He Jiuniang took a stroll around the county town. Jingzhou had not suffered from the drought. Even though it was just a small county town, it was more lively than Ganzhou Prefecture. The pedestrians coming and going on the street made He Jiuniang feel that this was life.
She went to the market and bought a few fish and two chickens. Everyone had been eating very little on the way, so it was time to nourish themselves properly.
In addition, there are some bright green side dishes that look very refreshing!
"Have you heard? Songhe Academy has started recruiting new students, and lots of people are going to see it. Let's go check it out!"
"Really? Wasn't it said that Scholar Kang was ill? Why are they still recruiting?"
"Who knows? That's why I'm going to join in the fun! Are you coming or not? If not, I'll go by myself!"
"Let's go, let's go see what's going on?"
...
Two women passed by He Jiuniang, and He Jiuniang overheard their conversation.
Songhe Academy?
I was just about to send my child to school, so why doesn't she go and join in the fun?
As a newcomer, He Jiuniang really didn't know anything about the school, so she asked the woman who sold chickens and fish.
"You mean Songhe Academy? That's the best school in our county..."
The woman started talking and rattled off a whole bunch of things.
He Jiuniang then learned that Songhe Academy was run by a scholar surnamed Kang. He had passed the imperial examination at a young age and entered the prefectural school. He was quite knowledgeable and originally intended to take the imperial examination, but he had been ill for many years.
His family's money was all used to treat his illness, leaving them with no money to support his studies. So he left the prefectural school and returned to the county town to open a school, where he could educate children and earn some money for medical expenses.
However, at the beginning of last year, Kang Xiucai fell seriously ill again, saying that he was about to die, so he closed the school and stopped enrolling students, which made everyone regretful for a long time.
Having gotten a general idea, He Jiuniang asked again, "Aren't there other schools in the city? Why is Songhe School the most famous?"
The woman patiently explained: "Firstly, that Scholar Kang is very knowledgeable, after all, he is the best student in the prefectural school, isn't he? Secondly, Scholar Kang is not only good-looking, but also gentle, unlike the teachers in other schools who are always fierce. Thirdly, everyone feels sorry for Scholar Kang because he is seriously ill, and they are willing to send their children to him so that he can have some money to see a doctor."
As she spoke, the woman sighed and continued, "These days, it's rare to find someone who excels in studying. Scholar Kang was once the pride of our county!"
So that's how it is. It seems most people are still kind-hearted. There are always more good people than bad people in this world.
"Thank you, Auntie. I'll go check it out too!"
He Jiuniang tied the chicken's feet and wings, threw it into her basket, and, carrying fish and leading her horse, followed everyone to the entrance of Songhe School to join in the fun.
When He Jiuniang arrived, a large crowd had already gathered at the school gate, some to register and others simply to watch the excitement.
Sitting at the door was a scholar who looked to be in his twenties, wearing a dark blue long gown. His face was slightly pale, and he looked somewhat frail.
"Mr. Kang, I heard you were seriously ill before, are you feeling better now?"
Someone kindly inquired, and just as Kang Xiucai was about to speak, he suddenly felt a cough coming on. He quickly clenched his fist and coughed to cover his mouth before managing a weak smile and nodding in reply, "I am much better."
Even so, everyone still felt that he was about to die, and they sighed in their hearts, thinking that it was truly a case of heaven being jealous of a talented person.
“Sir, you should take care of your health. Since you closed the school last year, my little Niu hasn’t attended any other school. He keeps saying he wants to wait for Mr. Kang to come back.”
Kang Xiucai was a learned scholar who taught his students everything he knew. He taught for six years, and many of the students went on to study at the prefectural school. Everyone remembered his kindness.
"Thank you all for your kindness. I am very fortunate this time, so I thought I would teach more children so that they can all learn to read and write and know how to behave, so that they can have a good future. Only in this way can I live up to your kindness."
Kang Xiucai understood that people were willing to send their children to his school because they wanted to help him. After all, other schools had more experienced teachers than him, while he was just a sickly man. There was no reason for him to be more popular than experienced teachers.
Another round of praise erupted from the crowd, and someone asked, "Mr. Kang, the tuition fees at other schools have increased to three taels of silver a year this year. Will you raise yours?"
Kang Xiucai had only just learned of this matter, after all, he had been bedridden for more than a year and had hardly left his house.
He thought for a moment and said, "Songhe Academy should just stay at the previous two taels of silver. Other academies have more teachers and teach more knowledge, but here I am the only one, and my knowledge is lacking, so the price cannot be increased."
Two taels of silver a year is already quite expensive for a student. Two taels of silver is enough for a family to barely make ends meet for a year. Moreover, this two taels of silver is only the tuition fee. In addition, there are paper, pens, books and other things to buy for the child. Those things are not cheap. In total, it would cost at least three taels of silver a year.
In fact, everyone felt that as long as Kang Xiucai continued to teach, they would be happy even if he only charged three taels of silver. After all, families who could afford to send their children to school didn't really care about a tael of silver.
However, they were still happy to hear from Kang Xiucai that the price would not be raised. As for how much knowledge they would be taught, they didn't care much. After all, not everyone expects their children to take the imperial examinations. At most, they would just need to know how to read and do simple arithmetic so that they could make a living in the future.
After that, many families directly enrolled and paid tuition fees. The enrollment period was seven days, and once the number of students was almost full, they would stop accepting more, mainly because Kang Xiucai was in poor health and couldn't manage everything by himself.
Since everyone felt that Kang Xiucai was not raising his tuition fees but was spending money on medical treatment, they gave him some of the vegetables and eggs they had just bought as a gift to congratulate him on his recovery.
Standing in the crowd, He Jiuniang thought that this Kang Xiucai was indeed quite good. He was polite and humble in his speech. The students taught by such a teacher would surely be polite and sensible.
“Mr. Kang,” she stepped forward and asked, “can a four- or five-year-old child be sent to school?”
Her dog is not even three years old yet, and because his health is not very good, he is not suitable to be sent to school for the time being. However, Jiezi from the second wife's family is five years old, and Xiaohuzi from Li Guilan's family is four years old, which should be just right for them to start learning.
Kang Xiucai did not look down on her because she was a young woman. He smiled gently and said, "It is possible. I have two classes here. The classes for four to eight years old are for beginners, and the classes for those over nine years old are more advanced and will enable them to take the provincial examinations in the future."
He Jiuniang then asked, "I have another child at home who is eleven years old this year, but he has never attended a preschool class before. If he is sent here, will he need to attend a preschool class?"
Kang Xiucai nodded again: "Of course it is necessary. Children need to go through enlightenment before they can start learning more advanced knowledge. If a child does not attend an enlightenment class, he will not understand even if he goes to an advanced class."
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