Chapter 6: The End of One's Education

“The Gu and Zheng families don't have a marriage contract, do they?”

Tong Huaqiong thought for a moment before asking Gu Dashu.

“That is true, we don't,” Gu Dashu replied.

Although early marriage and childbearing were common in this era, marriage contracts were only signed once a girl reached her *jiqi* year (fifteen).

As for child brides, those were private "transactions" between two families. As long as the girl had not reached her *jiqi*, the "marriage" was not legally recognized, and a child bride could be redeemed by her parents at any time.

Since there was no marriage contract, things would be easy to handle.

“When the two families were discussing the match, they didn't say it had to be Man'er who goes to the Zheng family, right?” Tong Huaqiong asked again.

“Mother, have you forgotten?”

Gu Dashu glanced at his sister, Gu Taohua, who was squatting and scrubbing clothes, and said, “At the time, you were afraid the Zheng family would look down on Man'er for being just a little girl. So, you only vaguely told the matchmaker that it was a daughter of the Gu family without specifying who. You said that once Man'er entered the household, even if the Zheng family was dissatisfied, the 'rice would already be cooked,' and they would have to swallow their pride.”

A smile appeared in Tong Huaqiong's eyes.

To be fair, for the sake of silver, Tong Dajiao had thought quite thoroughly.

Gu Dashu looked at Gu Taohua again, a flash of joy in his eyes as he asked, “Mother, if you aren't letting Man'er go, are you planning to send Taohua instead?”

Whether it was Man'er or Taohua, Gu Dashu had no objection.

As long as he could become the manager of the Zheng family's shop and live a life of luxury, he didn't care.

In fact, Taohua might be even better than his niece.

The eldest son of the Zheng family didn't have much life left in him. As soon as Taohua entered the door, she would be a widow, and the Zheng family would certainly have to adopt a son for her. Then, he could whisper in Taohua's ear and manipulate her into passing the inheritance of the Zheng family's vast estate to Yaozu.

A son? He and Liu Yue'e could always have more.

“Gu Dashu, you damned, black-hearted, lowlife scoundrel, a born villain with a belly full of treachery! You want me to go to the Zheng family? Why don't you send your own wife instead? It would be perfect—the Zheng family's eldest son would have a ready-made son to wail at his funeral!” Hearing the predatory intent in Gu Dashu's words, Gu Taohua slammed down the underwear in her hand, planted her hands on her hips, and cursed.

“I'm not going! I don't want to be a widow. Mother, think about it—you're already a widow; would you have the heart to make me one too? Mother, at least you've tasted a man; I haven't even tasted one yet!”

Gu Taohua acted spoiled toward Tong Huaqiong, the flesh on her face wobbling.

Tong Huaqiong's face darkened.

She actually felt a momentary urge to harden her heart and send Gu Taohua to the Zheng family; after all, raising this fat daughter was a waste of grain.

However, while Gu Taohua was a bit chubby and a bit wicked, she was quite filial to her mother.

Besides, wasn't her fatness and wickedness the result of how Tong Dajiao raised her? Now that she occupied Tong Dajiao's body, she had an obligation to set Taohua straight. Moreover, she couldn't bear to send a girl who wasn't even fourteen to become a widow.

“Taohua, you eat six steamed buns and four bowls of rice in one sitting; what kind of family can afford to raise you? The girls in our village are matched off at eleven or twelve. You're almost fourteen and no one has even come to see you. Matchmakers walk the other way when they see you—what kind of good family could you possibly marry into? So what if you eat well at the Zheng family but become a widow? Meat and fish taste better than a man,” Gu Dashu said.

“You shameless piece of trash! Today, I'll make my sister-in-law a widow instead!”

With a *clatter*, Gu Taohua splashed a basin of laundry water over Gu Dashu's head and grabbed a fire poker to swing at him.

Gu Dashu turned to snatch the poker away, and the two began to scuffle.

Even though Gu Dashu was an adult man, he was no match for Gu Taohua's stone-like physique; soon, he was pinned beneath her.

Tong Huaqiong watched coldly as Gu Dashu was crushed by Taohua, remaining unmoved by his wails.

Scheming against his own niece and sister.

Gu Dashu deserved this beating.

“Taohua, Mother won't let you go to the Zheng family,” Tong Huaqiong said.

Sitting on top of Gu Dashu, Gu Taohua suddenly began to sob.

After all, she was just a fourteen-year-old girl, and for the past three days, she had truly had enough of her mother's coldness and disdain.

Those words from her mother allowed her to finally feel at ease.

Mother still favored her.

“Taohua, you are a girl, and your niece is also a girl. If you don't want to go to the Zheng family, why should Man'er have to go?” Tong Huaqiong took the opportunity to lecture her fat daughter.

Gu Taohua opened her mouth but didn't know what to say.

She had never even thought about that question.

Gu Dashu was being pinned down, his hands flailing wildly.

Tong Huaqiong didn't want a funeral in the house, so she ordered Gu Taohua to get up.

“Dashu, if you ever scheme against Man'er or your niece again, I won't just let Taohua crush you; I will beat you to death myself,” Tong Huaqiong said, weighing the fire poker in her hand.

As if having escaped a death sentence, Gu Dashu clutched his ribs and nodded frantically.

“Dashu, go to the town academy and bring Gu Jingzhe home. The Zheng family matter started because of him; he must come home to discuss it.”

Gu Dashu said in a muffled, pained voice, “No need to call him; Third Brother has the day off tomorrow.”

“If I tell you to go, then go. Tell Gu Jingzhe to bring the Zheng family's silver,” Tong Huaqiong said sternly.

The two hundred taels of silver sent by the Zheng family were with Gu Jingzhe.

Gu Jingzhe had to cough up that silver!

Only then could she be certain of resolving the matter with the Zheng family.

***

Gu Jingzhe returned home under the cover of darkness.

This was the most wicked "bamboo" of the Gu family—the one who would later become a second-rank official in the imperial court, yet commit so many crimes that his entire family would be executed and their property confiscated.

The moment Tong Huaqiong saw Gu Jingzhe enter, her subconscious instinct was to grab the fire poker.

“Mother, how are you? Second Brother said you were knocked unconscious for three days after being hit by the threshold by Eldest Sister-in-law. It scared me to death!”

Gu Jingzhe was carrying medicine and pastries. As soon as he entered, he slumped against Tong Huaqiong's legs and cried.

His expression and his sobs did not seem fake.

“How dare Eldest Sister-in-law bully Mother! I will divorce her on behalf of Eldest Brother!”

Gu Jingzhe stood up, intending to go find Chen Sufen to settle the score, but Tong Huaqiong slapped him right across the face.

No matter how filial this "wicked bamboo" was, Tong Huaqiong could not tolerate him trying to sell out his sister and niece to pave his own way.

She had to give him a lesson the moment they met.

Gu Jingzhe held his face, looking incredulous.

He was the golden child of the Gu family; ever since he had passed the *tongsheng* exam, he had been able to walk through the house with his head held high.

His own mother had actually struck him?

It seemed what Second Brother said about Mother's temperament changing drastically was true.

“Have you read your books into a dog's stomach? Do you not understand the principle that an eldest sister-in-law is like a mother? If you divorce your sister-in-law, it would be as if you were divorcing me!” Tong Huaqiong panted with rage.

“Where is the silver from the Zheng family?” Tong Huaqiong reached out and asked.

Gu Jingzhe usually listened very obediently to his widowed mother. Since Second Brother had sent word for him to bring the silver home, he didn't dare disobey.

“It's here.”

Gu Jingzhe's face burned. He aggrievedly untied the pouch containing the silver and handed it to Tong Huaqiong.

“Why is it fifty taels short?”

Tong Huaqiong counted it and looked up.

“It was used to pay my first year's tuition for Wanliu Academy.”

At the mention of Wanliu Academy, Gu Jingzhe's voice grew louder. The teacher at Wanliu Academy had tested his knowledge and was very satisfied with him.

In ten days, he would go to Wanliu Academy to study. However, at this moment, Gu Jingzhe felt a bit uneasy; he had already learned from his second brother that the family intended to break off the engagement with the Zheng family.

If Man'er didn't go to the Zheng family, whether he could still go to Wanliu Academy was a question.

“Can you get it back?” Tong Huaqiong asked.

Gu Jingzhe was shocked; Mother didn't intend to let him go to Wanliu Academy after all.

How could that be?

He had planned for so long; he absolutely could not let his plans be disrupted.

The educational official of the prefectural city had looked at his practice exam and said he had great potential. He was going to become a high official through the imperial examinations; he could not be stifled by a town academy.

The town academy had only produced one *xiucai* in all those years; how could it compare to Wanliu Academy?

“Mother, I am the hope of the whole family! I swear I will become a high official and earn you a title of nobility! If I stay at the town academy, when will I ever make something of myself? I must go to Wanliu Academy!” Gu Jingzhe said urgently.

“Forget it. You can't even be a decent human being, yet you want to be a high official? In your dreams! With a black-hearted, rotten seed like you, who pits his sister and niece against him, how could you have a bright future? Not only will I not let you go to Wanliu Academy, but there's no need for you to study at all. From now on, just stay home and farm.”

Given his current character, this "wicked bamboo" would only grow into a locust that devastated the land if he were educated; he might even end up causing her to lose her head.

It was better to just cut off his path to studying entirely!