Harvest the wheat, bundle it up, take it to the threshing ground, dry it in the sun, thresh it, winnow it after it's dry, then bag it and store it in the warehouse.
Yue Jiuyue has memorized every step of the annual physical activity. She is now a true landlady. Although she doesn't do farm work herself, she knows exactly how to do it.
The wheat harvest is a busy period, as if racing against time with the heavens. After a flurry of activity, life returns to normal.
Village Chief Lin and many others felt a little regretful that the people from the county town hadn't come to join in the fun. But looking at the wheat being stored in the granary, they all showed simple and satisfied smiles.
With this grain, whether it's selling some new grain to exchange for old grain, or having other ideas, it can all be done.
For example, as mentioned before, some people want their children to learn to read and write, and to learn needlework.
This time, it wasn't just the village chief coming alone to discuss things with Yue Jiuyue; every mother in the village with children of school age came, totaling twenty or thirty people.
"Hello, Auntie/Grandma! Have you eaten yet?"
"Oh, you've eaten."
"Sister-in-law, we've come here to discuss something with you!"
They are all honest people who are used to speaking directly. After a greeting, they immediately got to the point.
"What's up?"
Yue Jiuyue had some guesses, but they were just guesses. She couldn't just repeat what she had told Village Chief Lin a while ago to these people.
"It's like this, Auntie. A while ago, we asked Village Chief Lin to come over and ask you about the children wanting to learn a few words and needlework. After Village Chief Lin went back, he told us about your concerns, and we all think you're right!"
So, now that the wheat harvest is over and the family has some extra money, they've come back to ask how much the tuition is for boys learning to read and write, and what the tuition is for girls learning needlework.
If it's suitable, we'd like to send all our children here to learn something. That way, it will be easier for them to find work when they grow up, and it will be easier for the girls to find good husbands!
They are all honest people who want a better future for their children. Moreover, this is simpler than spending the entire family's resources to support a student taking the imperial examinations. Every family can afford the tuition, and they can withdraw at any time when they run out of money and continue studying when they have money. It is much more convenient than sending their children to academies, and they don't have to worry about offending the teachers.
Both were loving mothers, and for the sake of their children's future, Yue Jiuyue naturally wouldn't refuse.
Moreover, they had already discussed this matter beforehand. In any case, Huang Banxian was practically ready to sign a contract of servitude. Yue Jiuyue usually provided him with good food and wine. If he really did nothing, wouldn't he be eating for free?
The Zhou family members had all signed indentures, so naturally they did whatever Yue Jiuyue said.
As for the location of the "temporary school," let's go to the house of Lin Chaodong and Lin Chaoxi in Dongling first, so that men and women are separated and it won't affect Zhou Daya's reputation.
As for tuition fees, everyone hasn't reached an agreement yet. Yue Jiuyue wants all the children in the village to have the opportunity to learn, but she doesn't want them to feel that getting the opportunity is too easy, lest they not study hard.
"Well, as for tuition, we'll start with two catties of grain per child per month. Let's make it clear now, my family doesn't provide meals; the children have to eat at home themselves."
The school was located in Dongling. Boys went to the courtyard on the east side of the mountain, while girls went to the courtyard on the west side of the mountain.
School hours are from 7 AM (Chen Shi) after breakfast until late Shen Shi (Shen Shi). At noon, everyone goes home for lunch and a nap. There are two classes in the morning and two in the afternoon. If anyone is absent from school, their tuition will not be refunded.
It's always best to say the unpleasant things upfront.
"Two catties a month, that's alright, I think it's acceptable."
"At this rate, it's... 24 catties of grain a year, which is really not expensive."
“I have three children, and each of them takes 24 catties of grain. That’s almost 100 catties for all three of them, right? Well, it’s not unacceptable.”
"By the way, Auntie, I wonder if old grain would be okay? As for new grain..."
I'm reluctant to part with it!
To be honest, Yue Jiuyue hadn't really considered whether to use new or old grain, because apart from the first two years after she arrived, when she was starving and even had to save wild vegetables, she had been eating new grain for the past two years, since she wasn't short of food.
However, since the other party asked, she definitely had to think about it carefully.
However, before Yue Jiuyue could make up her mind and give an answer, others chimed in.
"Huh? Three children only get seventy or eighty catties of grain a year, and four children can't even scrape together a hundred catties. How can you still have the nerve to use stale grain as tuition?"
"That's right, the fee the old lady asked for wasn't high to begin with, we've already gotten a great deal! How could we possibly try to cheat her on the food? Would that make us look like we have too many tricks up our sleeves?"
“If you want to go to school, you can go; if you don’t want to go, you can’t go. You’re not even willing to spend two pounds of grain. Why should you let your children learn anything? It’s better to just stay at home and help with the chores.”
...
One or two people spoke up, questioning Chen Liang about whether he could get that person, until he shrank back into the crowd, lowered his head, and dared not utter another word.
This was something Yue Jiuyue hadn't expected; she thought things would take a long time to resolve.
"Alright, since we've reached an agreement, the children can come to school anytime. It's already mid-month, so if the children start tomorrow, then each of them will receive a pound of grain as tuition this month."
After Yue Jiuyue finished speaking, everyone left one by one, leaving only the woman who had asked Chen Mi about the tuition fee. She looked at Yue Jiuyue, then at the people who had already left, looking as if she wanted to say something but hesitated. In the end, she lowered her head and left without saying anything.
Yue Jiuyue didn't take it seriously. After all, it was their own child going to school, and they could make their own decisions.
And she's not getting much tuition anymore. And now she suddenly wonders if they'll each bring her two sweet potatoes as her tuition in the fall.
You should know that sweet potatoes are very heavy; even a small sweet potato can weigh a pound. This is something that needs to be agreed upon beforehand.
However, after calming down and thinking about it, it didn't really matter if she used two raw sweet potatoes as tuition. You see, a roasted sweet potato in a shop in the mall costs eight or nine coins per pound, and can even be sold for ten or twenty coins per pound. So a single sweet potato could sell for at least ten or twenty coins. She really wouldn't lose money.
But if she really did that, those people might have to send her raw sweet potatoes for a year.
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