44 Learning a skill is not an easy task
◎Humph, it's not like County Magistrate Ye will accept any of your words...◎
Ye Yunzhao took the tea Sun Ning handed him, raised his head, and drank it in one gulp. "I think you can do it. Besides, being a teacher and a master are really the same."
Sun Ning frowned with a hint of worry. "That's true, but... my apprentices are learning carpentry, and I know what they're doing. Asking me to teach them weaving... County Magistrate Ye, I'm not sure."
Ye Yunzhao patted her arms twice and said with a smile, "Don't worry, no matter what happens, I'll take care of everything."
Ye Yunzhao's words showed his complete confidence. Now that things have come to this, if Sun Ning refuses again, it will make him look too cowardly.
She looked closely at County Magistrate Ye, who was standing face to face with her. His features were as beautiful as a painting, and his whole body was filled with joy. On their first meeting, she had dared to entrust her with the task of the three-legged plow. Sun Ning sighed softly and smiled from the bottom of her heart.
"Okay, I believe you."
Having solved a major issue in Ye Yunzhao's mind, he was extremely excited on the way back to the county government office. He wished he could go door to door to search for girls of the right age.
She walked towards the county government office with a smile. Aunt Wang and Aunt Dongbai, who did not wait for her at the government office, walked towards Xixiang. This time, the three of them finally met each other.
"Oh! County Magistrate Ye! Why are you here? We've been waiting at the county office for more than half an hour!"
Aunt Wang had very good eyesight and recognized Ye Yunzhao from a distance. She ran towards her while shouting.
Now that the autumn sowing has basically ended, each household is either tidying up their own vegetable plots or getting up early to go to the mountains to pick the last batch of mushrooms.
Ye Yunzhao looked at Aunt Wang who had just stood in front of him and said at a loss, "Aunt Wang, what's the matter? Did you go to the county government office to look for me?"
Aunt Wang panted and said, "But...but it's not..."
She added: "No...it's not me...there's..."
As he said this, he pointed at Dongbai Niang who was walking quickly behind him.
Seeing that she was panting heavily, Ye Yunzhao reached out and gently stroked her chest, saying with a smile, "Don't worry, tell me what you have to say slowly."
After Dong Bainiang arrived in front of the two, Ye Yunzhao asked, "What do you two want from me?"
Aunt Wang, who had barely breathed when she heard her words, quickly raised her hand and patted her chest a few times, sighing while catching her breath:
"I...I think I ran too fast just now...Mrs. Dongbai...why...why...why don't you tell Magistrate Ye?"
Aunt Wang secretly glanced at County Magistrate Ye, who was full of suspicion, and sighed a few times. In short, she didn't want to be the one to speak.
Dong Bai Niang couldn't understand her thoughts. She looked at the large bluestone under the tree beside the road and said with great concern, "County Magistrate Ye, why don't you help Aunt Wang to the tree to rest first?"
Ye Yunzhao nodded, and the two of them helped Aunt Wang walk under the tree.
As soon as she sat down, she reminded him, "Mrs. Dongbai, don't you have something to say to County Magistrate Ye?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he remembered that he must be feeling unwell at the moment, and hurriedly said, "Sitting here really makes me feel much better."
Seeing that she looked better than before, Dong Bainiang turned to Ye Yunzhao and said, "County Magistrate Ye, does the county school only accept girls who have reached the age of marriage?"
Girls in the Great Qi Dynasty could have the coming-of-age ceremony at the age of fifteen. The coming-of-age ceremony in wealthy families was very complicated, but in ordinary families in Lingnan County, the girl only had to wait until she turned fifteen, kowtow to the elders in the family after getting up, and her mother would use a wooden hairpin to pin up her scattered hair, and that was it.
Girls who have not yet had the Jigui ceremony are often called girls by others. After having the Jigui ceremony, they become girls. Firstly, it means they have reached adulthood, and secondly, they are favored by families and can be proposed to in marriage.
Fifteen years old, in her previous era, was just an ignorant junior high school student, but in Da Qi, children matured early and could get married at fifteen. This was also the reason why Ye Yunzhao only accepted girls who had reached the age of marriage. She wanted the girls to learn a skill, earn some money, and have a better life in the future.
If we can postpone the marriage for a few years because of attending the county school, that would be perfect.
No one knew what Ye Yunzhao had carefully thought about and planned, and she didn't want to tell others.
Seeing that she was silent, Dongbai's mother said, "County Magistrate Ye, my Dongbai is now ten years old. Although she hasn't reached the age of marriage yet, she is very sensible. If she were to enter the county school, she would definitely not cause you any trouble."
Ye Yunzhao hesitated for a moment and said tactfully, "I know Dongbai is a good child, but learning a skill is different from reading and learning to read. It is very tiring. Dongbai's mother..."
She hadn't finished her words, but Dongbai's mother understood. Yes, her Dongbai had been weak since childhood, a weakness that had been present since birth. She had previously been very concerned about Dongbai going to the county school, but now, after hearing what Ye Yunzhao said, she also hesitated.
She only has this one child, so naturally she is worried about everything.
Aunt Wang, who was standing by, saw that Dong Bai Niang didn't say anything and suddenly became anxious. She suddenly jumped up from the big bluestone, grabbed her hand, and said anxiously:
"Although it's a bit tiring, it will be a way to make a living when Dongbai grows up. Besides, I see that Dongbai is in good health now, so it's time for you to relax."
Dong Bai Niang rubbed the corner of her clothes, feeling that both of them had a point. As Aunt Wang had said, although it was tiring now, it was better than having to work hard to make a living after she and her husband passed away.
She hesitated for a long time, and Aunt Wang beside her was anxious and angry.
Ye Yunzhao tilted his head and asked, "Auntie Wang, are you feeling better now? Why are you so concerned about Dongbai's matter?"
Aunt Wang had no more reason to pretend at this moment. She glanced at Dong Bai Niang with resentment and said, "Even if things were going smoothly, you're going to mess it up for me!"
"County Magistrate Ye, I've seen Dongbai before. He's smart and cute, not as frail as she says. Why don't you go and see him for yourself?"
Dong Bainiang's eyes lit up and she looked at Ye Yunzhao infatuatedly.
Ye Yunzhao sighed. She understood what Dongbai's mother did. She had Dongbai when she was almost forty. Now Dongbai was ten years old and she was almost fifty. Aunt Wang, who was two or three years older than her, had children and grandchildren around her for seven or eight years. No wonder Dongbai's mother was worried.
So, he hesitated and said, "Then... I'll go take a look..."
Seeing Ye Yunzhao's reassurance, Aunt Wang hurriedly said, "County Magistrate Ye, to be honest, you've seen my daughter, Erya. Although she's only seven or eight years old, she behaves well. Why don't we go and see her together?"
Ye Yunzhao said, "This... Dongbai is frail and can't do heavy work. Plus, Dongbai's mother isn't very strong either, so I said I'd go check it out. Erya Kangjian and Laiwang are in their prime, and Fangniang is still working as an embroiderer in the city. Why would I have to go check it out?"
She spoke with such conviction that Aunt Wang was at a loss for words. She had originally wanted to encourage Dong Bai Niang to join her in building up her courage, but was she going to end up with her success while she failed?!
Aunt Wang looked troubled. Ye Yunzhao then said, "If I take Erya in, what will I do if other girls who haven't reached marriageable age come along?"
Seeing that they were silent, Ye Yunzhao declined, "Mrs. Dongbai, Mrs. Wang, I'm not exaggerating. Learning a skill is truly difficult, and they are still so young. Why don't you two go home and think about it for a few days, discuss it with your families, and I'll come visit you when I'm free."
"I still have things to do at the county government office. I'll leave first."
"Eh..." Aunt Wang sighed as she watched Ye Yunzhao walking further and further away. She looked at Dong Bainiang who was thinking with her head down beside her, sighed again, waved her sleeves and walked towards Xixiang.
*
Ye Yunzhao did not go directly to the county government office, but entered the county school. In the past, there were not many people coming and going near the county school. She didn't know if it was because of the news of reopening the girls' county school, but she felt that there were so many people carrying loads coming and going in the past few days.
Last time, before she finished cleaning, someone started making trouble. She had thought she would hurry up and clean up today, but she hadn't expected that Liu Mazi and Zhuang Xue were cleaning the yard, with the not-so-young Xiao Chunhua standing next to them.
Ye Yunzhao looked at the feather dusters and brooms in their hands and said in surprise: "You..."
Before she could finish, a person Ye Yunzhao had never expected walked out of the study - Li Xianjiang.
He walked out and said, "I sprinkled some medicine powder in the four corners of the study to prevent mosquitoes, snakes and rats from getting in the way..."
He looked up and saw Ye Yunzhao: "Why are you here, County Magistrate Ye?"
Before Ye Yunzhao could speak, another dusty-looking man emerged from the study behind Li Xianjiang, holding a feather duster covered in spiderwebs and dust. He coughed and said,
"Master! You didn't do any of this work. Put it down now... cough cough... If you ask me, why did we come here... cough cough..."
"Green clothes?" Ye Yunzhao was stunned.
She wasn't surprised to hear that Liu Mazi and Zhuang Xue were cleaning the county school. Ye Yunzhao had previously sent Liu Mazi to move things there, and he'd come often when he had some free time. Zhuang Xue had learned how to make crystal cakes from her, and being incredibly meticulous, she'd definitely come if she'd known the cleaning schedule was tight.
Li Xianjiang was an extremely gentle person. Although he didn't have much strength in his hands, the medicinal powder he prepared was also very good. As for his servant Lu Yi, Ye Yunzhao really didn't expect it, because this person always spoke directly and was quite polite to her, but he never had a good face towards Liu Yayi. However, the two of them appeared together today. It must be Li Xianjiang's order, and he had to come.
However, no matter what, Ye Yunzhao said sincerely: "Thank you for coming to help."
There is strength in numbers. What would normally take one person two hours to complete was now finished in less than an hour by five or six people.
Ye Yunzhao looked at the two neat and bright study rooms and smiled sincerely. She hesitated for a moment and asked, "There's something I'd like to hear your opinions on."
Liu Mazi scratched his head embarrassedly: "County Magistrate Ye, you make the decision. If you ask me, I'm afraid I can't say anything..."
The man in green on the other side sneered, "Humph, it's not like County Magistrate Ye will accept your opinion just because you say a few words..."
Li Xianjiang said, "Green Clothes, don't be rude."
Seeing that the two of them were about to start fighting again, Zhuang Xue hurriedly said with a smile, "County Magistrate Ye, just tell me what you want. If I can help, I will."
"Do you think the county school should only accept girls who have reached the age of marriage? Or should it accept all girls?"
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