Friday 9 October 2020

BTTS 149




Chapter 149. Education


Knowing that it was useless to talk with her mother, so San Ni brought up her brother going to school to her father when Second Brother came back.

"Er Wa is going to go to school, while my brother doesn't get to." San Ni said.

Eldest Sister-in-law's three girls all studied, but San Ni and Liu Ni didn't.

Wu Ni from Third Sister-in-law's family also went to school.

San Ni felt that it was fine that she didn't get to study, but her brother had to go.

Second Brother didn't have any objection to this, so he came over to talk to Second Sister-in-law.

Second Sister-in-law whined: "Don't you know what's the situation is like at home?"

"What's the situation at home? It's not so bad that we can't allow your son to study. When you didn't have a son before, you wished to give birth to one as the pearl of your eyes. Now that you gave birth one, you treat it like grass, right? You won't even let him study, so what are you saving that little money for?" Second Brother said.

"Don't he need to marry a wife in the future? Doesn't that need money?" Second Sister-in-law responded.

"Don't think so far. He's only so big now. You're talking about what happens more than ten years later now. Let him go to school." stated Second Brother.

Fourth family's Da Wa and Er Wa were both going to school. Even his Eldest Brother's and Third Brother's daughters can go to school. Why can't his son go?

Even though Second Sister-in-law was reluctant to touch the money, she must grit her teeth and pay the tuition now that her man had spoken. She also declared: "If you don't receive grades, then you don't need to study, understand?"

Zhou Xia nodded when he heard it.

Once he went to school, Zhou Xia's two eyes became dizzy from all the lectures.

Once he went home from school, he was caught by his mother and given an interrogation. He couldn't answer at all, so he got a beating.

Mother Zhou reprimanded when she heard it, "That's enough! What are hitting for? It's only the first day and you think he could understand everything in one go? Wouldn't he be a monster then?"

Seeing the Second's wife acting like this, Mother Zhou's mother was overwhelmed with emotion.

This Second’s wife was really inferior to Fourth’s wife. Fourth’s wife sometimes complains, but at most, she'll say 'you, father and sons are all here to collect debts'.

Even if she hit the child, she just lifts her hand up high and put it down gently. There was never any unpleasant scolding like Second's wife and harsh hits.

"Mother, I'm disciplining the child." Second Sister-in-law stated.

"What disciplining the child? This is also my grandson. I can say a few words, right?" Mother Zhou said.

Even if the family was separated, Second Sister-in-law didn’t dare to go against Mother Zhou. She could only scold at Zhou Xia: “If you can’t answer any questions tomorrow, you don’t have to go, I’ll go to your principal to get a refund!"

Zhou Xia felt so aggrieved, so he came to find Er Wa.

Er Wa said: "Come here and I will teach you." He thought it was too simple. His mother had already taught him. He didn't want to go to the first grade, but instead, wanted to go to the second grade.

But his mother said that he was still a little young now. Once he grows up, he will skip a grade. For now, he stayed in the first grade.

Zhou Xia let him teach, and incidentally, get dinner at his fourth uncle's house.

"The little guy is small but his appetite ain't." Lin Qing He muttered to Zhou Qing Bai in private.

Zhou Qing Bai chuckled. His second sister-in-law's lifestyle had always been very meticulous. How can there be such delicious food at their home.

Naturally, his nephew will eat more.

"I don't know if he'll overstuff himself. If he does, his mother will come to settle the account with me." Lin Qing He said.

This wasn't her being petty and vile. If Zhou Xia actually feels uncomfortable, Second Sister-in-law will definitely come knocking.

Fortunately, Zhou Xia's metabolism was great. Even though he ate a lot, he didn't really overeat, so there was no discomfort.

"What good food did you eat over at your fourth uncle's?" At home, Second Brother merrily asked his son.

"Cornmeal mantou, scrambled eggs, fish in bean sauce." Zhou Xia answered truthfully.

"Ate a lot, right?" Second Brother rubbed his stomach and chuckled.

"Ate a lot." Zhou Xia nodded.

In fact, he could eat more, but his grandmother said almost full was enough and if he had any more, he'll become overstuffed. So he didn't eat anymore.

Still, the food at his fourth uncle and aunt's house was so delicious. He really wanted to go over and be their son.

Second Sister-in-law had a black face and didn't speak. She ate her own pickles, veg lump, and light rice soup.

Back to Lin Qing He's side. After dinner, she started to sew the soles.

The spring was here and the soles were going to be swiftly worn out again.

All of these little boys in the family were troublesome.

Lin Qing He guided Da Wa and Er Wa on their homework while sewing the soles. Er Wa was learning second grade's material. He had grasped first grade. She had him stay in the first grade for one year. Next year, he can't simply skip into third grade and copy him. (T/N: him? Da Wa?)

As the two older brothers above were studying, San Wa, the youngest son, was practicing marbles.

How he can play accurately.

After practicing for a while, he estimated that had the experience to battle with other friends tomorrow and began to bother his two elder brothers.

"I'll give you the pen, go draw by yourself." Da Wa passed him pen and paper and dismissed him.

"I don't want newspapers, I want your kind of blank paper." San Wa requested.

"This kind of paper is for homework. It's expensive and can't be wasted. You can write and draw on the newspaper," Da Wa maintained.

"It's very expensive. If you use homework paper like ours, Mother will definitely have no money left to buy us candy." Er Wa targeted on a critical point.

What his eldest brother said in the front, San Wa didn't care. But what his second brother said afterward, was a danger zone.

San Wa pondered about it and felt it was better to let his mother leave the remaining money for sweets.

So he wrote and drew pictures on the newspaper by himself and didn't pester for blank workbooks.

Lin Qing He seldom interfered with the three of their brothers' way of sorting the problems. She generally wouldn't intervene when the three of them had some contradictions and let them solve it by themselves.

If they can’t solve it, then fight. Once the fight is over, they’ll go out together to play marbles next time and reconciled again.

Kids were such a mysterious species.

Lin Qing He had never given birth one herself, so she was actually crossing the river by muddling through the water when raising children like this. She didn't have much experience, but apparently she educated them very well.

At least that was Zhou Qing Bai felt. The three children were taught very well by her.

"Mother, I will be back later tomorrow. I told my classmates we'll play football in the playground tomorrow." Da Wa mentioned halfway through his writing.

"Okay, take your father's bottle over." Lin Qing He didn't lift her head.

There are two bottles at home, both for military use. Even in the winter, they were enough.

"Mother, I will wait for my eldest brother tomorrow. I will watch the bottle for him." Er Wa piped.

Lin Qing He knew that he wanted to play too, and reminded, "You can't play. They are all older than you. You will suffer a loss when you go up. Just watch,undertood?"

"Not playing," Er Wa responded. He just wanted to stay and guard the bottle so it won't be stolen!

8 comments:

  1. I feel so sorry for Zhou Xia. Second SIL didn't deserve to be a mother

    And Er Wa was so funnyヽ(´∀`)ノ getting San Wa to back down by mentioning candies lol

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    Replies
    1. Sadly, 2nd SIL is the template at that time and age... Even the former MC is the same... lol

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    2. @Rizky abadi
      Right? I feel like a lot of these comments either missed or ignored that point completely. 2nd SIL having a bad attitude sure aint making it much better.

      Delete
  2. Second sister in-law's behaviour will really hold her family members back from progressing especially as schooling will become legitimate and profitable in the next 4yrs or so....I just pray it won't be too late then

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  3. “she just lifts her hand up high and put it down gently“

    Hahahahahah I bet many can relate with this gesture

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  4. Our Er Wa is so adorable ah~ while our Da Wa is growing up now...time flies so fast, not as cute when he was so small ��

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  5. Er Was is the best, the funniest and I like his cunning ways, definitely the funniest to read about, I don't dislike Da Was but don't particularly like him, I definitely don't like the youngest kid though, comes across as cheeky and kinda pampered in a bad way, always ready to cry and be a nuisance.

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  6. As annoying and surreal SIL acts, my sister's in-laws are like that. My BIL's immediate family is a bit well off, and his aunts are always trying to outshine his mom. When she has good things, they talk badly about her and always tries to stir trouble. When I moved away, my parents later followed, and eventually my sister wanted to move closer to me too, and although it took him a few years to decide to leave behind his family business, he was so sick and tired of his family that he agreed to move too. He doesn't make as much as before, but he says he's happier.

    ReplyDelete