nucmednet Chapter 34 Joy
Chapter 34 Joy
After returning from the mountains, Zisu became much closer to the villagers. Many of the men who had gone to the mountains with her sent their wives, daughters, or sisters to visit Xiaoshitan every few days.
Little Stone Pool is Zisu's home; that's what the villagers call it.
Over time, Zisu made two very good friends. One was Peach Blossom, the clan chief's granddaughter, and the other was Pear Blossom, Peach Blossom's good friend. Both of them were kind, simple, hardworking, and straightforward girls, and they suited Zisu's temperament very well.
Peach Blossom is twelve years old this year, and Pear Blossom is thirteen, about the same age as Purple Jasmine. Moreover, both of them are somewhat precocious, not like those ignorant little girls. Unfortunately, neither of them has ever been to school; they are practically illiterate.
Zisu then suggested to the clan leader, "Sixth Grandfather, I see there are still several empty rooms in the school. Why not turn them into a girls' school so that the girls can learn a few words and not be illiterate?"
"Your suggestion is good, but that teacher is a bit old-fashioned and probably won't be willing to teach the girls to read." The clan chief is also farsighted and doesn't believe that a woman's lack of talent is a virtue, but that's just how reality is, and there's nothing that can be done about it.
Zisu pondered for a moment: "How about this, if Sixth Grandfather trusts me, I can give the village girls their first education. I'll use the time after lunch, fifteen minutes a day, so it won't interfere with their housework or farm work, and they can learn some literacy at the same time!"
After lunch every day, Zisu also needs to rest for half an hour before taking a nap. She uses this time to teach the girls, which is convenient for both of them.
Upon hearing this, the clan chief's eyes lit up, and he immediately said happily, "Great! That's wonderful! I couldn't be happier! It's settled then. I'll let everyone know, and we'll start tomorrow, okay?"
Zisu: "Okay, let's start tomorrow!"
Hearing that they could learn to read and write, many girls were overjoyed. Peach Blossom and Pear Blossom, in particular, were beaming with happiness, smiling all day long.
In one day, fifteen girls went to the clan chief's house to register for school. The oldest was sixteen and the youngest was five.
Zisu was also very happy and personally prepared thirty wooden sticks of varying lengths and thicknesses to use as chopsticks, placing them on the classroom table. The students followed her instructions, each bringing a broken bowl filled with water, and arrived at the classroom on time.
At the front of the classroom hung a hastily made wooden board. Zisu used small stones she had picked up from the river to write on the board and wrote three large characters: Wuliping. Then she said to everyone, "These three characters are Wuliping, the name of our village! Come on, everyone, repeat after me: Wu, Li, Ping!"
With faces full of excitement and curiosity, everyone followed Zisu and loudly recited, "Five, Li, Ping!"
The clan chief listened outside the window, his face beaming with joy, and then happily went for a stroll with his hands behind his back!
Hehe, from now on, the girls of Wuliping won't be blind anymore. They'll have more leverage when they get married! Who knows, maybe even scholars from other villages will come to propose to them, hehe!
Zisu: "Very good! Now, please dip the stick on the table into the bowl with a little water, and then write on the table. Everyone, please watch my gestures and pay attention to the order of each stroke..."
That day, most of the girls used that fifteen-minute time to learn to read and write the three characters "Wuliping". On the way home, everyone was beaming with joy, their hearts overflowing with excitement.
It feels so good to finally be able to see the world without being blind! The sun seems brighter, and the breeze seems gentler. The flowers by the roadside are so beautiful and fragrant.