Zeng Ruixiang found it somewhat strange that Tian Shi didn't seem as delighted as usual, but after some thought, he said: "Mother, this is a new set of clothes specially made for you and Father by Zi Fu's mother and Qing Er. Try them on to see if they fit?"

  "Whether it fits or not, isn't it just a cotton-padded jacket? I'm not as lucky as others who have people making silk, satin and velvet for them, and buying gold, silver and jade. My wife has never even heard of such things, let alone seen them."

  Tian's words made Zeng Ruixiang understand where the problem lay, "Mother, that was Zi Fu's 60th birthday party for his grandmother, arranged by several elder uncles. Mother, when you turn 60, my brother and I will also make it a grand celebration for you."

  "I don't have any opinion, isn't it just treating the whole village to a meal? As long as Chunyu and the others don't have any objections, and you're willing to spend money on gifts for me, I'm fine with it." Zeng Ruiqing said. It turned out that this custom of celebrating one's birthday is based on the daughter's ability, while the son only takes care of the food.

  "What's the use of having a son? It's better to have a good daughter." Tian heard her eldest son's words and couldn't help but blurt out.

  "Mother, you have three good daughters, let's see who will buy gold and silver for you in the future. I'm a useless son, but at least I give you a few taels of silver every year. Eldest brother has been married for many years, eighteen taels per year, not a single cent less than yours. You also raised three daughters, next year let your daughter support you too, and let Chunyu come first." Zeng Ruiqing originally had opinions about his mother's favoritism, this time after hearing Tian Shi's words, he replied without much thought.

  Tian's face turned red with anger, he wanted to argue back, but he knew his son-in-law was a good-for-nothing who only took and never gave. He didn't want to say anything, but he couldn't help feeling choked up inside. "You, you see which family has a son who lets their daughter support them? Aren't you afraid of losing face? I still want to leave some dignity for your family. I'm not like some mothers-in-law who have several sons and still cling to their daughter's family without leaving. Is it just because they're after the money?"

  "My mother-in-law has been helping out at home with childcare and household chores all these years. She's helped my wife, Yuemei, a lot, and also my older brothers who have come to help me with things when we were struggling financially. To be honest, our lives have improved, but they've only asked for some watermelon seeds and sweet potato seeds from us, nothing more. I've given the same to people on our side of the family too. Now that my older brothers' lives are better off, Yuemei is the youngest in her family and their only daughter. My mother-in-law misses her daughter and wants to spend more time with her since I'm often away from home, so she's helping out with childcare too - it's not unreasonable." Zeng Ruixiang couldn't bear listening to his own mother's distorted words, and for the first time, he argued back a few sentences.

  "It's just that Mother also doted on Chunyu, and in the past helped her out. I'm not saying let your sister support her for a lifetime, can't she even do it for a few months? It would save you from always envying others for having a good daughter who can take care of her own mother." Zeng Ruiqing said.

  "Alright, is that all? Rui Qing. Your elder sister's family has always been struggling, and your mother and I have been a bit biased towards her, which is normal. I've told you before, if one day Zi Ping doesn't do well, you'll feel sorry for her too. As the eldest son, you should take care of your younger brothers and sisters. But look at you now, you're like a gossipy old woman! Our family's conditions are difficult, but despite that, your parents let you and Er Ge study and learn to read and write without making you feel deprived. If not, when Chun Yu got married, our family would have been so poor we couldn't even afford the dowry? Your sister didn't say anything, did she? And what about Er Niu, if it weren't for lack of money delaying her medical treatment, would she be stuck with medicine every year? You think about it carefully yourself." The old man seemed exhausted after saying all this.

  The room fell silent for a moment, and after a while, Zeng Rui Xiang spoke up, saying: "Dad, mom, elder brother and sister-in-law, let's go to my place on New Year's Eve."

  The old man and Mrs. Tian had not spoken, Zeng Ruiqing said: "No, second brother, this year we will celebrate ourselves, now our family has also added people, it's better to be lively by ourselves, these two years have been noisy at your place, and besides, Dad and Mom are also celebrating with me this year, Dad just said so, how can I not be the eldest son? The house is small, so we won't invite you over."

  Zeng Ruixiang didn't say anything else and discussed the ancestral worship with them, then took Zi Fu and Zi Lu back home. Shen Shi heard that they would have New Year's Eve dinner at their own home this year and didn't say anything else.

  This year's New Year's Eve dinner, because there were no outsiders, the Shen family didn't prepare as many dishes. They just chose a few that their family members loved to eat. The whole family chatted and laughed together, making it more lively than previous years. After dinner, the whole family gathered around the fire pit in the east room to celebrate the passing of the year. Zeng Rui Xiang asked if Zi Fu had earned enough for his tuition fees for the year, and Zi Qing went out to fetch her account book.

  Zi Fu said: "We earned less than eleven taels of silver, it's really shameful, we still owe some."

  "Oh, it's already quite a few, are you just selling couplets?" Zeng Rui Xiang asked.

  "My brother also helps people write letters. Some people give him a topic on the spot, and he writes it out. They give him more money for his brush." Zi Rong said hastily.

  Originally, there was a restaurant owner who had an idea to tease them, thinking that the two young men wouldn't be able to come up with a new couplet that matched his business. Zifeng thought for a moment and then wrote: "Renowned throughout Anzhou, three cups of fine wine to intoxicate our guests; Fragrant aromas wafting from outside the garden, a hundred flavors of delicacies for you to savor." The boss was pleased and rewarded him with a string of cash. This attracted several onlookers who came forward to pose challenges, all of which Zifeng answered satisfactorily.

  "Alright, alright. Actually, letting you sell couplets is also a kind of training for you. As your father, I don't hope to cultivate you into bookworms who only know how to read books but not ask about the fields and crops. You should know that in the face of poverty, scholars are often useless."

  Ziying thought it was strange that his father could do everything from farming to hunting, but it turned out he had experienced all these things. The hardships of life taught him to put aside his own knowledge and that eating by one's own labor is not shameful.

  Qianzheng held the account book in her arms, and Shen's wife joked: "Let our little housekeeper report on the accounts and see how much silver our family has earned in a year?"

  Zi Qing said: "At this time last year, our family still had 840 taels of silver left. After the New Year, we sold 50 taels worth of oilseed cakes, paid 42 taels in shop rent, and made less than 2000 taels from watermelons, 140 taels from sweet potatoes, 50 taels from paddy field rents, 110 taels from raising chickens, and 10 taels from selling mutton. This year's total income is 2400 taels. The main source of income is still watermelons."

  Look at the surprised expressions of everyone, Zi Qing said again: "This year, buying two shops cost 1,000, buying water fields cost 310 taels, installing window glass 52 taels, jewelry and clothing materials 400 taels, buying land to build a house 20 taels, other miscellaneous expenses at home 10 taels, so our family still has 1,440 taels of silver.

  Zeng Ruixiang smiled and praised Ziqing, saying: "It's hard for you to be so young and remember things so clearly. You're much better than your mother, who gets confused when counting over a hundred. Your math skills are like those of Zifus, it seems that the student has surpassed the master! From now on, report your accounts once a year, and your mother and I will have a plan in mind. Very good, remember to keep it up."

  "Qing'er, look, even your father says I taught well, you still refuse to admit it. Come on, come and kowtow to your brother as a sign of gratitude." Zi Fu teased.

  "Little San, go and kowtow to your master's wife on behalf of your master, let her be pleased." Zi Qing pushed Zi Shou, who rolled his eyes and didn't move. The crowd burst into laughter.

  Shen said with a smile: "I'm surprised I didn't learn well, but I didn't have a good teacher to teach me, and if I couldn't learn, it's because the teacher didn't teach well."

  "Nonsense, since ancient times there have only been masters who look down on their apprentices for being stupid, but never have there been apprentices who dare to look down on their masters for being foolish?" Once Zeng Rui Xiang said this, everyone understood what was going on and burst out laughing.