"What else could there be? The same 'first place' every year," Zhou Lanfang's expression changed when she spoke of Shen Mianmian, looking at her sideways, "When teachers lecture her, it's like playing the lute to a cow. I've said to stop schooling already! Learn a craft, but her dad won't listen to me."
Zhang Changfa's wife joined in, "If she's not good at studying, it really might be better to stop. After all, Mianmian is a girl, studying doesn't do much for her."
The others chimed in as well, "Exactly, schooling costs a fair bit of money each year. We don't need to read to do farm work. She's already in junior high school, practically educated. Since she won't get into university, continuing is just wasting money."
"If you ask me, being able to recognize a few characters by the fifth grade is enough. What's the point of going to junior high?"
