Chapter 212
212
Shen Yuntang found that the students who came to register for the school were all young boys and girls, all of whom were within the age limit he required. He also had a primary school, and children over the age of six could enroll. After graduating from primary school, they could learn technology and could choose which subject to study.
However, few parents send their children to school because it is a school for girls and boys and boys are not allowed to enter. Children from wealthy families may be able to study at home, but children from poor families think it is a waste to send their children to elementary school and it is better for them to stay at home and do more farm work.
There are also free schools in the village. Students can attend classes there for free and also have three free meals. Naturally, people would not go far away to send their children here to study.
Yuanbao, Liuya and the others were about to go back. Shen Yuntang said that they had climbed the mountain near his third brother's house before and thought the scenery was pretty good, so he took them there for a day.
When Cheng Zhao heard that they were going to play at his third brother's house, he was even happier than his third brother. He even said to Yuan Bao and Liu Ya, "Last time I went there, I caught a lot of insects I had never seen before. This time I plan to catch a few more."
"Insects?" Liu Ya asked him what he caught.
Cheng Zhao blinked at him mysteriously, took out a book of insect specimens from the room and handed it to Liu Ya.
Liu Ya didn't know what was in the book before he opened it. After he opened it, he was completely scared. If he hadn't known that the book was Xingxing's treasure, he would definitely throw it away.
The prince who had just entered the room saw him shaking with fear and said in a mean way, "You are still a timid boy..."
Before the prince could finish his words, Liu Ya stuffed a booklet into his hand. Then he saw the furry moth on the page and almost flew away. At the moment when he was about to throw the booklet away, Liu Ya quickly snatched it, closed it quickly and gave it back to Cheng Zhao.
The prince patted his overly frightened chest and said, "I, I'm not afraid of bugs. I just think moths are furry and disgusting."
Liu Ya raised her hand to wipe his tears, "Why are you crying? A man shouldn't shed tears easily."
"Woo woo woo, I'm not crying because I saw a bug. I'm just sad. You knew what I was afraid of, but you showed it to me on purpose." The prince snorted, got up and ran away, "I'm not going to pay attention to you anymore."
Liu Ya sighed helplessly, "You are such a bad mouth and you can't stand being teased."
Cheng Zhao watched from the side, "Aren't you going to chase him? When my father makes my father angry, he will chase him and apologize. I thought everyone is like this."
"No need to chase him, he ran out just to attract my attention. The more I coax him, the louder he cries. Let him know that this trick works, and he will use it again in the future." Liu Ya said to Cheng Zhao, "This kind of person should not be spoiled. When you find a partner in the future, you should not be too nice to him/her, otherwise he/she will control you and you will have to do whatever he/she says."
"What are you teaching my child?" Cheng Yeran appeared from behind and took Cheng Zhao away. "We won't listen to him. If you like someone, you should treat him well. Treat him well with all your heart, just like I treat your father."
"You should be nice to my cousin, but Xingxing can't be like you. What if he meets a bad guy and gets cheated in the future?" Liu Ya was afraid that Cheng Zhao would get hurt when he grew up.
The two of them were arguing fiercely about their children's future relationship. Cheng Zhao, a child who didn't understand emotions, was completely confused. When he went out, he quickly rode his pony and ran away with his brothers, for fear of being caught in the middle of the two of them and being nagged by them again.
The adults all rode in horse-drawn carriages and could chat and laugh and eat on the way. The children were lively and active and didn't want to be stuck in the carriages, so they all rode on horses.
The children on horseback arrived at the third brother's house first. Today was a holiday at school, and several children were also at home. They took two baskets filled with some home-cooked vegetables and prepared to take them up the mountain to eat.
The third brother's little sister also said: "I made all these. Now I am a very good cook."
"Some time ago, my father also taught us to cook. If we had known that you were cooking, we should have made a few dishes and eaten together." Cheng Zhao wanted the children to eat the food they made, and the adults to eat the food prepared by the adults.
"Do you cook, too?" The younger sister asked with her big eyes blinking, looking puzzled. "My brother said before that you have a cook at home to cook, why do you still want to do it yourself? Is it because there are too many people in the family and the cook is too busy?"
Although the younger sister had heard her brother talk about Cheng Zhao's family life several times, she could not imagine what that life was like.
Cheng Zhao was also puzzled: "Dad just wants us to experience cooking by ourselves. We are still children, we don't need to cook every day."
He saw his sister's expression as he finished speaking, "Do you have to help with the family cooking every day?"
My sister nodded. "My parents and uncles and aunts all have to go to work on the farm, and my brothers and sisters have to go to school. Grandma and I are the only ones left at home. My parents and uncles eat on the farm, and my brothers and sisters eat in school. Grandma is old, so I stay at home and cook for the two of us."
Cheng Zhao had no grandparents, so he naturally didn't know his sister's difficulties. "Dad said that the school requires every child to go to school, and you have to go to school too. Besides, don't you have brothers and sisters? Why don't you take turns?"
The younger sister said: "Mom said that my brothers will take the imperial examinations in the future and cannot delay their studies."
The elder brother who came with them also said, "Father and mother said that if I want to take the imperial examination and become a high-ranking official, we can live in a big house like Master Cheng and have servants to serve us. It's not that I deliberately bully my younger sister, but grandma needs to be taken care of. I can't take the imperial examination in the future, so this burden can only fall on my younger sister."
Last time grandma was sick, my third brother was sold. This time, the adults in the family had to go to work and the children had to go to school, so my youngest sister was left at home to take care of grandma.
Cheng Zhao grew up in luxury. His playmates when he was a child were the prince and the little sister of Shao Hui. These children and their parents were accompanied by servants. These children did not have to do housework or cook, nor did they have to take care of the elderly or talk to them. They were considered filial children. Now he saw with his own eyes the suffering of children from poor families and felt very depressed. He wanted to help them, but his little brain, which he usually thought was smart, could not think of any solution.
I heard from my third brother that if his parents didn't go to work on the farm, the family would go hungry and would have to sell the children if they got sick. But if all the children went to school, grandma would be alone at home and would have no food to eat. If something happened, there would be no one to look after her.
My younger sister told Cheng Zhao, "It's not just me. Many girls and boys in the village don't go to school. Ah Hua's family at the head of the village also has grandparents to take care of. There's no one at home, so we have to do this. Several of my sisters are the same, but there are also sisters without grandparents. Their parents don't ask them to go to school. The adults in the family have gone to the farm. When the brothers and sisters go to school, the housework and feeding the chickens and ducks fall on them. Parents say that we will get married when we grow up, and studying is useless. It's better to learn how to manage the household and cook early, so that we can have an easier time in our husband's family."
Cheng Zhao felt that this shouldn't be the case. No matter whether it was a girl or a boy, they should have their own careers like his father or Uncle Liu Ya and Aunt Lu Wei. Even if they wanted to get married in the future, they should learn to read and write instead of spending all day around the stove.
When he returned home in the evening, Shen Yuntang saw that he was in a bad mood and asked him what was wrong. Cheng Yeran also came over and asked him if he was sick. Or are you unhappy because you didn't catch any insects?
Cheng Zhao told her everything that happened today, "Third brother's sister is so pitiful, why not send two of our servants to them so that she can have a chance to study."
"What about the others?" Cheng Yeran asked him, "You only
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I want to save this sister, but what about the other sisters in the village? If you don't recognize it, you don't care? ”
Cheng Zhao pursed his lips, not wanting to admit his incompetence, but he had to admit, "It's not easy for me to help their family. Others can't do it with my ability."
"You are quite self-aware," Cheng Yeran rubbed his head and asked him, "You feel sorry for him, but if you send servants over, then the servants won't be pitiful anymore? Who will think about them?"
Cheng Zhao was born in ancient times. He did not have the idea that everyone is equal, especially since his father was a high-ranking official and all the chores at home were done by servants. He used to go in and out of the palace frequently and had seen many palace maids and eunuchs. In their family, servants did not have to bow or kneel, as long as they did their job well. However, the palace maids and eunuchs had to kneel. There were so many rules, and he saw so many of them that he thought people were divided into different levels.
But now Cheng Yeran asked him what to do with the servants, which stumped him. Although he had a good relationship with the servants at home on weekdays, he had never thought that they were equal to himself.
He felt that his third brother was his friend, and he treated his third brother's sister as his own sister, so they were equal. He gave the servants to his third brother's sister as a gift, just like giving an object. Now that his father asked him, he remembered that servants are also human beings.
"Although servants are also human beings, they are different from us. What's the use of them learning? They are born to serve others." Cheng Zhao said.
Cheng Yeran didn't expect that such words would come out of his own child's mouth. It seemed that his daily education of him was not right. But it was a bit ridiculous to tell an ancient child that everyone was equal? This is ancient times. Is it good or bad to give him the idea that everyone is equal?
Shen Yuntang said to Cheng Zhao: "Those people are pitiful. They are forced to sell their bodies because they want to have enough food and don't want to starve to death. But they are not born to serve others. They are the same as us. We laugh when we are happy and cry when we are sad. They are the same. It's just that you are lucky and don't have to suffer all that."
Cheng Zhao felt that he had said something wrong after he finished speaking. He felt bad, but there were still many questions he couldn't figure out. "Then was it wrong for us to buy those servants?"
"Well, that's indeed not right, but that's the rule of this era." Cheng Yeran said to him.
"Since this is the rule, do we have to follow it? Since you think it's wrong, why don't you change the rules of this world?" Cheng Zhao asked him.
"Do you think your father is the emperor? He can change whatever he wants. The emperor sent us here with just one word. We are lucky to be alive. How can we change the rules? If I had brought hot weapons with me when I traveled through time, why would I care about the emperor? I would just be anti-imperialist and anti-feudal." After Cheng Yeran finished speaking, Shen Yuntang covered his mouth.
"What nonsense are you talking about? If someone hears it, our whole family will lose our heads. Aren't we talking about the problem of girls and boys in the village who can't go to school? Don't digress." Shen Yuntang was terrified after hearing what he said just now. How long have they been safe and sound, and he dared to say such things?
"Don't worry, I have my own way to solve it." Cheng Yeran took care of the matter himself, "Tomorrow I will call the village heads of several villages to the city for a meeting."
Cheng Yeran turned to look at Cheng Zhao, who was looking down, thinking about something, as if he had taken his words to heart. "What are you thinking about? Don't spread what I said just now. If it gets to the emperor's ears, I'm afraid all three of us will lose our heads."
Cheng Zhao raised his head: "Of course I won't tell anyone. I'm not a fool. I just want to know more about the world that Daddy came from. Can Daddy tell me more about the rules of your world?"
The last time Cheng Yeran showed Cheng Zhao a documentary, it was mostly about modern people's lifestyles, such as the food they eat, the clothes they wear, the means of transportation they use, the types of jobs they do, etc. The concept of equality for all is deeply rooted in everyone's heart, and he is used to it, but Cheng Zhao doesn't know it.
In the future, he will not only show him the daily life of modern people.
He told Cheng Zhao, “Next time you have a holiday, I’ll show you some documentaries and movies.”
Cheng Zhao nodded vigorously, sent his fathers away, and lay down on the bed to sleep, but he couldn't sleep. All he thought about was what kind of world his father's world was, how to change the world, and how his father would solve those difficulties.
…
The next day, Cheng Yeran asked someone to notify the village heads of several villages to come to the city for a meeting.
The village heads were very scared when they heard that Cheng Yeran called them to a meeting. Previously, Cheng Yeran called landlords from several villages to a meeting, and those landlords lost their land.
Although Mr. Cheng said that the landlords were willing to sell their land, they felt that they were not really willing to do so. A village chief had a good relationship with the landlord and asked him what happened during the meeting. The landlord said in horror that it was a good thing that he was smart and was the first to sell the land to Mr. Cheng, otherwise he would not be able to come back.
Later, the matter spread. However, what Lord Cheng did was good for the villagers. The villagers were the majority, and they took advantage of it, so they naturally praised Lord Cheng.
Now the village chief is going into town for a meeting, and it's their turn to be afraid.
They didn't know what Lord Cheng wanted them to do. They were not landlords and were not as rich as the landlords.
These village heads are clan elders in the village and manage village affairs. They will mediate disputes among villagers on weekdays, or punish anyone who breaks the village rules. Although they are just small village heads, they have the power over the life and death of the villagers. However, they punish villagers strictly according to the rules of the village rules and will not punish them without reason.
Before they left the village, Cheng Yeran asked them to take the village rules with them to the city. Several village heads gathered together and murmured, "Is Lord Cheng going to interfere with the village rules? These rules were set by our ancestors and have gone through several dynasties. The court has ignored them. Does Lord Cheng want to control us?"
"If he really manages it, would you dare to resist? Don't forget, our sugarcane will be sold to Mr. Cheng's sugar factory, and there are farms in several villages. Those lands also belong to Mr. Cheng. With a word from Mr. Cheng, the villagers will not be allowed to work there, and the school will not provide free meals. The adults and children in the village will all go hungry."
"Many people used to starve to death every year. Since Master Cheng came, no one has starved to death in the village anymore."
"Not only has no one starved to death, but now every household is living a good life and has surplus food. If Lord Cheng doesn't care about us, everyone in the village will die. What's the point of having those dead rules?"
"Everyone is dead now. The rules cannot be changed. This is set by our ancestors. We cannot let them down. If we let them down, what's the difference between that and death?"
There was a village chief who was particularly stubborn and kept saying that rules were more important than human lives. But when he arrived at the county government office and saw the constables and soldiers with swords, Cheng Yeran asked them to hand in the village rules, and he handed them in faster than anyone else.
Cheng Yeran asked them to sit down first and gave them some tea.
"That's quite a lot. Every village has one this thick." Cheng Yeran took a quick look at the village rules. "Leave these village rules here for now. I'm going to revise them. Don't worry. I'll only revise one part.
Whispering Wind
Remove the unreasonable parts and keep the reasonable ones. ”
Cheng Yeran looked at them after he finished speaking, "Do you have any objections? If you are worried, you can stay and live in the government office for a few days."
What he meant was that if they were worried, they could stay and help him revise the paper. However, it was so thick that it could not be finished in one day. It was estimated that they would need to stay for a few days to complete the revisions.
But they thought that if they didn't listen to Master Cheng, they would have to stay in jail for a few days. How could they bear this? They waved their hands and said, "Don't worry, Master. We are at ease with whatever you say."
Cheng Yeran didn't expect them to be so easy to talk to. "Since you trust me, I will definitely satisfy you. I called you here today because I have something else to discuss."
When the village heads heard that there was other things to say, they immediately straightened their backs and listened to Cheng Yeran.
Cheng Yeran said, "I have learned about the situation in your villages before. There are many elderly people with difficulties in life. I want you to set up a village committee and let the members of the village committee take care of the families in difficulty, such as helping these elderly people with work, delivering meals, sending gifts and talking to them on weekdays. If there are elderly people without children, they should be given extra care. Naturally, the government will pay for this, so you don't have to worry about it. The wages will also be based on the standards for employees in the government."
The village heads originally thought that Cheng Yeran wanted them to pay money or hand over something, but it turned out that Master Cheng was doing good deeds out of kindness. They were immediately moved and remembered that Master Cheng was a god. They immediately nodded and said, "We usually do the same. When we see someone in the village in trouble, we will all help."
"It's not just about giving a helping hand, it's about making sure farm workers can go to work without worries, and making sure that children, both boys and girls, can go to school."
Cheng Yeran asked them to go back and select people and get things done quickly. He also told several farm employees that those who have elderly people at home can get lunch in the cafeteria and then go home to eat with their elderly family members. They can also get their elderly people's portion of food to take back with them.
They were very happy at first, but when they heard that all the girls and boys in the family had to be sent to school, they became unhappy again. If they were all sent to school, who would do the housework at home? Who will do the laundry, cooking, and feeding the chickens and ducks?
Cheng Yeran could hear their dissatisfaction. "If you don't send your children to school, you can't work on the farm, and the boys in your family won't have the opportunity to study for free. Think about it yourself. I won't force anyone."
As soon as he said this, those people shut up and wished they could go home immediately to send their daughters to school to show their loyalty to Lord Cheng.
Among these villages, there is one village that has no farm. The villagers in their village all grow their own crops, but most of them still do not send their girls and boys to school.
They thought that their children would do farm work and housework at home first, and when they were in their teens and older, they would be sent to the city to work as seamstresses. They gave the opportunity to study to their sons, as there was no tuition fee in school and the food was good. The little girls at home did not need to enjoy these, lest they become greedy.
Cheng Yeran asked them to send their daughter and brother to school, otherwise their son would have to pay for his studies and meals. Cheng Yeran also raised the tuition fees to a level they could not afford, and he would no longer buy their sugarcane or sell them fertilizer.
After weighing the pros and cons, they naturally decided to send their children to school. However, some people deliberately hid their children, thinking that they would be fine after taking the children out after Mr. Cheng left.
However, the sons of those clever families were kicked out of the school the next day, no matter how much they cried and made a fuss. Later, the daughter and brother in the family were sent to school, and only then was their son able to go to school.
Before leaving, Cheng Yeran told several teachers in the school to maintain discipline during meals, eat by themselves, and not whisper to each other, let alone talk while eating.
At first, the teacher thought that Lord Cheng just wanted to teach the children the rule that they should not talk while eating. Later, the teacher discovered that some little boys would snatch their sisters' food.
He saw with his own eyes a little boy snatching his sister's eggs and said arrogantly: "If you don't give me some, I will go home and tell my mother to beat you."
The teacher took him out and spanked him, "You can't talk while eating. You don't know the rules. Don't have lunch tomorrow."
The child was so frightened that she cried for a long time. The next day, the teacher saw the little girl whose eggs were stolen had a bruised face and nose. She must have been beaten by her parents when she returned home.
The teacher then understood Cheng Yeran's good intentions. In the past, few people cared for the girls in the family. Unexpectedly, Lord Cheng actually noticed this. He was indeed a god from heaven who came down to earth to care for every mortal, no matter whether the mortal was a man, a woman, or a boy.
The teacher didn't want Cheng Yeran's good intentions to go to waste, so he took the initiative to find the child's parents and told them that if they beat the child again, he would ask them to take the girl's younger brother home and he wouldn't have to come to school. He also said that this was what Master Cheng said, and if they had any objections, they could go find Master Cheng.
The villagers were still very afraid of the officials, and after the child's parents heard this, they didn't dare to take action again.
Later, Cheng Zhao followed his parents to visit his third brother's home again and found that his third brother's sister could already write more than ten words. She told him what she had learned in school, and also said that the food in the school was delicious and she had grown taller.
His parents could go home to take care of his grandmother at noon every day, and the village chief sent someone to check on his grandmother every day, taking care of her much better than she, the child.
Cheng Zhao discovered that his father always said that the rules could not be changed, but he kept changing the rules. He admired his father more and more.
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