Chapter 38: Blind

Zhou Qing turned to see Cheng Wu coming in and smiled, "What brings you here so late?"

Cheng Wu usually came to see her.

Cheng Wu held about ten skewers of roasted sparrows in his hand, scratching the back of his head awkwardly, "Um, we roasted sparrows at home tonight and had some left, so I brought them over for you."

Feeling awkward to look at Zhou Qing, Cheng Wu turned to Zhou Ping, "Ping, here."

Having already been fed roasted chicken and skewers, Zhou Ping's belly was round and he didn't want to eat anymore, "Brother Cheng Wu, give them to my sister. I'm not eating."

Cheng Wu stared at Zhou Ping in disbelief.

Usually, he would devour food as eagerly as meeting his own mother. Today, he doesn't want any?

Seeing Zhou Ping really wasn't going to eat, Cheng Wu looked at Zhou Qing.

Zhou Qing hurriedly took the roasted sparrows and sniffed them, "Smells so good."

Shen Li swiftly turned his head to look at Zhou Qing.

Cheng Wu glared at Shen Li and said to Zhou Qing, "Going into town tomorrow? I'll come pick you up."

"No, tomorrow I'm going to sell characters with my third uncle. I'll tell you when I'm going into town."

Cheng Wu wanted to ask if this young boss would go with them, but he hesitated to ask. After standing there for a while, he managed to say, "Can I help you cut paper?"

Shen Li immediately said, "I've already written 600 large characters, 600 medium characters, and 1000 small characters. My wrist is a bit sore, so I'll rest first."

After writing this batch of characters, Shen Li glanced at Cheng Wu and put down his brush, rubbing his wrist with an expression: It hurts so much.

"That's a lot already, no need to write more, it's enough."

Zhou Qing was too busy cutting paper to count them. After hearing Shen Li's words, she couldn't help but admire. Shen Li was much faster than her father.

A true academic achiever.

Cheng Wu glared at Shen Li, feeling that the young boss was doing this on purpose.

What a jerk!

But Zhou Qing said not to write anymore, so what could he say?

With a silly grin, Cheng Wu scratched his head again, "Well, Sister Qing, I'll head back now."

Zhou Qing smiled and sent Cheng Wu off, "It's dark, take your time on the road."

As the two walked towards the courtyard gate, Cheng Wu glanced back and sure enough saw the young boss looking in their direction. When he looked back, the young master didn't avert his gaze.

Clenching his fists, Cheng Wu said to Zhou Qing, "Sister Qing, why is this young boss always here at your place?"

Zhou Qing smiled, "He's my father's apprentice. He has no one to take care of him in the village, so he comes over for dinner."

Chewing on his words, Cheng Wu said through clenched teeth, "I think he has ulterior motives, Sister Qing, you should be careful."

"Okay, I understand."

"Sister Qing, after I'm done with this busy period, let's go sell it together."

Zhou Qing didn't think much of it, thinking Cheng Wu also wanted to find a way to make a living, "Your family will be busy until after Mid-Autumn Festival. By then, who would still buy characters? Let's wait until Chinese New Year to sell Spring Festival couplets together."

"Okay, Sister Qing, I'm off." With Zhou Qing's words, Cheng Wu felt much more relaxed.

After seeing Cheng Wu off, when Zhou Qing returned, Shen Li was writing again.

"You said your wrist hurt just now, why are you writing again?" Zhou Qing asked Shen Li.

"I need to finish what we've cut." 

"No need, write it tomorrow. Don't overwork yourself, it's late."

Shen Li kept his head down and continued writing, without responding.

Zhou Qing placed the roasted sparrows into the large plate where the skewers had been placed earlier and quickly bundled up the written characters with Zhou Yao. They packed them into bamboo baskets.

Zhou Huailin carried all the bamboo baskets to the third room.

Zhao tidied up the needle and thread and took Zhou Ping to burn water to prepare for washing up.

Everyone was busy with their own tasks. When Zhou Qing was left alone, Shen Li suddenly spoke up, "Do you like eating roasted sparrows?"

Zhou Qing...

Huh?

Shen Li held up his brush, turned to look at Zhou Qing, and pointed at the roasted skewers she had placed in the large plate.

Following his gaze, Zhou Qing turned to look, "You mean the roasted sparrows? Cheng Wu specially brought them over. If I didn't take them, he would feel bad."

Shen Li asked, "So, do you prefer eating roasted wild chicken or roasted sparrows?"

"Of course, roasted chicken." Zhou Qing didn't hesitate, blurting out her answer.

Who would eat sparrow meat if there's chicken?

Shen Li was satisfied with this answer, glanced at the roasted sparrows, and smiled, "I didn't eat enough tonight."

"How about you try this?" Zhou Qing suggested.

Shen Li put down his brush, took a skewer, smelled it, took a bite, and looked disgusted, "Not as delicious as mine."

Zhou Qing...

After Shen Li finished eating the roasted sparrows, Zhou Qing and Zhou Yao finished organizing the characters. Zhou Qing saw Shen Li off before going to the second room.

"How much did you write?" Zhou Qing sat on the edge of the kang and asked Zhou Huaishan, who was still writing.

After playing with mud all day and crying for a long time, Zhou Huaishan was almost falling apart from exhaustion. Adding to that, he had just eaten roasted chicken and roasted pork, and it was hot outside, so how could he concentrate on writing?

Meeting Zhou Qing's gaze, Zhou Huaishan subconsciously shrank back and said in a low voice, "Daughter, I'm really not feeling well today. I feel dizzy..."

When Zhou Huaishan was rambling, Zhou Qing grabbed the paper he was copying.

For a full hour and a half, three hours, he only wrote one page.

Zhou Qing suddenly felt a surge of anger.

"Why didn't you mention feeling dizzy when you were playing with mud? Why didn't you feel dizzy when you were eating chicken and pork? Now that you're writing, you feel dizzy?" Zhou Qing's anger flared up.

Zhou Huaishan scrunched up his face, "Daughter, keep your voice down, or people will hear, and my image will be ruined."

Zhou Qing slammed the table in anger.

"If you don't want your image ruined, then study hard! Let me ask you, do you want to farm or study?"

Zhou Huaishan looked troubled, "Is there no other option? I'm really not cut out for studying."

Zhou Qing wanted to smack him with a brick.

"Who just said studying makes you happy, who said you need to study hard to get stronger! I don't care if you're cut out for it or not, from tomorrow on, you will study diligently. Shen Li will tutor you, and if you slack off..."

Before Zhou Qing could finish, Zhou Huaishan looked at her in shock.

"Daughter, what did you say? Shen Li is tutoring me?"

Zhou Qing nodded.

"He's my apprentice!"

"He passed the provincial exam!"

Zhou Huaishan...

Eyes wide, he fell back.

Passed the provincial exam?

Why would that little rascal, who passed the provincial exam, come to be my apprentice!

Is he crazy?

Or just too full?

Anger attacked his heart, Zhou Huaishan slapped the kang and sat up again. "Daughter, I'm telling you, that kid definitely has a problem. I shouldn't have accepted him as an apprentice. Tomorrow, I'll tell him to take back his apprenticeship gift and kick him out."

Zhou Qing looked at Zhou Huaishan coldly.

Zhou Huaishan put on the appearance of a knowledgeable person and said, "Daughter, think about it. A young boss from the town, who passed the provincial exam, why would he come to our village to be my apprentice! He must have ulterior motives."

Zhou Qing chuckled.

"What did you say before?"

Zhou Huaishan slapped his forehead. "I was blind back then!"

If I had known he was a top scholar, would I have kept him?

Zhou Qing...

"If you dismiss him tomorrow, fine, I'll hire him as your tutor and make him your teacher!"

Zhou Huaishan...