There were also two or three dishes that even she herself couldn’t name…

Goodness, wasn’t this basically the imperial feast of the apocalypse?

Could this be what Shopkeeper Wu meant by “nourishing Zhang Zixuan’s health”?

“Fourth sister-in-law, just what… what exactly did you do for Yuexiang Pavilion?” Zhang Zifu couldn’t help but ask.

As he asked, he subconsciously swallowed.

In all his years, he had never seen, let alone eaten, such dishes.

“Oh, nothing much, I just helped organize his account books,” Jianxiu said lightly.

However, she didn’t realize that this seemingly casual statement carried a completely different weight in Zhang Zifu and his wife’s ears.

A man who could do accounting would never fear being out of work, and a woman who could do it was even rarer.

Beside them, Wang Xiuying also reacted. Upon hearing Jianxiu’s words, she instinctively looked at her son, Wu Tou.

She knew well that she didn’t have the ability to send him to the academy to study.

But if Jianxiu was willing…

Thinking of this, Wang Xiuying put down her bowl, pondered for a long time, and finally spoke:

“Jianxiu, since you know how to do accounting, could you teach Wu Tou? Don’t worry, you’d only need to spare half an hour each day. That way, when he grows up, he won’t end up like us, just a peasant with nothing to his name!”

Upon hearing his wife’s words, Zhang Zifu also put down his chopsticks and looked at Jianxiu expectantly.

Jianxiu put down her bowl and chopsticks before responding to them:

“Third brother, third sister-in-law, I understand what you mean. In fact, even if you hadn’t asked, I planned to talk to you about this today.”

“What is it?” The couple asked eagerly.

Their anxious expressions almost made Jianxiu laugh.

“Don’t worry, it’s good news.”

“Good news?”

“Yes, I plan to send Wu Tou to the academy as well, along with Feixuan and Feiyi!” Jianxiu said calmly.

She understood Wu Tou’s temperament well—after all, she had watched him grow up.

As long as he had a good character, he was worth cultivating.

More importantly, when they grew up, these brothers could support each other in officialdom.

After all, in the political world, it was difficult to stand without a strong backing.

Feixuan and Feiyi clearly lacked such support; they would have to rely entirely on themselves.

That meant she needed to start building their network now.

And Wu Tou was the perfect candidate.

“Fourth sister-in-law, do you realize what you’re saying?” Zhang Zifu was stunned for a long moment before he finally reacted.

Wang Xiuying was also in complete disbelief.

Not just them—even Zhang Zixuan, who was leaning against the wall in the distance, was equally shocked.

“I know, and I’m not joking. I had planned to discuss this with you anyway. Tomorrow, I’ll be going to Xuewen Academy, and Wu Tou can come with me then.”

“Wait, fourth sister-in-law… No, wait… Are you serious?” Zhang Zifu stammered.

“Of course I am. You should know me well enough by now—I always keep my word. If I wasn’t sure I could do it, I wouldn’t have brought it up.”

“But sending a child to the academy costs dozens of taels a year. Even though I have a small job as a waiter in the county, it’s nowhere near enough to afford Wu Tou’s tuition.”

“I am his fourth aunt. I will pay for him. All I ask is that when he grows up, he remembers the importance of brotherhood.”

As she spoke, Jianxiu glanced at the three young boys beside her.

“Fourth Aunt…” Wu Tou called out, his eyes red with emotion.

Just that one call made Jianxiu’s heart ache.

At that moment, she knew she had made the right decision.

She trusted herself—and she trusted Wu Tou.

She turned to him and asked, “Wu Tou, do you want to go to the academy?”

“Yes, I do. I really do. But I know that Fourth Aunt’s money is hard-earned, so if I don’t go, that’s fine too. As long as Fifth Aunt teaches me accounting, I’ll still remember your words. Besides, I am already brothers with Liu Tou and Qi Tou, aren’t I?”

“Exactly. You’re all brothers, so if they can go to the academy, why shouldn’t you?” Jianxiu challenged.

Hearing this, Wu Tou burst into tears.

From silent weeping to uncontrollable sobbing.

“Thank you, Fourth Aunt! Thank you for still remembering me! Waaaah…!”

At that moment, it wasn’t just Wu Tou who cried—Wang Xiuying also teared up.

She had always known her son was smart.

He understood that their family held little status in the old Zhang household, so he deliberately hid his intelligence, afraid that the eldest branch would notice and suppress him.

But in the end, Jianxiu still saw through it.

And not only did she not stifle him, but she also gave him a new chance at life.

“Alright, alright, no more crying! The food’s getting cold!” Jianxiu said with a smile.

“Yes, yes, let’s eat, let’s eat…”

Unlike the joyous atmosphere at Jianxiu’s place, the old Zhang household was in the middle of a heated argument.

“Father, Mother, what are we supposed to do about my son, Zihua? If it weren’t for you bringing this up first, would any of this have happened?”

Chen Sixi, already furious, couldn’t care less about respecting her elders anymore—she lashed out at Old Madam Liu without restraint.

After all, if Jianxiu could take her to court, why couldn’t she complain a little?

Besides, she was only speaking the truth.

That woman had returned, but where was her husband, Zhang Zihua?

“Why are you yelling? What’s there to yell about? It’s just a year and a half—he won’t die!”

Old Man Zhang roared at Chen Sixi.

Ever since they had returned from the magistrate’s office, she hadn’t stopped whining, giving him a splitting headache.

He never expected things to turn out this way.

If he had known, he would have never let them go to the village’s west end in the first place.

Not only did they lose over five taels of silver, but they also didn’t dare take even a single thing from Jianxiu anymore.

A classic case of trying to steal a chicken but losing the rice instead.

“Father, you make it sound so easy! This isn’t just about sitting in jail—Zihua was already covered in injuries from that wretched woman’s beating, and then he was flogged with twenty strokes in court… Waaah…!”