The Story of a Spoiled Daughter Raising a Husband

"Pah! What do you mean by 'for the village children'? I think you just want to take this opportunity to make a quick buck!" Someone finally couldn't hold back and blurted out the insult in front of everyone.

Tong Qian had been waiting for a long time and was getting impatient. Finally, the troublemaker appeared, and she immediately became excited, a smile on her face. "Go and see."

If they hadn't made a fuss, but had waited until later, she really wouldn't have known what to do. But since they've started making a fuss now, well, that's easier to handle.

Upon hearing this, the ten burly men stepped forward and grabbed the troublemaker.

"Oh? So you think I'm making money off you?" Tong Qian frowned, glanced at the man, clicked her tongue twice, and then stood aside nonchalantly.

“I have said that if you are not willing, you do not have to give this money. At the same time, your children are not allowed to come to our private school. I have never forced you to do so.”

As she spoke, she paced back and forth a couple of times with her hands behind her back, then said, "You want to send your children to our private school but don't want to pay any money? There's no such thing as a free lunch. Even if I, Tong Qian, had money, I wouldn't spend it like this, would I?"

In fact, she had already done the math. This village was quite large, with about eighty or ninety children. If she let them all in, even one tael of silver per child wouldn't be enough to buy the courtyard. She wondered what these people were thinking.

"Alright, Wang San, Tong Qian meant well, why are you saying such things about her?" Soon, voices of condemnation arose from the crowd, but this time the condemnation was directed at the man.

Tong Qian coldly watched them as they seemed to be standing up for her, feeling annoyed.

These people can always make sarcastic remarks until the needle pricks them; only when the needle pricks them will they start to panic and realize what they should do.

Once the first person started it, others naturally joined the man's camp, and soon the place was divided into two factions: one protecting Tong Qian, and the other demanding that Tong Qian allow her child to study at the private school free of charge.

Tong Qian remained silent, simply staring coldly at them, completely unconcerned about what they were saying.

The ten burly men, without her orders, stood there ignoring her.

They weren't panicked, but the village chief was. After all, things had gotten chaotic, and if a fight broke out, he would bear some responsibility.

With a forced smile, the village chief walked to Tong Qian's side and said, "Well, Qian'er, why don't you try to persuade them?"

He knew he hadn't treated Tong Qian well before, so he felt embarrassed to say that now.

Tong Qian looked at the village chief with a puzzled expression, then said, "Isn't it a good thing that they're doing this? If they have any grievances or anger in their hearts, they can say them out now, and they'll both feel better, won't they?"

What she said made sense, and the village chief couldn't refute it for a moment. He could only wipe the cold sweat from his forehead and pray that they would stop soon.

The situation here is getting increasingly heated, and it looks like a fight is about to break out soon.

Yun'er and Ke'er's group knew early on that Tong Qian was sensible, so they sat there and ignored what happened below.

It's all chaotic here right now. Nobody knows who stepped on whose foot or who pulled whose hair. They're all pushing and yelling at each other, and nobody's willing to back down.

Tong Qian glanced at the gentlemen, all of whom were calm and composed, and knew that she had not made a mistake in choosing them.

She selected these people not just for teaching, but also because if something happens here after she goes to the capital, she will rely on these teachers. If she can't stabilize things now, how can she expect them to do anything in the future?

However, she was quite satisfied with their performance today.

"Alright, you guys go and intimidate them, make them stop making noise." Tong Qian said to the burly man behind her, seeing that the noise had gone on for long enough.

Upon receiving the order, the ten burly men rushed forward and stood menacingly among them, frightening everyone into silence.

"The scene today is truly unsightly. This is an important ancestral hall. Don't you feel ashamed of your ancestors for acting like this?"

Tong Qian stood up, ignoring what they had been arguing about, and gave them a scathing critique before slowly walking to the center.

"As for this fee, I will naturally calculate it clearly. Those with some spare money at home will naturally have to pay. For those who don't, I can consider it accordingly. We've lived together for so long, I know your family's situation very well. It's just a matter of money. If your son becomes the top scholar in the imperial examination in the future, will this little bit of money still be a problem? As for your daughter, if she learns the arts well and is chosen by a good family in the future, then she will have gained something. I think you don't need me to say more about this, right? I think you can naturally understand the implications."

Tong Qian made her point clear, glanced at the people below, and then pretended to be tired, saying, "I'm tired today. If you want your children to go to school, then come here and let Mr. Liu write down your names. If anyone causes trouble, hmph, they won't be polite."

She snorted coldly as she spoke, and the ten burly men responded by taking a step forward.

After hearing her words, everyone quieted down and didn't dare to say another word, obediently lining up in line.

Seeing that they were all behaving themselves, Tong Qian was satisfied.

Although she could say these words before, they were not as good as they are now. Only after those who are dissatisfied have made a fuss and know that someone is against them will they not dare to act rashly in the future.

With Yun'er, Kui'er, and ten strong men here, and the gentlemen all around, she felt relieved and led Ke'er and the others back to the courtyard.

Ke'er and the others had experienced similar situations before, and they knew how to deal with them in the future. Now that everything was settled, there was no need for them to stay any longer.

When Mr. Liu and his group returned, it was nearly dusk. Mr. Liu was carrying a stack of papers, indicating that there were quite a few of them.

Despite their commotion, they all genuinely wanted their children to study at this private school, a fact that Tong Qian knew, which is why she dared to say those things today.

"These lists, are they?" Mr. Liu asked, holding the papers in both hands with some doubt.

Tong Qian smiled politely, then called over A Yue and Ke'er, "You two go back and copy this list twice more. I'll tell you how to copy it later. You can take it over first."

The two took the stack of papers, knew what to do, and left.