Previously, Xia Xiucai's emotions were not stable, and Jiang Zhi was worried that he would be unable to handle the stimulation when he was in a crowd or in a noisy environment. Now that he can chat with people at night, it seems that he can start.
She stood silently to the side, waiting for Xia Xiucai to finish writing on the stone slab and stand up before speaking with a smile: "Scholar, are you free at this time? Could you help me check how my calligraphy is doing?"
Xia Xiucai was bewildered. He took the few sheets of draft paper that Jiang Zhi handed him, but before he could look at them closely, his eyes suddenly narrowed as if he had been pricked by something.
"This...this is...?"
Xia Xiucai hesitated for a moment, then realized that his vocabulary was running out.
Those sheets of paper were Xiaoman, Xu Errui, and Qiaoyun Chunfeng's workbooks.
Written with charcoal, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe it as scribbles; in any case, the scholar had never seen anything so terrifying before.
Jiang Zhi smiled and said, "These are the characters written by Er Rui and Xiao Man. They learned a few characters from a doctor before, and that's how they wrote them."
"Learn characters from the teacher?"
Xia Xiucai unfolded the few sheets of cursive script, held them far away from himself, and glanced at them again.
"The doctor's handwriting is too...sloppy and not suitable for beginners."
The most renowned doctors in the world have incredibly beautiful handwriting, which can be used for underground intelligence or as archaeological material.
Xia Xiucai was being polite by only saying that he was undisciplined.
Jiang Zhi felt that after the stimulation, his mind seemed to have returned to normal, and he even knew how to save face for the doctor, which was a good sign.
So he pretended to be relaxed and said happily, "There are no literate people in Xu Family Village. It's already rare that Errui can learn to read from Lang."
Xia Xiucai remained silent, but his hand holding the draft paper trembled as if he were struggling with something.
Xia's mother came over and said, "Shuyan, don't worry about these things. Just do whatever makes you feel relaxed."
You said before that you would no longer participate in scientific expeditions and only wanted to live a carefree life, which Mother and Huilan also liked.
As he spoke, he winked at Jiang Zhi.
Previously, Village Chief Jiang had mentioned that once his son's health improved, he hoped to set up a school in Xujia Village to teach the village children to read and write. He didn't care about them taking the imperial examinations or becoming officials; he just wanted them to be able to keep accounts.
Mother Xia naturally agreed to this.
Having something to do will prevent the son from sitting still and overthinking, which is also good for his health.
I'd be happy to be a teacher, instruct children, or even just an accountant.
After these years of trials and tribulations, she realized that having a healthy body is more important than any wealth or glory.
No one knows a son better than his mother. Xia's mother knew her son's temperament well; he sought perfection in everything and had to be serious about everything he did.
Being a teacher is no easy task; you can only set the bar low, and the teacher has to be willing to do it.
Reminded by Xia's mother, Jiang Zhi quickly said, "The villagers are all farmers. They can't even read a few characters, let alone a basket. They only know that a carrying pole placed on the ground is a sign of intelligence. Being able to write one's own name is already considered clever."
Hearing his mother and the village chief say this, Xia Xiucai's face grew even more serious, and he muttered to himself, "What good is it to be able to read and write!"
But just then, he suddenly remembered the cattle dealer who had knelt down to listen to a few words of cattle-judging advice, and a wave of dizziness washed over him…
"son!"
Xia's mother and Jiang Zhi grabbed the swaying Xia Xiucai and called out anxiously.
"Scholar!"
The women who were embroidering were startled by the shout and turned their heads in surprise.
The scholar's wife put down her fan and rushed over: "Husband, what's wrong?"
Jiang Zhi felt somewhat ashamed, realizing she had been too hasty and that she shouldn't let Xia Xiucai's condition worsen.
Xia Shuyan was pale as his mother and wife helped him walk into the shack, but after only a few steps he suddenly spoke up: "Village chief, I'm willing to teach!"
The night school in Xujia Village was set up.
The reason it's called a night school is to cater to the local sentiment.
Everyone is busy with work during the day, but there is plenty of time in the evening to gather together and listen to Scholar Xia give lectures.
Every night, adults and children from every household would gather outside the storage sheds and drying racks, calling out to each other.
The things that had been drying here during the day had been cleaned up, and the crowd sat on the straw mats they had brought, surrounding Xia Xiucai in the middle.
The scholar wants to give a lecture!
In the eyes of the villagers, this was not a lecture at all, but a scholar handing out money!
So, men, women, and children from the village gathered together. Xu Gensheng even carried his grandfather, who could no longer walk, on his back. Such an opportunity was rare, and he wanted to hear it every time.
As Xia Xiucai looked at the bustling crowd, a blush rose on his usually dull and expressionless face, and his eyes shone brightly.
The crowd was originally noisy and chaotic, but when Xia Xiucai knocked on a piece of wood, it immediately fell silent.
Every pair of eyes was fixed on Xia Xiucai in the middle, holding their breath, afraid that if they spoke loudly, they would be glared at by others.
The surroundings were quiet, but Xia Xiucai remained silent. Looking at the eager gazes around him, he felt his heart pounding.
How strong must one's thirst for knowledge be to love learning so much, looking at oneself with the same fervor as if one were gazing upon a treasure?
At that moment, Xia Xiucai seemed to see his past.
He knew all too well how difficult it was to pursue education, which required not only financial support but also books and renowned teachers.
"Among three people walking together, there must be one who can teach me." After arriving in Xujia Village, he also gained a lot of insights.
Over the course of several months, watching the people here change little by little, he realized that life is like wild grass, which can still take root and sprout after wind, frost, rain and snow.
Xia Xiucai stood up and bowed deeply to the crowd: "Fellow villagers, I am a humble scholar with limited knowledge and skills, and my preparation is inadequate. I hope you will forgive any shortcomings!"
The crowd looked at each other in bewilderment: What Han? We only know that salt is salty (han).
Jiang Zhi quickly clapped her hands: "Scholar, you're too kind. We like whatever you say."
The crowd realized what was happening and joined in, clapping and cheering: "Well said, splendid, absolutely brilliant!"
Xia Xiucai smiled slightly: "Today I will tell you what the character '人' (person) is."
As he spoke, he used a brush dipped in water to write the character "人" (person) on the stone slab, with one stroke and one dot.
In the darkness, although torches were lit, the flickering flames made it difficult to read the words on the stone slab.
Those nearby could still peek out, but those a little further away saw only a blurry mess, and those even further away couldn't see anything at all, causing chaos in the crowd.
Just as Jiang Zhi was about to have the stone slab passed down for everyone to see, Li Laoshi jumped out and said, "Stop arguing, this is how the character '人' (person) looks..." He then did a split!
Hahaha!
The crowd calmed down, but then burst into uncontrollable laughter, and the scene erupted in noise again.
Jiang Zhi stood with her hands on her hips, her fierce gaze sweeping over everyone: "If anyone can't control their mouth, I'll sew it shut with a needle."
The surroundings immediately fell silent!
Xia Xiucai continued, "The character '人' (person) is a person. The left-falling stroke and the right-falling stroke are like two feet standing firmly, upright and dignified!"
"The strokes of a character can be long or short, which means that no one is perfect and everyone has both strengths and weaknesses."
"The two strokes support each other, illustrating that everyone needs to help each other."
Gradually, Xia Xiucai talked more and more, becoming completely absorbed in his own world. He didn't care whether the people around him could understand him or not; he just kept talking non-stop.
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