On this day, the village school opened. Early in the morning, the children in the village were woken up by their parents, washed their hands and faces, dressed neatly, and sent to the village school.
Lin Qing and Li Yan also arrived at the village school early in the morning to welcome the new students.
Lin Qing tugged at his sister's sleeve and asked nervously, "Will I be able to teach you poorly?"
"Your uncle agreed to let you come, which means he also believes that you are capable of doing such a thing. Don't underestimate yourself, sister." Li Yan comforted her.
People like her uncle are very rigorous in academic research. With his approval, there will be no problem with her sister's knowledge.
"Will the villagers be disappointed if they know I'm the substitute teacher?"
"I've already contacted the villagers. They just said they need someone willing to teach their children to read and write. You don't have to worry about it, sister."
In fact, the villagers sent their children to school more because of Li Yan's promise that they would select useful managers from among the children. Others also said that the children could recognize some words, and even if they were not selected by Li Yan, they might be able to find a job as an accountant in the city in the future, so that their studies would not be in vain.
After hearing what my sister said, I finally felt at ease.
This was the first time in her life that she was a substitute teacher, which made her feel a little insecure.
While they were talking, the villagers brought their children over one after another. They were holding the small handwritten blackboard that Li Yan had helped them make that day, and they walked beside their fathers and brothers, jumping and skipping with joy.
When they were about to enter the village school, perhaps because they were reminded by their father, they restrained their lively nature and started to walk properly. Li Yan found it a bit funny.
Until recently, the child bowed to Lin Qing politely, and looked quite respectful.
Li Yan looked at her cousin who was just saying she was nervous, and she imitated her uncle's posture in class. She put on a stern face and nodded slightly, asking them to stand aside first.
At first, the children thought that this was just a teacher who was only a few years older than them, so they were not that scared.
At this moment, the person in front of him had a stern face and looked serious. He didn't dare to wink at his companions and stood obediently with his head lowered.
The villagers also had some ideas. In addition to sending the naughty boys in their homes, they also sent all the eldest sons in their families. In this way, after they finished their studies, if the girl from the Li family needed someone to do work, she would definitely choose from among their older children. If they waited until these boys grew up, it would be too late.
If there is only a young boy in the family, one can only feel a little sorry for him.
On the contrary, those young people who had just gotten married were secretly wondering whether they should learn it themselves.
There are quite a few young people who have such ideas. On weekdays, they help their fathers and brothers with farming at home, or do some odd jobs.
If they could achieve something in the village school, they might be able to become a manager in a shop. The young people were excited when they thought about it. Although they were already married, it did not prevent them from learning literature and mathematics!
When they saw Li Yan, they were no longer embarrassed and asked nervously, "Girl, do you think I can learn to read in this village?"
Before Li Yan could answer, a villager nearby jokingly said, "Li Sanwang, you're already married, are you really going to sit in the school with your nephew?"
The villagers burst into laughter at this.
Li Sanwang's face flushed red from the laughter. He blushed and said, "Didn't I encounter such a good opportunity when I was a child? Besides, I'm here to learn how to read. What does it have to do with whether I can get married or not?"
Li Yan nodded in agreement. "Confucius once said, 'There is no distinction in education,' meaning that for anyone who wants to receive an education, there should be no distinction between categories, let alone between rich and poor. Brother Sanwang is a little older, but that's no reason to deny him an education! Anyone who wants to come to the village school, regardless of age or whether they are married or not, can come."
After hearing Li Yan say this, some people immediately cheered excitedly.
The most respected people in this world are those who can read and write! In the past, they didn't have the opportunity, but now the village school is right at their doorstep and free of charge, so why not come and study?
The young people who were already a little excited now had no worries at all. They all expressed that they also wanted to study in the village school.
The young men's faces were beaming with joy, and their families were also very happy. This way, when the Li family girl is recruiting a manager, if they study well, there might be some chance.
Where some people were happy, others were envious, and Li Yan naturally noticed such gazes.
Li Yan raised her hand to stop everyone from talking, and asked in confusion, "I see that the uncles and aunts only sent their children here, but the girls at home are unwilling to come?"
Li Yan glanced at the girls who came to watch the fun, but they did not dare to look at Li Yan and lowered their heads.
After hearing what Li Yan said, a villager suddenly asked the person next to him: "Are you going to send your daughter to school?"
"A girl will get married after studying for a few years. By then, she will belong to someone else. Why would she need to learn characters?"
Someone nodded in agreement.
"The boy has already been sent to school. If we send the girl here too, there won't be anyone left to do the work of cutting grass and feeding the pigs!"
“…”
Li Yan watched the villagers talking to each other, and the girls' eyes, which had originally had some hope, all dimmed. They lowered their heads and stopped talking, and some even secretly wiped away their tears.
The villagers who had noticed it in advance saw Li Yan with a cold face and didn't say anything, so they quickly pulled the villager who was still talking and signaled him to stop.
The villagers who were speaking realized belatedly that something was wrong. The girl in front of them was also a girl. Would their words make her angry?
Seeing that everyone seemed afraid of making him angry, he stopped talking in embarrassment.
"Now that the uncles have finished speaking, it's my turn!"
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