Finally, unable to understand and not wanting to be laughed at by classmates, he dropped out and ran back home, clamoring never to go to school again.
Mrs. Xu's heart ached for her son, so she let Xu Chunlai hang around at home and in the village.
All this she learned from Third Sister.
Later, when Lao Wu came of age to attend school, Mrs. Xu sent him to school as well, but Xu Chunwang's mind wasn't much stronger than Xu Chunlai's. He barely managed to complete elementary school after eight years.
Then, following suit, he started idling about like Xu Chunlai, and the family relied solely on their parents and the sisters' earnings from working for a living.
Feeling aggrieved, Xu Chunmei glared at Xu Chunlai. To her surprise, it seemed her words infuriated him, and he slapped her across the face on impulse.
