Mo Yan felt quite helpless in her heart, but she didn’t force the issue. The lantern festival was crowded with people, and any accident could easily lead to chaos. If sothing did happen, there wouldn’t even be ti for tears, since not everyone was as fortunate as she was.
The Lantern Festival that year was warm and simple for the Mo Family. They hung two red lanterns at the door and everyone happily ate sweet rice balls together. They chatted while snacking around the warm brazier, enjoying a harmonious atmosphere.
Early on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, Mo Yan went with her younger siblings to send Mo Qingze off to the Academy. The carriage was loaded with plenty of rice, flour, eggs, vegetables, and at, as well as several jars of high-alcohol grape wine.
Though Mo Yan had repeatedly told her father to keep the wine and drink it slowly, Mo Qingze already knew that the grape wine wasn’t selling well in the shop. He was determined to gift so to his teachers and invite his close classmates to share a drink. He wanted to increase awareness of their unique wine, thinking that if people liked it, it could lead to unexpected gains once their winery was established.
Mo Yan was unaware of her father’s new "vulgarity," as she busily helped him pack his belongings and even prepared a nice al before he left, then she took the four little ones back to Liu Yang Village. Just as they reached the entrance to the village, Mo Yan, who was driving the carriage, was surprised to see small groups of villagers heading toward the village, whispering and discussing sothing. She could faintly hear words like "Mo Family" and "Wang Dali" carried by the wind.
Once ho, when Mo Yan asked Lixiu, she rembered that today was the day Wang Dali was to be expelled from the village. He had stubbornly refused to leave, trying to rush to their ho to plead for rcy, but luckily Yang Bao was there and had soone stop him in ti. Had the family heads been present, the situation might have escalated.
Wang Dali wouldn’t give up and lay in front of the Mo family’s door, refusing to leave. But Yang Bao wasn’t a village chief for nothing; he had seen this sort of persistence before. He imdiately called so strong young n to pick up Wang Dali and throw him out of the village. In the end, Yang Bao warned that if Wang Dali dared sneak back, he would expel Wang’s entire family from the village as well.
A strong, healthy man being expelled from the village could survive by working hard as long as he wasn’t disabled. But if he had a family to support, it wasn’t certain. Wang Dali, understanding the seriousness of Yang Bao’s words, didn’t dare linger and left in disgrace under the villagers’ eyes, carrying a tattered sack.
"Hmph, he deserves to be driven out. Without this troublemaker stirring up problems, our family’s life will be much more peaceful," said Zhenzhen with great satisfaction, her loathing for Wang Dali evident.
Mo Yan patted her head and advised, "No one likes a greedy person, but if one doesn’t strictly self-regulate, one might unknowingly beco that kind of person soday."
Upon hearing this, Zhenzhen shook her head vigorously like a rattle-drum, "No, no, Zhenzhen will reflect on her actions daily and definitely won’t beco that detestable!"
Amused by his anxious deanor, Mo Yan drew Yun Zhao to her side and spoke to them seriously, "In a few days, you’ll go to school. Your big sister doesn’t expect you to be extrely intelligent or have profound knowledge. I just hope you understand the principles of being a person and live upright and honorable lives."
Zhenzhen and Yun Zhao looked at each other, and eventually nodded solemnly to Mo Yan, who had hopeful eyes, committing her words to heart.
The school they were going to attend was a private institution called Zhizhi Hall, founded twenty years ago by two Scholars uninterested in an official career and ten capable Scholars who had repeatedly failed the imperial examinations. Though a private school, every student who graduated without dropping out earned the title of Scholar, making it quite famous in Jing City.
Had it not been for Han Zhiyun’s good relationship with the headmaster of Zhizhi Hall and his wholehearted advocacy, Zhenzhen and Yun Zhao wouldn’t have had the chance to attend. For this, Mo Yan was very grateful to Han Zhiyun, her uncle by recognition, and she had made sure to give him nurous good things when he ca to visit for the New Year.
On the eighteenth of the twelfth lunar month, Mo Yan personally drove Zhenzhen and Yun Zhao to Zhizhi Hall. After giving them a careful admonition, she left reluctantly. She had intended to go straight ho but halfway there, she rembered the iron pan and turned back to the blacksmith shop. Indeed, it was ready.
Seeing the newly made iron pan was exactly as she imagined, Mo Yan was extrely pleased. When settling the bill, she gladly gave the blacksmith an extra thirty wen. She happily took the sowhat heavy iron pan ho...
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