The sudden interruption made Jiang Zhishan a little annoyed, but he didn't show it. He put down his book, turned to look at the children sitting below, and said, "Let's not answer this question for now. Today, let's talk about why you read books. Who wants to speak first?"
“My mother said that girls can also read and write, and can also become female teachers. Reading can make people cultured and refined!” Jiang Suihe was the first to stand up and answer.
Jiang Suihe's tone was calm, yet it gave people a sense of boundless power, making them feel excited.
"My mother said that people need to study, otherwise their brains will become dull! So I also need to study and learn to read!"
"I want to read. I find reading very interesting, and what Uncle Zhishan has been teaching us recently is also very interesting!"
"Reading makes me happy; at least for now, it's the thing that makes me happiest."
Everyone started talking at once, getting more and more excited. Zhao Qianyu, who was standing to the side, listened with increasingly complicated feelings. He seemed to have never thought about so much before; it was as if his life had been arranged for him from birth.
He looked at the group of children with a complicated expression, and remained silent for a long time.
His mind was elsewhere all morning, and he only came back to his senses after cheers erupted in the classroom.
"Next week, we will have exams. The students who get first place in literacy and arithmetic will be rewarded with a calligraphy brush and ten sheets of Xuan paper as gifts. Students who don't get first place shouldn't be discouraged. I believe that as long as you continue to work hard, you will also get first place!" Jiang Zhishan said.
"Tch, one calligraphy brush and ten sheets of Xuan paper? These kids are so easily satisfied!" Zhao Qianyu turned to look at the children's expressions and curled his lip.
The morning passed quickly. When Jiang Zhishan and Zhao Qianyu returned, Jiang Ling had already prepared the meal. Jiang Yaojie also returned home safely in Uncle Lu's oxcart.
Seeing Jiang Yaojie covered in sweat, Jiang Ling quickly handed him a cup of refreshing tea that she had prepared beforehand, saying, "Drink this quickly so you don't get heatstroke!"
Then he turned to the others and said, "Everyone, have a cup of the refreshing tea on the table. It's so hot, you don't want to get heatstroke!"
The cooling tea was something Jiang Ling secretly bought from the mall and secretly added in with mint syrup.
After hearing this, the family members all nodded and poured themselves a cup. Jiang Yaojie then walked to Jiang Ling's side and took out a silver ingot from his pocket, carefully placing it in Jiang Ling's hand.
Jiang Ling patted Jiang Yaojie's head with satisfaction and urged the others to eat quickly.
In the afternoon, Jiang Ling did not let the children go out to work with him; instead, he went to the fields by himself.
The cotton and potatoes have been growing very well lately, and seedlings have already appeared in just a few days.
“Jiang Shi, what are you planting in this field? It’s almost harvest time, if you plant anything else, it might not survive the winter!” Jiang Ling was observing the seedlings when a voice came from behind her.
She quickly stood up, turned around, and saw the village chief standing not far away, looking at her house and asking questions.
"Oh, village chief, this is cotton. The cotton will be planted now and harvested around December!" Jiang Ling explained.
"Cotton? This stuff is neither edible nor drinkable, why are you planting it, Jiang?" the village chief asked, frowning.
“Village chief, you may not know this, but cotton is much better at keeping warm than reeds. The autumn harvest is just around the corner, and I was thinking that in previous years, after the autumn harvest, we would leave the land for planting the following spring. These few months of downtime are a bit of a waste, so I thought I'd buy some cotton to try. If the cotton can really grow, at least our winter won't be so hard to endure!” Jiang Ling said, looking at the tender sprouts in the field.
"Oh? Hmm?" The village chief stood to the side, his gaze, like Jiang Ling's, fixed on the tender shoots in Jiang Ling's field. After a long while, the village chief continued, "Hmm... what you said makes sense. So, when it's harvest time, I'll hold a meeting and talk to everyone about this!"
“Village chief, don’t worry. There are still more than ten days until the autumn harvest. Let’s observe for the next ten days. If it turns out to be unworkable, wouldn’t that disappoint everyone?” Jiang Ling explained.
After listening to Jiang Ling's words, the village chief nodded in agreement.
After tending to the tender shoots in the field, Jiang Ling returned home. Jiang Zhishan and Zhao Qianyu had already gone to the school to teach the children, leaving only the dog "Little Grey" at home.
Seeing Jiang Ling return, Little Grey ran over happily, tugging at Jiang Ling's sleeve repeatedly.
Jiang Ling carefully observed Little Grey's injuries and found that Little Grey's injuries had almost healed. Judging from its appearance, it probably didn't suffer any damage.
Seeing that no one was around, Jiang Ling bought a bag of dog food and some milk powder from the store, and soaked the milk powder in the dog food to feed Xiao Huihui.
Little Grey had a good appetite and finished all the food in his bowl in no time. Little Grey didn't seem to be full and kept circling around Jiang Ling after he finished eating.
Jiang Ling reached out and touched Little Grey's belly, which was already quite bloated. Jiang Ling quickly said to Little Grey, "No, if you eat any more, you'll be stuffed!"
It was clear that Little Grey seemed to understand Jiang Ling's words, and after Jiang Ling finished speaking, Little Grey did not bother her anymore.
Jiang Ling then continued working on the mint-related tasks.
After dinner, it was announced that Jiang Wenxi would be taken to the martial arts school the next day. Although everyone was reluctant, they didn't say anything more when they saw Jiang Wenxi's excited eyes.
The next morning, Jiang Ling brought Jiang Wenxi to the entrance of the martial arts school in Pingxi County. The servant at the gate recognized Jiang Ling and warmly led her inside, then informed Instructor Qian.
Upon seeing Jiang Ling, Instructor Qian immediately waved enthusiastically to her and strode in, saying to her, "Oh, big sister, you've come!"
"Yes, hello Coach Qian! Wenxi, say hello to Uncle Qian!" Jiang Ling quickly patted Jiang Wenxi and said.
"Hello, Uncle Qian!" Jiang Wenxi said in a childish voice, her big eyes blinking.
"Oh, hello, hello little friend!" Coach Qian's heart almost melted when he saw Jiang Wenxi's smile. He affectionately pinched Jiang Wenxi's nose and said.
"Big sister, are you really planning to let such a cute little one come and learn martial arts from me? This is going to be very hard for me!" Whether it was because Jiang Wenxi was too cute or because Instructor Qian was a doting father, he showed a somewhat reluctant expression as he reminded her.
"Let's try it first, just do as we say! What do you think?" Jiang Ling looked at Jiang Wenxi with some reluctance.
“Well… alright then, if this little girl can’t hold on any longer, I’ll send someone to Lujia Village to find you, and then you can come and pick her up,” Instructor Qian said.
Then, Coach Qian looked at Jiang Wenxi with gentle eyes and said, "Wenxi, right? You'll be staying with Uncle Qian for a while and won't be able to see your mother. Will you cry?"
After hearing this, Jiang Wenxi hesitated for a moment, glanced at Jiang Ling, then shook her head and said to Instructor Qian, "Why would I stay here with you?"
Coach Qian stroked Jiang Wenxi's hair with a look of doting affection and continued, "Because your mother said you should come here to practice martial arts."
"Practicing martial arts?" Jiang Wenxi's eyes immediately lit up.
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