"What?"
Qiao Niang's voice rose, filled with disbelief: "How can that be?"
Why not?
Gu Yaoniang looked at her with a relaxed expression and a smile.
Gu Yaoniang shared an idea with Yaoniang today.
Princess Ruining's girls' school is about to open, divided into two parts. One part is the study of classics, history, philosophy, and literature, as well as the Six Arts of a Gentleman, which are the skills to enter the court and cultivate talents for the imperial examinations.
The other part was prepared for women who had no interest in taking the imperial examinations. There were many skills such as cooking, embroidery, and weaving, as well as courses in numerology and legal law. On the one hand, it was a way for them to earn a living, and on the other hand, it was to equip them with knowledge and skills to reduce the possibility of being deceived.
Tuition was waived for all girls' schools to prevent families with sons and daughters from being unwilling to spend the money and send their daughters to study.
However, this resulted in a huge sum of money being spent on girls' education. The Gu and Lu families both contributed a great deal, and the larger merchants in Shuojing City also donated money.
Putting aside everything else, even if there are no daughters in the family who want to attend girls' schools, they still hope to train more capable stewards for their own use.
Although the professors in the academies today are diverse, almost none of them are willing to give up the imperial examinations and come out to make a living in the marketplace. There are actually not many truly capable people among the merchants; many of the shop assistants are not quick-witted and are illiterate, making them inconvenient for the owners to employ.
Gu Yaoniang put in a lot of effort when establishing the girls' school, and the textile master was a veteran craftsman from the Gu family who had been working there for over thirty years.
Gu Yaoniang's intention was that the girls of Wufan Pavilion should be able to attend the girls' school. Whether they pursued a career in government or went into business, it would be the same path.
Qiaoniang paced around the hall a few times, but still said, "No. Yaoniang, they won't do it! If they had any other skills, they would have left long ago during those years at Wufan Pavilion. They stayed because they didn't know how. How could they possibly learn anything else now?"
Gu Yaoniang's eyes were filled with complex emotions, a mixture of sympathy and deep感慨. After considering the matter several times in her mind, she said, "If they don't know how, they can learn. If they had a choice, they probably wouldn't want to spend their whole lives in Wufan Pavilion, would they?"
Qiaoniang was a little annoyed: "I know you mean well. But Wufan Pavilion isn't such a filthy place. Every girl in Wufan Pavilion is pure and innocent! No one is inferior to her. It's one thing for outsiders not to know the truth and to look down on them, but you know that! Why do you..."
Gu Yaoniang said helplessly, "Sister Qiaoniang, it's not that I know they aren't right, but that's just how the world is. Go out and ask around, how many people think that Wufan Pavilion is doing a legitimate business? They're always inferior to others. If they had a choice, how many of them would be willing to stay at Wufan Pavilion forever?"
Qiaoniang then fell silent.
Seeing this, Gu Yaoniang continued, "It's not that I look down on them. On the contrary, I genuinely feel sorry for them. They had no other way to make a living except by performing at Wufan Pavilion. Now we can give them a new way to live! Sister Qiaoniang, why don't we let them choose for themselves?"
Qiaoniang remained silent, her lips pressed together, but her expression had clearly softened. However, as her guard lowered, she also began to worry: "But if we just let them go like this, won't our Wufan Pavilion's business...?"
That's all! Wouldn't that be a loss?
Gu Yaoniang chuckled, "What's wrong with that? We're doing good deeds, not just charity for nothing. I've thought it through. From now on, Wufan Pavilion will be the Embroidery Pavilion, and we'll change our business. If the girls go to the girls' school, they can return to Wufan Pavilion to continue working after they graduate."
Before they left, they were made to sign an IOU, which was the money they were paying to redeem themselves. If they returned to the Wufan Pavilion, the money would be forgivable, and the Wufan Pavilion would only provide them with a fixed wage. If they did not return, then they would have to pay us the redemption money.”
"What if they run away?" Qiao Niang couldn't help but worry.
Gu Yaoniang, however, didn't care at all: "Run away? How can they run away? Qiaoniang, have you forgotten? If we really want to talk about it, the owners who also invested in the girls' school at the beginning had Princess Ruining backing them up. If they really have the guts to run away and renege on their debts, then I'll accept it."
But Gu Yaoniang didn't believe anyone would renege on this debt.
The Gu family is kind and honest, making working for them an excellent choice. Ultimately, the Gu family has been kind to them. Those who are grateful are the ones who go the distance. A narrow-minded person won't earn big money.
Gu Yaoniang preferred to believe that they would keep their promises. She didn't want to waste her energy locking them in the Wufan Pavilion, which would only breed resentment.
It's better to keep the good relationship, so that neither of us loses face.
Qiao Niang finally relented: "Then I'll talk to them."
Actually, it would be better if they all left. Don't return, don't return. Once they've left, they shouldn't come back.
When you return, Wufan Pavilion will no longer be Wufan Pavilion.
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