All pursuits were inferior; only learning stood above them.
Reading could teach people reason and improve their knowledge and character.
Books were also nourishment for the human spirit, and a person's knowledge and learning came from reading and study.
Mother Ye had visited various little villages and schools with the Women's Federation. She knew that many children dropped out after two or three years of school, having learned only a few characters, and were taken home by their parents to do farmwork. Even when teachers came to persuade them, the parents were unwilling to pay tuition to keep their children in school.
Children were their own parents' responsibility, and she had no say over her grandchildren, but it would be good to help cover a little of the cost, so their mothers wouldn't be shortsighted enough to stop sending them to school just to save on tuition.
Besides, all her sons had bought shops this year, and Dongzi had bought a boat too. They were probably all strapped for cash.
She and her husband had already contributed what they ought to toward the things they should help with. All they could do now was offer a little more toward the children's tuition. They had no more to spare; the two of them needed to save for their old age too.
Who knew? If their sons started one venture after another again, the old couple might have to dip into their burial savings to help them out. (Ye Yaodong in particular.)
When the three sisters-in-law heard that the extra New Year's money was meant for the children's school fees, they were all pleased. Ye Second Sister-in-Law smiled and said, "Mother, you're so generous. Having a job really has made a difference."
Ye Eldest Sister-in-Law and Ye Second Sister-in-Law each had three