47. Chapter 47
"none"
As the weather grew warmer, Qi You returned to his busy life, studying, translating, and starting construction on the school.
In the spring, the Infantry Governor's Office sent a group of refugees here. Qi You didn't take over, letting Lin Yicheng and Xia Shiye handle the arrangements while he simply watched from the sidelines.
Fortunately, Lin Yicheng lived up to everyone's expectations and made the arrangements quite well this time. He mixed the refugees with the first batch of beggars sent to him, and let the old man take care of the old people.
At the same time, Lin Yicheng was also more cautious and chose veterans who were honest and loyal, ensuring that the old ones would not bully the new ones too much. Even if there were some minor frictions and disputes, they were quickly resolved.
One group continued to build the road, while another went to work on the school. The crops in the fields were growing well. The wheat ears were gradually filling up, and the rice seedlings were lush green, a scene full of activity and vitality.
Lin Yicheng sent his eldest daughter, Lin Xiuxiu, to study with Zhang Song and his friends. The girl was delicate and frail, usually staying indoors. She was shy when she first arrived and barely spoke a word a day.
It was even more troublesome when climbing the mountain. Lin Xiuxiu had just let go of her feet and was already exhausted and out of breath before she had climbed halfway. She sat on the ground and couldn't get up anymore.
There was no other way, so Lin Xiuxiu followed Xu Risheng and the others until they were surveying at the foot of the mountain.
At first, they were quite curious about their new companion. But when they learned that Lin Xiuxiu was the county magistrate's daughter, they subconsciously became much more polite.
This politeness created a sense of distance between them. Lin Xiuxiu saw them gathered together, chatting and laughing. Since she was introverted and their Latin knowledge was better than hers, she couldn't join in the conversation and became even more silent.
On this day, they were surveying the area where they were planning to build a bridge. The late spring sun shone on their bodies, and soon everyone was sweating.
Qi You was talking to Zhang Cheng when he heard a quarrel behind them, and then Lin Xiuxiu started crying.
Qi You turned around and saw He Ye’s face flushed. She glanced at him, then quickly lowered her head, twisting her clothes with her fingers without saying a word.
Zhang Song followed Qi You, not knowing what happened behind him, and his face was full of confusion.
Only Zhang Bai was close by. He was standing aside with a stern face, looking quite angry.
Qi You was stunned for a moment and asked, "What happened?"
Zhang Bai moved his mouth, glanced at Lin Xiu Xiu, then closed it and said nothing.
He Ye lowered her head even lower, not making a sound. Lin Xiu Xiu sniffled and whispered, "He Ye pushed me."
He Ye immediately became anxious and said, "I didn't push you. I asked you to move aside so I could go to the front. I told you once, but you didn't listen, so I pulled you."
Lin Xiuxiu's voice was a little louder now, and she said aggrievedly, "Why should I let you go? I also want to stand in front and learn."
He Ye was indignant and muttered quietly, "You can stand in front if you want. No one is stopping you. But there's still a lot of space in front of you. You deliberately stand so far away because you dislike Zhang Bai's dirt and stench. Since you are a rich lady, why do you have to come out and suffer this?"
Lin Xiu Xiu's eyes widened as she looked at He Ye in disbelief. Her expression changed and she was so angry that she just said, "I didn't do that." Then she turned around, turned her back to them, and started crying sadly.
Zhang Song was older. He glanced at Qi You, then hurried over and pulled Lin Xiu Xiu aside to comfort her.
Qi You turned his head and ignored them.
It’s not that he doesn’t care, it’s that he really has no experience in dealing with young girls and doesn’t know how to do it.
During the lunch break, Qi You discovered that Lin Xiu Xiu was smiling again and even shared a piece of dessert with He Ye.
Zhang Bai went out and picked a few bunches of locust flowers and gave one to Lin Xiuxiu. He Ye picked a locust flower and smiled as she taught her how to savor its sweetness.
Qi You saw this and curiously called Zhang Song over and asked, "Are they reconciled again?"
Zhang Song smiled and said, "Don't worry, Master Qi, they've reconciled a long time ago. Actually, it's okay. They just had some misunderstandings, and everything will be fine after they talk it out."
Qi You smiled and said, "Thank you for your hard work in mediating."
Zhang Song quickly said something polite and explained carefully, "Miss Lin said that she had learned the 'Rules for Women' at home, which states that men and women should not touch each other. She didn't mind my brother being dirty, but was embarrassed to get too close. He Ye also apologized, saying that she thought Miss Lin was a rich lady and looked down on us. He Ye said that since she had wronged Miss Lin, she could learn Latin from her if she didn't understand it in the future. If Miss Lin's parents allow it, we can go to her house to study together after we return."
Qi You laughed and said thoughtfully: "So that's what happened. Now that we've talked about it, it's good."
This incident made Qi You think deeply.
He thought about when he was studying in the palace. If he encountered such a thing, generally speaking, the teacher would first give both parties ten strokes of the cane, and then ask the reason for the matter.
These ten boards may seem fair, but in fact both sides are full of grievances. Not only does the penalty fail to solve the problem, but it deepens the resentment between them.
Judging from the minor friction between them, regardless of the difference in their status, it must be the fault of the older one, and the older one should give way to the younger one.
In the world of children, except for people like Julu, there is not so much right and wrong.
If adults intervene forcefully, they are imposing their own ideas on them, turning them into another breed of stereotyped scholars, devoid of creativity and self-awareness, like the same, essentially identical clay figures fired in a kiln.
Qi You thought to himself that apart from the major issues of right and wrong, the teacher could not stifle their nature.
As a result, there is one more requirement for selecting teachers: the teacher must be open-minded and give students full autonomy.
Teaching and educating people is not like a gardener pruning branches to create exactly the same scenery, but letting them grow into their own appearance.
Qi You thought about it and became even more worried. There was no one to be the headmaster yet, and there was another difficulty in choosing a teacher.
As the school gradually took shape, teachers from all over the country arrived in Shunyi one after another.
Qi You did not go out that day. He was designing written test questions for the recruitment of teachers in the house. Lin Yicheng came running in the scorching sun.
Seeing that his face was covered in sweat but full of uncontrollable joy, Qi You couldn't help but ask with a smile, "What's the good news?"
Lin Yicheng wiped his sweat casually, drank a sip of cold tea, and said, "Seventh Master, have you seen that Shunyi County is now crowded with people, it is really lively!"
Thinking of the palm-sized Shunyi County, Qi You couldn't help laughing and said, "I didn't see the county town bustling, but I saw your face was very bustling. What, bustling is not good?"
Lin Yicheng's smile widened as he said happily, "I've been in Shunyi for a few years and have never seen such a bustling scene. Old Xia is the same. He's busy arranging accommodations for the out-of-town guests who have nowhere to stay. Alas, Shunyi only has one shabby inn, and the few guest rooms and bunk beds are all occupied. Even the tables in the lobby have been pushed together to give guests a place to lie down at night, but some still have nowhere to stay. We had no choice but Old Xia personally went to borrow the homes of the locals, giving them money so that they could vacate a few rooms to accommodate the guests."
Qi You raised his eyebrows slightly, smiled and said nothing.
Lin Yicheng was embarrassed for a moment and said sheepishly, "It's all my fault. Master Qi had warned me before that Shunyi would become increasingly bustling. The county town is so small, so I should have made plans earlier. I originally thought it would take at least a year or two, but who knew it would become so bustling so quickly."
He stole a glance at Qi You and said honestly, "Not only do the guests have nowhere to stay, but there are only two restaurants, and they can't even get food. Fortunately, the locals were clever and set up stalls on the street, which barely solved the problem of food."
Qi You pondered for a moment and asked, "What are your plans?"
Lin Yicheng said hurriedly, "Seventh Master, I plan to build a new inn and restaurant in the county town. The roads around Shunyi are now much better than before, wide and smooth. Hey, there will be no shortage of business."
Qi You thought for a moment and said, "Your idea is good, but you also need to consider the actual purchasing power of the people in the county and make good plans and arrangements."
Seeing Lin Yicheng's puzzled expression, Qi You patiently explained, "Take the inn for example. Now that the gentlemen have come to Shunyi, they must find a place to stay. Once the gentlemen's dormitory is completed, they will move in. If there are no outside guests, the inn's business will be gone. As for restaurants, you have to consider the wealth of the people who come to eat there, how much they can afford to eat, and what scale the restaurants should be built. Although business is the business of businessmen, they are responsible for their own profits and losses, but if their business fails, it will also be a big loss for the government's tax revenue."
Lin Yicheng's earlier joy faded somewhat, and sweat began to form on his forehead again. He quickly put down his tea bowl, nodded, and listened very attentively, unwilling to miss a word Qi You said. He echoed, "Yes, your humble opinion is a little superficial."
Qi You said, "All industries are mutually reinforcing. If the inns and restaurants and food shops lose business, it doesn't mean that other businesses will thrive. For example, if the restaurants and food shops lose business, the shops that supply them with firewood, rice, oil, and salt will also lose business. Those who raise pigs and sell meat, and those who grow vegetables and sell them, will all suffer. If the inn loses customers, the restaurants and food shops, and other shops will also suffer losses. There are only so many local customers, and we have to rely on outsiders to support a part of our business. What you need to consider is how to attract people to Shunyi, such as enjoying the scenery, worshipping Buddha, etc. Anything is fine. It cannot be a stagnant pool of water, there must be flowing water."
Lin Yicheng fell into deep thought. After a while, he clapped his hands and said, "Seventh Master, I have an idea. After I have considered it carefully, I will come back to discuss it with you in detail."
Qi You smiled and nodded, saying, "Okay, but you have to solve the practical problems at hand first. You have to build an inn, a restaurant, and a shop. Start by building one or two, and then slowly add more later. Also, I still say the same thing, you have to make a good plan and look at the long term. You can't just let them build restaurants and shops wherever there's empty space."
Lin Yicheng agreed repeatedly, "Seventh Master, don't worry, I will follow your old rules and write the detailed planning rules."
Seeing him come in excitedly and run away excitedly, Qi You shook his head speechlessly and continued to concentrate on thinking hard about the test questions for the recruitment.
After a while, Degao rushed into the room like a gust of wind and said nervously: "Seventh Master, the emperor is here and has already left the official road!"
Qi You was very surprised. Why did Kangxi suddenly come to Shunyi?
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