He looked down at Shuiqing and said, "Jin, you two come up and have a word."

There was no precedent in the village for having a woman speak on important matters, but no one objected; they all felt it was only natural for Shuiqing to speak.

Fan's mother and Sun Jinhua did have objections, but they didn't dare to voice them.

I just said that the villagers should unite and that ungrateful people should not be buried in the ancestral graves. If we go there now, won't that provoke the anger of the villagers? We can't be so tactless.

Fan Jin stepped aside and then waved to Shui Qing.

Shuiqing often spoke in front of many workers, and she wasn't stage-frightened, but she also knew that no one liked to hear grand principles or empty talk at such times.

She maintained her pragmatic style: "Everyone should eat and drink well. In the future, I will try to open more workshops to provide more jobs for the villagers, earn more money, and let everyone eat rice and white flour every day, and eat fatty pork every few days!"

Before he finished speaking, a burst of loud applause erupted from the crowd!

At first, they were just people working in the herbal medicine shop. Influenced by Shui Qing, they would clap in response, and it gradually became a habit.

After they clapped, the other villagers followed suit, and in an instant, a burst of enthusiastic applause erupted.

Shui Qing walked down gracefully, giving the center position to Fan Jin.

Today is the first day of school, and Fan Jin must have a lot to say; that's the important thing!

The applause lasted for a long time. Fan Jin waited until the applause gradually subsided before speaking gently: "What I want to talk about is the rules that need to be followed when reading and writing."

I don't charge tuition. Anyone who wants to learn can come, regardless of age. But once you enter the school, you must study diligently. If someone can't sit still, whispers, or causes trouble, they can be expelled from the school once or twice, but the third time they will be expelled and never taught again. Do you understand?

If you'd like to continue learning after listening carefully, please take a few steps forward and come closer to me, and I'll explain in more detail.

The scene was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Some people originally planned to send their young children to the academy as well—they are naughty and require a lot of care at home, so it would be good for them to have a chance to learn beforehand.

Upon hearing Fan Jin's words, he immediately abandoned the idea!

The third time, they would be completely expelled from the school and never taught again. With Fan Damu and Zhang Tuzi as examples, they couldn't afford to cut off their own children's path to literacy.

It's better to wait until they're old enough to understand and ask for their wishes before sending them over. At home, they need to make sure they study hard and diligently!

Meanwhile, a glimmer of hope rose in the hearts of the older boys.

Fan Xiaoliu raised his hand and asked, "Can someone my age do it?"

He really wants to learn to read!

In the past, it wasn't a big deal that he didn't have the money to go to the official school or private school, and since everyone was illiterate, it didn't matter. But things are different now. The children in the village who are younger than him can all read and do arithmetic. Naturally, workshops and various other things will give priority to those who can read and do arithmetic. Someone like him is no match for them at all.

Hu Wenhua was the same age as him, but Hu Wenhua could read, and being able to read was much better than not being able to read.

Fan Jin looked over and calmly replied, "Yes."

They learned to read not for the sake of the imperial examinations, so of course it's never too late.

Upon hearing Fan Jin's answer, the other teenagers in the crowd, some around 18 months old, stepped forward without hesitation, their eyes shining.

Before long, several people surrounded Fan Jin.

He looked at the group of people with a wide age range without any surprise and continued, "Those over twelve years old will be taught at Chen Shi (7-9 AM), and those under twelve years old will be taught at Si Shi (9-11 AM). Each group will have one hour. Any questions?"