Chapter 9 - 9 Chapter 9: Generous Actions (2/2)

Mrs. Yang noticed Su Wenyue’s actions and, although she was pleased with her generosity, felt that the Fourth Daughter-in-law was too naive. A token gift for the younger members of the family would have sufficed, but she had gone overboard. Even though the Fourth Daughter-in-law’s mother’s family was wealthy and she had a substantial dowry, she couldn’t afford to be so extravagant. Particularly since Eldest Daughter-in-law was greedy, Mrs. Yang decided she would later need to instruct the Fourth Daughter-in-law to be more careful, so her sisters-in-law wouldn’t trick her out of her valuables. She needed to keep a tighter hold on her things.

Mrs. Yang was biased towards her youngest son, which was an unchangeable fact, and she naturally kept a close watch over her daughter-in-law. Besides, her daughter-in-law was going to spend a lifetime with her son; all those things would eventually belong to her grandson.

When it came to Second Brother Han Ping, he was just as straightforward. Both he and his wife were down-to-earth, feeling that bringing Su Wenyue, with her wealthy background, into the Han Family was a slight to her. Therefore, they couldn’t be stingy and let others make a mockery of their family, so the red envelope given to Su Wenyue was hardly lighter than the one from the eldest brother.

Han Ping was indeed fortunate, with a son and a daughter. His elder son, named Han Baofu, was already nine years old, and his younger daughter, named Han Xiaocao, was six. Su Wenyue gave Han Baofu a set of brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, and Han Xiaocao, like her sisters, received a pair of silver floral hairpins.

Seeing that Su Wenyue’s gifts were so substantial, Second Brother and his wife felt it would be embarrassing to accept them. They had thought that the welcome gift they prepared, although generous, was the extent of their means and couldn’t compare to what the Fourth Daughter-in-law gave their two children—not even a fraction.

“Fourth Daughter-in-law, these gifts are too generous. They are both too young to need such fine things. Besides, Baofu can’t even read yet. That brush, ink, paper, and inkstone are quite expensive; don’t let the boy waste them. Fourth younger sister-in-law, being learned as you are, you should keep these possessions for yourself.”

“Yes, indeed, Fourth younger sibling, you should keep these fine pieces for yourself.”

Han Ping repeatedly waved his hands, Mrs. Li voicing her agreement alongside him. Although she, too, wished for her son to learn to write and read—who doesn’t want their son to achieve great things?—the gifts were indeed too lavish. She had secretly visited the shop before and saw that just the paper alone cost several coins for a single sheet. It was clear that the quality of the paper the Fourth Daughter-in-law had given was far superior to what the shop offered, and the price must be even higher, not to mention the expensive brush, ink, and inkstone, which could not be bought without spending several taels of silver.

“Second Brother and Sister-in-law, don’t decline it any further. Not to mention that Baofu is now the only male heir of our Han Family, and our family’s future hope should already be learning to recognize characters and read. Even for a girl, being able to recognize a few more characters is good. I’m not speaking of pursuing official titles or scholarly honors, but reading can enlighten one’s reason and broaden one’s perspective, preventing others from taking advantage,” reasoned Su Wenyue.

Su Wenyue’s gifts had indeed reached the hearts of Old Man Han and Mrs. Yang. In most families, there tends to be a preference for males over females. With Han Baofu being the sole male descendant, both Old Man Han and Mrs. Yang had the previous intention to send Han Baofu to a private school to begin his education, but with the increasing chaos in the world and tightening finances, they had discarded the thought.

“Second child, Second Daughter-in-law, since Fourth Daughter-in-law is giving it with such sincerity, don’t refuse. Accept it,” Old Man Han said, speaking up as the Second Brother and his wife continued to demur.