Chapter 442: As Long as You Don’t Die, Study Until You Die
With coal for heating, this year's winter in Taohua Village is much better than in previous years.
In the school classroom, the coal in the brazier is burning all day long. The red flames make the room warm, and the children no longer have to be so cold that they can't hold their pens.
The villagers also built coal stoves in their homes to keep warm while cooking, and even the water tanks in the houses never froze again.
The only flaw was that Gu Jiayue repeatedly reminded people to "leave gaps when burning coal."
No matter how cold it is, every household has to leave a small opening in the window, so that the cold wind blows in through the gap, making people's backs cold.
However, compared to the days in previous years when we had to shiver in the cold even with thick cotton-padded jackets, this inconvenience is nothing.
The twelfth lunar month came in a blink of an eye, and the atmosphere in the school was tense yet full of anticipation.
After taking the last daily test today, most of the children will be able to go on holiday.
But this expectation does not include the forty-one children in the first class of the imperial examination.
Why 41? Because nine children couldn’t bear the high-intensity study in the imperial examination class and voluntarily withdrew.
Gu Jiayue had talked to them at the time, urging them to hold on, but the children's eyes were full of fatigue, and they shook their heads and said, "We are so tired, so tired!"
They would rather learn to identify herbs and acupoints with Doctor Lin Yi, or dig in the mud with Master Tang than study books until late at night.
Gu Jiayue knew that everyone had their own aspirations and couldn't force them to do what they wanted. So she asked them to return to their original basic classes or choose a craft they were interested in and learn from a master.
The children were very happy. Some learned carpentry, some learned weaving, and each of them was happy.
The remaining forty-one children all have good academic talent and are willing to work hard.
A while ago, hailstorms made the mountain roads slippery and difficult to navigate, and many villagers advised the children not to go to school. But they still got up early, wrapped in thick cotton-padded jackets, and waded through the snow to get to school on time. Not a single one of them was late.
Just after the exam, a round-faced child came up to Gu Yuhe, his eyes sparkling. "Gu Yuhe, after the exam, let's go to my house and roast some potatoes. My mom just took these potatoes out of the cellar yesterday. They're so delicious!"
Gu Yuhe raised his head and glanced at him, a hint of an ambiguous smile on his lips. "I advise you not to be too happy too soon, otherwise you will cry later."
The child's heart tightened, and he quickly asked, "Do you have any inside information? You are Master Gu's younger brother, so what you say must be true!"
In the imperial examination class, everyone knew that Gu Yuhe could occasionally "eavesdrop" on some information from Gu Jiayue, and the fidelity was extremely high.
But sometimes accidents happen.
For example, Gu Yuhe clearly heard that there would be a random recitation check today, but the teacher came in and asked him to prepare for the test.
Sometimes you would hear a Cuju class, but Master Du, who was teaching the classics, would come in with a book in his hand.
"What kind of gossip can I have?" Gu Yuhe spread his hands, deliberately keeping the secret, "I'm just reminding you not to be too happy too soon."
"Why?" the child became even more anxious. "Aren't we supposed to have a holiday after the exam this afternoon? I've already made an appointment with my friends from the class next door to play marbles after school!"
Ever since he entered the imperial examination class, he has been taking exams and doing exercises every day. He doesn't even have time to play with his good friends, and their relationships have become much more distant.
"I have some bad news for you..." Gu Yuhe had just started to speak when the child suddenly covered his ears and ran away, shouting, "I won't listen! I won't listen! You bastard!"
Gu Yuhe shrugged, looking indifferent.
It's his loss if he doesn't listen. When he finds out the truth, it won't be too late to cry.
Sun Hai, who was standing by, came over and patted Gu Yuhe on the shoulder. "He won't listen to me, so why don't you tell me? What other news do you have?"
Gu Yuhe glanced at him and said slowly, "This news is good news for you."
Sun Hai was stunned for a moment, and the other children who gathered around him also became curious.
What news could be good for Sun Hai but bad for others? Everyone was talking at once. "Hurry up and tell us, we promise not to cry!"
"Okay, since you guys want to hear it so badly, I'll tell you." Gu Yuhe cleared his throat and paused before speaking. "When I came out of my second sister's office just now, I saw the papers on her desk were piled almost to the roof!"
"What?!"
The children were instantly shocked and their eyes widened.
The papers are piled up almost to the roof?
How long will it take to finish this? It will take forever!
A child wearing a hat still held onto a glimmer of hope. "They shouldn't all be ours, right? Maybe there are some from other classes?"
"Yes, there are indeed two piles." Gu Yuhe nodded, his tone calm as if he was talking about a normal matter. "The pile that is almost reaching the ceiling is from our class; the other pile that has already reached the ceiling is from the second class of the Imperial Examination next door."
Everyone instantly became more depressed.
The students in the second class of the imperial examination are all old students who came from various places in the county. They are preparing for the scholar examination in April next year. Gu Jiayue's requirements for them are stricter than those for the first class.
Now even their papers are piled up to the ceiling, so the “almost reaching the ceiling” situation in my own class doesn’t seem so hard to accept.
Although Gu Jiayue usually advocates combining education with entertainment, he is also decisive at critical moments.
"As long as you don't die from learning, study until you die" is actually Gu Jiayue's teaching philosophy. However, this philosophy usually only appears during the sprint.
This is especially true for children who are going to take the imperial examinations.
"Where is justice?" A child couldn't help wailing and lay on the table, not wanting to get up.
"How can there be such an evil thing as a test paper in the world!" another child complained, and threw the pen in his hand on the table.
"We have done so many papers, can the teacher correct them all?" someone whispered, still holding on to a glimmer of hope.
What they don’t know is that Gu Jiayue is not an ordinary person.
Even though the system is not working properly, and I used to use the points I had to buy short dramas, I am still good at my job.
Especially when it comes to grading papers, it's like a modern scanner, fast and accurate. It can also correct mistakes, identify students' weaknesses, and develop targeted improvement plans.
So, children can write as much as they want, and we can revise as much as we want.
The children's wailing hadn't yet subsided when Gu Jiayue walked into the classroom and clapped her hands, signaling for silence. "Alright, everyone, take your seats. Our class and the second class next door will have their holiday extended until the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month. We won't be teaching any new material during this time. Your daily assignment will be to complete the papers I hand out. Once you finish one, you must hand it in for me to grade. No delays allowed."
The classroom suddenly fell silent. The children looked at each other, their faces full of grievance, but no one dared to refute.
There is no "Education Law" to protect them at this time.
In their hearts, Master Gu is knowledgeable and dignified, and whether they can continue to stay in the imperial examination class depends entirely on his words.
Moreover, they chose this path themselves, so they have to bear it no matter how hard or tiring it is. Complaining will only slow down their pace.
Someone secretly looked up and saw that Sun Hai and Gu Huangan, who were sitting in the front row, had already picked up the test papers and started writing with their heads down.
These two "study maniacs" seemed to never get tired. They wrote faster and faster, and the thick stack of papers in front of them was decreasing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Less than half an hour later, Gu Huangan raised his hand, holding a stack of papers covered with words. "Master, I'm done. Please review them!"
When Sun Hai saw Gu Huangan handed in the paper, he wrote even faster.
After a while, he also stood up and handed over the paper. "Master, I've finished it too. Please review it!"
"Okay, take a break after you finish, or go out for some fresh air." Gu Jiayue took the paper and said with a smile.
They are all grown-up children, so you can't push them too hard. You have to let them relax when it's time to do so.
But Sun Hai and Gu Huangan shook their heads, returned to their seats, picked up new papers and started working on them.
The other children watched this scene and tears almost flowed from their eyes.
Could you please not be so curly?
If it continues to roll, they really won’t be able to bear it!
When school was over in the afternoon, there were still a few children who had not finished their papers, and their faces were full of anxiety.
Gu Jiayue clapped her hands, her tone relaxed. "Well, our extended lessons are over for today. Thank you all for your hard work during this period!"
All the children immediately stood up and shouted in unison: "Thank you for your hard work, Master!"
The voice was full of respect.
Gu Jiayue waved her hand and announced with a smile, "We won't have evening study today! I'll give you five minutes to pack your personal belongings, and then you can all come to my house for a pig-killing dinner!"
"Wow!"
The children's eyes widened instantly, and they couldn't believe their ears.
Do I really not have to attend evening self-study?
They almost ignored the three words "pig-killing meal" and all their attention was focused on "not having to attend evening self-study classes".
God knows how shocked they were when they first heard that the school would have evening self-study classes.
The first time I walked into the lighted classroom, I thought I was hallucinating.
You know, in the past, there was no other light at night except candles.
Of course, after discovering coal, Gu Jiayue also thought about providing electricity to the school, but her ability was limited and she could not do it in a short period of time. She could only wait for Ye Yuntang to return from the battlefield before studying the issue of power generation together.
However, she bought some retro solar-powered charging lamps in the system mall, which she placed in the sun during the day and could be used at night.
Although it is not as bright as modern electric lights, it is much brighter than candles and has no smoky smell, making it perfect for evening self-study.
If you make a lampshade out of wax, the children won’t be able to tell what’s inside and will only think it’s brighter than a candle.
"Yes, there will be no evening self-study tonight." Gu Jiayue looked at the excited children and couldn't help but reflect in her heart.
Are we really pushing them too hard?
But there is no way. These children's innate foundation and acquired training are far inferior to those children of aristocratic families who have been taught by teachers since childhood. How can they catch up with others on the road to imperial examinations without taking some drastic measures?
"Wow! I'm free!" A child couldn't help but jump up, dancing with excitement on his face.
Seeing that Gu Jiayue was not unhappy, the other children also jumped up, and some even high-fived each other, venting all their fatigue from the past few days.
After they calmed down, Gu Jiayue smiled and reminded them. "Didn't you hear my last words? I said, after you pack up, come to my house for the pig-killing dinner! My mother had the New Year pig slaughtered early this morning, and she's waiting for you to go!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
