"What's the use of learning to read and write? It's better to plant two more acres of land and fill your stomach!" Aunt Wang shouted at the top of her voice, her saliva almost spraying on Captain Zhao Zhiqing's face.
Captain Zhao Zhiqing, unwilling to be outdone, pushed his glasses up and retorted, "Auntie Wang, you're wrong! Knowledge is power. We must keep up with the times and raise our awareness!"
"Awakening? What kind of awareness can you eat?" Aunt Wang put her hands on her hips, like a fighting cock. "You educated youth only know how to do fancy things. What a waste of time!"
"Carrying out cultural and educational activities can allow everyone to..." Li Zhiqing weakly interjected, trying to explain the benefits of carrying out cultural and artistic activities, but was rudely interrupted by Aunt Wang.
"Cultural activities? Singing and dancing? What's the point! I might as well go home and embroider a couple more handkerchiefs, and trade them for a couple of steamed buns!"
Shen Qiqi and Lu Qing stood on the outskirts of the crowd, taking in the entire scene.
The air was filled with a strong smell of gunpowder, as if it would ignite at any time.
Shen Qiqi frowned. This cultural and educational gap was deeper than she had imagined.
"Qiqi, it seems that this cultural and educational activity is not easy to carry out." Lu Qing whispered in her ear with a hint of worry in his tone.
Shen Qiqi's eyes were firm, and the corners of her mouth curled up with a confident arc: "This is just the beginning."
The dispute between Captain Zhao Zhiqing and Aunt Wang continued, with each arguing back and forth, neither willing to give in.
Most villagers sided with Aunt Wang and scoffed at the cultural and educational activities proposed by the educated youth.
"You've seen the situation in our village," Village Chief Sun said to Captain Zhao Zhiqing with a gloomy face. "Everyone depends on the harvest from the fields for their livelihood. As for cultural education, I'm afraid..."
Captain Zhao Zhiqing wanted to push for it again, but was interrupted by Village Chief Sun: "Xiao Zhao, I know you're doing this for the good of everyone, but everyone needs to understand."
The atmosphere became increasingly tense. Shen Qiqi took a deep breath and slowly walked to the center of the crowd...
Shen Qiqi cleared her throat, and her charming voice instantly drowned out all the arguments: "Everyone, listen to me first!"
As soon as she appeared, she attracted everyone's attention, like a ray of light illuminating the stalemate.
Captain Zhao Zhiqing and Aunt Wang also stopped arguing and turned to look at her with a hint of doubt in their eyes.
"Everyone says that reading and learning are useless, but that's because they're not being used for the right things!" Shen Qiqi said cheerfully, as if chatting about family matters. "We can't just focus on farming, we have to keep our brains active, right? Otherwise, even if God gives us food to eat, we still have to have a spoon to hold it!"
Everyone was stunned by what she said. What does "having a spoon to hold it up" mean? This metaphor is amazing!
"We can combine cultural activities with agricultural knowledge!" Shen Qiqi curled her lips, her eyes glittering with cunning. "For example, we can compose some songs about agricultural knowledge, and plant the fields while singing. How exciting! The lyrics can include some new planting methods that are better than the old ones, and the yield can be doubled!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the whole audience was in an uproar, like a stone thrown into a calm lake, causing ripples.
The villagers looked at each other in bewilderment. Is this how you can play?
"Is it true?" Aunt Wang asked the question first, but her tone was obviously softer and less tough than before.
"Of course it's true!" Shen Qiqi said with certainty, her tone full of confidence. "How could I lie to you?" She looked around with a firm gaze. "But, words are not enough. I have to let everyone see it with their own eyes."
She didn't use force to get the villagers to participate. Instead, she turned to Captain Zhao and said, "Captain Zhao, why don't you educated youth demonstrate first? Show everyone what it means to combine education with entertainment."
Captain Zhao Zhiqing was stunned for a moment, then he understood what Shen Qiqi meant and rubbed his hands excitedly: "Okay, no problem!"
The other educated youth also nodded, eager to try.
"However," Shen Qiqi added, her voice much softer, "Don't worry, everyone, and don't think this is something new. Just think of it as listening to music while you work, to relax. Don't force yourself. If you want to listen, listen. If you don't want to listen, do something else. It won't delay everyone from earning work points."
Her patient explanation and calm attitude dissipated a lot of resistance in everyone's hearts.
"Then... let's give it a try." Someone muttered softly, with curiosity in his tone.
Shen Qiqi winked at Lu Qing, and Lu Qing understood what she meant. He walked up to the villagers and began to organize everyone to line up, preparing to let the educated youth start the demonstration.
The sun slowly climbed over the mountain, and golden light sprinkled on everyone's face. The air was filled with a strange smell, a sense of anticipation, curiosity, and a hint of tension.
Shen Qiqi walked up to Li Zhiqing and said softly, "Let's start."
Li Zhiqing took a deep breath, cleared his throat, and began to sing: "Ploughing the field at noon, sweat dripping down to the soil..."
As soon as Li Zhiqing started singing, the whole audience fell silent.
He adapted "Song of Pity the Peasants" into a catchy folk song, adding some farming techniques, with a light rhythm and simple and easy-to-understand lyrics.
As the villagers listened, their originally tense brows gradually relaxed.
"This song is quite nice!" Aunt Wang muttered, with a barely perceptible smile on her face.
Upon seeing this, Captain Zhao Zhiqing immediately took over the conversation and began to explain the farming knowledge contained in the lyrics.
He used vivid metaphors to explain the complex process of crop growth in an easy-to-understand way.
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