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

Chapter 707 Girls in the clan must be literate

“I knew Jingzhe was going to be successful and think about his clan. Look how well he handles everything.”

“That’s right. I think Jingzhe is cold on the outside but warm on the inside. No wonder the Lu family was willing to give such a large dowry. If you ask me, Jingzhe’s marriage is a good match. They say a virtuous wife brings blessings to three generations. No other new bride in the clan would be willing to give up her dowry to help her husband.”

“It wasn’t just Jingzhe and his wife’s idea; this matter should have been approved by Aunt Dajiao. I think it must have been Aunt Dajiao’s idea, deliberately pushing the blame onto Jingzhe and his wife.”

The villagers were talking about it.

Regardless of whose idea it was, it was a good thing for the clan.

“Don’t just think about your sons. Zhaozhao will sponsor your children’s education for free, and she will sponsor not only boys but also girls,” Tong Huaqiong said.

Sponsoring the girl's education was her personal motivation.

Of course, Lu Zhaozhao also supported her personal desires.

“What’s the point of girls studying? Girls are going to get married anyway, so wouldn’t it be a waste of the Gu family’s money to send them to school?” said Gu Dahu, the clan chief’s grandson.

Many people in the clan agreed.

Girls couldn't take the imperial examinations or become officials.

Their greatest hope for their daughters was that they could work in Tong Huaqiong's weaving workshop, earn money for the family for a few years like Gu Xiaoxue, and then find a good husband through Tong Huaqiong's connections when they reached marriageable age, so that their parents' efforts in raising them would not have been in vain.

Upon hearing this, Tong Huaqiong's face hardened, and she said, "Give back the Gu family's money? Don't you even know who paid for it before you have the nerve to say it's the Gu family's money? This money was paid by my family, so naturally I have the final say. If you don't allow any girl to study and learn to read, then your sons won't need to study either."

Looking around, Tong Huaqiong saw that all the people standing at the front of the clan were men.

The women were all behind them, blocked from view by the men.

She stood out conspicuously in the middle, accompanied by Man'er and Chen Sufen.

This was because she had Su Qing inform every household that both men and women had to attend the clan meeting; otherwise, the women would not have shown up at the clan meeting to discuss matters.

After saying this, Tong Huaqiong turned to Su Qing beside her and said, "Take note of which family's girl is as willing to study as Man'er."

Su Qing respectfully agreed.

The villagers looked at each other in bewilderment after hearing this.

Girls going to school was something that only wealthy families could afford; girls from farming families didn't have time to study.

Aren't you going to work in the fields?

Don't you do housework?
Tong Huaqiong was aware of this, but she still insisted on allowing girls to go to school.

Girls couldn't take the imperial examinations or become officials, but being literate was better than being completely illiterate.

Thinking of this, Tong Huaqiong said earnestly, "I know what you think. You think that as long as girls can do laundry, cook, sew, work in the fields, and raise children, that's enough. But think about it, why do wealthy families train their daughters to be literate? They can't take the imperial examinations or become officials, just like our girls, but they still have to be literate. It's not because their families are well-off, but because the value of being literate far outweighs that of not being literate."

"For example, if your daughter wants to marry into a wealthy family, but she can't read or understand account books, then she won't have a chance. Don't think this is a fantasy. Our founding empress was a peasant girl. It was because she could read and understand military books that she was able to serve as the late emperor's strategist in the chaotic world and eventually become empress and rule the world with the late emperor."

Tong Huaqiong knew that nothing she said would work. In this era where girls were treated as tools, she had to use benefits to motivate their parents.

What is the biggest driving force?
Of course, it's about marrying a good husband and bringing prosperity to the whole family. In this day and age, what parent doesn't hope their son will become a dragon and their daughter a phoenix?

No sooner had Tong Huaqiong finished speaking than she heard her idol, Aunt Gu, speak to her.

“Mother Dashu is right. Jingzhe has now learned his lesson and married a good wife. The two of them are willing to support the younger members of the clan. Our Gu family will become a great clan sooner or later. In the future, more and more members of the clan will become officials or do big business. Wouldn’t their sisters’ worth be higher then? Don’t you want your daughters to marry into better families and bring benefits to their brothers through marriage alliances?”

"Putting everything else aside, look at Honglian. Didn't Honglian only get engaged to Scholar Fan because of the Awakening of Insects? Those wealthy families don't have the same requirements for their daughters-in-law as Scholar Fan. They are rich and powerful, and they require their daughters-in-law to be not only capable but also literate. If you don't let your daughters learn to read, then you won't have a chance to marry into a better family in the future."

Aunt Gu's words were very straightforward.

People who were initially against girls going to school suddenly changed their minds.

Grandma Gu's face was very unpleasant. What did her sister-in-law mean by that? Were they insulting her daughter?

Grandma Gu couldn't help but retort to her sister-in-law, "Sister-in-law, what you're saying makes my Honglian look completely useless. Why can't my Honglian be a scholar's wife? Honglian isn't good at housework or needlework, and she can't do farm work either, but my Honglian can read, and that's why the scholar values ​​her literacy."

After Grandma Gu finished speaking, she remembered that Gu Honglian was able to read because she learned it from Tong Dajiao.

She doesn't know much, but she's better than the blind girls in the clan.

Aunt Gu clapped her hands and said, "Look everyone, isn't this the benefit of being literate? Honglian can become a scholar's wife just by knowing a few characters. If she could understand military books and history books, wouldn't she be able to enter the palace and become an empress?"

Grandma Gu snorted.

The expressions on the faces of those below shifted.

Gu Honglian was considered the least attractive girl in the Gu family. In everyone's eyes, it was a stroke of good luck for her to become the wife of a scholar.

If Gu Honglian can do it, why can't their daughters or granddaughters?

Their daughters or granddaughters are much prettier than Gu Honglian.

While the blacksmith was striking the iron, Tong Huaqiong continued, "It's not about making them study day and night like they're preparing for the imperial examinations, but rather about teaching them to read a little."

Tong Huaqiong knew it was unrealistic to expect girls to sit in a private school and study every day like Man'er or Xiaolong Yaozu, but they could at least learn to read.

Sure enough, as soon as these words were spoken, everyone expressed their opinions.

"Knowing how to read is good."

"That's right, it's not like we're studying hard to become top scholars. It's just about learning to read and write, it won't interfere with anything else."

Song Qiaoniang, the wife of Gu Daqiao, and Wei, the wife of Gu Fengnian, both supported Tong Huaqiong.

Song Qiaoniang's daughter is eight years old this year. She plans to teach her daughter to read and write, no matter who else does not allow it.

Even if I don't want to marry into a good family in the future, it wouldn't be bad to work as a manager by Gu Taohua's side.

"Being literate is definitely better than being illiterate. Besides Honglian, Pandi is another example. Pandi learned to write by watching Tong Fusheng read and write at home. She married well both times. The first time, she married into the village head's family, and the second time, she married Master Su," another wife said.

Everyone thought about it and realized it was indeed the case.

Literacy is essential.