Chapter 159
After Zhu Hongtao accepted Yao Chunnuan's invitation, he also took the initiative to say that he would invite his friends to Yichun.
Yao Chunnuan was delighted to hear this. There were still too few people working. Anyone Zhu Hongtao could call a friend and invite was, even if not a great scholar, at least a learned person. It would be wonderful if they could actually come. Once they arrived, she could send them all to the City Lord's Mansion or the public school!
Not long after Zhu Hongtao agreed to come out of seclusion, he was given an official title. The letter of appointment issued by the City Lord's Mansion appointed him as the principal of the Yichun Public School and the head of the literary department. The literary department also served as the cultural consultant and the Minister of Education.
Upon receiving this letter of appointment, Zhu Hongtao felt a mixture of emotions. The position of headmaster was so important, yet Xing Zhangfeng, Yao Chunnuan, and the others had given it to him without hesitation. Such generosity! No wonder he was so beloved and supported by so many. After all, whoever holds the position of headmaster possesses its prestige. In the future, all students from Yichun Public School could be considered his disciples. Of course, within the public school, the headmaster's prestige was lower. But this courtesy far exceeded his expectations.
Zhu Hongtao thought about it and decided to pick up his pen and write a letter to his close friend.
Yao Chunnuan certainly understood the importance of the position of principal. Don't you see how much prestige and authority the later Whampoa Military Academy principals held among the cadets? But after careful consideration, Yao Chunnuan decided to relinquish the position. Growing the pie was more important than gaining fame and prestige for himself.
Before Zhu Hongtao's friends arrived in Yichun, the public school was ready after Zhu Hongtao arrived. Yao Chunnuan immediately selected an auspicious date and announced the establishment of the Yichun Public School, which began to enroll students immediately.
When the people of Yichun heard that Yichun was going to establish a public school, they inquired about the conditions for admitting students and expressed their willingness to send their children of school age to the public school.
The founding ceremony and opening ceremony of Yichun Public School were now combined into one. The locals hadn't seen such a lively scene in a long time. Furthermore, since the public school was a matter of personal importance to them, those who lived nearby brought their families to the ceremony. They wanted to see where their children would go to school. Families from further afield also came, unwilling to miss the opportunity to visit the public school.
Fortunately, the public school was large enough to easily accommodate six or seven thousand students at once. Furthermore, the private school in Yichun Juntun had previously experienced a massive influx of students at its opening, so with that large crowd, the public school's reception and management remained well-organized.
The lively scene made the common people feel dizzy. Yao Chunnuan was standing at the edge of the stage and happened to hear a few words of discussion from the common people.
"There are so many people here! I had no idea there were so many people living in Yichun's main city until I left."
"Now I understand why Yichun Public School is located in the suburbs." Someone sighed.
"That's incredibly foresighted. Apart from this place, no street or place in the main city can handle such a sudden influx of people."
Yao Chunnuan smiled. Qi Yingshan had single-handedly orchestrated the Yichun Public School, from its site selection to its establishment, as well as the planning of the surrounding commercial district. He now held the deeds to all the shops surrounding the school. He knew that after today, many people would be interested in the shops in this area.
The Yao family also came, specially to watch the ceremony, and also to see what the Yichun Public School, which their An Nuan had strongly advocated and supervised, was like. And if things go as expected, the children of the Yao family will also attend this public school in the future.
Little Yao Xi was held steadily in her grandfather's arms. The child, who was nearly eleven months old, had a pretty face, red lips, white teeth, big eyes, and two buns on her head. She was looking around curiously, like a little glutinous rice ball, so adorable.
Because they arrived early, they were very close to the stage. Little Yao Xi had very good eyesight and immediately spotted Yao Chunnuan. Her big eyes kept looking in her direction, occasionally making "ahh" sounds in that direction.
Yao Chunnuan just happened to notice something, and when she looked over, she saw her daughter staring at her with big eyes and grinning at her.
Yao Chunnuan's heart softened when she saw her smile. As she had nothing to do, she walked towards her daughter.
Along the way, some people saw her and gave way to her, while some people didn't notice her and she just slid past them. Along the way, I also heard some parents admonishing their children, such as the following:
"Daniu, study hard, okay? It's not easy for you to still have a school in this world." Even in peacetime, it was difficult for ordinary people like them to support their children's education, let alone now. When the war broke out, many famous academies temporarily suspended classes. Students and teachers returned home.
"Yes, thanks to living in Yichun, we have this opportunity. I heard that the City Lord's Mansion made great efforts in the construction of the public school and the invitation of teachers. The financial subsidies and the arrangements were all handled personally by Lord Yao or he personally reviewed them."
When the auspicious time arrived, after a festive round of gongs and drums and lion dances, the headmaster Zhu Hongtao took the stage to deliver a speech.
Yao Chunnuan held her daughter and watched with her family in the audience.
…
After Zhu Hongtao finished his speech, he changed the subject, "I believe everyone has heard that the successful establishment of our Yichun Public School is thanks to the strong support of our City Lord's Mansion. Most importantly, our Lord Yao Gongcao has been working hard for this."
"As the saying goes, war costs a fortune. Everyone knows that Yichun is currently at war with the Northern Di people, spending countless silver and money every day. This is unavoidable. As long as the war continues, this expenditure will continue, not to mention the imperial army watching covetously from the sidelines. You can imagine how tight and difficult Yichun's current finances are. Under such circumstances, our Lord Yao Gongcao still insisted on establishing the Yichun Public School. This is very difficult. We should thank the City Lord's Mansion and Lord Yao. So, as the representative of the City Lord's Mansion, would you please come up on stage and say a few words to us?"
As soon as Zhu Hongtao finished speaking, there was a burst of response.
"good!"
"Master Yao, Master Yao!"
The people standing next to Yao Chunnuan looked at her eagerly.
The general was not in Yichun, but in Jiayin. The war with the Diluo tribe had reached a fever pitch, and now everyone was urging her to go up and say a few words. Yao Chunnuan did not refuse. After handing her daughter to her parents, she straightened her sleeves and walked towards the stage.
After she came on stage, everyone fell silent spontaneously.
Yao Chunnuan cleared her throat and said, "Hello everyone, I'm Yao Chunnuan, and I'm very happy to meet you all here. Since Chief Zhu asked me to come up and say a few words, then I will. First of all, it's true that Yichun is at war right now, and it's also true that it's spending money every day."
Hearing this, the common people were very worried. Some of them wanted to donate the money in their pockets to support the City Lord's Mansion. At the same time, they hated the rebel army in Ganhua City who were eyeing the city and were ready to start a war at any time.
Yao Chunnuan changed the subject and said jokingly, "But the City Lord's Mansion is not as difficult as everyone imagines. Besides, no matter how difficult it is, education cannot be difficult. Our children will be the pillars of the family in the future, the future of the clan, and the future of Yichun. How can we not educate them well?"
The common people below couldn't agree more, feeling that what Lord Yao said really touched their hearts.
"Now, we in the City Lord's Mansion have done what we should do: you parents have sent your children to public school and paid them tuition, and you have also fulfilled your obligations as parents: the soldiers have defended our homeland; the rest of the people have worked hard. We are all part of Yichun, and we each do our part, working hard to make Yichun better and better."
"On this premise, children, I have two words to say to you. I hope you cherish the opportunity to study in the public school and study hard. This is not only for Yichun, but also for your parents and elders, and more importantly, for yourselves. A great scholar once said this: why should we study hard? It is so that we can have the power to choose our own lives in the future, rather than being forced to make a living. Perhaps not everyone can walk out of the path of studying and become rich and powerful, but the best way to change your destiny is still to study. It can give your future self more opportunities to choose, rather than being forced to choose. I share this with you all." After saying this, Yao Chunnuan walked off the stage.
Zhu Hongtao didn't know what others thought of these words, but he was deeply moved. Yao Chunnuan's words were simple and unpretentious, yet they were also deeply moving. The benefits of reading can be very straightforward and simple, without having to elevate them to a higher level of intellectual attainment. Those who serve as officials and rulers are a minority. But just because they are a minority doesn't mean that reading is useless.
Yao Chunnuan was also somewhat silent. When she first read these simple, straightforward words, she got goosebumps. She was truly moved. The electric shock she felt from beginning to end remained with her to this day. She was recounting them here, hoping that if anyone present could benefit from them, it would be worth it.
After Yao Chunnuan said this, the scene fell silent.
After a long while, someone sobbed and said, "That's very well said, baby. You must study hard. Daddy doesn't want you to have a hard life like him in the future."
The speaker was a big man. He had never expected that Lord Yao's words would make him wet his pants.
"That's right, my dear grandson, you must cherish this opportunity to study. Grandma wants you to live an easier life in the future, unlike me who has to work so hard to survive." An old woman was in tears and said to her grandson who was holding her hand while wiping her tears.
"Grandma, don't cry. Your grandson will definitely study hard."
"Did you hear what Master Yao said? If you don't study hard, I'll beat you up when I get back!"
After such friendly interactions with the children, the adults at the scene calmed down and secretly resolved to work hard to preserve Yichun! So be it, let the City Lord's Mansion, which is good to these children and good to them, stand forever. What's the point of their efforts? Their lives are at stake, so they can only put in some effort.
Some people burst into laughter and said, "I have lived in Yichun for many years. I didn't think there was anything good about Yichun before, but now, it is the adults in the City Lord's Mansion who make me feel that living in Yichun is really good. I am proud to be a Yichun person."
"Yes, me too."
"Who isn't?"
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