"I don't understand."
Not long after, Chen Gui arrived with grain.
Chen Gui smiled and said, "Mr. Zhou, what do you think about becoming a teacher in our village?"
Mr. Zhou nodded.
"Yes, the local people are very kind and honest. I plan to teach them for a while."
Chen Gui was overjoyed.
"Okay, okay."
"I will inform all the villagers right away."
He hurriedly put down the grain and ran out.
Mr. Zhou called out a few times.
The pageboy said awkwardly, "Sir, these are all farmers. I don't know them. They might not even be able to afford tuition. We can't let you waste your time teaching for nothing. Why don't I go and catch up with him and refuse?"
Mr. Zhou shook his head.
“I don’t lack that tuition fee. All my life’s learning has been about cultivating a few truly useful scholars for the court, talents who can truly serve the country. Tuition fees are good if they are available, but we don’t need to force it if they aren’t. There are over a hundred households in the village. As long as a few of them give us tuition fees, we won’t starve.”
The pageboy remained silent.
"That's just how the gentleman is, so kind-hearted, sigh!"
I will stop trying to persuade them.
Of course, this is also why he has always truly respected his husband, rather than simply out of fear or apprehension; his husband is genuinely kind.
At the same time, I felt a little uneasy.
Unruly people from the mountains.
Sometimes, not paying a fee doesn't guarantee their gratitude.
Perhaps it will give them the illusion that the teacher is not short of money. As a teacher, surely he must be very rich, since other places must also give him gifts.
It won't make a difference if we have a little bit of dried meat strips.
It is very likely to incite their greed and shamelessness.
The pageboy became slightly nervous. His master was a man of refined taste, and as a mere pageboy, he had to plan ahead for a stable living environment for him.
Having made up his mind, if his husband received bad word-of-mouth and his reputation was damaged, he would have no choice but to call in reinforcements to teach these mountain farmers a lesson.
For example, the gentleman's younger brother.
Second Master, Third Master, Fourth Master, Fifth Son-in-Law, Sixth Son-in-Law.
"Gather under the big banyan tree."
Chen Qingshan's shouts nearly mobilized the entire village.
The road was muddy and slippery.
"What is it now?"
Not long after.
Almost all of the hundred households were present.
The villagers rolled up their trousers, their straw sandals covered in mud, sticky and slippery. Every few steps, their heels would slip off, leaving them no choice but to stand on one leg and bend down to pick up their shoes.
Chen Gui didn't waste any words.
"Have you noticed that our village has lost a certain type of person in recent years?"
The sudden question left everyone puzzled.
Chunxiuniang, carrying a horse basket filled with freshly picked wood ear mushrooms, asked, "What's the problem?"
Chen Qingshan: "Our village has farmers, merchants, accountants, people from security escort agencies, artisans, and even soldiers, but none of them are..."
The villagers looked bewildered.
Su Wenxuan, standing behind, chimed in: "There are no true scholars!"
The villagers were even more bewildered.
"What's the difference?"
Chen Gui nodded, his hands behind his back: "There is a big difference. Our village had a school a few years ago, but after the old teacher passed away, we didn't hire another teacher to teach the children, which delayed the matter."
Zhao Dayou, with a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, replied lazily, "Even if there were a school in the village, my family couldn't afford it. Going to school requires tuition fees, as well as the cost of writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. How could one afford to study without at least one tael of silver a year? My family simply doesn't have that kind of means."
Zhang Daguang chuckled and said, “Mr. Zhou, what a wonderful thing! I wonder if you could trouble me to give you some of the child’s brushes, ink, paper and inkstones that you don’t need, so I can make do with them?”
The pageboy pursed his lips and shut his mouth tightly. See, here he comes. Ordinary people don't have spare money to send their children to school. This old village head has really lost his mind.
Then he thought to himself, "I wonder how you'll cry and wail and beg to see if you can get the tuition waived from the teacher."
He saw this kind of thing a lot in the county town. Farmers who couldn't afford to go to school would keep begging the school teachers.
Many gentlemen, being soft-hearted, reluctantly accepted the gifts.
Later, he helped students in need with their studies and lives. However, many families took this for granted, showing no shame and being greedy. They would even hint at or ask for money from students whose teachers had forgotten to help them.
The young page frowned. This is too difficult. How am I supposed to guard against those greedy villagers?
"Shut up, Zhang Daguang!"
Chen Gui said in a deep voice, "There is no need to give up on yourselves. I have found a true scholar for you. This is probably unique in the entire Daxing Town, or even Lushang County. There may not be anyone in Yingzhou Prefecture who can afford such a teacher. With them teaching our children, our Qingxia Village will soar to new heights!"
His rambling speech left the people of Qingxia Village completely bewildered.
What are you saying? In broad daylight, what kind of hysteria is this old village head having?
With a smile on his face, Mr. Zhou got up, straightened his clothes, and was about to come out and give them a little surprise.
"I won't charge tuition. You can give whatever you think is appropriate. It's free for those from impoverished families."
There has never been such a precedent in history: schooling is free, with no tuition fees.
He wondered what kind of expression he should use to accept the villagers' gratitude.
He found joy and pure happiness in helping those suffering farmers.
The villagers were discussing it animatedly.
"Ah, Mr. Zhou is such a good person, so kind. I've always thought he was extraordinary, with such a warm heart. My child will definitely go."
A voice spoke slowly.
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