When they reached the door, Song Yuehua turned around and said, "Remember, you are a student of the academy. If you encounter any trouble, you can discuss it with the teacher and me. We will do our best to help you as long as we can."
Bian Wu bowed and when he looked up, Song Yuehua had already left.
Song Yuehua discussed the banquet with Zhou Lizheng, who then went to discuss it with the Zhang family.
After discussing with the Zhang family, they finally decided to have the banquet in the clan's big house, which was spacious enough to accommodate as many tables as desired.
After the time was set, Zhang Rushan immediately went to Xinan Village to invite Xie An to have a drink.
Xie An was also happy that his first apprentice had passed the examination for a student. He asked, "Do you want to continue taking the exam?"
Zhang Rushan shook his head and said, "Rushan's knowledge is shallow, and he needs more time to accumulate more knowledge."
"Yes, I haven't gotten carried away. However, I'm afraid I can't drink this wine. I'm going to travel far away soon."
Xie An took out a dozen books from the bookshelf and placed them in front of Zhang Rushan. "Take these books home and read them carefully. They will be of great help to you in your college entrance examination. This is also my token of my appreciation."
"Oh, by the way, remember to return these books after you finish using them," Xie An added.
Zhang Rushan was a little confused, "Sir, aren't you going to take the college entrance examination?"
Xie An leaned back and laughed, "Let it be, let it be..."
The Taoyuan Village's banquet for the two boys attracted people from nearby villages to join in the fun, and anyone who was even slightly related came rushing over.
The school was suspended for one day, and more than ten large round tables were set up in the front yard of the house.
Village Chief Zhou finally felt proud of himself and invited all the village chiefs from nearby villages to come over and set up a table for them in the backyard.
Wang Lizheng from Xinan Village admired, "Brother Zhou, you are amazing. You managed to get two without making any noise!"
"Wang Datou, you should at least study a little. What nonsense are you talking about? Isn't there a Tongsheng Xie in your village?" Zhou Lizheng said with disdain.
Wang Datou didn't mind and joked, "According to what you said, there is a Sun Xiucai in Daozhu Village. Does Lei Dapao still have to be literary with us?"
"Let's not talk about whether it's polite or not, just say some sensible words!" Zhou Lizheng scolded.
"It's... it's just that, that person...did well in the exam,...what...does it have to do with...us!" Lei Li, who was sitting opposite, was stammering with all his might.
As soon as Lei Lizheng finished speaking, Lu Lizheng from Luoxia Village retorted, "Old Lei, you are wrong. Look at this school. Which village in our country can have such style? Brother Zhou will be very famous in the future!"
Lin Lizheng from Caiyun Village said with a smile, "One Tongsheng is destiny. If two Tongsheng are born at the same time, it means that man can conquer nature. With this school, no matter whether they take the imperial examination or not, as long as they can read and count, the next generation will have a promising future."
All the village heads fell silent for a moment. If they followed the Taoyuan Village's approach, it would definitely not work. Not to mention the cost of building a school, a teacher would cost two taels of silver per month. Who could afford that?
Families that want to study also have to provide paper, ink, pens and inkstones. Ordinary families, even if they work hard outside every day until their skin is peeling, may not be able to afford to study.
The village doesn’t have the money to build it, and the villagers don’t have the money to support it.
Everyone thought of the same thing and could only sigh heavily.
Wang Lizheng from the neighboring Hongye Village also spoke up, "Brother Zhou, the villages are next to each other and not far away. If the children from the village come to study here, can you charge less tuition?"
The school had recruited people from other villages before, but they thought it was too expensive.
Zhou Lizheng told the others what happened before and said frankly, "You elders, if you really don't know how much tuition is charged for studying in the county, go ask first and then come back to talk."
The arrival of children from other villages can also create some income for the villagers. Zhou Lizheng naturally hopes that the village will become prosperous.
As for how to charge the boarding fee, Song Yuehua only asked Granny Wang to give a sample, and the exact amount would depend on the price of grain and the individual.
Girls can study in the school without paying tuition, but they still have to pay for writing materials, books and accommodation. Boys can either live in the school at a rate of 1 tael per month, or find a place to stay with others in the village.
As soon as Zhou Lizheng mentioned the above conditions, everyone immediately looked eager to act. Before they could speak, Zhou Lizheng immediately said, "I will inform you when the time comes."
Several people laughed and responded in agreement.
The banquet was hosted by Xie Wenwu. Song Yuehua specially asked Zhou Dafu to call a few people to help, but he was still exhausted.
After the dishes outside were served, he took a box of food and set up a table of food in the house. Zhang Rushan, Bian Wu, Zhou Xiaohu, Xie Yu, Zhang Dandan, Bai Shu, Lan Yu, Wei Feng, Chen Shu and Ma Long helped to set the table.
"Zhang Rushan, you have to thank me this time!" Xie Wenwu said as he sat down.
Zhang Rushan smiled and gave him a piece of pig intestine with his chopsticks. "You are the only one who can make radish and cabbage into flowers. Of course, I have to thank you."
Xie Wenwu was very pleased to hear this, but he still took a handful of vegetables and said, "I've smelled too much oil. I want to eat something lighter."
Everyone found this action fresh, after all, Xie Wenwu was well-known for his love of meat.
Zhang Dandan heard this and put his chopsticks into Xie Wenwu's bowl and said, "Brother, if you don't want to eat, then I'll do it for you."
Before the chopsticks could reach him, Xie Wenwu grabbed them in mid-air, "Isn't there enough food in the bowl for you? Why do you have to grab food from my bowl?"
Zhang Dandan felt aggrieved, it was clearly you who said you didn't want to eat.
Bian Wu smiled faintly and picked up a piece of pig stomach for Dandan with chopsticks, and chuckled, "Eat it quickly, before it gets cold."
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