The wicked mother-in-law doesn't try to whitewash herself; she only abuses her awful children.

Tong Huaqiong nodded in agreement with the clan chief's point of view.

“Chief, you’re right. The children in our clan should go to school. I don’t care about anyone else, Yaozu and Man’er must study,” Tong Huaqiong said.

The clan chief was pleased to hear the first half of the words, but the second half made him frown.

What kind of books should a girl study?

What kind of talk would that be?

"It's fine for Yaozu to study, but what's the point of Man'er studying? She can't become an official or a minister. If she becomes too wild, she won't be able to find a husband later," the clan chief said with dissatisfaction.

Putting aside other examples, Gu Taohua is a perfect example.

She knows a few words and thinks she doesn't know who she is. She argues with everyone she meets, spouting a bunch of reasons, and to this day, not a single person has come to propose marriage.

Tong Dajiao is the same. She learned to read and write from her brother while she was young, but after getting married, she disrespected her parents-in-law and treated her stepchildren harshly. Now she is even showing her face in public to do business.

Tong Huaqiong said calmly, "Man'er can study for no reason other than I can afford the tuition."

The patriarch's lips twitched.

It's a waste of money on tuition; it would be better to give it to his great-grandson.

His great-grandson already knows a few characters. Although he is not as smart as Gu Jingzhe was when he was a child, he is still considered to have talent.

It is not easy for a family to support a scholar, especially for farming families.

What kind of life did Tong Dajiao lead back then to support Gu Jingzhe's education?

If Tong Dajiao were willing to provide education for her own children and grandchildren, he would definitely arrange for Tong Dajiao and Old Man Gu to be buried together.

Fine, fine, let Man'er study if she wants her to.

The clan chief steered the conversation back on track, asking, "What do you think about the clan's children going to school?"

Tong Huaqiong pretended to be confused and said, "What else can we think? It's a good thing that you, the clan leader, are letting the clan's children study. If they want to study, then let them study."

What's wrong with Tong Dajiao? Why is she refusing to accept tuition fees for her children's education?

They insisted that he explain himself thoroughly.

The clan chief gritted his teeth and said, "Great Heat Mother, since you're willing to pay for a private school, you should also cover the tuition fees for our clan's children. I've heard that many wealthy families invite poor children to study for free so that their children can have an advantage in officialdom. Now that you have the money, you should also consider Jingzhe's situation. Spend some money to support our clan's children so that Gu Jingzhe can have an advantage in officialdom in the future."

"She's really shameless," Tong Huaqiong thought to herself, "she just bluntly asked me to pay her."

Tong Huaqiong said, "I haven't even paid for Jingzhe's education yet, so where would I get the spare money to pay for others? If any of the children in the clan want to study, no matter how slow they are, my private school will accept them. Their parents will be responsible for the tuition, and if all else fails, you, as the clan head, will be responsible. It's not my place at all. I don't expect Jingzhe to have any help in the future; I just hope that the children in our clan won't hold him back."

"Since we've heard that wealthy families support poor children to study so that their own children can gain favor in officialdom, the clan chief must have connections with wealthy families. Why don't you take the children of the clan there? Maybe some discerning wealthy family will take a liking to them and buy them all."

"Chief, you'd better not ask me for these kinds of money-making opportunities in the future."

After saying that, Tong Huaqiong stood up and left.

The clan chief's face turned red with anger.

Once the clan chief had figured out that Tong Huaqiong was far away, he cursed loudly, "What a piece of trash! Just because she has a few stinking coins, she starts putting on airs."

The clan chief was furious, but after thinking it over, he came up with an idea.

"Dahu, grind the ink for me." The clan chief called his grandson, Gu Dahu, into the house to grind the ink.

Gu Dahu didn't understand why his grandfather was grinding ink. He hadn't remembered anything for so long, and the only ink in the house was dry. Grinding it would be a real pain.

The head of the Gu family knew a few characters.

Gu Dahu ground the ink for his grandfather and then managed to find two yellowed sheets of paper. "Grandpa, what do you want to write down?" Gu Dahu asked.

The clan chief picked up his pen and said, "Write a letter to the person who can keep Tong Dajiao in check."

Gu Dahu asked in surprise, "Who can subdue Aunt Tong?"

The clan chief sneered, "Her in-laws."

As the clan chief wrote, he secretly resented, "Tong Dajiao, don't be so smug. Have you forgotten about your in-laws?"

Over the years, Tong Dajiao has lived a comfortable life in Qinghewan, and she has forgotten the days when she was angry with her in-laws.

Although she disobeyed her in-laws and dared to argue with them, she ultimately dared not do anything to them.

If her in-laws come back, even if they don't get Tong Dajiao to contribute money to the clan, they will at least make her life less easy.

The clan chief grew increasingly smug.

The letter exaggerated the revenue from Peach Blossom Desserts, denounced Tong Huaqiong's character, and even made unfounded claims about Boss Qian's feelings for Tong Huaqiong.

In short, the main point is this: your eldest daughter-in-law's business has been doing better and better since your son died, so you should hurry up and enjoy your newfound wealth. If you don't come back, your son will probably be turning in his grave because of his cuckoldry.

After the clan chief finished writing the letter, he carefully sealed it and asked Gu Dahu to go to Pingchuan County to entrust it to a merchant from the south to take away.

The clan chief estimated that Tong Huaqiong's parents-in-law would return to Qinghe Bay after receiving the letter, which would be no later than the end of the year.

Let Tong Dajiao be smug for a while, and then give her a good scolding when things are quiet at the end of the year.

Tong Huaqiong was naturally unaware that the clan leader had designs on her in-laws, whom she had never met.

After leaving the clan chief's house, Tong Huaqiong went to the village chief Liu Tielian's house.

With the autumn harvest over and the crisis of harboring remnants of traitors resolved, it was time to begin educational endeavors.

Liu Tielian was extremely excited when he heard Tong Huaqiong discussing the private school.

His grandson will also be a scholar in the future.

"I've already discussed with the head of the Liu family where the children will have their classes. They'll start in the Liu family ancestral hall. Our ancestral hall is spacious enough for the children to sit comfortably. In addition, the teacher can stay in the backyard of the ancestral hall. Next spring, we'll build a few more rooms on the open space at the village entrance specifically for the school," the village head said.

Because Tong Huaqiong went to Fucheng some time ago, the village chief hasn't had a chance to tell her about this yet.

Upon hearing that the school would be located in the Liu family ancestral hall, Tong Huaqiong said, "Won't this disturb the Liu family ancestors?"

The village chief waved his hand and said, "If our ancestors knew that their descendants could go to school, they would all rush to give up their places."

Setting up a private school, such a significant matter that benefits the village and its people, is not a big deal if it is done in the ancestral hall.

Tong Huaqiong asked, "Are all the children in the village willing to go to school?"

Tong Huaqiong had already made plans to invite Magistrate Liu to attend the opening ceremony of the private school.

If it's just Yaozu, Man'er, and the village chief's grandson and a few other children, wouldn't that be too much of a fuss?

The village chief said, "You don't need to worry about that. Which family doesn't want their children to go to school? In the past, if you didn't let your children go to school, you had to go to town. You would stay in town all day, which would interfere with your work. Besides, the cost of tuition in town was not low, and no one could afford it."

Now that a private school is set up in the village, it saves the children the time of going back and forth, and gives them plenty of free time to help with household chores.

In addition, with the financial support of Tong Huaqiong and Boss Qian, the village didn't have to worry about the student's food, lodging, and clothes for all four seasons. The tuition was half that of the town. The village chief felt that any villager who hoped their child would succeed would be willing to send their child to the private school.

He hasn't told the villagers about this yet; he plans to announce the news in the village in the next couple of days.

The village chief was already waiting to receive the villagers' praise. (End of Chapter)