Splendid peasant girl busy farming

Chapter 11946

So when they heard that the two children were worried about whether the villagers' houses would collapse, Yang Ruoqing and Luo Fengtang were very gratified.

However, the suggestion to have the family clean up their house to accommodate the homeless villagers is rather childish.

"The fact that you think this way shows that you are kind, loving, and farsighted children. Your father and mother are very pleased," Yang Ruoqing said softly, touching their little faces.

Luo Fengtang nodded in agreement, "Not bad, he's grown up and become more sensible."

When poor, one should cultivate one's own virtue; when rich, one should help others. The two boys are good, especially Tuantuan.

Because he was the one who thought of it first. Yuanyuan only realized it after Tuantuan reminded her.

“However, your suggestion won’t work,” Yang Ruoqing added.

"Why doesn't it work?" Tuantuan asked.

Yuanyuan tilted her little head and said, "Our house has such a big yard, and so many empty rooms!"

"Then let me ask you, is our family bigger, or the emperor's family?" Yang Ruoqing asked the two of them again.

Without a second thought, the two boys said, "The emperor's house must be bigger."

"why?"

"Because he's the emperor, the highest-ranking official in the world!" Yuanyuan said.

Tuantuan added from the side, "I heard my cousin Feng'er say that all land under heaven belongs to the emperor, and all people within the borders are subjects of the emperor. The whole world belongs to the emperor's family, so it must be bigger than our family's!"

"That's right, the emperor's family is the biggest in the world. So let me ask you, if the common people in the world have nowhere to live because of heavy snow collapsing their houses, do they all have to move to the palace to live?"

Yuanyuan nodded without hesitation, but Tuantuan shook her head, "No, that's not how it works."

"What's the reasoning?" Yuanyuan asked.

Tuantuan said, "There are so many people in the world. No matter how big the palace is, it has to have a limit. It can't accommodate so many people."

"As my cousin Feng'er once said, 'Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.' So, we need to think of other ways."

"What method, brother?"

“Brother Feng said that we should plan ahead, so we need to find a way to prevent the house from collapsing before it does, so that the villagers will have a place to live. This way, everyone will be better off.”

Yuan Yuan suddenly realized, tilted her head, and said in a muffled voice, "Brother, you're so amazing! You could think of that, but I couldn't!"

"Of course, otherwise, how can I be the older brother!" Tuantuan raised the corners of her mouth.

Yang Ruoqing and Luo Fengtang listened with great interest.

Although they used very childish language to resolve the issue, they hit the nail on the head. Indeed, they needed to resolve this internal and external problem before the heavy snow collapsed the house.

A few years ago, Changping Village experienced a blizzard. Several houses in the village were damaged by the heavy snow and became dangerous structures. Yang Huazhong, as the village head, went door-to-door to inform these families and remind them to either repair their houses or relocate.

However, of the nearly ten households visited, only three or four truly heeded Yang Huazhong's advice and followed it.

The remaining families suffered a terrible fate; after a snowy night, their houses collapsed, and people even died.

"Tuanbao is right, very good." Yang Ruoqing clapped her hands gently. "Of course, Yuanbao is good too, you two are both good kids."

"Mom, are you going to call everyone to repair the house?" Tuantuan came over, hugged Yang Ruoqing's arm, and asked again.

Yang Ruoqing glanced at Luo Fengtang, who then chimed in, "Yes, if it continues to snow like this tomorrow, not only us, but also your village head will go to the village to inform the villagers to pay attention to the condition of their houses and take precautions in advance."

The village's ancestral hall and the now-abandoned Luo family school on the hillside behind the village can be opened in special circumstances to provide shelter for homeless villagers, preventing them from freezing to death on the roadside in such a harsh winter.

Of course, these are all last resorts. The best approach is for everyone to pay attention to the safety of their own homes and take precautions in advance.

The goal is to prevent collapse if possible, not only for personal and property safety, but also for psychological reasons.

There's no place like home, no matter how beautiful. With snow falling heavily and the year drawing to a close, who wouldn't want to stay at home, lying in their familiar bed? Right?
"You're quite something, Tuanbao! You actually learned so many sentences from your cousin Feng'er?" Yang Ruoqing became interested in this. "But the problem is, your cousin Feng'er hasn't been back for almost a year, so when did you learn them?"

Tuantuan's eyes darted around. "Last year... or the year before?"

Yang Ruoqing rolled her eyes. "Last year you were only two years old and couldn't read. The year before last, you were just one year old and couldn't even speak properly. How were you going to learn?"

"Yes, brother, why did Brother Feng only teach you but not me?" Yuanyuan asked curiously. "Aren't we twins? Like each other's shadows, how come I don't know when you learned it?"

"Tuanbao, you're not allowed to lie, okay? Lying isn't the mark of a good child," Yang Ruoqing said again, because the child's eyes were darting around, clearly hiding a secret.

Tuantuan sighed like a little adult, then glanced at Yuanyuan beside him and said somewhat ashamedly, "Okay, I'll talk to you, little brother, but don't be angry!"

Yuan Yuan opened her eyes wide. "Brother can say great things. That's a good thing. Why should I be angry?"

"Brother, just say it, I promise I won't get angry."

"Okay, then I'll tell you. Actually... I've already been secretly learning to read."

"what?"

"What? Tuanbao, you can read? When did you start learning? How many characters do you know? Who taught you?" Yang Ruoqing was so surprised that she almost fell out of the hot tub.

My own child is secretly studying instead of secretly playing? I can't believe it!
Luo Fengtang helped Yang Ruoqing up while asking Tuantuan, "Quickly, answer your mother's questions in detail."

Looking at her parents, Tuantuan dared not lie and honestly confessed, "...It was my brother-in-law who taught me when he came to our house last time." "Jinling?" Yang Ruoqing and Luo Fengtang exchanged glances.

"Your brother-in-law taught you to read, that's a good thing. Why did you lie and say it was your cousin Feng who taught you?"

To have the third-ranked scholar as your mentor, my goodness, little guy, this is a blessing you've accumulated over several lifetimes! If word got out, I wonder how many people would envy you!
You have to understand that in this era, for ordinary families, if their children want to go to school, preparing tuition fees is one thing, but having connections to find qualified teachers who are willing to teach your child is another!
Some might say that before, the children in the village, even Xiao Hei and Da Bai, all had access to education as long as they had money.

Didn't they all go to the school in town? And aren't Tie Dan and Hong'er from Old Yang's family also attending school in town right now? They even both passed the imperial examination and became scholars at the same time!

Yes, there are schools, but the teachers at the schools in town can at most help your child pass the imperial examination and become a scholar.

If you want to go further on the road ahead and access more profound and broader knowledge, you will need to find other renowned teachers. The teachers in the small town school are no longer knowledgeable enough, as most of them are only scholars with the level of a xiucai (a lower-level scholar).

For example, Xiaojie's husband, Zhang Ban, who had the title of Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations), was a highly regarded teacher at the town's school during the years he taught there.

But this prestigious reputation couldn't stay in the small-town school for long. Sure enough, two years ago, Zhang Ban went to teach at a school in Wanghai County, and took Xiao Jie, her husband, and their children with him to settle down in the county town...

Even in places like Qing'an County and Changhuai Prefecture, it is extremely difficult to find a renowned teacher.

Well-known academies have them, but you need connections to get in.

Alternatively, the student might be exceptionally outstanding, breaking the mold and forcing the prestigious academies to take notice and admit them despite not meeting the usual requirements. An example of this is the case of Da'an Academy back then…

But how many people like Da'an are there?
Top pick!
How many people like Zuo Jinling can there be?

The third-ranked scholar!

Every three years, a top scholar and a third-place scholar are produced. So, it is conceivable that even if Da'an and Zuo Jinling do not enter the court as officials, they will have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of their lives. With their brilliant achievements in the imperial examinations, if they were willing to lower themselves and become teachers for wealthy families or large academies, they would be highly sought after!

Therefore, we say that no matter what era, studying is important. Studying and taking the imperial examinations are the only fair competition track left for children from poor families, ordinary families, and wealthy families.

Many parents in later generations, seeing their children getting up early and going to school late, would follow behind, taking photos of their children's backs with their phones, and then adding sentimental captions, saying things like the big schoolbags were crushing the children's backs, or that the children's eyes had lost their light...

They say there's a problem with education, that children are too competitive, that they shouldn't be like this, and that they should learn and grow happily.

If you don't study and don't compare your grades with those of rich kids, what are you comparing yourself to?

Comparing interests and hobbies?
Other people ride horses, shoot arrows, play golf, play the piano, and sail luxury cruise ships... What about you?

Without studying, can you compete with others in other fields? You probably can't even get a ticket to enter that field, right?
Some parents, after watching a few movies and learning a few lines, spout nonsense: "My child, all I care about is his/her happiness!"
Nonsence!

To the person who said that, I suggest you spend 1.5 yuan to buy a bottle of mineral water, pour it on the ground, and then take a good look at yourself. First, ask yourself if you have the means and confidence to let your child not study, not be a student, and grow up happily at home.

When your child grows up, they'll resent you terribly, won't they? So, any family with the means should send their child to school so they can understand things and not be dull-witted.

At the age when they should be studying, they should be properly supervised. If they really aren't cut out for studying, it's not too late to seek other paths, but we can't deny the possibility of studying from the very beginning.

"Tuantuan, it's such a blessing that your brother-in-law can teach you to read!" Yang Ruoqing said with a smile, holding Tuantuan's face in her hands.

"When your brother-in-law comes over later, you can ask him if there's anything you don't understand."

“Your mother is right. However, you don’t necessarily have to wait for your brother-in-law to come over to ask for help. Your cousin Feng’er and the others will be back soon, as will your cousin Hong’er and the others. If there’s anything you don’t understand in your studies, you can ask them for help. Your father and mother fully support this!”

Yang Ruoqing nodded repeatedly, and suddenly, everyone realized a problem.

That is, the topic of conversation just now was about Zuo Jinling's enlightenment of Tuantuan, and Yuanyuan stood silently to the side the whole time.

"Yuanyuan, what about you? Have you started learning to read with your brother-in-law?" Yang Ruoqing asked again.

Yuan Yuan blushed, shook her head, and said a little shyly, "Actually, I also have a secret to tell you, brother, you have to promise not to get angry."

"You tell me first, and then I'll decide whether I'm angry or not!"

“My brother-in-law also taught me, but not to read, he taught me martial arts…”

Tuantuan breathed a sigh of relief and waved her little hand generously: "It's alright, it's alright, then you study hard."

Yuanyuan breathed a sigh of relief. "Then you must study hard too. I heard from my sister that her husband is skilled in both literature and martial arts. Let's each learn one skill, hehe."

Yang Ruoqing and Luo Fengtang looked at each other, both feeling both amused and exasperated.

How come Jinling is teaching his two brothers-in-law things and even tailoring his teaching methods to their individual needs?
This is not possible!
Although Tuantuan's interest has clearly shifted to learning to read and write, he cannot neglect his martial arts skills. They can help him stay healthy and, in a pinch, help him protect himself. He can't be a weak scholar who can't even kill a chicken.

As for Yuanyuan, she can't fall behind in her academic studies either; she can't become a brute force fighter.

"Qing'er, don't worry. When Jinling comes later, I'll talk to him privately." Luo Fengtang patted Yang Ruoqing's arm.

Yang Ruoqing nodded: "Jinling meant well, but she may have spoiled the two little ones a bit too much."

I'll teach them according to their individual preferences, and I'm too embarrassed to be harsh on them. I'll have to let Jinling know when I get back. When I'm teaching them, I'm their teacher, not their brother-in-law, so I don't need to worry about offending my brothers-in-law.

When teaching, there are no brothers-in-law or brothers-in-law, only teachers and students. If someone is disobedient or not serious, beat them, beat them to death, beat them until they are serious. Parents, please support this!

The next morning, Yang Ruoqing played with the two children in bed and told them stories. Luo Fengtang got up early and went to his father-in-law's house next door to discuss with Yang Huazhong about reminding villagers to pay attention to the safety of their houses.

After discussing it, the father-in-law and son-in-law decided that since many villagers were rather careless, they would form two teams in the village. One team would go door-to-door to inspect and check for dilapidated houses and register them.

The second group of people was responsible for repairs, fixing what needed fixing and evacuating what needed to be evacuated.

Using his position as village head, Yang Huazhong quickly organized two teams in the village. The team responsible for registration and investigation was paid 30 coins per person per day, while the team responsible for repairs was paid 60 coins per day because it was manual labor. All of these funds were provided by the village.