Chapter 657 - Chapter 657: Sidestory - Childhood Sweethearts (1) (1/2)

Chapter 657: Sidestory – Childhood Sweethearts (1)

After Zhuang Qingning’s birthday celebration at Qingzhuyuan, Chu Jinzhou, as he had promised Zhuang Qingsui and Zhuang Mingli that day, began assisting them in preparing for the establishment of their respective schools.

Zhuang Mingli, who once studied under Fan Wenxuan and became the youngest scholar in the county as a young boy, enjoys a high reputation. Therefore, his school preparation went smoothly as many people were attracted to his school because of his fame.

However, the situation of Zhuang Qingsui was not that smooth.

For most of the ordinary people in the town and its surroundings, sending their daughters to school felt like a waste. First, girls couldn’t take the imperial examination to have a promising future. Second, it not only wasted time that could be used for productive work but also money on stationery.

There indeed were families who were well-off and willing to let their daughters learn to read and write. However, they believed it was inappropriate for their daughters to show up in public. They would rather have an elder or a female teacher come to their homes to teach their girls.

For a period, the school Zhuang Qingsui was preparing was nearly empty, without a single person signing up.

“Why not set up the school in the county town?” Chu Jinzhou suggested. “Many people in the county town have a broader vision and are more willing to allow their children to be more successful. Even if they don’t sit for the imperial examination, they are still eager for their daughters to learn more characters and gain more knowledge.”

“That makes sense.”

Zhuang Qingsui frowned, “But I originally wanted to broaden the horizons of ordinary people and let them understand the benefits of education. If the school is set up in the county town, the people there are already more knowledgeable. Although I can still teach there, it somewhat deviates from my initial plan.”

Zhuang Qingsui’s life since childhood could be described as full of ups and downs. She wishes that the grassroots, those living in extreme poverty, could also have more knowledge and more ideas to improve their lives.

Chu Jinzhou could understand her ideas.

After thinking for a moment, Chu Jinzhou looked up and said, “Sister Sui’s idea is certainly good, but many ideas have been ingrained in people’s minds, it’s not easy to change them. We have to give it time.”

“As you said, people in the county town have higher knowledge and are more open-minded. If you recruit these people as students, they will become your living advertisements. When others slowly discover the benefits of reading, the number of people sending students to class will gradually increase.”

“As for the villagers, if they see this as a trend in the county town, they may gradually accept it and be willing to send their daughters to school. Gradually, when everyone feels proud to send their daughters to school, you will achieve your goal.”

“This is like trends in fabrics. People in the prefectural cities pay attention to the trends in the capital city. The people in the villages naturally follow the county town. When they see that everyone in the county town is doing this, they would try to catch up with the trend.”

“However, this process will take a long time, and you may not be able to accomplish your goal alone. It requires continuous work over the years, and probably only after a hundred years, significant changes will appear.”

“Brother Jinzhou makes sense.” After thinking for a while, Zhuang Qingsui nodded forcefully. She felt a bit embarrassed and said, “I was in a bit of a rush, wanting to achieve success in one step. Everything needs to come gradually, otherwise, it’s like drinking poison to quench thirst.”

“There’s nothing that goes smoothly in the world, and no one has eyes in the back of their heads. If everyone could see through everything, wouldn’t everybody be a sage?”

Chu Jinzhou comforted her, “Being able to listen to others’ opinions and correct in time is already very rare.”

“However, to move the school to the county town, it will take some struggle. Fortunately, Mingli isn’t that busy now, so I could help with your affairs.”

Hearing Chu Jinzhou’s words, Zhuang Qingsui felt particularly warm in her heart. “Thank you, Brother Jinzhou.”