Pei Han's heart softened at the look in his son's eyes. After tucking him in, he leaned down and kissed his forehead. "What's wrong? Aren't you sleepy?"
"Father, you won't send me to a private school, will you?" Pei Ji asked anxiously.
Pei Han was surprised that his son was so insecure. He quickly put away his playful expression and looked seriously into Pei Ji's eyes as he replied, "No, as long as you are willing, Father will continue to teach you."
Pei Ji had been intently watching Pei Han since he asked the question. Now that he had received a positive answer and confirmed with his own eyes that Pei Han was not joking, he finally felt relieved and slowly closed his eyes.
Seeing that Pei Han was also experiencing the feeling of going too far that she used to often feel, Min Yueqing unconsciously curled up her lips slightly.
Pei Han had just calmed his son down when he saw Min Yueqing's expression of trying not to laugh. He felt a little embarrassed, but also wanted to laugh himself.
When Min Yueqing and Pei Hanyi exchanged glances, they both couldn't help but smile silently.
Pei Han leaned over and shared a brief kiss with Min Yueqing. Their lips touched lightly and then parted, but the smiles on their faces deepened.
Just as Min Yueqing and Pei Ji were lying down, ready to go to sleep, Xiao Wei had just woken up from a short nap.
Xiao Wei rolled over and got up. It first went to the edge of the bed and looked in Min Yueqing's direction. As soon as it saw that Min Yueqing was sleeping, it left the bedside and began to walk around the room, as if it were patrolling its own territory.
Xiao Wei moves very lightly, so although it gets up and moves around intermittently every night, it does not affect the sleep of Min Yueqing and the others at all.
Two days later, the information from various villages was compiled, and it was found that there were only a little over sixty children of suitable age who could attend the school in the entire Sanping County.
There are many reasons why the number is so small.
First, some children have reached the required age, but their families lack labor and need them to stay and work. Second, it is related to local traditions, as people here generally marry young, usually around sixteen years old.
The last and most important reason is inextricably linked to the bandits in the prison. Due to the frequent raids by the bandits, the birth and survival rates of infants in this area have never been high.
After tallying the number of students this year, Pei Han started preparing the school's facilities, such as desks, wooden benches, and beds.
As for the carpenters, Pei Han's first thought was Wu Shiliu. However, this time the number needed was larger and the time was tighter than last time, so Wu Shiliu and his apprentice alone were obviously not enough.
Pei Han entrusted the task of finding the craftsman to Wu Li.
The people in the patrol office have been most concerned about the nearby school recently. Although it is only a foundation now, everyone knows that it will be built soon and many children will be born.
The soldiers may not necessarily have school-aged children at home right now, but as long as the school is established, their children will be able to study there sooner or later. Who isn't looking forward to it?
Therefore, as soon as Wu Li received the task assigned by Pei Han, he immediately led his men to carry it out.
One month later
Wu Li arrived at Wutong Village early in the morning. This time, he didn't come on horseback, but in a horse-drawn carriage, which made it easier to pack Wu Wen's luggage.
When Wu Li arrived, Wu Wen had already cleaned the house spotlessly, and all the things he wanted to take were packed separately in bamboo baskets or tied with rope.
Wu Li drove the carriage into the courtyard and greeted everyone as he entered, "Wu Wen, Auntie, good morning!"
With a beaming smile, Madam Wu said, "Good morning, sir! We're all packed and ready to go."
Wu Wen also smiled and said, "I'm so sorry to have troubled you to make this trip again!"
Wu Li laughed loudly, "Hey! What trouble is there? I'm here on the orders of the lord, Brother Wu Wen, please don't stand on ceremony."
Upon seeing the items in the main room, Wu Li asked familiarly, "Are these all to be taken to the school? Let me help you move them."
Wu Wen quickly stepped forward and said "No need," but Wu Li took it as a definite answer and immediately started carrying it out.
Seeing this, Wu Wen had no choice but to accept the offer and also helped carry the things onto the car.
In fact, they didn't have much luggage. The main items were two quilts and food, and the rest were miscellaneous small items.
Wu Wen also planted a lot of potatoes in early September, and he was worried because he could harvest them in about ten days.
But a few days ago, the village chief came to his house in person and told him to go back to teaching without worry. He said that when the potatoes were ripe, the whole village would help his family harvest them, and the harvest would be finished soon.
The village chief of Wutong Village has been riding high this past month. The first teacher in the county is from their village, and everyone in the village feels proud.
Moreover, Wu Wen has a good personality and is literate. The villagers all have a good relationship with him, so helping with this small matter is no problem for him.
Wu Wen and Wu Li quickly finished moving all the luggage. Wu Wen first carried his elderly mother onto the carriage, then locked the door and climbed onto the carriage himself.
Wu Wen felt a long-lost sense of ease and joy; he truly loved reading.
From the moment he stepped into Confucius's house as a child and first came into contact with writing, Wu Wen felt as if he had inexhaustible energy when reading and writing, always wanting to read the next chapter as soon as he finished the previous one.
He even found enjoyment in memorizing, a task that many children found tedious.
Therefore, Wu Wen was very grateful to Pei Han. If Pei Han hadn't intended to open a school, he probably would have had to stay at home and farm for the rest of his life.
At the same time, people from almost every village in Sanping County were taking their children to the school.
Because some villages were far from the school, Pei Han specifically instructed that no classes would be held on the first day; the day would only be used for the children to register and settle in.
In addition, Pei Han took Min Yueqing's advice and did not adopt the commonly used ten-day break, but instead stipulated five days of study and two days of rest, and allowed some children in need to go home to help during the busy farming season.
Of course, if someone doesn't want to go home on their day off or it's inconvenient for them to go home, they can stay at the school as usual.
Wu Si'er waited and waited in the courtyard but no one came. He called out loudly into the house, "Everything is packed. Let's take Xiao Tong to the village chief's house now. We can't keep them waiting."
After a while, Aunt Cui pulled Xiao Tong out the door and said to Wu Si'er, "You always rush me. It's Xiao Tong's first day at school, we have to dress her up smartly!"
Wu Si'er looked Xiao Tong up and down and immediately noticed that Xiao Tong looked quite energetic today. Her clothes were clean and neat, unlike her usual wrinkled clothes.
Wu Si'er picked up the luggage from the ground and said as he walked, "You really know how to do things. Our son looks much more handsome today."
Aunt Cui then smiled slightly, "Our son is naturally good-looking! I calculated the time in my mind, we won't be late. Do I look like such an inconsiderate person? How could I have the nerve to make the village chief wait for us when we're riding in his oxcart?"
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