Chapter 23 Chapter 23 Teaching
One family in the village, Kiyoshi Kobayashi, raised chickens, and another, Hitoshi Matsumoto, raised ducks. When the village chief saw Miya Chiri and Takeru Suguru approaching, both of them empty-handed, saying they were going to take the chickens and ducks home, he said with a chuckle, "I'll get some big sacks, otherwise we won't be able to carry them all."
They originally ordered ten chickens and ten ducks, which were too big for two people with four hands to carry, and it was not easy to carry them with hands either, so they still had to get the bag. At this time, he felt that the witch was indeed otherworldly.
Gong Zhili smiled: "No, I have a way."
Xia Yujie glanced sideways, not knowing what she was up to. He turned to look at the village chief and found that he accepted it well. He didn't ask any extra questions and took them to Kobayashi's house.
Kobayashi Qing selected a rooster and nine hens and drove them to the front yard. She was also actively trying to get the bag, but was stopped by Gong Zhili. She turned her toes on the ground twice, and the chickens that were originally running around in panic in the yard stopped making a fuss, as if nothing had happened. They gathered comfortably at Gong Zhili's feet, pecking at the ground from time to time. Gong Zhili pushed open the gate, and the group of leisurely chickens followed her as if they were taking a walk.
The Kobayashi couple's eyes widened, and the village chief followed in a daze, preparing to take Miya Chiri to the Matsumoto family. After walking a few steps out of the yard, he found that the Kobayashi couple had also locked the gate and followed excitedly.
Well, if he encountered something strange like this, he would definitely come and take a look.
In this way, the group came to Matsumoto's house with a group of clucking chickens and took away ten ducks as usual. So before walking back to the wooden pier, Miya Chiri and Geto Suguru were followed by a lot of villagers who came to watch the fun. They called their friends and the number of people seemed to be increasing. They were amazed and talked a lot.
Geto Suguru felt very uncomfortable.
He was not used to being so close to ordinary people, and in order to prevent ordinary people from realizing the existence of cursed spirits in the world and causing greater panic, the magic world basically followed the principle of confidentiality. Gong Zhili's generous display of her uniqueness made him feel very unfamiliar... even a little uneasy.
The wooden trestle bridge can only accommodate one person at a time, and the chicken and duck can only be walked on one at a time. Gong Zhili said to him, "I will walk in front, and you follow behind."
Geto Xia Yu nodded silently.
Before stepping onto the wooden trestle bridge, Miyajiri remembered something else. She said to the village chief, "I'd also like you to bring me a small blackboard, some chalk, and some paper and pens. I'm asking this religious school student to come and teach Nanako and Mimiko."
The village chief showed an expression of sudden enlightenment, and then said, "I'll go right away."
Xia Yujie was a little worried that the villagers who came to watch the fun would insist on following them, but when they reached the other side, the villagers just stood at the dock and sighed, and dispersed immediately after watching the excitement.
Gong Zhili separated the chickens and ducks, closed the gate on the fence, and let them move freely. Then he pushed a cart out of the barn and said, "Let's go buy feed."
Geto Xia Yu: "Why didn't you buy them all and ship them back?"
Gong Zhili: "If we push a cart with chickens and ducks following behind us, it won't be a dream at all."
Xia Youjie was choked and asked, "Did you do that on purpose just now?"
Gong Zhili: "Of course! Don't you think this is like a plot from a fairy tale? How interesting."
"I think doing this will give the villagers a lot of strange imaginations," said Geto Suguru frankly.
Gong Zhili shrugged: "Do you care about them?"
Geto Suguru: "It's hard not to care."
Gong Zhili pushed the cart toward the village and said, "But just now, they were watching the fun. Did any of them come up to talk to me? Did any of them follow us onto the wooden trestle bridge?"
Geto: "That's not the case, but isn't it because they are afraid?"
Gong Zhili laughed: "No matter what kind of negative emotions, as long as they are in this land under my control, they will become the power of the land, my power."
"More than fear, they're more curious, excited, and happy," Gong Zhili said. "Humans are very receptive, provided you have a full grasp of the situation."
Geto Summer Oil began to ponder.
After they pushed several large bags of feed back home, they also placed the small blackboard and other things sent by the village chief on the porch outside the west door.
Gong Zhili scattered some feed to feed the chickens and ducks. The ducks were fine because they were close to the lake and were paddling on the lake looking for food. Most of the chickens hid in the chicken coop. Gong Zhili pulled the bell he had hung up before, injected strength into it, and summoned all the chickens and ducks out.
After eating the feed, they were obviously more relaxed than before. Gong Zhili thought that in three or four days, without using any extra strength, simply ringing the bell would be enough to summon them.
"Okay, let's start formal classes in the afternoon!"
Although there were no formal tables and chairs, there were a few bamboo stools in the original warehouse. Gong Zhili also found a suitcase, stood it up against the wall, and it just happened to hold the small blackboard.
Geto Suguru was able to stand during class, but he stood in front of the blackboard and didn't know where to start.
Gong Zhili, who was listening in, reminded him, "Start by explaining what a cursed spirit is, then move on to common knowledge about curse masters, curse high schools, and the curse world."
When she was a lord, she was also concerned about the compilation of textbooks. Last night, she listened to Geto Suguru talk about a lot of things, and today she can divide the content into several parts and connect them together.
Xia Yujie found a breakthrough and wanted to start teaching, but he looked at the twins sitting on small stools, not even able to hold a pen properly, and asked, "They haven't started learning to read yet - it's no use for me to write on the blackboard."
Gong Zhili raised a pen and paper and smiled, "But I need to take notes."
She took notes to use as learning materials for the twins. Although the children are not in elementary school yet, they have to start learning to read.
Geto looked at her. Although he didn't know what a normal sorcerer's education was like, he had attended a normal school in elementary school. Didn't he need to be taught common sense?
Gong Zhili urged him: "Teacher Getsuyu, let's get started."
Nanako and Mimiko also looked at him expectantly.
As a first-time teacher, Geto Suguru swallowed his worries and prepared to have a good talk with the children's parents about their children's education issues after class.
The teaching went smoothly. During the process, he even tried hard to summon a fly head as a teaching aid to show them, which was warmly welcomed by the children. The parents who were listening were also very curious and raised their hands to express that they wanted to pinch the teaching aid.
Then, as soon as the fly head was in her hand, it turned into a speck of light and disappeared into the air.
Gong Zhili rubbed his fingertips and asked uncertainly, "Did I remove it?"
Nanako clapped: "Amazing!"
Mimiko's face was also full of admiration: "As expected of you, Lord Gong!"
The veins on Xia Yujie's forehead bulged: "I said, that's the only fly head I have on my hand——"
Gong Zhili laughed: "Don't be so stingy."
Xia Yujie was giving a lecture. During a break, Gong Zhili squeezed some apple juice for him to moisten his throat. She felt a little sorry and said, "If I didn't need to take notes, it would be nice to go to the mountains to pick some pears."
Geto Summer Oil: "If you need to go out for something, I can take notes."
Gong Zhili thought for a moment and decided that going to the mountains would be much more interesting than sitting in the classroom taking notes, so she said to the two children, "Listen carefully, I'm going to the mountains."
After listening to a class, Nanako felt that her head was filled with knowledge and immediately applied: "I want to feed the chickens!"
Gong Zhili thought about it and felt that children really needed a balance between work and rest, so he turned his gaze to Geto Suguru.
Mimiko is more patient and she would ask questions while listening to the class.
But she also likes to go out and play.
Xia Yujie put down the marker and said, "Then let's go out and play for a while."
Gong Zhili waved his hand and said, "I'll take you to collect grass and feed the chickens and ducks."
She took out a pair of blunt-ended scissors and a small shovel and taught the three people to identify wild grasses that chickens and ducks could eat. She then carried the backpacks and went up the mountain while they were immersed in collecting wild grasses.
This time she went straight to the mountain stream, ready to catch a few more rockfish. Although rockfish were a little small, they tasted really good.
Whether it was salt-grilled or fried fish, the fresh river flavor without any fishy smell made her unforgettable.
After being here for a few days, this land has already taken on a flavor that she likes and misses.
Gong Zhili couldn't remember where she had read this passage, but it roughly meant that if humans wanted to find a sense of belonging somewhere, they must eat delicious food there, have pleasant experiences, and meet good people.
Gong Zhili sat on a rock by the stream, occasionally touching the water with his hands, looking at the scenery and relaxing himself.
She would soon feel a sense of belonging here, right? After all, this was her territory.
The grass rope in her hand began to swing. She hooked the grass stem with her index finger and tightened the muscles of her forearm. After the grass stem was bitten by the rockfish, she suddenly twisted her wrist, and the grass stem bounced up with the force. A rockfish fell on the gravel with its tail flapping vigorously, splashing a few water drops.
Gong Zhili happily threw the first harvest into the small bucket.
Fishing is truly addictive. Before I knew it, the sun was sinking behind the mountains, and the light in the woods began to dance. The tops of the tallest trees were first dyed orange, and the branches, like red-hot wire, filtered the golden light. The thick pile of leaves on the ground was dotted with flickering spots of light, like someone had shattered a bronze mirror.
Gong Zhili picked up the bucket and the backpack filled with chopped branches and firewood, and slid down the mountain at a rapid speed.
She'd long wanted to try grass skiing in the mountains and forests! Gong Zhili tapped the ground with her toes, and the grass blades instantly fell, revealing long stems. She bent her knees and leaned forward, diving downward like a skateboard. The moss on the soles of her shoes slipped, and her speed increased. A steep slope suddenly appeared ahead, and clusters of liverwort ferns burst out from the cracks in the rocks, creating an emerald slide close to the ground. When the mountain wind hit her, she spread her arms like wings, and the silver waves of reed grass behind her suddenly exploded, pushing her back. Even with the backpack on her back, she glided through the mountains and forests like a nimble bird. When she saw the faint path at the foot of the mountain, she leaped up, stepping on branches for leverage. When she landed at the foot of the mountain, the grass waves were still rustling under her feet.
It felt so good that the entire forest followed her instructions and completed this cooperation. She turned around with a smile on her face and met the three people's eyes without any defense.
Worried that she might get lost in the mountains, he brought the twins to pick her up by boat: ...
Nanako and Mimiko reacted much faster than him, each excitedly hugging her legs: "Master Gong, what is that?"
"Master Gong, can we learn to fly in the future?"
"Master Gong, can you take me flying with you next time?"
The children chattered and asked her questions while looking at the forest, as if they were going to explore the mountains.
Gong Zhili cleared his throat and said, "Let's talk about it when you become as powerful as Gojo-kun."
Xia Youjie: "Isn't it bad to coax a child like this?"
Gong Zhili spread his hands and said, "This is also my first time trying it out. I didn't expect it to go so smoothly."
Geto Xia Yu glanced at the backpack full of firewood behind her and the small bucket still slung over her arm, and was not sure how strong this person was.
He reached out to help her take off the backpack and put it on his back. The two children helped her carry the buckets. The four of them stood in the boat and were pushed back by the lake.
It took several attempts to master the rowing technique.
He really worried about her unnecessarily.
When stacking the firewood into the warehouse, Xia Yujie asked, "Is it very cold here in winter? You prepared a lot of dry firewood."
Gong Zhili: "These dry firewoods were actually left by the previous owner. I guess it must be very cold in winter."
Xia Yujie: "This kind of thing should be asked to the villagers as soon as possible."
Gong Zhili folded his arms across his chest and surveyed the warehouse. "What kind of heating equipment would be most practical for my current house?"
There is no civilized equipment like heating and air conditioning, and they are not durable and always seem to break down soon. She would rather have some permanent renovation.
Xia Yujie thought about it and said, "Why not go to the village and ask."
Gong Zhili was right. She knew how the villagers spent the winter every year, so it wasn't too late for her to start preparing now.
"But why did you suddenly change your mind and start wanting to contact the people in the village?"
Gong Zhili was curious. She remembered that in the morning, Geto Suguru was very uncomfortable facing the onlookers of the villagers.
"Nanako and Mimiko will always have to interact with the villagers," said Xia Yujie. "It's better to understand their personalities now so that we can deal with them better in the future."
"And what you said before, I think it makes sense."
When Geto Suguru smiled, his eyebrows curved and his black hair fell, casting a faint shadow on the side of his face. The corners of his lips were raised in a clear arc, and his slightly exposed teeth were like a mountain stream suddenly flowing with fresh snow, with a youthful air in the coldness.
"'We must be wary of humans, get along with them, and learn to guide and utilize them,'" he said. "I will study hard."
Gong Zhili couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth, as if he saw a beautiful jade worth carving: "Suguru-kun, you will be a good student."
--
When the village chief heard that the witch wanted to see how the houses in the village were heated, he became a little worried.
"Some houses in the village have separate heating rooms with boilers installed, and pipes for heat dissipation. Others dig half a meter below the living room, build a fire pit with stone bricks, hang iron kettles above, and use ceramic pipes buried underground to conduct heat. But the house you live in now, Lord Gong, doesn't have enough land to build a new heating room. If you want to install floor heating, you'll have to redesign the entire floor of the room..."
Gong Zhili seemed to be thinking about something, and asked, "Is there any craftsman in the village who is good at laying ceramic pipes?"
The village chief shook his head and said, "The pottery pipes in our village are all made by people from outside."
Gong Zhili nodded: "Okay, then I'll think about it again."
The village chief now understood that she was thinking about the winter, and he became a little worried: "We often have heavy snow in the winter here, and the snow lasts for a long time. Sometimes there are blizzards in the spring, too. We have to store a lot of firewood for the winter."
The house where Gong Zhili lives used to be the property of a wealthy businessman who would only stay for a few days in the summer. Although the foundation of the house was very solid and the best materials were used for moisture-proof and heat-insulating parts during construction, there was no thermal insulation layer inside the house.
Later, the wealthy businessman died and the house was bought by the village at a low price, which it has kept until now.
Gong Zhili: "Who prepared the firewood in the house?"
The village chief rubbed his head and said, "That's where everyone put it. They use that warehouse as a public storage room, but it's troublesome to go there on a regular basis, and the things they put there are rarely used. But when you bought the land before, I sold everything in it to you."
Geto Suguru glanced at Miya Chiri: The village chief may not realize it, but she bought these lands, but she doesn’t know this information?
If Gong Zhili knew what he was thinking, she would definitely say loudly: Yes, even the curse master who spent money earlier certainly doesn't know! She didn't care what she bought!
They went to visit several households in the village and their greenhouses. It was already very late, and Gong Zhili did not plan to stay in the village for dinner - the villagers would definitely want to invite her to join them, but she had two children at home!
She and Geto Xia Yu were walking home in the afterglow of the sunset, and she suddenly said, "It turns out it's true that children can tie their mothers down."
Xia Yujie burst out laughing, and Gong Zhili glared at him in dissatisfaction: "Am I wrong?"
Xia Yujie covered the lower half of his face, coughed lightly, and said: "The truth is right, but it doesn't apply to you - you are more like their sister."
Gong Zhili sighed with a stern air: "Alas, it's all the same."
Xia Yujie was curious: "If you look at them from the perspective of a parent, do you really want them to become strong?"
Gong Zhili raised her finger and shook it, and fireflies slowly landed on her fingertips.
She simply raised her hand to make the fireflies stay, looked towards the house, and said, "If they were my family and friends, I would hope they were as strong as possible, strong enough to do whatever they wanted."
Living in the end times, it is very difficult to pin all your hopes on others or to rely on your own strength to protect certain people.
The greatest support of everyone is oneself.
Even if you have physical defects, you still have your brain to use. Even if your talents are mediocre, you must have a heart that continues to polish yourself.
The fireflies fluttered away, and she retracted her hand and said, "They are actually trying hard too."
Try not to be a burden.
Geto Suguru saw the fireflies forming a vortex of light around them, gathering and then dispersing.
He stretched out his hand, but the fireflies flew away from him.
Gong Zhili smiled and said, "I have a deep connection with this land."
When they got home, the two children had already steamed the rice and were squatting by the bucket watching the fish.
Miya Chiri went to the kitchen to prepare the rockfish and listened to the twins talking about how much grass they had picked this afternoon. Geto Suguru was helping her. The steam was rising and he felt as if this scene was a world away compared to the previous few days.
"Get out of your daze, Get out of your daze," Gong Zhili nudged him with her elbow, "Get ready for dinner."
There is still work to do after dinner!
After she finished her meal, she began to measure the dimensions of the living room and bathroom. Xia Yujie quickly understood: "Are you planning to renovate the room?"
Gong Zhili put his hands on his hips and looked around. "The house is very solid, so there's no need for insulation. Hang a copper kettle in the living room. Below it, you can use a thick iron bucket, a simple stone stove, or a furnace. You need to burn wood and build a spiral flue. As for other things, like sealing strips and thick curtains, take your time."
Xia Yujie also looked around and asked, "It's dangerous to burn firewood at home like this."
Gong Zhili scratched his face: "No, the success rate is actually quite high."
In the past, it was very simple for her to build a simple stove and flue in the territory. As long as the bottom insulation layer was well built, there would be no problem. Refractory bricks, clay, moist clay, iron plates, asbestos boards would also be fine. As long as these materials were piled thick enough, in the spring and summer of the following year, removing the heating stove would not even cause too much damage to the tatami.
Geto Summer Oil: "It seems you already have a complete plan?"
Gong Zhili laughed: "Speaking of construction, I do have some experience."
Although they are all unconventional methods, they are useful.
The author has something to say:
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The progress is very slow. This is the eighth day since Gong Zhili arrived in this world.
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