”Take good care of your Zhuzi, maybe he can come to your house and exchange it for silver in the future.”

　　”Stop talking nonsense. I am his biological mother, not like Li Guihua. How can you be blinded by money?” Zhuzi’s mother said anxiously.

　　Li Guihua is the name of Gu Zhao’s stepmother.

　　”If you don’t give Gu Zhao away, how can Li Guihua’s child go to school? How cruel! When Gu Shulang was still around, didn’t you see that Li Guihua still let Gu Shulang work in the fields even when it was raining?”

　　”That’s not all Li Guihua’s fault. Gu Zhao couldn’t continue his studies, and he couldn’t do farm work. I heard his father asked him to find a job in a shop in town where he could read and write, but Gu Zhao refused. Tell me, if he refuses to do this or that, who would support him to eat for free?”

　　”The Li family.”

　　”Then the Li family spent eighteen taels and wasted it on someone who eats for free.”

　　…

　　The Gu family’s house is located at the back, and the family was separated earlier. Gu Zhao’s father had six brothers and sisters in total, and Gu Zhao’s father was the youngest. His two elder sisters were married. Before the family was separated, the four brothers lived in the old house. Gu Zhao’s grandparents favored the youngest son, and Gu Zhao was able to study and learn to read because of this relationship.

　　It is certainly not tight to support one child in the whole house.

　　The situation is completely different from that of Li Zhouzhou.

　　Later, Grandpa Gu Zhao passed away and the family was divided. Grandma Gu Zhao lived with the eldest son. The family fortune she left behind was quite generous, and she supported the youngest son privately. The other three brothers didn’t say much when they saw this. The brothers of the Gu family were united and lived a good life.

　　This can be said relative to other people in the village.

　　After all, the other three brothers of the Gu family don’t have to support their children’s education, so they have spare money to spend on wine and meat on weekdays.

　　Gu’s father’s situation was slightly worse. He had long been unwilling to see his son study for the imperial examination, but his father had been making do with his son’s studies, but his stepmother Li Guihua had been making promises. It was not until last year when the plaque was hung on the school platform that Gu’s father took the opportunity to stop his son’s study.

　　Li Guihua thought that if she stopped Gu Zhao from paying for his studies, she could use the money to support her younger son Hu Tou’s studies, and she was very happy every day.

　　Gu Zhao saw through it all. The original body hated his stepmother, but in fact, the stepmother was just taking the blame for his biological father.

　　The Gu family made a fuss again about the self-recommendation to marry into the family. Gu’s father wanted to take action against Gu Zhao for the sake of his reputation, but fortunately Gu Zhao pretended to faint and quickly. After that, they reluctantly agreed to this matter. First, the stepmother Li Guihua learned that the Li family had offered 18 taels of silver, and she whispered in Gu’s father’s ear every day. Second, the original body had not been working in the fields or in the town since last spring, and had been eating free meals at home.

　　The stepmother said, “In the past, my three elder brothers helped to support Zhao’er’s education. It cost so much that I had at least 18 taels of silver even if I didn’t have 20 taels. Now Zhao’er can’t continue to study and doesn’t work. Are you going to support him for the rest of his life?”

　　”Marrying into the Li family is also for Zhao’er’s own good…”

　　In the past, it was the public housing that provided money for Gu Zhao’s studies. Now, the eighteen taels of silver had become cash in her own hands. Li Guihua was so happy that she wished that Gu Zhao would pack up and move to the Li family that very day.

　　Gu’s father finally agreed, but on the day of the Li family’s wedding, they cursed Gu Zhao in public.

　　What I mean is that you did something shameful, and it has nothing to do with the Gu family and me.