Chapter 220 My Great Aunt Passed Away
"Everyone is leaving?!"
Because they were too surprised and couldn't believe it, the four siblings' voices were an octave higher than usual, almost piercing Liu Ji's eardrums.
He quickly covered his ears, calmed down for a moment, and looked at Qin Yao who was making the decision.
Anyway, it's not his money, and all the children in the family are going. Maybe he can even get some pocket money from his four children's pockets.
"Let's all go, it's decided!" Qin Yao said.
After receiving this affirmative answer, the twins happily threw themselves into A-niang's arms, hugged her arms and kept asking, "Really? Is it true? A-niang, don't lie to me!"
Qin Yao repeated it three times that it was true, and the two little ones finally believed it. They were struck by happiness and ran wildly in the main room to vent their excitement that had nowhere to go.
It was late at night and we were supposed to go to bed, but now no one can sleep.
Dalang and Erlang asked with concern: "What about the school?"
Qin Yao said: "Just ask for leave."
Erlang and Dalang looked at each other. Is it possible to ask for leave like this? Will the teacher not allow it?
Qin Yao patted her chest and assured them that it was absolutely okay. Who didn't lie to the teacher when they were young because they wanted to go on a trip with their parents?
"Will that cost a lot of money?" Erlang was a little worried. With so many of them going on a long journey, food, drink, and toilet expenses on the way would all cost money. And when they arrived in the city, they would have to stay in a hotel, which would cost even more.
When it comes to spending money, Qin Yao has always been the one who spends where it counts and saves where it counts. She signaled them not to worry and just go and prepare their luggage.
In addition to the fields and stored grain, she still had more than sixty taels of silver in her hands. It was just a trip to the capital, and she could not spend it all!
As the old saying goes, reading thousands of books is not as good as traveling thousands of miles.
Opportunities like going to the provincial capital are not always available. Now that the decision has been made, even if it is a bit impulsive, Qin Yao will not regret it since she has already agreed.
After the couple drove the four excited children back to their room, the two adults, Qin Yao and Liu Ji, stayed behind and looked at each other.
The children were happy, but the adults had more problems to solve.
Liu Ji asked, "Who feeds the cows at home?"
Qin Yao said helplessly: "I can only ask the old house for help."
As for the water mill, I also have to tell Mrs. Zhang and Old Man Liu about it, and tell them not to forget to come and collect the money.
All the money taken out went to the old house, which brought in more than 200 coins a month, which was considered to be enough to cover the cost of looking after the cows.
Liu Ji had some opinions, "We are all family, why distinguish between you and me? Brothers can help each other without paying."
Qin Yao sneered at him: "You have no shame, but I still want it."
Liu Ji lowered his eyelids and curled his lips when she wasn't paying attention, and said, "Why are you cursing at me for no reason?"
Qin Yao ignored him and pointed at the chickens in the yard. They had been raised for more than a year and had grown very big.
Liu Ji thought of the delicious chicken soup, licked his lips, and tried: "How about killing them and eating them? If we leave them here, we'll have to find someone to feed them, which is very troublesome."
Qin Yao glanced at him and said readily, "Okay!"
"But these chickens are very precious to Sanlang and Si Niang. Should we tell them first?" Liu Ji suddenly asked again.
He was really afraid that the twins would cry and make a lot of noise, disturbing the family's peace.
Of course, that's not the point.
The point is that he doesn't want to destroy the image of a loving father that he has worked so hard to establish in his children's hearts.
Qin Yao thought it made sense. After all, the twins raised the chickens as pets, so it would be better to ask.
He gave Liu Ji a gratified look that said "You've been quite thoughtful", stood up, waved his hand, and went back to their rooms to sleep.
Early the next morning, the couple called Sanlang and Si Niang over and asked for their opinions on killing the chicken.
Si Niang's eyes lit up, "Mother, mother, I want to drink chicken soup, and I want a chicken leg!" She was drooling just thinking about it.
Sanlang pouted, looking a little reluctant, but he didn't object.
The result was that when everyone gathered to eat chicken at night, the little guy drank two bowls of rich chicken soup while saying with tears in his eyes: "It's so hot, but it smells so good~"
All four chickens were killed, and the family could not finish them. Qin Yao called everyone in the old house to eat together, and by the way, she told them that her family of six were going on a long journey.
Old Man Liu almost spit out the chicken soup in his mouth. He swallowed it with great difficulty, enduring the burning sensation, and immediately asked:
"Da Lang, Er Lang, San Lang, and Si Niang are all going to the capital? Are they going to take the imperial examination or just for fun?"
Qin Yao smiled and motioned for Old Man Liu to sit down first. "The main task is of course scientific research, and sightseeing is just a side job."
"Have you decided?" asked Old Man Liu.
The family of six nodded in unison.
Liu Ji said: "Tomorrow morning we will go to the clan school to ask for leave for the four of them."
"It's a month, can you agree to that, Master?" Liu Bo was very curious about what reason Liu Ji would use.
Liu Ji smiled mysteriously, "My wife and I have our own arrangements for this."
After dinner, looking at the happy Dalang brothers and sisters, everyone in the old house still couldn't understand what Liu Ji and Qin Yao were thinking.
Don't they care about the money at all?
It is said that a poor family is rich on the road, so no matter how much money is saved on the road, it must cost one or two taels of silver, right? Not counting the one or two hundred wen per night in the city, three or four taels of silver were spent.
Finally, considering the food and drink for a family of six, eight taels of silver must be spent.
Eight taels! He and Qiu gasped at the thought.
Originally they thought Qin Yao was clear-headed and knew how to save money.
Now it seems that they still know too little about her.
Before leaving, Qin Yao and Liu Ji followed the children to the Ding clan school. Qin Yao went to Sanlang and Si Niang, and Liu Ji went to Dalang and Erlang.
Master Ding asked, "Why do you want such a long vacation?"
Liu Ji had a sad face. He sighed first, then winked at Dalang and Erlang. The two brothers understood and immediately lowered their heads, showing grief.
Liu Ji touched the corner of his eye and said, "The children's great-aunt has passed away. She has been very kind to us since we were young, so we must go to the funeral this time. Not only must we go, but we must also let the two children stay up until the seventh day for their great-aunt to show our filial piety. I also hope that the teacher will grant us leave so that the children can see their great-aunt off for the last time."
Confucian scholars attach great importance to filial piety. Upon hearing this, Master Ding not only approved the leave, but also instructed the two brothers to keep vigil for their great-aunt for a few more days.
After telling two more stories related to filial piety, Master Ding let him go.
On Qin Yao's side, Master Cheng also asked the same question: "But what big thing happened at home?"
Master Cheng values two students, Si Niang and San Lang, very much. If it is not necessary, he does not want them to take leave and delay their studies.
Unexpectedly, Qin Yao handed over a letter sent from the provincial capital with both hands. The content of the letter was exactly the same as what Liu Ji said in front of Master Ding.
Master Cheng's expression changed, and his originally blaming face immediately turned into a bit of polite sympathy.
He returned the letter to Qin Yao and said to the twins, "Go, but don't forget to review your lessons even if you are sad."
The twins, who were warned by their father not to laugh and to look sad, could hardly hold back their joy when they heard Master Cheng's words.
Fortunately, Qin Yao stepped forward in time to block the two of them, and bowed deeply to Master Cheng, "I'm sorry to trouble you, sir!"
The twins couldn't control the upward curve of their mouth corners, so it wasn't exposed.
Jinbao witnessed the whole process and went home to tell everyone what his uncle and aunt had done in the academy.
As he spoke, he expressed his envy for Sanlang and Si Niang for having such open-minded parents.
After listening to Jinbao's description of the old house, everyone fell into a strange silence.
(End of this chapter)