Chapter 29: Chapter 29: Outshining the Elder Brother by a Notch
Jiang Changtao didn’t speak, and he wasn’t willing to admit that his son was inferior to others, especially not to his older brother!
The only thing in his life where he had managed to please his parents more than his older brother was by having two sons who could carry on the family lineage for the Old Jiang Family.
Sun Lixia added, “And with San Ya’s lazy and gluttonous nature, even if she really is smart, she definitely won’t be able to study well at school. It would be weird if she didn’t fall asleep in class.”
“That’s true, that girl obviously can’t handle hardship.” Jiang Changtao nodded, feeling that his wife made a lot of sense.
After all, San Ya had been slacking off and lazing around like her parents since she was young; the tiresome nature of studying surely wouldn’t sit well with her endurance.
Thinking this way, he felt a lot better.
As long as his brother’s daughter couldn’t surpass his own sons in achievements, he would always have the upper hand over his brother concerning their children!
After the daughters in the second household, including Zhao Xiaojuan, had fallen asleep, she whispered in a low voice, “Dad, why don’t you talk to mom about it tomorrow, let Da Ya and the others also sit in on the class with San Ya? After all, it doesn’t cost any money.”
Jiang Changhe said in a muffled voice, “Da Ya and the others need to work in the fields, mom definitely won’t agree.”
Zhao Xiaojuan knew this, but still couldn’t help saying, “But the girls aren’t young anymore. Da Ya will be getting married in a couple of years, and if she could read a few more characters, her future in-laws might regard her more highly.”
Lin Aibao had just turned fifteen this year, and already several well-off families from the commune had come asking for her hand in marriage, offering high bride prices, because she was a junior high school student.
However, the village chief didn’t think much of those families and wanted to wait until his daughter graduated from high school to find her a husband from the town, so that she could marry into the city.
“If I had only one daughter like Da Ya, I might be able to bite the bullet and send her to school,” Jiang Changhe sighed softly, but he had four daughters!
Even though both of them were diligent and honest, the work points they earned barely covered the family’s food.
Er Ya, who hadn’t fallen asleep despite closing her eyes, felt a bit hurt upon hearing this; she knew her parents did not want so many daughters, they wanted a son.
After a moment of silence, Zhao Xiaojuan suddenly said, “Isn’t there a long break at noon? We could let Da Ya and Er Ya attend classes during that time without affecting the fieldwork. As for the housework, Zhaodi and I will take care of it.”
She thought of letting Da Ya and Er Ya learn first since they were older, planning to find a way to let the younger ones learn a bit later, and of course, Laidi, who was only five, definitely couldn’t sit still.
Jiang Changhe nodded, “Alright, I’ll discuss it with mom tomorrow morning.”
The next day, Zhang Guihua listened and didn’t object. Since it was free and wouldn’t disrupt the house and fieldwork, she saw no issue.
Da Ya and Er Ya were extremely happy, “Thank you, grandma, we definitely won’t neglect our work!”
Jiang Mianmian, however, looked utterly desolate because Lin Aibao had come over early in the morning, eager to start classes.
She was ruthlessly dragged out of bed by her mother and watched helplessly as her mother ate a boiled egg.
Lin Aibao, mimicking her own teacher, put on a stern face and said solemnly, “Jiang Mianmian, please open your Chinese textbook to the first page. We’ll start with phonetics, follow my lead and say a, b, c, d…”
Jiang Mianmian followed with a lack of enthusiasm and after one round, seeing that she wanted to teach again, quickly said, “Sister Aibao, I can read them now.”
Lin Aibao replied seriously, “Student Jiang Mianmian, you should call me teacher during class, and raise your hand to answer questions.”