Song Sanniang's Journey to Wealth

These two are brothers. The older boy is called Qin Haodong and the younger boy is called Qin Haonan. There is actually a sister between them.

The three were from Tianshui Lane in the town. Their parents ran a breakfast shop, but their mother had a difficult delivery when she was pregnant with her fourth child, resulting in two deaths.

Their father found a new widow with a boy. In order to make a living, he looked for work everywhere, leaving home early and returning late. However, this widow was cruel. She was nice to the three children on the surface, but behind their backs she often withheld their food and clothing and insulted them.

Several children complained to their father. At first, the father was angry and scolded the widow, calling for a divorce. But as the incidents happened more and more often and he did more work, he gradually neglected to discipline her, until she collapsed from exhaustion and did not leave a single word of last words.

The widow abused them even more. Qin Haodong was studying in a private school, but since his parents were gone, he dropped out to find a job, leaving his younger brother and sister at home.

The widow took the money left by Qin's father and became more and more annoyed with the three men. She even planned to sell her brother and sister-in-law after they had fainted due to drugging while Qin Haodong was out working.

But as fate would have it, only the younger sister ate the food that day. When the money handlers came to take him away, Qin Haonan kept crying and making a fuss. Fearing that they would attract the neighbors, the widow had to let the money handlers take her younger sister away first.

It was too late when Qin Haodong came back. Qin Haodong went to sue the officials. It was absurd that it was legal for parents to sell their children. Moreover, under the heavy pressure of filial piety, he could not do anything to the widow.

Qin Haodong was filled with grief and anger. He smashed the house, beat up the widow's son, packed up his meager luggage with his younger brother and ran away from home.

They usually slept with a neighbor who took them in out of pity. Qin Haodong went out to do odd jobs to support the two of them, but the widow found out about it. She went to the neighbors' homes and the place where he worked to make trouble every day. The two brothers had no choice but to become beggars.

After listening to Qin Haodong's story, Song Sanniang gritted her teeth in anger! She was determined to help Qin Haodong and his brother.

She handed the few coins given by Song Laoer to Qin Haodong and said, "Take this money first. Buy two buns when you are hungry. I will go help my father first and come to see you tomorrow." After saying that, she returned to her stall without waiting for Qin Haodong to refuse.

She returned to the stall angrily and told Song Lao Er about the brothers' experiences. "Dad, I want to help these two brothers."

Song Lao Er was silent for a long time. "How do you want to help them? We can give him some food every day, but this won't solve the problem."

"Dad, you see, we are only selling sugar water in the East Market now. Even if we don't rely on the sales from the He Mansion, we can still sell it all every day. What if we find more people to help sell it? What if we set up another stall in the West Market and sell it in the streets and alleys? There are so many people coming and going at the dock every day. How much more can we sell every day?"

Song Sanniang herself became very passionate as she spoke.

"You want these two guys to help us sell it?" Song Laoer was not stupid. He knew Song Sanniang's intention at once.

"Yes, I plan to make a small amount first and let them sell it everywhere as peddlers. If it sells well, I will increase the quantity."

"Good, good, good, Sanniang, your idea is great." Song Lao Er praised Sanniang's cleverness. Suddenly, he seemed to think of something and said, "Why not let your uncle sell iron in the West Market as well? He is not at home all day, and it is hard work for him to work as a blacksmith."

"Dad, let's discuss this slowly. I also want my uncle to make money and not have to work so hard. However, my aunt is here, and you know her temper. I don't want to have a peaceful family so soon."

When Song Laoer heard this, he became dejected and kept silent.

Song Sanniang knew that she couldn't be soft-hearted, so she pretended not to notice his dejection and asked passers-by to buy sugar water.

Passersby came and went, and the sweet soup was almost sold out. Song Sanniang watched the stall while Song Laoer went to the pork shop opposite and bought some pork belly. When they saw that the stalls around them were almost closing, the father and daughter followed suit.

The father and daughter came to the place where Song Dazhi usually picked up passengers. He hadn't come yet, probably to pick up Song Zuen. After waiting for a while, he came in a bullock cart. Song Zuen sat in the cart and waved happily to Song Laoer and his daughter.

After the father and daughter got in the car, he excitedly said to Sanniang: "Sister Jixiang, the dessert you made is so delicious. My classmates all love it." Then he said embarrassedly, "It's just a little expensive. They can't eat it every day." After that, he smiled awkwardly.

Song Sanniang was amused by him. "Brother Zuen, what are you talking about? I'm happy if you like to eat it. When they want to eat it, they can buy it from me." After saying that, she asked

"There aren't many people on the bus yet. Brother Zuen, please teach me a few words first. I'll go back to learn from you after dinner."

Upon hearing this, Song Zuen immediately took out the backpack he carried with him and took out a book to teach Sanniang, "This book is called Thousand Character Classic. You should learn this book first. After learning this book, you will be able to recognize many characters." After that, he opened the book and pointed to the first line and read: "The sky and the earth are dark yellow, the universe is vast and boundless."

Song Sanniang listened carefully and looked at the book. It was actually in traditional Chinese characters. It was okay. She didn't have to act blind. She followed and read: "The sky and the earth are dark and yellow, the universe is vast and wild."

"Heaven and earth refer to the sky and the earth. Xuanhuang is the color of heaven and earth. Yu refers to space and Zhou refers to time. The combination of the two is the concept of time and space. Honghuang refers to the time when heaven and earth were in chaos. These words combined together mean that heaven and earth were in a chaotic state at the beginning, like a ball of mysterious turbid air. Then, after years, heaven and earth were gradually formed, and all things were born. Do you understand?" Song Zuen explained carefully.

"I understand, Brother Zuen, you are amazing!" Song Sanniang praised enthusiastically. She was extremely shocked in her heart. She had never learned Thousand Character Classic before. Even though she knew all the characters, she had never understood them together in this way.

After listening to Song Zuen's teaching, she was shocked by the advanced knowledge of the ancients, whose knowledge of astronomy was 2,000 years ahead of the Western world. So she took a more serious attitude to study.

Song Zuen was also surprised at how fast Song Sanniang learned. Although she couldn't write yet, she could remember everything he taught her.

While the two were teaching and learning seriously, villagers who wanted to go home came one after another. After the ox cart was full, it slowly headed towards Songjia Village.

In the car, there were the villagers' laughter and jokes, and the sound of diligent reading and recitation, scattered on the shaky road.

When the bus arrived at Songjia Village, Song Sanniang and Song Zuen agreed to study in the evening, but Song Laoer took Song Dazhi and other villagers away, and then he gave Song Dazhi the ten cents he had prepared long ago.

Song Dazhi hurriedly refused, "Second brother, what are you doing! You've given me too much, too much!"

"It's not much. You took us to the He Mansion, the private school, and the market at noon, and took us back at night. It's been so busy, not to mention that Brother En also has to teach my third mother. You must accept this money."

"Uncle Dazhi, our family will go to the market to sell sweet soup at noon from now on. You have to send brother Zuen to school every morning, come back to the village to send us off, and rush back in the evening. It's a lot of going back and forth. From now on, we will ask you to pick us up and drop us off according to this money. Don't refuse, otherwise I will be embarrassed to let brother Zuen teach me how to read." Sanniang chimed in.

"Sanniang is right, just take the money." After saying that, Song Laoer stuffed the money into Song Dazhi's hand, picked up the bamboo basket and carrying pole, turned around and left in a hurry, and Sanniang hurriedly caught up.

Song Dazhi had no choice but to accept the money, but he also had a smile on his face. This way he could earn ten more cents a day, which was three hundred cents a month, and he had enough money to buy his son's pens, ink, paper and inkstone.