ATPnovel Chapter 48 Temporary School
Chapter 48 Temporary School
Lin Fengyi was unable to get up smoothly the next day.
Lu Xingzhou quietly got up by himself, went to the Zhu family's door to call Na Wen, and prepared to discuss matters related to the establishment of the school.
He was willing to let Na Wen be a teacher, certainly not because of Lin Fengyi's influence.
These people in the enclosure are likely to become his loyal followers in the future, so cultivating a high-quality next generation is essential.
But he wouldn't explain why Lin Fengyi had such a wonderful misunderstanding; that would be too much of a straight man.
When the article arrived, he was still savoring it with his eyes closed.
That's why Wen looked at him with a strange gaze.
Two parts doubt, three parts inquiry, and five parts blame for his lack of tenderness towards women.
Lu Xingzhou was not ashamed of the way she looked at him like he was a scumbag; on the contrary, he was proud of it.
People only realize the value of something when they lose it. Lu, who had just regained his youth for more than half a year, was thoroughly enjoying the feeling of being able to get hard whenever he wanted.
The more Wen blames him, the more it proves how great his health is now!
However, he couldn't keep looking like that; if he continued, it would turn into flirting, and he certainly didn't have that kind of ambition.
"I heard from Fengyi that you're thinking of building a school inside the enclosure?"
Seeing that his gaze couldn't harm Lu Xingzhou in the slightest, and besides, Lin Fengyi might be too happy to care about this, Wen couldn't do anything to this boss who made her best friend feel so uncomfortable.
"I don't want you to build a school, I just feel it's not right to take your wages for nothing. I'd like to help out with the children and teach them to read and write."
Leaving Yuanbao Town a bit too early, and not having experienced the tempering of farm work in the Zhu family, it would be an exaggeration to say that Na Wen is now lazy and doesn't know the difference between grains, but he is definitely not as capable as the wives of other farmhands.
Lu Xingzhou understood her, and he hadn't intended to just do a sloppy job when he called her over.
"A tall building doesn't rise from the ground; it needs a solid foundation. Since you want to teach children to read and write, let's be more formal. I support your dedication, so let's talk about how to set up the school."
"There's no spare space for the children to study right now, so I'm going to clear out my main room so you can bring the children here to have classes."
The first sentence left the writer speechless.
"Is this... appropriate?"
Originally, according to the text, the idea was that on sunny days, the children would learn to read in the courtyard, and on windy or rainy days, they would each go home to their own mothers.
At most, she could ask Lu Xingzhou to give her some silver dollars to buy some small stools to sit on; she didn't even dare to dream of paper and pens.
Unexpectedly, the owner valued it so much that he gave up the main hall, which symbolized his status and position!
"If anything's amiss, when the Yu family's fleet comes again, I'll ask them to buy some paper, pens, ink, and such for the children. Since they're going to learn, they must learn properly!"
Lu Xingzhou valued the academy more than Na Wen, or rather, more than all the Chinese people of this era.
"Since you brought this up, the master builders will be here in a couple of days, and they'll build a school specifically for the children."
Building a school is no small matter; it's not something you can do half-heartedly. There will be many other things that require money in the future.
"Master, I don't think I'm quite capable of being a proper gentleman, and besides, most people might not be willing to spend the money. How about we just make do?"
"Don't underestimate yourself. I believe in you, so what are you afraid of? Once the school is built, I'll even make you the principal!"
"Me? Can I do it?"
"I'll say you want me to!"
Unless Lu Xingzhou can find a modern teacher who has received modern education and training, no matter how much money he spends, he may not be able to find a teacher who is better than Na Wen and willing to teach in this poor and remote area.
The most important reason why Lu Xingzhou was willing to give her this responsibility was her character.
Given Na Wen's knowledge, experience, character, and appearance, it wouldn't be difficult for her to find a wealthy and powerful man to marry.
Her willingness to marry Zhu Chuanwen, an ordinary farmer, shows that she has very sound values and is unwilling to be a parasitic aristocrat who lives off others' wealth without working. This is the most valuable quality she possesses.
"And besides, when did I ever say that the farmhands needed to pay for the children's school fees?"
"Free of charge?!"
Na Wen, who was used to seeing how stingy the Manchu lords, landlords and gentry were, was shocked by Lu Xingzhou's words.
"Yeah, I give everyone their salaries one minute, and then I take them back under the guise of tuition fees. What will everyone think of me after that?"
Since we're going to run a school, we have to make sure all the children attend.
As long as Lu Xingzhou proposes to charge money, there will definitely be parents who only pay for their sons and ignore their daughters, or who don't send their children to school at all.
He couldn't bear to see children squatting outside the school, watching their friends get to study while they themselves couldn't go to school.
Moreover, this world is very strange.
Good people rarely speak out unless they are pushed to the limit. On the contrary, evil people always like to make a lot of noise and distort public opinion.
Given the Chinese tradition of valuing education, there shouldn't be any such concern, but Lu Xingzhou had to be cautious.
If a few people use this to stir up trouble in the future, and the story gets spread, a good thing will eventually turn into a bad thing.
Na Wen wasn't an unsophisticated peasant woman; she could think long-term and was somewhat worried for Lu Xingzhou, while also feeling a heavy burden on her shoulders.
"That'll cost several hundred dollars every year from now on. Are you sure you're going to cover it all? If you stop halfway through and then abandon it, it'll have a really bad impact!"
Lu Xingzhou, however, felt that she was still too far from daring to think about it and had seriously underestimated the high cost of education.
"A few hundred? By the second half of the year, there will be several times more children in the village. You, as the principal, can't handle it all. A mere few hundred dollars won't be enough! As the population grows, I'm also planning to build a Western-style primary school, a middle school, and so on. But you don't need to worry about those things. Just be a good female teacher."
Since Lu Xingzhou had made it so clear, Wen was certain that his idea wasn't just something she'd mentioned on a whim, so what did she have to worry about?
A confident guarantee:
"Don't worry, boss, I'll do a great job!"
"Yes, I believe you!"
Although at this time, Na Wen's Manchu identity made Lu Xingzhou somewhat wary.
But putting aside the uncertainties of the future, her bold and decisive personality actually fits Lu Xingzhou's image of a Northeastern woman better than anyone else.
"Time is money, but money can't buy time. Let's start the school today, Sanjiang River, Niyang!"
"I'm here, young master~"
"Clean up the main room and move all the furniture, decorations, and my personal belongings to the east side room."
"Yes, young master!"
Lu Xingzhou got up and went to the east side room, looking at the text with anticipation:
"Then, teacher, I'm entrusting this place and the children to you!"
Unexpectedly, her employer acted so swiftly and decisively, leaving Wen somewhat unprepared. But she did not back down, clenching her fists to encourage herself.
"Boss, just you wait and see!"
Lu Xingzhou was even more satisfied with her.
Teaching and nurturing students is secondary; the knowledge Wen acquired from the tutor in the royal court is secondary.
This spirit of daring and initiative has a far more positive impact on children than hiring ten dull and lifeless old scholars at great expense.
He didn't have many personal belongings and finished packing quickly.
While Lin Fengyi was still asleep, he didn't want to go back and disturb her rest.
Lu Xingzhou took the bucket to the otter's den by the Xiliao River and asked someone to call Chuanwu and Xian'er over.
If you're someone's boss and also their principal, you naturally have to take care of their worries so you can teach them wholeheartedly.
Old Meng said that food and sex are human nature, and Lu Xingzhou is also a lecherous man who likes to grope people. He really finds it hard to tolerate Xian'er disturbing other people's intimate moments for no reason.
It's outrageous to interfere in other people's happiness just because you're unhappy yourself!