Chapter 540: Building the Academy (Part 3) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
There was no need to be in such a predicament.
However, Shen Tang wielded his butcher's knife in Longwu County, directly resulting in the deaths of eight or nine out of ten local gentry, with heads rolling everywhere. The remaining one or two tenths were relatively well-behaved, and their faults were not enough to warrant their execution. Shen Tang was not a particularly evil person, so naturally he did not deliberately target them.
She prided herself on being kind, but to outsiders—especially those who associated with these wealthy landowners, such as classmates and in-laws—she was seen as a reincarnated killing machine! She packed her bags and fled overnight, fearing that if she was a step too late, her head would roll.
It is known that these days, you need family wealth to go to school.
Within Longwu County, those who are learned and capable of serving as teachers cannot bypass this small circle that she has offended to the point of no return.
Even with Shen Tang's painful offer of high salaries and benefits, a few well-known individuals who hadn't absconded refused to come.
Of course, Shen Tang doesn't necessarily need them.
Who knows what kind of people these are?
If she mixes in her own ideas during the teaching process and fundamentally misleads the young fishermen in her pond, where can Shen Tang go to seek justice?
After much thought—
Let's recommend it through internal referrals.
Birds of a feather flock together.
However, his long-time employees were all living their own lives and doing as they pleased, and Shen Tang dared not mess with their social circles, for fear of attracting another "god-like" figure. A while ago, Qi Shan said he would send out mass messages to invite friends to join, but there's still no news…
In Shen Tang's eyes, this was truly good news.
So, she set her sights on Ning Yan.
To be precise, it's Ning Yan and Yan An's circle of friends.
This couple sounds reliable!
He was making a series of calculations in his mind.
“A good recommendation?” Ning Yan didn’t hear the soft clinking of the abacus beads and began to worry. “That’s rather difficult, and besides—it’s not very suitable. Our lord is open-minded and generous, but the world is conservative and may not be happy for male teachers to instruct female students.”
Shen Tang curled her lip: "Nonsense!"
Ning Yan smiled bitterly to herself: "These students come from ordinary families, and I'm afraid they don't have the same magnanimity as our lord."
Otherwise, she wouldn't have faced so many setbacks in her studies back then, ultimately having to seek help from her future father-in-law. Even more fortunately, he was open-minded and didn't mind the academy having multiple female students.
Shen Tang was distressed upon hearing this.
These concerns had been discussed before Ning Yan arrived.
In Shen Tang's view, a teacher is a teacher, an angel who educates and nurtures people. This profession is not gender-specific, but that doesn't mean that the current world thinks this way, and one cannot silence public opinion.
She doesn't care, but what about the students?
This pressure from public opinion should not be placed on their shoulders.
Ning Yan had a compromise. She said gently, "Our former classmates have all gone their separate ways. A few of them who are still unemployed may not be willing to come to this remote place to be teachers, given their backgrounds and temperaments."
Not to mention that the students are all girls.
Moreover, Shen Tang's foundation is still too shallow.
It's not yet to the point where scholars and celebrities would willingly flock to him and be at his beck and call. But Ning Yan believes that with Shen Tang's character, talent, and potential, it's only a matter of time before he becomes famous throughout the land.
Shen Tang pouted, looking aggrieved.
These were also things that Qi Shan and a few others had said.
Ning Yan changed the subject.
"Forcing this would not be ideal. In my opinion, it would be difficult to invite ordinary teachers, but inviting a few female teachers would be more feasible."
"Female teacher?"
“Noble families often hire female tutors to teach the women of their clans about virtue, speech, appearance, and work,” Ning Yan explained.
Shen Tang frowned, not quite understanding: "But I'm not running a new bride training class, why would I teach students these things?"
Ning Yan: "It's not about teaching these things. In fact, most of the female teachers are from good backgrounds and have a certain level of knowledge and cultivation. It's just that for various reasons, such as the loss of a husband or the decline of their family, the women are invited to teach the daughters of wealthy families in order to make a living."
She and Xingning arranged their daughter Nannan's early education themselves, without hiring a female tutor, but they did know about it.
Ning Yan smiled with relief: "To be honest, if I didn't have the opportunity to enter officialdom properly, I would have liked to find a job as a female tutor. Although there are many rules in high-ranking families, the work is less and more leisurely."
There are only one or two students, the salary and benefits are good, the work environment is stable, there's no need to worry about losing your job for no reason, and the students' parents respect you. If the students you teach become famous in the circle and are hailed as role models for young women, the female teacher who taught her will be highly sought after, with families vying to give their daughters a prestigious title.
Of course, this job may seem glamorous, but it's actually quite tough.
In these chaotic times, it's not easy for men to make a living, let alone women, who are even more vulnerable. The contempt and harshness they encounter are something only those who have experienced it can understand. Ning Yan said, "It's perfectly adequate to have them teach the students. We can also use their names to deceive everyone, putting the students' parents at ease and preventing outside speculation. Female teachers... also make it easier for them to come and go."
Shen Tang pondered this suggestion repeatedly.
It is indeed quite comprehensive.
"That's good, but how do we find them?"
The female teacher only operates within a small circle.
Find a good one; you'll need connections to get referrals.
None of Qi Shan and the others mentioned this, clearly indicating that being a female teacher wasn't a mainstream profession... Of course, it could also be because they were all single. Not having daughters at home meant they didn't need to worry about it.
As for Jiang Sheng, who has a daughter?
He handled everything himself; it wasn't up to outsiders to interfere.
Ning Yan said, "I've asked people to find a few before, and they all have good reputations. Some of my close friends from my youth are now teaching girls at other schools. If that's not enough, I'll ask Junior Brother Xu to help me find some. That shouldn't be difficult."
Shen Tang suddenly asked a question.
"Are they like you?"
Ning Yan was taken aback at first, then gave a wry smile and said, "My lord searched the entire Longwu County and only found seventy-two people. It is clear that those with talent are one in a thousand..."
Shen Tang was slightly disappointed, but she felt much better after resolving a troublesome matter: "Then I'll have to trouble Tu Nanduo to take care of this matter."
This was Ning Yan's first task upon taking office.
Ning Yan replied, "Yes."
While instructing Ning Yan to find reliable female teachers, Shen Tang also put the construction of the school on the agenda. With the addition of martial arts experts, the efficiency of construction was not a concern; the only thing to worry about was the appearance of the buildings. Shen Tang was very careless and perfunctory in his own office, but he was extremely meticulous about the school where his students studied... His hands, which had not held a paintbrush for a long time, were already itching to get back to work.
Qi Shan was the one who knew Shen Tang's painting skills best.
The moment she was tempted, she offered to take on the job.
Shen Tang: "But I..."
Qi Shan gave a forced smile: "My lord works hard day and night. Let me handle these trivial matters."
Shen Tang: "???"
Something doesn't quite click with what I'm saying.
She works tirelessly day and night, while Qi Shan just slacks off all day?
Aren't we all facing the same massive workload?
Little did they know, Qi Shan was doing this for everyone's sake, especially for Gong Shuwu and the others who were in charge of supervising the construction of the school. Reworking the school was far more troublesome than building a new one. The government office had already been ruined by the lord, so let's give the school a break this time.
"oh."
Losing the stage to showcase his talents, Shen Tang felt dejected.
With the student enrollment problem solved, half the teacher shortage issue resolved, and the school location settled, all that remained was to begin construction. Shen Tang was also extremely frugal with the building materials. Her plan was to use resources from Peter to pay Paul, reusing materials from the properties left by wealthy landowners, such as timber, to ensure a spacious and bright school for the students!
No matter how poor we are, we can't skimp on education; no matter how hard life is, we can't let our children suffer! She's already gritted her teeth to "pay off" Xun Zhen's loan, how could she let the fish fry in her own pond suffer? Swipe your card, she's paying for everything today!
ヾ(ω`)o
Happy National Day everyone! Did you go out today?
Shiitake mushrooms chose to stay home and relax, not wanting to go out and see crowds...
P.S.: Requesting monthly votes! I lost last month's ranking again, sigh, and I lost the season ranking too. Some people's actions are truly amazing, like casting a golden arrow on themselves at 11:59, 666.
Is it really that hard for someone as lazy as me to just get a five-star rating and get close to the Empress?
The only good news is that you can participate in the monthly ticket lottery 11 times this month, so it can't be a guaranteed draw every time, right?
P.S.: The monthly pass event post has been approved! Everyone hurry up and participate!
(End of this chapter)
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