The daily struggles of divorced women in ancient times

Xia Mianwan had just gone downstairs when she saw a large group of people gathered in the bookstore. Qinghe was talking to a woman with her hair tied up in a bun in a nice voice. Next to them was a little girl dressed very ordinary who had fallen to the side.

"What happened?" Xia Mianwan walked through the crowd and came to Qinghe.

"Young Madam." Qing He was worried about the lawsuit, and when she saw Xia Mianwan coming, she breathed a sigh of relief.

The Manyuehua Newspaper collected articles from all common people, but most of the articles it received were sour articles from frustrated scholars, which the magazine would not publish.

The little girl who fell to the side was a merchant girl. Although the status of merchant girls was not high nowadays, it was better than in many dynasties.

The little girl who fell down kept crying, but the woman didn't even look at her.

Xia Mianwan asked Ruzhu to help the little girl up first, and asked gently, "What happened?"

The little girl was helped up by Ruzhu and looked at the woman timidly.

The woman noticed the girl was looking at her and scolded her, "My lady is asking you a question, why are you looking at me? You are a loser, you are not presentable, you are petty and shameful!"

The woman cursed so harshly that the people watching nearby frowned.

"Madam, if you have something to say, please say it nicely. Don't be so cruel." An old lady nearby said, unable to bear the sight.

The woman put her hands on her hips and pointed at the old woman and cursed: "This is my daughter. I can curse her if I want to. Why do you care? She is a money-loser. I have cursed her since she was born. What's wrong with me scolding her now? Why do you care about my business?"

Even though she was a girl, she cursed so harshly that the onlookers all looked at her with disgust.

The little girl's eyes became redder after being scolded. She grabbed the woman's sleeve and said, "Mom, please stop scolding me. I was wrong. I want to go back with you."

The woman said, "I told you that you are such a money-loser and you still want to go to a girls' college. What a waste of money! You might as well save the money for your brother's education."

There is no rule nowadays that children of merchants cannot go to school.

When Xia Mianwan heard that they wanted to enroll at the Women's Academy, she asked someone to stop the two of them and said, "Wait a minute."

The woman was about to leave when she was stopped by Xia Mianwan. She was very unhappy, but just by looking at Xia Mianwan's dress, she knew she couldn't afford to offend her, so she stopped reluctantly.

"May I ask what may I do for you, ma'am?"

"Does this girl want to study at Manyue Academy?" Xia Mianwan asked.

The woman quickly denied it, "How can that be possible? Why would a girl read books? A worthless girl should take care of her husband and children and get married early. Reading crap books is useless."

Ruzhu was very disgusted with the woman for slandering the little girl. "Why are you so foul-mouthed? You keep saying that women are money-losing goods. How come you are not a woman?"

The woman's eyes widened in anger. "What does it have to do with you, girl, if my mouth stinks? I scold my own daughter, what's it to you? Besides, I'm a woman, what's wrong with that? I'm also a money-loser, so what?"

Ruzhu had never seen such a unreasonable woman, and she didn't know what to say for a moment.

Madam Sang was used to seeing shrews, so she stepped forward and said, "Oh, oh, oh, let me see who is rushing to say that she is a money-loser. Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk, you said that this world is so big that there are all kinds of things. I have seen people rushing to find a good husband, but I have never seen people rushing to become a money-loser. This lady is really a god. Oh, sorry, I said it wrong. Blame me, blame me. You are a money-loser. I dare not call you madam."

"puff!"

Madam Sang was just as unreasonable as this woman. This woman was scolded by Madam Sang, but for a moment she couldn't think of how to fight back.

The people watching nearby were already clapping and cheering!

"What kind of person is this, treating his own daughter like this!"

"That's right, it's written in the Man Yue Hua Newspaper that all women in the world are precious. How can they be considered as money-losing goods?"

"What is the Man Yue Hua Newspaper?"

"Man Yue Hua Bao is a newspaper published by Xia Jia Shu Shop for people to read."

"You are bullying people!" The woman couldn't argue with him and was about to pull the little girl away.

Xia Mianwan gave a hint with her eyes, and the woman and the girl were stopped by the maid again.

"What do you want to do in broad daylight?" the woman was very angry.

Xia Mianwan smiled and said, "Lady, please don't be angry. Let me have a few words with your daughter, okay? Although your daughter is a woman, she came out of your belly. You carried her for ten months and raised her with great difficulty. You didn't want her to be abused after she was born, right?"

The woman's face looked better after hearing this. Although she valued her son more, her daughter was also her own, so how could she really not care about her?

"Then tell me."

Xia Mianwan pulled the little girl over and asked, "Miss, do you want to enroll in Manyue Academy?"

The little girl nodded, "Madam, you can call me Hongdou. My name is Zhu Hongdou. Yes, I want to apply to Manyue Academy. I learned a few characters from my brother. I read the Manyue Flower News a few days ago and learned that Manyue Academy is recruiting female students, so I also want to apply."

Zhu Hongdou looks no more than eleven or twelve years old, which would have made her an elementary school student in her previous life.

Xia Mianwan nodded and asked, "Why do you want to study at Manyue Academy?"

Zhu Hongdou said seriously, "Because I want to learn skills. The Manyue Newspaper said that Manyue Academy not only teaches literacy, but also arithmetic, etiquette, cooking, and many other things. I heard that if you do well in the exam, you can become a manager, so I want to enter Manyue Academy. My mother often says that I am a money-loser, but I don’t think so in my heart. The Manyue Newspaper said that women should also have their own sky. I remembered it. I have saved up the tuition for a long time, but..."

Zhu Hongdou lowered her head sadly. Even though she had saved enough money for tuition, her mother still did not agree to let her study at Manyue Academy.

Xia Mianwan nodded and looked at the woman, "Madam, why don't you agree to let Hongdou study?"

The lady said disdainfully, "There is no reason for a woman to study in this world. What's the point of studying? If you can't become an official, what's the point? Isn't it a waste of money? Money-losing stuff is money-losing stuff. Isn't it better for her to stay at home and take care of her father and her brother?"

"No, no. Madam, what's the point of women studying? I'll argue with you now. You know, Manyue Academy teaches more than just calligraphy. It also teaches etiquette, arithmetic, cooking, and embroidery. These are all skills that can be used in the future. If you know how to cook, you can set up a small food stall to make money. If you know how to do arithmetic, you won't be cheated. If you know how to embroider, you can supplement your family income. If you know etiquette and can read, you can find a good husband. Although you can't become an official, how can it be useless?"