Chapter 18 Preparing for the School The very fact that the school's founder was Wen…
School.
These two words swirled in Wen Yu's mind twice before finally landing firmly on the ground.
A school must be built.
She recalled a few days ago by the field ridge, when Granny Wang pointed to several newly sprouted millet seedlings with yellowing leaves and asked worriedly, "Wen girl, you've seen so much, take a look at these seedlings, what's wrong with them? Is it insects or disease? In previous years when Old Liang was still alive, we could ask him, but now..."
Old Liang was the former village chief of Luxi Village, but he died of illness during a famine.
Over the years, the village has not elected a new village chief. Everyone is too busy taking care of themselves to care about the lives of others.
Wen Yu squatted down to examine the seedlings carefully. The comments on the screen were all saying that they might be lacking fertilizer, but she couldn't say exactly how to remedy the situation.
Fortunately, some kind people in the comments section taught how to make simple wood ash fertilizer. To prevent this problem from happening to her seedlings, Wen Yu used it when reclaiming wasteland.
She recalled seeing Ning Shengan, a scholar, at the market, who had to humbly sell his only ox to save his daughter.
If she hadn't happened to have the panel and realized that Tao Ning's illness wasn't an epidemic, and hadn't had Lin Huijun's experience and that timely bowl of rice soup, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Knowledge can save lives in critical moments.
Throughout history, countless sages have devoted their lives to creating precious agricultural classics such as "Essential Techniques for the Common People" and "Complete Treatise on Agriculture."
However, if the farmers themselves are illiterate, even the best experience can only be passed down orally, and will inevitably be lost in the end.
The predicament of Luxi Village in previous years, when the water dried up and people dispersed, was precisely because it lost the bridge connecting it with this knowledge.
Wen Yu cleared a well that had been blocked for two or three years using only a simple set of tools.
They didn't have to suffer for so long.
Without knowledge, one can only rely on the experience of one's ancestors, struggling in a cycle of dependence on the weather, and helpless in the face of natural disasters.
With knowledge, one can understand agricultural books, draw on the wisdom of ancestors, and improve farming methods according to local conditions.
Only then can one be clear about the numbers and avoid being exploited by unscrupulous merchants.
Only then can one broaden their horizons and no longer be easily swayed by talk of ghosts and gods.
Only then can we have a better chance of finding a way to survive in a desperate situation.
She had to get this school up and running!
“I have a preliminary idea,” Wen Yu said calmly. “Let’s teach everyone to recognize characters and do basic arithmetic first, and then we can talk about other things. You have to eat one bite at a time and walk one step at a time.”
Wen Qingshi agreed wholeheartedly and nodded.
This approach is very pragmatic and aligns with the current situation in Luxi Village.
Wen Yu casually traced lines on the table with her fingertips, then pondered, "Do you still remember how your teacher first taught you?"
Although she had a wealth of modern teaching methods, she knew they wouldn't be suitable for this environment.
Pinyin was a pipe dream for people in ancient times. Although she could teach everyone from scratch, she had other things to do and couldn't possibly stay in the school as a teacher every day.
Since we are going to rely on Wen Qingshi, we should naturally use the methods she is familiar with.
"I still remember a little," Wen Qingshi replied softly.
She and her brothers were all taught by the same teacher, and she was always the first to understand the lessons and the fastest and most fluent in reciting them.
She remembered the undisguised resentment in her second brother's eyes: "It's nothing but petty cleverness. What's so special about having a better memory? It's ultimately nothing special."
The eldest brother, adopting the "tolerant" posture of an elder, shook his head and said, "Women are indeed clever. However, studying is ultimately not a path for women; they are unlikely to achieve great things."
She hoped her husband would say a word for her.
However, the old teacher who was usually kind to her did not rebuke his brothers for their rudeness when he heard them talking like this. He just gave her a complicated look.
"Intelligent and quick-witted, with exceptional insight... It's a pity she was born a woman."
It turns out that her "intelligence" became "a pity" simply because she was born a woman.
Thinking of these words, a gloomy mood settled over her.
Wen Qingshi frowned slightly, and his voice lowered a few decibels: "But... elder sister, the Confucian classics that taught us to be educated at that time mentioned the difference between men and women everywhere."
"The books of sages say that men should aspire to travel far and wide and make achievements; while women should be virtuous, gentle, and good at managing the household and observing etiquette."
“They said that a woman like me, even if she read ten thousand books, would have no chance of achieving fame or officialdom. Being able to recognize a few characters is already a great blessing. She should read books like ‘Rules for Women’ and ‘Admonitions for Women’ to learn the ways of being a wife, which is the right path…”
She lowered her eyes: "I don't believe it, but I always feel that if you want to pursue a teaching career, you can't avoid these kinds of comments."
"To hell with sages!" Wen Yu said expressionlessly, his voice low but resolute. "Here, there are no such rules. From now on, you can read whatever you want—the Analects, the Book of Changes, medical books, agricultural books, even vernacular stories and travelogues. Just read whatever you want!"
"If anyone dares to stop you, or bother you with those clichés, come find me!"
"From now on, such dross must never appear in our schools."
As soon as he said those words, Wen Yu felt a sudden sense of clarity.
Ideological education must start from the root!
In her view, people's thoughts are all cultivated after birth, and there is no such thing as innate etiquette and hierarchy; those are all tools of the rulers.
She can't control the outside world, but she can make the decisions within her own small village of Luxi.
Since she was the one who wanted to build the school, she would never allow those outdated ideas of "male superiority and female inferiority" to step into the doorstep.
The very fact that the founder of this school was Wen Yu, a woman.
Wen Qingshi stared at her blankly, the candlelight flickering in her eyes: "Sister...how many books have you read?"
She wanted to know where Wen Yu's almost arrogant confidence came from.
Uh… Wen Yu silently calculated in her mind.
Nine years of compulsory education, three years of high school, and four years of university. Her student life was long and systematic, so much so that when she later entered the entertainment industry, she discovered that actors like her who completed so many years of schooling in such a structured way were actually a minority.
However, these things could not be explained to Wen Qingshi.
“Quite a lot,” Wen Yu finally smiled and looked back with gentle eyes. “In the future, as long as you are willing, you can read this much, or even more.”
----
"Sister, dinner is ready!" Wen Yue's clear voice rang out from outside the door at just the right moment.
Wen Yu then realized with a start that dusk had fallen and the daylight had already dimmed.
When they returned, they only asked Wen Yue to settle the oxcart. Unexpectedly, the child was so sensible. Seeing that they were discussing things in the house, he did not disturb them and quietly prepared dinner.
This child… Wen Yu’s heart softened a little.
He and Lin Lan are about the same age, so when the classes are scheduled, they can arrange similar study plans.
She put aside the last of her thoughts about the school, touched her stomach, and realized she was indeed a little hungry.
The light outside was dim, but Wen Qingshi had already deftly picked up the oil lamp on the table and lit up the room and the outside.
Wen Yu followed her out of the room and casually patted Wen Yue's head, saying, "Thank you for your hard work, Yue. You're so capable!"
Wen Yue's expression brightened instantly after being praised by her sister.
On the wooden table sat a pot of steaming wild vegetable porridge.
There weren't many grains of rice, mixed with bright green wild vegetables, and the taste was light, but compared to the previous dry and hard coarse grain cakes, it was a rare delicacy.
Wen Yu slowly sipped her porridge, watching A Yue eat with relish. Wen Qing Shi next to her also sipped her porridge in small sips, showing no sign of disliking the bland broth.
Under the dim light, the three sat around a table, while outside, the fine rain pattered softly in the stillness.
Wen Yu suddenly noticed something had changed.
This arduous journey brought back not only people and livestock, but also the rudiments of a home.
Living a simple and uneventful life like this seems pretty good.
Once the crops in the fields grow and the chickens and ducks in the coop lay eggs, life will become more and more promising.
Having grown up in the city and been accustomed to a life of luxury, she found it difficult to swallow this extremely "raw" food when she first arrived.
However, reality is the best teacher, and after a while, she had already gotten used to it.
As she drank the wild vegetable porridge, she inexplicably thought of the sweet potato porridge that her grandfather used to love to cook.
She was so delicate back then, she would rather go hungry than touch anything.
If it were now… Wen Yu looked at the porridge in the bowl, a bitter smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
Let alone sweet potato porridge, she'd be happy with anything warm.
Since Aunt Wang can pick fresh wild vegetables, it seems that the land around the village is finally starting to come back to life.
She suddenly realized that her efforts might actually change many people's lives.
----
As night fell, the rain outside the window continued to drizzle.
Compared to the last sudden downpour, this rain seems exceptionally long, lasting from the afternoon until now, as if it wants to completely soak the land.
After finishing their meal, the group quickly cleaned up the dishes, and it was already completely dark.
Wen Yu had long been accustomed to this routine of resting at sunset.
Lighting lamps wastes oil, so we should save it wherever possible.
The cool air after the rain carried the scent of earth, making her even more drowsy. She yawned, lay down on the bed, and prepared to sleep.
However, Wen Qingshi beside him was clearly not sleepy.
In the darkness, she would occasionally turn over gently, making rustling noises that attracted Wen Yu's attention.
"Can't sleep?" Wen Yu couldn't help but ask.
Wen Qingshi paused in her turning over, then replied somewhat awkwardly, "Sister, did I disturb you?"
In the darkness, her voice came softly: "I... I'm terribly panicked."
Wen Yu's sleepiness dissipated somewhat.
“I’ve clearly escaped,” Wen Qingshi said, as if talking to himself, yet also as if confiding in someone, “but the moment I close my eyes, it’s like I’m lying in that dark coffin again. When the drug wore off, I woke up and found myself nailed inside. It was so dark, so suffocating…”
"If my wet nurse hadn't risked her life to dig me out, I would have been buried alive..."
In the darkness, Wen Yu could feel her body trembling slightly.
“Sister…” Wen Qingshi’s voice was thick with nasal tone, “I keep thinking, am I actually dead? Otherwise, how could I have such good fortune, just like meeting you guys who saved me, and then coming to your side… Could all of this just be a beautiful dream I had before I died?”
Wen Yu's heart was clenched tightly.
She suddenly realized that Wen Qingshi's composure these past few days was just a facade.
Falling from the clouds into the mud, experiencing life and death, losing everything, and arriving in a completely unfamiliar place, the fear in her heart never subsided.
After Lin Lan returned to her mother's side, this loneliness and unease intensified.
Wen Qingshi also needs someone she can rely on completely.
Without further hesitation, Wen Yu reached out her arm in the darkness and gently pulled the trembling body into her embrace, the warmth of the body penetrating through the thin clothing.
"Don't be afraid, Qing Shi." Wen Yu's voice was gentle. "Your older sister is here. It's all true. You're alive and well, right beside your older sister."
She felt the girl in her arms relax slightly.
Wen Yu gently patted her back: "Close your eyes and get a good night's sleep. When the sun rises tomorrow, you'll know that none of this is a dream. With your older sister here, the sky won't fall down."
Wen Qingshi didn't say anything more, but buried his face even deeper into Wen Yu's neck.
Leaning against her older sister like this, her anxious heart was strangely calmed down.
Before she knew it, her breathing became steady and long, and she drifted off to sleep.
A note from the author:
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