"Master He, you don't have to be polite. There is no shortage of money in life. You and your mother will have money to buy whatever you want in the future." said the old man.
"Yes, Master He, just accept it. The children will need your attention in the future." Xu Laosan also advised.
He Jie said, "Thank you very much, old man, but five taels is a bit too much. Two taels of silver is enough for my mother and me to spend for a month and to pay for writing materials."
The old man said, "My family pays for the pens, ink, paper, and inkstone for the school. Master He, don't worry about it. If you say five taels of silver, it's five taels of silver. The school in town also charges five taels of silver. I believe Master He is no worse than other masters."
The village chief then said to the children gathered around: "Come here quickly and say hello to your teacher."
The children also came forward, both boys and girls. Some timid children kept pulling their mother's sleeves and dared not come forward, which made the adults around them very anxious. They had to make a good impression on the teacher, so they immediately pulled the whole family of children to the front and put them together with the other children.
"Hello, Master."
The children greeted in unison, looking at the teacher with curiosity.
He Jie was a little surprised to see that there were both men and women, and the old man immediately explained it to He Jie.
After hearing this, He Jie suddenly understood and said with some admiration: "Old man, you are an open-minded person. I really admire you."
The old man was also very proud in his heart. Being admired by a scholar with a good reputation was not something that anyone could do. He said, "It's all for the good of the children. In our village, boys and girls are equally loved by their families."
He Jie's first impression of the village was immediately different. He could see from the faces of the villagers that they were sincerely willing to let their girls learn to read and write. This village was indeed different. He liked it very much. He also did not think that girls were necessarily inferior to boys. He once met a lady whose knowledge made him feel inferior.
The old man introduced: "This is the village chief of our Xujia Village. If you have any questions, you can also look for him."
He Jie bowed and said, "Hello, Village Chief Xu. I'll trouble you to take care of me from now on."
The village chief immediately smiled and said, "Master He, you are too polite. It's my duty, it's my duty."
Many villagers were not aware of Master He's past. Although they were curious about why he looked to be in his twenties but had not married, since it was his private matter, they could only wonder in their hearts but could not ask rashly.
The old man said, "Master He and Madam He, please come to my house for lunch, along with the two shopkeepers. We can have a nice drink at noon."
"Okay, it's been a long time since I last drank with you, so I'll be honored to refuse." Shopkeeper Tong said.
"By the way, we also prepared some gifts and almost forgot to take them out." said Shopkeeper Tong.
Then he ordered the driver to bring out a large stack of fine rice paper, as well as dozens of pens, inkstones, and brushes from the carriage.
Shopkeeper Hong said, "Of course I didn't come here empty-handed. I also bought some books that might be useful to the children."
The waiter took out two bundles of books half a person's height from the carriage. They were all enlightenment books for children who had just started school.
The old man said, "I told the boss and the others to go to Mobaoxuan in town to buy these this afternoon! I didn't expect you to send them here! Then I will accept them, and thank you both for your kindness."
When the village chief saw these things, his eyes lit up and he quickly called a few villagers to move these things into the school.
Several men who were moving things carefully brought the pens, inks, papers, inkstones and books, which they considered extremely precious, into the school. In their eyes, these were precious things that they had never touched before. They had only seen students in the town holding books and reading with their heads shaking. They never thought that one day their own children would have such an opportunity.
The old man said, "Let's go home and sit down and talk."
The old man went with He Jie and his mother, two shopkeepers, and the village chief.
The remaining villagers also dispersed, and as they walked, they gave their children some instructions, asking them to study hard and listen to the teacher.
The old man brought the person home. Wang asked Jin Po and Yin Po to prepare a few more delicious dishes for lunch, and Mei Niang also went to the kitchen to help.
The old man introduced everyone in his family to He Jie and his mother.
He's mother is a few years younger than Wang, but she looks much older and thinner than Wang.
Wang stepped forward and took He's mother's hand, saying warmly, "Sister, please stay here peacefully from now on. If you need anything, just tell us. Don't be so reserved."
"Thank you, old lady. My mother and I already owe you a lot. We don't have the nerve to trouble you." said He's mother.
"Don't call me old lady, just call me old sister! Also, there's nothing to be embarrassed about. If you have any problems in the future, just come to the Xu family to find me! We are all neighbors from now on, and we should help each other." Wang said.
"Oh! Thank you so much, elder sister." After saying this, He's mother's eyes became a little sore.
"Master He's illness has been cured now. You don't have to worry, sister. Just enjoy your life from now on!" said Wang.
"Well, now that Jie'er's illness is cured, I have nothing else to ask for. But Jie'er is still alone. A child of his age should be several years old!" He's mother sighed.
"With Mr. He's knowledge and looks, you won't have to worry about the future. It's just that our destiny hasn't arrived yet, so you should relax and not worry." Wang said.
"In fact, after my son Jie passed the imperial examination, many matchmakers came to propose marriage to him, but Jie refused them all on the grounds that he wanted to concentrate on his studies. I also thought that Jie was still young at the time, so I didn't try to persuade them. Later, something unfortunate happened in my family and Jie suffered from a cough. Who would be willing to marry their daughter to me to suffer? Now I think it's a good thing that I didn't harm those girls at the time." said He's mother.
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