At nightfall, Zhou Xueli returned to his own room from Old Lady Zhou’s, where Lady Liang was sitting by the table sewing their child’s clothes. She hurriedly stood up upon seeing him arrive.
"Please, sit down," Zhou Xueli said as he took a seat by the table, pouring himself a cup of tea to drink.
"How is Mother?" Lady Liang asked.
Zhou Xueli replied, "She said she had a headache, applied some medicinal oil, and has already lain down."
Lady Liang then asked, "Was Big Brother also accompanying you in the main room the whole time?"
"Did they mention anything?" Lady Liang pressed anxiously, "Did they reveal what’s going on?"
Zhou Xueli was taken aback, "Why do you say that?"
Lady Liang shared what she had heard today, her worry evident as she said, "I’m wondering if something significant has happened. Otherwise, why would Mother say such things? It sounded really serious, what’s more, she was so angry."
Zhou Xueli hesitated, "Could it be a misunderstanding?"
Lady Liang gave him a look and chided, "I’m not so old as to mishear things."
"But, Big Brother and Mother didn’t say anything just now."
Lady Liang pondered for a moment and whispered, "Husband, do you think they might be deliberately keeping us in the dark by not telling us?"
Zhou Xueli’s expression turned grim, "That’s impossible. Before I married, keeping things from me wouldn’t have mattered. But now I have my own family, and in a few days, I’ll be a father. Is there anything that we cannot discuss together?" As he spoke, he patted Lady Liang’s stomach.
Lady Liang thought to herself, deriding him silently for his naivety, always busy with the fields, not realizing that people consider him a fool, kept in the dark without any fuss.
Though she harbored such thoughts, her words did not betray them; she merely said, "Husband, what if Uncle forbids Mother from speaking?"
Zhou Xueli furrowed his brow.
"Husband, I do not mean to instigate, but we have our own small household to consider. Regardless of Mother’s reasons, we must find out. If something comes up, at least we’ll have a response ready and won’t be caught off guard, right?"
Zhou Xueli, though inclined to the traditional roles of men and women, was not closed off to advice. Heeding Lady Liang’s words, he contemplated a bit and said, "In that case, I will discreetly inquire with Mother tomorrow."
Lady Liang nodded, smiling.
"It’s late, you should stop sewing now or you’ll ruin your eyesight. Let’s sleep," Zhou Xueli took away her needlework.
Let’s leave the couple and not mention their bedtime.
Meanwhile, in the main room, the same issue was being discussed, but unlike Zhou Xueli who was kept in the dark, Zhou Xuennian was being completely forthright with Madam Lu.
Upon hearing that three hundred taels could grease the wheels to secure this year’s examination questions and thus pass the Scholar’s Exam, Madam Lu’s eyes shone brightly.
"Husband, is this true?"
Madam Lu, much like Zhou Xuennian, was fixated on the prospect of her husband earning the Scholar’s title, for the Scholar’s Mother indeed sounded far more prestigious than a Child Student’s mother.
"Even if it’s true, Mother doesn’t know whether to agree," Zhou Xuennian was filled with frustration, lacking silver, how could he smooth the wheels?
"Husband, if this is almost certain, we must persuade Mother to give you the silver for the cause. It pertains to our entire family’s situation; Mother wouldn’t be so foolish, would she?"
If Old Lady Zhou were to hear this, she would likely berate them, questioning who exactly was the foolish one here—these two dim-witted, lard-brained souls.
"Isn’t she being foolish? Speaking of family ruin and disaster, I don’t even know where she’s heard such unlucky nonsense," Zhou Xuennian kicked a washbasin at his feet in irritation, adding, "Even if Mother agrees, our household’s silver amounts to only ninety taels at best, far from enough."
As he spoke, his gaze turned towards Madam Lu.