Chapter 209 208. It is better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish
The village festival was lively.
The endless variety of competitions and games are dazzling and have a great impact on ordinary people who have little entertainment.
But what shocked them the most was that this village school actually accepted men, boys and girls to study in the same classroom, with age being the only distinction regardless of gender.
Although the people of Xiling are more open-minded than those in Zhongchuan, Wensheng and Beijing, and the separation between men and women is not as strict, they still do not go to school together.
Among the three teachers in this village school, two are female and only one is male.
This made some conservative and pedantic gentry and scholars in the town very dissatisfied, not to mention those wealthy families in the county town who claimed to be well-behaved and respectable. After hearing about it, they were very disdainful of the village school in Sanlihe.
But this trend changed drastically after the County Magistrate Xu Xingzhe went to the village celebration, bringing his wife and children with him, and especially after the County Magistrate's sons and daughters also participated in it.
Some praised this village school for being a pioneering school that teaches all students equally; others praised the boys and girls in this village school for being energetic and truly smart and clever.
Some praised Sanlihe Village for its outstanding people and beautiful scenery, which had produced such outstanding figures as Lei Li and Zhou Yi; others praised the county magistrate for his keen eye for talent...
Lei Li was already quite famous in the county, and now he became an even more prominent figure.
His "Yijia" series of stores have become the favorites of the nobles in the county. Moreover, he is favored by the county magistrate and has a close relationship with the Zhongchuan Meng family. It would be strange if he is not famous.
But Lei Li was born into a peasant family in a rural village, and he was also the head of a family. Those people in the county who thought they were prominent and noble, and were not businessmen, did not think much of him.
A few years ago, when they learned that Lei Li and Zhou Yi had set up a village school that was nothing like what it used to be, these "prominent figures" were privately contemptuous of it. After all, they came from humble backgrounds and had no rules at all.
Only the ordinary people around Sanlihe Village truly admire Lei Li and Zhou Yi, and envy the children in the village who can go to school, and boys and girls can go to school for free.
Some people even use their connections to send their children to study in the village.
Who in the village doesn't have a few relatives? When relatives come to the village school, bringing their children with them, crying, complaining, and threatening, should the village school let them in or not?
Of course not.
The original intention of establishing a village school was to serve the children of the village itself. Although it also accepted children from other villages, what about the children from the town? What about the children from the county seat?
The village school only charges half the tuition for male students, which is quite low, while boys and girls go to school for free. If there are more students, who will pay for the expenses? Could it be that the Lei family will have to pay for it too?
Lei Li is not a charity worker!
Besides, this village school is only big enough for three teachers, how can it not accommodate so many children? Don't let the children of outsiders not be taught well, and your own children will not be able to learn well either.
They were all rejected either politely or firmly.
——Of course, this also caused Lei Li to suffer some criticism, saying that he was cold-blooded, selfish and two-faced, but Lei Li didn't care. Being scolded wouldn't cost him any money.
Now that the magistrate has arrived and praised the village school for its good operation, the common people have followed suit and praised it. The public opinion has been reversed and is now full of praise.
And Lei Li——
Still eat and drink as usual, and don’t take anything to heart.
"You are quite open-minded."
Seeing Lei Li's carefree demeanor, County Magistrate Xu Xingzhe shook his head and laughed, "Since I'm here, why don't you invite me to see what this famous village school you run is like?"
"It's not really famous, but the tuition in this area is low and cheap, so it has a bit of a reputation."
Lei Li smiled and said, "I am naturally delighted to welcome you, Your Excellency. However, my village is humble and I have some shortcomings. I hope Your Excellency will give me some guidance."
"That's not right."
Xu Xingzhe waved his hand and said, "To be honest, I've heard of these two village schools before, and I came here specifically for this village."
"oh?"
Lei Li raised his eyebrows slightly, but he was not surprised in his heart.
Xu Xingzhe is the county magistrate, but he came all the way here without even saying hello, and even brought his family with him. No one would believe him if he said he was just out for leisure.
"I heard that this village school offers enlightenment classes, accepting all students regardless of gender. The teaching content is novel and interesting, very different from ordinary private schools."
Xu Xingzhe said seriously, "It just so happens that the county government's accounts have been looking pretty good in the past two years. I plan to observe them first and get a feel for the situation with you to see if we can open such schools in various places in the county."
"Of course. If we want to open one now, we can only try it out in the county first. Although it can't be free, the cost can be lowered further, at least to make it affordable for most people."
Xu Xingzhe is very ambitious, smart and resourceful, but he has no connections.
Before coming to Qingmi County, he had served as magistrate in another county for five years and had made some political achievements. He also happened to be favored by a retired and secluded official, which allowed him to come to this prosperous Qingmi County to serve as magistrate.
His previous experience of using the county's wealthy to hire refugees from Nanjiang to build roads had added a great deal to his political achievements. It just so happened that his five-year term was up, and he could have been transferred to a more affluent county or moved up a level or two.
Xu Xingzhe also sent a letter to smooth over the relationship, but unfortunately, someone unexpectedly showed up and the position he was eyeing was taken away by someone else. It was said that the person had connections in the provincial capital and was the nephew of a certain Tongzhi.
Xu Xingzhe could only continue to stay in Qingmi County and serve as the county magistrate for another five years, which made him very angry.
But the matter is done, and no amount of scolding will help. Xu Xingzhe is not the type to sit and wait for death. If he fails once, he will try again. One day he will succeed in climbing up.
This time he plans to focus on education and enlightenment.
"If this school is run successfully, it will be a great achievement that will benefit future generations. As a leader and a model for village schools, the future of Boss Lei and Boss Zhou is limitless."
Xu Xingzhe said with a smile.
"I dare not."
Lei Li smiled and waved his hand, saying, "I just saw the children in the village suffering from poverty and lack of education. Thinking about my own children in the future and becoming a parent, I wanted to do my best to help."
"Your Excellency is the county magistrate, the father and mother of the people. You are the one who truly cares about the people and has great merits. You will surely rise to prominence."
"Stop it."
Xu Xingzhe laughed and scolded, "Don't bother complimenting each other. If this thing is done, I can get promoted, and you will also benefit."
"Then it's a pleasure to work with you."
Lei Li smiled, but inwardly he was complaining, "Weren't you the one who was being polite first? How could you be so cheerful without a few compliments?"
A few of them chatted as they walked towards the village school in Sanlihe Village.
Because Lei Li is an investor, Zhou Yi is the founder of the school, Miss Asi is the principal of the village school, and the other two are front-line teachers, all three were invited to join them.
Asi and the other two were a little reserved.
However, Asi had been to Xiling Prefecture City and met many dignitaries. After a brief chat, he regained his composure.
Qin Niang and Master Cao were nervous and reserved, but also excited and overjoyed. The latter, in particular, understood how difficult it was to stand out from thousands of scholars and become a county magistrate, so she admired Xu Xingzhe even more.
"There are six grades in the school. Children can start the first grade at the age of six. There are two semesters a year, spring and autumn, and two holidays, winter and summer."
"There are monthly exams and an exam at the end of each semester. Those who fail two exams will be held back for a year. You can only hold back once per grade. You can graduate if you pass the sixth grade exam..."
The principal of the village school, Asi, slowly introduced to Xu Xingzhe the basic structure and rules and regulations of the village school, as well as the teaching content and infrastructure, etc.
"The teaching subjects include Chinese, arithmetic, music, art, physical education, handicrafts, embroidery, and basic knowledge..."
"This is the village school's stadium, used for physical education classes. This track is for running, with several parallel lanes. These are the horizontal and parallel bars for pull-ups, this is the sandy ground for long jump, and this is for throwing hydrangeas. You score points by throwing the hydrangeas through the small holes in the board..."
"There are three teachers in the village school, each teaching a different subject. For some subjects, we hire villagers as teachers. For example, the rice planting class is taught by Mr. Lei's father, and the identification of wild mushrooms is taught by Miao Fulang from the village..."
Miss Asi gave a general explanation, Qin Niang and Master Cao supplemented it, and Lei Li and Zhou Yi also explained some things, such as the meaning and purpose of certain subjects.
Xu Xingzhe was an orthodox scholar.
He received orthodox education in a private school since childhood, so some things, such as arithmetic, rice planting, and basic common sense, seemed somewhat useless or not serious to him.
How can you offer a class specifically for rice planting? What's the point of teaching how to pick mushrooms? Isn't that just taking students out into the mountains? And aren't there only a few different types of mushrooms? Do you need to identify them?
But after Lei Li and Zhou Yi's explanation, Xu Xingzhe suddenly realized and gave high praise.
"The village school we want to open is for ordinary people. Their lives cannot do without food, clothing, housing and transportation, and teaching their children how to take the imperial examinations is like pouring water into a distant place to quench a nearby fire."
Zhou Yi said, "Teach children how to plant rice and farm, and they will be able to support themselves by farming in the future. Teach them embroidery and sewing, and they can make money by selling handkerchiefs and mending clothes for others."
"And if your own clothes get torn, you can mend them, which can save you a few cents."
"right."
Lei Li nodded and said, "And live by the mountain, eat by the mountain; live by the water, eat by the water. There are many things in the mountains that seem useless, but in fact some are edible and some can be used as medicine. Wild vegetables and fruits can fill the stomach, and medicinal herbs can cure diseases and save lives."
"For example, there are several refugees from the East in my village. They were displaced along the way, but because they didn't recognize the wild vegetables in our Xiling area, they went hungry and had to eat half a meal on the way. They were lucky enough to make it to our village."
Lei Li smiled and said, "My husband has a saying that I really like: It's better to teach a man to fish than to teach him how to fish. Teaching them how to make a living and acquire a skill is worse than just giving them money and food."
"Money can save you in an emergency, but it cannot save you from poverty."
"Well said!"
Xu Xingzhe was overjoyed and clapped his hands, saying, "I was too ambitious and incompetent. I only saw the distance and not what was right in front of me."
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