Chapter 10: Not Stupid

Zhou Huaishan laughed sheepishly.

"It was just now while you were having dinner."

Zhou Qing...

The chicken coop is only three to five meters away from the kitchen where they were eating, meaning Zhou Huaishan practically committed the act right under everyone's noses.

How did he manage that?

Moreover, the chickens didn’t even make a fuss.

"Aren’t you afraid of being caught?"

If he got caught, his reputation would be ruined, and the hard-earned opportunity for her father to study would be wasted.

You really risked it all for chicken.

Zhou Huaishan looked very pleased with himself, "How could anyone notice? You were all busy chatting in the kitchen, no one had the time to pay attention to the outside."

"Even if no one noticed just now, aren’t you afraid that..."

Zhou Huaishan interrupted Zhou Qing, shaking his head.

"Don’t worry, no one will come here. The decision for me to study was made today, so your third uncle’s family will definitely be discussing splitting the family. And you beating Wang Qiang? Your eldest uncle’s family will not only discuss my studying but also deal with Wang Qiang. As for your grandparents, your grandma will certainly be pestering your grandpa to change his mind. Everyone is too busy."

Zhou Qing...

"You dandy can analyze problems too?"

Zhou Huaishan rolled his eyes at Zhou Qing.

"Just because I'm a dandy doesn’t mean I'm stupid!"

Zhou Qing...

Zhou Huaishan wiped his hands and climbed onto the kang. "Daughter, wait a bit and we’ll have some chicken."

The chicken was already in the mud, and the mud had been put in the stove; there was nothing left for her to say.

No feathers to pluck, either.

Adjusting the lamp’s wick, Zhou Qing took out some paper and a brush, spreading them out on the shabby table, "Come, start writing."

Zhou Huaishan’s face fell. "Already? I'm not mentally prepared yet! What should I write? If you want me to copy books, you should give me a sample."

Zhou Qing said, "Just write something random. Tomorrow, I’ll take it to the bookstore in town and show the owner."

After dipping the brush in ink, Zhou Qing handed it to Zhou Huaishan, "Go ahead, write."

"Anything?"

"Yes."

Zhou Huaishan lifted the brush and wrote: I want to eat chicken.

Zhou Qing almost spat out a mouthful of blood. She raised her hand, about to slap Zhou Huaishan, but stopped at the last moment.

"If you were my son, believe me, I'd beat you. This paper is expensive, and you write this nonsense?"

Zhou Huaishan looked aggrieved, "I’m your father!"

Zhou Qing was furious, breathing heavily.

Zhou Huaishan said gloomily, "Besides, this paper was buy-one-get-two-free, it didn’t cost anything."

Zhou Qing...

She couldn't hold back her slap anymore.

Zhou Huaishan continued, "And you said to write anything."

After saying this, he looked at Zhou Qing with a face full of grievance: It’s not my fault!

Zhou Qing...

Zhou Qing glared at Zhou Huaishan, then pointed heavily under the words 'I want to eat chicken', "Here, write ‘Virtue is never solitary; it always has neighbors’."

Zhou Huaishan was shocked, "Wow, you even know the Analects of Confucius?"

Zhou Qing slammed the table, "Write!"

Zhou Huaishan pouted, "Fine, I’ll write."

The brush strokes flew swiftly.

Although he was not serious, Zhou Qing had to admit, Zhou Huaishan’s handwriting was excellent.

It had a powerful presence.

After he finished, Zhou Qing said, "Now write, ‘To illustrate illustrious virtue, to renovate the people’."

This time, Zhou Huaishan didn’t argue and wrote quickly.

Once he finished, Zhou Qing thought for a moment, then said, "Write ‘Like a bamboo cling to the green mountain, never letting go, rooted deeply within the cracked rocks. After a thousand trials and countless blows, still strong, unyielding to the winds from any direction’."

Zhou Huaishan was about to write but suddenly looked up, stunned at Zhou Qing, "Daughter, you can even compose poetry?"

Zhou Qing glared at him, "Just write."

"Okay."

Watching Zhou Huaishan write, Zhou Qing’s thoughts raced.

In ancient times, seeking book-copying jobs wasn’t easy. She wasn’t entirely confident, so she had to use some of the poems she read in modern times to pretend as original works to secure some opportunities.

This poem was simple and catchy, and the wording was straightforward. Claiming it was written by Zhou Huaishan might just pass.

After he finished writing, Zhou Qing turned the paper around to inspect it.

Admittedly, Zhou Huaishan’s handwriting matched the poem’s spirit very well.

"Can you draw?"

Zhou Huaishan shook his head, "Are you kidding? If I could draw, would I be called a dandy? Daughter, you seem to misunderstand what being a dandy means."

Zhou Qing felt a headache coming on.

Most people deal with bratty kids, but in her case, it’s a bratty father!

And one she couldn’t hit.

Rubbing her temples, Zhou Qing handed the paper back to Zhou Huaishan, "Write all the variations of the characters for happiness and good fortune that you know."

Zhou Huaishan immediately looked unwilling, "Write them all? That’s a lot. My hand is already sore."

Zhou Qing gritted her teeth, "Write."

Zhou Huaishan sighed and wrote four or five 'good fortune' characters, then complained, "I need to use the bathroom."

"Write."

...

"My leg itches."

"Write!"

...

"I’m hungry."

"Write!"

Zhou Huaishan kept finding excuses to slack off after writing a few characters. Until Zhou Qing couldn’t take it anymore and slammed a hoe next to him.

"Finish writing in one go, or else you’ll be back in the fields tomorrow."

That finally got Zhou Huaishan to behave.

Zhou Qing took a deep breath.

The long journey had begun!

Zhou Qing and Zhou Huaishan lost their father-daughter harmony and instead had a chaotic and noisy relationship.

At the main house of the Zhou family.

Sun lay on the kang, staring at the ceiling beams, sighing continuously.

Old Zhou couldn’t sleep with all the sighing, "What’s wrong with you?"

Sun started to cry, "What’s wrong with me? Are you senile? How could you agree to let the second son study? If Qing really found a job in town, Yuan can study more comfortably. Now all the money will be wasted on the second son."

Old Zhou sighed, "We wronged him before. Now that he wants to try, we should let him. I’m afraid he’ll resent us otherwise."

Sun snapped, "Resent my foot! We fed him, clothed him, and raised him, and he still resents us?"

Old Zhou said, "Stop fussing. Qing gave us one hundred coins, enough to hire someone for three days. If she can’t come up with more money after that, the opportunity we gave them will be their own responsibility if they can’t make it."

Sun’s eyes gleamed.

"So you’re just humoring them?"

Old Zhou wanted to explain, but knowing Sun’s unwavering favoritism for Yuan, he just hummed in agreement.

This put Sun at ease, "I knew it. I thought you’d gone senile. By the way, about Wang Qiang..."

Old Zhou sternly said, "You better give up on that idea. After today’s incident, everyone knows Wang Qiang visited a brothel. You still want Qing to marry him? I won’t have our family’s name ruined like that!"

In the dark, Sun pursed her lips.

No way she was letting that go.

It’s five taels of silver after all.

In the third room.

Zhou Ping told Zhou Huailin and Zhao everything about his request to Zhou Qing.

Zhao was beaming from ear to ear.

They had always wanted to send Zhou Ping to the village school, but Zhou Huaihai’s one comment about Zhou Ping being stupid had killed that idea.

Zhou Ping had only attended for half a month.

This had always been a sore spot for the couple, especially when Zhou Yuan returned from school; it was a bitter reminder.

Now, with Zhou Huaihai studying, Zhou Ping could learn to read alongside him...

Zhou Huailin hugged his son, patting his head with rough hands, "Good boy, you follow your second uncle and learn well. I will try to send you to school too."

His voice choked a bit.

Zhou Ping’s eyes shone brightly, "Don’t worry, Father, I know."

At this moment, the third family hoped for Zhou Huaihai’s continued studies even more than Zhou Qing did.