Divorcing your wife might feel good for a moment, but seeing me make money will make you regret it f

An old man came out of the next room, glared at her, and said, "Keep your voice down, the patient needs to rest."

Qian Baizhi stepped forward and took the old man's hand, explaining in a low voice, "Grandpa, these two are the patient's family members."

Old Man Qian snorted coldly: "You're here just in time. Two taels of silver for medical expenses and care fees. Pay the money and take your leave."

Madam Wen immediately took out some silver and handed it over: "Thank you, elder brother. I wonder how my child is doing?"

Seeing that the visitor was friendly, Old Man Qian softened his tone: "He injured his head and has a blood clot in his brain. He'll wake up after taking two more doses of medicine."

Wen breathed a sigh of relief; as long as he was alive, that was good enough.

"However, it is crucial to avoid further injury in the next two days; it is best to rest."

Ms. Wen nodded repeatedly, carefully remembering Old Man Qian's instructions.

"Why don't we wait until our eldest brother wakes up before we take him back?" Xu Gong suggested.

"Will this bother you? I'll stay here to take care of my son. I'll take care of my own meals and everything else. We'll leave as soon as he wakes up."

Ms. Wen was afraid that Old Man Qian would refuse, so she spoke hastily.

Old Man Qian glanced at his granddaughter and nodded slightly: "Let me make this clear first, you'll have to pay money to stay at my house."

Wen dared not object; whatever Old Man Qian said went.

"Second brother, go back and tell your little sister that we'll be back in a couple of days."

Xu Gong: "Mother, I'll bring you dinner tonight."

With an oxcart for transportation, the journey back was quick. Xu Gong secretly planned to take the mountain route on the way back to make it faster.

……

A series of dull thuds of hooves sounded at the door, followed by the village chief's voice: "Qing girl, open the door quickly."

Xu Qing thought her brothers had returned, so she hurriedly ran out and saw a simple carriage parked outside the courtyard.

The village chief stood beside the carriage, surrounded by a large group of villagers at a distance.

Xu Qing guessed that it must be the county magistrate who had arrived.

She opened the courtyard gate and greeted, "Uncle Xu."

The carriage curtain was lifted, revealing the plump, white figure of the county magistrate: "You are Madam Xu?"

The voice that asked the question was relatively kind.

The village chief was able to stand up straight and speak fluently just moments before, but he became nervous again as soon as the county magistrate appeared.

Just now, the county magistrate suddenly came to his door and asked Xu Qing where he lived. He thought he was hallucinating.

Xu Qing: "Yes, sir, you've come to pick up the young master, right? He's still taking a nap. I'll go wake him up."

The magistrate said, "I'm sorry to bother you. I'll go in and call him."

Xu Qing gestured for them to come in. Since the Wen family hadn't returned yet, she let Zhou Chenggong sleep in the Wen family's room first, while the two little girls shared a room with her.

After Xu Qing pointed out the direction, he went to the kitchen and poured out two bowls of water.

After thanking him again, the county magistrate entered Zhou Chenggong's room.

Xu Qinghe and the village chief waited outside the courtyard.

The village chief took the water, took a sip, and said admiringly, "Qing girl, you're amazing. When the county magistrate was standing next to me, my hands were shaking uncontrollably, but you could still speak normally."

Xu Qing replied with a smile, "What's there to be afraid of, Uncle Xu? Look how kind the magistrate is."

The village chief wiped the sweat from his brow, gulped down the water, put the bowl back in the kitchen, and then said, "He is very kind, but I just can't control myself."

At that moment, the sound of arguing came from inside the house.

“I don’t want to go back. All you ever do is make me study, you never care if I’m happy or not. My mother is even worse, she controls what I eat. I have no freedom at all in that house!”

"You unfilial son! How can you understand reason if you don't study? How can you criticize your parents like this? Have all your education gone to waste?"

Xu Qing's house was a thatched hut with poor sound insulation, making Xu Qing and the village chief feel quite awkward standing in the yard.

They didn't want to listen either; how could they possibly listen to the magistrate's family affairs?

“Come back with me right now. Didn’t you not want to study? You might as well kneel in the ancestral hall and get up when you’ve figured things out.”

A long silence followed inside. Outside, the village chief seemed unsure what to do with his hands and feet. "Qing, what's going on? Shall we go in and take a look?"

Xu Qing comforted him, saying, "Uncle Xu, the magistrate's education of his son is a family matter, and it's not appropriate for us to interfere."

Although Xu Qing does not agree with educating children in this way.

"go!"

The magistrate's roar echoed from inside the house again, accompanied by dragging sounds, making Xu Qing almost unable to stand.

Let's talk this out. This magistrate is usually so kind to them, so why is he so irritable with his own child?

"I'm not leaving! I'm not leaving! Do whatever you want, I'm not leaving! Just beat me to death right here!"

"Snapped"

The village chief stammered, "The sound is so loud, we should go check on it, lest the child get hurt."

Xu Qing stepped inside and saw Zhou Chenggong sitting on the ground, with the county magistrate pulling him up with all his might.

Zhou Chenggong's face was full of stubbornness, while the county magistrate's brows were so furrowed they could trap a mosquito.

"Sir, may I speak with you in private?"

Xu Qing's voice broke the stalemate between the two.

The magistrate withdrew his hand and gave Xu Qing an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry you had to see this. Let's go outside and talk."

Stepping out of the house, the village chief automatically moved to the outside of the yard and shouted at the approaching villagers, "Stop making a fuss and get back to work."

The magistrate stood in the courtyard, a bitter smile on his face, his demeanor noticeably weaker. He seemed like a completely different person from before he went in.

After carefully considering his words, Xu Qing slowly spoke:

"My lord, since Young Master Zhou doesn't want to go back, why not let him stay here for a few days?"

While reading is important, forcing children to read will only backfire. As the saying goes, "Read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles, and your mind will be cleansed of worldly dust, and your inner world will naturally be filled with wisdom."

Doesn't this just prove that reading books and appreciating the scenery of different places are equally important?

The officials are our parents and the people's officials. They understand the hardships and difficulties of the common people best. If Young Master Zhou only reads books and does not put them into practice...

If he grows up to be a pedantic person who knows nothing of human suffering and only knows how to read books without knowing how to adapt, then that's it.

It's almost harvest time, so let him experience the hardship of working. Maybe he'll come back on his own.

I will definitely not treat him differently.

The county magistrate looked at Xu Qing in surprise, muttering to himself, "Read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles, and your mind will be cleansed of worldly dust, and naturally, a profound understanding of nature will emerge."

"I'm ashamed to admit that I'm not as insightful as you are. Has Madam Xu been to school?"

Xu Qing: "I'm just an ordinary village woman. I've never been to school. I only learned some things by listening to scholars discussing articles when I went to town to sell roujiamo (Chinese hamburger)."

Xu Qing thought to himself, "I'm such a clever fellow. Going to town to do business is a great idea. I can use it as an excuse for anything."

The magistrate was once again filled with admiration. "He can remember things just by listening to people talk about them. He's really smart. If he were to study, he would definitely be a good student. What a pity."

"Then my child will have to trouble your family. I'll come back to pick him up after the autumn harvest." The magistrate turned around and called out towards the carriage, "Master."

A middle-aged man with a goatee came running over and handed over a purse with both hands.

The magistrate took it, took out five taels of silver, and lowered his voice to say:

"This is a tip for your hard work, you must accept it. But don't tell that brat, let him eat whatever you're eating."

Make him do whatever work you're doing. Don't give him any preferential treatment just because he's the magistrate's son. This time, make sure he suffers a lot.