Unexpectedly, Ning Wuyan smiled and waved his hand: "No, I'm serious. Brother Cheng said before that if he had difficulties in running a village school, he would ask me for help. I also promised Brother Qin that he would find a way to solve this problem. After I After thinking hard in the dungeon for the past few days, I finally thought of a good way."
When Shen Youchu heard this, his little face was full of confusion: Wasn't Mr. Ning eating, drinking and having fun in the dungeon? It turns out that not only did he strategize and defeat the Ye family thousands of miles away, but he also thought about so many things?
When Ji Jin saw that he had overturned his reason, the corners of his mouth twitched fiercely.
Qin Fenglan's eyes had become a little unkind.
"Brother Ning, your idea is to give up running village schools so that children can no longer be exploited by adults and make more money for them?"
Qin Fenglan had not had much contact with Ning Wuchang. He only knew that this man had great literary talent and lived up to his reputation as a poet.
I also know that this person's perfume business is booming, and one order can equal the annual income of many wealthy families.
But he never expected that as a scholar, Ning Wuhuang would fall into the eyes of Qian.
You can't even see the eyes of those children eager for knowledge!
"Yes." Ning Wuyan did not refute, and continued what he just said: "They are not fully clothed, and they don't even have enough to eat. Eating meat is like celebrating the New Year. You ask them to buy pens, ink, paper and inkstones. To learn to write, it would be too difficult for others to sit in school and spend all day studying like you do."
"In the first few days, the children will find it strange because they have learned new knowledge. But in the long run, how many of them can remain poor and go to school regardless of family conditions?"
"Even if they can live in poverty, they have no relatives or friends who are officials. After passing the examination, they may not even have the ability to make a living. By then, they will not even be able to plant the land they depend on for survival. Will they regret it? , will I read these useless books with you?"
Ideal is full, the reality is very skinny.
Everyone has an environment for reading, but it is not easy to create.
To put it bluntly, there are differences in class and ideological barriers.
Even if the students in front of them were not born into wealth, they were at least people whose families had a surplus of land and food.
It is simply impossible to understand why these villagers, who depend on the weather for their livelihood, and even have to farm their fields, and only have enough to eat and drink after paying taxes, and have only a few coppers left throughout the year, would be so shameless as to defraud them of ten cents.
Even children know about shame, don’t they?
Except for people like the drunkard, most of the remaining people know clearly what they are doing. Doing so will ruin their children's learning opportunities, but do they have a choice?
"A book can cost as little as half a tael or as much as several taels of silver. A stack of yellow papyrus costs one copper plate for five pieces, while the meat buns outside Jinling City cost one copper plate."
Ning Wuyang felt that the original intention of Cheng Yi's reward system was not wrong, it was to stimulate everyone's motivation to come to the village to learn.
"Ten copper coins may not be much to you, but to an ordinary farmer, it is the income of an adult man doing odd jobs for a day."
However, the crux of the problem is that as long as the adults do not really want to study for their children, they only receive these ten coins, and they simply want to get something for nothing.
Don't say give me ten coppers.
Give them ten taels of silver as encouragement, and maybe in a month, a casino can be built in these ten miles and eight villages!
Human nature is so greedy and has no lower limit.
"For a child to go from being enlightened to being a scholar, even if an ordinary family saves money, it still costs a hundred taels of silver. This one hundred taels can buy two acres of paddy fields, build a house, and marry a wife. Do you think they can even spend ten taels of silver? Would a person who wants to take every copper plate for nothing be willing to spend a hundred taels for his children to study?"
After Ning Wuyan settled the account, Qin Fenglan fell into silence.
Cheng Yi suddenly understood, and finally understood why everyone took him as a scapegoat.
When the village women saw that Ning Wu was safe, they thought the ten copper coins were too much, and their eyes were like spitting fire as they glared at the young man who wanted to steal money from their pockets.
"Young man, you look like a kid from a rich family. Why are you so fussy about everything?"
"This good face is in vain. His heart is so black that he won't even give out ten coins."
"If we let such a person teach our children to read, I wouldn't dare send them to the village to study. I'd rather go dig wild vegetables in the back mountains."
Faced with this kind of verbal attack, Ning Wuhuang heard it in one ear and out the other.
He was much thicker-skinned than an inexperienced young man like Cheng Yi, and he had seen many more uglier mental attacks than this. He waited with an indifferent expression until their mouths went dry.
Only then did he sincerely suggest to Cheng Yi and others: "Don't set up village schools. Let them grow wildly. Life and death are determined by fate. Wealth and honor are in heaven. Put aside the complex of helping others, so as not to doubt the world."
"..."
Cheng Yi could understand what Ning Wuchang said, but he couldn't get over the hurdle in his heart.
Do you really want him to watch these children and repeat the sorrow of the older generation?
Didn't he come here just to guide them to make changes?
Qin Fenglan, on the other hand, is quite sensible. After listening to Ning Wuyan's words, he gained some insights: "Brother Cheng, this matter is just a village school in a small way, but in a big way, it is actually about the people's livelihood. We did not provide them with a place to study. The environment, as Brother Ning said, if you only study for a few days and learn nothing, what’s the use?”
Cheng Yi felt even heavier.
Not to mention that this group of children can't get ahead if no one recommends them.
Even if he has achieved success after passing the exams, he is confused now. What is the use of learning so many things?
Just to recite a few acid poems, or to be a high-ranking official and receive a generous salary?
And then watch these poor children fend for themselves?
"Brother Ning, I don't want to give up yet."
Cheng Yi finally made his choice and looked resolutely at the children under the shade of the tree.
"Even if they can't go to the village school, I can continue to be their teacher. As long as they are willing to ask me for advice, I will help them solve their problems."
Cheng Yi knew that his decision must be stupid in Brother Ning's eyes. He even hated iron and felt that he was weak and could be bullied.
But he just didn't want to become insensitive.
Maybe if he does this, he will be insulted because he cannot give ten copper coins to the villagers, but this is his own choice.
"At least, at least let the children be able to write their own names and understand some words. They will not be deducted from wages because they did not understand the content when writing the contract."
Many villagers who had encountered this situation lowered their heads after hearing Cheng Yi's words.
The village women who had been shouting loudly just now thought about how when they first arrived, they were tricked into paying more for food when they rented farmland. The next year, the whole village pooled together two taels of silver to hire a gentleman to help negotiate with the landlord. Now they stood firm and closed their mouths.
When Ning Wuyan saw this scene, he couldn't help but secretly sigh: Sure enough, sincerity is the most touching thing in this world.
Just as he was thinking about it, his sleeve was pulled hard by Shen Youchu, who was standing on the left, so that he could only bend down and put his ear closer.
"Master Ning, please think of a way to help Cheng Yi. He is really... so pitiful."
Miss Shen, a kind-hearted person, spoke respectfully.
Ning Wuhuang naturally sold her this face.
"Okay, I'm starting to think about it now... I have it."
