Forced to marry, I picked up a young powerful official

Chapter 11: Others Can't Pretend

She was taught all her knowledge by her father Shen. Although her father did not hold a high official position, he was a genuine Jinshi. In addition, the Shen family had one or two Jinshi in their ancestors, so poetry and books have always been passed down in the family.

In addition to the men in the family studying for the imperial examinations, the women in the family also had to be literate and sensible.

Before Shen Pingwan was found, Shen Nankui was the only daughter of the Shen family. When she was six years old, it was Shen's father who started her education himself and taught her to read carefully for ten years.

She once thought that she was the happiest person in the world because she was loved by her parents.

Unfortunately……

It was all a dream after all, and none of this belonged to her. Now, she was just an orphan who had to depend on the Shen family.

Shen Nankui didn't want to think about it anymore, so she turned her head to look at Gu Yichuan, "Why do you ask this, my husband?"

Gu Yichuan smiled slightly, "Father-in-law is knowledgeable and talented. I heard that you have been taught by father-in-law since you were young, so you must be well-educated."

Shen Nankui shook his head modestly, "My husband, you are too kind."

Gu Yichuan looked at the eldest couple and said, "Brother, sister-in-law, Ayuan is seven years old this year. Haven't you always wanted to send him to school?"

When it comes to this, Gu Qingrong frowned.

"Yes, I originally wanted to send Yuan'er to the private school where you studied when you were young, but Mr. Zhao has gone on a long journey. Apart from this, there is no other school in the town. There is one in the county, but the tuition is too expensive, and my family does not have that much money on hand at the moment..."

Liang secretly glanced at Gu Yichuan and whispered, "If you ask me, my second brother is a juren now, and his knowledge is no worse than that of the teachers in the county academy. Why not let him teach our Yuaner? It can also save a sum of money for tuition."

Gu Qingrong glared at his wife, "Why are you bringing this up again? Yichuan will be taking the imperial examination next year. This is a critical moment. How can we delay him?"

"I'm not wrong. No matter how good the teachers outside are, can they be better than your own uncle? Besides, our second brother is so capable. If our Yuaner learns from him, he will definitely have a bright future."

"No, I don't agree. Yichuan's future is more important."

Liang was furious, "Then don't you want to think about your son?"

Gu Qingrong looked proud, "When my second brother becomes an official, we can hire any kind of teacher. Are you still worried that Yuaner won't be able to be taught well?"

The two of them were arguing quite loudly, and Mother Gu slammed the table with a gloomy face.

"Shut up, everyone!"

She first glared at Liang, then said, "The eldest brother is right. Chuan'er's imperial examination is important, and no one can hold him back. Yuan'er is still young, so I think we should put the issue of schooling aside for now."

After Gu's mother spoke, Liang dared not raise any objection.

"You all listen to me."

Seeing that the atmosphere was not good, Gu Yichuan hurriedly said, "Don't worry, mother. I am willing to teach Ayuan, but I have a lot of homework. When I am busy, I often can't take care of him. Learning requires perseverance. This is why I can't teach him. However, as I said just now, my wife's knowledge is passed down by her father-in-law. She is no worse than those scholars and students, so I want to ask her to teach Ayuan."

"This way, not only can Ayuan continue his studies, but the family can also save a lot of money on tuition."

He looked at Shen Nankui, "Madam, are you willing?"

Shen Nankui knew that he didn't want her to do rough work, so he came up with this idea, so he nodded and said, "Of course I am willing."

Song Dong'er looked doubtful, "Brother Chuan, you are too flattering to my second cousin's wife. All the teachers out there are highly respected people. How can my second cousin's wife, a woman, teach students? Although Ayuan is young, it is time for him to grow up. If he is taught badly by her, what will happen in the future?"

Mother Gu said sullenly, "That's right, Yuan'er is the eldest grandson of the Gu family, how can he recognize a woman as his teacher?"

"So what if she's a woman?"

Gu Yichuan disagreed, "Although women cannot take the imperial examinations, it does not mean that women do not have talent. The big families in the capital often invite female teachers to teach at home. Why can't women be teachers?"

"Besides, mother, Ayuan is seven years old now. It is the time for him to start studying. If we delay it, he may not be able to catch up with others in the future. Wouldn't that be a waste of his time?"

Mother Gu glanced at him sideways and said unhappily, "You speak so nicely, but you probably just want to protect your new bride and not let her work, right?"

Gu Yichuan smiled and said, "Not entirely. My wife can't do rough work, and Ayuan just happens to be in need of someone to teach him. Letting my wife teach Ayuan can also save a lot of money, which will also reduce the burden on the family, right?"

This made sense, and Mother Gu looked at Shen Nankui suspiciously.

"Can you do it?"

Shen Nankui smiled slightly, "Even if I say I can do it, my mother-in-law probably won't believe me. Why don't you let me give it a try first? Apart from other things, I may not be able to write those profound policy essays, but if I want to teach a school-age child, I am still confident that he can pass the Tongkat Ali exam."

Mother Gu felt a little relieved. Even if she disliked her daughter-in-law, she had to admit that Shen Nankui's bookish air was something that no one else could fake.

Besides, her own son would not be so foolish as to joke with his own nephew. Since he said it was okay, it must be okay. So she might as well let her try it first.

"Then you can try teaching first, but don't think of being lazy. Since you want to teach Yuan'er to read, you have to do your best."

"It's natural."

Mother Gu said sternly, "And what you just said, doing embroidery to supplement the family income, can't be left out either."

"Yes." Shen Nankui nodded.

After a bit of a fuss, Gu's mother felt much better and left first after dinner.

Shen Nankui didn't eat much, and Gu Yichuan, thinking that she got up early, accompanied her back to her room to rest.

No one knew where Song Dong'er had gone, and only the eldest family was left at the dinner table.

The two children ate happily, but Gu Qingrong's brows were still furrowed. He asked his wife, "Can my second brother's wife really teach our Yuan'er well?"

Hearing this, Liang rolled her eyes at him.

"Don't you always listen to your good second brother? Why don't you believe him when he says that your second brother's wife can teach you?"

Gu Qingrong sighed, "But she is a woman. I have never seen a woman who can teach students in my life."

Although Liang was somewhat dissatisfied with Shen Nankui teaching her son to read, she still became angry when she heard this.

"What's wrong with women? Gu Qingrong, I didn't expect you to be such a coward who looks down on women!"

Being suddenly scolded, Gu Qingrong was also furious.

"You took the wrong medicine, I didn't say anything to you!"

Liang stood up and glared at him. "I don't like my sister-in-law's behavior. In order to marry her, the eldest wife spent money and effort, but she not only has no dowry to subsidize us, but she can't even help me share the housework. So, I hate her, but this doesn't mean that I'm dissatisfied."

"Yesterday at the doorstep, your mother openly made things difficult for her, but she was not only not anxious or annoyed, but she was also able to give so many great truths that your mother had no choice but to bow down to a daughter-in-law who had not yet married. Just for this, I admire her!"