Jiang Yimian didn't take it, but said coldly, "It is indeed the teacher's fault. This is the tuition fee I gave to the teacher. It should have been finished by now, but you haven't touched it at all."
The Master's mistake was neglecting his health. Ono and the others still have much to learn; if the Master were to collapse, they would have nowhere to continue their studies.
She thought that once she gave him food, Zhang Xiucai would be able to eat his fill. But to her surprise, he refused to eat white rice and white flour, opting instead for cornmeal and tree leaves. She didn't know what to say.
This person is really stubborn!
Zhang Xiucai hesitated for a moment, then finally said, "Isn't it because Jiang girl pities this old man?"
He knew that the villagers, including the village chief, only gave him food out of pity.
He doesn't need their pity; he can survive on his own.
Jiang Yimian was speechless and said irritably, "Where would I find such kindness? You do the work, I provide the food, it's that simple. Nowadays, no one in the family is doing well, and they are struggling to make ends meet. Who has the time to pity others?"
She knew the other party didn't want to receive favors for nothing, which was why she wanted to open a school in the village, hoping to have a good meal along the way. However, no one in the village was interested in studying, so the other party could only continue eating tree leaves.
When she asked Zhang Xiucai to teach Xiao Ye and the others to read, she did intend to help him out, but more than that, she just wanted Zhang Xiucai to help teach the children and, incidentally, to keep them from starving.
Unexpectedly, this guy became stubborn and refused to eat a single bite of the white rice and flour she brought. It was likely that even if they finished eating all the food at home, Zhang Xiucai wouldn't touch these things, much less tell her.
If things continue like this, this guy might become the first person in the village to starve to death even when he has food.
She didn't consider herself a great philanthropist, but she couldn't just stand by and watch someone starve to death, especially since the other person was a good person.
Just because Zhang Xiucai was protecting several children even while leaning on his cane before she arrived, she couldn't let this person starve to death in vain.
Zhang Xiucai remained silent for a while before withdrawing his hand, and said with a wry smile, "You're right, there's no time for so much kindness at this time of year. I was just being stubborn."
He always thought that others were pitying him or giving him charity, but in reality, it was just mutual help. It wasn't as high and mighty as he imagined.
Hasn't he been doing the same thing in the village all these years?
What, does he think the villagers are giving him charity or pitying him now that his good-for-nothing son has left?
Jiang Yatou is right. He helped teach a few children to read, and they gave him food in return. It's that simple, and he deserves it.
Seeing that the other party was no longer resistant to her giving food, Jiang Yimian continued, "It's good that Uncle Zhang understands. This food is part of my tuition fee, and I will deliver it regularly. I would also appreciate it if Uncle Zhang could teach Xiao Ye and the others to read."
Scholar Zhang nodded quickly and assured her, "Don't worry, Jiang girl, I will teach them well."
*
After leaving Zhang Xiucai's house, the group headed straight up the mountain, passing by the few houses at the foot of the mountain that were already mostly completed.
Zhao Dashu exclaimed repeatedly, "This house is really big, Brother Lu, why did you build such a big one if you live alone?"
At first glance, he thought it was a large family, but it turned out to be just Lu Cijian, who alone occupied half an acre of land.
Gou Sheng said enviously, "Brother Ci Jian must think that building only one room is too small. It would be more comfortable to live in such a big house."
When he has money, he wants to build a big courtyard house, where he can sleep in this room today and that room tomorrow. Just thinking about it makes him happy.
Jiang Yimian looked at the house. Most of it didn't have windows installed yet, the roof tiles weren't laid, and some beams hadn't been put on. The bricklayers were busy building walls.
However, two rooms in the front yard have already been built, with windows and tiles installed, presumably because Lu Cijian specifically mentioned that he planned to move in first.
Looking at the house that occupied half an acre, Jiang Yimian became interested and asked curiously, "Why did you build such a big house?"
Given Lu Cijian's personality, the other party would definitely not be so ostentatious as to build a large house before even arriving.
Lu Cijian paused for a moment, then quickly regained his composure and said casually, "Village chief, you misheard me. I only realized how big the house is today."
Jiang Yimian nodded in understanding and said nothing more.
Gou Sheng suddenly remembered something and said with a smile, "Brother Ci Jian, you don't know, before you even arrived, there were people in the village who wanted to arrange a marriage for you?"
Zhao Dashu chuckled and added, "It's Li Chunhua, the one who talked to you just now."
He still remembered what Chen Guixiang had said not long ago, about wanting Li Chunhua and Ci Jian to get married.
Jiang Yimian looked over curiously, only to meet Lu Cijian's puzzled face. The other person's eyes were full of frankness and seriousness. "I don't know her. Here, I only know you and the others."
A pair of clear, peach-blossom eyes stared at Jiang Yimian, causing her to pause for a moment before quickly looking away and lowering her head, muttering under her breath, "Beauty can be a trap."
When the group returned to the small depression, Liu Dayong and Wang Xiaohei were in a hurry to go out together when they suddenly saw the group returning.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Liu Dayong quickly stepped forward to check on the group, and only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that none of them were injured. "What happened? Why didn't the villagers let you come back?"
Wang Xiaohei quickly came over, and when his eyes fell on Lu Cijian, he was overjoyed. "Hey, Cijian-ge, you're back!"
Wang Fengqin and the others had been focused on the children, but upon hearing this, they all looked at the person lagging behind. When they discovered it was Lu Cijian, they were both surprised and delighted.
Even Old Liu came out of the house clutching his lower back. As soon as he saw the visitor, he smiled and said, "It's really simple. I was wondering when we would meet again."
Lu Cijian greeted everyone, and surprisingly, he didn't seem as lost as he had been when he first arrived in the small depression; a smile even appeared on his face.
Jiang Yimian listened to the children chattering about what had just happened, checked Old Liu's back, and breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that it was just a muscle strain from standing up too hard and that there was no bone problem.
Liu Dayong was furious when he heard what Gou Sheng and the others said. "What kind of people are these? They don't even bother to find out what happened before they start accusing others. Luckily, Yi Mian arrived in time."
Wang Fengqin also sighed, "Village Chief Li is an upright person; he doesn't favor the villagers."
Otherwise, they would have suffered a lot today.
Knowing that the children were alright and that their mood had only been briefly affected, and that they were all lively and energetic again, everyone was relieved, and the topic quickly changed.
Everyone was curious about where Lu Cijian had gone; they hadn't seen him for several months and noticed he had grown even taller.
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