Chapter 150
Guaizai was riding the bicycle, while the other children, playfully acting like monsters with flailing arms and claws, chased after him, howling with a chorus of "Aowu aowu!"
When it was He Xiaodong's turn, Guaizai would join the other children in playing the monster. They couldn't stay still for a single moment, it was all so thrilling that each of them was soon dripping with sweat.
The children took turns playing. At first, it was just Fang Zichen and Guaizai, and their laughter and shouts could be heard across half the village. Now, with several more children joining in, the noise truly spread throughout the entire village.
Ma Xiaoshun, Zhou Dazuo, and a few other children stood at a distance, watching Guaizai and the others ride the bicycle, their eyes filled with envy.
They had never seen such a toy before.
Before Ma Wen lost his job, he earned several hundred coppers a month. While this sum wasn't much to look at in town, in their impoverished village, it was considered a top-tier income. Coupled with their extensive farmland, the Ma family was considered a top-tier wealthy household in the village.
Ma Lao'er would occasionally take Ma Xiaoshun to town for fun. Even so, Ma Xiaoshun had never seen a toy like this bicycle.
The toys for children in town were mostly rattle-drums, small bamboo-woven animals, and tops.
If this had been before, they probably would have gone up and tried to snatch it. But after being taught a lesson by Fang Zichen once, they were too afraid. Now, they could only watch with longing eyes.
"What on earth is that thing they're sitting on?" Several women who had been standing nearby at some point asked.
"I don't know. I've never seen it before."
"I heard it's something Young Fang brought back from the prefectural city," said someone with more reliable information.
"No wonder," another said. "I was thinking I'd never seen it in town either. It looks like quite fun, seeing those kids laughing like that."
"Things from the prefectural city probably aren't cheap. That Young Fang really dotes on his stepson."
"Absolutely. Last time I saw Guaizai with a piece of candy in his pocket, it must have been bought from the Gaopinzhai. I've been in there before, the things inside are terribly expensive. A piece of candy this big," she gestured with her hand, "about the size of a peanut, costs six coppers."
"Six coppers? That's practically robbery!" Several women gasped in shock. The first woman continued, "Isn't it? I was also shocked at the time. I didn't dare look further and hurried right out."
A bowl of wontons in town cost about the same price.
Six coppers could buy a satisfying bowl of wontons with meat, but that same amount for a piece of candy that was gone after a few licks, it didn't fill one's stomach. Most people wouldn't spend their money so foolishly.
They wouldn't even buy such a thing for their own biological children once all year. Yet for a stepson, Fang Zichen not only bought it, but seemed afraid he might run out, buying a whole large package. Guaizai could eat one every single day.
"I heard he's also teaching Guaizai to read characters," someone suddenly said. "Is that true or false?"
"It's true," said He Xiaodong's mother, who was also there. "My little ger has already learned quite a few characters from Guaizai. In less than ten days, he's learned more than forty characters! And arithmetic too."
"What? He's teaching your Xiaodong arithmetic as well?"
The reason Fang Zichen could earn three taels of silver a month at Zuixiao Restaurant was precisely his skill in arithmetic.
"My Dali is too," said Liu Dali's mother. "This child used to be terribly mischievous, like a monkey, always jumping up and down, never willing to sit quietly for a moment. But now, since he started learning characters with Guaizai, he's become quite serious. Every morning he gets up and always reviews for half a shichen (1 hour) before he's willing to go out to play."
Everyone chattered away, but Qian-shi felt uncomfortable inside.
"There's a saying, what is it... something about 'near ink turns you black, near vermilion turns you red'? Ah, I don't really understand it. But for children! If they choose the right playmates, the benefits are many. If they choose wrong, apart from learning how to play in the mud and climb trees, they won't learn any real skills." One of the women glanced sideways at Qian-shi. Her son had once been robbed by Qian-shi's son, Zhou Dazuo. "Elder Sister Qian, it's not that I want to criticize you, but look at your Dazuo. All these years he's been following Ma Xiaoshun, what has he learned besides snatching things from other children? If you hadn't offended Young Fang and your brother-in-law back then, your son might have been able to play with Guaizai too!"
[近墨者黑，近朱者赤 (jìn mò zhě hēi, jìn zhū zhě chì): lit. He who stays near ink will turn black; he who stays near vermilion will turn red; fig. Your character is shaped by the company you keep—bad companions will corrupt you, while good ones will improve you.]
The others chimed in agreement: "That's right!"
"Thank goodness I never offended Zhao Ger before, and my son never bullied Guaizai. Otherwise, where would this good fortune be now? Even if learning a few characters won't make him a high official or earn him big silver, at least in the future when he goes out to find work, he'll be able to understand contracts and won't be easily cheated."
Qian-shi pressed her lips together and didn't speak, but inside, she was green with regret.
Back then, she had let Zhou Dazuo play with Ma Xiaoshun precisely to curry favor with the Ma family.
But even until the Ma family's 'decline', she hadn't managed to gain any benefits from her efforts.
On the other hand, the advantages of being on good terms with Fang Zichen were obvious.
Zhao Ger was close to Zhou Ger. They never should have treated Zhou Ger the way they did back then.
Now, people all over the village gossiped about their Zhou family behind their backs, saying that when a married-out ger was poor, the Zhou family ignored him, but as soon as he earned a little money, the Zhou family started acting shamelessly.
Having lived for most of her life, she had never seen people conduct themselves like this. It was utterly disgraceful.
Good news didn't leave the house, but bad news spread a thousand miles.
When Qian-shi returned to her natal family, her parents had scolded her severely, saying she had disgraced them and calling her foolish.
That night, her mother talked with her for half the night. After returning from her natal family, she regretted it even more.
What had been the point of seizing her brother-in-law's business opportunity back then? Had she maintained a good relationship with Zhou Ger, and had he become prosperous, wouldn't he have remembered her?
Fang Zichen had found a job for Du Xiaodu's fulang, Wu Ger at Zuixiao Restaurant. The two families weren't related in the slightest. He had seen their difficult situation, taken pity on them, and offered help. This clearly showed he was kind-hearted.
If her relationship with Zhou Ger had been good, and Zhou Ger put in a word for her, would Fang Zichen have refused to help them?
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