girls loved the look. They leaned over the water bucket, admiring themselves.  

As soon as the old village chief entered the door, he heard the girls’ joyful laughter, which made his mood lift a little.  

It had been quite noisy at home today, and he had only just managed to get away.  

“Grandpa Village Chief, are you looking for my uncle?”  

The old village chief nodded and immediately took a seat on a bench.  

“I’m here to talk to your mother and your uncle about something. Where are they?”  

“My mother and aunt went to the river to fetch water, and my uncle is in the back shed. He should be here soon.”  

Jiang Wan greeted the village chief, and Yin Ning had already gone to the kitchen to fetch some water.  

On a hot day, drinking a bit of mint water felt incredibly refreshing. The old village chief thought that the Yin family really knew how to raise their children.  

The children were not only obedient and capable but also sweet-tongued, making them truly likable.  

“Grandpa Village Chief, you came to talk about the school, right?”  

“Yes, it’s about the school.”  

The old village chief took out a square piece of paper from his chest, unfolded it, and it was covered in dense writing.  

“There are too many people signing up, and I couldn’t fit it all on this paper. The back is half-filled, and this is already too much to teach.”  

These were only the people who heard the news today. Some villagers weren’t home or were out, and they didn’t know yet. When they return, they’ll surely want to sign up too.  

The old village chief was feeling a headache.  

The land he had been allocated could only build three rooms. He originally planned to use one for the school, one for a pharmacy, and the third for the teacher’s rest.  

But now, with so many children, one room wouldn’t be enough. His wife was even pestering him to enroll her sister’s son.  

He couldn’t bring himself to agree.  

Once he gave in, half the village’s daughters-in-law would want to enroll their nieces and nephews.  

The old village chief was really troubled, and his hair seemed to be falling out in clumps.  

Jiang Wan thought this could be easily solved.  

“Grandpa Village Chief, if there are many children, you could divide them into different classes.”  

Yin Ning nodded. She and her cousin had come to the same conclusion.  

“We can divide them into classes and hire another teacher. The two teachers together can manage the classes, so we won’t have to worry about one class being left without a teacher.”  

With so many children, splitting them up would mean that hiring two teachers wouldn’t be that expensive.  

The old village chief straightened up, realizing the two young girls were making a lot of sense.  

“Hire another teacher…”  

“Grandpa Village Chief, have you forgotten about the Zhou family uncles? Grandpa Zhou might not be able to teach because of his health, but Uncle Zhou is more than capable of teaching the children. He was better than my father in the imperial exams; he was the top scholar!”  

Yin Ning’s words not only shocked the old village chief but also left Jiang Wan stunned for a moment.  

So Uncle Zhou was actually the top scholar in the imperial exams! What an oversight, a hidden big shot.

The old village chief couldn’t sit still after hearing this; he really wanted to go find Uncle Zhou and have a chat right then.  

However, he seemed to have heard that Zhou’s two sons were working on someone’s boat in the village? Whose boat was it? He couldn’t quite remember.  

The old village chief was getting up in age and had trouble remembering things. The Zhou family had entered the village quietly, and he hadn’t seen them much before, so he really couldn’t recall the details about them.  

If it weren’t for Yin Ning bringing it up, he would still be worrying about where to find a second teacher.  

Now that he had a clearer idea, he planned to ask Yin Huaishan about Uncle Zhou’s character as soon as he saw him.  

“Uncle Zhou? Zhou He? He’s a good person, very humble and polite. When he worked in the Ministry of Personnel, both his superiors and subordinates spoke highly of him. He does have a little flaw, though, which his colleagues used to tease him about.”  

“Huh? What flaw?”  

If it was some bad habit, then forget it.  

The old village chief’s heart was starting to race.  

“He’s afraid of his wife.”  

The old village chief: “…”