Chapter 73 Chapter 73 Chen Sui's Family (Part 1)
Chen Yi, without telling the other officials, brought his wife and Chen Sui to Li County.
Xihe Road is currently under construction, and the ox cart of a family of three is stopping and starting along the way. The road is full of hard-working people.
The difference is that the expressions on the people's faces are completely different. They are expressions of hope and yearning.
Looking to both sides, the greenhouses protected the potatoes and sweet potatoes planted during the coldest period, and they would soon have a good harvest.
Chen Yi couldn't help but sigh, then lowered the curtain.
For some reason, he had a vague feeling that a new era was about to arrive.
Chen Yi discovered that the road construction was not just about building a road. A few simple houses were also built at intervals, and he didn't know what they were used for.
Chen Sui and his mother Huang Baiqiu also lifted the curtain to look.
Huang Qiubai was also born into a merchant family. When the cold wave hit and taxes on merchants increased, she was afraid that her life was over and she was even more worried about whether her family could survive.
Who knew that the Princess of Anping would show up unexpectedly?
When the ox cart arrived at Li County, Chen Yi and others stated their purpose and produced the document issued by the government office, which was stamped with Liang Nian's seal.
Liang Nian originally insisted on handwritten signatures, but Lin Si wanted to use a seal himself, so he carved one for Liang Nian as well.
As soon as he entered the gate of Li County, Chen Sui was shocked by the scene before him.
This... is this how the world should be today?
The people here are neatly dressed, have rosy complexions, and no trace of sadness on their faces. If you call it a paradise on earth, it's probably just like this.
For the first time, the three of them felt like bumpkins from other places.
I originally planned to come and see the situation of the school, but now I don’t know where to start.
Huang Qiubai had good eyesight and could see from a distance two young ladies wearing the same clothes and carrying small cross-body backpacks.
"Are those the students of the academy?"
Chen Yi turned his head to look and saw that they were two young ladies. He felt relieved instantly. It seemed that the saying that there was no distinction between girls and men here was true.
There has never been a precedent of girls attending the school since ancient times. He did not object to Chen Sui coming to the school, but he was afraid that Chen Sui would be the only girl in the entire school, which was absolutely unacceptable.
The three of them then discovered a fatal fact: there was no accommodation in Li County.
Just when the three of them were standing there anxiously, Xu Bei happened to be returning home from buying groceries and took the initiative to step forward and ask if they needed help.
Xu Bei knew that these three people were from outside the area and must be curious about her appearance, so she took the initiative to introduce herself.
"My name is Xu Bei, and I'm originally from the Hu people."
Chen Yi hurriedly thanked her, "Thank you, Madam Xu. I wonder if there's any place to stay in Li County? My family is from Lingzhou."
Xu Bei thought for a moment and said, "Li County rarely had outsiders before, so there weren't any places like inns. I'll take you to the county government office to ask."
When Chen Yi heard that he had to deal with the county government, he quickly shook his head and refused, "How can we trouble the county government with such a small matter?"
Having been used to being suppressed over the years, Chen subconsciously avoided dealing with officials.
Things have reached a deadlock again.
Xu Bei asked, "If you three don't mind, you can stay at my house for two days. My children have all followed the county lady to Lingzhou, and there are two empty rooms in my house."
Chen Sui then remembered that among the county lord's patrol team, there was a young man who was also a Hu person, and he looked somewhat like the woman in front of him.
Chen Sui said openly, "Could it be that the young man from Madam Xu's family is one of the county lord's retainers? I once met a retainer in Lingzhou who looked very similar to Madam Xu."
Xu Bei immediately revealed a subtle smile, "That's really a coincidence."
When he heard that they were the family members of the troops, Chen Yi's original doubts disappeared instantly, and the whole family followed Xu Bei back home.
On the way, Chen Yi and Huang Qiubai asked Xu Bei if she knew what the situation of this school was like.
Xu Bei smiled slightly. "My daughter just graduated from the academy. It's a long story. I'll tell you in detail after I get home and pour you some hot water."
Huang Qiubai praised Xu Bei, "Mrs. Xu's family are all Hu people. Yet they speak Chinese very well."
"It's all accumulated over time. When I first came here, I only understood a little bit, but I got it as I spoke more."
When she returned home, Xu Bei was the only one at home. The weather was cold this year, which was not suitable for cotton planting, so Xu Bei finally had some free time.
After pouring four cups of hot water into ceramic cups, Xu Bei sat down and chatted with them slowly.
Although it is spring, the weather is still cold. After having a cup of hot water, I feel refreshed all over.
"This school has an age limit. You must be between six and twelve to attend. You don't have to pay tuition fees, just twenty cents for miscellaneous fees."
Chen Yi was shocked. "Only twenty cents?"
In some private schools in Lingzhou, not only do students have to pay an expensive tuition fee, but they also have to give gifts to the teachers during festivals.
Adding the pen, ink, paper and inkstone is an expensive expense.
Ever since merchants were no longer allowed to take the imperial examinations, all these private schools closed down.
Apart from the sons of merchants, who among the common people could afford such high fees? As for the sons of officials, they disdained to attend private schools.
Huang Qiubai asked, "How many years does this school last? I saw in the newspaper that the two outstanding graduates, Mr. Shi and Ms. Wen, are now serving as county magistrates."
Xu Bei pointed out the window. "You're talking about Shitou? He lives next door. This school has a promotion system. First, you study for two years, then take the entrance exam. There's a cutoff score for the entrance exam, which is different every year. Only those who pass the cutoff can successfully continue to study at the school for another year and a half. This year, it seems that it has been changed to two years."
Chen Sui blinked and asked curiously, "What about those who didn't reach the passing score?"
Xu Bei smiled. "It doesn't matter if you don't meet the passing score. There's still the technical school. As long as you meet the passing score, there are blacksmith and carpentry majors. This year, there should be an additional nursing major. If you can't even get into the technical school, then you can only go home and do what you need to do."
Chen Yi nodded. This was a very good opportunity for the common people. Blacksmithing and carpentry could not be learned anywhere else. But if you learned this skill, you could make a living for the rest of your life.
I just don't know what the nursing major is about.
Huang Qiubai was extremely curious about this academy. "I think there should be more than just Mr. Shi and Ms. Wen who are admitted to this academy. Why are these two the only ones appointed as county magistrates?"
"Indeed, there are many options after continuing education. You can pass the retention exam to become a teacher in the academy, study medicine under the county lord's divine doctor, Lady Zhu, work as a workshop manager, or work as a clerk in the county government office. As for how Shitou and Wen Niang became county magistrates, they first worked as clerks in the county government office, and then the county lord took the exam there, and the top three were selected. I guess this is just catching up with the times. Such opportunities will be hard to come by in the future."
Chen Yi and Huang Qiubai were stunned. Although they had never heard of the words "the trend of the times", they could roughly understand their meaning.
Huang Qiubai praised, "Mrs. Xu's words about the trend of the times are really well said. What a good insight."
Xu Bei waved her hands hastily. "No way! I learned all this from the newspaper. I read every issue. We even have a special newspaper reading organization."
Chen Yi asked, "Does that mean Madam Xu has other newspapers at home?"
Xu Bei nodded and stood up to bring out a wooden box. "This contains all the newspapers since the Li County Monthly went on sale. You can read whatever you want."
Chen Yi's family was really touched. "Mrs. Xu is so kind. We really have no way to repay her."
On the way here, Chen Yi and Huang Qiubai proposed to pay according to the inn's price, but Xu Bei refused.
Xu Bei smiled and said, "It's okay. When I first came to Li County, I also received help from the people. I just want to pass on this kindness. I also want to tell the people of Xihe Road that the county lord is very good, and it is a happy thing to be her subject."
Xu Bei also accompanied the three of them to read the newspaper. When they encountered words they didn't understand, such as simplified numbers, Xu Bei also patiently explained them.
Xu Bei suddenly felt a sense of refreshment and pride when watching outsiders reading the newspaper.
This is why!
Until Xu Tai came back from the mine.
Chen Yi and the other two hurriedly stood up and introduced themselves, and Xu Bei also hurriedly explained the situation.
Xu Tai had just returned from the mine after taking a shower and changing his clothes. He smiled shyly and said, "Then I'll go cook. You guys continue reading the newspaper!"
Chen Yi was very grateful, "Thank you so much for troubling you two."
Xu Bei touched her nose in embarrassment. What a fool she was. She had clearly read the newspaper before, but she felt so happy reading it with them again that she even forgot to cook.
Huang Qiubai and Chen Yi also learned that there was a school for adults in Li County called night school.
However, Xu Bei regretfully said, "Night school hasn't started yet. If you two want to study, you'll have to wait for news."
Xu Tai prepared the meal and brought it over. Chen Yi and Huang Qiubai looked at each other.
The ordinary people in Li County eat better than them. They have a whole bowl of dry wheat rice and steamed sweet potatoes. Because most of the food was given to Lin Si, the Chen family now also eats porridge with potatoes and sweet potatoes.
Xu Tai and Xu Bei were very embarrassed. "You came here suddenly today, and we didn't prepare anything. This is all we have."
Chen Yi and Huang Qiubai said hurriedly, "Of course not. We are very grateful for your help. This is already a very good meal."
Xu Tai knew that Chen Sui was going to attend the academy, so he suggested, "Since it was the county lady who asked Miss Chen to attend the academy, why don't you go to the academy and register tomorrow? First, you can come back later. Second, I'm afraid you won't be informed in time and miss the registration period."
Xu Bei nodded, "It's indeed feasible. You have the document from Magistrate Liang. Go sign up tomorrow and get this done!"
Chen Yi and Huang Qiubai asked, "It would be great if we could sign up. We'll go ask tomorrow."
Chen Yi's mind was full of the phrase "catching up with the trend of the times". How could he, Chen Yi, not catch up with the trend of the times with such a smart daughter? He would go and register tomorrow and settle the matter, and he would never let the other officials know!
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The author has something to say: I will update the second time at 23:30 later [flowers]
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