Chapter 20: Off to School

The Tan family’s scrap field wasn’t far from Aunt Chen’s house—less than a few hundred meters.

Aunt Chen arrived quickly and saw the freshly tilled rows of soil, newly planted with vegetables. Her jealousy flared up even more.

In a fit of anger, she strode over and began stomping wildly on the rows.

“Let’s see you plant! Let’s see you plant!”

“Now, what can you grow from this mess? Hmph!”

In no time, all the morning’s hard work by the Tan brothers was destroyed.

Feeling smug, Aunt Chen wiped the sweat from her brow and grinned in satisfaction. Then she walked over to the pond nearby and leaned over to peer into it.

Today felt a bit strange. Normally, the pond in the Tan family’s scrap field was just a muddy pool of stagnant water, but now it was crystal clear. The sunlight illuminated the lush green water plants beneath the surface.

Aunt Chen stepped closer and peered inside, spotting a few fish swimming gracefully among the water plants.

The fish flicked their glossy black tails as if teasing her, as though saying, “Come on, catch me! Catch me!”

Aunt Chen’s small eyes widened in astonishment, and she could almost feel the drool dripping from her mouth. She didn’t care about anything else anymore and plunged her hand straight into the water to grab them.

The fish were oddly cooperative, not even attempting to escape, and Aunt Chen managed to catch one on her first try.

“Ah! A fish!” she exclaimed in delight.

Aunt Chen stared at the fish in her hand, grinning from ear to ear.

The fish weighed about a pound—a healthy grass carp.

She held it tightly, her eyes squinting with satisfaction as she admired her catch.

The fish’s shiny black eyes seemed to stare straight back at her, unblinking and oddly intense.

“So, the Tan family’s scrap field really is hiding treasures!” Aunt Chen said with a chuckle, glancing at the fish’s head.

But just then, the fish suddenly opened its mouth wide.

What emerged was not the usual small maw of a grass carp but a gaping, crocodile-like jaw filled with rows upon rows of razor-sharp teeth.

The horrifying sight sent chills down her spine—it was utterly terrifying!

“Ah!”

Aunt Chen let out a scream of terror and flung the fish away with all her might!

But the grass carp had already latched onto her mouth.

In excruciating pain, she grabbed at the fish with her hands, desperately trying to pull it off, but it wouldn’t budge.

After a frantic struggle, she finally managed to yank the fish away. However, her mouth was left in tatters, blood pouring down her face. The unbearable pain sent her writhing on the ground. She tried to cry out for help but couldn’t make a sound.

When she turned her gaze back to the pond, the fish were gone—vanished without a trace.

Terrified beyond belief, Aunt Chen fainted on the spot.

Meanwhile, at the Tan family’s house, the entire family was gathered around, happily eating lunch.

Old Tan brought up a few major matters during lunch, with the first being about attending school.

Though Fengping Village wasn’t large, it had a small schoolhouse for children aged five to fifteen to receive an education.

In the past, their family had been too poor, so the children could only listen to lessons from outside the door. Now that Old Tan had some money, the first important thing he wanted to do was send them to school.

The youngest, fourth  and fifth son, still too young to fully understand, tilted their heads and asked, “Father, why do we have to go to school?”

Old Tan patted their heads with a smile and said, “Your dad hasn’t read much in his life, but there’s one thing I’ve heard: ‘Within books, there are houses of gold; within books, there are beauties as fair as jade.’ Farming all your life won’t get you anywhere. You need to go to school, read, and take the imperial exams to make something of yourselves.”

After saying that, Old Tan glanced over at the neighboring house. “Look at Aunt Chen’s two sons. They were able to find work in the town because they went to school.”

Tan Siwen and Tan Wuguan understood only a little.

Tan Yiliang, Tan Erqian, and Tan Sanyuan didn’t argue, which was as good as agreeing.

Then, Old Tan continued, “There’s another big matter—building a house! We may not have a lot of money now, but now that you have a sister, we still need to build a room for her.”

Tan Yiliang quickly stood up with a grin. “Father, we can go up the mountain to chop down some trees. That way, we can save quite a bit of money!”

Old Tan shot him a glance. “The trees on the mountain aren’t so easy to chop down as you think.”

Tan Yiliang leaned in and said, “Father, we can’t chop down trees that have owners. We’ll just take the ones without owners.”

Old Tan suddenly understood. “You mean the ones deep in the mountains?”

Tan Yiliang nodded. “Exactly.”

Old Tan’s expression darkened. “No way. Those places are full of bandits and wild animals. Do you think you’d come back alive?”

Tan Yiliang felt a bit deflated. “Father, we could at least try…”

“No,” Old Tan cut him off firmly. “We won’t risk our lives for a house. If we’re going to build one, it has to be safe.”

Tan Yiliang was about to argue further when they suddenly heard a shout from outside. “It’s bad! It’s bad! Aunt Chen’s been bitten by a leopard!”

Wan Chunmei was startled, looking up as she asked, “How could Aunt Chen, of all people, get bitten by a leopard?”

Old Tan stood up and said, “I’ll go check.”

“Mm, go ahead. Even though Aunt Chen talks too much, she’s still our neighbor. Go see if she needs any help,” Wan Chunmei said, gently placing the sleeping little Xiaoyue back on the bed.

Old Tan nodded, “Alright, I’ll leave the bowl. I’ll wash it when I get back.”

“Mm, go on,” Wan Chunmei replied. After tucking the blanket around Qingyue, she sat back down to continue eating.

Old Tan opened the door and made his way next door.

After finishing his meal, Tan Sanyuan, who had been silent all this time, picked up a book and sat by the bed, reading.

Qiyue, who had been peacefully asleep, suddenly opened her eyes. Her big, watery, and lively eyes were fixed intently on the back of Tan Sanyuan.

She raised her tiny, delicate arm and gently tugged at his clothing.

Tan Sanyuan felt the pull and lowered the book slightly, turning to look at her.

Little Qiyue’s eyes curved into crescent shapes, almost as if she was smiling.

Tan Sanyuan froze in surprise. Did this child just smile?