43 You come to be the teacher
◎Do you want Dongbai girl to work with me?◎
Aunt Wang has been a little curious these past two days. The reason is simple: her "arch-enemy" Cuihua has been acting more and more arrogant recently, and she can't wait to get a piece of her meat from the county town every day.
This is not, and this is also——
When Cuihua was about to reach the door of her home at the westernmost end, she once again "accidentally" met Dongbai, who lived at the easternmost end.
Dongbai's mother's words were full of enthusiasm: "Oh, buying meat again?!"
Madam Cuihua naturally remembered what Ye Yunzhao had told her two days ago. She smiled and said, "My husband has been busy building a house lately. He's finally had some free time these days, so naturally I'm thinking about improving the food."
This may seem like a simple statement, but among the many laborers who helped build the house, no other family was as lucky as hers, who could actually eat meat for three or five days in a row.
Dong Bai's mother glanced at the piece of fatty pork belly in her hand, and her heart was beating fast. Could it be that what Aunt Wang said before was true?
This is a long story. It all started seven or eight days ago when Dong Bai Niang was washing clothes by the river as usual. Her family lived in the east end of Xixiang, so naturally she washed clothes at the east end of the river. However, Aunt Wang who lived in the west end was washing clothes with her.
Although they were both from Xixiang, they seldom saw each other on weekdays. Dong Bai Niang just greeted her and went on with her work, but Aunt Wang told her mysteriously about Madam Cuihua.
It's only a few words to say, but it still can't get around the fact that Madam Cuihua followed County Magistrate Ye and secretly entered the county school. No one knows what she did, but she made money and even bought pork for several days.
You know, most people can only afford to eat fatty pork three or four times a year!
However, Dong Bai Niang was not a confused person. She had an average relationship with Aunt Wang, and she had heard from others that she and Madam Cuihua did not seem to get along well, so she did not take this matter to heart.
But two days ago, the county really posted a notice saying that the county school would teach women skills. Until then, Dong Bai Niang took what Aunt Wang said to heart. In the past few days, every time it was time to eat, she would wander from the east end to the west end, and she met Cuihua Niang three or five times, and each time she was carrying meat.
Thinking of this, and remembering her delicate daughter, Dong Bai Niang finally put on a serious face, tugged at Cui Hua Niang's sleeve, and whispered:
"Madam Cuihua, you also know the condition of my daughter Dongbai. Although she is still young, as her mother, I have to think about her all the time..."
Madam Cuihua smiled and said, "Aunt, what are you talking about? If you have anything to say, just tell me. I will do my best to help you."
After hearing her answer, the faint sadness between Dong Bai Niang's brows dissipated a little: "You are such a kind person, I am embarrassed to speak."
"Ah, Auntie..." Seeing her looking at the pork on her phone, and then thinking about what Ye Yunzhao had said, Cuihua asked tentatively, "Could it be that you want Dongbai to work with me?"
Dongbai is only ten years old now. Other girls are already helping their families with farming and picking fruits at the age of ten. Some have already sent their daughters and boys to officials' houses to work as maids and servants, but Dongbai's mother is reluctant to let them go. She quickly waved her hand:
"Dongbai isn't feeling well. I wanted her to stay with you, but I was worried she'd cause you trouble. I just wanted her to go to a private school and learn some reading and writing so she can grow up a little bit."
After hearing this, even if Cuihua was a wooden woman, she could guess what it meant. She coughed lightly, leaned over to Dongbai Niang's ear, and whispered a few words.
Dongbai's mother's expression changed again and again, and finally her face was filled with an irrepressible smile. After a simple thank you, she turned around and left in a hurry.
Aunt Wang leaned over the crack in the door and watched carefully. What had Wang Cuihua said to her? Why did she leave so happily?
Aunt Wang paced back and forth beside the door, scratching her head anxiously, and then leaned over to look carefully through the crack of the door. Seeing that Wang Cuihua had left, she hurried out and ran straight to the place where Dong Bai Niang disappeared.
When Aunt Wang caught up with her breathlessly, the two of them were almost at the gate of the county government office.
"Wait... wait... Dongbai... Dongbai's mother... wait for me..."
"Auntie Wang?" Dongbai Niang turned around and asked, "What's going on? Why are you running so fast?"
Aunt Wang took a few quick breaths and said with a smile, "Mother Dongbai, are you going to the county town?"
Dong Bai Niang said innocently, "Yes, I thought I'd go ask County Magistrate Ye if it's true that only girls who have reached the age of marriage can enter the county school."
"Why? Are you planning to send Dongbai girl to the county school to learn to read and write?"
Aunt Wang gathered her scattered hair, and her gestures and movements did not show the impatience she had a few days ago when she was worried that Erya would not be able to enter the county school.
Furthermore, if County Magistrate Ye accepted Dongbai, wouldn't her daughter Erya be able to go too? Furthermore, since it was Dongbai's mother who was lobbying, she naturally didn't need to show her face in front of County Magistrate Ye, as if she was instigating others to have evil thoughts.
"Yes, elder sister, I won't hide it from you. I just met Madam Cuihua."
Dongbai Niang looked around and asked, "Do you know what Cuihua Niang said to me?"
Aunt Wang was stunned. She had been curious about what the two had said and had chased after them. Now, all her airs were gone and she asked hurriedly, "What did they say to you?"
Dong Bai Niang put her hand in front of Aunt Wang's ear and whispered, "Madam Cuihua is learning to make pastries from County Magistrate Ye at the county school. She can earn more than ten coins a day!"
After saying this, she glanced behind her anxiously, making sure no one was around. Her eyes gleamed, "Only a dozen coins a day! Old sister, we work in the fields and mountains all day long, how can we ever earn more than a dozen coins a day?"
She was so excited that she tugged at Aunt Wang's sleeve and shook it. Aunt Wang stood there in a daze for a long time, then said in disbelief, "A dozen cents a day? Did you hear that right?"
"Oh! How could I have heard wrong? I won't say any more. I'm in a hurry to find County Magistrate Ye!"
As Dong Bai Niang was about to leave, Aunt Wang, who had just been thinking about "keeping to herself", immediately came to her senses and put her arm around her: "Let's go! Let's go together!"
*
At this moment, Ye Yunzhao happened to go in the opposite direction of them. They went to the county government office to find her, but she came to Xixiang and went straight to Sun Ning's house.
Sun Ning's home had originally been quite remote, but now that they had built houses for the refugees, the area had finally become more lively. Normally, a newly built house couldn't be lived in; it needed constant exposure to the sun to dry out the moisture in the soil, so early summer was a good time to build a house.
But Ye Yunzhao did not understand this principle, and brought the refugees back very suddenly, so he rushed to build houses in early autumn. It was getting colder day by day, and the sun didn't even come out in the past two days.
The refugees who used to live on the dikes were now restless and just wanted to move into their new homes as soon as possible. The head of Xixiang Village naturally knew what they were thinking, so he asked people to light a fire in the new houses to evaporate the moisture as soon as possible.
Therefore, when Ye Yunzhao arrived, he found that black smoke was coming out of every household.
"County Magistrate Ye, why are you here?" Sun Ning opened the door, showing a hint of surprise, and hurriedly welcomed her into the house, "Do you want to take a look at the dragon bone waterwheel..."
Ye Yunzhao has been busy as a top these days, so how could she remember anything about the dragon-bone waterwheel? If Sun Ning hadn't mentioned it herself, she probably wouldn't have remembered it even if she waited for another ten days.
"Oh, I almost forgot, what happened to the dragon bone waterwheel?" Ye Yunzhao asked. "The last time I passed by the Hongyu River, I saw you and those little disciples busy at it."
Sun Ning smiled and said, "I estimate it will be finished in two or three days. There are too many waterwheel pedals, so it took a while to work on it."
Ye Yunzhao took the teacup she handed him: "I trust you with this matter, but I didn't come here for this, but..."
Seeing her look troubled, Sun Ning took the initiative to ask, "But what is it? County Magistrate Ye, if you have something to say, just tell me. I will definitely help if I can."
Sun Ning thanked Ye Yunzhao from the bottom of her heart. If the two of them had not worked together to make the three-legged plow, she would still be living the same life as before, feeling depressed and alone at home all day long.
Because of Ye Yunzhao's trust in her, she was able to spread the Sun family's ancestral craft. These days, whenever there is a happy event in the family, they come to her to make trunks and wooden beds. Because there are too many trivial things, the dragon-bone waterwheel was barely completed after two days.
Ye Yunzhao looked up and bit his lip, "I... I know you don't want to be a clerk in the workshop... but... but can you... go to the county school to be a teacher?"
Sun Ning was stunned and immediately shook his head: "Me? Being a teacher? County Magistrate Ye, please don't make fun of me. I don't have the ability to be a teacher..."
Ye Yunzhao quickly grabbed her hand and said, "He's not the teacher who teaches the Four Books and Five Classics. He's the teacher who teaches them how to weave bamboo baskets and bamboo crates."
"Are you going to be their carpenter master?"
The news that the county school run by County Magistrate Ye only accepted girls had long spread throughout Xixiang. Even Sun Ning, who seldom went out, had heard about it.
But Sun Ning didn't understand. Wasn't the county school a place to teach people to read and write? Why was she asked to teach others how to weave bamboo baskets?
"Why a carpenter master?" Ye Yunzhao shook his head and said, "I know that before you accept a disciple, you have to first see if the person has talent. If he is stupid, you can't accept him and ruin your reputation."
"It's easy to be a teacher at the county school. You just need to teach them how to weave some simple little things and tools. The bamboo basket you gave me before is better than the ones sold in Yuezhou City!"
Every family in Lingnan County can weave a simple bamboo basket or bamboo crate, but Sun Ning is different from them. When Sun Ning weaves a bamboo basket, he has to select the wood and shred it, and the weaving method is also very different. It is both sturdy and beautiful.
When Ye Yunzhao went to Yuezhou City to buy chickens, she noticed that other people carried bamboo baskets to the market to sell. A bamboo basket as big as the mouth of a jar could be sold for four cents, but she thought it was far inferior to Sun Ning's craftsmanship.
Ye Yunzhao was afraid that she would be unhappy, so he explained awkwardly, "This is your family's ancestral craft. I thought that if you only taught them how to weave, it would be a way for them to make a living. Don't worry, I'll pay for their training."
Sun Ning smiled and said, "Weaving bamboo baskets is not an inherited craft. I just made them when I had free time. It's easy to teach them how to weave, but..."
"how?"
"But can I really be a teacher? I... I've never spoken to so many people..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
