Chapter 77 Seeing the light of day meant they could read, and have some dignity…
The news that Luzhou Prefecture was going to open a girls' school was unprecedented.
On the day the government posted the notice at the city gate, many curious people gathered around it.
Those who could read read the notice aloud, while those who couldn't anxiously asked those around them, "What does it say?"
An official holding Su Lin's order read aloud to the crowd: "By order of Her Highness the Princess, Luzhou Prefecture shall establish a girls' school from this day forward, enrolling girls of school age and recruiting talented women to serve as teachers, with their remuneration paid by the government."
The tightly packed crowd fell silent for a moment, then erupted into a cacophony of voices.
"Letting women go to school? And having women as teachers? What kind of behavior is this!"
"If unmarried girls are showing their faces in public, how will they ever get married?" someone angrily complained.
But some people seriously considered: "They teach female students, not men, so it shouldn't be considered showing their faces in public, right?"
Everyone had their own opinion, and the argument remained unresolved.
Several women nearby quietly approached and listened to their discussion.
One of the little girls, who looked about seven or eight years old, tugged at her mother's sleeve and asked, "Mommy, what are they saying?"
The mother stared blankly in the direction of the notice and said softly, "Yan'er, if you could go to school like your brother, would you like to go?"
Yan'er nodded repeatedly, her face beaming with joy: "I'm willing! My brother always complains that I don't know anything and can't even read. If I can read, he won't laugh at me anymore!"
At this moment, a middle-aged man pushed through the crowd and stepped forward to ask the official: "As the saying goes, men are in charge of external affairs and women are in charge of internal affairs. If the girls' school teaches things like cooking, embroidery, and accounting, that would be understandable. May I ask what exactly the girls' school teaches?"
The official, however, did not comply with his wishes and answered truthfully: "Like ordinary academies, it teaches astronomy, geography, classics, history, philosophy, literature, as well as archery, calligraphy, and mathematics."
Isn't this the same thing that men learn?
"What's the use of women learning these things?" the middle-aged man immediately questioned. "Can they pass the imperial examinations and become officials? No matter how much they learn, in the end they still have to get married, have children, and be good wives and mothers."
The official calmly replied, "This is the princess's order and Lord Su's idea. If you have any questions, you can speak to Lord Su."
A young man nearby interjected indignantly, "Even if girls could go to school, how well could they learn? All they know is how to dress up, and they love to nitpick and gossip. If people like that went to school, they would only disrupt the atmosphere!"
These words were clearly influenced by personal emotions.
A woman passing by immediately stepped forward and retorted, "What you think in your heart is what you see in your eyes!"
"Our Luzhou Prefecture has produced a female champion; all the young talents in the prefecture gathered together, yet not one of them could surpass that young lady. You are inferior to her, so what is there to be proud of?"
The man stubbornly insisted, "She's just an exception! Most women couldn't do that!"
"Exceptions?" The woman pressed on relentlessly. "How many women have you seen? Have you ever been married? Do you have any children?"
"So what if you don't have any!" the man retorted angrily.
The woman smiled knowingly: "You've never met many women in your life. You live in your own imagination, thinking that outstanding women are the exceptions and ordinary women are weak and incompetent."
"And when a few capable men emerge in this world, you become arrogant and think that you belong to the same category as them, and that their strength means that all men are strong."
The woman glanced at him with disdain, her eyes filled with pity.
"Admit it, what you're saying aren't characteristics of women at all. It's just that because you're petty and gossipy, you've made baseless assumptions that others are the same. People like you are just a nuisance in this world!"
"You! You're so sharp-tongued!" The man blushed, but he couldn't win the argument, so he had no choice but to slink away.
Suddenly, someone in the crowd whispered.
"Yes, our Luzhou Prefecture has produced a female champion, so it is more enlightened than other places. It is not without reason that we took the lead in establishing a girls' school."
The woman turned to the crowd and reasoned with them, appealing to their emotions: "Before you voice your objections, why don't you think about your own families? If your sisters, wives, and daughters had the opportunity to go to school and could help your families in the future, wouldn't that be a good thing?"
She added, "Establishing girls' schools does not mean preventing men from studying! These two things are not contradictory, so why oppose them?"
Someone muttered under their breath, "But if a woman reads too much, her heart will become wild. What if she no longer wants to manage the household?"
“If she studies hard, she can teach at a girls’ school in the future and earn money to support her family. She might even earn more than you.” The woman spoke logically. “If we follow the rule that whoever earns money can enjoy life at home, then you should be the one serving her in the future.”
Some people's expressions changed immediately, but the eyes of many women in the crowd lit up.
Is it really possible?
No longer confined to the inner quarters to be a wife and mother, no longer enduring her husband's beatings and scoldings, and even when returning to her parents' home, she no longer had to be mindful of others' attitudes.
They can receive an education, have a decent job, and even choose not to marry or have children...
Their efforts will be recognized, they will be able to earn their own income, and they will also earn the respect of others.
Such a life was something I never dared to dream of before.
Before long, the crowd that had gathered together gradually dispersed.
Some planned to go home and warn the women not to have any unrealistic fantasies, while others prepared to go up and ask about the registration process.
The woman who had spoken earlier stepped forward first: "Excuse me, where do I register for the girls' school? I'd like to go."
Yan'er's mother also came over with her daughter, saying, "We also want to sign up."
----
The first girls' school in Luzhou Prefecture was located in an old school building.
This school was originally run by the government, but it was later moved to a new location, and the old building has been vacant ever since.
Having an existing space is always faster than building a new one. Su Lin ordered his men to thoroughly clean the school and equip it with brand-new desks and chairs, and it was quickly set up.
The school was modified based on her memories of modern times. A stone slab was erected at the front of the classroom to facilitate writing with charcoal pencils for teaching. The desks and chairs were arranged neatly, and books were available for students to borrow on one side of the classroom.
On the morning of the first day of school, Su Lin made a special trip to the scene, but kept quiet.
The sky was slightly overcast, and only a few people came to register. Some people just asked a few questions at the door and then turned around and left.
Su Lin, who had come incognito, stood behind a tree not far away and sighed softly.
Perhaps there are still too few people willing to come; women who can break free from worldly constraints are ultimately a minority.
She comforted herself: every one who comes is a blessing; every additional woman who can study and learn is a thousand times better than before.
Just as Su Lin was about to leave quietly to prepare for the handover, he saw a woman who had just left rushing back.
The woman asked the person registering at the door, "When does registration close today?"
"Anytime before dark is fine," the other person replied.
"That's wonderful!" the woman exclaimed happily. "Then I'll go back again..."
Su Lin couldn't help but step forward, pretending to be passing by, and stopped the woman: "Miss, why do you ask such a question?"
"I was worried that the girls' school would only accept girls who were literate and wouldn't want us country girls. But when I got here, I realized that any woman could come!"
She laughed heartily: "I just ran back to tell the sisters in my neighborhood that many of them wanted to come, but they have to cook, take care of their children, and do housework, so they asked me if they could come later."
"Since it's possible before dark, I'll go back and tell them the good news!"
After saying that, the woman hurriedly left.
Su Lin stood there, slightly lost in thought.
Having lived as a man for so many years, she had not experienced the situation of a woman for a long time.
It's almost forgotten that on such an ordinary morning, many women have to get up early to cook, soothe crying children, wash piles of clothes, and worry about the livelihood of their families.
The weight of life is like a roof pressing down on our heads, blocking out all the light.
But they still struggled, and branches of hope sprouted from the cracks.
Su Lin decided to go back later.
After a while, a large number of women actually walked out from the streets and alleys.
Among them were ordinary women in simple clothes, elegant young ladies from wealthy families, rough-skinned peasant women, and young girls who curiously followed the crowd.
While waiting in line, they naturally started chatting.
"My husband told me not to come, but I insisted on coming!"
“My dad said that if I ever stepped out of the house, I could forget about coming back. I told him that the girls’ school had dormitories and he didn’t need to worry about it, which made him so angry that he couldn’t speak!”
"My family supports me coming, but I need to finish chopping firewood first. When my daughter grows up, I'll bring her to attend the class too."
"My neighbor asked if I wanted to come, so I thought I'd join in the fun..."
Someone asked curiously, "Who was our teacher?"
"I heard it's Miss Qin." A young lady who looked like a refined young lady finally found an opportunity to speak. "She always won first place in our women's poetry competitions!"
Those nearby listened with wide eyes: "A women's poetry gathering? When did that happen?"
The young lady laughed and said, "It's all because of that female champion. We're so envious of her in private. We even held several poetry gatherings, thinking that if we could be like her one day, our lives would be complete."
They chatted as they waited in line and soon arrived at the registration desk.
Several women couldn't write their names, so the young lady offered to help, listening to their descriptions and carefully writing them down stroke by stroke.
"Thank you, young lady. We've lived most of our lives without ever having the chance to learn to read. We really envy you..." A woman in plain clothes said with some shame.
The young lady gently nudged her shoulder: "Don't say that, I was just a little luckier in my reincarnation. From now on we'll be classmates, so don't lose to me!"
They were then led to the center of the academy.
There was a table there with textbooks and stationery waiting to be distributed.
As everyone received their books, the academy's teachers also slowly walked out of the room.
She wore a simple dress, her hair tied up with a single wooden hairpin, and though she wore no makeup, she exuded a strong scholarly air.
The young lady's eyes lit up when she saw her, and she waved and said, "Miss Qin!"
Miss Qin did not respond directly, but bowed to everyone and smiled, saying, "My name is Qin Xiangfu. I have been tested by Lord Su and have come here to teach you all. I hope you will all guide me in the future."
"Also, please address me as 'teacher' rather than 'sir'."
This request was something Su Lin came up with alone in his room after seeing Wen Yu off.
Although the word "Mr." did not have a special meaning in this era, she had experienced modern life and could no longer ignore the differences.
Even the most ordinary man can be addressed as "Mr.", but only the most outstanding woman deserves this title.
Instead of reinforcing this stereotype, let's start by changing her.
Wen Yu once told her that the students at Luxi Academy all called Chen Miaozhi "Teacher".
Since it's possible in Luxi, the girls' school in Luzhou Prefecture should be the same.
Seeing this, Su Lin felt he had no regrets for the day, smiled slightly, and quietly left.
The women present were all enrolling for the first time. After hearing Qin Xiangfu's words, they assumed it was an established rule and had no objections: "Hello, Teacher Qin."
Qin Xiangfu led them to another classroom: "From now on, we will have classes here..."
This was her first time stepping out of her home to take up a teaching position, and fortunately her family was very supportive, believing it was a great opportunity for her to make a name for herself.
Before leaving home this morning, she repeatedly adjusted her clothes, worried that she wouldn't look presentable in front of others. But then she suddenly realized something and felt relieved.
She is now a teacher, no longer "Miss Qin" representing the family at banquets, where she needed to dress up carefully to avoid disgracing the family. But things are different now.
As a teacher, the only requirement is knowledge; everything else is just empty fame.
That's great.
She suddenly realized the benefits of being a teacher.
It turns out that one doesn't need a distinguished family background or stunning looks to win the respect and love of others.
Having genuine talent and skills is enough.
At that moment, she suddenly found a second path besides marriage.
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Author's note: Everything is steadily improving~ [Sprinkling flowers]
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