Li Mingwei did not really want Wang Dazhuang to see the silver ticket, so she reached out to take the silver ticket back and hide it. But even though Wang Chunhua had fainted, she was still clutching the money tightly and Li Mingwei could not pull it out for the moment.
The footsteps were getting closer and closer. Li Mingwei had no choice but to use the quilt to cover Wang Chunhua's lower body.
"What's wrong? What happened?"
"It looks like she fainted."
Li Mingwei's voice carried some apology. She did not expect to make such a situation either.
Wang Dazhuang went up to support Wang Chunhua and shook her, but did not wake her up. So he pinched her philtrum, "Sister, sister, wake up!"
The repeated calls beside her ears gradually sobered up Wang Chunhua. She opened her eyes in confusion, "What's wrong with me?"
Wang Dazhuang looked at Li Mingwei. Wang Chunhua quickly realized it. She touched the silver ticket under the quilt to make sure it was real, and then explained it herself, "Maybe I'm a little tired from selling vegetables today. Brother, please go out first. I want to sleep some more."
Just tired from selling vegetables for a while?
This was still his big sister? Wang Dazhuang knocked his head. Was it because her brother-in-law had pampered his big sister too much these years and made her so weak?
After he went out, Wang Chunhua hurriedly sat up and took out the silver ticket, "Where did you get this from?"
"My ex-husband gave it."
"Compensation?" Wang Chunhua nodded approvingly. "Your ex-husband still has some conscience!"
No, it was just monthly money. Murong Yu was very generous to her in other aspects. But Li Mingwei did not dare to explain too much. If she said how much monthly money she used to get, Wang Chunhua would faint again.
"So your ex-husband's family is so rich. Your family must be well-off too."
Li Mingwei hesitated for a moment and briefly said, "It's fine. My family mainly relies on my grandfather. My grandfather is a teacher with a lot of students."
"Oh, no wonder you are so knowledgeable." Wang Chunhua thought she understood. Studying is so expensive these days. With more students, you can definitely earn a lot of money every year. It must be well-off.
Seeing that she still wanted to ask, Li Mingwei quickly blocked her words, "Sister, we also have some money now. Xiao Ke does have some thoughts, but studying is never a bad thing. Why don't we..."
Wang Chunhua frowned and shook her head, "If I take the money home, how should I explain it? Should I say you gave it to me or that I picked it up?"
"Also, if I use the money to support Xiao Ke's studying, wouldn't I have to support the other nephews too? This money may seem a lot to you, but for five children, at least twenty taels a year, it would be gone in four or five years. When the money is spent, I cannot afford it anymore. How can I tell my family?"
Li Mingwei was speechless.
"You should take the money back and keep it for yourself. As a woman alone, you will need money in many situations in the future."
Wang Chunhua stuffed the silver ticket back into her hand and advised her earnestly, "Sister, don't be too soft-hearted. Look, you feel sorry for this one and sorry for that one. Don't you feel sorry for yourself? Has anyone ever cared about you?"
Such a nice girl before, how much suffering she must have endured on the road.
Li Mingwei stuffed the money back, "But sister cares about me."
"Alas..."
Wang Chunhua was silent for a moment and sighed, "Anyway, I don't want it. I have already taken what I should. You should keep the rest for yourself."
"I can't use so much." Li Mingwei lowered her eyes and told Wang Chunhua her plan, "I won't lack money when I go home either."
Wang Chunhua was stunned for a moment, "You...want to leave?"
"It's still early. I just promised Mr. Jin to go back and teach. I will stay for a few more months and earn some travel expenses."
"You lack that little travel expense?" Wang Chunhua's heart sank. She didn't know what to say for a moment. She knew that Li Mingwei would go back sooner or later, but when she said it, she still felt very uncomfortable.
Still, she advised, "You don't lack money either. Hire a carriage when the time comes. Don't walk by yourself again, it's too dangerous."
"See."
It was not that she would go back home immediately. It was just the direction. If she encountered good places on the way, she might stop again, who knows?
Wang Chunhua hesitated for a while and whispered, "What about scholar Liu then?"
"Yes." If she didn't mention it, Li Mingwei had almost forgotten. She pleaded, "Sister, before I leave, leave some money for you again. Before your marriage next autumn, help me give it to him when there is a chance."
"You..."
"It's okay, sister. If he can really pass the exam, it will owe me a favor, right?"
Maybe they could meet again in the capital city. By then, she could ask him to pay her back.
Wang Chunhua knew that what she wanted was not the non-existent favor, but she did not poke at it and nodded, "Alright, sister will remember."
Since she said she was leaving, the atmosphere at home has been somewhat depressed. Li Mingwei couldn't stand it, so she took the new brush and ran to Mr. Jin's place. She also ran out of paper.
"You've run out of paper again?"
Mr. Jin remembered that she had bought a lot of paper here not long ago.
Li Mingwei grinned. She used it to cut small paper slips, and forgot to take back the leftovers, "Used it all up!"
Mr. Jin turned around to get her some paper. Only then did he see the brush in her hand. He had good eyesight. With one glance, he knew this brush was no cheap product, "Are you practicing handwriting?"
Buying such a good brush and using so much paper, she must be practicing handwriting.
"No, I want to write something."
Li Mingwei took the paper and went back to her seat. She bit the brush and thought for a moment before writing anything. Instead, she found some scrap paper to practice first.
She had been away for too long. Some things were not remembered so accurately and needed to be reconsidered.
Mr. Jin had classes, so he did not have much time to bother with her. He let her mess around upstairs by herself. But several children took the opportunity to run to the stairs when class was over, wanting to see if she really came back.
Dong Lei pushed them away and ran straight upstairs, "Auntie, you are back!"
With the first one taking the lead, the other children were not shy anymore and ran up around her, "Is teacher Li Mingwei coming back to teach?"
"She must be back. My handwriting got much worse without teacher Li Mingwei."
Li Mingwei knocked on his head, "Then you must have been lazy!"
She scanned the children and pretended to be stern, "What about you guys? Has your handwriting gotten worse?"
No one wanted to get hit. They could only shake their heads repeatedly, "No, no."
Some even pointed at the child who just spoke, "Only him got worse."
It almost made that child blush. If she was not there, they would probably fight again.
Li Mingwei smiled bitterly and quickly separated them, "Don't just say it, my word is final. I will have class in a couple of days. If I find anyone's handwriting got worse, there will definitely be punishment. You still have time to practice. Go and work hard!"
The children were threatened and scrambled away. Li Mingwei grabbed Dong Lei, "Remember to notify others."
"I know, auntie."
Before formally teaching, Li Mingwei also asked Mr. Jin about the six new enrolled children. They had just arrived not long ago and were still unfamiliar with the new environment. So they were quite obedient during the day and nothing special.
So her returning to the classroom went smoothly. Just like last year, she taught handwriting class, which was not difficult. Mr. Jin wanted her to teach some other classes, but she refused.
She did not tell Mr. Jin that she was going to leave soon, because Mr. Jin would definitely tell Liu Yizhu. So she randomly lied, "You know about the incident last year that said I behaved improperly. Just watching them practice writing is fine, but I'm afraid I can't teach classes. I don't want to cause more trouble."
Mr. Jin could only say disappointedly, "Well, what you said makes sense too. Then forget it."
