Zhao Qianci sat there pondering for a long time without saying a word. Zhao Qingyan walked over, bowed to everyone, and said...
"Greetings, great-uncle, great-uncle, and great-great-uncle. May I say a few words?"
Zhao Qingyan's words delighted these old guys.
"You silly girl, when did you learn to be so polite? Everyone knows you're the family's treasure. So, what's your thought?"
Zhao Jinfa said with a smile.
"Hehe, this is what I think. Our Zhao Family Village is dominated by people with the surname Zhao, but there are not many scholars in our clan."
Even if one can read, it is still different from formal schooling.
I was thinking, should we open a school too?
Zhao Qingyan touched her nose and said that she hadn't discussed these words with her grandparents; it was just a sudden thought and a spontaneous remark.
“Girl, your idea is good, but studying is too expensive. Not to mention tuition, even the writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone are not something that ordinary people can afford.”
Zhao Jinfa sighed.
Zhao Qianci and Huang Shi exchanged a glance. Seeing Huang Shi nod, Zhao Qianci spoke.
"Cousin, I have an idea. What do you think?"
For the time being, if the Zhao family wants to flourish, it still needs the joint efforts of the entire clan.
Just like pulling a cart, it's hard for one horse to pull a cart, but it's much easier with two, three, or even more horses.
It's faster and more imposing, right?
I'm thinking, shouldn't our village set up a clan school?
As for the money to set up the clan school, my family will cover it. Don't worry, elder brother, if I can say it, I can afford it.
The school teacher would hire one or several scholars to teach.
He only earned a few taels of silver a month.
As for the children's writing implements, materials, and supplies, that's easy to say. Initially, we can use sand trays, and later we can see how the children are doing.
We can make our own calligraphy brushes, inkstones, and even the paper we use the most.
The remaining ink was very rare, so the overall consumption was not high.
All children of our Zhao clan, regardless of gender, must attend school. As for those of other surnames, we do not force them to.
Children in our village can attend school for free, while those from other villages will be charged the normal tuition. What do you think, cousin?
Everyone in the main living room, except for Zhao Qianci, Huang Shi, Zhao Qingyan, and Zhao Minggeng, was dumbfounded.
Zhao Jinfa's trembling hand reached out to Zhao Qianci's forehead.
"Are you out of your mind? Why are you talking nonsense?"
You said your family paid for the construction of the clan school, and I won't say anything about that. But why did you say you could make your own calligraphy brushes, inkstones, and paper?
That's such a rare skill! Can you do it? Can you? Don't you know your brother's heart can't take this kind of stimulation?
As he spoke, he became so excited that he started slapping Zhao Qianci's back. He still couldn't bring himself to hit his head.
Zhao Qianci was stunned by the slap. It had been so many years since he had been beaten up, and today he was being taught a lesson by his cousin again. He felt very wronged.
“Cousin, I’m telling the truth. We can make those things; we have the recipes.”
Zhao Qian reiterated this point.
The reason Zhao Qianci emphasized the recipe again was because he had seen the handicraft book that Zhao Qingyan had casually given him.
This thrilled Zhao Qianci immensely.
Not only should you observe, but you should also try to do it yourself. Zhao Minggeng was the best assistant for doing odd jobs.
Zhao Qianci's reaffirmation greatly excited Zhao Jinfeng and the others, especially Zhao Jinfeng, who, as the clan leader, had always hoped that the Zhao family could flourish in his generation.
However, during the famine years ago, we lost too many things passed down from our ancestors. Let alone carrying them forward, it's difficult to even maintain stability.
So the group held a detailed discussion about the clan school.
The next day, when Zhao Jinfa stood in front of the Zhao Clan Ancestral Hall and announced that Zhao Family Village would be establishing a clan school, the whole village was in an uproar.
This is different from when the Zhao family signed the pig-raising agreement with the villagers.
Pig farming is just one way to make money, and many people may consider that they don't even have enough food to feed their own people, so what can they use to feed pigs?
There are many thoughts and concerns, and I may not necessarily consider them.
What is a clan school? It's a major event that can completely change a person and a family. Putting aside the issue of tuition fees, just the fact that there is a clan school in the village means that children don't have to travel long distances to the town.
The scene was incredibly lively, especially when they heard that it was for children from the village who were enrolled and that tuition was free.
"Chief, are you telling the truth? Is it true that our children's education is free?"
"Village chief, what's the point of sending girls to school? Girls will get married sooner or later. No matter how well they're taught, they'll still belong to someone else. Who will do the housework then?"
There are various opinions. Yesterday's discussion was that all the children of the Zhao family, both boys and girls, should go to school, while children of other surnames should not be required to.
Now, not a single member of the Zhao clan is voicing any opposition. On the contrary, it's those outsiders who are nagging and causing all sorts of trouble, which has angered Zhao Jin.
Whether your children study or not, or whether they are successful, has absolutely nothing to do with the Zhao clan.
What everyone has now confirmed is that we are going to establish a clan school, not a village school. Normally, only children with the surname Zhao would attend.
The children of the Zhao family are equally precious, whether they are boys or girls. What's wrong with girls? If a girl is literate and marries well, she can also help her family.
What's wrong with girls? They're all a waste of money. Look at yourselves, weren't you all born of women?
Just now, Granny Chen, you spoke so disparagingly of your own daughter. I ask you, are you a woman?
Did she also grow from a little girl into an old woman?
I'm baffled. How can you show your preciousness by repeating all the grievances you suffered as children on your daughters and granddaughters?
They're all short-sighted and have long hair.
They can only see an inch in front of them, and they get upset when I call them blind.
You can't even imagine what it's like to be from an official's family. Take those female relatives who humbly declined to go home yesterday, for example.
Whether it was the county magistrate's wife, or someone else's scholar's wife, including the young ladies they brought with them.
Which one of them isn't literate?
Those young ladies are just as talented as us bookish boys.
Think about it, why do families like that make sure their daughters learn to read and write?
When it comes to marriage, it's important to be well-matched in terms of social status. If you ask a scholar, a licentiate, or a jinshi to marry an illiterate village girl, do you think that village girl would be well-received by her husband's family?
When you take your wife to a banquet or something, other people's ladies are reciting poems and composing verses, but your wife can't utter a single word. Why? Because she's illiterate.
Isn't it embarrassing? Aren't you ashamed?
If we want our daughter to marry well, we, as parents, must first raise her well.
You think you can raise a refined young lady without spending any money on fodder? What are you dreaming of?
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