Chapter 892 A Dream of Youth 424

Chen Wanniang knew that Xie Wangzhi respected this elder sister very much. After all, the Xie family had many descendants, and Xie Wangzhi had not yet shown his talent at that time, so he was not valued.

Grandpa and Grandma Xie both made a living in town and could only return home once every few days. In fact, Xie Wangzhi was raised by Xie Yun, even though the two were only two or three years apart in age.

When Xie Wangzhi was bullied, Xie Yun was the first to help him fight back.

Back then, adults didn't really care about the little squabbles between children. As long as the beatings weren't too severe, they wouldn't interfere. Xie Yun had beaten someone too badly, so his great-grandmother gave him a severe beating with a bamboo whip as a warning to the family. Otherwise, they would have to pay compensation if things escalated.

Since then, Xie Wangzhi has stopped being naughty, and Xie Yun has also calmed down, becoming more and more obedient and gentle.

Seeing Chen Wanniang nod, Xie Yun's smile widened. She was rich, but she felt it was a waste to spend money on silks and jewels; she felt she was already wealthy enough.

Her idea to establish a charity came about after the restaurant was running smoothly. She saw beggars scrambling for food in a bucket filled with leftovers at the back door. The stronger ones grabbed more, while the smaller ones could only shrink back and wait for the group of beggars in front to finish grabbing before tiptoeing to see if there was any left in the bucket to fill their stomachs with swill.

Xie Yun led the younger children into the backyard, then took out her own dinner from the stove and shared it with them.

When Xie Yun saw the older child break off half of the half-eaten steamed bun he had given to his thin, small sister who was only three or four years old, he became even more silent.

Then they asked them why they were begging. The boy replied in a hoarse voice that his parents had abandoned him in the mountains because they had too many children and couldn't afford to pay the taxes, so they sent him to the mountains.

Whether he lives or dies is up to fate.

He ran back once, but the second time he was thrown up the mountain again and tied to a tree.

This time he didn't run away. He just picked up the stones on the ground and slowly wore down the straw rope. Then, amidst the distant howls of wolves, he walked out of the forest step by step.

His parents were probably afraid of encountering wild animals, so they didn't dare to go any deeper into the area and abandon him.

The young boy saw a baby girl in a ditch by the roadside. He didn't want to pick her up, since he himself was barely surviving.

But the baby girl was quiet, just staring at him with her big eyes. He finally stopped. Anyway, they were both children their parents didn't want. If they could die together, they would at least have a companion.

Xie Yun knew that the world was vast and there were many pitiful people, and she herself had once been a pitiful person.

Xie Yun's initial intention of simply giving them a meal and letting them leave wavered. Perhaps she couldn't help too many people, but she could help those in front of her.

So she followed her heart and bought a small courtyard to put all the little abandoned children in.

Her adopted son, Ayu, was the first child to call her mother, but not the last. Xie Yun subconsciously placed her hand on the purse at her waist, which was embroidered for her by the children in the charity.

She has many children, and the first lesson Xie Yun teaches them is not to be cowardly.

The charity, and she, will always stand behind them, so they don't have to swallow their anger when others bully them.

Perhaps it was also a way of telling the Xie Yun of the past that she has a family who loves her, that she can stand tall, and that she doesn't need to be afraid or apprehensive.

Her family also supported her decision to open the charity. Chen Wanniang even told her that when the children in the charity got older, they could work in weaving workshops and pharmacies, where they could not only learn skills but also earn money.

Although Grandpa and Grandma Xie often complained that their children were all other people's children, they still visited them frequently and taught them skills. Whether they were boys or girls, they were able to survive by relying on the skills they learned.

Xie Ning quietly invested money and then wrote a memorial to the throne, saying that Xie Yun did a good job, but such things should actually be done by the imperial court.

Specifically, this means that the imperial court was the main body, while charitable halls established privately by the people were the secondary body.

Moreover, the reason why people abandoned or killed their children was due to some policies of the imperial court.

Xie Yun didn't really understand; over the years, she had only learned a few characters and could do basic accounting.

She didn't think she had done anything great; she simply helped someone out when she could.

It helps others and brings joy to oneself.

Chen Wanniang leaned back on the couch, listening to Xie Yun talk about her plans, and she also thought about what she needed to do when she returned to her hometown.

There were already schools in the capital that specialized in teaching textile technology. Not only in the capital, but also in Quanzhou and some prefectures that had Yunxia Weaving Workshops, there were such schools.

The one in the capital was larger, since it was meant to train people for the official workshops. But in recent years, the official workshops have also been opening their own schools to teach textile techniques.

There were very few schools that specialized in teaching medical technology, especially private ones.

In Chen Wanniang's opinion, their shop in the capital was probably the only one of its kind.

Xie Ning initially intended to recruit only women, but considering the current situation of the Imperial Medical Bureau and the representativeness of this first private school, he changed his mind.

In the end, both boys and girls were admitted, but they were taught separately.

The opening of such a medical technology school broke some monopolies in medicine and was bound to attract suppression, but Xie Ning felt that his background was strong enough, so he was not afraid.

Moreover, she had already thought of various countermeasures.