Chang Zihan, Yu Hui, and Zhai Minglan are eight, six, and five years old respectively, but Chang Zihan is a generation older.
Chang Zihan was beautiful, and she was well-cared for in the palace.
Yu Hui was clearly pampered in the village.
Zhai Minglan exudes a clever and quick-witted air.
Jing Wei smiled and said, "My mother-in-law said she looks a bit like my maternal grandmother."
Zhai Minglan exclaimed, "Of course I look like my maternal grandmother! My great-aunt said I also look like my aunt."
Madam Ji looked at you and said, "You two do look somewhat alike. But the Second Miss is more down-to-earth than you."
Zhai Minglan quickly pretended to be well-behaved and told her aunt, "I can recite the Three Character Classic and the Hundred Family Surnames! And my handwriting is the best!"
Jing Wei said, "Is it because your sister can't recite it, or because her handwriting isn't as good as yours?"
Zhai Minglan made a funny face, without directly saying that she was a year younger than her sister.
Yu Hui felt that she was not as smart as her aunt.
Jing Weicai then spoke to the Empress Dowager, saying, "Isn't there a lot of people in the village? And a lot of them need to be literate. I was thinking of carving the Three Character Classic and the Hundred Family Surnames and hanging them on the pillars like couplets. Although there are many people in the village, couplets aren't very attractive, and the Three Character Classic is more practical. Carving these won't cost much either."
Huan Yue nodded.
Jing Wei laughed and said, "Kids are good at comparing. How many words did you learn today? I don't know them yet, so I can't let people say I'm stupid. I run to the middle to look. When others say, 'You still don't know them?' I stubbornly say I'm learning the ones at the back. Anyway, adults learn words quickly. I'm afraid they won't understand and will be embarrassed to ask, so I let those who know, adults and children alike, go and read them aloud every now and then, saying it's for outsiders to hear, since there are more people coming."
Huan Yue was in a good mood.
With more people, it will definitely be more lively than with just Yan Boxuan, Balang, and Jiulang.
That among kids, that's called youth.
The atmosphere of Baishi Village is a rare memory.
Jing Wei said, "Although there was some messing around, the atmosphere was good. The old man came up with another idea: to have a test once a month, with adults divided into male and female groups, and children divided into male and female groups, to see who could recite well and write well. They would then reward people with books and flowers. As long as they said it was a gift from the Empress, everyone would be very enthusiastic."
Di Baose asked Yu Hui, "How many times have you received rewards?"
Yu Hui said, "After I took it twice, some people said I was not as good as my aunt."
Jing Wei remained unfazed: "There are always a few people who are foul-mouthed. If there aren't any in Baishi Village, then people from the neighboring villages will come to Baishi Village to show off their cleverness. They talk about how Zihan is doing in the palace, and some even try to persuade their granddaughters to enter the palace in the future. My mother-in-law chased away all the young ladies and those with maids! There are also some very clever people who figured out what kind of village girls they wanted."
Huan Yue asked, "What kind?"
Jing Wei laughed, "Silly girl. Even if the Empress was born in Baishi Village, she's never spent a single day there. And Chang Ziyu isn't a village girl either. What nonsense do they have!"
Yu Hui said, "There was a girl, who said she was some kind of lady, who wanted to become my confidante."
Zhai Minglan said smugly, "I threw her handkerchief into the water."
Huan Yue asked curiously, "And then?"
Zhai Minglan snorted: "She insulted me!"
Yu Hui said, "Minglan pulled several of the Chang family sisters and pushed that young lady into the water."
Di Baose laughed: "They even dare to insult Madam Anle's grandniece in Baishi Village?"
Zhai Minglan said smugly, "Yes, you said she was stupid! She went back to her mother crying, and her mother had to kneel down and apologize to her aunt. In the end, her aunt still chased her away."
Huan Yue said, "You haven't encountered anyone who's particularly cunning in flattering you."
Zhai Minglan exclaimed, "What do you mean? That young lady is dressed better than us, and she's showing off!"
Huan Yue asked, "She doesn't actually believe that a real princess has descended to earth, does she?"
Zhai Minglan nodded, her aunt was so clever: "Then she pretended to want to be friends with me, and we pushed her into the water together, so her clothes wouldn't look good."
Shi Qingzhu is happy.
He provoked the adults in Baishi Village and failed.
The challenge against the children of White Stone Village is unlikely to be successful.
It's better for the Chang family's children to be clever, so they don't get sold off and end up paying for it.
Zhai Minglan said, "Who is she trying to embarrass? What don't we have? My mother said that if it weren't for the fact that wearing such clothes in the village would be too wasteful, we wouldn't have bothered to save them for my sister's dowry."
Yu Hui said in a serious tone: "A village girl should act like a village girl and not be extravagant or wasteful."
Zhai Minglan complained to her aunt: "There are some mean-spirited people who insist that we're just putting on a show by wearing new clothes for the New Year. Pshaw! My ordinary clothes are all very nice, and they're just jealous because they can't compare."
Jing Wei nodded: "Don't pay attention to those who have no skills. If they're so capable, let them make a good life for themselves first."
Zhai Minglan nodded, "Wearing new clothes? I don't care!"
Of course, delicious food is nothing special!
A palace maid brought over some snacks.
Zhai Minglan's eyes are incredibly sharp!
Huan Yue was in a good mood.
Before Jing Wei and the Empress could finish speaking, Jing Wei said, "Later I thought, why not have someone carve some steles and place them in various places on the mountain, like the Great Learning and the Analects? Wouldn't that be nice?"
Zhai Minglan Xiuer: "The saying goes that to govern a country, one must first regulate one's family. There is no one who can teach others if he cannot teach his own family. Therefore, a virtuous person can educate the country without leaving his home."
Huan Yue nodded; this little girl was indeed formidable.
Jing Wei laughed and said, "Some children are running around on the mountain, trying to memorize the words and then showing them off. Whether they understand them or not, they have to learn them first. Even if it's just a passing fad, it doesn't cost much money, and it doesn't get in the way on the mountain, plus it's something to watch."
Huan Yue nodded, "Well done!"
Jing Wei didn't expect the results to be better than she had anticipated.
Huan Yue laughed and said, "I'll give you a thousand taels of silver. You can pick out some more laws of the Great Zhao Dynasty, have them engraved, and put them in a suitable place."
Jing Wei officially accepted the order.
The female official said, "It is very important to teach the laws of the Great Zhao Dynasty. The court is the core."
They wouldn't casually declare themselves emperor.
Huan Yue said, "It would be good to popularize the Three Character Classic and the Hundred Family Surnames among ordinary villagers. Giving them a book is not only unattractive but also difficult to store. It's better to put a few stone tablets there, so they won't be afraid of the sun or rain."
Jing Wei said, "There are ancestral halls everywhere, so carving wood is the most convenient way to do it. Once it's carved, it can be hung there."
Huan Yue said, "It's not good to be near the ancestral hall. We can find a place outside the ancestral hall."
The conditions are definitely not as good as Baishi Village.
There is a very magnificent lobby there.
Although the surrounding pillars are decorated with the Three Character Classic, it's fine for children to learn it while playing.
Learning through entertainment.
Jing Wei smiled and said, "I'll try it again when I get back."
Even if other villages can't compare to Baishi Village, by trying different approaches, we should be able to find a more suitable path.
It started with teaching ordinary people basic literacy.
Actually, many children have time to play.
If the time spent playing with toys were used to learn some characters, some of them would eventually go further in life.
With a larger base, it will gradually increase.
Di Baose watched, realizing that the Empress was about to cause trouble again.
The palace maid brought over little Chang Xiaozhong.
He reached out his arms, wanting his aunt to hold him!
Huan Yue pulled him over, and now he's being affectionate with his cousin again?
Jing Wei brought her son back, saying, "This clumsy boy shouldn't drag the imperial grandson down with him."
Little Chang Xiaozhong was looking at his mother, but his cousin had asked him to play with her.
You're overthinking it. We'll play later.
Seeing the Empress's large belly, which could give birth at any moment, Jing Wei decided it was best for the villager from Baishi Village to stay away.
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