Chapter 740 A Dream of Youth 272
Faint sobbing could be heard from inside. Liu Ya looked bewildered. She was still young when Xie Yun and her husband divorced, and she didn't know the details. In addition, the second wife never mentioned it, so she had no way of knowing.
Xie Ning sighed, then quietly left with Liu Ya in her hand. Xie Qi ran towards the main room, and as soon as he stepped inside, he saw a somewhat familiar man sitting to Xie Wangzhi's left.
Xie Qi bowed respectfully, then obediently stood aside and waited for them to finish their conversation.
"Regarding the pilot program, the court is still discussing it, but Quanzhou already has a foundation..." The two exchanged a glance, and the middle-aged man's eyes lit up. He then smiled and took his leave.
After everyone left, Xie Qi approached him and told him about eavesdropping.
Xie Wangzhi glanced at Xie Qi and said, "You can go and eavesdrop by yourself, but why did you bring your sisters with you?"
"Cough cough... I... Father, I was wrong."
"Go copy the book yourself."
Xie Wangzhi waved his hand, showing no reaction to what Xie Qi had mentioned, only a hint of regret flashing in his eyes.
Sometimes living is far more painful than dying.
Out of the corner of his eye, Xie Wangzhi watched Xie Qi's retreating figure and said to Mo Shu beside him, "Find someone to deposit some money at the money shop..."
Mo Shu agreed. As he left the main courtyard, he saw the two siblings talking to Chen Wan Niang. He quickly bowed and left. The young master and young lady in the house were more like the lady.
Xie Ning paid no attention to Mo Shu, only nodded slightly and continued to tease the little swallow in Chen Wan Niang's palm.
It fell from the swallow's nest under the eaves. Its feathers had grown in, but it couldn't fly yet. It fell into a small puddle and got completely wet.
Chen Wanniang then instructed Xie Qi to bring a ladder and release the swallows back. These were beneficial birds, and also returning swallows, so they should not be driven away.
After dinner, Xie Ning told Xie Wangzhi about Mr. He and handed him the letter that Mr. He had written to him.
“Father, Master He said that my brother could be sent to a remote place. Do you think the Northwest is better, or the border of Northern Jin?” Both of them are officials in the court and have the ability to find a position in a prosperous place for Xie Qi.
But Mr. He's letter changed their minds. Now that the Great Zhou has taken Xili under its control, it will need to recuperate for the next few years. However, they should be prepared for danger even in times of peace, as the Great Zhou and the Northern Jin will inevitably clash sooner or later.
Therefore, border construction is very important. Rather than letting Xie Qi go to a wealthy place to live a life of leisure, it is better to send him to the border to train. After all, the time it takes for officials to be sent abroad is as short as three to five years, and as long as ten years.
Border frictions are constant, which are dangerous but also provide opportunities to achieve success. If Xie Qi can make contributions during this period, he can enter the core of the officialdom more quickly.
“Go to Northern Jin.” Xie Wangzhi folded the letter and then took out a blank sheet of paper to reply, “The He family has people on the border of Northern Jin, so Qi’er will have someone to look after him.”
Xie Ning's thoughts suddenly drifted to Xu Hongying. She remembered that the Xu family's old troops were in the northern border region. If Xu Hongying could go with Xie Ning, they might gain something else.
Unaware of Xie Ning's secret plans, Xie Wangzhi handed the letter to the steward and the next day took her to see the newly established school. Xie Ning also invited the girls from other rooms to go along.
Over the years, he has brought back a considerable amount of money for the clan, which has led to the expansion of the clan school and the enrollment of more students. The girls' school that Xie Ning mentioned was also built according to the layout of the clan school.
Heading west from the door, less than half a mile away, you'll reach the vicinity of the ferry crossing. There's a stone bridge there, and beyond the bridge are two courtyards.
The courtyard was built in an apricot grove. An elderly woman, over fifty years old, sat at the entrance of the women's courtyard. She was an old woman in the village. Her husband had killed a large snake years ago, saving the village children, but he himself died.
The old woman had no children and lived at the end of Xinghua Village. She was kind and respected by the villagers.
Therefore, Xie Wangzhi invited her to work as a gatekeeper at the girls' college, partly to supplement his income.
"Grandma Wen." Xie Ning bowed respectfully.
"There are no rules like these." Granny Wen took Xie Ning's hand and led everyone inside.
The courtyard is small, only two courtyards. In the middle of the main building hangs a plaque with the four characters "Dexin Girls' Academy" written on it. Below the plaque is a painting of Confucius, which the students worship every day.
The suites on both sides were used for living, while the outer east and west wing rooms were converted into study rooms for teaching. Several rows of tables and chairs were placed inside. In front of the desk in the very center, which belonged to the Master, hung not a portrait of Confucius, but a sika deer sleeping under an ancient tree.
There was an apricot tree in the yard. The flowers had all fallen, and small green apricots were growing on the treetops. Swallows flew around the beams, and the sound of flowing water could be faintly heard outside the wall. The remnants of catkins from the bank also drifted into the yard, as if telling of the end of spring and the beginning of summer.
"I've entrusted Madam He with handling the matter of the girls' school. She will be bringing the children to Xinghua Village soon. Father, the village head will need to help with some procedures. Madam He wants to build a courtyard here..."
As for the number of students enrolled, Xie Ning wasn't worried. There were already about ten people in the village, and if the number increased in the future, they would have to expand the school.
"Bao'er, can my child study here in the future?" It was Qiu Sheng who spoke. She was married and had a daughter.
"Of course it is possible."
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