Even though the village chiefs talked themselves hoarse, they still couldn't get any favors from the old man.

Finally, the village chief led a few old friends to stroll around the school, and then pretended to call over his grandson, asking him to recite a poem.

Yin recognized his grandfather's personality from their eyes.

So, after thinking for a moment, I decided on a "buy one get one free" deal and recited two poems:

"Hoeing the fields at noon, sweat drips onto the soil. Who knows that every grain in the bowl is the result of hard work?"

"A few peach blossoms bloom outside the bamboo grove, the ducks are the first to know when the spring river warms. Watercress covers the ground and reeds are short, just when the pufferfish are about to swim upstream."

The other village chiefs were envious; if he weren't a young man from Wu Family Village, they would have all wanted to kidnap him!

Learning to read and write is a great thing that brings honor to one's family and benefits one's clan!

For so many years, their village has been impoverished and destitute; how could they afford to support students' education?

Even if we could afford it, it's rare to find a talented young person!

If you start learning too late, it's too late!

No, we can't give up. The children in Wujia Village must also attend the school!

"Brother, we in Jiangjiawan agree to the conditions you just mentioned!"

The village chief of Jiangjiawan was the first to agree. It was just a matter of Jiangjiawan sending sixty ducks every year!

The village chief of Zhangjia Village made a tough decision: one pig a year, he'd give it away!

He would much rather Zhangjia Village produce a scholar or a successful candidate in the imperial examinations than a pig!

The village chief of Zhaojiawan smiled bitterly. Their village had no ducks, no pigs, only fruit trees all year round. Seeing that the other village chiefs had all agreed, he could only bow and say:

“Brother, our village produces plenty of fruits all year round. As long as it can help the children in our village to study, I’ll take the initiative to send a truckload of fruits to the children every month.”

The village chief smiled, nodded, and then took the three of them home. They drew up a written agreement stating that if any party ever went back on their word, the previous agreement would be null and void.

At the same time, he copied down the school's admission standards and fee schedule and gave them to the three village chiefs so they could take them back to their villages to promote the school.

In the following days, three or four more village heads or village leaders came to discuss the matter.

However, it was clear that this group had done their research beforehand. Some had taken on the responsibility of covering the school's pots and pans wear and tear for the next year, some had promised to provide charcoal and firewood, and others had directly stated that they would donate five taels of silver each year...

The village chief recorded everything down, and put away all the contracts.

Finally, another half month passed, and the school was completed!

The newly hired teacher has also arrived!

This gentleman's surname is Lu. He is forty-three years old this year. He has no children and only passed the imperial examination at the county level (xiucai). He has never passed the provincial level (juren) since.

After getting to know him, there were no problems with his character. He had just been widowed for many years and had a somewhat serious personality. However, after secretly observing him, it was discovered that he was actually quite carefree. His seriousness was just a defense mechanism to protect himself from outsiders.

The village chief personally intervened, visiting the village three times, and finally persuaded the person to come down from Wujia Village.

The promise is that all you need to do is teach children to read and write, and nothing else. If any child catches your eye, you will focus on cultivating them.

The monthly allowance is one tael of silver, and two sets of clothes are given out every quarter.

They will be provided with food and lodging in the village. After working for ten years, the village will provide for their old age and see them off in their final days.

And so, the first school in Wujia Village finally began to house teachers and students!

There are two classrooms, each capable of accommodating more than sixty students.

There were about thirty-three school-age children in Wujia Village, including Yaoyao and Xiaoxue, who also enrolled in school.

In other families, only seven or eight girls were sent over; the rest were boys.

Twenty-seven students were sent from Zhangjia Village, only three or four of whom were girls.

Forty schoolchildren were sent from Zhaojiawan, thirteen of whom were girls.

Twenty-three schoolchildren were sent from Jiangjiawan, seven or eight of whom were girls.

Jiang Yue came to take Yao Yao to school and ran into her in-law, Sister Liu. They ended up chatting about everyday things.

"Little sister, I can't work because of the heavy snow. I'm sorry to trouble you."

"Sister Liu, what are you saying, being so formal? Daxue is my daughter-in-law, and as her mother-in-law, it's only natural that I have to be considerate of her. There's no trouble at all~"

"Sometimes when Daxue comes home, she tells me how well you treat her, and as her mother, I'm so grateful to you~"

"Hey, we're all family. I'm nice to Daxue today, but when I can't work anymore, I'll have to rely on Daxue to take care of me."

"Don't worry, Daxue isn't an ungrateful child. Your good fortune is yet to come, little sister."

"We should say that our good fortune is yet to come."

Jiang Yue and Liu smiled at each other, and the scene of them chatting and laughing was seen by others as arousing envy and jealousy.

In Wujia Village, there are very few mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationships that are closer than those between biological mothers, but Jiang Shi and Da Xue really get along very well!

It's the kind of place where you can't find fault with it!

The young wife thought about her own mother-in-law and then looked at how Jiang treated her daughter-in-law, and she felt envious.

The older woman looked at Jiang and then at her own daughter-in-law, and felt that her daughter-in-law was ignorant and unfilial. No wonder she couldn't be affectionate with her!

In any case, today is the first day of school for the children. With the village chief in charge and the clan elders strolling around, no one dared to cause trouble!

The school was very orderly and well-organized.

It's no wonder that Master Lu was nervous, as it was his first time being hired as a teacher.

However, looking at the sea of ​​black radish heads, both boys and girls, he couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration.

It's true that there's a preference for sons over daughters, but there are also enlightened families who send their little girls to school to learn to read and write!

Although it's unknown how long these girls can stay, the fact that this is happening is a good thing!

At this moment, the village chief put away the list of registered participants. He looked up and saw Jiang and Liu talking, so he called out to Jiang and gestured for her to come and take a look.

Seeing this, Liu said she would leave first, as she had things to do at home and wouldn't disturb Jiang Meizi's conversation with the village chief.

Jiang Yue glanced at the sun; it was still early, so there was no harm in lingering a little longer.

So he went to the village chief and asked:

"Uncle, what's wrong?"

“Look, all the children from nearby villages who are eligible to enroll in school have been brought here today.”

The village chief handed over the roster, gesturing for Jiang to take a look.

Jiang Yue flipped through the list and found that there were far more men than women; most of the people sent there were boys!

I sighed inwardly, but then felt relieved.

These little girls, though few in number, can start a prairie fire!

As long as the village school continues to operate, I believe more and more families will realize the importance of education and that it is useful for girls to study. At that time, it will more or less change the fate of some girls!

"Take another look at the ledgers."

The village chief smiled smugly and showed off the good things he had "extorted" from Jiang Shi as if they were treasures.

Jiang Yue burst out laughing when she saw it!

Uncle Village Chief is indeed worthy of his title; his skill in "extorting money" is top-notch!