Asking for monthly ticket, there will be additional updates this afternoon

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  Xia Zhi realized that Xia Dagu had misunderstood, but didn't explain.

  After dinner, Pearl suddenly told Xia Dagu that she wanted to learn to read and write. Guo's uncle heard it on the side and chuckled. "Girl, what do you want to learn that for? You're not interested in learning usually?"

  Zhenzhu pouted and said discontentedly, "Can't I learn now?"

  Uncle Guo was at his wit's end with his youngest daughter, and hastily smiled and said: "Alright, alright, do as you please." Then he stopped talking. The decision-making power for this matter did not lie with him, but with Aunt Xia.

  Xia Dagu was doing needlework in her hands, she glanced at Pearl and didn't speak for a long time. Pearl seemed to feel a little guilty, her eyes stealing glances at Xia Dagu's expression. There was nothing on Xia Dagu's face.

  After a while, Pearl called out "Mother" again in a tentative tone.

  Xia Dagu looked at Zhenzhu again. "Why do you want to learn to read and write?"

  "For no reason." Pearl's body twisted, "Fourth sister can recognize characters and read books, I also want to learn." It seemed that she wanted to recognize characters and read books just because of Xia Zhi's influence.

  "Your fourth sister is your fourth sister, and you are you." Xia Dagu looked at Zhenzhu, "You'd better learn needlework well, maybe you can catch up with your fourth sister. No need to recognize characters or read books."

  Xia Dagu's attitude was somewhat cold and stern.

  Pearl rarely received such treatment, she stared blankly at Aunt Xia. Aunt Xia's face still had no expression, her hands continued to do needlework.

  Guo's uncle and Changsheng felt that the atmosphere was a bit strange, so they looked over at the father and son in confusion.

  Zhenzhu pursed her lips and silently got down from the kang, running back to her own room.

  "What's wrong, Pearl?" asked Uncle Guo in confusion. Just now everyone was talking nicely, and even Big Aunt Xia didn't say anything harsh or serious, so why did Pearl suddenly turn her face away?

  "I'll go take a look." Changsheng was worried about his sister and stood up to go to the western house to see how Pearl was doing.

  "Don't go." Xia Dagu's tone was somewhat flat, but her demeanor clearly brooked no disobedience.

  Changsheng glanced at Xia Dagou and didn't dare go. But he was still worried about Zhenzhu, so he remained standing without sitting down.

  "She's fine." Xia Dagu glanced at Changsheng and then at Guo Gufu, "My daughter, I know. She'll be okay in a while."

  Summer's words were still very persuasive in the ears of Guo's father and son, especially when it came to pearls. Who can understand a daughter better than her mother?

  When Guo Shu and Changsheng no longer paid attention to the pearl, Xia Dagu secretly let out a sigh of relief in her heart. Some sprouts, knowing they won't have any results, just need to be nipped in the bud. To protect one's daughter, sometimes one has to be ruthless, only then can she avoid future heartache and going astray.

  In Xia Dagu's eyes, Zhenzhu and Xia Zhi are different. Zhenzhu's future is fixed, the range of change will not be too large. For such a future, she is satisfied, so she does not allow any slight mistake.

  But Xia Zhi's future has many possibilities. It may be very good or very bad. Her pearl cannot withstand such ups and downs.

  Guo's uncle continued to talk to Changsheng, then looked at Xia Zhi sitting next to the kang table, fiddling with an inkstone. Guo's uncle smiled and said to Xiaozhi: "Xiaolong, you must study hard. In the future, follow your brother's example and at least take the imperial examination to become a scholar. The things Li Shan gave you are all good things, he has a discerning eye, our Xiaolong is also a seedling for reading books."

  Li Shan gave Xia Zhi and Xiao Hei Yu each a square inkstone, a piece of Huizhou ink, a lake pen, and a copybook. Guo's uncle, who ran a grocery store, was quite discerning and recognized that these were all good things. As for those few books, he didn't think much of them.

  However, he only praised Xiao Long but didn't mention Xia Zhi. In his opinion, Xia Zhi's reading and writing were just playing around, while the little black fish would be able to read books and participate in the imperial examination in the future.

  Xia Dagu also echoed Guo Gufu's words: "Little Dragon, listen to your brother-in-law's words. From now on, you must study hard with a sincere heart. When you grow up and become successful, your mother can enjoy happiness with you."

  Xiao Hei Yu Er wasn't enthusiastic about reading books, but if it meant making Lao Tai Tai happy, he was extremely in favor of it, so he nodded heavily.

  Xia Dagu was very pleased, she put down the needle and thread in her hand, and stroked Xia Heiyu's head. Unlike Guo Gufu, Xia Dagu had heard Xia Lao Ye and Xia Lao Tai talk a lot about Xia Zhi, so she knew that Xia Heiyu's reading every day now was influenced by Xia Zhi, and seeing Li Shanzhang and getting Li Shanzhang's favor, was probably also due to Xia Zhi's influence.

  "Xiao Long will make a good living in the future, take good care of sixteen." Xia Dagu said.

  The little black fish nodded heavily again: "That's for sure."

  "Old uncle, you study hard and become a top scholar, then I'll follow you to enjoy wealth and honor." Xia Zhi understood Xia Dagu's meaning, so she smiled and said.

  Xiao Hei Yu'er smiled and said "Alright. When I become a high-ranking official, your mother will no longer dare to treat you poorly."

  "That's right, old uncle, you have to work hard." Xia Zhishun said with the trend, looking at the bright and shiny eyes of Xiao Hei Yu under the lamp light, she couldn't help but hold Xiao Hei Yu in her arms for a moment.

  The little black fish looks thin, but actually has meat on its body.

  Guo's uncle, Xia's elder sister and Zhang Sheng all smiled as they watched the two brothers being so close. Guo's uncle even laughed and said: "Who is actually taking care of whom?"

  "Otherwise, her grandparents would be at ease. This sixteen-year-old child is very good at taking care of people." Xia Dagu said.

  Seeing that it was getting late, Xia Dagu stopped Xia Zhi and Xiao Hei Yu from reading and writing. After putting away the pen, ink, paper, and inkstone, Xia Dagu sent the two children to the west room.

  The western chamber is dark and gloomy, with no candles lit at all.

  Summer elder aunt knew that her daughter was still sulking, so she didn't expose it. She just walked to the front of the kang and lit the candle. Pearl had already lain down on the kang, with her head against the wall, seemingly asleep, but her clothes were not removed.

  "Zhenzhu, are you asleep? Hurry up and wake up, take off your clothes before sleeping." Xia Dagu stretched out her hand to push Zhenzhu, then it seemed as if nothing had happened, and she scolded Zhenzhu, "You're already so old, still like this, aren't you afraid of being laughed at by your uncle and fourth sister?"

  Zhenzhu and Xia Dagu had a quarrelsome relationship, but Xia Dagu always kept an eye on her. She sensed that there was an undercurrent between the mother and daughter, but Xia Dagu didn't want to expose it, so she pretended not to know anything. At the same time, she thought Xia Dagu handled matters between her children very skillfully.

  Not bothering with Xia Dagu and Zhenzhu, Xia Zhi packed up her own and Xiao Heiyu's things and took Xiao Heiyu to wash up together.

  At this time, Pearl was finally "pushed" awake by Xia Dagu. She slowly got up from the kang, hanging her head, and let Xia Dagu help her take off her clothes. She refused to get down from the kang, and Xia Dagu didn't force her, but instead instructed Xiao Hong to wet a handkerchief and then personally wiped Pearl's face.

  "Tomorrow, your mother will take you to Old Wang's silk store, and each of you will get a new set of clothes made. Zhenzhu, didn't you want a new dress? I heard that Old Wang's family just received a batch of new fabrics from Suzhou and Hangzhou, whatever style you like, your mother will buy it for you." Xia Dagu spoke softly, her tone filled with doting affection. "Why aren't you speaking, are you going with your mother tomorrow?"

  Pearl remained silent for a while, until this moment she finally couldn't help but speak: "Go."

  It was just one word, but Xia Dagu couldn't help but laugh.

  After seeing that the children were all settled, Xia Dagu blew out the candle and went to the east house. Guo Shu was talking to Changsheng about the grocery store business, saw Xia Dagu return, and asked: "Are the kids asleep?"

  "They're all asleep." Xia Dagu said, and began to lay out the bedding, also planning to rest.

  Guo's uncle was still in a state of excitement and hadn't planned on resting so early.

  "His elder brother-in-law has been in the academy for so many years, and he has also come to our place a few times. He said that Li Shanzhang's student, after all these years, it is still the first time that someone from the Li family comes to our home!"

  "He's got the same temper as his uncle, don't we know that?" said Xia Dagu. Xia Xiuren was very good at reading books, but he wasn't good at handling mundane affairs. "Besides, Wenshan Academy has been established for over a hundred years. Everything is already set in stone, and even if Li Shanlong wanted to change it, he couldn't. His uncle is just one of Li Shanlong's students!"

  "I didn't mean that." Guo's uncle coughed twice and quickly explained, "Those big businesses that have long been established are not something we dare to hope for. But Wen Shu Book Academy and the Li family, they are all wealthy and influential families, if they just give us a little bit of attention, it would be like having endless food and drink for us."

  Guo's uncle had always wanted to do business with the Wenshan Academy and the Li family, but was frustrated by having no connections and being unable to get in touch with anyone from the Li family. Today, Li Xia's arrival gave him a glimmer of hope.

  Xia Dagu naturally knew what the Li family and Wenshan Academy's business meant, and she wasn't unwilling for her own grocery store to be more prosperous. However, the bigger the hope, the bigger the disappointment. She didn't want Guo Gufu to take out his frustrations on Xia's family when he was disappointed.

  "What kind of family is the Li's, where it's good to cling to. However, we all know the young master of the Li's now, and that's an opportunity." Xia Dagu said after a moment of contemplation.

  "Yes, yes, that's exactly what I mean." Guo Shu immediately said, "Changsheng, from now on when Xiaolong and the others go to school, you can send them off and also meet Li Gongzi more often. Even if you don't send them off, you can still visit your eldest uncle and have more contact with Li Gongzi. If you can also see Li Shanzhang, that would be even better... Li Shanzhang is a good person..."

  Just met a child who is willing to use his heart to point out, and also sent such expensive stationery. If they can meet Li Shan Chang and have a good relationship with Li Shan Chang...

  Uncle Guo's eyes narrowed again with a smile.

  Zhenzhu was sulky and didn't sleep well that night. The next day, she looked unhappy when she saw Xia Zhi's face. Xia Zhi just pretended not to notice and everything went on as usual.

  After finishing breakfast and tidying up a bit, Xia Dagu took several children out.

  To be continued...