Chapter 49: Proposing to Build a House and Sending the Children to School

Li Zhengqiang drove his family's ox cart to the doorstep. The weather had been cold lately, and few villagers ventured outside. With the New Year approaching, everyone busied themselves tidying up at home.

“Big brother, Father, come out and help carry things!” Li Zhengqiang shouted toward the house.

“It’s your mother and Second Brother, they’ve returned. Let’s go help them with their things,” Li Daping said, setting down what he was holding and heading outside.

“Mm, mm,” Li Zhengyi replied, quickly following.

Dong Fangfang cradled a small child in her arms, soothing him, while Li Ziru played with the baby nearby. She was no longer the youngest in the family, now that a little brother had arrived—such a tiny thing.

Jiang Yu said to Dong Fangfang, “Fangfang, keep an eye on the children. I’ll go outside and see if I can help.”

“Alright, Sister-in-law, go ahead,” Dong Fangfang nodded.

Li Daping and Li Zhengyi, seeing both the ox cart and Li Su, assumed there must be a lot of goods, perhaps borrowed from his mentor or friends in town, as was usual. They had grown accustomed to this.

They hurried their unloading, but when Li Daping finished, something seemed off. Previously, every borrowed cart arrived with someone accompanying Xiao Si, and once the goods were unloaded, the driver would leave.

“Xiao Si, did you drive the ox cart yourselves today?” Li Daping asked, puzzled. How would they return the cart?

Feng Cuicui answered, “Of course we drove it ourselves. It’s our own cart. Who else would bring it for us?”

“What?”

Li Zhengyi scratched his head. “Mother, did we buy an ox cart?”

“Xiao Si bought it. He said it’s more convenient for trips and for plowing the fields later,” Feng Cuicui explained. She no longer felt so distressed about spending money, thinking that owning their own cart would indeed be more convenient.

Li Daping suddenly remembered something. “Xiao Si, how did you do in the exam this time? Are the results out?” He cared deeply about this. His greatest wish was to see Xiao Si become a scholar.

Hearing this, Feng Cuicui perked up. “The results are out! Xiao Si ranked first in the county! Do you know what being first in the county means? It’s the top scorer in this round of exams! The customers in the shop said Xiao Si might achieve the ‘Three Consecutive Firsts.’”

Li Zhengqiang nodded in agreement, and Li Ziliang added quickly, “Three Consecutive Firsts means being ranked first in three consecutive exams!”

Li Daping and Li Zhengyi were stunned, but after a moment, Li Daping burst out in joy. “Excellent! Xiao Si, you’ve made us proud! Strive to become a scholar this time!” The Li family would finally bring honor to their ancestors.

“Xiao Si, you’re amazing!” Li Zhengyi could find no fancy words to praise Li Su, but his expression said it all.

Li Su saw his family’s joy and could not help but feel happy himself. No matter how well he had done in the past, no one ever cared.

Here, doing well truly brought him a sense of accomplishment.

He was determined to keep forging ahead, to achieve the Three Consecutive Firsts and become a scholar, with the next goal being the Sixfold Success.

Now that he was here, he must dare to dream—and aim for first place every time.

Li Su smiled. “It’s nothing.”

“By the way, Father, where should we keep the ox?” Only now, with the ox at the door, did he realize they hadn’t prepared a shelter.

Li Daping glanced at the ox. “Don’t worry about that. I’ll throw together a shed for now. Xiao Si, you picked a good ox—it looks strong.” He uttered his admiration.

Who would have thought the Li family would own an ox? This year, they wouldn’t have to pull the plow themselves. With the ox and a curved-beam plow, Li Daping could scarcely imagine how much easier the work would be.

“Of course I picked a good one—the best ox from the dealer, though it was expensive,” Feng Cuicui sighed. But since Xiao Si had earned the money himself and was thinking of the family, it was his heartfelt gesture. Expensive or not, so be it.

Li Su quickly changed the subject. Talking about money always made his family anxious. “Father, let’s bring everything inside. We bought a lot of vegetables, not just New Year’s goods. Tonight’s meal will be sumptuous.”

“Yes, let’s celebrate Xiao Si and wish him success in every exam to come,” Feng Cuicui said, picking up vegetables and carrying them into the house.

The family moved quickly, bringing all the goods inside.

By the time Jiang Yu arrived, most things had already been moved.

Dinner that night was lavish. Before the meal, Li Su said to his family, “Father, Mother, I’ve invited my mentor and Uncle Lin to spend the New Year with us, so we can celebrate together.”

“That’s how it should be. Your mentor has been good to you, and your achievements owe much to his guidance. We should thank him properly.”

“Yes, but our home is not as comfortable as those in town. I hope he won’t mind,” Li Daping said, agreeing with Li Su’s decision but worried about not giving his mentor the hospitality he deserved.

“It’s just a meal together. My mentor won’t mind. I mainly worry that he and Uncle Lin might feel lonely spending the New Year alone,” Li Su explained. His concern for his mentor had grown.

Two old men spending the New Year with a crowd would be a very different atmosphere.

“Let’s prepare a room for them ahead of time,” Li Daping suggested, wanting to offer the best hospitality possible.

Feng Cuicui nodded, “Then tomorrow we’ll buy extra vegetables in the county. Since Xiao Si’s mentor is coming, we must be even more generous.”

“And there’s one more thing. I plan to rebuild our house. Father, please ask the village leader to buy a plot of land. We’ll build a brick house,” Li Su said, producing his own drawings. “This is what I have in mind. Take a look and see if you want to change anything.”

The Li family stared at the drawing, marveling at the elegant house—something they had never seen before.

No one wanted to change a thing, but such a house would surely cost a fortune to build.

They had earned quite a bit in the past months, but after buying a shop in town, building this house would be difficult—money was tight.

But this was Xiao Si’s wish…

The family hesitated. After a moment, Li Daping asked, “Xiao Si, why do you suddenly want to build a new house? We’re living comfortably enough here.”

Li Su explained gently, “It’s bound to happen sooner or later. The children are growing up. We can’t have them all sharing a room forever. With a new house, each child will have their own room.”

The four children looked up at Li Su. Their own rooms? They could hardly believe it, gazing at him with eager anticipation.

Li Daping thought it over. “Xiao Si makes sense. But for this house, each family should contribute some money. The communal funds are running low, so let’s all pitch in.”

Everyone looked at Li Su’s drawing—such a house was irresistible.

Li Zhengping nodded. “I agree.”

Li Zhengyi and Li Zhengqiang quickly voiced their agreement as well.

Li Su had intended to pay for it himself, but he realized that if he did, his family would likely refuse the house rather than accept his generosity. This way, having everyone contribute was better.

Li Zhengping stroked Li Zixi’s hair. Spending a little to build a new house, to give Xixi her own room, was a good idea.

With everyone in agreement, Li Su continued, “I also want to send a few of the children to school.”