Chapter 139

The breeze is not dry, the chill of early spring has subsided, and people have changed their heavy robes for light spring clothes.

The Moshui Valley is full of green, gurgling water, and spring is in the air. Lu Fu was walking on the ridge of the field. The potato plants had grown to more than an inch tall. He took an ink pen and carefully recorded the growth of the plants today on paper. If he found any bad seedlings, he would replant them in time.

"Zixing, what do you think of today's record?" Mu Yuanzhou came over from the cotton field and saw Lu Fu looking down at a potato seedling.

"They are growing well. I wonder where Lord Lin found these seeds. They are easier to take care of than wheat and millet seedlings. Some of them that did not sprout were planted later and are growing slower than the others, but they are also growing very fast." Lu Fu said seriously as if reporting.

Mu Yuanzhou laughed out loud, "I used to think you wanted to work as a clerk in the county, but who knew you actually became a farmer in Mo Shui." And judging from the look of it, he is actually very good at this.

"If I were to be a minor official, I don't have the talent of County Magistrate Lu, so I would probably just be mediocre. But although farming is a new way to go, I see that Lord Lin attaches great importance to it, so it might be a smooth road for me. However, during this period of time, I also feel that planting crops and letting potatoes grow is a very interesting thing." Lu Fu scribbled a few words on the paper and said softly.

"Look, I recorded this potato seedling when it was still a seed. Now it has grown to more than an inch tall. I have recorded all its traces here. When it matures and is harvested, I will be able to record how many fruits it has grown. Isn't this interesting?"

"Okay, okay, it's interesting." Mu Yuanzhou couldn't understand his fun and said a few perfunctorily.

"Master Mu, do you have something to ask of me?"

"Lord Lin sent a message that the county school is about to be completed, and asked me to inform the people of Moshui that those who have children can send them to the school. Doesn't your sister want to be a teacher in the school? I came to inform you." Mu Yuanzhou said in a steady voice, and he felt a little emotional when he thought of Xie Chen's words before.

He went to find Xie Chen with selfish motives, but was discovered by him. He thought he would be the knife in Xie Chen's hand, but unexpectedly he was sent to work under Lin Shuge. Here he came into contact with people from both tribes. From the initial hardship and desolation to the current peace and comfort, he, like Lu Fu, only wanted to make people's lives better.

His previous wealthy life seemed like a dream. If it weren't for the blood feud, he would rather stay here, away from the twists and turns of power, and live a carefree life.

"Thank you, sir. I will tell Ashu right away. She has been preparing for a long time." Lu Fu put the paper in his arms, bowed to him, and ran away.

Mu Yuanzhou looked at his back, smiled and shook his head.

When Lu Fu and Lu Shu arrived at the school, since school had not started yet, there were only Lu Yuechuan and a few teachers walking around in the school.

He followed the servants all the way in and saw that the school was built very neatly, with houses standing on both sides of the road. There were several areas set up. In addition to the normal class area, the training ground for riding and archery, the accommodation area for teachers, etc., were all planned.

Lu Fu noticed a peculiar room, which should be an ordinary classroom. There were rows of tables, chairs and benches in it, and in the front was a large board that looked like stone but was not stone. He was sure that he had never seen it before in Yuanjun. Sure enough, this Lord Lin always has brilliant ideas. I wonder what this board is used for.

"Greetings, County Magistrate Lu." Lu Fu saluted to Lu Yuechuan.

Lu Yuechuan asked curiously, "Didn't Lord Lin ask you to stay in Moshui Township to look after the potatoes? Why are you here?"

"I heard that the school wants to recruit female teachers. Although my sister Lu Shu is not a scholar, she has a basic understanding of the classics. She would like to try out for the position of teacher in the school." Lu Fu bowed.

Lu Shu also stepped forward and said, "Meet County Magistrate Lu and all the teachers."

"If Madam Lu wants to come to the school, she still needs to take an assessment," said Lu Yuechuan.

"Of course. May I ask when the assessment will be held?" Lu Shu asked.

"It's hard for you to come here. It's better to do it today than to wait for another day. Madam Lu, come with me. I have a female student with good literary talent. Let her be responsible for your examination." The officer standing guard next to Lu Yuechuan waved his hand and asked him to go to the county government office to find Lin Xuan.

The officer took the order and strode out.

"Thank you, County Magistrate Lu. I will go with this gentleman. I still need to report to Lord Lin on the recent growth of potatoes." Lu Fu bowed.

Lu Yuechuan nodded and waved his hand for him to leave.

When Lü Fu arrived at the inner hall of the county government, Lin Shuge was checking the number of students admitted with Yan Zhubu. Seeing Lü Fu coming in, he asked, "Why are you here today? I've read the report you asked someone to bring me. You did a good job. Could something have happened to you coming to Xianyan in person?"

"My lord, it's nothing serious. I have compared the amount of watering and fertilizing for potatoes recently, and found a more suitable amount..." Lu Fu handed the booklet in his hand to Lin Shuge.

Lin Shuge took it and saw that it was filled with notes on how much water and fertilizer to use for each day, with each plant listed separately. It was really meticulous. He couldn't help but sigh that he had chosen the right person.

"Let's do as you say. In fact, potatoes are very suitable for planting in the northwest, but because they have not been introduced to Dayan before, they have not been domesticated yet, so we need to be the first to plant and eat potatoes." Lin Shuge paused after speaking, "You are indeed talented. What reward do you want? If I can do it, I will satisfy you."

Lin Shuge noticed that he looked a little depressed, as if he was worried about something.

"Thank you, sir. I have a younger sister who came to the county today to apply to be a teacher at the school. She has been spoiled by me and my mother. If she behaves in a rebellious manner, I hope you will be more tolerant of her." Lu Fu bowed.

"So this is why you came to me today?" Lin Shuge said with a smile, "Lü Zixing, do you think it is unorthodox to recruit female students in the school?"

Lu Fu looked up at him for a long moment, "I understand, sir."

"That's good that you understand. Just do your job well and cultivate the fields for me. With me here, your sister won't have any trouble. Let her teach with peace of mind. But she has to pass the exam first."

"That's natural." Lu Fu replied.

When he returned to the school again, he heard a burst of laughter. He hurried in and saw Lu Shu and a lady talking happily, and Lu Yuechuan was pointing at the two of them and laughing.

"Did you finish it so quickly?" Lu Yuechuan turned around after hearing the voice, "Congratulations, Master Lu has successfully passed the assessment, just ask her to come to the school in a few days."

Lu Fu looked at his sister in surprise. Lu Shu smiled at him and nodded.

"Our A Xuan said that Master Lu is knowledgeable and talented, and has an elegant temperament. It is a waste of his talent for him to be a teacher in our school." Lu Yuechuan said loudly.

"County Magistrate Lu, you're joking. Axuan is our role model. My talent is not good enough for County Magistrate Lu and Axuan." Lu Shu said hurriedly.

"There are several more female teachers whom you will meet in a few days. I hope you can teach the students carefully. The reward and punishment system will be informed to you in due time. There are some things you need to know." Lu Yuechuan did not explain it too clearly. When the school opens, there will be Qiang students coming to school. How to teach them and what should be taught to them need to be made clear.

"Yes, sir." Although Lu Shu was confused, she still replied.

After finishing their work at the school, Lu Fu and Lu Shu prepared to go back to pack up. The county town was too far away from Moshui Township, and it was not very convenient to travel back and forth on weekdays. Although the school provided accommodation for the teachers, Lu Fu was still worried about the food supply, so he thought of renting a room in the county for his sister to live in.

When Lu Shu heard him talking about renting a house, she knew that her brother was thinking about her, so she nodded and agreed. The monthly rent was not much, and it was enough for her salary.

"Brother, I think this place is great." Lu Shu held the paper and pen she bought from the street.

Lu Fu nodded, "Ah Shu, I always feel that Lord Lin is very strange. He seems to know a lot of things, but with his talent, why would he be in a small border town?"

"I think it's good for Lord Lin to stay here. You see, the people here live and work in peace and contentment. Although there are powerful enemies around, isn't there Lord Wei stationed here to cultivate the land? Mother has asked someone to buy some cashmere these days, saying that it can be made into wool for clothes. Brother, my family has planted a small piece of cotton. Do you think it can really be used to make winter clothes?"

During this period, Lu Shu and her mother not only planted the common millet and beans, but also potatoes and cotton. They were busy every day. Fortunately, the seedlings have now sprouted. Her brother worked in the county government office and she had to go to school. It was impossible for Lu's mother to finish the rest of the work by herself, so she had to pay someone to do it.

"Of course you can. I will be responsible for planting potatoes. According to my observations in recent days, this crop is easy to survive. However, Lord Lin said that although it has a high yield, it can only be used as a supplementary crop. We planted millet and potatoes this year, and will plant a season of wheat in the fall. With our monthly salary, we will not have to worry about food and drink." Lu Fu thought about the day when the grain harvest would come, and a smile appeared on his face.

When he first came here, many people from the original county, including him, were worried about food and clothing. Although the court had exempted taxes for three years, if the land could not grow crops, the government would not care about your life or death. Only they, the people, were suffering. Fortunately, they met Lord Lin.

Lu Shu also laughed when she heard this. In fact, she was the happiest one. She had a lot of talent, but because she was a woman and stayed at home, she could not achieve success and become famous like men. But now she can teach and enable the women here to read and write.

…

The school has been opened for a few days, and Lin Shuge has been too busy these days to visit. As the official duties on hand today happened to be unimportant, he came to visit the school with Xie Chen, who had nothing to do after spring ploughing.

There were sounds of reading in the school. The two came to a classroom and saw Lu Shu teaching Qiang students how to read. Lin Shuge had already taught pinyin to the teachers in the school, which was just right for them to learn how to read.

Most Qiang children do not understand Chinese, but Lu Shu has a good talent for languages. She learned some common words from Feng Gu and Xian Han and can communicate with these children in a simple way.

Lin Shuge was outside listening to the Pinyin nursery rhymes and chuckled. Xie Chen had never been in Ganzhou before and had never heard of these before. He found them interesting and listened for a long time before speaking, "Brother, this method is faster than learning to read a character book."

Of course, children in later generations all started learning Chinese characters through pinyin, and this method has solved many illiteracy problems.

After a while, a bell rang and the children came running out like a swarm of cocoons. It turned out that the get out of class was over.

When Lu Shu came out of the classroom, she saw the two of them and hurried over, "Master Lin, Master Wei."

"No need to make a fuss, let's come and take a look." Lin Shuge shook his head at her and walked towards a group of Qiang children who were still practicing pinyin. They were a little shy when they saw Lin Shuge. One of the children saw Xie Chen in the distance and turned pale with fright. Lin Shuge had no choice but to let Xie Chen stand aside. Xie Chen snorted coldly and didn't come over.

Lin Shuge gave him a reassuring look and asked a few questions about whether the Qiang child could adapt and how he was doing in his studies. Unexpectedly, the children were like concubines who had been waiting in the cold palace for many years. They all told Lin Shuge that Chinese characters were too difficult to learn, but they could learn pinyin.

Qiang language has no written form, and Lin Shuge sounds very much like a phonetic script, so it should be easier to accept if you learn pinyin. A child demonstrated to Lin Shuge the differences between pinyin and some sounds of Qiang dialect.

Lin Shuge listened to them speaking Qiang dialect and spelling out pinyin, and suddenly remembered that he had heard Xie Chen say a few pinyins to the leader of the Shaoliang tribe. Both sides looked unhappy at the time, and he didn't dare to ask more questions later. Now, he heard the Qiang child making a noise in his ear, and he asked as if possessed.

One child replied in awkward Chinese, "It sounds like Xie, Su, Wen."

Slanted Su Wen? What?

Just at this moment Xie Chen called him from a distance, so Lin Shuge had to say goodbye to them and told them to tell the teacher if they had any problems and not to be too cautious.