Li Lianghua's cloudy eyes began to spill tears without her realizing it.
The county magistrate panicked as soon as he saw her crying. "Lady Shuo Ren, this is the greatest joyous occasion! Why are you crying?"
Li Lianghua's grandchildren also hurried over to comfort her.
Her three sons and daughters-in-law, meanwhile, knelt on the ground, not daring to rise.
They exchanged glances and saw the shock in one another's eyes.
Their minds buzzed, their hearts pounding like thunder.
They had once been illiterate too, but ever since the Sovereign had taken a special interest in their old mother, the whole family had risen like a dog or chicken lifted into the heavens. Even the county magistrate treated their family with respect. They had spent their whole lives groveling and bowing to others, but now, all at once, they had become gentlemen. They lived in fine houses with their mother, and the neighbors came to curry favor with them. Even their mindsets had subtly changed.
To live up to their new social standing, the brothers had spent their savings to hire a scholar to teach them to read. Every so often, they also had their children, who attended the academy, teach them. With much stumbling and reluctance, they had managed to chew their way through a hundred or so characters. Now that they had some ink in their bellies, their understanding had naturally risen several levels. What the county magistrate held in his hands was something they could not have hoped to possess even after several generations.
When the county magistrate left, he left the booklet behind.
He also left the gifts bestowed by the authorities.
Inside were rice, flour, cooking oil, and cloth and needles.
Li Lianghua's eldest son respectfully escorted the county magistrate to the gate. He tried to