At this moment, Lin Fenghe and Lin Fengshou said at the same time, "It's fifteen."
Song Anxin was very touched that someone had finally given the correct answer.
She said, "That's right! Don't you all find addition and subtraction beyond ten a bit difficult?"
Everyone nodded, and Lin Fengshou raised his hand and said, "If there are things, we can count them, but if we try to think of them directly, it will take a very, very long time to come up with them."
Song Anxin nodded and said, "Then today I will teach you a different calculation method so that you can quickly figure out the answer when you see a number in the future."
Upon hearing that there was such a good method, everyone looked at Song Anxin with anticipation.
"First, let's look at the equation using the 'making ten' method. Everyone, let's look at this equation first..."
As Song Anxin explained, she began drawing circles to represent numbers, using this method to express the concepts more intuitively and help the children understand. This process gradually transformed concrete, image-based thinking into abstract, logical thinking. She then used the same method to explain the borrowing method (borrowing ten).
The children suddenly realized that there was such a simple method in the world, and they were all very interested.
After class, it was still early, so Song Anxin didn't let them leave. Instead, she had each of them practice the strokes they had learned that day.
Without pen, ink, paper, or inkstone, they drew on the ground with twigs and even wrote several math problems on the ground for everyone to practice.
It seems I need to find some time to make a few more sand table models for them to practice calligraphy. I also gave Lin Erxi and Lin Dongzi some more lessons from yesterday.
After teaching a series of lessons, Song Anxin felt her throat was about to burst into flames. She quickly went to the kitchen to get a drink of water and couldn't help but sigh at how difficult it was to be a teacher. She felt even more grateful to the teachers who had guided her along the way.
As Song Anxin was drinking water, she noticed someone lingering at the entrance of her yard. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was Sister-in-law Lin. Song Anxin thought she must have something on her mind.
Sister-in-law Lin had been pacing around Song Anxin's door for a long time. Hearing the children reading inside, she didn't dare to go in and disturb them, so she could only wait at the door and watch Song Anxin walk towards her.
Sister-in-law Lin quickly asked, "Sister-in-law, have you finished teaching the younger children?"
Song Anxin replied, "Yes, it's over. Let the children practice a bit more. Is there anything you need, sister-in-law? Please come in."
Sister-in-law Lin quickly waved her hand and said, "I won't go in and disturb them."
She asked cautiously, her face full of hesitation, "Sister-in-law, I heard from Erxi that you... are you with your maternal family..."
Song Anxin knew what she wanted to ask. Sister-in-law Lin also knew about the original owner's situation and never dared to mention it to provoke her.
Song Anxin smiled nonchalantly, "Yes, sister-in-law, I visited my parents' home both times I went to the county town. I was ignorant before and didn't understand my parents' good intentions, but I understand now."
Sister-in-law Lin clapped her hands and said happily, "Oh my! That's wonderful! I don't know how happy Aunt Song will be that you can reconnect with your family. I heard that Anbang even passed the imperial examination. Your family is really good at studying. No wonder you can teach these kids."
Hearing that Song Anxin's younger brother had already passed the imperial examination, Sister-in-law Lin had no doubt that Song Anxin was a good teacher.
"Sister-in-law, is this what you came for?" Song Anxin asked with a smile.
When Song Anxin reminded her, Sister-in-law Lin immediately felt embarrassed and said, "It's not just about that. Erxi and Dongzi are both studying here with you, and Erxi said you don't charge tuition."
But my sister-in-law knows that education is a very precious thing. Sending a child to study in the county would cost at least two taels of silver a month in tuition fees. I can't take advantage of you, but our family really can't afford that much money.
"How about I send two catties of millet, and tomorrow I'll have my husband send a few catties of firewood, okay?"
So that's what happened. Farmers are mostly honest and simple, and they would never owe anyone anything.
Song Anxin thought for a moment and said, "We don't need the millet and firewood. You can keep them for yourself. There's still some time before the autumn harvest, and your family doesn't have much food left. How about I ask my brother to make a few sand tables for me to use as payment for the repair fee? I want to use them for the children to practice calligraphy."
There wasn't much food left at home, so Sister-in-law Lin had no choice but to accept this favor for now. It wasn't easy for the children to have an education, and she would make up for it after the autumn harvest.
She nodded and said, "Then let's leave it at that for now. Don't say it's too much trouble. This is for the kids, so of course we have to make it. Don't worry, sister-in-law, I'll have your older brother make it when I get back."
After chatting with Sister-in-law Lin, Song Anxin returned to the courtyard. The children had finished practicing their strokes and were writing math problems. Lin Fenghe and Lin Fengshou finished the fastest, and when Song Anxin checked them, they had both solved them correctly.
Song Anxin was quite surprised by the learning speed of these two. Lin Fenghe aside, the third brother already had some talent for reading and loved reading.
The second son, Lin Fengshou, was surprisingly sensitive to numbers and very interested in them; no wonder he was so fond of doing business.
Next was the younger Lin Fengyao, who was quick-witted due to his young age. Then came Zhang Mei, Erxi, and finally the youngest Lin Dongzi and the oldest Lin Fengnian. All of them made some mistakes in their calculations, which Song Anxin corrected for them.
After practice, everyone went to wash up. Luckily, we didn't have to take a shower in the dark today.
Today, the moon is a crescent, its light somewhat dim, making the stars shine even brighter. With a sky full of stars and a gentle breeze, Song Anxin longed to move a rocking chair to the yard and admire the night sky.
However, there was definitely no rocking chair, but there were small chairs. Song Anxin asked the children who had already washed up to bring stools and sit together in the yard to tell stories.
As soon as the family gathered in the yard, Lin Erxi led Lin Dongzi in from the yard gate.
Lin Erxi scratched his head and said, "Hehe, I heard Feng Yao say that Second Aunt will tell them stories tonight, and we want to come and listen too."
Song Anxin smiled; this team was indeed growing stronger and stronger.
As is customary, Song Anxin first had them share their thoughts on the stories they had heard last time, and then she summarized them herself.
Then she slowly began to tell today's story. Her gentle and soft voice seemed to be imbued with a magical power under the starry sky, captivating the listener.
Song Anxin's face appeared gentle and serene under the moonlight.
Lin Fengnian and Lin Erxi will never forget the way their mother/aunt told stories at that moment. Even when they grow old and die, the thought of that scene will still bring them immense peace and warmth.
After the story ended, Song Anxin told them to go back and think about what they had learned from it. Lin Erxi, who was visiting for the first time, asked with some confusion, "Second Aunt, why do we have to go back and think about a story?"
Song Anxin maintained her gentle smile and said, "Because learning without thinking is futile, and thinking without learning is dangerous. This means that if you only know how to learn but don't think, you will feel confused and lost, while if you only know how to daydream but don't learn, you will be full of doubts and have no firm opinion."
The story contains a moral that you need to understand for yourselves, and then put it into practice. In this way, you will become a better person.
Lin Fengnian and Lin Erxi's eyes widened in surprise. How could their mother/aunt say such eloquent and reasonable words? They all solemnly agreed.
Lin Fengshou felt that his mother was indeed worthy of being the daughter of a scholar and the older sister of a student who had passed the preliminary examination!
Lin Fenghe felt that his mother was indeed someone whom his uncle, a scholar, admired.
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