Chapter 542: Turn the wasteland into fertile soil, and let time take care of the rest

Half an hour later, Sang Zhixia said goodbye to Mr. Nie and walked out of the study, but unexpectedly saw Xu Yu, who had arrived at some point, in the yard.

Xu Yu looked up at the empty bird's nest in the yard, covered with a thin layer of snow on the branches of the vines. He heard the sound of approaching footsteps, but before he turned around, he smiled and said, "Zhizhi, do you think the bird under our eaves will come back?"

"How should I know?"

Sang Zhixia approached and laughed, "Birds are restless by nature. They're away from the cold winter, waiting for the snow to melt in the spring. But it's hard to say whether the ones that come back will be the same ones from before."

"Why didn't I realize you liked those little things before? Didn't you find them noisy?"

If Sang Zhixia hadn't stopped him, the unreliable Xu Yu would have almost taken a few of the little birds and forced them to move their nests in the north yard.

It didn't seem so rare at that time, why are you suddenly thinking about it now?

Xu Yu raised his hand and slid it across Sang Zhixia's earlobe. He chuckled softly and said, "I was just thinking of some insignificant trivialities. I'd still find it noisy if you came again."

After Xu Yu finished speaking, he nodded and smiled at Mr. Nie who came out to see Sang Zhixia off, as if it was a greeting, and whispered, "Is everything settled here?"

"alright."

Sang Zhixia let Xu Yu hold her hand and said to Mr. Nie, "Sir, please stop. There's no need to see me off. I'll consider what you just said."

Mr. Nie did not agree. He smiled and sent them to the door. He watched them walk away before turning back.

Xu Yu's eyes flickered slightly when he heard what Sang Zhixia said. "Are you saying that Mr. Nie suggested selecting some children to learn martial arts?"

"yes."

Sang Zhixia narrowed her eyes as she stared at the white mist in front of her eyes, explaining, "There are currently 123 students in the academy, and there will be more in the future."

"These children have different backgrounds and personalities, so not all of them are suitable for studying literature."

Sang Zhixia was able to say that there is no discrimination in education, which actually means that he had adjusted his mindset very early on and did not expect these children to create a bright future by stepping on the mud under their feet.

After all, the reason why scholars are noble is, firstly, because it is not easy to study hard for many years and requires a lot of talent, and secondly, because this path is indeed not a smooth road and not everyone can succeed.

There are so many people in the world who study hard with books, but in fact, only a few of them can finally take the imperial examination and successfully obtain fame and honor. It is a rare thing.

Her initial thought was just to let these children learn to read and write, without forcing them to do more.

But Mr. Nie said that letting the animals run free like this is not a long-term solution.

Sang Zhixia sighed and said, "According to what you two gentlemen said, since we've made a good start, we can't let it go on its own. We need to have a good plan. Otherwise, we would be neglecting our responsibility for the future of these children."

First, it tore open the hole of ignorance, allowing these ignorant eyes to see a wider world, but it was subsequently powerless and could hardly support the future of these children whose hearts drifted far away.

Although such an action is impeccable, it is definitely not perfect.

Sang Zhixia paused and said, "The two gentlemen heard that several of our children are proficient in both literature and martial arts, and they wanted to entrust them to me to find a viable way out for those children who are not good at literature."

Learning literature is indeed a good way, but it is not suitable for everyone.

Practicing martial arts may not be suitable for everyone.

But if you can combine the two and choose the right path after the initial enlightenment, then the chances of achieving something in the future will be much greater.

The two gentlemen have truly considered the needs of these children and their suggestions are very pertinent.

Sang Zhixia allocated a lot of silver to the school, and there was always a surplus every month. The surplus was enough to add another martial arts master to the school to teach these children.

With these teachings, even if these children cannot become officials through study, they can still become accountants or managers. Those who practice martial arts can earn a living with their skills. In any case, this is better than their ancestors who were forced to roll in the mud.

Sang Zhixia seemed to be ready to move. Seeing this, Xu Yu pinched her fingertips and said calmly, "It's not easy to lack other things, but it's not that difficult to lack a martial arts master."

"Zhizhi, don't forget that we still have a lot of people on our farm. They are all rare talents. They are more than enough to teach these little kids."

The hundreds of skilled workers on the farm were all found and brought back by Xu Yu from various places. Although they are now wearing coarse clothes and swinging hoes and sickles on the farm, all of them have experienced the baptism of life and death in the war. Even if they have different degrees of disabilities, their merits outweigh their flaws and they are all capable people.

These people are better than any martial arts masters hired from outside in terms of vision and ability.

Sang Zhixia's eyes lit up slightly. "You mean, transfer people directly from the farm?"

“I think that’s so feasible.”

Xu Yu said slowly, "People brought in from outside would need to have their backgrounds checked, but these people don't need that."

"Tell Lin Yun later and ask him to select two suitable candidates from the farm. Then he can go to the academy to select them after the New Year."

Xu Yu paused for a moment, his voice unclear, and after clasping his fingers with Sang Zhixia's, he said softly, "Just a little."

"Zhizhi, these children originally had nothing to do with the Xu family. If they were taught by the Xu family's subordinates, they would definitely become biased in the future."

"I'm not deliberately trying to steal your people, nor do I intend to do anything with these half-grown children. But if someone wants to join the Xu family in the future and has decent qualifications, I won't refuse them."

In these troubled times, what Xu Yu lacked was people.

This kind of person, who knows you so well and has cultivated a bit of loyalty throughout the process, is a rare and excellent choice.

Jiang Yubai once teased Xu Yu, saying that setting up a school in the village was equivalent to training loyal soldiers for the Xu family, killing two birds with one stone.

Xu Yu had never thought of this, but if he found a suitable person, he wouldn't mind recruiting him.

But once you get involved with Xu Yu's affairs, a peaceful and stable life will become a luxury.

Xu Yu looked at Sang Zhixia's expression and chuckled, "Of course, this arrangement doesn't have to be the case."

"If you don't want these children to be involved with me, I will send someone out to find a suitable martial arts master. I guarantee that I will find someone who has nothing to do with either of them, and I will definitely satisfy you."

Sang Zhixia shook her head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry: "It's too late to talk about this now."

Although the village middle school is not known as the Xu family school, most of the people there have received kindness from Sang Zhixia, and are always reminded by their parents to remember to repay this rare kindness.

Even if Xu Yu did not make any arrangements, these children would most likely go wherever they wanted to go when they grew up.

Sang Zhixia couldn't stop him.

Sang Zhixia sighed with mixed feelings, and lightly hooked her fingertips on Xu Yu's palm. "Tell Lin Yun to arrange for someone, but remember to tell him that until these children learn to distinguish right from wrong and make their own decisions, no attempts to induce them are allowed."

Since they are small trees, we might as well make the soil fertile, leave the rest to time, and give these lively little guys the opportunity to make their own choices.