Chapter 46
Jiang Wanning was caught off guard by their series of actions. Feeling a little timid, she subconsciously moved closer to Lu Shang.
Until she felt a warmth in her palms, she looked down and saw that it was Lu Shang holding her hand.
Lu Shang looked at the neighbors coming from inside and outside the alley and said, "Come in first."
Putting aside the brief master-disciple relationship between Jiang Wanning and Pang Liang, even with the attitude of this family today, Lu Shang could not just turn them away with a cold face.
Uncle Pang was about to say something, but Jiang Wanning added, "There are too many people outside. This isn't good."
Uncle Pang thought for a moment and realized that it was really not a good look to have them tugging and struggling at the door like this. He took two steps forward and picked up Pang Liang, then called out and asked the whole family to go into the yard.
Seeing so many people coming in, Grandma Lu was afraid that it would delay their business talks, so after careful consideration, she decided to hide back in her room.
As soon as the group entered the yard, Jiang Wanning turned around and found that Pang Liang had knelt down again, and the young boy named Lin Zhongwang was also kneeling beside him reluctantly.
Jiang Wanning was silent for a moment: "...Get up first."
"There are still many things we haven't clarified. You're making things difficult for the child and for me. Why don't we sit down and have a good talk? Once we're both satisfied, we can talk about whether to become his disciple or not."
"Ah..." It was not until this moment that everyone in the Pang family realized that their current behavior was somewhat coercive. If the wife of the Lu family was a soft-hearted person, she would feel uncomfortable seeing this, but if only for the sake of the child, it would be difficult for her to refuse.
They came sincerely to become disciples, but in the end, a rift arose between them, which is not good.
After realizing this, the eldest son of the Pang family quickly pulled the child up and took Lin Zhongwang with him.
But after standing up, he had no idea what to do next. He could only look at Uncle Pang and wait for him to make the decision.
Speaking of which, the entire Pang family gathered together only last night. After Uncle Pang figured out the key points, he immediately called back the family members who were scattered everywhere. He is the only elder in the family and the person with the most say in the entire Pang family.
So even though Pang Liang's parents were dissatisfied with him taking a woman as his master, they were still rebuked by Grandpa Pang, especially his series of questions, which left them speechless.
Uncle Pang asked in front of the whole family: "You only say that Mrs. Lu is not good, but tell me what is wrong with her!"
"Go look around town and you'll find a teacher who takes in students who doesn't charge several dozen taels a year. You'll have to sit and serve under him for seven or eight years before you can even learn the basics. But what about our darling grandson? He's only been here for a month, and he's already learned so many characters, can recite poems, and can draw. How could he learn so much from another teacher?"
"Aside from being a woman, can you find any faults with the wife of the Lu family? You want to find someone who is perfect in every way, but why don't you look at your own family's conditions? How can we have someone who is perfect in every way? Do we deserve her?"
"Everyone at home is here. Tomorrow I'll send my grandson off to become his apprentice. You all should follow me. Other families have their own gifts and ceremonies, so we must do the same!"
Pang Liang's mother asked timidly, "Will Liang Liang still be able to take the exam to become a scholar in the future?"
"Why not!" Uncle Pang shouted, "Mr. Lu said it's possible! Mrs. Lu also said it's possible! Then it must be possible! Not only can we take the exam to become a scholar, but we also have to take the exam to become a juren!"
After the old man spoke, no one else dared to raise any opinions.
Instead, Pang Liang's aunt rolled her eyes and said, "Since Liang Liang can find Madam Lu to study under her, can Xingwang do the same? I don't care about those miscellaneous things. As long as Xingwang can learn a few words, he can become an accountant in the future!"
This is why Pang Liang and Lin Zhongwang knelt down one after another.
Uncle Pang had just had a quarrel with Jiang Wanning not long ago, and he was still feeling embarrassed. He kept saying "hmm" and "ah" but couldn't utter a word. In the end, he just let it go and told her everything that had happened at home.
Finally, he said, "This is the situation. Can Madam Lu still accept Liangliang as her student?"
Jiang Wanning didn't answer, but instead asked, "Like your family said, there are still many people who care about me. I'm just a woman. I might be able to teach Pang Liang how to read and write, but if he ever becomes an official, I won't be able to pave the way for him. Have you thought about this?"
"Think it over, think it over. That's all for the future. As for becoming an official, how can a farmer from our small, shabby village dare to think about that? Besides, even if he does become an official, it's you, Madam, who has shown him the way. Our whole family can't thank you enough!"
After Grandpa Pang finished speaking, Pang Liang's aunt quickly said, "And our family! Our son won't take the imperial examination or become an official. Madam, you just need to teach him how to read and do arithmetic. When he becomes an accountant in the future, our whole family will come to thank you!"
After hearing this, Jiang Wanning was silent for a long time.
After a while, she waved her hand and called Pang Liang over.
The little boy was shy to begin with, and he had been detained by his family and questioned for the past few days. He just thought he had caused trouble for Jiang Wanning, and now that she called him to her side, his eyes suddenly became red.
Jiang Wanning curled her lips. "How can a little man shed tears? We won't listen to them. I'm just asking you, are you willing to be my student?"
"In the future, I will teach you the most basic literacy and arithmetic, as well as benevolence, righteousness, and morality. If you want to be an official, I will teach you the classics and policy essays. If you want to enter the world, I will teach you farming and the five constant virtues."
"Pang Liang, tell me what you think, okay?"
Pang Liang bit his lower lip hard to prevent himself from crying in front of others. He raised his hand and wiped his eyes fiercely, nodding again: "Sister, I want to be your student."
"Oh, silly child, why are you still calling me sister and brother? Kneel down and call me teacher!"
Uncle Pang was more anxious than anyone else. He couldn't help but follow and patted Pang Liang on the back. He then put his hand on his shoulder and pressed down a little.
Pang Liang was a little confused, but when he looked up at Jiang Wanning and saw that she didn't say no, he hesitantly took a few steps back and knelt down again.
Grandpa Pang said, "Hurry up and kowtow to your teacher!"
Pang Liang kowtowed obediently, then looked up and called out, "Teacher."
Uncle Pang asked Lu Shang for another glass of water, stuffed it into Pang Liang's hand, and instructed: "Hurry up and serve tea to your teacher!"
Pang Liang knelt down in front of Jiang Wanning and raised the teacup in his hand: "Teacher, please have some tea."
Jiang Wanning lowered her eyes and took the cup of clear water.
She took a sip and placed the teacup on the stone table beside her. She bent down again to help Pang Liang up and said softly, "From now on, you will be my student."
"Oh, good, good!" Uncle Pang couldn't help laughing, and asked the others to go outside to get the tuition and apprenticeship gifts. He prepared them according to the standards of an old scholar. The apprenticeship gifts were ten pounds of pork, five pounds of mutton, two pounds of beef, two chickens, two ducks, two geese, as well as bacon, rice wine, snacks and silk.
The Pang family is not short of money, but spending so many things at once is a huge expense, and it will take at least three to five years to save up the money.
As for the gift of money, since the collection methods varied from place to place, he asked his family to wrap up ten taels of silver in red paper, write the word "li" on it with ink, and put it together with all the necessary writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstone.
However, when they put these things up, Jiang Wanning sighed lightly, picked and chose, and only picked out a chicken and a duck.
As for the rest——
"Take the rest back with you. Things like silk, satin, and ink can all be returned. There's no need to spend so much money. And as for the pork, beef, and mutton, it's up to you to decide whether to sell them or keep them for your family. We don't have so many rules here."
Grandpa Pang was dumbfounded: "But everyone else is like this..."
Jiang Wanning smiled and said, "You said that too. That was someone else. Liangliang is my first student. As the first one, he should be different from the ones that came after him. He called me teacher, and as a teacher, I can't just rob my students' homes."
"The child is still young and doesn't need such fine brushes and ink. If you really want to prepare some, just use the cheapest yellow paper. You can also prepare some ox-hair or wolf-hair brushes at home and ask the owner of the bookstore to process them."
Uncle Pang knew nothing about reading. He just kept agreeing with whatever Jiang Wanning said.
In the end, of all the gifts they brought, Jiang Wanning only accepted the chicken and duck. She said, "These chicken and duck will be considered as my apprenticeship gifts."
Uncle Pang was about to argue again, but Lu Shang intervened, saying, "We're family, so please don't be so polite. There's still a lot of time to go on. For example, the minimum age to take the Tongsheng exam is ten, and Pang Liang will have to study here for at least four years. Do you have to send him off like this every year?"
Uncle Pang did have this intention, but his family really couldn't afford it, otherwise he wouldn't have risked so much and sent the child to Jiang Wanning.
Lu Shang said, "If you really feel that this is inappropriate, then you can pay the tuition fee once a month at the beginning of each month. It's three hundred coins a month, which will be used as the money for food and writing materials here."
Jiang Wanning agreed: "My husband is right."
Three hundred wen a month is already very cost-effective for a family of students. Not to mention the lunch, even the monthly paper and ink cannot be satisfied with three hundred wen.
Their attitude made Uncle Pang feel even more ashamed.
He tilted his head, unable to hold back his tears, and said, "My eyes are dim and I believed the slander of outsiders. I didn't distinguish right from wrong and came to shout at you. Fortunately, Mr. Lu and his wife were tolerant and didn't make a fuss about me!"
The others were also affected by his emotion and fell silent for a moment.
After a long while, Grandpa Pang finally calmed down, wiped away his tears, and said, "I've made a fool of myself... Hey, my dear grandson, come here, listen to what Grandpa has to say to you—"
"Your teacher is the best person in the world. She has forgiven us and treated you with all her heart. Now that you are her student, you must respect her and honor her."
Pang Liang's face was tense as he said solemnly, "Okay, I will respect the teacher!"
After spending such a long time together, Grandpa Pang knew that the young couple of the Lu family were both open-minded people. Since they said they didn't want to accept gifts, they really didn't want them.
He didn't tear it anymore, waved his hand and asked people to move the things back, but kept the two pounds of beef and insisted that the young couple have a taste of it.
While others were loading things onto the car, Pang Liang's aunt came up again, not daring to be lonely: "Madam, how do you take care of my child?"
Jiang Wanning looked in the direction of the voice and saw the young boy hiding behind her kicking the stones under his feet with his head down, occasionally looking up to take a peek. When his eyes met hers, he would hurriedly avoid her, pretending to be rebellious on his face.
Jiang Wanning asked, "How old is the child?"
"Zhongwang is four years older than Liangliang. Don't be fooled by his short stature; he's quite capable! He can do anything, from chopping wood to lighting a fire, fetching water, and cooking. Just order him around!" The aunt then changed the subject, "But my lady, my family doesn't have much money. As for tuition fees, can we..."
Jiang Wanning asked again: "What do you want?"
"Well, I just see that Zhongwang and Liangliang are brothers, and even if they're broken bones, they're still connected. I don't dare to expect to be your disciple, but you can just take him in as an apprentice. If he's obedient and does a good job, you can teach him a few words and how to use the abacus. If he's disobedient, you can teach him a lesson!"
"Then tuition, tuition... my family also gives 300 wen a month, is that okay?"
My aunt laughed awkwardly and said, "As long as he can become an accountant in the future, my family will be satisfied."
Jiang Wanning actually didn't know whether she should accept him or not, but seeing that the young boy pretended to be indifferent and kept peeking over here, she suddenly had an idea.
She chuckled and said, "Of course."
"Otherwise... what? Madam, what did you say?" Auntie widened her eyes in disbelief. "You agree? Are you willing to accept Zhongwang?"
Jiang Wanning said, "As long as you can read and do arithmetic, you can be an accountant, right?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's enough to be an accountant!"
Jiang Wanning calculated: "Then let him stay here for two years. After two years, I will see if there is a suitable place and ask him to go to the counter to learn for another year or two. When he is fourteen or fifteen years old, he will be able to work."
The aunt never expected that Jiang Wanning could even arrange the rest of the day. She was overjoyed and immediately took two steps forward, grabbed Jiang Wanning's hand, shook it, and kept thanking her.
They had already been delayed for most of the day, and Jiang Wanning was a little tired, so she didn't want to keep the person.
She said, "Tell Liangliang and Zhongwang to go back and rest for two days. They'll come back to class after two days. The next time they come back, it won't be as relaxing as before."
Uncle Pang and Auntie agreed together and thanked him several times before leaving the Lu family.
Jiang Wanning and Lu Shang only saw them off to the door, and after they got into the car, they closed the door. So they had no idea that Grandpa Pang and his family had walked all the way in the alley and talked to the people in the alley all the way.
say what?
—Hey, you must not know! Not only is Mr. Lu a literate man, but his wife is also quite capable. Today I have asked my little grandson to come and become his disciple.
——Who do you want to be your master? Of course, it’s Madam Lu!
"What do you mean women can't be teachers? Big sister, you're so shortsighted! My little grandson studied with her for a month and learned to write 20 or 30 characters and recite poetry! Besides, do you know how much Mrs. Lu charges for tuition? I'm afraid you won't believe me if I tell you!"
—Not only my nephew, I've also asked my son to learn to read and count from Madam Lu! Madam Lu said, first let him learn for two years, and when he's almost ready, she'll send him to school behind the counter! Do you know what this means? This means my son will be a bookkeeper in the future!
No matter if it was to show off or something else, after Uncle Pang's ox cart left the nameless alley, most of the neighbors in the alley knew that the young lady from Mr. Lu's family could teach children!
Among the neighbors living in Wuming Lane, every family has a child. The older ones are twelve or thirteen years old, and the younger ones are three or four years old. However, there are quite a few who can be enlightened at the age of five, six, seven or eight.
Soon after Lu Shang and his family moved in, the neighbors all knew that there was a scholar in his family!
It was a pity that the scholar looked unfriendly and was not at home all day. Apart from meeting him once at the housewarming party, they seldom had the opportunity to see him. Even if someone wanted to find him to be their teacher, they would have no chance at all.
When Jiang Wanning set up a letter stall at the entrance of the alley, the neighbors were surprised, but they didn't think much about it. After Uncle Pang mentioned it, it provided them with a new idea!
The people in the town didn't have much fantasy about studying and becoming an official, but as Aunt Pang Liang said -
No matter whether he is a boy or a girl, it is better to teach your child to recognize a few words than not to know any at all, right?
As long as it does not involve being an official and does not consider the pedantic rules of the court, most people actually do not have much understanding of male and female officials.
For example, women in wealthy families rarely leave their homes, but in ordinary families, women do just as much work as men and are often seen in public.
As for the distinction between men and women, Mr. Lu doesn't mind it, so why should they care about it?
But within one night, the topic of discussion in Wuming Alley changed.
The next day, when families with children met, the first thing they would ask was, "Are you going to send your child to learn to read?"
"My family needs to think about it again. Three hundred wen a month is not a small amount of money..."
"Yeah, my family needs to think about it, but do you think it would be cheaper if we don't have lunch at the female teacher's house?"
——Female teacher.
Before, when the neighbors mentioned Jiang Wanning, they either referred to her as the wife of a scholar or the daughter-in-law of the Lu family, but in just a few hours, they all referred to her as a female teacher.
Lu Shang and Jiang Wanning were still unaware of the changes in the neighborhood, and Grandma Lu had barely gone out that day, so she hadn't heard the gossip.
Lu Shang planned to take one last day off and get back to business as usual tomorrow, renting a house and delivering goods.
He had said before that he would make a stir-fried beef dish for Jiang Wanning to try. Now he had fresh beef and some green and red peppers left over from the fish banquet at home, so it was better to do it today.
While he was busy cooking in the kitchen, Jiang Wanning and Grandma Lu moved the flat plate and vegetable bowl out. One of them was responsible for pressing the dough, and the other was responsible for putting the stuffing in. They chatted while making dumplings.
When the Pang family came yesterday, Grandma Lu listened to almost everything in the house. Now when she thinks about it again, she can't help sighing: "After going around in circles, I finally came back..."
"It's thanks to your own ability, Wan Ning. If it were someone else, I'm afraid they wouldn't be able to handle it properly. I just don't know who would be so malicious as to mess things up!"
Jiang Wanning paused and wisely did not respond.
After lunch, the family went back to their rooms to rest for half an hour. Grandma Lu then carried her small stool and ball of yarn out of the house, heading to the end of the alley to find her old friend to knit.
Unexpectedly, not long after she sat down, a group of people gathered around her.
Even Grandma Tian looked at her carefully and asked mysteriously, "Grandma Lu, is your granddaughter-in-law still recruiting students?"
"Ah?" Grandma Lu was stunned.
Just when she was surrounded by people, the Lu family's door was knocked again.
At that time, Lu Shang and Jiang Wanning had just gotten up. Lu Shang felt dizzy and was leaning against the headboard to relax. Jiang Wanning simply wiped her face and went to the dressing table to do her makeup and hair.
When she heard the door open, her shoulders trembled. She was almost developing a psychological trauma these days.
Lu Shang also opened his eyes.
The two waited for two breaths, and there was still a knock on the door. Jiang Wanning stood up and heard Lu Shang say from behind: "It's okay, I'll go open the door."
As he said that, he got out of bed, opened the door and shouted "I'm coming", then walked out quickly.
Jiang Wanning thought about it and sat back down.
However, not long after she sat back down, she heard Lu Shang's voice from the courtyard: "Aning, I'm looking for you!"
Jiang Wanning had no choice but to quickly tidy up her skirt and hair, and walked out of the room in confusion.
Only when she left the room did she realize that there was more than one person looking for her.
She stood at the door and took a quick look. There were at least ten people in the yard, some familiar and some unfamiliar, but they were all women.
"What is this?" She subconsciously looked at Lu Shang.
But this time, Lu Shang shook his head and said only: "Aning, you guys chat, I'm going out for a walk." After that, he actually walked out of the house.
His actions shocked Jiang Wanning. Before she could ask, the women she had brought over had already spoken: "Mrs. Lu—"
As soon as this name came out, Jiang Wanning's eyelids twitched.
As expected, the next moment they said, "We all heard that Madam Lu can also read and write. Madam accepted two more students yesterday. We also have children of similar age at home. Madam, take a look—hehe."
With so many people present, even a single word from each person could make Jiang Wanning dizzy.
Like the nephew of Aunt Tian, the grandson of Aunt Xu, the son of Aunt Zhang... There are only a dozen families here, and even if you count them, twenty children is not enough.
Jiang Wanning was frightened and stammered, "No, wait, I mean—"
"Hey, I know Madam is going to charge tuition. It's only three hundred coins, which is affordable for everyone. As long as Madam accepts it, we will definitely come to pay the tuition on time. We will also have lunch. We live nearby, so we won't cause any trouble for Madam, and the children can go home to eat..."
"Yes, yes. My family also runs a bun shop. Madam, you're busy teaching. When it's time for lunch, I'll bring you some food!"
"And my house! I heard that studying and writing require tables and chairs. Madam, you see how much you need, and my house has made them!"
Jiang Wanning hadn't said anything yet, but from what they said, it seemed as if these students had already been accepted and were just waiting to enroll.
Jiang Wanning didn't know whether to laugh or cry. After finally finding an opportunity, she quickly said, "Wait, wait, wait, aunties, please wait a moment. This isn't that simple..."
"What's wrong? Is there anything else wrong?"
Jiang Wanning led them to the elementary school in the west wing and said, "My room here is only this big. I just heard you say that there must be at least a dozen students. I'm afraid this room won't be able to accommodate them."
No one expected that it was not Jiang Wanning's promise that affected their children's enrollment, but the problem lay with objective conditions.
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