Zhou Quan looked at Zhou Shizhou, whose face had brightened with a smile, and said with a light laugh, "Now that we're here, why don't we go in and take a look?"

Zhou Shizhou nodded, "Okay, let's go in and take a look."

He thought to himself that he should take Zhou Quan inside to take a look. If Zhou Quan saw that the children were missing anything, he might be kind enough to donate some money, which would be a blessing for the children.

Zhou Quan didn't know what he was planning, but in fact, he had the same thought in mind when Zhou Shizhou talked about the school.

After they went inside, they heard the teacher leading the students in reading aloud.

"He hung his head from the rafters, pricked his thigh with an awl. Without instruction, he diligently studied. Like gathering fireflies in a bag, like reflecting snow by the light. Though his family was poor, his studies never ceased. Like carrying firewood, like hanging books on horns. Though his body was weary, he persevered. Su Laoquan, at twenty-seven, began to study with determination..."

Zhou Quan and Zhou Shizhou exchanged a glance and smiled. They were reading the Three Character Classic.

The two looked around the courtyard. The three bright and spacious study rooms were there, which made them feel comfortable.

The trees and flowers in the yard were growing vigorously, and an old man was squatting under the south wall, shoveling weeds.

Zhou Shizhou said to Zhou Quan, "It's Third Grandfather."

The two walked over together; it was Zhou Sanren, an elderly man from the house next to the school.

He's nearly seventy years old, and he probably has three great-grandchildren studying here. The old man is quite nice; he's come to help weed.

"Third Grandpa, are you here to help weed?" Zhou Shizhou stepped forward and greeted him with a smile.

The old man turned around when he heard the voice and saw the two of them. He slowly stood up, leaning against the wall. "It's Koizumi and Ishizumi!"

"Yes, please be careful." Zhou Quan reached out and helped him up.

"Hey, I was bored sitting at home, so I came over to help tidy up this yard. The kids are naughty and leave things scattered everywhere. After I finished cleaning up, I saw some weeds growing in this corner, so I cut them down."

"You've worked hard, please be careful," Zhou Shizhou advised.

"I know, I know, I'm still in good health!" The old man waved his hand, smiled, and went back to work.

The two went towards the school. The teacher had already seen them coming through the open window. He had one student lead the others in reading, and then he came out.

The village teacher is named Zhou Yucong. He is of the same generation as Zhou Quan and Zhou Shizhou. He is forty years old this year. He wears a blue robe, has a beard, and looks quite dignified.

He only started teaching children at the village school a few years ago, taking over his father's job.

His father was an old scholar who is now quite old. Last year, when the village suffered a disaster, his father fell and became disabled, walking with a limp. Now he doesn't go out much anymore. His family relies entirely on him teaching these children to earn money and support the family.

Upon seeing Zhou Quan and Zhou Shizhou, he smiled and invited them into his study, intending to light a tea stove to brew tea for them, but Zhou Quan stopped him.

"Brother Yu Cong, don't be busy. You still have children to take care of. We came here to ask about the school's situation over the past six months. We also want to know if you have any difficulties. We'll do our best to help you improve the conditions and cultivate more talent for the Zhou family," Zhou Quan said with a smile.

Zhou Yucong nodded, "Our conditions are already very good for a village school. However, since we stopped charging tuition and started accepting children from our clan to study, the number of children has suddenly increased."

“I’ve divided them into three classes based on their age: Class A, Class B, and Class C. But it’s a bit difficult for me to manage all three classes by myself. I also spoke with the clan chief last time to see if we could invite two more tutors back.” Zhou Yucong finished speaking and looked at Zhou Quan.

In the eyes of the clansmen today, Zhou Quan is a capable and promising member of the Zhou family. He and his wife have changed their family's life by doing business. He often goes out and has broadened his horizons. When many people encounter problems and want to find someone to help them make decisions, the first person they think of is not the clan chief but Zhou Quan.

"We've already discussed this with Brother Shizhou. He'll be going out to the surrounding villages in the next few days to look for learned scholars. If Brother Yucong knows of any villages with scholars who are quite knowledgeable, I can go with Brother Shizhou this afternoon."

Zhou Yucong thought for a moment, "There are two who are quite knowledgeable, but one of them is said to have a bad character and likes to seduce young wives."

Zhou Quan and Zhou Shizhou chuckled. "Even if someone is very knowledgeable, we can't invite them. We discussed it and decided that if we invite someone from another village who lives far away, we'll give them a place in our village where there are currently no empty houses. They can bring their wives and children, and the children can study here."

“Oh, I see. That won’t do. Otherwise, if we recall them, the village will never have a moment of peace!” After Zhou Yucong finished speaking, the three of them looked at each other and laughed together.

“I know which villages have scholars. I’ll write them down for you. Go and find them, and maybe two more will do,” Zhou Yucong said.

“Okay.” Zhou Shizhou nodded.

"Also, I think our village school is pretty good now. How about we change its name to 'Academy'? If we can separate classes, then it can be called an academy. From now on, Brother Yucong can be the first headmaster of this academy, in charge of the two teachers we've invited back and all these children. What do you think?" Zhou Quan asked.

Zhou Yucong was taken aback and looked at Zhou Shizhou.

Zhou Shizhou nodded, "Xiaoquan is right. Our Zhou family is very well-known in the surrounding area. Our school is so well-built, I think it wouldn't be a bad idea to rename it an academy."

“Okay, what would be a suitable name?” Zhou Yucong asked the two for their opinions.

Zhou Quan waved his hand, "You're the new dean, so you can name it. After you've written it, I'll find someone to make the plaque."

Zhou Yucong thought for a moment and said, "How about Wende Academy? I hope that all members of our Zhou clan will become literate and virtuous people in the future."

"Or, we could just call it Zhou Family Academy. Which one do you think is better?" Zhou Wencong thought both were acceptable and asked for their opinions.

Zhou Quan looked at Zhou Shizhou.

Zhou Shizhou thought for a moment, "Let's call it Wende Academy. This name also has an encouraging meaning for the children."

“Okay, this is it!” Zhou Wencong rolled up his sleeves, walked to the desk, unfolded the paper, took out a paperweight, pressed it down on both sides, thought for a moment, ground the ink, and wrote the four large regular script characters for Wende Academy.

"Good, Brother Wencong's calligraphy is comparable to seal script. Let's add your name to it. When Wende Academy is passed down to future generations, you will be a great contributor. The first dean deserves to be remembered by the descendants of the Zhou family." Zhou Quan praised Zhou Wencong's calligraphy, which was indeed very beautiful.

Zhou Wencong blushed slightly, a rare occurrence for him. "Does my name deserve to be displayed on this plaque?"

"match!"

"Write it down!"

Zhou Quan and Zhou Shizhou exchanged a glance and encouraged Zhou Wencong.