Many people in the village wanted their children to go to school, and several families were waiting to send their children to the county town for early education in the spring.
Now the village even has a "private school," and the teacher is even a scholar who has passed the imperial examinations. Many people are interested in him.
Before she even woke up from her afternoon nap, several groups of people arrived at Yin Lan's little thatched hut.
First of all, Zhao Dashan's Da Hu and Er Hu will definitely sign up, and Yin Lan and Liu Jing will not refuse either.
Hu Er's child is coming too, so there's no problem.
Then there's bamboo fragrance.
When the villagers heard that even a girl like Zhu Xiang was going to study, they were in an uproar. Several girls asked their parents if they could go to school too.
Yin Lan has publicly stated that men and women are equal, and she does not discriminate against or reject any girl. She even encourages girls, explaining that literacy and numeracy are important for managing the household in the future, as daily necessities like firewood and oil need to be calculated. Generally, girls who can write and do arithmetic are more popular when it comes to marriage proposals, so quite a few girls have come to inquire.
Many families also began to waver.
In addition, five other families have confirmed that their sons will also be coming.
The others are still observing.
After all, who knows if someone is truly a scholar, or what their actual level of ability is?
While this side was bustling with people, Tian Youwei, Da Dong, and Xiao Xi were watching from afar on the other side.
Tian Youwei didn't want to study; he wanted to fight the best fights, become stronger, and become someone no one could beat.
Da Dong glanced at it a few times, then a few more times, before finally looking away.
Other families tightened their belts to save money for tuition, but he couldn't. If he had money, he would buy grain, lots and lots of grain, enough for him and his sister to eat for a lifetime. A child who had been hungry had an obsession with food.
However, he was older and still had his memory, while Xiao Xi certainly didn't remember. In fact, even before their parents died, they had planned to send him to school.
Da Dong helped turn the clay over, ignoring the bustling scene on the other side. He didn't want to study, not at all.
In just half a day, Yin Lan had taken in ten babies, not counting the second one. Yin Lan didn't know how long this baby could keep going.
The tuition fee is the same for everyone; you can pay with money, or with food, cloth, or anything else. As long as it's roughly the same, that's fine.
The families who had signed up went home happily. Almost all of them had come to listen in that morning. When the children got home, they said that the teacher was very good and that the family had some extra money, so they came to give it a try. If it didn't work out, they could send the children to the county town. If it worked out, they would save a lot of money.
So when others asked, some people said, "This teacher is very good; he's a scholar."
However, some people had ulterior motives and said they didn't know, or that it was just average. If he were really a scholar, why would he come to a small place like Iron Sword Village, and why would his tuition be so cheap?
That's why many people wavered.
However, Liu Jing and Yin Lan didn't care. It would be troublesome if too many people came, as there wouldn't be enough space.
Those families who signed up all had to bring their own tables, chairs, and benches.
Later that evening, everyone carried large and small bags to Yinlan's little thatched hut. The place, which used to be quiet and deserted, was now bustling with activity.
Chen Yourun and his group continued transporting clay. After the clay had been dried by the strong daytime sun, it needed to be crushed. Some of the clay clumps were stuck together and needed to be crushed into powder.
Several grown men took tools such as wooden sticks, carrying poles, and shovels to break up the clumps of soil. However, the broken pieces were still small, so they had to be crushed and trampled by hand.
Over there, Liu Jing was teaching the eldest child alone. The other children would come tomorrow. This afternoon, each family had to go back to prepare things, such as sandboards. These were wooden boards with raised edges, filled with sand, and twigs were used as pens. The villagers couldn't afford such precious things as brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, so they used these as makeshift substitutes, without spending a penny.
When the families who had signed up found out, they were overjoyed, saying that this Mr. Liu was quick-witted and always came up with solutions.
However, once you've learned the basics and want to practice calligraphy and write well, you'll still need proper brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.
Not every child can reach that stage; for now, a sandboard is sufficient.
In addition, we need tables, chairs, and benches. If we already have them at home, we don't need to bother. If we don't, we'll have to cut down trees quickly.
And to prepare money and food for the monastic fee.
Besides being busy, I also need to prepare new clothes for my child from a new store. He's already in school, and he can't be all dirty like a mud monkey anymore.
Every household is busy and having a great time.
Chen Yourun was preparing things for Da Wa, so Yin Lan was able to relax.
After Liu Jing finished speaking, Yin Lan called her eldest son over. The boy, who was good at reading, had bright, sparkling eyes and was very excited, saying, "Mom~"
Mother is really amazing; she actually managed to find a teacher.
Moreover, the Master is so amazing; no matter what you ask him, he knows the answer.
Da Wa used to secretly go to the school in the county town to eavesdrop. Back then, students would ask the teachers questions, but some teachers would answer while others wouldn't. If you asked too many questions, they would even scold you.
But the husband at home knows everything and especially likes to ask him questions, so the eldest child really likes Mr. Liu.
"Look over there, Uncle Hu is breaking up clay. Do you think there's anything that could be thrown over there and smash that big clod of clay?"
The eldest child thought for a moment, "Hmm...we could throw the table, the chairs, hmm...the bed, hmm...the second child..."
Yin Lan: "..."
You threw away everything useful in the house, what are you going to use and sleep on? And you're even going to throw away the second child... Wow, that's amazing!
"Anything else?" Yin Lan encouraged.
The eldest child saw the stone in front of the house and exclaimed, "Throwing a big stone is fine too!"
"Alright, then go help your dad. How about you take that piece?"
The eldest child naturally wouldn't refuse to help his father, and immediately ran over and picked up a round stone.
Big clods of earth weren't enough for the older children. Chen Yourun also wanted to train his children, not let them be lazy. They had to do labor, and he balanced studying and working, which not only exercised their bodies but also kept their minds active, which was beneficial for their studies.
The eldest child took his round stone to the small clod of earth. He first tried to smash it, but found it inconvenient. Then he suddenly realized that it was easier to push the stone forward with one foot.
However, because the stones are too small, they need to be rolled back and forth to crush the soil.
Yin Lan saw that Da Wa had already noticed something amiss, and then began to guide him.
"Big brother, what if we find a bigger rock?"
"Would it be easier to work if the stone were rounder?"
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