Chapter 35: Studying to Give the Family a Good Life

The three little boys exchanged glances when Song Liangzuo asked them why they wanted to go to private school, as if silently questioning one another.

Finally, the boisterous Song Jinyin scratched his head and said, “I want to go to private school, so I won’t have to work in the fields.”

Following suit, Song Jinyuan chimed in, “I don’t want to work either.”

Song Liangzuo looked at them helplessly. If their reasoning were to be shared with their second uncle, their chances of attending private school would definitely be ruined. It would be good enough just to keep them from getting scolded.

At that moment, Song Jinyin unexpectedly sounded more credible when he declared, “I want to become an official.”

In an instant, Song Jinyin and Song Jinyuan seemed to find their unity, eagerly clamoring, “I want to be an official too!”

“Me too! I want to be an official!”

In that moment, Song Liangzuo felt playful and teased them, saying, “You’re a bunch of little tailgaters!”

Instead of being offended, they looked quite pleased. To them, being called “little tailgaters” felt like a compliment, indicating they were sensible.

While Song Jinyin’s answer sounded serious, he then asked Song Liangzuo with a puzzled look, “What do you want to do if you attend private school?”

What did he want to do?

In that instant, various thoughts flashed through Song Liangzuo’s mind. Phrases like “For the people’s heart, for the heavens’ mandate, for universal peace” seemed grand but felt out of reach for him.

Could he really achieve such lofty goals?

He doubted it!

He thought of the phrase “When impoverished, one should cultivate oneself; when flourishing, one should help the world,” but did Song Jinyin even understand that?

“Would that I could build vast halls for the countless poor to be content”—that sounded appealing, but he knew he lacked the selflessness of a great poet like Du Fu.

Ultimately, believing that he would be tongue-tied, Song Liangzuo surprised himself when he finally spoke, “I want to learn to read and write so that I can help my family live a better life.”

Song Jinyin thought that sounded strange, but he couldn’t articulate why it felt that way.

Upon hearing this, Song Jinyin and Song Jinyuan’s eyes lit up. They crawled crab-like to sit beside Liangzuo.

“Song Liangzuo, even though we’re cousins, we’re also your family. When you have the ability in the future, would you be able to help us live well too?”

Song Liangzuo simply rolled his eyes at them, letting them come to their own understanding.

Their ruckus did not go unnoticed, the adults nearby overheard. The old woman nearly cried from joy upon hearing her clever grandson say such sensible words.

Wang Chunlan, however, wasn’t as composed and felt a mist in her eyes. Under her gaze, her son seemed to grow taller and taller.

Both women silently resolved that regardless of the sacrifices, they would support Liangzuo’s education.

As the conversations continued, dusk fell, and a small oil lamp was lit in the courtyard.

In the village, families generally went to bed early to save on oil for lamps. The old woman, realizing it was getting late, finalized their plans and took her beloved grandson home.

Farmers had little entertainment and were accustomed to rising early and sleeping early. The next day, they headed to the county.

With the morning light, a bullock cart rolled down the village path, carrying energetic children. They arrived in town, made payments, and headed to the pharmacy.

As soon as Song Liangzuo entered the pharmacy, he was recognized by the attendant. However, the attendant didn’t seem overly familiar and asked as usual, “Are you here to deliver medicine?”

“Mm-hmm,” Song Liangzuo nodded.

After taking a scan of the store, he noticed the shopkeeper was present, but the resident doctor from the other day was not.

Song Liangzuo wondered if the doctor had been dismissed.

When the shopkeeper saw the mother-and-son duo, he was notably friendlier than the attendant. He emerged from behind the counter, looking at the basket of herbs peeking out from Wang Chunlan’s back. He cheerfully nodded, “You’ve brought quite a bit today!”

“There are many of us at home, and knowing there was money to be made, my second uncle sent everyone into the fields,” Song Liangzuo replied, his eyes shining with pride and joy.

“Good, good! Attendant, go check on that,” the shopkeeper instructed the nearby worker.

As the attendant headed to the back to inspect the herbs, Song Liangzuo quickly moved to take the basket from his mother’s hands. The basket was covered with a layer of thin grass, concealing its contents.

“Shopkeeper, today I brought a pangolin. Will you accept it?”

Seeing his mother subtly place the basket on the ground, he moved forward to uncover the grass on top, revealing the item inside.

The sight of the contents made the shopkeeper delighted. “Oh, this is quite a good find! I’ll give you three taels of silver for it.”

“Three taels?” Song Liangzuo exclaimed, his mouth agape in surprise.

He had thought, based on Lin Shanye’s comments, that it could sell for two taels, but he never expected the shopkeeper would offer three right off the bat.

Was this thing really worth that much?

When the shopkeeper saw Liangzuo’s wide-eyed astonishment, his mouth agape in disbelief, he assumed the boy found the offer insufficient. After a moment’s thought, he wiggled two fingers at the child, “Three taels and two hundred wens, that’s my final offer.”

Song Liangzuo realized the shopkeeper had misunderstood his earlier shock. He quickly shook his head, “No, no, it’s fine. Three taels is enough.”

Now, it was the shopkeeper’s turn to be surprised. “You don’t want the extra two hundred wen?”

A look of hesitation crossed Song Liangzuo’s face. “I want to, but I can’t accept it. I don’t want to offend you, Shopkeeper. This item is something the villagers asked me to sell on their behalf. They’ve already set a minimum price for me, so as long as I can sell it for that, it’s good enough. Since you offered three taels, I was just thinking that it’s quite valuable, but I didn’t have the skill to catch it myself.”

The reason Liangzuo didn’t take the extra two hundred wen was his own strategic thinking; who knew if that extra money might affect his reputation here?

He still needed to bring a lot of herbs in the future.

Additionally, Lin Shanye had said that as long as he could sell it for two taels, he would be fine. Now he had sold it for three, which far exceeded expectations.

The shopkeeper found it amusing how this child spoke so maturely despite his young age. “Haha, so today I’m benefiting even more from you! I’ll give you three taels and two hundred wens. Since you don’t mind, I can’t be outdone by a child!”

Seeing he could no longer argue the point, Song Liangzuo suddenly clasped his hands together in front of him, thanking the shopkeeper. “Then I’ll express my gratitude on behalf of the villagers!”

The shopkeeper laughed heartily at the child’s sudden display of respect. “Haha, where did you learn this? You’re quite clever!”

Song Liangzuo’s lips curved upward, unable to contain his childlike joy and pride. “I wanted to thank you properly but didn’t know how. Since my family’s farming work is busy, and they plan to send me to private school to study, I’ll be a scholar soon. I saw them pay respect like this in our town before.”

The shopkeeper found Liangzuo’s earnestness hilarious, laughing again, “I think you’ll succeed in whatever you choose to pursue. You have a bright future ahead!”

Song Liangzuo grinned, his eyes narrowed with delight, “Thank you for your kind words, Shopkeeper!”