The July heat was intense, but Jinlin Village, nestled between mountains on two sides and water on one, didn't feel sweltering. Only the incessant chirping of summer cicadas on the branches frayed one's nerves.
"Your father and I are still alive! It's not your place to make decisions for the old Zhan family!" a sharp scolding erupted. Old Madam Zhan, née Yao, her shriveled lips moving rapidly, spewed saliva, instantly quelling the arrogance of her two daughters-in-law.
"Mother, please calm down and have some water." The younger Madam Yao, whose face was thick-skinned, picked up the coarse porcelain teapot from the table, poured a cup of water, and handed it over with a fawning smile. "Mother, whatever you say, we'll do."
"Hmph, all of you are so troublesome." Old Madam Zhan maintained her wrinkled, stern face, her eyes fierce and sharp like a man-eater's.
However, facing her niece and second daughter-in-law, Old Madam Zhan offered a slight smile and quickly downed the cup of coarse tea.
In the lower right corner of the main hall, seven-year-old Zhan Feiyu lowered her head, her round, bun-like face darkened. Her large, dark eyes flickered, holding a light in their depths that didn't belong to a child.
Suddenly, she felt a warmth on her head. Zhan Feiyu blinked her dark eyes, her small, chubby face tilted up in confusion. "Mother?"
The elder son's wife, Madam Li, was a round-faced woman, not conventionally beautiful, but her smile was warm. She patted her daughter's head reassuringly and whispered, "Don't be afraid."
The Zhan family had three branches. Since Old Master Zhan and his wife, Madam Yao, were still alive, and the parents were present, the family had not separated. More than ten people lived together. Today, the second and third branches were arguing over the opportunity to study.
Following the reforms of the Empress of the previous dynasty, women were also allowed to attend private schools and take imperial examinations. Women from wealthy families could read and write, but studying diligently for decades to take the imperial examinations was a rarity. It would waste their prime years, and how would they get married then?
As for poor families, they couldn't even afford to send their sons to school, let alone their daughters who would eventually marry out. The elder branch of the Zhan family had only one daughter, Zhan Feiyu. The ones Old Madam Zhan had been scolding so harshly were not from the elder branch.
Glancing at her grandmother, whose face was stern and tense, Zhan Feiyu nodded obediently. The elder branch had no son. Her parents were like two old oxen in the Zhan family, rising earlier than the chickens and sleeping later than the dogs, yet they received none of the Zhan family's benefits.
With a clang, Old Madam Zhan placed the empty teacup heavily back on the table, her cloudy old eyes fixed on the younger generation of the Zhan family.
The two daughters-in-law who had caused the commotion cowered and hunched their bodies. Old Madam Zhan then spoke with a cold expression, "Where does the food, clothing, and everything we use in this house come from? It all costs money! Master Lin's tuition is ten taels of silver a year. Your father and I have taken out our coffin money. If you argue any further, not a single one of you will go to private school. All of you, come back and work in the fields!"
The cicadas' chirping mingled with the scolding. Zhan Xiujun, the second son's twelve-year-old son, impatiently grumbled, "Grandma, I'm going back to my room to practice calligraphy. The master will check it the day after tomorrow."
As soon as her eldest grandson spoke, Old Madam Zhan's fierce expression instantly turned to affection. She grinned, revealing her yellow teeth, and said, "Da Lang, hurry back to your room. Grandma will stew an egg for you tonight."
"Da Lang, take your brother with you. Let San Lang also learn a few more characters." The second son's wife, Madam Yao, pushed her younger son and glanced triumphantly at the third son's wife, deliberately raising her voice. "San Lang, study hard with your brother. The master praised you brothers as intelligent and quick-witted last time. Perhaps our old Zhan family will have a pair of scholars in the future."
"Alright, all of you go and rest." Old Master Zhan was a man who didn't meddle. The second and third branches had his grandsons, so it made no difference to him who attended school.
Madam Yao dutifully helped Old Madam Zhan back to her room to rest. The men remained in the main hall to discuss the autumn planting. For farmers, nothing was more important than farming, with sweat pouring like beans.
"Eldest sister-in-law, Mother is being too biased." Outside the main hall, the third son's wife, Madam Ma, looked back and didn't even bother to conceal the resentment on her face.
"Da Lang started school at seven. It should be my Er Lang's turn. Er Lang is already eight this year. Are the two sons born to Second Sister-in-law human, and the one I gave birth to not a grandson of the Zhan family!" Madam Ma's dark face, speckled with brown spots, dared not disobey her fierce and sharp-tongued mother-in-law, but the resentment in her heart couldn't be suppressed. She spoke with a hoarse voice, her eyes red.
Madam Li, the elder son's wife, was kind-hearted but also calculating. She smiled and advised, "It hasn't been decided who will attend school yet. Wait until Mother calms down, and then you and Third Brother can talk to her again."
Zhan Feiyu let Madam Li lead her out, listening to her mother and third aunt talk. If she were a native girl of the Great Qing Dynasty, Zhan Feiyu might have resigned herself to fate.
Not to mention Jinlin Village, even in Shangsi County, there were very few girls who attended school. If they had that spare money, it would be better to buy a bolt of cloth to make a few clothes for the family.
But her body contained a modern soul... Zhan Feiyu pouted. She didn't have any grand ambitions for success, but she didn't want to be truly blind. Even if she had to get married, she wanted to be a female scholar. That way, no matter what happened in the future, having a scholarly title would at least grant her human rights. Under the shade of the lush persimmon tree in the courtyard, Madam Li waited for the resentful third sister-in-law to finish complaining and leave. Then, she spoke softly, "Xiao Yu, it's hot outside. Come back to the room with Mother."
The Zhan family's third branch had not separated. Each son had three rooms, making them quite well-off in Jinlin Village.
Inside the house, Zhan Feiyu sat on a small stool and looked up at Madam Li, whose face was kind. Her soft voice rang out, "Mother, I want to go to private school too."
Madam Li, who was pouring tea, trembled, and the tea spilled all over the table.
After a while, Madam Li, wiping the table, spoke gently, "Xiao Yu, Mother knows you feel wronged."
Perhaps it was facing her young daughter, but Madam Li no longer hid her inner unfairness. However, she still suppressed her voice so that her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law couldn't hear. "Your father works so hard. I also want to send you to private school, but your grandmother manages the household."
If she had a son, the gentle Madam Li would have fought for it even if it meant being scolded as unfilial by her mother-in-law. In the entire Zhan family, their elder branch worked the hardest and endured the most. Why should the money they earned be used for the children of the second and third branches to attend school?
But she only had this one daughter. No matter how unfair Madam Li felt, she couldn't ask her daughter to go to private school. No one in the entire Zhan family would agree, and her mother-in-law, who managed the household, certainly wouldn't.
The resentment and unwillingness in her eyes finally disappeared. Madam Li stopped speaking and picked up a small woven winnowing basket to do her needlework.
Zhan Feiyu lowered her small head and counted her chubby fingers, unwilling to give up this only opportunity from the bottom of her heart.
The Zhan family was considered wealthy in the village. Her grandfather was a cook, and he was invited to preside over all the joyous and solemn occasions in the village. He also didn't neglect the farm work.
Her father was a skilled laborer. The twenty mu of land the Zhan family owned was all managed by her father.
Her grandmother, Old Madam Zhan, doted most on her youngest son and eldest grandson, but she relied most on her second son. Her second daughter-in-law was her niece from her maternal family. The second branch of the Zhan family could be said to be living the most comfortably.
Although Uncle Zhan the Second was somewhat cunning, he was sharp-minded. A few years ago, he got a bullock cart and made two trips a day to take villagers to the county town, where he worked as a porter.
During the busy farming season, he would return to help. He had an easier time than her father and earned quite a bit of money. Most importantly, he would buy gifts for his grandmother every few days.
As for Zhan Feiyu's uncle, he learned some cooking skills from his grandfather and could also help out to earn some money. However, her uncle was restless and lazy, but he didn't have any major flaws.
The three daughters-in-law of the Zhan family were also diligent. They managed the vegetable patch, and the pig and chickens they raised at home provided for them. Occasionally, they would also make shoe soles and shoes to sell in the county town to supplement the household income.
Of course, the Zhan family's wealth was relative to those poor farmers who couldn't afford food or clothing. Sending children to study was too expensive. Not only in Jinlin Village but even throughout Shangsi County, few people could afford to attend private school.