After the New Year’s Eve dinner, everyone sat in the main room to stay up till the New Year.
Everyone was roasting by the fire, chatting, looking at the twinkling stars in the sky outside the open door, enjoying this moment of peace and contentment, and praying that the next year would remain the same.
The children stayed up until midnight and fell asleep. Qin Yao asked Song Yu's family and Yin Le Awang to take them home first. She and Liu Ji stayed behind to continue staying up with everyone in the old house.
The sky gradually turned pale, roosters crowed, and the morning light broke, welcoming the New Year.
After having breakfast at the old house, Qin Yao and his wife returned home to catch up on their sleep.
From the first to the fifth day of the first lunar month, the village is very lively, with families visiting relatives. It is not until the eighth day of the first lunar month that all industries gradually resume work, and the festive atmosphere slowly dissipates.
The children had been idle for a long time. As the village middle school started classes, Liu Ji also grabbed the four children at home and asked them to read books and calm down their temperament so that they could adapt to the new courses that were about to begin.
The two-year period of free enrollment has expired, and many villagers are worried about their children's schooling.
After the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, some villagers went to Dingjiazhuang to inquire, and were all panicked when they learned that the Ding clan school did not plan to recruit students from outside.
It doesn't matter that the child has never been to school, and I don't think there is anything good or bad about it.
But it has been two years now, and not only the students but also the parents have realized the benefits of it. Then think about it, since you have already learned it, how can you give up halfway?
Therefore, almost half of the people in Kaiyang County still plan to continue to pay their tuition fees to send their children to school.
However, there are more monks than temples. If one wants to continue studying, the nearest choice is only an academy in Kaiyang County.
Qin Yao didn't know what the situation was in other villages, but the villagers of Liujia Village all planned to continue sending their children to the academy in the county town.
We didn't have the financial resources in the past, but now that we have a stable income and dividends, and as a family only supports one scholar, we may as well give it a try.
Jinbao doesn't have to worry about the old house. Liu Ji had already taken care of this matter years ago. He can just follow the twins to study in the Ding family's main clan.
The closer it got to the start of school, the happier He became. She had no other hobbies except enjoying the envious looks of others.
When He saw other young children crying in fear because they wanted to go to the county academy, she felt very proud.
But on the surface, he still had to comfort her: "Poor girl, you can still go home twice a month, don't cry."
Others enviously said, "Your Jinbao is so lucky. He has a scholar as his uncle and a capable village chief as his aunt. I'm afraid his schooling has already been arranged."
He felt happy instantly.
With such uncle and aunt, her Jinbao will never suffer.
He no longer had to live alone in the county academy at such a young age and could only go home once every two weeks. He could also study with the teacher in the Ding family's main academy, and who knows, he might be able to pass the imperial examination like his uncle in the future!
If Jinbao can have such an arrangement, then the children in the old house must also have it. Mrs. Qiu is not worried about where the girls in the family will go to school next year.
The rule of only accepting boys and not girls has long been broken. Si Niang has entered the Ding family's tribal school this year, so there is no way they will not want her daughter Jin Hua next year.
Even if she doesn't want it, her uncle and aunt will definitely find a way to solve it.
The two sisters-in-law, Mrs. He and Mrs. Qiu, looked at each other and smiled. They followed their third brother's wife and no longer had to worry about having no meat to eat.
At the beginning of February, the people of Kaiyang County received the news that County Magistrate Song’s term of office had expired and he would be transferred elsewhere.
For a time, countless people came to the gate of the Song Mansion to try to keep him.
For the common people, they cannot control the political struggles in the court, nor do they care who the emperor is.
They only knew that after County Magistrate Song came to Kaiyang County, he wiped out the rampant horse bandits for the people, eliminated the bullies who oppressed the people, rectified the corrupt county government, and severely punished those wealthy families who only cared about eating and not giving back. He also won more free schools for the people so that children from poor families could also go to school.
The more he thought about this, the more reluctant he was to let County Magistrate Song go. However, it was the imperial court's rule to rotate county magistrates every three years, and this rule could not be violated. Song Zhang was moved and reluctant to let go, but he could only do one last thing for the people of Kaiyang County before leaving.
He recorded all the detailed data on population, fields, forests, lakes, etc. that he had obtained during his three years of inspections in various places in Kaiyang County, for reference by the next county magistrate.
He also wrote down the ongoing plan to increase production by planting 70% of the land with coarse seeds and 30% of the good land with intensive cultivation, hoping that the next county magistrate would continue to implement it.
There are many, many governance methods that are already in progress but whose results have not yet been seen. They are all planned to be recorded and kept in the Kaiyang County Government.
There were so many things to write and leave behind that it was not until late February, when the transfer documents were sent out for the second time, that Song Zhang had to put down his pen and leave the place where he had stayed for three years.
In order to prevent their good friends from feeling sad about parting, Song Zhang and his family left quietly. By the time Qin Yao and his wife found out, it was too late to see them off.
Song Zhang asked someone to deliver the key to Song Jiajian's house in Liujia Village, hoping that Qin Yao could help him rent the house at a low price to the students who stayed in the village to study hard, so that they could have a quiet place to study seriously.
You don't have to send the rent to him. Just leave it in the village and ask an old man to help look after the house.
Song Zhang also left a message, saying that he didn't know when he would come here to continue the barbecue party with their family, and warned Qin Yao not to sell his house.
"Am I that kind of person?" Qin Yao was both angry and amused. She shook the key to the house, erased the thought of selling the house that had just flashed through her mind, walked towards the village, and handed the key to Grandma Wang.
Many students came to her house to drink tea, and the yard had become a place for scholars to gather and chat. The chickens that were originally raised were released into the back hill to roam freely.
Granny Wang is in good health and has so many students to rely on, so it is most appropriate for her to take care of the Song family residence.
Besides, I have to support a little grandson to go to school, and having an extra stable income would make life easier.
Qin Yao put the key down and turned to leave. Granny Wang was still surprised and touched, but when she looked up, the person was gone. She could only smile helplessly.
This village chief is too nimble. At least he should wait for her to prepare a bowl of eggs for the baby at home.
At Qin Yao's house, when the family sat around the table for dinner, Liu Ji asked curiously:
"Madam, do you think the new county magistrate will be here soon? Why don't we go ask around and welcome him?"
Qin Yao looked at his excited expression, frowned and asked, "Why are you being so flattering?"
Liu Ji did not refute, he just wanted to flatter the new county magistrate! He said confidently: "I want to be a chief clerk!"
The four brothers and sisters all raised their heads and looked over at him, their faces filled with surprise: "Dad, is this true?"
Liu Ji shook his bangs and said, "With your father's current status and position, he is qualified to be a county magistrate, let alone a mere chief clerk?!"
Seeing the four siblings' eyes light up, Awang couldn't bear to watch and explained to them: "Only a Jinshi can be a county magistrate. A candidate for the imperial examination is not qualified. You are just daydreaming, sir."
Liu Ji jumped up, I'm so
Awang looked over stubbornly.
Liu Ji: Forget it, forget it. I can’t beat him, so I’ll just let this idiot go for once! (End of this chapter)
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