The three of them, master and servant, were in good spirits.
The fifty children who left the village, once outside the village boundaries, stopped being so reserved and ran home as fast as they could to tell their families that they could read.
At the village entrance, Old Man Zhang was waiting with men and women, young and old.
"Dazhu, how's it going? Have you learned it?"
"Grandpa, we've learned five characters: person, mouth, hand, mountain, and stone. I know what they look like now. The teacher taught us. There are characters and pictures in the book."
Dazhu carefully took out the bundle, which contained ten books. His mother had specially found a piece of floral cloth for him to wrap them up and bring back.
"Okay, okay, let's go home. When we get home, sort the books carefully, making sure they don't get dirty or torn."
"Understood, Grandpa. The Master said that all five of us are responsible for protecting the books, and if they are damaged, we will all have to pay for them together."
Dazhu is twelve years old, which is considered half a child. He is usually the leader of the children and speaks clearly and logically.
"That's right, my grandson has made something of himself and has learned a lot of new words."
"If you diligently learn to read from the young man in Zhuangzi's book, it will be useful in the future."
“Grandpa, we also saw the old man from the village. He looked very unusual.”
He also spoke to us, saying that being literate wasn't just for getting a job in the city, but also had other uses.
“You’re lucky. The master of the estate is a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) who has been to the place where the emperor lived.”
Old Zhang had heard that Master Jiang had passed the imperial examination and was destined for high office. He was fond of teaching, which was why he returned home.
In their eyes, anyone who could go to the emperor's residence was a powerful person.
The tenant farmers were overjoyed, while the other families in the village were filled with envy and jealousy. When would their children be able to read?
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