Chapter 25
The private school's target students were clearly defined: children who had just begun their education or had not yet begun their education. In Chen Qingyan's own words, he had not yet reached the point of complete mastery of knowledge and could not mislead the students.
There are many children in the town, but very few can afford to go to school, which worries the two of them greatly.
Wang Ying simply started writing flyers and going out to recruit students.
"Admissions Notice: Chen Family Private School is now accepting students aged five to fifteen."
Have you ever been tricked because you can't read? Have you ever been cheated because you can't count? Do you want your child to repeat the same mistakes?
Let's teach them to read! A good education allows them to travel the world.
Top-tier instructors, teachers with profound knowledge of classical Chinese literature, guaranteed to teach and learn, plus a free three-day trial!
After blowing away the ink, Wang Ying shook the draft paper and said, "How is it?"
Chen Qingyan covered her face, her ears turning red with embarrassment. "Should we change the part about repeating the same mistakes? I'm afraid they won't understand."
Wang Ying picked up her pen, crossed out a few words, and changed them to "like you all," saying, "How about this?"
"Mmm-hmm." Chen Qingyan nodded haphazardly, not daring to look a second time; it was just too embarrassing.
What is the tuition fee?
"I don't understand, you handle the arrangements."
"Qingsong's current school costs 200 coins a month. How about we lower the price to 150 coins?"
"Can."
“Then it’s settled. I’ll copy a few more and have Ershun take them to put up in a prominent place to advertise.”
The recruitment notices were posted, but on the first day, not a single person came up to inquire about them.
The next day, someone came and asked about the tuition fee. Upon learning that it was 150 coins a month, they shook their heads and left.
It wasn't until the third day that they finally welcomed their first student. The child's surname was Feng, his name was Feng Zhang, and he was the son of a grain shop owner in the city. He had just turned seven years old this year.
Manager Feng's purpose in sending the child here was very simple: he didn't expect him to pass the imperial examinations and become a top scholar; he just wanted him to learn to read and count so that he could understand account books in the future.
Previously, we sent our child to two other schools, where the old teachers taught the child classical Chinese texts every day. If the child couldn't learn them, he would be punished with a slap on the hand. The beating made the child hate school and refused to go no matter what.
Having learned that a new private school had opened in town, I came to inquire about it.
Wang Ying patted her chest and assured him, "I definitely won't hit the child. You can let him try it for three days first. If he really can't accept it, it's okay if he doesn't come."
Manager Feng nodded in satisfaction after listening and told him to bring the child over the next day.
*
The next morning, before dawn, Chen Qingyan began choosing the clothes she would wear that day.
"How about this black one? Isn't it too mature? What about this green one? Isn't it too flashy? And this blue one... what if the students' parents don't trust me because I look young?"
Wang Ying lay on the bed, propping her chin up, and said, "Don't worry, you'll look young in anything." At only seventeen, she really was a bit too young.
Chen Qingyan was somewhat distressed, "I wish I were a few years older."
"Wait, I have an idea." Wang Ying jumped off the bed barefoot, found a pair of scissors, cut off a lock of hair, and used pigskin glue to make a fake beard for him.
"Will this... will this work?"
"As long as you don't pull it down forcefully, you definitely won't be able to tell."
Chen Qingyan looked in the mirror with some skepticism and was shocked by the person in the mirror. It was so ugly!
"Hey, don't pull me down like that. As the saying goes, 'A young man with no beard is unreliable.' People will only trust you if you have a beard. Otherwise, if they see that you're about the same age as their sons, who would want you to teach?"
After finishing their meal, the two went to the classroom. They swept the floor and wiped the desks clean. It wasn't until Chenshi (7-9 AM) that Manager Feng arrived late with his son, Shanshan.
Feng Zhang looked exactly like his father, with two buns on his chubby head and wearing a ginger-yellow outfit. He was so nervous when he saw Chen Qingyan that he could barely speak.
"This is Master Chen, who will teach you to read and write from now on."
"I don't want to learn, I don't want to go to school, ahhhhh..." the child cried out, straining his neck.
Chen Qingyan stood there helplessly; this was the first time he had encountered such a situation.
Manager Feng was also a little embarrassed. He had already made arrangements with the people beforehand, and going back now would seem like a breach of trust. He simply pushed his son aside and said, "You have to learn whether you like it or not, otherwise who will manage the shop in the future?"
The child cried even louder upon hearing this, the sound like bagpipes vibrating so loudly it hurt one's eardrums.
Seeing this, Wang Ying took out a tomato from her bosom, squatted down next to the chubby boy, and said, "Baby, don't cry. Tell your uncle why you don't want to go to school."
"My husband...my teacher always hits people."
"Our teacher doesn't hit people, so even if you can't learn it, he won't hit you."
"Really?" The chubby boy stopped crying.
"Of course it's true!" Wang Ying handed him the tomato. "You're a brave and good kid, so here's a sweet fruit for you. If you can keep it up for one day, I'll give you another one tomorrow."
Feng Xiaopang curiously picked up the tomato, sniffed it, and couldn't resist taking a bite. The sweet and sour taste made his eyes widen instantly.
"Dad, this fruit is delicious!"
Manager Feng swallowed hard. "What kind of fruit is this? I've never seen it before."
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Wang Ying took out another tomato and handed it to him, saying, "This fruit is called a tomato. You can eat it as a fruit or use it in cooking."
Manager Feng held the fruit up and down, asking, "Where can I buy this?"
"It's not available right now. My fourth uncle brought some with him when he came from Laizhou last time, and we don't have many left at home."
"I see."
"However, once our shop opens in a while, if Manager Feng finds the fruit acceptable, he can buy some from the shop. All the fruit is freshly transported from Laizhou."
"Wow, it must have cost a lot to ship this all the way here."
"With your vast wealth, do you really need money for a little fruit?"
Manager Feng smiled and stroked his beard. "Alright, I'll come and take a look when it opens."
After seeing Manager Feng off, Little Feng Zhang pouted and was about to cry again.
Wang Ying led him by the little hand to his seat. "The teacher really doesn't hit people. I'll listen to the lesson with you here."
"Okay!" The child was won over by a tomato and immediately regarded Wang Ying as one of his own. With Wang Ying sitting next to him for encouragement, he was no longer afraid.
Chen Qingyan cleared his throat and began the first lesson of his life.
Many years later, when he was in his eighties, he still vividly recalled that class. Wang Ying's firm gaze supported him as he walked step by step onto the podium and picked up his pen to write about his life.
*
Chen Qingyan's body couldn't withstand the strain, so he only taught for half a day each day.
The first day of teaching went fairly well. In just one morning, the little chubby boy learned to write his own name and count from one to nine.
Feng Zhang is young and a bit playful; he often gets distracted after listening for a while and then drifts off into his own thoughts. Chen Qingyan doesn't get annoyed; she sits with him and thinks along with him, then continues teaching when the child comes to his senses.
When Madam Feng came to pick up the child at noon, Feng Zhang stopped crying and even held his mother's hand, saying, "I'll come again tomorrow!"
Mrs. Feng never expected that her son would change his ways and actually take a liking to studying. This was a good thing, and as a mother, she would definitely support him. So, the next day, the little fat boy from the Feng family appeared at the door again on time.
He didn't come alone this time; he also brought two of his cousins.
The two children were in a similar situation to him. They had studied at other schools for a few days before, but they couldn't learn anything. When they learned that the teacher at the newly opened private school was gentle and didn't hit anyone, the two decided to give it a try together.
With more children in the classroom, Chen Qingyan became more energetic in his teaching. His voice was pleasant, and he didn't speak as awkwardly as the old scholar. When the children were naughty, he would only scold them a few times and wouldn't hit them.
Most importantly, at the end of the school term, the teacher's husband would reward each obedient child with a red fruit.
This stuff is delicious!
In ancient times, food was scarce, and delicious food was even rarer. Once they tasted it, they would crave it, and some people even started asking when the Chen family's shop would open.
*
Seeing that the time was almost ripe, Wang Ying chose an auspicious day, and the shop finally opened for business.
He moved the vegetables and fruits from the experimental field in advance, put them in bamboo baskets, covered them with burlap, loaded them onto a mule cart, and had Dunzi drive the cart to the outskirts of town.
They would come in from outside the town after daybreak, pretending that the goods were transported from elsewhere.
Shi Dunzi was honest and simple-minded. He didn't dare to ask what his master meant and did whatever he was told. He was very well-behaved.
Early in the morning, the whole family came to the shop to help.
Er Shun climbed the ladder and hung up the signboard, which was light green and embroidered with four large characters: "Wang's Vegetable Shop".
Zhao Huang was sewn by her mother-in-law, and Qingyun helped embroider the words. The fabric used was exquisite, and when it was hung up, it outshone all the other shops in the row.
As baskets of fresh vegetables were unloaded from the mule cart, people from nearby shops came out to watch the spectacle.
Keep in mind that it's October now, and the ground in the north is already frosty. The only vegetables that people can eat right now are the radishes, cabbages, and sweet potatoes that they stocked up in advance, as well as dried vegetables.
You can't even see vegetables this fresh, let alone eat them.
"Shopkeeper, where did you get these vegetables from? They're so fresh!"
Wang Ying said, "They were brought from Laizhou. My fourth uncle is an official there, and he happens to have some connections, so he thought of bringing some vegetables from there to sell."
Some people don't believe this explanation. It's a seven or eight-day journey from Laizhou to the town. Even the freshest vegetables would wilt after seven or eight days. The vegetables in this basket still have dew on them!
Whether you believe it or not, there's no way to get to the bottom of it, since they have relatives who are officials. Everyone just takes it as entertainment.
The owner of the sesame oil shop next door asked, "How much are these cucumbers?"
"Twenty coins a catty."
"Twenty coins? They only cost two coins in the summer!"
Wang Ying laughed and said, "You said it yourself, it's summer. What season is it now? You can't buy such fresh vegetables anywhere else but here."
"That's too expensive! Are you going to eat gold?"
Those who didn't have any money left with their heads down. Wang Ying wasn't in a hurry. This stuff wasn't meant for ordinary people, otherwise how would he make money?
Besides, if we sell it too cheaply, the small plot of land in the experimental fields won't be enough to sell.
After most of the people had left, Madam Li asked in a low voice, "Ying'er, where did this vegetable come from? Wasn't the coachman at home just a few days ago?"
A note from the author:
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