Chapter 527 - 521_1
"I’m wondering what my cousin has planned for the future?" Zhao Erhu exchanged pleasantries with Zhao Anyu for a while before getting to the main topic. He wasn’t as soft-hearted as Lin Yue had imagined. His past leniency towards Zhao Dahuo and Zhao Yunxiang was because they were his direct older brother and sister, who had protected him when he was younger, deserving his affection. As for Zhao Anyu, although he was his cousin, they had only met a few times in the past. Far from affection, they were hardly even familiar with each other. If Zhao Anyu hadn’t been upright and driven to such desperation, Zhao Erhu might not have bothered to help at all. After all, when he himself had been kicked out without a penny to his name, no one had offered him help. It was only through his own abilities and perseverance that he had fought to build a family business.
Even now, having taken Zhao Anyu in, he did not plan to just support his cousin’s family indefinitely. It wasn’t his duty, nor was he obligated to provide for his cousin’s family. At most, he would support them until after the New Year. Once the holiday passed, Zhao Anyu would need to come up with a plan, whether it was working on the estate or something else. He might provide a temporary residence, but supporting a family was up to Zhao Anyu himself.
Zhao Anyu hadn’t expected his cousin to support his family at all and had already made plans. Upon being asked by Zhao Erhu, he replied candidly, "Speaking of which, I’d like to ask for my cousin’s help in finding a job on the estate. Whether it’s keeping accounts or working the fields, it’s all fine. I may not have many skills, but I will work hard."
Zhao Anyu had no other choice. With his qualifications, he could only look for work involving bookkeeping or writing. However, in the current unrest of Xin’an City, even such jobs were hard to come by. If it were manual labor, no one would hire him based on his scholarly appearance. There was no choice but to seek help again from Zhao Erhu. To make ends meet for his family, he had to set aside his pride.
Zhao Erhu was quite satisfied with Zhao Anyu’s response; he was down-to-earth, not one of those scholars who shunned worldly affairs and knew only their books. Even with limited abilities, Zhao Anyu understood the need to work hard to earn money and support his family. When Zhao Erhu asked the question, he had half-expected that Zhao Anyu would ask to borrow money to continue his studies and pursue official examinations. If that were the case, the most Zhao Erhu would have done was give him a few coins to send him on his way, resolving never to concern himself with their affairs again.
"Getting a job on the estate is possible, but since you have already earned the Scholar title, I fear you might not be able to continue your studies peacefully," said Zhao Erhu with a hint of probing in his voice.
"I’ll be frank with you, cousin. When my family was relatively wealthy, I was ignorant and focused only on my studies, never worrying about household affairs, which were managed by my mother and wife. Life was passable. But since the bully usurped our property and we ended up on the streets, I had no choice but to take on the family burdens. It was then I realized how useless a scholar can be. Trying to find work to support my family has been impossible. How shameful it is for a man of my stature to watch helplessly as my elderly mother and children suffer hunger alongside me. Now, I’ve put the thoughts of studying aside. If I can just provide for my mother and wife, I would be content," he lamented.