Chapter 30 Grandpa, how about I build a school?
Gu Yuhe, Gu Zhigeng and Gu Bailu looked at each other in surprise.
Seeing that Gu Yuhe hadn't said anything for a long time, Gu Zhigeng thought he had really forgotten, so he quietly reminded him: "Little brother, the first sentence is "When a person is born..."
"I remember!" Gu Yuhe jumped up and said, "Listen carefully. I'll read a sentence and you follow me."
"Okay!"
Seeing this, Gu Jiayue nodded with satisfaction.
He thought to himself that the children of the Gu family were all quite smart. If they were carefully trained, perhaps one of them could become a top scholar.
Just as he was daydreaming, he saw a dark shadow blocking his way.
"Second brother, what are you doing?" Gu Jiayue asked.
Gu Yuchuan was only eighteen years old, a man of integrity in ancient times. Many people his age would have already started families and had children. But he became stupid and foolish due to an accident.
The world is unpredictable, which makes people sigh.
"When a man is born, his nature is good. Natures are similar, but habits make them different. If not taught, nature will change. The way of teaching is to be focused. In the past, Mencius' mother chose neighbors carefully. When her son refused to learn,... " Gu Yuchuan recited to himself, not realizing that everyone in the Gu family was so shocked that they were speechless.
Gu Huangtai, who was weaving a basket on the bed, was so excited when he heard the sound that he didn't even have time to pick up the crutches by the wall. He climbed out directly with his hands.
How could he not be thrilled? Back then, when his son Chuan'er had just entered school, his teacher had praised him as a natural born scholar with a promising future. The whole family was filled with joy, anticipating his son's success in the imperial examinations, bringing honor to the family. But who could have imagined that disaster would strike so suddenly, and that Chuan'er would suffer such a horrific loss, becoming what he is today?
Gu Yuchuan recited one-third of the Three Character Classic in one breath. Seeing that Gu Jiayue didn't give him any candy, he anxiously reached out and grabbed her sleeve, shaking it: "I've finished reciting, I want candy!"
Didn't you say you'd give me candy if I could memorize the text? Why didn't my sister give me any?
Gu Jiayue couldn't believe her ears. Was this really memorized by her silly second brother?
If I think about it carefully, she only taught me four sentences this afternoon. The content is not much. If I listen to it repeatedly, it is possible to remember it.
But how did he know the things that she didn't teach him?
Suddenly, Gu Jiayue remembered that Li's mother had said that her second brother had attended school in his early years. However, after only a month, he was attacked by robbers, his head smashed, and he was thrown into a ditch, nearly losing his life. After much difficulty in rescuing him, he became an idiot and never went to school again.
My goodness, it's been ten years, and he still remembers it? If it weren't for this accident, my second brother might have passed the imperial examination and changed the Gu family's fortune!
Gu Jiayue was filled with emotion.
Seeing that Gu Jiayue had not given him any candy, Gu Yuchuan thought that he had not memorized enough. After a moment of thought, he continued to recite. This time he recited until "When teaching children, one must pay attention to the details. Explain the meaning in detail and read the sentences clearly..."
His throat was dry from reciting so much in one breath, but he still stubbornly wanted to continue. Gu Jiayue hurriedly stopped him. "Okay, okay, second brother, you recited really well. This is a reward for you. You must keep working hard tomorrow."
She thought to herself, this second brother is too honest. If he hadn't been stopped, he might have recited the "Three Character Classic" in one breath. Looking at the second brother who left with the candy in his hand, a pang of sadness came over Gu Jiayue's heart. "Were the bandits who hurt the second brother caught?"
Ten years ago, Gu Yuchuan fell into a ditch outside the village after school. At first, everyone thought that the child was playing and fell accidentally, but later they heard that he was attacked by a fleeing bandit.
"Alas." Gu Huangtai sighed heavily. "We reported it to the authorities, but nothing happened. We are just ordinary people. The government wouldn't take such a thing seriously. But later I heard that a passing general saw the rampant banditry and took advantage of it to wipe out the bandit's nest. I don't know if any of those bandits harmed your second brother."
Gu Jiayue felt helpless when she heard this.
From ancient times to the present, there have been many officials who have been idle in their positions. These people put their own interests above all else, turning a blind eye to the suffering of the people, and only caring about gaining fame and fortune, without caring about the well-being of the people.
Under this kind of atmosphere, some officials are regarded as rare "good officials" and praised by the people as "honest officials" as long as they do not exploit and oppress the people wantonly.
But this is clearly a great irony to the clarity and fairness that should exist in officialdom.
Officials are supposed to perform their duties conscientiously and benefit the people, but now they find it difficult to perform even the most basic duties, which is really heartbreaking.
How can this ill be eradicated and the current state of affairs in the officialdom be changed? This is undoubtedly a difficult question that needs to be addressed urgently. However, for Gu Jiayue right now, this prospect seems too far away. Perhaps one day, if her students can enter the officialdom and set an example, perhaps some change can be brought about. But right now, she doesn't even know if she will survive until the New Year. What's the point of dwelling on this?
"Dad, don't worry too much. Second brother isn't stupid, he just has the mindset of a three-year-old. If we teach him more, maybe he'll get better over time. Look, he still remembers what he learned ten years ago."
Gu Jiayue suspected that Gu Yuchuan's lack of improvement over the years might be due to his family's failure to properly guide and educate him. Everyone treated him like a fool, concerned only with keeping him well fed and clothed, but neglected to teach and care for him as a normal child. Over time, not only did he not improve, he might even experience intellectual regression.
"Well, I hope so. Don't think about these troubles, just continue to be busy." Gu Huangtai said.
In the courtyard, the sound of reading rang out again.
Seeing how outstanding his second brother was, Gu Yuhe secretly vowed in his heart that he must study hard. Even if he could not surpass Goudan, he would never be outdone by his second brother.
The look on his face as his second brother recited the text just now seemed to sparkle in his eyes. He didn't want to be outdone by his second brother. If he did, wouldn't he look stupid? The thought of the two Wang brothers laughing at him after they knew about it made him feel unacceptable. "Come on, let's continue studying!"
At this time, the adults of the Gu family returned from working in the fields. Seeing this scene in the yard, they couldn't help but lighten their footsteps and lower their voices.
My uncle accidentally stepped on a dead branch in the yard, making a "crackling" sound, and my grandmother immediately glared at him.
Grandma: "You are such a daredevil!"
Uncle: I feel wronged, but I dare not say it.
The three people under the eaves still discovered them.
"Grandpa, grandma." Gu Yuhe shouted happily.
He is the youngest child in the family, and his grandparents have always loved him very much.
Grandma quickly put down the hoe in her hand and caught Gu Yuhe, who was like a small cannonball. "Run slower. You knelt for so long yesterday. Do your legs still hurt?"
Even though grandma was particularly harsh in beating people yesterday, she still favors Gu Yuhe in her heart. After all, he is her grandson.
"It doesn't hurt, grandma. I read today and learned a lot of words. Can I recite them to you?"
"Good, good, good! My darling grandson is really promising!"
Gu Yuhe seemed to have endless energy. He stood under the eaves with his hands behind his back and began to recite "Three Character Classic".
After reciting the words, he still felt that it was not enough, so he ran to the temporary study table and took out the sand table with the words written on it. "Grandma, I can write now. This is what I wrote today. Isn't it amazing?"
Grandma carefully took the sandbox and smiled until her eyes narrowed into slits. "Oh, my eldest grandson is really great! It's amazing! You are the first one in our family who can read!"
Grandma couldn't read, and couldn't make out what was written on it, but she looked at it with great care, not daring to use force with her hands, and only gently pinched the edge of the sandbox with two fingers.
Yuhe was a little confused. "Grandma, you're wrong! My second sister is the first one in our family who can read! She taught me all this!"
Coincidentally, Gu Jiayue came out with some cold water made with fermented glutinous rice wine. Seeing everyone looking at her, she suddenly felt a little embarrassed.
This scene reminded her of her previous life when she was admitted to university and the villagers looked at her with curiosity.
"Yes, Jiayue is a good child." The usually taciturn grandfather rarely spoke up to praise.
"Of course, don't you see whose granddaughter she is?" Grandma Gu proudly took Gu Jiayue's hand and asked her to sit down under the eaves. "Jiayue, why did you suddenly want to teach Yuhe?"
Gu Jiayue sat down and handed the fermented glutinous rice wine to Grandma Gu. She said, "I thought Yuhe was old enough to go to school. In Kyoto, children his age would have been in school for two or three years. I can't let him waste his time any longer. I've been able to read and write since I was young, so I have some basic knowledge, so I thought I'd teach him first."
Grandma Gu took a sip of the fermented glutinous rice wine, savoring the sweet taste in her mouth. She smiled and said, "Well, who says it's not true? Look at the child of the village chief. He was sent to the county to study when he just turned five. Jiayue, when you are free at home in the future, teach Yuhe more. I don't expect him to be very successful. As long as he can recognize a few words and write a letter when he is away from home, that will be enough."
In Grandma Gu's mind, she felt that Gu Jiayue's talk of studying since childhood was just superficial. After all, women were different from men. They didn't need to take the imperial examinations, so being able to read and write was good enough. She didn't even dare to think about asking Gu Jiayue to train Gu Yuhe to become a scholar.
"Don't worry, grandma. Now that I have started teaching him, I will definitely teach him well. Maybe he can even become the top scorer in the imperial examination in the future." Gu Jiayue said.
"Haha, that's perfect! If that were the case, we wouldn't have to pay taxes and we'd still have enough to eat."
The eldest aunt also came over to joke. "By then, should mother be called old lady? And what about my third brother's wife? Should she be called Madam, or the top scholar's wife?"
Everyone was chatting with each other as they sat together on this moonlit night, imagining the wonderful life that Gu Yuhe would have if he really became the top scholar.
Seeing that the atmosphere was just right, Gu Jiayue mustered up her courage and looked at her grandfather tentatively. "Grandpa, what do you think if I set up a school and teach all the children in Taohua Village?"
These words were like a drop of water dropped into a hot oil pan, instantly causing a sensation in the Gu family.
"What? You want to open a school?"
"This is nonsense!"
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