Chapter 112 Wangcai fell
Now that they heard that girls were actually being taught to read in girls' schools, some people were unhappy, but they didn't dare to offend Cui Qingyi and just grumbled in a low voice.
"Why should a little girl learn to read? Isn't that a waste of time? We paid tuition to send our daughter here. What if teaching her these nonsense delays her embroidery training?"
As she spoke, the man tugged at the sleeve of the woman next to her, trying to gain her approval, but before she could finish, the woman hurried away.
Oh my, she met a fool so early in the morning. She had to stay away from him. It would be bad if she got infected. By the way, she had to tell the maid to stay away from this man's daughter to avoid being infected with the stupid disease.
The courtyard of the girls' school is very small, so Cui Qingyi and Aunt Qin naturally heard the noise here.
Cui Qingyi completely ignored it. There were always idiots in every era, so why should she bother with them?
Aunt Qin pretended not to hear anything. She had understood a truth over the years: when it comes to the kind of life you want, the confidence and choices given by your family are one factor, but your own efforts are an indispensable part.
To put it bluntly, you are a hopeless case, who can help you? She is not idle.
The bell rang and it was time for class.
For many years, Aunt Qin had actually been taking apprentices. She taught the young maids to observe the habits of their masters. Everything from big things like the masters' travel preparations to small things like the temperature of tea and the matching of hairpins and rings required a lot of time to teach them.
Not to mention the distant past, she had even single-handedly trained the maids Zhou Yanxiu often employed in his residence in the capital. But this was her first time standing on this platform as a true teacher. Aunt Qin, who considered herself a seasoned veteran, actually felt a hint of nervousness, a long-unseen feeling.
Today is Aunt Qin’s first class, and Cui Qingyi sits in the last row as an auditor and teaching assistant.
Because it was the first time for the literacy class, there were not many students attending class today. There were only six in total, including Chen Yingchun, a college student.
Aunt Qin first introduced herself according to what was written in the lesson plan. Listening to the voice of "Master Qin" which was either childish or clear, Aunt Qin's fingers trembled a few times. This feeling was very wonderful, and she couldn't find the right words to describe it for the time being.
The literacy teaching materials of Da Jin are still the well-known "Three Character Classic", "Hundred Family Surnames" and "Thousand Character Classic".
What Aunt Qin was holding in her hand was a copy of "Hundred Family Surnames".
In this regard, Cui Qingyi did not go to great lengths to popularize things like pinyin. Without pinyin, it would be a little more difficult for children to learn to read, but teachers who have taught for hundreds of years have already summed up a set of their own methods, and children can learn it by practicing a few more times.
Aunt Qin's nervousness lasted less than a quarter of an hour before she completely adapted to her identity. She wrote the words to be learned today on the lacquer board, and then led the students in reading aloud.
It was probably because the Hundred Family Surnames were too rhyming. After Cui Qingyi read it, she couldn't help shaking her head, causing Master Qin to look at her strangely several times.
Cui Qingyi left halfway through the class. She was already very relieved about Aunt Qin.
In the middle of the morning, some people came to the girls' school. Among them were some familiar faces to Cui Qingyi. They all lived in Huaihua Lane. One of them was Aunt Li, followed by a girl about ten years old.
Seeing Cui Qingyi and Auntie Konjac Li, she hurriedly pulled the timid girl over to greet them, and then pulled out the little girl who had been trying to hide behind her and introduced her to Cui Qingyi:
"This is my second son's eldest daughter. She's eleven this year. Her mother and I have discussed sending her to a girls' school to learn how to make pastries. Madam Cui, can you take a look at this child and see if she's a good candidate?"
Cui Qingyi couldn't tell from the child's face that he wanted to learn how to make pastries.
As if realizing she had asked a foolish question, Aunt Li quickly continued, "Mrs. Cui, don't look at this girl because she's small, but she can do all the work in the kitchen."
Cui Qingyi subconsciously looked at the little girl's hands. Although she was not big, her hands were very rough. Li Hua noticed Cui Qingyi's gaze and hid her hands behind her back.
Cui Qingyi smiled gently and then looked at Aunt Li. "Aunt and sister-in-law both love children. Making pastries is not difficult. As long as you put your heart into it, you can learn it. Aunt will take the child to sign up right away."
Cui Qingyi pointed to the table set up in the yard, and Konjac quickly signaled Aunt Li to bring the children with her to register.
The admission requirements for girls' schools are there, and those who come are all prepared.
Aunt Li took out the silver she had been holding all the way from her sleeve and handed it to Konjac before advising Li Hua, "It's not easy for your parents to earn money. This is your only chance, so you must seize it."
Li Hua stared at the five taels of silver in Aunt Li's hand without blinking, feeling very reluctant.
At home, she often heard her mother talk about how hard work was and how difficult it was to earn money.
The family's money was to be saved for her younger brother to marry, but her grandmother was nosy and insisted on sending her to some girls' school.
Her mother said that what was taught in the girls' school was a lie, and that only girls from dishonest families would come here to learn embroidery. Anyway, she didn't want to do that.
Her mother said that everything in the house belonged to her younger brother, and it would be a waste to give five taels of silver to a girl.
She had to find a way to get the silver back for her brother.
Aunt Li was talking to Konjac, asking when Li Hua would be sent to school after registering today. Neither of them noticed Li Hua, who was cowering timidly. Just as Aunt Li's silver was about to fall into Konjac's, a small, rough hand suddenly reached out, snatched the silver, and ran away.
Konjac subconsciously called out "Wangcai". The ever-vigilant Wangcai pounced out at lightning speed. Just as he was about to knock Li Hua down, Cui Qingyi shouted, "Wangcai, stop!"
Wangcai pounced with great force, and he could no longer stop when Cui Qingyi called out. His huge body twisted in the air, and then, due to insufficient cushioning, he fell heavily to the ground and rolled several times.
Cui Qingyi was heartbroken. She had never suffered such a big loss since Wangcai came to their house. But if she hadn't stopped Wangcai, Li Hua's small frame would not have been able to withstand the big dog's attack.
Li Hua crawled out of the girls' school the moment Wangcai landed on the ground.
But at this moment, no one cared about her except Aunt Li. Cui Qingyi and Konjac hurried to check on Wangcai. Cui Qingyi reached out and pinched Wangcai's four legs. Fortunately, the dog was naturally agile. Although the fall looked hard, it was actually cushioned.
But Wangcai had gained some weight during this period of taking care of the cubs, so he took a while to recover after falling to the ground before getting up. The first thing he did when he got up was to use his big head to nudge Cui Qingyi's hand.
The two puppies also came over crying, but were pushed aside by their old mother with her claws.
Cui Qingyi was very angry. Wangcai's fall made her heart burn with anger.
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