The road to wealth of a peasant widow

Chapter 165 Apprenticeship

Mr. Zou does not accept students casually. He requires the students to be satisfied after seeing his works before they can start studying.

Chen Cui brought Sui Sui to visit and met this independent woman in ancient times.

Although he said he was returning to his hometown to retire, Mr. Zou does not look too old, perhaps in his forties. The skin on his face and hands is well maintained, smooth and delicate, with only a few fine lines.

Chen Cui specially dressed up herself and her daughter today. Her attire was quite elegant and it wouldn't be considered rude even if they were attending a banquet. But when she came in front of Mr. Zou, she immediately looked like a village woman.

Mr. Zou is not dressed fancy, but simply and elegantly, with few pieces of jewelry on, but his clothes are well matched and he looks elegant, which shows that he has a good sense of taste.

When he met Chen Cui and her daughter, Mr. Zou was also very friendly. He first chatted with Chen Cui for a few words, and then started to talk to Sui Sui, asking her what books she had read and how many words she could write.

Suisui practiced calligraphy with his brothers, using the copybook that Chen Cuihua bought at a high price. Such an expensive thing certainly could not be wasted, so the whole family followed suit and practiced.

Mr. Zou looked at the words written by Sui Sui and frowned slightly, but soon relaxed his brows.

Then he asked Sui Sui what other hobbies he had and what he liked to do most.

Sui Sui often went out with Chen Cui. He had developed his courage and was not afraid of strangers. He would answer whatever the teacher asked, and his crisp voice was well-organized when he spoke.

Ms. Zou nodded secretly. Finally, she asked the little girl to take Sui Sui to the side to have some snacks. Then she turned to ask Chen Cui, "Mrs. Chen, what are your hopes for this child's future?"

Chen Cui was silent for a moment, but still said truthfully: "I want her to be able to live freely and independently in the future, instead of being like a dodder, relying on others to live."

She knew that it was difficult to achieve this in today's world, but as a mother, she still had good hopes for her daughter's future.

Mr. Zou was stunned for a moment, then nodded approvingly: "You are a good mother, and you really care about your child, but it is not easy to do this!"

"That's why I want to send my child to you, so that he can study and learn some skills, and then he can settle down in the future." Chen Cui said sincerely.

Before coming, she was actually a little worried, fearing that Mr. Zou was pedantic and conservative due to his own experience, or had a gloomy personality, and was not suitable to teach children.

After meeting him in person, she realized that the unhappiness in her marriage and life did not leave any bad marks on her. Mr. Zou was as gentle as a chrysanthemum, fresh and elegant, open-minded, and the most elegant person she had ever met.

She felt relieved to have such a teacher teaching her child, and very much hoped that he would accept Suisui as his student.

Mr. Zou smiled calmly: "Okay, I'll accept this child. Come over after breakfast in three days."

Chen Cui was overjoyed and thanked her again and again before taking Sui Sui away.

"Do you like this Mr. Zou?" In the car, Chen Cui asked Sui Sui's opinion.

"I like him. He's handsome and kind. I like him!" Sui Sui answered happily. Children's likes and dislikes are so straightforward.

"Then you must study hard and follow the teacher carefully in class." Chen Cui reminded.

Sui Sui nodded vigorously.

After settling on Suisui's schooling, Chen Cui felt relieved. She was really afraid that she would never find the right person and would delay the birth of her child.

To be honest, because her sons are more self-motivated in their studies, she doesn't worry about them that much. She even often advises them to balance work and rest and not to overwork themselves.

But she was extremely concerned about Suisui's studies, even more than her sons.

Even if her sons fail in their studies, they still have the family fortune she has saved. As long as they don't squander it, their lives will not be too bad in the future.

But if I don’t teach my daughter well, my future life will be unpredictable.

The basis of being at ease is to have good psychological quality and strong abilities, which require knowledge to support.

If you cannot receive a good education and positive guidance, then you will probably be like thousands of other women in this world, leading a mediocre life, letting everything go with the flow until you grow old.

Sui Sui was raised by Chen Cui alone. Except for not giving birth to her, she did everything a mother should do. She was unwilling to let the child she raised herself end up like this in the future, so she spared no effort to teach her well.

Three days later, Chen Cui sent Sui Sui to Mr. Zou, bringing the six gifts of apprenticeship and a tuition fee.

The six gifts are: celery (symbolizing diligence and love of study, excellence comes from hard work), lotus seeds (lotus seeds have a bitter core, symbolizing painstaking education), red beans (symbolizing good luck), red dates (symbolizing early admission to high school), longans (symbolizing fulfillment of one's virtues), and dried lean meat strips, to express the disciple's intentions.

These things are not difficult to prepare, and are insignificant compared to tuition fees.

Mr. Zou quoted the cost of enrolling students as eighty taels of silver a year, which was much higher than the tuition for men studying in the academy, and most people could not afford it at all.

Those who can afford the money would probably prefer to invest it in their own sons. Perhaps that was why Chen Cui did not see any other students when she sent Suisui away.

Mr. Zou didn't take it seriously. After Sui Sui finished paying respect to her teacher, she gave him a jade paperweight as a gift: "This is something I used before. Take it and play with it."

This green jade is transparent and is carved into a rabbit shape. It looks simple and cute, very suitable for girls. Suisui fell in love with it as soon as she saw it and kept thanking her.

Although Chen Cui felt that it was too expensive, it was a gift from the elder and she couldn't let her child refuse it. She could only think of a way to return the gift later.

Ms. Zou lived alone in a two-story house. She had a pair of old servants and two little maids who took care of her daily life.

The class was held in the west wing of the second courtyard, which was quietly and elegantly furnished with desks, writing brushes, inkstones, paper, and inkstones, as well as boudoir items such as guqins, embroidery stands, and even chessboards and abacus.

This is where classes are held. The fact that these things can be displayed proves that Mr. Zou is good at it and has enough confidence to teach students. Chen Cui couldn't help but sigh that she had made the right choice for this teacher.

Chen Cui is a modern person who has only received nine years of compulsory education. She can't play chess or play the piano, and she has no chance to learn these.

She even learned how to use the abacus from an old accountant two years ago, and she wasn't very proficient in it. Before that, she could only do mental arithmetic and vertical calculations, and she couldn't show them openly.

By following Mr. Zou year after year, she can learn some mainstream skills for women of this era, which will be of great benefit to her in her future life.

No matter what she wants to do in the future, whether to get married or not, and who to marry, the skills she has learned will always be hers. It is always applicable to have many skills.