Chapter 359: Chapter 359 Child Student Chapter 359: Chapter 359 Child Student Hengjian lowered his head and thought for a moment before saying to Old Lady Mo, “Grandmother, you see, I am going to take the Child Student exam this year, and many others in our Academy have Attendant Students, only I do not. It really makes me look poor. Could you please find one for me?”
Old Lady Mo was stunned for a moment. Hiring an Attendant Student would cost quite a bit of silver, and she felt some heartache before saying, “Hengjian, hiring an Attendant Student would require a considerable amount of silver. Besides, you don’t have much for someone else to do. Let’s not waste money for no reason, paying someone to follow you around for nothing. It’s just not worth it.”
“Grandmother, you don’t understand. It’s not about having things to do. It’s about face. Do you know? When everyone else has one and I don’t, they will look down on me. You wouldn’t want your grandson to be looked down upon in the Academy, would you?”
Old Lady Mo hesitated, looking back and forth and glancing at Old Master Mo, hoping for his opinion.
Old Master Mo immediately understood and, looking at Hengjian with a serious tone, said, “Hengjian, you see our family’s situation; we are just ordinary farmers. It’s already not easy just supporting you to study at the Academy, let alone having extra money to hire a servant to attend to you.”
Upon hearing this, Hengjian immediately became unhappy. His smiling face instantly turned gloomy as he petulantly said, “I don’t care. Just now grandmother promised me, saying she would give me anything I want. How can you go back on your word now? You’re not keeping your promise.”
Just at that moment, Madam Ruan, carrying a teacup, walked in from the kitchen. Seeing her son’s sullen face, she was quite surprised. He had been so happy when she left a moment ago. How could he have changed his expression so quickly? She went over and asked, “Son, what’s the matter? You’ve just come home and you’re already unhappy?”
Hengjian pouted, looking at Madam Ruan with a look of injustice, “Grandmother went back on her promise to me.”
This was the first time he had called Madam Ruan “mother” since he had come into the room.
Madam Ruan, as if accustomed to it, didn’t find it unusual at all. She even looked reproachfully at Old Lady Mo, “Mother-in-law, Hengjian has finally come home for a visit. Couldn’t you just agree to his request first? Must you make him unhappy first?”
Old Lady Mo looked at Madam Ruan and then at Hengjian, wavering for a moment. Finally, stamping her foot as if biting the bullet, she said, “Sigh! Alright, alright, if you want to hire one, then hire one. After all, you are the only male grandson of the Mo family. Whatever wealth I have will be left to you when I pass on. If you want to spend it, then spend it now.”
Upon hearing these words, Hengjian’s mood immediately brightened, and he leapt up joyfully. He grabbed Old Lady Mo in a hug and laughed, “Grandmother, I knew you were the best to me.”
Old Master Mo looked on disapprovingly, but seeing his grandson rarely come home, he did not say anything further.
“Grandmother, then you’ll need to increase my monthly allowance by two taels of silver.”
“It’s not too much. Look, if I hire an Attendant Student, I need to pay his wages and cover his food and drink. It will be about this much by the end of the month.” Hengjian explained, counting off the expenses on his fingers to Old Lady Mo.
Old Lady Mo listened and felt pained, as if she was not hiring an Attendant Student but taking care of an ancestor.
Madam Ruan saw that Old Lady Mo’s expression wasn’t good and feared she might say something to upset her son. She quickly interjected loudly, “Alright, alright, you’re the darling of Grandmother’s heart. How could she not agree to your request?”