Mu Yi'an is currently unable to fully immerse herself in the role of a mother. After all, she has never experienced ten months of pregnancy and has never truly felt the reality of a fetus inside her womb.
However, having taken over the original body, she will do her best to raise several children so that they can acquire a skill and establish themselves in society.
Having sorted out the original owner's memories and gradually become familiar with the people and affairs of the Jiang family, Mu Yi'an was no longer anxious. Her mindset became much more peaceful, and she was able to calm down and think about her future path.
Are the children asleep?
"They're asleep. The two kids are really amazing. They don't wake up at night and sleep through the night without wetting the bed. Especially the younger one, Shao Yun, who's only two years old. Back where we're from, he still wears diapers!"
Jiang Shuyun had never raised children, but many of the teachers at her school were married, and their daily conversations mostly revolved around children. Over the years, she had heard it all before.
“Children from poor families mature early. Although the Jiang family is well-off, they have only just reached a comfortable standard of living. They have to do many things themselves and don’t have much time to take care of the children. The older children take care of the younger ones and they are raised in a free-range manner.”
Mu Yi'an was born in 1988. Back then, conditions in rural areas weren't good, especially in her mountain villages. The children in those villages weren't raised so freely; they were all quite healthy. Unlike later, when each family only had one child, wrapped in paper, forbidden from touching anything, and subjected to all sorts of unhygienic conditions. The children were like weaklings, starting injections and medication from a very young age.
"By the way, how's your research going these days?"
"I have summarized a few points from the books, articles, calligraphy copybooks, and other things and memories left behind by the original owner in the study."
The original owner of this body truly loved reading; he spent almost all of his twenty-four years of life reading. He was also quite good at it, but the reason he failed the provincial examinations twice was because his knowledge was too narrow and his perspective too limited.
Another issue is a weaker mental fortitude; excessive nervousness during the exam negatively impacts performance. Also, the provincial examination consisted of three sessions, each lasting three days, and most people were physically exhausted by the end.
After careful consideration, I realized that scientific expeditions were my only way out. The original owner's memories, combined with my years of experience teaching and reading, should be worth a try.
Jiang Shuyun thought about it for several days, and scientific expedition was the only thing he could do.
"Taking the imperial examinations isn't out of the question, after all, this is a feudal dynasty, an era where imperial power is supreme, and ordinary people have no voice. Your status as a scholar isn't really of much use."
However, even if you succeed in the imperial examinations and obtain official rank, are you confident that you can effectively serve as an official in this era?
Mu Yi'an had some doubts. The officialdom had always been fraught with bloodshed. Could these women, who were new to the field, really navigate the treacherous waters of this era?
"I don't understand. When I'm a teacher at a school, I mean a teacher in the literal sense. I don't participate in any of the school's awards or competitions; I simply teach and nurture students."
Jiang Shuyun was very self-aware. After graduating from university, he spent two years wandering around, away from people, just to find solace in nature and observe the world from the outside.
Later, he got tired of walking and didn't want to work for a big company anymore; the competition was too fierce, and he couldn't adapt. His father asked someone to help him get a teaching job at a high school not far from home, which he thought was good, so he continued doing it.
"A hothouse flower, back then, how much effort I put in to stay at the university as a teacher. I not only studied hard and kept my grades in the top three, but I also participated in school activities and strived to join the Party. I learned about the preferences of the school leaders and professors at all levels, did my homework thoroughly, and fought my way through a crowd of people with connections to successfully stay at the university."
Looking back now, Mu Yi'an feels sorry for herself and feels sorry for herself.
"You're really something. Yuncheng University is one of the top universities in the country. The fact that you were able to stay on as a teacher there shows you have exceptional abilities. Now, can you help me figure out what I should do? Should I continue with the scientific expedition?"
"How well do you teach? Do your students enjoy your classes? How much do you read? Do you really enjoy reading? Do you have any skills or two that are relevant to this era?"
Mu Yi'an's series of questions made Jiang Shuyun sit up straight; he had to answer them seriously.
"My teaching methods are quite good; in political classes, about 80% of the students can understand. I've read a lot of classic works from ancient and modern times, both Chinese and foreign; I genuinely love reading. Skills relevant to this era? Would calligraphy and traditional Chinese painting count?"
"It's alright, not entirely useless. Calligraphy and traditional Chinese painting are very useful; in an era dominated by literati, these were practically standard skills!"
I think you can continue taking the imperial examinations. If you can pass them and achieve official rank, you can choose not to become an official and instead teach at a prestigious and influential academy, continuing your original profession.
In ancient times, teachers held a high status. Scholars respected their teachers, and having many students was a way to protect one's family.
Mu Yi'an thought this arrangement was quite good. Otherwise, even if one passed the imperial examinations, it would be a waste if one couldn't understand the ways of officialdom, and it would easily lead to trouble and make one take the blame for others.
"After your analysis, I feel that my future looks promising. I'm not exaggerating, but my memory is really good, and my calligraphy and traditional Chinese painting skills are quite good after hard practice."
Jiang Shuyun felt much more at ease; he really couldn't stand being a kept man.
"Then let's work towards that goal. Have you mastered the original owner's handwriting?"
"It won't be that fast. I only have his memories and muscle memory, and I still need to practice slowly. I plan to master his official script for the imperial examinations. I practice cursive script myself, and I also practice regular script, but not as well as cursive script."
Jiang Shuyun has been trying to practice writing the original character's calligraphy these past few days, but the handwriting is still different. If you look closely, you can still tell that it wasn't written by the same person.
"Don't rush, you still have three years."
Mu Yi'an was never afraid of waiting. She had nothing but plenty of time. She used the time others spent playing to study and earn tuition, and the time others spent sleeping to conduct experiments. This was her forte, her domain.
"What about you? I don't think you'd be content to be a housewife, just a wife and mother."
"Me? Of course, I'll stick to my old profession. Agronomy. I'm an agronomy teacher. I'm an expert on how to increase crop yields and how to cultivate medicinal herbs."
Although there's no advanced experimental equipment here, and we can't produce genetically modified seeds or make many other modifications, the fundamental, original principles remain the same.
When talking about her major, Mu Yi'an was beaming. Although she was assigned to this major by others, she studied diligently for the sake of her future.
Jiang Shuyun admired Mu Yi'an for always knowing what he wanted and striving for it. He, on the other hand, had never lacked anything and had never fought for anything; he lacked that kind of experience.
Now he has a goal. Whether he can achieve it is unknown, but having a direction to strive for gives him motivation.
The two sat on the bed and discussed for a long time until the moon was high in the sky before they had to lie down and go to sleep, as there were things to do the next day.
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