"Such a lack of ambition," Lian Manman deliberately widened her eyes and lifted her hand to pinch Xiao Qi’s chubby cheeks. They were plump and soft, which put her in a good mood. She remembered that when she first arrived, Xiao Qi’s face had not been this fleshy.

"This is what I plan to do..." Lian Manman then shared the thoughts she had been harboring in her heart. In fact, she had long been pondering over the idea of having Wu Lang and Xiao Qi learn to read, and she herself wanted to study and learn to write, and of course, Lian Zhizhi as well. But with the lesson learned from Lian Shouren’s experience, in such impoverished home conditions, she could only bury this thought deep in her heart.

To read and write, the first step was to establish a sound economic foundation. So once she had some money, her first thought was to buy land. Now they had dozens of acres of land, which should more or less guarantee a stable food supply. With the income from selling pickled vegetables, Lian Manman did some calculations and felt that they could start to include reading and writing in their schedule.

Thirty Mile Camp didn’t have a private school; if the villagers wanted their children to study, they either sent them to the town’s private school or to Scholar Wang’s family. The tuition fees at the town’s private school weren’t small, and Scholar Wang’s family had hired a teacher to educate their own children. Those who studied alongside them were also children from the Wang Family Clan. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"We can’t afford to go to school right now," Lian Manman said, "...we have hired help at home, and once we free up some time, we can start learning with Grandpa and practice writing to build a foundation."

Old Master Lian was literate and numerate, able to write and calculate. Even if they couldn’t go to school to study in the future, being able to read, write, and calculate like Old Master Lian would be a vast improvement over their current situation.

Wu Lang’s thoughts were active, and naturally, Xiao Qi was even more delighted.

"We’ll buy two brushes for writing big characters; all four of us still need to help out at home and save money, so we will take turns using them and learning," Lian Manman said, "It’s not just for you two; my sister and I also want to study and learn to write."

As Lian Manman spoke, she watched Wu Lang. Xiao Qi was young and knew nothing; if Wu Lang held any chauvinistic thoughts against her and Lian Zhizhi studying and writing, she would have to be stern with him.

"This arrangement is good," Wu Lang agreed without hesitation. Girls studying and writing didn’t need to strive for any official titles, but it certainly elevated their status. If Lian Manman and Lian Zhizhi wanted to learn, of course, he would support them.

Lian Manman prepared a grand argument that found no use, but her heart was filled with joy.

The four of them would use two brushes, and of course, they would save on paper as much as possible.

"...we don’t have much money, so we need cheap and durable paper for writing," Lian Manman boldly told the young shop assistant.

The shop assistant thought he had a major customer at first; having listened to them, he knew they wanted to save money and became somewhat tongue-tied.

"We have just the right paper for that in this shop," a man’s clear voice said.

"Brother Youheng!" Lian Manman turned around, surprised and delighted, "Brother Youheng, what are you doing here?"

"Manman, this gentleman is the owner of the shop, Mr. Huang," Wang Youheng pointed to the middle-aged man standing beside him, "I was just talking with Mr. Huang and heard the voices. I guessed it was you, and sure enough, I was right. What, you want to buy paper and brushes?"

"Yes," Lian Manman nodded.

Wang Youheng picked out five brushes, two inkstones, two sticks of pine soot ink, and asked for two bundles of fine rice paper, and had the young shop assistant wrap them up.

"Wait a moment, Brother Youheng," Lian Manman hastily stopped Wang Youheng, her fair cheeks flushing slightly, "Brother Youheng, the items you’ve chosen for us are the best. But if these are gifts, we absolutely cannot accept them."

Wang Youheng looked momentarily bewildered.

"Manman, this is just a small gesture from me," Wang Youheng said cautiously, "These things are minor to me."

"Brother Youheng, we are poor and we appreciate your desire to help us, but we can’t accept these things," Lian Manman insisted, "There’s a saying, ’Save someone in an emergency, but not in poverty.’ If there really was an urgent need, maybe we’d ask for Brother Youheng’s help. But for this matter, we must rely on ourselves..."

Wu Lang and Xiao Qi nodded in agreement.

Wang Youheng thought for a moment and then understood Lian Manman’s intentions.

"Alright then," Wang Youheng conceded.

"Brother Youheng, I don’t understand much about paper and brushes, so please help us choose. But don’t pick expensive ones; ordinary ones will do, cheaper ones are even better, as we are just starting to learn..." Lian Manman gestured with her hands.

Bent on saving money and yet refusing handouts, Mr. Huang observed them from the side and nodded to himself in approval. These children, regardless of their academic talent, possessed truly admirable character.

"Young lady, pick whatever brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones you want from here. From now on, everything you buy from this shop will have a fifteen percent discount," Mr. Huang offered. He did this not only because he admired Lian Manman and the others but also out of respect for Wang Youheng’s presence.

"That’s wonderful, Mr. Huang, we’ve agreed on this, and you can’t go back on your word," Lian Manman quickly secured the deal, preventing any change of heart.

"It’s a deal," Mr. Huang laughed heartily.

Wang Youheng then helped Lian Manman select the shop’s brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, carefully weighing the price and benefits with her, and ultimately chose three brushes, one inkstone, one stick of ink, and one bundle of large paper. All were of good value for money, especially the large paper which could be taken home and cut to size, saving money compared to buying precut sheets.

Still, when it came time to settle the bill, they spent four hundred wen, already discounted and rounded down. Accustomed to living frugally, Lian Manman couldn’t help but feel the sting of spending.

After Wu Lang and Xiao Qi took the purchased goods, Lian Manman paid the money. Turning to Xiao Qi and Wu Lang, a fierce light shone in her eyes.

"Whoever doesn’t study or write diligently and wastes paper and brushes will get the plank, a real good spanking." (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)