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Du Yaoyao was happy to popularize modern knowledge to him. "In my hometown, women can study and become officials just like men. Women can do all the 360 trades that men can do."
This was the first time that Shen Jie heard such a novel statement, and he asked curiously, "What about you, Yaoyao? What do you do?"
Du Yaoyao converted her past and present status and was admitted to Tsinghua University, the top university in the country, which was considered a successful local examination in ancient times.
"I am just a scholar, like Du Wenwu. But I passed the exam with my hard work, no one let me down or cheated secretly." She was afraid that Shen Jie didn't believe in her ability.
"Oh?" Shen Jie teased, "Our Yaoyao is a talented girl?"
"I can't say I'm a talented woman." Du Yaoyao blushed. She was just trying to find a way out under the test-taking system.
She said, "Women in our place have much higher status than you do here. With my background, I can only herd cattle and sheep here for the rest of my life, facing the loess and back to the sky, or I can become a concubine of a wealthy family and give birth to sons."
Chen Jie had a question, "What is your background?" Du Yaoyao was smart, sensible, lively and tenacious. He thought that she came from a wealthy family and was well-educated.
"Same as you," she said simply.
"Both parents are dead?"
"They each started their own families, and I live with my grandmother." Du Yaoyao corrected her, saying that her grandmother was afraid that Chen Jie wouldn't understand.
"Is it a hard life?" Chen Jie never understood what kind of favor Song Xingkai had done for her.
"I have nothing at home and no income. I need help to study."
"Song Xingkai?"
"His family helped me."
"That's it." Shen Jie suddenly realized that he also sponsored some poor students to study, with the purpose of using them for his own benefit in the future. He asked, judging others by himself, "Do you want me to do anything?" For example, marry him in return for your love.
Du Yaoyao understood Chen Jie's hidden meaning. He was not a kind-hearted person and thought that others would not do purely good things either.
"He is kind-hearted and chivalrous, and he doesn't seek much reward or compensation."
Shen Jie felt embarrassed by these words, and he agreed reluctantly, "No wonder you protected him time and time again." Song Xingkai was kinder than him.
"Yes." Du Yaoyao took a big bite of the egg tart. "I was sponsored by a kind person, but ended up falling in love with an evil bureaucrat. Am I stupid?"
The evil bureaucrats?
Shen Jie responded quickly, "Yaoyao, are you scolding me?"
Du Yaoyao was speechless, "Can't you hear the words like and stupid?"
"I heard it." Chen Jie said seriously, leaning forward to take a bite of the egg tart in Du Yaoyao's hand, trying to figure out her intention in bringing up this question.
"Do you want to continue studying and become a teacher like Ye Ying?"
The first time he arranged for Ye Ying to dress up as a man and work as a teacher in the capital, she showed an expression of longing and envy.
"I guessed half right." Du Yaoyao answered. She felt unhappy when she thought about how Chen Jie helped Ye Ying rebuild the academy so successfully. He said sarcastically, "Do you want to build me a college in Wuxing?"
"Stop it." Chen Jie sat over and hugged Du Yaoyao's waist, "Wuxing Academy, I reopened it thanks to the kindness of teacher, it has nothing to do with Ye Ying." He lowered his head and sniffed her neck, teasing, "But you smell sour, has this pot of vinegar been brewing for a long time?"
Du Yaoyao had guessed that they had nothing to do with each other, but hearing it with her own ears was different. Those awkward thoughts were like dust in the corners and cracks, which he cleared away one by one, and he felt relieved instantly.
She admitted generously, "It's been a long time. Thank you, husband, for helping Yaoyao get rid of the jealousy today."
Shen Jie chuckled and turned to the main topic, "You said I guessed half right, what is the other half?"
"I want to study, but I want more women to study with me." Du Yaoyao said, "The world advocates 'women without talent are virtuous' because women have no future in school. No matter how educated they are, they have to return to their families and be good wives and mothers, supporting their husbands and raising their children. If the court allowed the establishment of girls' schools and supported women to take the imperial examinations and become officials, then the world's impression of women would be completely different."
Since birth, Chen Jie had only heard that "women should be chaste, quiet and virtuous" and "women should respect their husbands". There had never been any books or historical theories handed down that taught women to be self-reliant and strong, to bring honor to the family like men, and to support the family.
However, the custom in Du Yaoyao's hometown is gender equality, so it is not surprising that she has such thoughts. If she was really born in the Chu Dynasty, with such a beauty born from poverty, her fate would probably be to be a concubine in the backyard or a prostitute in a brothel. Ordinary people can't protect her.
The idea was bizarre, the words were unacceptable to the world, and the rest of her life was long, so Chen Jie was willing to give it a try for her. "As my wife said, the task is heavy and the road is long. We must return to the officialdom and work together as a couple."
Du Yaoyao blinked, not used to Chen Jie's flowery words, "Speak human language."
"Yaoyao, I support whatever you want to do, but the premise is, when will you come back to the capital with me?" Chen Jie locked his arms around Du Yaoyao's waist, staring at her with his clear eyes, "I look forward to you coming home with me."
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