Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 96 Enlightenment
May 1628, 6, light rain.

Mrs. Mill looked out at the fine rain and mist outside the cafeteria. It seemed that there was no sign of stopping, and she couldn't help but sigh.

It seems that when I deliver meals to the men working in the fields later, I will inevitably get covered in mud.

"Mom, let me accompany you to the fields to deliver food." Erich Mir, the eldest son, who was writing at a wooden table, raised his head with an eager look on his face.

"No need, my child." Mrs. Mill reached out her hand, gently rubbed her son's head, and said lovingly, "It's raining outside, and there's soft mud everywhere. It's also very slippery, and you'll fall into the mud. Just stay in the cafeteria and finish the homework assigned by the teacher carefully."

"The teacher doesn't give much homework. I only need an hour to finish it." Erich pouted and said, "I don't want to stay in the cafeteria. It's boring here. Besides, the teacher also said that after a heavy study session, we should do some outdoor work and exercise. This way, we can combine work and rest and be more conducive to learning."

"Oh, my little Erich knows so much!" Mrs. Mir smiled and said, "You find the dining hall boring, maybe because you don't want to look after your brothers and sisters."

"...No." Erich was a little embarrassed by his mother's revelation, but he still defended himself, "I just wanted to help you and visit Dad. It's been raining for a long time, and Dad's clothes might be soaked. I'm going to bring him some dry clothes to change into."

"I'm glad that you care so much about your father. However, if you want to go out and play with your friends, you'd better wait until I come back. Because your sister is still very young and needs someone to look after her at all times. Do you understand?"

"There are so many sisters in the cafeteria, they can definitely help look after it."

"They have a lot of other things to do, not just work in the cafeteria." Mrs. Mill said with a smile: "Okay, after you have lunch later, just stay here. If you find it really boring, you can tell your younger brothers and sisters what you learned in school!"

"They don't understand anything. It's a waste of time to explain it to them."

After hearing this, Mrs. Miller smiled and gently pinched her son's face.

Since nine-year-old Erich began to receive instruction from Chinese people more than two years ago, he has not only quickly mastered the Chinese language of listening, speaking, reading and writing, but has also learned a lot of wonderful knowledge.

For example, he understands those "complex" mathematical operations and can quickly solve the number addition problems encountered in daily life.

For example, he knew that the whole world was a "sphere" and that everyone lived on the surface of this "sphere".

Moreover, due to the influence of gravity, people will not fall off or be thrown into the air during the continuous rotation of the "ball".

For example, he also knew why leaves turn yellow in autumn, why water freezes when it gets cold, and why it turns into steam when it gets hot.

For example, he also knows why the eggshell will burst when the egg is cooked.

What shocked Mrs. Miller even more was that Erich could simply draw a world map and accurately point out where the Kingdom of Spain was and where the Enlightenment Island where they were was.

Oh my God, little Erich has only studied with a Chinese teacher for more than two years, but he knows so much knowledge.

His husband was surprised and said with certainty that even in Spain, those noble royal members and church clergy might not understand the knowledge his son was talking about.

Although Mrs. Mill felt that her husband's words were a bit exaggerated, she believed that those high-ranking nobles should know this knowledge, otherwise, how could they rule and manage the country and the people.

But Mrs. Mill still feels gratified and proud of how much knowledge her son has learned.

You know, whether in Spain or in the Mexican colonial territory, the lower class people like them have no right to education.

Of course, they do not have the financial conditions to receive education and learn various cultural knowledge.

But after arriving at Shixing Fort, everything changed.

The Chinese gathered all children over the age of four together to teach and explain knowledge in various subjects, taught them to read and write, taught them daily scientific knowledge, and even taught them to make various objects and tools.

In just over two years, their little Erich has learned to recognize and write over 800 characters and is speaking Chinese more and more fluently. This makes the Millers feel extremely happy, but also a little regretful.

Because, as the son of a Spaniard, little Erich couldn't even spell a single Spanish word!

"We need to deliver food to the men in the third production team. There seem to be fifty-two of them working today." Mrs. Mir was arranging for the young Ming women helping out in the cafeteria to prepare the food. "Each person should receive two corn buns, three steamed potatoes, and a serving of vegetable soup. Don't give them too little, or they won't have lunch."

"Two corn buns, three steamed potatoes..." The two Ming Dynasty girls were a little dazed. They counted on their fingers and silently calculated how many buns and potatoes they should prepare.

"One hundred and four steamed buns and one hundred and fifty-six potatoes!" Erich, who was standing next to him, quickly gave an accurate number.

"Ah?" A young girl blushed slightly and turned to look at her companion, as if wanting to confirm whether the calculation of this young barbarian was accurate.

"He must be right!" Although Mrs. Mir didn't know whether the number was accurate, she trusted her son very much and said loudly, "Prepare lunch for the third production team according to this number. Oh, to ensure that some people don't have enough to eat, you can bring a little more steamed buns and potatoes. ... Working in the fields requires a lot of effort!"

"My little Erich is so clever! He solved this problem in an instant. ... Tell me, how did you do it?"

"The multiplication table!" Erich puffed out his chest and said proudly, "We learned the multiplication table last month. With it, we can quickly calculate the multiplication of several numbers in our heads."

"The multiplication table?" Mrs. Miller was delighted to hear this unfamiliar term. She patted her son's head in admiration. "Little Erich, you're amazing! You learn everything the teacher teaches you quickly and apply it as soon as you learn it."

"Oh, by the way, didn't you also go through half a day of teaching at school? Don't you know how to use this... the multiplication table?"

While praising her son, Mrs. Miller slightly raised her neck and looked at the Ming Dynasty girls proudly.

"We... our course progress is behind theirs. So, we haven't learned the multiplication table yet..." Su Sanmei lowered her head and replied in a low voice.

"It doesn't matter!" Mrs. Mir said with a smile, "We women don't need to learn too much. As long as we marry a man and learn to take care of the family, that's all. Hey, you've been in Shixing Fort for almost a year. Isn't it time to choose a man to marry?"

Upon hearing this, all the Ming Dynasty girls in the cafeteria lowered their heads in shyness, and Nie Nie remained silent.

Yes, when I sold her to them, I was a woman to be married.

Although, for some reason, after arriving here, the "leaders" of Shixing Fort did not let them marry immediately, but instead kept them well-fed and well-dressed.

Not only that, they are also organized to go to school and receive corresponding cultural education.

But they all knew in their hearts that their future destiny would be like their mother's, to get married, have children, and then live with their husbands for the rest of their lives.

Everyone is a little bit nervous and expectant about this.

If you can marry a good man, and the couple respect each other and live in harmony, then you will be happy and fulfilled.

But if you entrust your trust to the wrong person, and your husband is rude and violent, you will suffer a lot.

Later, I heard from these barbarian women that Shixing Fort bought them most likely to marry them to the Chinese leaders in charge, which should be an excellent choice for them.

These people are not only tall and strong, with regular features, but also gentle and polite. Each of them has a lot of knowledge, which is different from the average crude farmer.

After hearing this, the girls felt relieved but also pondered secretly.

How to choose these good men? Do they have the right to choose?

(End of this chapter)