bayedsolid Chapter 40, Year 3
Chapter 40, Year 3
The night in Sujia Village is illuminated by twinkling lights, as if stars have fallen to earth.
On New Year's Eve, every household lit up red lanterns in front of their doors, making the village even brighter than the town.
Yun Dan busily prepared a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner. She skillfully sliced the meat and vegetables and then put them into the pot one by one.
Soon, the water in the pot began to boil, steaming and emitting an enticing aroma.
The family sat around the table, their eyes sparkling with excitement as they watched the ingredients bubbling in the pot.
Grandpa Lin couldn't help but laugh: "Little girl, what a novel way to eat this! It's really interesting!"
Yun Dan smiled and explained, "Grandpa, this is called hot pot."
We can cook and eat at the same time, so the food stays warm and everyone can share it, creating a great atmosphere.
Especially in winter, hot pot is the perfect meal—it's warm and lively.
After hearing Yun Dan's introduction, everyone picked up their chopsticks with great interest, eager to try this unique delicacy.
Although there weren't many seasonings, everyone still enjoyed the meal and praised Yun Dan's creativity.
The room was filled with laughter and cheerful conversation, and everyone's face was beaming with happiness.
This special New Year's Eve dinner brought unprecedented warmth and joy to the Lin family.
"Three years have passed in the blink of an eye. Dad, Mom, my brother, and Xiaoyu, I miss you all. I hope you can all rest well on the other side and not overwork yourselves."
Yun Dan has been in this ancient Su Family Village for three years now, and she is now 11 years old.
For the past three years, she has been working hard to find a teacher for the children of Sujia Village.
Persistence pays off; last month, I finally met a scholar through the introduction of the bookstore owner in town.
Today, the village chief finally brought Yun Dan to the home of this scholar.
The village of the scholar and the village of Sujia are located in opposite directions, one in the south and the other in the north.
A mule cart, carrying four adults and one child, slowly drove into a village.
"Brother, may I ask if Scholar Xia lives in this village?" Village Chief Su asked an old man.
When the old man saw them asking about Xia Shusheng, he said, "Are you looking for Xia Shusheng? He's at home. Just follow this road, turn right at the next intersection, and the second house is Xia Shusheng's house."
"Thank you very much, brother," the village chief said hurriedly.
"Thank you, sir," the others also expressed their gratitude.
When the group arrived at the scholar's house, they called out, "Excuse me, is this Mr. Xia's house?"
A moment later, the fence gate opened from the inside, and a man who looked to be in his forties came out.
"Who are you?" the visitor asked.
"Hello, we are from Sujia Village in the north. We have come uninvited to visit Mr. Xia and invite him to teach in Sujia Village," the village chief said.
"Yes, I am Xia Zongjin. Please come in and have a seat, everyone. Let's talk slowly."
The group went inside and placed the gifts they had brought on the table.
A woman came out and poured tea for everyone. They thanked her profusely, and then the woman withdrew.
Village Chief: "Sir, hello! I am the village chief of Sujia Village. We have come here today to invite you to teach in the village."
This is Xiaoya; she has always hoped to hire a teacher for the children in the village.
Xia Xiucai: "Oh? The girl you've been asking about in town last month?"
Yun Dan: "Yes, sir. I know you are a learned man, so I would like to invite you to teach the children in Sujia Village."
Xia Xiucai: "But I'm living a good life here, why would I want to go to Sujia Village?"
Yun Dan: "Sir, the children in Sujia Village are eager to learn, but they have no opportunity."
They would be very grateful to you if you could teach there.
Xia Xiucai: "Hmm, your words touched me deeply. However, I need to think about it."
Village Chief: "Sir, rest assured, we will provide you with good living conditions and compensation."
Xia Xiucai: "It's not these issues. I'm just worried about whether I'm capable of doing this job."
Yun Dan: "Sir, you can definitely do it! You are so knowledgeable, you will definitely be able to teach the children well."
Xia Xiucai: "Alright, since you trust me so much, I'll agree. But I have one condition."
Village Chief: "What are your conditions, sir? Please tell me."
Xia Xiucai: "I hope you can provide me with a teaching place and some teaching materials. They don't need to be fancy, but I need you to provide the Four Treasures of the Study."
Yun Dan: "No problem, we've already made all the preparations. When you arrive in the village, you'll be very satisfied."
Xia Xiucai smiled slightly: "That's very good. I will go to Su Family Village at 9:00 AM three days from now."
Yun Dan blinked her bright eyes and asked softly, "Sir, how much should we pay you per month?"
Upon hearing Yun Dan's question, Xia Xiucai's lips curled up slightly, revealing a gentle smile: "Little girl, how much monthly allowance do you think should be given to your teacher?"
Upon hearing Xia Xiucai's words, Yun Dan thought to herself that he was certainly not a petty person, but she was curious why he did not continue to take the imperial examinations to become an official.
"Sir, this is what I'm thinking: if you teach in Sujia Village, you only need one and a half hours in the morning and one and a half hours in the afternoon, working five days on and two days off."
There will be a car to pick you up from your village when you return home. What do you think?
"Oh? You little girl, though you're young, you've already carefully arranged the teaching schedule for your teacher. So, according to you, how much will you earn this month?"
"Sir, the monthly allowance is ten taels of silver, plus your daily meals, which you will eat at one of the houses in rotation each day. Although it's not like you'll have big fish and meat every meal, the people of Su Family Village are by no means stingy. Does sir think this is a good idea?"
"Very well, I agree."
The village chief and the others were overjoyed to hear that Xia Xiucai had agreed.
They quickly thanked Xia Xiucai and then left his house.
Three days later, Xia Xiucai arrived at Sujia Village as promised. The village chief and a large group of people had been waiting at the village entrance for a long time.
Upon seeing Xia Xiucai arrive, they quickly stepped forward and said, "Mr. Xia, you must be tired from your journey."
"You're too kind, it's no trouble at all," Xia Xiucai replied.
When a group of children saw Xia Xiucai arrive, they all came forward to greet him.
They led the scholar to a brand-new house. When Xia Xiucai saw such a brand-new courtyard, he was quite surprised, but he did not show any expression.
Stepping into the courtyard, you see several houses arranged in a pleasing, staggered pattern. There is a new well and a large tree in the courtyard, which seems to be the guardian of this courtyard.
The village chief led Xia Xiucai into the schoolhouse. The desks and chairs inside were arranged like neatly positioned soldiers, waiting for the students to arrive. Books were neatly arranged on the shelves on both sides, like a treasure trove of knowledge waiting to be opened.
Xia Xiucai nodded slightly: "Hmm, not bad. Although it's a bit rudimentary, it's usable enough."
The village chief said warmly, "Sir, let me show you around. We'll be relying on you to teach from now on. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask."
"Of course, of course, then I won't stand on ceremony."
In this way, the group gradually got to know each other amidst laughter and chatter, and made preparations for tomorrow's teaching.
The next morning, the children flew to the classroom early like a flock of cheerful little birds.
When they saw Xia Xiucai, their excitement was palpable.
Xia Xiucai smiled and said to the children, "Children, from this day forward, I will be your teacher. I will do my best to teach you to read and write."
The children said in unison, "Thank you, Master."
Xia Xiucai first led the group of children to place offerings on a table in the courtyard, lit incense and candles, and knelt down to worship heaven and earth devoutly.
The children all knelt down and bowed in a similar manner, doing exactly what Xia Xiucai said, like obedient little lambs.
After the worship ceremony, everyone returned to the classroom. Xia Xiucai used cinnabar to place a red dot between each person's eyebrows, symbolizing the opening of the door to wisdom for the students.
And so, the children of Sujia Village finally had their own teacher.
Under the teacher's guidance, they studied very hard and made rapid progress.
Seeing the changes in the children, Yun Dan felt very gratified. She knew that her efforts had not been in vain.