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Secretary Qi had heard Qi Shuliang complain before, and nodded, saying, "He can't be idle! So what kind of work do you want to find for him? There are no work points for working now."
"I don't need centimeters, I just want to learn how to tend fruit trees from Brother He and Sister Wang," Qi Shuming said. "If this brat learns even a little bit, it will be enough for him to live on for the rest of his life."
He Jingyu had a good relationship with Qi Shuming, so when he heard Qi Shuming speak up, he didn't refuse and said with a smile, "As long as this kid is willing to work hard, he can come over and I'll teach him. If he learns this skill well, he'll definitely be set for life."
Qi Shuming was surprised that He Jingyu agreed so easily. He texted, "Binzi, why don't you hurry up and thank Uncle He? This is like learning a craft, recognizing a master, and kneeling down to kowtow."
When Qi Rongbin heard his father say this, he was about to kneel down.
He Jingyu quickly stopped him, saying, "No need to kneel. Since you call me uncle, I won't hold back."
"Thank you, Uncle He and Aunt Wang," Qi Rongbin said gratefully, thinking of the peaches his father had brought home earlier. They were so sweet, so delicious, that he wanted to eat his tongue. These peaches were much tastier than the wild fruits in the forest.
Now his father is letting him learn so that he can grow delicious peaches in the future, and he can eat them every day, and his younger siblings can eat them every day too.
"Alright, since we're here, let's get to work," He Jingyu said, slowly figuring things out as he worked.
"Hey!" Qi Rongbin said, rolling up his sleeves and getting to work.
Actually, Qi Rongbin wasn't idle; he was just too diligent. He only went out to wander around because he had nothing else to do at home.
Thanks to Qi Rongbin, a diligent young man, several greenhouses were repaired in just one afternoon. After they are dried, they can be covered with plastic sheeting.
"Good job, kid. Keep it up," He Jingyu praised. "You're a capable and quick-witted young man."
"Thank you, Uncle He," Qi Rongbin said with a smile. "I will study hard."
When the villagers saw that Qi Shuming had sent his son to work, they guessed what he was thinking.
If you learn it well, you can become a technician! Less work, and a respectable job.
So after discussing it, a few people brought their children and gifts to the door, wanting to learn this skill.
He Jingyu agreed to all of them without refusing. It was a good thing to have someone help with the work!
Whether they can learn it or not depends on themselves; anyway, everyone was there when he was explaining it.
If you don't understand, you can ask, but he won't check proactively; it all depends on their own conscience.
However, at this time, the villagers were still very simple and honest. They knew that to learn a craft, one not only had to be clever but also hardworking, so the children sent to them were all down-to-earth and hardworking.
Before long, there were more than twenty people.
There were even illiterate people among them, which gave He Jingyu a headache, so he went to Secretary Qi to explain the situation.
If young people can't read, they'll be illiterate for the rest of their lives. That's not a good solution!
When Secretary Qi heard He Jingyu's words, he fell into deep thought. He knew all too well the benefits of learning, but now that the school was closed, he couldn't learn even if he wanted to!
"Teachers are now labeled as intellectuals, so nobody teaches them," Secretary Qi said. "The children are blind; they won't even know their way around when they go out in the future."
“Yes, why don’t you go to the commune and see if you can apply for a literacy class?” He Jingyu said.
“Okay, I’ll go ask,” Secretary Qi said. “If it’s possible, we can set up a literacy class so that the children in the village can learn to read and do arithmetic. They’ll benefit from it for the rest of their lives.”
He himself is educated, although not for a long time, but at least he's not completely illiterate.
Secretary Qi took this matter very seriously and went to the county town to inquire about it.
Upon hearing this, County Chief Niu slapped the table and laughed heartily, saying, "Brother Qi, you're truly remarkable! I just received the instructions from my superiors, and you've already come over. It's clear you have foresight."
"What instructions are you giving?" Secretary Qi asked. "Is it because schools have reopened?"
"It's not that schools have reopened, but rather that higher-level leaders have instructed us to carry out literacy campaigns during the off-season for farming," said County Head Niu. "Villages can spontaneously organize literate people to teach illiterate people, with one person mentoring several."
"Although there are no classes, this is actually good. Everyone can learn in the village without the old man having to go to school," said Secretary Qi. "This is excellent. I've been worried about the children in the village. The older children can't read. It's one thing for the elderly, but the young children are illiterate. If they can't read, they'll be blind for life, and we can't afford to waste their lives!"
“Who can argue with that?” County Chief Niu remarked with emotion. “Higher-level leaders have also noticed this phenomenon, which is why they launched this campaign.”
"The leader is wise!" Secretary Qi flattered. "Alright, I'll organize it as soon as I get back. Several literate villagers, as well as several educated youths and retired teachers, can all teach."
"Wait a minute," said County Chief Niu. "It's better not to let those old teachers do these things, lest some people make a big deal out of it and have the educated youth and literate people in the village teach them."
County Chief Niu said this in order to protect the retired teachers and professors from being impacted.
"Alright, I've got it." Secretary Qi said with a smile, "It's a bit of a waste to have an old professor help with basic literacy. But some children who want to go further can ask them for help with their questions."
“Yes, that’s right,” said County Chief Niu. “We have to be meticulous in everything we do so that those people won’t find any fault with us. Qijia Village has achieved excellent results in the past two years, and I’m also benefiting from your efforts.”
As long as it's related to Qijia Village, County Chief Niu always gets a big reward after completing the task diligently.
Perhaps he can take it to the next level soon.
"I understand, Brother Niu," Secretary Qi said with a smile, taking the instructions and notices from the higher-level leaders from the commune, preparing to post them on the wooden board in the village branch to encourage everyone to read and write and to carry out literacy education.
It's not easy for the villagers to come to the county town, so Secretary Qi helped them buy a lot of things to take back with them.
When Secretary Qi arrived, he was nervous; when he left, he was in high spirits.
Instead of everyone sitting at home gossiping, the men smoking pipes, and playing cards, why not use that time to study!
After returning home, Secretary Qi began organizing the villagers to study.
Wang Lei, Ye Xiaofan, Zhang Qingshan, He Tiantian, and Huang Jingli, all literate educated youths, were all assigned work by Secretary Qi to teach the villagers under the age of twenty. He Jingyu and Wang Shuping, however, were busy with their regular jobs and didn't have the time.
Secretary Qi and Qi Shuli, both literate, taught the men in the village who were over twenty years old to read.
Most of the people in Qijia Village participated in literacy campaigns. On the first day, even those who couldn't read at least recognized their own names.
Professor Wang and Professor Gu were also pleased to see the villagers studying.
Literacy education is also a form of education!
This is a good sign. School might start soon, and they just need to wait patiently!
As the saying goes, if winter comes, can spring be far behind?
(To be continued.)
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