A century of poverty

Chapter 10 Raising Money

I hope they'll reach school age soon.

Mr. Zhang Zhenru, concerned about his grandson, came over to discuss with his second grandmother whether it was time to send Xiwang to school.

Grandma said, "Where would we get the money for school?"

The old man said, "Even if we don't have money, we must find a way to teach the children to read. We can't let a lack of money ruin their lives! Tomorrow, Tongtou and Tietou from that house will go together to the 'Three Officials Temple' in Liuzhuangtuo to study with the Three Masters."

As he spoke, he took out an inkstone and a writing brush from his sleeve. Hope came over and looked at the inkstone with curiosity: it was oval-shaped, one side like a full moon and the other like a crescent moon, about an inch thick, larger than an adult's palm, and heavier than a stone when you picked it up.

Grandpa said, "Be careful, don't break it. This is a fine inkstone, the one I used when I was young. Here you go! And look at this brush." ​​He removed the copper cap, picked up the nib, and said, "This is a pure wolf-hair brush! I've kept it for so many years, and today I'm giving it to you. You must study it carefully and use it well!"

Grandma Er prepared Hope's clothes and found a new piece of cloth. Xiaodie helped sew a new schoolbag for Hope.

The next morning, Grandpa came to collect Hope, along with Tongtou and Tietou. They went out the door and headed east, past Dongjing downhill, along the country road east, uphill through Zhaozhuangtuo to Liuzhuangtuo Sanguanmiao Sanxiansheng Private School.

The third gentleman, tall and wiry with a kind face, was busy greeting the children who had come to study at the academy. Seeing the old gentleman leading the children in, he greeted them, "You've personally brought the children to school!" and bowed.

As the old gentleman returned the greeting, he said, "Yes, all three children are of school age and should be in school, shouldn't they?" He then placed his hands on Hope's shoulders and stood before the third teacher, saying, "Greetings, sir. This child's father passed away early; we'll try to find a way to pay the tuition."

Third Master: "Look at what you're saying, old man. We'll just let the children study here while we live in Dongxi Village, and we won't mention anything else."

Mr. San truly doesn't value money. Over the years, he has never asked students or parents for tuition fees, regardless of the amount they have received.

The man registered the children's names and asked, "What's your name?"

"Hope!" came the child's clear reply.

"What's your name?"

"My name is Zhang Xifeng, and his name is Zhang Xigui," Tongtou said, pointing to his younger brother.

"Good, good, your names are all good. Did Grandpa name them?"

The old man stroked his beard: "I'm leaving the children with you. You're busy, I'm going back now."

The old man turned around and walked away with his hands behind his back.

Another friend, the same age as Hope, was the nephew of Lao Ba from Beiyuanzi, who also came to study here. When he saw Hope, he ran over excitedly: "Hope, Hope! I have a name now, my name is Zhang Xiaoyong."

Hope replied with a smile, "Then I won't call you Ma Zi anymore, I'll call you Zhang Xiaoyong."

The two children sat happily at a table. They went to school together and walked home together, and the two children became good friends.

Hopefully, he is intelligent and willing to learn. He knows that it is not easy to sit here and study, and he should cherish every day.

December has arrived in the blink of an eye, and the end of the year is fast approaching.

Second Grandma started to worry. The money her second brother had paid for her eye treatment and the tuition fees from her third teacher were still unpaid. Both of these sums should have been paid before the New Year, but what could she do? The two sums combined were not a small amount, and there were also expenses for the New Year.

"Who should we borrow from? Who would dare to lend us money?" the second grandmother discussed with the two children.

"Isn't Wang Dewan's family in Wangzhuangtuo making money off others? Let's try going to their house," Xiaodie suggested to her mother.

"They charge three percent interest on every loan, and with interest compounding, what will happen if they can't pay it back on time?" Second Grandma replied.

"Don't we have no other choice?" Xiaodie said.

"We really have no other choice but to raise the money first and get through the New Year."

Second Grandma then asked Hope, "Can you handle the matter of Wang Dewan's family raising money in Wangzhuangtuo?"

He hoped she would agree: "I can."

Children from poor families learn to be independent early!

A nine-year-old child walking down the street would be mistaken for someone playing, or at most running errands for the adults in the village. But who would imagine that he was the head of the household, representing his family to fetch money from another village? The burden of life had fallen far too early on his tender shoulders; he had nowhere to shirk it, he was the only man in the family.

Wangzhuangtuo is one of the wealthier of the five villages, located at their western end. To the west of the village are two mountains; the southern one has better soil and is densely forested, while the northern one is suitable for quarrying. The mountains then turn westward, extending into the Luan River, thus freeing up a large tract of land in the northwest of the village. This village enjoys a uniquely advantageous geographical location.

When Wang Dewan entered the house, he was puzzled to see a child who wasn't from his village. The child walked in confidently and asked, "Excuse me, is this the Wang Dewan family's house?"

"Yes, who are you? What are you doing at my house?" the Wang family woman asked in return.

"I am the grandson of Zhang Zhenru from Zhangzhuangtuo Hutong. My father has passed away, and I am here on behalf of my mother to carry the money," he said earnestly.

The Wang family realized that this was a small customer who had come to collect money.

This is quite unusual; we've never seen such a young child handle affairs before. The officials of Dongxi Village all know each other, but they're not very familiar with the child. Hearing this, they understood.

"My family takes a 30% cut of the profits, you know?" the head of the Wang family asked.

"Know."

"You know, if you can't pay on time, you'll get extra interest, right?"

"Understood, we'll definitely pay it back on time."

"Okay, how much do you want to lift?"

Nine silver dollars.

Upon hearing this, the woman from the Wang family hurriedly said to the man, "You're really going to carry it to him? Such a small child."

Wang Dewan said, "If his family dares to let him come, I dare to carry him here. Don't worry about it."

With the money, Second Grandmother sent it to pay the tuition she owed Third Teacher. She set aside the money Second Uncle had advanced for her eye treatment, and bought gifts for Diaoyutai during the Lunar New Year. The mother and children also bought some meat, and they still needed to treat Grandpa and Jingtian; this little bit of money…

Planting crops in the spring before the Lunar New Year.

Oh dear! After all this calculation, I'll stop here and just get the eyebrows done first.

During the first month of the lunar calendar, Xiaodie and Xiwang put on their new clothes, and Second Grandma carried gifts as they happily went to visit relatives at Diaoyutai.

Second Grandma took out the money and returned it to Second Brother: "I've owed you for so long, here's the money back."

"No, no," the second uncle refused.

"Take it quickly. My third and fourth brothers are so grown up. The family still needs to prepare houses and weddings for them, and there are so many other expenses. How can I let you spend so much money on me?" Second Grandma said.

My second uncle kept urging me, "Hurry up and pack it up!"

Grandma Li spoke up: "If it's from your sister, just take it! Don't keep passing it around."

The second uncle took the money, but he only wanted to save face.