In a village in the south of the Yangtze River, a small private school was constantly making tinkling sounds.
"Hey, Chen Asheng, I asked you to chop firewood, what are you doing? If you keep doing this, you will tear down the yard!"
"Brother San'er, this is not how to repair this window. If you don't know how, just leave it alone and leave it for a while. I'll do it!"
"Liu Fang, put down the knife, put it down..."
A hunched-over old man was scolding a group of students, causing embarrassment to appear on their faces.
In fact, although they are students, they are more like children from the village. This is just an ordinary small mountain village.
And this old man is just an old scholar who has never even passed the examination for a scholar.
This private school is nothing more than a big family in the village taking out an abandoned yard, and then using food, accommodation and a month and a half of money to hire an old man to teach the children in the village to read.
There are fifteen days of teaching in a month, and the remaining fifteen days are spent by these children tinkering in the yard and taking care of the old man's food, clothing, housing and transportation.
Even in the most difficult times of their lives, this matter never stopped.
Just when they were having sex in full swing, Satoshi from the village came, and he smiled when he saw the lively appearance.
"Hello, Mr. Qian."
"Um."
The old gentleman just looked at the guy in front of him and nodded slightly, looking very arrogant.
Li Zheng was not surprised by this. This scholar was so arrogant that he had long been used to it.
"Are there any good seeds this year?" Li Zheng quickly got to the point. He knew that the old man didn't want to see him and didn't want to talk to him.
But you still have to ask.
"There are no good ideas. They are all so stupid. If I told them to send them all home, it would be better to avoid wasting time here!"
After hearing these words, Nanzheng's face froze. In the end, he didn't dare to say anything. He just smiled flatteringly and quickly bowed and left.
It's just that the ceremony was ugly.
After Li Zheng left, Mr. Qian's scolding came again.
"What are you doing one by one? You are asked to work. Where are your eyes looking? You are not doing your job properly. How can you feel at ease when you are asked to study?
How can you keep reading if you can't feel at ease? How can you gain fame if you can't keep reading! "
Listening to the old man's scolding, this group of students dared not speak out. After Li Zheng left the courtyard, there were villagers waiting outside, and they couldn't help but sigh when they saw the ugly and embarrassed expression on Zheng Zheng's face.
"It takes half a penny a month. In order to support such a gentleman, we can't even have a full meal. What's the point of this!"
One villager finally couldn't bear it anymore, but just after he complained in a low voice, a stick hit him on the body.
"You bitch, what are you talking about here? You still have the nerve to complain when both of your children are inside!
Where is I?
I am just a grandson, and the amount of money I pay every year is different from yours!
If you keep nagging here endlessly, you have some dignity! "
"Li Zheng..." After seeing that the person who hit him was Li Zheng, the man could only shut his mouth angrily.
Li Zheng looked at the people around him and sighed helplessly.
"I know you are all complaining. For so many years, natural and man-made disasters have caused people to starve to death in the village, but this private school still has to be run, and this old gentleman cannot cut off his money and food.
Don't you know why?
Do you think anyone here can tempt the old gentleman?
You people from all over the country know that there are only a few private schools in total?
Some people want to come, but they can’t come yet!
If any of you have the ability, you can establish relationships with the big shots in that county and...that county.
I don’t need to listen to your complaints. How about I give the old man a hand when I get ahead?
Do you have any?
We are poor people who starve to death all year round. If we don't let them go to this private school, what will happen in the future?
Are you here praying to God and Buddha together with you, begging God for food?
After studying, even if he fails to pass the exam, it will be better for him to find a job in the future than to be here like you and me!
We have to know this truth! "
Seeing everyone shut their mouths, Satomasa also sighed, and just as they were about to leave, he tapped the ground with his cane again.
"What are you going to do? Come back!"
A roar made everyone turn around again.
"This year, only three students can go on a study tour. The provincial examination is about to begin. We cannot let them continue to work behind closed doors here.
You have to go outside and interact with each other, so you have a higher chance of passing the exam..."
"How much does it cost?" These men had known about this for a long time, and they asked directly.
"Half a penny per person..."
"What?" came an exclamation, and a group of people looked at each other, "This person only costs half a penny. Why...why are these kids so wasteful?"
"What are you pretending to be here?" Li Zheng was angry again, "Your Majesty's grace has exempted you from 20% of the land tax this year. How can you be called poor here one by one?
This is not the first time! "
"But it wasn't just one yuan in total before..."
"That was before. Now that we are finally a little more prosperous, you still let your children go out and pick things up.
Even if they can't get any fame, it would still be good if they could get to know more people and see more of the world! "
After hearing these words, many villagers just sighed, and then one by one reluctantly handed the prepared money from their arms to their own Li Zheng.
Finally left reluctantly.
Li Zheng, on the other hand, took the money and shook it in his hand. There were copper plates and strings of money, which added up to one and a half silver coins.
"Hey..." After sighing, he once again found the three young men who had already packed their bags, and placed a handful of money in front of them.
"This is the travel expenses your uncles have raised for you. Save your words and don't lose face if you suffer.
In the future, if you can stand out.
Do you know what you are going to do? "
The three young men looked at each other in confusion, as if they didn't know how to answer.
There was still a young man with a sharp mind. After hearing these words, he thought about it before answering.
"Don't worry, Li Zheng. If one day we become successful in the future, we will definitely not forget our fellow villagers!"
"That's right." After hearing this, Na Zheng showed a smile, "That's right. In the future, if you become successful, you must not forget how much you have suffered.
In the future, I must repay my fellow villagers well. "
The smiling Li Zheng left just like that, leaving a group of people here looking at each other. In the end, they could only collect the money with a bitter smile, and then embarked on the road to study abroad.
Watching them leave, Li Zheng sighed. Every year, students would study abroad, and he would give instructions to every student who studied abroad.
He put all his effort into setting up this private school. Is he inviting the teacher to do good things?
Fart, he just wants someone to wake up in the future, remember their kindness, lead them out well, and lead them to live a good life.
These people are poor and have no choice. They rely on the weather for farming, but they have no brains to do anything. It would be good to join the army now, but they don't have the strength to join the army and they are afraid of death.
For ordinary people like them, this reading is the only opportunity.
Only by studying, gaining a reputation, and becoming an official can you have a good life.
This is the safest and most likely way.
But after that Satoshi left, the old gentleman from the private school also walked out from the other side with a child. He looked at the direction in which Satoshi left and sighed helplessly.
He reached out and stroked the head of the child next to him.
"I have been looking down on you Li Zheng for so many years, and he still doesn't understand why he is studying.
Mr. Zhang Zai said that back then.
Establish a mind for heaven and earth, establish a destiny for the living and the people, carry on the unique teachings of the past saints, and create peace for all generations.
This is what I should do as a scholar, but now everyone in the world has forgotten it, they have all forgotten it.
I don’t know when Confucianism and Taoism took the wrong path. Maybe it was Dong Zhongshu or He Yan, but no matter who it was because of.
Nowadays, people in the world don’t know why they don’t know how to read.
I feel that studying is for the golden house, for Yan Ruyu, for the beautiful girl, and for thousands of taels of silver.
Therefore, if you go out as a scholar, there will be one more corrupt official in the world.
Life in your village must be difficult, everyone is carrying very heavy things.
This is because there are corrupt officials in the world, and there are corrupt officials everywhere. No official is corrupt.
But why are you so greedy? Are the officials in this world fundamentally bad?
Is it possible that in the future you will spend ten, twenty or even decades in poverty just to steal back the money from other people over the years?
This scholar shouldn't be like this. He shouldn't be sitting among mountains and rivers, wandering around and not doing well.
This official cannot be just for money and women, you have to remember.
You are the most promising among my many students, and the Neo-Confucianism I gave you is different from others.
At that time, Zhou Dunyi, Zhang Zai, Shao Yong and two Cheng Gong Lixia had great ambitions to change Confucianism and establish a new Confucianism.
To rectify the world's morals, this thing is their achievement.
I don’t know if it’s right or not, but you have to learn if you can get ahead in the future.
You must not forget today. "
Looking at the old gentleman in front of him, the child nodded heavily, seeming to have these words in mind.
"Let's go back. I haven't finished reading today's book."
"Sir, what is the purpose of being an official?" On the way, the child asked in a sweet voice, which made the old man stop immediately.
"I have never been an official, and I don't know why, but... at least the people must be fed, and at least not just my relatives and friends."
