Chuanwen brought the girl to the girls' school, but she wasn't good at lecturing, so she handed her over to Tian Wanyin.
It was the girl's first time entering a girls' school, and she was somewhat apprehensive.
She had always been taught that a woman's virtue lay in her lack of talent, and that only boys were allowed to study. But now, listening to the women around her reciting their lessons aloud, though the sounds were clear and melodious, she couldn't help but feel deeply moved.
When Tian Wanyin saw her looking at the classroom, she introduced it to her.
"That is the youngest daughter of the Minister of Rites, she is six years old this year."
She pointed to a little girl with two pigtails, who was earnestly following the teacher's instructions to read, and said to the girl.
"And that one is the third young lady of the Minister of Revenue's family, she is seven years old this year."
Under the girl's surprised gaze, Tian Wanyin continued to introduce the school to her. Apart from the two ministers mentioned above, the students in the school, ranging from three-year-old children to those in their thirties, were basically from the families of court officials.
Of course, not all of these people were learning about black boxes from Chuanwen.
Chuanwen only selected those aged fourteen and above, because those who were too young, unless they were geniuses, would probably have some difficulty understanding those theories.
As for the younger girls, the officials didn't send them home either. Even if they did go home, they would still let the children read a few books, but they preferred that they study at the girls' school. Because wouldn't the opportunities be greater there? They could also frequently come into contact with Chuanwen, and who knows, Chuanwen might take a liking to their children and teach them more.
The girl was completely bewildered by Tian Wanyin's introduction. Wasn't it said that a woman's virtue lay in her lack of talent?
She suddenly remembered what the high-ranking official had said by the lake, and tears silently streamed down her face. Has the world really become less harsh on women than before?
Tian Wanyin also heard Chuanwen talk about the girl's experience, and advised her not to think too much about it. She said that the world would change in the future, and women could have many ways of living.
Compared to the girl's fear and uncertainty, Tian Wanyin, who had insight and had seen the black box for transmitting text, was more certain. She asked the girl if she wanted to learn to read and write like the other girls.
The girl's family was not wealthy. Even though her parents and grandparents loved her younger brother, they did not let him go to school and learn to read. As a girl, she had even less of that privilege. When she heard that she could go to school and learn to read, her first reaction was that it was impossible. How could such a great thing fall into her lap? And how could she, as a girl, go to school and learn to read?
But perhaps because she had heard too many shocking things today, she suppressed her fear and excitement, and also suppressed her subconscious shaking of her head.
"I...I want to learn!"
Listening to the sound of students reading aloud around her, the girl's fear and excitement gradually turned into passion. If, if God gave her a chance to choose, she would definitely seize it and strive to live a different life and create a different world!
Tian Wanyin smiled with satisfaction.
Although the girl was fifteen years old, she was illiterate, so Tian Wanyin arranged for her to enter the beginner class, which was the simplest class for recognizing and reading characters.
As for where to stay, the girl didn't want to go home, because if she did, her parents would most likely still force her to commit suicide. So Tian Wanyin cleared out a room for her to stay in at the girls' school.
After settling the girls in, Tian Wanyin went to tell Chuanwen. After listening, Chuanwen sighed that the girls' school was still too small and didn't even have a dormitory. He worried that if more girls who didn't want to go home came to the girls' school in the future, they wouldn't have a place to stay.
Tian Wanyin was a little speechless when she heard this. Where did all these women come from who didn't want to go home?
In the following days, Tian Wanyin was proven wrong.
Every day, women would come to the girls' school to ask if they were taking in students. There were young girls and middle-aged women, some with children and some with canes.
The girls' school was suddenly overflowing with students. Even Tian Wanyin, who was usually very composed, couldn't help but twitch at the corner of her mouth. She asked an old lady with a cane at the door why she wanted to go to the girls' school. The old lady then tearfully accused her three heartless sons.
"You tell me, I'm so old, how many days do I have left to live? But they just don't want me to have my way. All I want is to find a companion, is that wrong? My future partner said that if we get married, he will take good care of me. If I have a companion, they won't have to serve me anymore, which would lighten their burden, wouldn't it?"
The old woman, carrying her small bundle, cursed her three sons for being heartless. "Their father died early, and I raised them single-handedly. Now they're all successful and don't need me anymore, yet they're trying to drive me crazy! Waaah, my damned husband who died so young! If I had known I'd raised three ungrateful wretches, I would have preferred to die with you long ago!"
Listening to the old lady's tearful complaints, Tian Wanyin was at her wits' end.
However, she felt that there was nothing wrong with the old lady wanting to find a companion. She had worked hard for her children her whole life, and it was perfectly fine for her to want to do something for herself when she got old.
Fortunately, the old lady's son arrived soon. Tian Wanyin wanted to say a few words to the son, but before she could open her mouth, the old lady's words, "old man," choked her back.
Looking at her husband, who was only in his early twenties and had delicate features, Tian Wanyin felt as if she had been struck by lightning. Especially when the two of them hugged each other and cried in front of her like a pair of star-crossed lovers, her twitching lips twitched even more violently.
Let alone those three sons, no one would agree to this!
It's obvious this young man has ill intentions. What normal young man would like an old lady who's using a cane and only has one or two teeth left?
However, the old lady's three sons arrived soon after. This time, they really were her sons, not some random person.
Tian Wanyin breathed a sigh of relief. Her three sons sighed and begged the old lady to come home, but the old lady was stubborn and refused to leave as long as her sons did not agree to their marriage!
The three sons were eventually forced into a corner and had no choice but to agree. As for whether they actually agreed, Tian Wanyin no longer cared; she was numb to it all.
In the past few days, not only has Tian Wanyin witnessed various family disputes, but Zhang Qing, who is trying to improve the status of women, has also been pulled by the wives of officials to preside over a lot of justice, well, if that must be called justice.
First, there was the wife of the Minister of Revenue. The reason was that she liked to listen to operas. In the past, she didn't have much time because she had to take care of her youngest son. But now she realized that her son wasn't just hers. Why should the Minister of Revenue be able to do nothing but go to his concubines' rooms while she had to take care of her son without complaint?
So she quit, and whenever he came home, she would shove her son into his arms and go to listen to the opera herself.
The Minister of Revenue had no experience in coaxing children. He didn't even know when the child was hungry or needed to poop. After a few days, the child suffered from earaches, headaches, and pain all over his body.
So one day, when he was so disturbed by his son's crying that he couldn't work on his official documents, he heard the sound of a theatrical troupe playing gongs and drums. At that moment, his anger flared up, and he took his son to reason with them. Both sides were in a bad mood, and the argument turned into a fight, causing chaos in the mansion.
The wife of the Minister of Revenue summoned Zhang Qing to reason with her, asking if she, as a woman, didn't even have the right to watch a play! And as the child's father, did the Minister of Revenue not even have the responsibility to care for his child?
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