Jiang Yun was still teaching the girls to recognize some simple herbs, which were common in the area and useful to them. She didn't learn much that night, just two.
Jiang Yun lit the oil lamp, thought for a moment, and then asked her son to come in and write.
Jiang Yun dared not write. She could only understand ancient characters. If she were asked to write, she would definitely write incomplete characters, so as not to be laughed at.
I simply let my son write it.
However, the other girls all looked troubled: "But, we can't read either..."
Jiang Yun said, "If you want to continue your studies, you must study medical books and write medical records. If you can't read, you can learn slowly. I will teach you."
Several girls whispered among themselves.
The general idea is that studying is difficult, and even boys can't do it, so how can girls?
Lin Jinyue felt a pang of sadness as she listened to their words. It wasn't that these girls were unwilling to work hard, but rather that their environment was like this, with a severe preference for boys over girls. Everyone thought boys were better, and everyone said that girls were inferior to boys. Otherwise, why wouldn't girls be allowed to take the imperial examinations?
So before class, Lin Jinyue corrected their preconceived notions: "Why can't girls do it? Look at me, I know quite a few characters, and my brother taught me all of them when he had time. As long as you are willing to learn, you can definitely do it."
Jiang Yun also said, "In this world, it's harder for girls. Don't be afraid of hardship. If you can learn a skill to support yourself, even if you only know some medicinal herbs, you can still make a living. Otherwise, do you want to go back and just marry any man in the village, be a good wife and mother, and follow the rules in front of your mother-in-law every day?"
The girls all shook their heads.
Especially Lin Jinyue's cousin, Lin Sanya.
She envied Lin Jinyue. Her third uncle treated her well. She could work whenever she wanted, and no one could order her around if she didn't want to. She could also eat a piece of meat from time to time.
In other families in the village, the men ate dry food, the women drank thin porridge, and the boys could occasionally eat bird eggs or chicken eggs, while the girls could only watch longingly.
Why is Er Ya so happy? It's all because her third uncle is capable.
Now that my third aunt says they also have the ability to make a living, wouldn't they be able to eat whatever they want and do whatever they want in the future?
Sanya thought that if she could learn some skills in the future, what did suffering matter?
It's just learning to recognize characters and learn about herbs. No matter how hard or tiring it is, it's better than her working herself to death all day. When there's anything good, her parents stuff it into her younger brother's mouth.
Sanya said loudly and firmly, "Third Aunt, no, Master, I'm willing to endure hardship, and I will definitely study hard!"
The others shared similar thoughts with Sanya. These days, apart from Erya and Lin Jinyue, no girl has it easy. They have to manage all the household chores, and when they grow up, they have to take the dowry money home to help their younger brothers get married.
Upon realizing this, the girls from Linjia Village knelt down once again and solemnly kowtowed several times to Jiang Yun.
This means so much to them.
To put it more bluntly, Lin Jinyue was like a second parent to them, directly changing their fate.
Tan Xue was a little confused when she saw them all kneeling down, so she knelt down and kowtowed as well.
Jiang Yun stopped them all: "Alright, no need to kneel anymore. Let me tell you about the arrangements for the future. Each of you will learn ten characters every day. During your breaks, no matter how tired you are, you must write them on the ground with a twig. When you have free time, you must also memorize the medicinal properties I will teach you. As for the more difficult ones later, we will decide whether to teach them based on your character."
Jiang Yun described the characteristics and medicinal properties of several herbs, and Lin Xueqing then wrote them down. After finishing, she also memorized a section of the Thousand Character Classic, which she would then show to the girls.
It's just that they didn't have calligraphy brushes, so Lin Xueqing wrote with charcoal pencils; otherwise, his terrible calligraphy would have been unacceptable.
Lin Jinyue also started learning to read.
The main purpose is to memorize traditional Chinese characters, so that you won't write characters with missing parts and become a laughing stock.
Seeing that it was almost time, Jiang Yun told the girls to go back. The adults waited outside, which was even more exciting than studying on their own.
Many people felt a pang of regret, wondering why they didn't teach the boys!
If Jiang Yun knew what they were thinking, she would definitely say that boys are troublesome, and they are all her precious children, so why teach them?
*
Along the way, Jiang Yun and Lin Jinyue took turns teaching the girls simple basics.
Now that they have straw paper, Lin Jinyue can draw simple herbal diagrams for these girls on the straw paper, and they can also help find some useful herbs nearby.
Jiang Yun and Lin Jinyue have had a much easier time these past few days, since so many people have been helping them make the medicine powder.
They traveled for another two days.
From this point on, it became increasingly difficult to find one's way using a map. Lin Jinyue had no idea where she was; she just kept heading south.
As they walked, dark clouds began to gather in the sky. Lin Jinyue checked her system space and saw that a heavy rainstorm was about to begin, and the system hadn't even given her a warning!
Lin Jinyue and the others hurried forward, at least to find a safe place to take shelter from the rain.
Lin Fugui climbed up a tree to see if there was any suitable terrain around him.
He looked out from the tree and saw a City God Temple, which looked quite large.
Lin Fugui excitedly said to Lin Jinyue, "Er Ya, let's go to the City God Temple over there to take shelter. This rain is probably going to last a long time."
Lin Jinyue's expression was solemn at this moment.
Indeed, this rain is going to last a long time; the weather forecast says it will rain for two days, and the rain will only subside after two days.
Although it is springtime, the rain and wind will cause the temperature to drop. Many people in the village do not have thick quilts, which will definitely make them sick and cause delays.
Lin Jinyue didn't care about anything else and said to everyone, "Let's go to the City God Temple."
The group quickened their pace, and Lin Youliang and his family were tied up.
Lin Youliang is old and was being pushed around, almost falling over. He asked the villagers to help him untie himself so he could walk more easily.
But nobody paid any attention to him.
In Linjia Village, Lin Youliang's words were like farts; nobody wanted to talk to him.
After walking for about fifteen minutes, and still quite a distance from the dilapidated temple, the rain started to fall.
The rain came down so suddenly that they had no chance to take shelter. Before anyone could react, large raindrops began to fall, and in just a moment, they were all soaked to the bone.
The group struggled forward, getting soaked in the rain for half an hour, until they reached the dilapidated temple.
When they went in, they were shocked.
Inside, about a hundred people sat listlessly, each one emaciated and looking as if they were about to fall apart. The faces of the old people at the door were wrinkled, their skin loose, and their eyes sunken; at first glance, one might think they had seen a ghost.
There are also some children whose limbs are thin, but whose bellies are very swollen. This is caused by eating Guanyin clay.
At this moment, the hundred or so people looked at Lin Jinyue and her group with gleaming eyes.
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