Chapter 150

The story of Mu Jin teaching her son to read at home quickly spread throughout Mu Family Village.

Some families began to get restless, as the villagers had saved up some money over the years in this peaceful and prosperous era.

The men in the family are studying at the village school, while the younger siblings cannot go.

Then look at Mu Bai. Because she was literate, she married and went to town to enjoy a life of luxury.

Although it is said that once a man or woman marries, they are like water spilled from a cup, if they marry well, some of the water can flow back to them.

He can't just ignore the fact that his brothers need his help.

Just like Mu Bai, good heavens, every time he goes back to the village to see Mu Jin, there are those big horse-drawn carriages, those big bags and small packages, it makes people's eyes water and their hearts itch.

Mu Jin was scaling fish in the vegetable garden. These days, Zhou Yaoyao had been staying home diligently learning to read and write, being very well-behaved. For lunch today, he planned to make the braised fish that Zhou Yaoyao had eaten before as a reward.

Then I heard a knock on the door.

Is Jin-ge at home?

Hibiscus picked up a water ladle from the bucket, scooped out a ladleful of water, and rinsed the scales off her hands.

He put the half-cleaned fish aside, got up, and opened the door.

"Busy?"

A woman noticed that Mu Jin's hands were wet and she could faintly smell a fishy odor.

Mu Jin smiled slightly. "Do you gentlemen have anything to do? Please come in and have a seat."

Without any hesitation, the group followed Mu Jin into the courtyard.

"Jin-ge'er is so diligent. Look how neat and clean this courtyard is."

Mu Jin went to the kitchen and brought them a few cups of water, placing them on the stone table.

A gentle breeze rustled through the dense peach tree branches. Lying among the branches, Fatty Yellow heard voices below and peered down at them with his yellow and white fur.

Seeing that Mulan was there, it turned over, squinted its round cat eyes, and went to sleep.

After exchanging pleasantries and making small talk, the group finally revealed their purpose.

"I heard that you're teaching Taozi to read, Jin-ge'er?"

Mu Jin nodded slightly, understanding their intentions somewhat.

“He’s like a mischievous monkey all day long, so his father and I thought we’d have him learn a couple of words to temper his temper.”

A woman said with lingering fear, "Speaking of which, I was terrified when Taozi fell into the water last time. This kind young man is so lucky to be alright. Taozi will have a lot of good fortune in the future."

Yi Fulang chimed in, "With such good fathers as Jin-ge and Lin-xiaozi, Taozi is incredibly lucky."

Mu Jin sipped his tea, smiling but saying nothing. He didn't want to take on the task of teaching so many children to read; three children were enough to keep him busy.

A woman took a sip of tea and said quickly, "For us young ladies and gentlemen, getting married is like being reborn. If we find a good man like Lin Xiaozi, our lives will be good. The only problem is if we find a lazy man, then we'll have a lot of suffering for the rest of our lives."

"That's right, if these young men and women could read a little, they might be able to pick and choose."

As soon as he finished speaking, the group looked at Mu Jin, only to see him smile but not respond.

A woman chuckled awkwardly and said, "Isn't Lin boy home today?"

Mu Jin smiled and said, "He went to town early this morning, he'll probably be back soon."

The group looked at each other, thinking to themselves, "This Mu Jin is quite the cunning fellow."

For the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, no matter how they tried to steer him towards the topic of children learning to read, Mu Jin mostly just smiled at them without saying a word, not wanting to engage.

Ichiro is a bit impatient, not to mention he has a lot of things to do at home.

He said frankly, "Jin-ge'er, we came home this time to ask you if you would still like to take in more students. My son is eight years old this year, and he is very clever. We were thinking of leaving him with you to learn to read for a few days. We will give you money, or you can give us food or something."

A woman chimed in, "Anyway, teaching one person is the same as teaching a group, and it can also bring in some income for the family."

Mu Jin sighed, "Alas, to be honest, I've only just recovered from my illness and can't handle any more exertion. There are also many things to do at home, and Brother Lin is watching over me every day to prevent me from overworking. Even if I wanted to teach, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to."

It would be a lie to say that the group wasn't disappointed when Mu Jin rejected them.

He stood up with an awkward smile, "Young Lin really dotes on Brother Jin, so we won't bother you any longer."

With an apologetic expression, Mu Jin saw them out the door.

After closing the courtyard gate, Mu Jin breathed a sigh of relief and returned to the vegetable garden to clean the remaining half of the fish.

I thought the matter was over, but to my surprise, two or three days later, not long after lunch, Mu Genfa came to my house.

"Uncle, have some tea. Zhaoran brought it back from the prefectural city. I think it tastes pretty good."

Mu Genfa smiled and nodded, imitating the wealthy old man, he took a small sip, and found the slightly sweet taste to be much better than the coarse tea in the village.

He put down his teacup and said frankly, "Brother Jin, the reason I came home this time is for the sake of the children in the village to learn to read and write."

Mu Jin sat on the stone bench, took a sip of tea, and said gently, "A few days ago, the villagers came looking for me, but my health is not good enough to take the hard work now, and I really can't teach so many children."

Mu Gen sighed and said helplessly, "These past few days, many families in the village have come to me one after another. They all want what's best for their children and are very understanding. I've been thinking about it at home. If all the boys and girls in our Mu Family Village could read, they wouldn't have to worry about not finding good families to marry into. It would be a good thing for our village."

"But I..."

Before Mu Jin could finish speaking, Mu Genfa waved his hand and teased, "I won't force you. If you really get tired, Lin boy will be angry with me."

Mu Jin blushed, then breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that she didn't force him; he really didn't have that much energy.

Mu Genfa chuckled. "I heard that Qiu-ge'er is literate too?"

Mu Jin paused for a moment, then smiled and nodded. "He can read, that's true, but he has a lot going on at home. He doesn't even teach Pumpkin himself anymore, so he's learning to read with Peach here."

Mu Gen sighed, “You guys, sigh, you help me tell him that there’s a spare room in the village school, so we can teach the village boys and girls to read there, so he won’t work for nothing, and we can give him the monthly salary of a village school teacher.”

Just as Mu Jin was about to speak, she saw Bai Qiqiu walking over carrying a small watermelon.

"Big brother, village chief."

"Hey, we were just talking about you."

Bai Qiqiu was taken aback. "You mean me?"

Mu Jin told him about the village school's plan to recruit boys and girls.

Bai Qiqiu sat down and hugged the little watermelon in his arms. "It's a good thing, but I only know a few characters. I don't want to mislead the young men and women in the village."

Mu Genfa said with a smile, "It's just so I can understand a couple of characters. I don't have to take the imperial examinations like the Han people. Being able to read is enough."

Bai Qiqiu lowered his head and thought about it carefully.

Mu Genfa sipped his tea, not in a hurry.

"Village chief, I have a lot of things to do at home. I'll teach you two characters a day, and I estimate it will take about an hour. Is that enough?"

Mu Genfa thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Alright, then I'll trouble you. Six qian of silver a month, is that too little?"

Bai Qiqiu smiled and shook his head. He could earn six coins a day by working for an hour, which was already quite good.

With the matter settled, Mu Genfa left with a smile.

Bai Qiqiu laughed and said, "Brother, I never thought that one day I would be able to be Master Qiu."

Mu Jin chuckled and sat down on the stone bench. "Master Qiu, are you going to take Pumpkin to the village school to teach?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Qiqiu immediately shook his head. "Forget it, it's better to leave it here with you. I'm prone to getting angry and losing my temper when I teach him, and I can't help but beat him up."

Five days later, the village school had enrolled about thirty boys and girls, and Bai Qiqiu officially became the village school's teacher.

Although Mu Zhaoye didn't want Bai Qiqiu to be so busy, his family wasn't short of those six qian of silver.

Bai Qiqiu retorted, "You're so petty. Don't worry, at the village school, I definitely won't say a word to Zhou Qiang, and I won't even smile at him."

It was blocked.

Mu Zhaoye opened his mouth, unsure of what to say.

However, since it was a good deed with lasting benefits, they didn't stop them afterward.

In the surrounding villages, families whose sons and daughters had married into Mujia Village, upon hearing the news, also sent their sons and daughters over.

A young man from the village of Mujia only needs to pay half a tael of silver a year, while the other young men and women in the village only need to pay one qian of silver, which is extremely cheap.

However, students from neighboring villages who came to Mujia Village to study at the village school had to pay much more: two taels of silver a year for a young man and one tael of silver for a young boy or girl.

Mu Genfa never expected that by taking in young men, the village school wouldn't earn much money, but it would earn quite a bit from the boys and girls sent by neighboring villages.

It has a bit of a "happy accident" feel to it.

Before you know it, it's wheat harvest time, and the fragrance of locust blossoms fills the entire village.

Zhou Lin relieved himself of three day laborers. Including Mu Yu and Lin Huzi, Mu Jin didn't need to go to the fields. She could stay home, take care of the children, and cook meals.

In the fields, farmers can be seen busily working everywhere.

A few years ago, we suffered a snow disaster, and the crops failed. Many families survived by relying on potatoes and sweet potatoes.

These days, the weather is favorable, the crops are plentiful, and even the hard work is enjoyable and a happy kind of tiredness.

Mu Jin and Wen Zhaoran sat in the courtyard picking locust flowers. For lunch today, they planned to steam a big pot of locust flowers and stir-fry a plate of chili and eggs to take to the fields.

"I wonder how the wooden boat is doing in the prefectural city?"

Wen Zhaoran stroked the locust blossoms, her thoughts drifting towards the wooden boat in the prefectural city.

Mu Jin smiled and said, "Do you miss your second brother? Once we're done with this busy period, your brother-in-law and I will send you to the prefectural city."

Wen Zhaoran shook his head upon hearing this, "Let it go. When Mu Zhouqiu passes the imperial examination and becomes a Juren, I may have to go to the capital with him. I'll spend more time with you brothers these days."

Mu Jin smiled and said, "It will be soon. Once you go to the capital, Qi Qiu, Si'er, and I will probably find it difficult to see you again."

Upon hearing this, Wen Zhaoran felt quite reluctant, but if he stayed in the village and was separated from Mu Zhou, the marriage would have been in vain.

"I'll come back to see you when I have time."

Mu Jin smiled and shook her head. All good things must come to an end. He knew that Mu Zhou and Mu Zhou were doing well in the village, and that was enough.

"It will be a lot of trouble traveling back and forth, but you must write to me often."

Wen Zhaoran nodded emphatically.

A gentle breeze swept by, bringing waves of heat.