The old village chief seemed to have already sensed her hesitation, and then said, "Sister-in-law Bai, you might as well think about it carefully. Your son Yujing is young and promising, and he is expected to obtain an official position next year. Your daughter-in-law is such a kind and virtuous woman. She can teach students. What a great honor it will be when this honor is spread!"
Upon hearing this, Bai Qi was deeply moved. Indeed, her son was about to take the imperial examination, and her daughter-in-law was the first female tutor in the town. This undoubtedly boosted their family's prestige and made her proud.
But she was still quite resentful inside.
Why was this daughter-in-law, whom she once looked down upon, able to rise step by step and escape from her control time and time again?
The resentment in my heart was like a burning flame, impossible to extinguish.
Bai Qi frowned slightly and said vaguely, "These things are too profound for me. Village Chief, you should go and ask Yu Jing for advice."
She was unwilling to readily agree to let Jiang Huaiyu go, nor did she want to appear too sharp-tongued in front of the village chief, so she simply let her son make the decision himself.
Even if a woman has a good reputation, she will inevitably have to leave the house and appear in public, which her son may not be willing to accept.
The old village chief nodded gently and replied, "Then, when will Yujing return? I will visit him again when he comes back."
Jiang Huaiyu replied, "Yujing recently became a disciple of Tu Jijiu. To make it easier for him to seek instruction, he has been staying at the home of a classmate in the county town. It is not yet certain when he will return."
Bai Yujing hasn't been going home much lately.
She could also use this time to sort out her chaotic thoughts so that she wouldn't panic when facing him.
After a moment's thought, the old village chief said, "The private school has been closed for quite some time, and I naturally hope it can reopen as soon as possible. Here's what we'll do: Yujing's wife, write down your address for me, and I'll write a letter to inquire."
Jiang Huaiyu walked slowly to the table and carefully wrote the address on a piece of paper.
On the table were Feng Yun and Hui Yi's homework. The old village chief picked up one of them, examined it carefully for a moment, and a satisfied smile gradually appeared on his face, like a spring breeze.
“My dear wife, would you be willing to lend me these lessons for a while? After all, it takes a lot of effort to convince people to accept a woman as a teacher.”
He had witnessed Jiang Huaiyu's talent and demeanor firsthand and was already convinced of it, but others needed time to gradually accept this fact.
Jiang Huaiyu smiled and agreed, "Of course."
The old village chief accepted the teaching materials, smiled, and bowed.
"Then I shall take my leave. Upon returning, I will immediately instruct the servants to clean the private school thoroughly and await Master Jiang's arrival."
Jiang Huaiyu was moved by the address "Master Jiang" and returned the greeting with a solemn expression.
"Thank you for your trouble, old village chief."
After the old village chief left, the people sat or stood, each with a different expression.
A moment later, Aunt Bai said with a beaming smile, "Sister-in-law, this is wonderful news! I thought the old village chief had come here for some important reason, but it turns out he's here to invite our second niece-in-law to come out of the mountains and become a teacher. The first female teacher in Fushun Town, it's truly amazing!"
Bai Qi frowned slightly and sighed softly, "It's all just luck. If we hadn't been unable to find a suitable candidate, why would the old village chief have condescended to ask her?"
A barely perceptible hint of contempt flashed across Aunt Bai's eyes. She suddenly asked, "By the way, I vaguely heard a lot of noise coming from the courtyard just now. What were you all talking about?"
Bai Qi's expression froze slightly, and she forced a smile.
"It's a trivial matter! Feng Yun isn't studying hard enough, I'm just correcting his attitude."
Jiang Huaiyu is already preparing to enter the ranks of educators. If we question her teaching methods now, wouldn't it make us seem ignorant?
Aunt Bai and Jiang Huaiyu exchanged a few more words before Aunt Bai turned and went back to her home.
Yang suddenly let out a long sigh, as if the burden in her heart was too heavy to bear.
A hint of joy flashed in Xie Wenying's eyes, and she eagerly asked, "Eldest sister-in-law, do you also think it's inappropriate to let second sister-in-law be the teacher? The matter is not yet settled, so why don't we try to persuade cousin Yujing again?"
She absolutely did not want to see Jiang Huaiyu become the center of attention.
Madam Yang sighed heavily, "It is indeed not appropriate. Originally, Second Sister only needed to instruct Fengyun and Huiyi. If she becomes a teacher, other students will inevitably distract her. Wouldn't Fengyun suffer as a result?"
Xie Wenying's anger made a string of profanities almost spill from her mouth. She took a few deep breaths to forcefully suppress her resentment.
Jiang Huaiyu chuckled and reassured her, "Sister-in-law, there's no need to worry. No matter how many students there are in the private school, my care for Fengyun and Huiyi will remain as meticulous as it is now."
Upon hearing this, a pleasant smile finally appeared on Yang's face. "Oh, second sister-in-law, there's no need to take it so seriously. What I said was just a joke. After all, we are family. You spend every day with Fengyun and Huiyi. How can this kind of kinship be compared to that of other students?"
Bai Qi glanced at the two of them with disdain, then stood up and said lazily, "I'm a little sleepy and want to rest."
As soon as she finished speaking, she called Xie Wenyin over and left with her.
...
At dawn the next day, Bai Yujing sent a letter back from the county town.
In the letter, he expressed his firm support for Jiang Huaiyu's decision to teach at the private school, and his words were full of care and concern.
What was even more surprising was that the letter also included an exquisite brocade box. Upon opening it, one would find a pure and brightly colored jade hairpin inside.
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