Time seemed to freeze at that moment.
The villagers' gazes were like candlelight; their previously indifferent and teasing expressions suddenly became serious and solemn.
He stood there, mouth agape, stunned, a fleeting glint of tears in his eyes.
Chen Gui slapped his forehead, realizing he had almost forgotten that there were two main characters today, as well as that gentleman.
He quickly instructed Chen Qingshan to bring Mr. Zhou, dressed in a blue robe, up to the high platform.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is Mr. Zhou."
The villagers all looked at him with great curiosity.
They had known for a long time that a teacher and a page had come to the village.
I didn't take it to heart.
After all, how could such a distinguished person have any dealings with us farmers?
Upon hearing this, they realized that this was the teacher who taught their children, and they all widened their eyes and scrutinized him closely.
Well, he has a scar on his face, and his appearance is decent enough, but his face has a kind of arrogant and gloomy look, like a street thug, commonly known as a hooligan.
It just looks so out of place.
Everyone felt a sense of unease.
Zhang Daguang was quite bold and tentatively asked a question.
"I wonder if this gentleman has any academic qualifications, whether he is a student of the lowest level or a scholar of the highest level?"
The villagers didn't interrupt him.
On the contrary, it felt like I was the one who was speaking for me.
After all, he's teaching his own child, so at the very least, the child should be a student of the lowest level of education. The previous teacher was a student of the lowest level of education.
The pageboy tilted his head back arrogantly and said, "Open your eyes and look! My master is a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), ranking first in the second class. Do you understand?"
"If it weren't for Young Master Wenxuan begging my master, and that old uncle in your village constantly bringing food to my master, even the county school and the prefectural school might not have been able to persuade my master to come out of seclusion."
Wow!
Goodness.
The pageboy expected to be greeted with applause and praise from the crowd.
But seeing their blank expressions gave me a sense of bewilderment.
It was a little awkward.
The crowd looked at each other.
Chunxiuniang: "I can understand each word individually, so why can't I understand them when they're put together?"
The pageboy was speechless. He had been too hasty. How could these country bumpkins know what a Jinshi (进士) meant? Let alone county schools or prefectural schools.
Isn't this like talking to a brick wall?
Chen Gui nudged Chen Qingshan, "Go, explain this to everyone."
Chen Qingshan looked arrogant, with a sense of pride that he understood things that others didn't.
He slowly said, "The title of Jinshi is the highest title for a scholar. Generally speaking, once you obtain the title of Jinshi, you can be directly appointed to an official position in the Ministry of Personnel. The next step is to become an official, at least an eighth or ninth-rank official."
"Generally speaking, scholars went through several stages to obtain official titles: Tongsheng, Xiucai, Juren, and Jinshi."
An uproar!
The villagers stared wide-eyed, as if they couldn't believe it was true.
The title of Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations) is already the highest honor; I've only heard of it but never seen it.
Where have I ever seen a scholar who passed the imperial examination?
Tiger's mother was excited. If Mr. Zhou taught her child, no matter how stupid or foolish her son was, he would at least pass the imperial examination and become a scholar. If he was bold enough, he might even become a provincial graduate.
The more I thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.
The villagers weren't stupid; they exchanged glances and shouted, "Thank you, Mr. Zhou!"
A roaring sound of people began to respond.
Mr. Zhou stood on the rock, his lips pursed.
Suddenly, I remembered that the Chen family had suggested that the women could also come and learn.
He waved his hand, and the scene fell silent.
At this time, his prestige surpassed that of Chen Gui.
"Any girl, or even an adult, is welcome to audit the class. I will do my best to ensure that everyone learns something."
These words silenced the entire room.
"Girls never go to learn this!"
The topic started to veer off course.
Chen Gui scolded, "Our village has never had a scholar come to teach the children before, nor has Daxing Town, never. But from today onwards, we will. Is there a problem?"
"no problem."
Everyone smiled sheepishly.
Mr. Zhou chuckled and said, "You shouldn't thank me; you should thank him the most."
His gaze suddenly fell on the man who was leaning against the tree, standing quietly without saying a word.
Even Zhao Dayou, the lazybones in the village, gave a sheepish smile.
He awkwardly asked Chen Xian, "Dad Da Zhu, my family doesn't have much extra money to support our child's education. You said that if our grades are excellent or reach a passing level, we can provide a student loan, is that true?"
Chen Xian said calmly, "If their grades and character are excellent, I will cover all their tuition fees. If their grades are satisfactory, I will provide them with a sum of money to support their studies until they turn eighteen. Of course, during their free time, they can work in my workshop to pay off their tuition fees. Of course, I will not charge interest. They can leave whenever they have paid off their tuition fees. If they are willing to stay in the workshop, I will pay them a salary according to the standards for adult men."
"After all, if it's free, they won't appreciate it more!"
"Nobody's money grows on trees, I'm not that kind!"
Upon hearing this, even Zhang Daguang, who always liked to nitpick, secretly nodded in agreement.
The usually loudmouthed Da Cheng's mother exclaimed, "My God, what a great deal! Pay first, then work! From now on, if anyone says Da Zhu's father isn't a good person, I'll be the first to disagree. I'll go up there and tear their mouth apart!"
Everyone nodded in agreement.
There has never been such a principle throughout history.
"Besides, they also said that as long as you're willing, you can work in the workshop indefinitely, which means that as long as you keep working, you'll keep earning money. It's practically a guaranteed job. Is there really such a good thing?"
Chen Qingshan was somewhat puzzled.
"Brother Kexian, what kind of workshop are you planning to make?"
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