As dawn broke, the once silent Tianxiang County was awakened by a ray of sunlight on the horizon.

Song Ning got up early to wash up, eat breakfast, and then went to school.

Today is the official start of the school year. The teachers got up early, and couplets and plaques have been posted outside the gate. Firecrackers have also been prepared.

Today, all the teachers wore the school's uniform, their hair was neatly combed, and they were all beaming with joy.

When Song Ning arrived, Qiu Hua was already helping out.

Song Ning didn't stand on ceremony and offered to help him with anything he needed.

Qiu Hua may look frail, but he is quite capable when it comes to work.

When Zheng Gaoyi arrived, he immediately noticed the two people in the courtyard, and they looked at each other awkwardly.

"Lord Zheng has arrived?"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Gaoyi smiled and said, "Thank you for your hard work."

Qiu Hua bowed respectfully to Zheng Gaoyi and said, "Greetings, Magistrate."

Zheng Gaoyi nodded slightly, without any extra expression.

Song Ning thought of something, handed the matter at hand to Qiu Hua, and pulled Zheng Gaoyi aside: "Lord Zheng, I have something I would like to ask you for help with."

"What is it? Just tell me."

Song Ning leaned close to his ear and whispered something. Zheng Gaoyi glanced at Qiu Hua not far away and said knowingly, "Don't worry, leave this to me."

The group worked all morning and finally got everything arranged by Chenshi (7-9 AM).

Parents and children had been waiting outside for a while. As soon as the gate opened, everyone outside couldn't help but crane their necks to look inside.

Zheng Gaoyi stood in the center, gave a speech, and lit firecrackers, officially marking the start of the school's opening.

Song Ning stood guard at the entrance to the inner courtyard, giving each person who entered a plaque with the characters for "large," "medium," and "small" engraved on it.

Small characters indicate the class size, medium characters indicate the class size, and large characters indicate the class size.

Several teachers each took charge of a class. They stood in the courtyard, arranged for the students in their class to line up, and then led the students around the school to familiarize them with the environment. Finally, they took the children to their classrooms, which is what is referred to here as the study hall.

Those who did not bring their children today are also welcome to come in and visit.

However, there is a rule for entering the school: dangerous items are not allowed.

Before entering the school, there will be a check process, which Song Ning also made clear. All of this is for the safety of the children in the school.

If you can accept it, then come; if it can't be finished, then don't force it.

When everyone heard that it was for the children's sake, they all listened.

As for other school regulations, they were all relayed to students and parents by several teachers.

The people here have great respect for the teaching profession, and any words spoken by a teacher are regarded as gospel.

The children were very playful, running and making noise in the school, which immediately made the school lively.

Zheng Gaoyi stood next to Song Ning and smiled, "Now you can rest assured, right?"

The children who came in were both boys and girls; all of those who had registered had come.

"I never imagined that these little girls could go to school and learn to read and write," Song Ning remarked.

"This is all thanks to you."

Although many people still believe that education is useless for women, many are gradually changing their views because of Song Ning's example.

Otherwise, so many young girls wouldn't have come today.

“When I was in the village, I saw many women who could have had a better life, but they could only stay by their men’s side and could not go anywhere. All they could do all day was wash clothes, cook, take care of children, and serve their men and in-laws. They could not do anything else.”

"From a young age, I was taught that when I got married, I had to please my husband, and that everything had to go before him and my children. Women were subordinate to men and couldn't have their own thoughts..."

“My mother, my aunt, and many others, they all went through the same thing.”

She knew she couldn't change everything, but she would do as much as she could within her power.

Zheng Gaoyi patted her shoulder: "Er Ya, don't worry. As long as you're in Tianxiang County, you can do whatever you want. I'll cover for you."

Song Ning burst out laughing.

"Lord Zheng, aren't you spoiling me too much?"

"Is there?"

Song Ning nodded: "Yes, they all say that Lord Zheng raised me like a daughter."

Zheng Gaoyi is twenty-six years old this year. According to the age for marriage and having children here, he is indeed old enough to be her father.

Zheng Gaoyi suddenly laughed heartily: "It's not impossible. At my age, I'm more than capable of being your godfather."

However, this means that Song Ning and Xie Linzhou are from different generations.

If the Duke's mansion finds out, not only Xie Linzhou, but also Her Highness the Princess and Old Madam Xie will not let him off the hook.

Never mind.

Thinking about her age, Song Ning suddenly asked, "Lord Zheng, at your age, you should already be married and have children, right? How come I've never heard you mention it?"

Zheng Gaoyi's smile slowly faded, and he stared into the distance for a long time without saying a word.

Just when Song Ning thought he wouldn't answer, he suddenly spoke up: "My wife... is no longer here."

In Song Ning's eyes, Zheng Gaoyi was reliable, but also carefree and often acted irresponsibly.

This is the first time I've seen someone look like they're about to cry.

"I'm sorry."

"She's been gone...almost twenty years now..." he murmured to himself, gazing into the distance, his entire being utterly serene.

Twenty years... and the county magistrate hasn't remarried?

Song Ning couldn't help but admire him; there were probably very few men in the world who hadn't remarried nearly twenty years after their wives' deaths.

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