Xing Ge’er said as he dragged Li Zhouzhou’s hand to the stall. Li Zhouzhou thought so too, it was too early and the bookstore was not open yet, so he followed Xing Ge’er to the restaurant.

　　The two sat down, and Xing Ge ordered a bowl of offal soup, which was made from pig and sheep offal. It cost one cent and four cents, and was a good dip for the meat. The owner also gave him a cake to dip in. It was Li Zhouzhou’s turn, and he just wanted a bowl of hot soy milk.

　　”Now that you’re out, let’s eat something good. It’s not like your family can’t afford this.” Xing Ge’er said.

　　Li Zhouzhou shook his head. Xing Ge’er knew Li Zhouzhou’s personality and could not help but persuade him. The two of them ate the hot soup and sweated all over, and the chill from traveling early in the morning disappeared.

　　Li Zhouzhou was familiar with the bookstore. It was Xing’er’s first time there, so he was just an outsider and just went there to watch the fun.

　　”I need a bunch of paper, as well as an inkstone, a pen, and an ink stick.” Li Zhouzhou bought what his husband had chosen last time, but he bought an extra inkstone because the ones at home were already very old.

　　The guy recognized him at first sight. This guy looked different from other guys. His husband was fair-skinned and well-mannered. When they stood together, he was half a head taller than his husband. Of course, he left a deep impression on him.

　　”Are you here to buy something for your husband? Wait a moment.”

　　The clerk took the things quickly and calculated on the abacus beads, “One hundred coins for a dog’s worth of paper, one hundred and fifty coins for an ink stick…”

　　As Xing Ge’er listened to the amount of money being reported, his eyes gradually widened.

　　Why is it so expensive and so costly?

　　Is that paper inlaid with gold?

　　Li Zhouzhou paid the money with a hesitant look. The waiter saw many people and knew that this guy wanted to ask something but was not able to ask it out loud, so he took the initiative to ask while packing the things: “What do you want to ask?”

　　”I want to know if there is a private school in this town? How can I become a disciple? How much is the tuition fee?” Li Zhouzhou asked all the questions that he had been thinking about since last night.

　　Things like private schools and tuition fees were what Li Zhouzhou heard from his mother-in-law Li Guihua.

　　”There are three private schools in the town, all taught by scholars. Two of them are very strict and difficult to get into. The scholars have to test the students. If they are satisfied, they will pay four taels of silver per year as tuition. The other one will be paid three taels of silver.”

　　”I don’t know how to become a disciple, but there must be an introducer.”

　　The waiter packed the things swiftly. He saw that Li Zhouzhou and Xing Ge’er were wearing quilted shorts. Although they were washed clean, they were obviously from the village outside the town. It was not easy to support a student, so he couldn’t help but say a few more words, “Come to the town to study. Even if you pass the examination, you still have to pay for food, clothing and accommodation in addition to the tuition. If you live closer to the town, you can walk here in the morning and walk back in the evening.”

　　Li Zhouzhou thought about his husband’s physical strength and that of course wouldn’t work.

　　”Renting a small yard in town would cost six taels a year…”

　　Li Zhouzhou thanked him, took the things and left the bookstore. His idea of ​​sending his husband to the town to study faded a little. He knew roughly how much money the family had, which was only a little over ten taels. The money he had saved added up to no more than fifteen or sixteen taels.

　　I can come to town if I really want to, but my husband is alone and needs someone to take care of his food and clothing. If he comes with me, I can’t let my father take care of all the farm and housework.

　　Li Zhouzhou shook his head and said, “No, that won’t work. It will be too hard for Dad.”

　　Xing’er listened to what the waiter said in the bookstore today. Just before going to have the soup, he lost half of his desire to send Yuanyuan to school. No wonder Li Zhouzhou gave up the offal soup that cost four cents a bowl.

　　Just one pen can buy six or seven bowls of broth.

　　Xing Ge’er was so shocked by the prices that he didn’t say anything for a long time. The two of them walked out and went to buy salt, vinegar, sugar, cloth, etc. before they came back to their senses.

　　”If your husband didn’t study, life would be so wonderful.” Xing Ge’er said. Now I think the maltose is not expensive, so I bought some more.

　　Li Zhouzhou didn’t say anything. He bought more dried dates and bone sticks. These things are easy to store.

　　Finish shopping.

　　Xing Ge’er compared the prices of the bookshelves and found the common items cheap, so he spent a little more. Thinking that he would be scolded by his mother-in-law when he returned, he didn’t dare to say that he ate a bowl of noodles in the town before going back. Li Zhouzhou was also unwilling to spend money on food, so the two of them carried the food on their backs and in their hands and left the town before noon.

　　It was still daylight when we arrived at the village.

　　Li Zhouzhou was sweating all over, and just as he reached the gate of the yard, he saw his husband. Gu Zhao hurried forward to take the things in Zhouzhou’s hand, leaving marks on his body. He was about to take the things on his back, but Li Zhouzhou stopped him and said, “It’s heavy.”