Chapter 125 Three years, three years, and three years again, finally…
The news that Guo Baiwen had passed the imperial examination and become a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examination) not only made Yangzheng Academy and Chengnan Bookstore famous, but also brought them great renown.
Moreover, because the Zhao family hired an opera troupe, many villages and towns that didn't know his name before now knew about this newly promoted scholar from Guojia Village.
Therefore, Grandma Guo made arrangements to definitely go back to the village.
When she passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, she wanted to make a big fuss about it, but she couldn't resist Guo Baiwen's personality.
So at that time, they simply held some banquets in the county town.
But now—this is a scholar who has passed the imperial examination!
So when the Guo family's donkey cart finally arrived at the foot of the mountain below Guo Family Village, the villagers, who had been waiting there in advance, immediately came to greet it.
This young man from the Guo family is a rare scholar, one of the few he's produced in their village in all these years!
Even just looking at someone up close might impart a touch of scholarly refinement to them.
Therefore, many people brought their own children along, hoping that Guo Baiwen would pat their heads.
Grandma Guo had expected a lot of people to come to the village, but she never imagined it would be like this. So while chatting with her relatives and neighbors, she didn't forget to take out the package from her backpack.
These were pastries she had bought in advance in the capital city. Since the New Year was approaching, it would be a good omen for "rising higher every year".
Many people had come just to see the new scholar's performance, but they didn't expect to be able to take something away. Their eyes lit up, and they crowded around to take it.
This did relieve Guo Baiwen from his predicament of being surrounded, clearing a path for him to move forward.
However, they couldn't just accept the gifts without giving anything back. So, on their way back to their old houses, many villagers who had taken the pastries also picked up their own New Year's goods, including freshly steamed cakes, dried cured meats, homemade wine, smoked dried fish and meat, and pickled vegetables.
Without even considering the packages, they prepared to stuff them all into Guo Baiwen's hands.
There are too many things, so naturally we can't take them all.
But no sooner had I refused than someone else brought me gifts and tried to shove them at me, and I was about to be stuck on my way home again.
The village chief of Guojia Village stepped forward and said, "Let the scholar go home first!"
Besides, with so many things, "it's rare for the scholar to come back to the village, and he might even have a feast tonight or tomorrow, so there's no rush!"
Hearing Village Chief Guo repeatedly address him as "Master of the Imperial Examination," Guo Baiwen felt somewhat embarrassed.
"Uncle, why don't you just call me Bawen?"
"That won't do!" The village chief waved his hand decisively, but then said, "How about we just call him Master Bawen?"
This name sounds even stranger.
Guo Baiwen pinched his earlobe, which was already bright red, and decided that it was best to keep his mouth shut.
Grandma Guo accepted the name well, turning her head happily and saying, "This is good, this name is much easier to remember."
Grandma, things have come to this point, please don't add fuel to the fire.
Guo Baiwen, feeling both amused and exasperated, followed the crowd into his old house. The house had been renovated a few years ago, and as their savings increased, the materials used in the originally crude house improved.
The original fence has been replaced with a whitewashed mud wall. Originally, they had planned to build a brick wall, but Grandma Guo felt that this would create a distance between her and her neighbors and relatives, so in the end, they compromised and opted for a mud wall.
The house looks the same as the one in the county town. Although the yard is not as big, it still has five neat main rooms connected to the surrounding kitchen and toilet.
In addition to compacting the original dirt road, the ground inside and outside the house was also paved with floor tiles inside the house, and two frequently used paths were built outside the house using the extra bluestone slabs.
This way, even during rainy seasons, you won't have to worry about your shoes and socks getting muddy.
The house is now well-equipped. In addition to the main hall and the rooms on the left and right sides for several people, a separate study has been specially reserved for Guo Baiwen.
The stone mill and vegetable shed in the backyard have also been carefully renovated, leaving room for people to pass through.
When Village Chief Guo escorted the person into the house, he didn't forget to tell Guo Baiwen to go to the ancestral hall with Grandma Guo later to discuss some matters.
It's getting late, so the opening of the ancestral hall will have to be postponed until tomorrow morning.
At that time, it would be best for Guo Baiwen to put on the official robes of a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations, and the villagers would also prepare the sacrificial offerings in advance.
However, how to arrange the celebratory banquet afterwards—whether it's a clan banquet or a village banquet, or both—needs to be carefully planned out, including the number of banquets and their locations.
Now that Guo Baiwen has become a Juren (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), the village will inevitably have to erect a monument to him.
Grandma Guo originally knew there would be many things to do, but after listening to what Village Chief Guo said, she realized that there were actually many things to do.
My original intention to take a proper rest was suddenly ignited as if I had been injected with adrenaline.
"Alright, alright, I've got it all in mind. I'll need your help these next few days, Song-ge'er!"
Village chief Guo Song nodded repeatedly, "Don't worry, Aunt Maiya, I've explained everything to you clearly."
"That's good, that's good."
The old house had been renovated and rebuilt. Since I don't often go back to the village to live, but I didn't want the house to be empty, I secretly asked someone to take care of it for a period of time a couple of years ago.
Grandma Guo had originally rolled up her sleeves, ready to do a thorough cleaning.
Guo Baiwen and Chen Baoyue stopped them and volunteered to take on the cleaning work, so Grandma Guo had no choice but to drag Guo Songwan into the kitchen with her.
We had just arrived in the village and many things were still unpacked, so we planned to have a simple meal for dinner.
Before coming to the village, Guo Songwan had already prepared the meat filling for the wontons at home, and also brought dried goods such as mushrooms and wood ear fungus. After picking a few vegetables from the vegetable garden behind the village, she could start preparing to make wontons.
If there's extra meat filling, you can make a few more buns to eat tomorrow morning.
Anyway, the weather is getting cooler now, so I'm not worried about this stuff going bad overnight.
After Guo Baiwen and Chen Baoyue finished their work, Maiduo was already holding a bowl of freshly cooked wontons, calling out, "Dad, Mom, time to eat!"
Inside the not-so-large main room of the old house, a brazier of charcoal was lit, and everyone gathered together in a lively atmosphere. With the heat from the charcoal fire and the food, they enjoyed a hearty meal of wontons.
Since everyone present was family, Guo Baiwen ate two bowls of food before remembering what he had been pondering for the past few days, "Grandma—"
Grandma Guo thought he hadn't eaten enough, so she made a move to take the bowl and serve him more, but Guo Baiwen stopped her.
"After this year, I plan to discuss with Village Chief Guo in the spring whether we should join forces with several surrounding villages to build a village private school."
"A private school?"
Upon hearing this, not only Grandma Guo, but also Guo Songwan and Chen Baoyue, who were sitting around, turned their heads.
Ordinary successful candidates in the imperial examinations, if their families were well-off, would donate money to repair ancestral halls or help acquire clan land. Those with more substantial families would only contribute to building bridges and paving roads within the village.
This was the first time I'd heard of Guo Baiwen's plan to build a private school.
However, before returning to the village, Grandma Guo had already discussed the road paving with the village chief. Although there was a road down the mountain from Guojia Village, it was often inadequate when heavy snow blocked the mountain or when there was a storm.
Village Chief Guo was also happy to help take the lead in repairing the road. Once the road was repaired, it would benefit everyone in Guojia Village. Later, a "Scholarly Stele" could be erected at the village entrance, inscribed with Guo Baiwen's name and the year of his provincial examination, so that it could be passed down to future generations.
Other villages would be envious, after all, this is a village that has produced a scholar who passed the imperial examination!
Just because I hadn't thought of it before doesn't mean it's impossible.
Grandma Guo thought about it for a while, recalling what she had heard from the families who sent their children to school in Xiuning County. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that opening a village private school might be feasible.
Not every family can be like them, where they can simply send their children to school in the county town.
Once the road in front of Guojia Village is repaired, life in Guojia Village will be much better than before.
In recent years, quite a few villagers have gone to embroidery workshops to learn the craft, and their finances have gradually become a little more relaxed. If they can start their studies not far from home, even if they don't end up taking the imperial examinations, just like the students at Yangzheng Academy back then, being able to read and write and become a manager or accountant would be good.
After listening to just a few sentences, Grandma Guo thought about it more and more and felt that this was feasible.
The village private school can be set up at the original ancient bridge market area, which will make it more convenient for children from surrounding villages to come and attend school.
As for the houses that will be renovated, considering that there may not be many people coming at the beginning, we will simply renovate a few main rooms in the style of ordinary village houses so that people can study in them.
As for tables, chairs, bookshelves, and the like, Hu the carpenter's workshop is thriving these days, so he can probably help take on this order.
Grandma Guo thought about it more and more and felt that it was feasible. After discussing some details with Guo Baiwen, everyone nodded in agreement.
There may not be that many children willing to go to school in Guojia Village, but if we include the children from the surrounding villages, there might be many students in the future.
By then, the teachers in charge of initiating education in private schools might also find a job.
However, this is not just a matter for Guojia Village. If they want to unite with other surrounding villages, then Village Chief Guo Song will need to inquire with those other villages as well.
I happen to have made an appointment with Village Chief Guo Song to go to the ancestral hall tomorrow.
I reckon the village elders will be there too, as they've been in Guojia Village recently. We can then discuss the feasibility of establishing a village private school.
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Author's Note: Countdown to the end! [hugs]
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