Chapter 89: A Pleasant Surprise

Hu Zhaodi raised her voice. “Villagers, are you really so afraid of poverty? Or have you just grown accustomed to this life of hardship?”

The villagers exchanged confused glances, unsure of why Hu Zhaodi was asking such a question.

Seeing their puzzled expressions, Hu Zhaodi continued, “If you’re truly afraid of being poor, wouldn’t you want to change things? How many generations have we lived in poverty? Do you really want to keep living like this—hungry and cold?

“Now, I’m offering you a chance to change. But what about you? You’ve lived in poverty for half your lives—do you want your children to continue this way?

“In just a few days, we’ll begin work at the Xiaosonglin land. You might not have the silver right now, but I’m not asking for the tuition upfront. I can deduct a small amount from your wages each month.

“I’ve looked over the land in our village. There’s plenty of room to grow medicinal herbs. If you’re willing, we can plant them together. When the herbs are sold, won’t that turn into silver?

“But can you be sure you’ll get a fair price for those herbs? What if the buyers cheat you, and you don’t know how much they’ve taken?”

The old scholar nodded in agreement. “That’s right. If it weren’t for Zhaodi persuading me, I wouldn’t have agreed to teach here. But she’s right—our village has been poor long enough. If we don’t change, we’ll stay hungry and cold. Even if your child doesn’t pass the imperial exams, they can still find work as a bookkeeper or start a small business. Knowing how to read and calculate will make sure they’re not taken advantage of.”

Hu Zhaodi sighed. “Alright, think it over for yourselves. Whether your children go to school or not, whether they succeed in the future, that’s none of my concern. If it weren’t for the fact that we’re all neighbors, six taels of silver for a year of schooling would be out of the question.

“You can go to the county’s private schools and ask around—find me one that charges less than eight taels a year.

“If you don’t want to sign up, go home. I’ll be going to the money exchange in the county today.

“Those not sending their children to school, go to the Ji family tomorrow to collect your wages. Those who want to send their children to school, come to Grandpa Ji’s to register.

“Once you’ve registered, when the Xiaosonglin work starts, you can begin your labor. You’ll earn two taels of silver a month.”

After finishing her speech, Hu Zhaodi jumped off the chair and glanced at the villagers before turning to leave.

Suddenly, Hu Tieniu squeezed his way forward. “Zhaodi, my fourth son, Zhuangzhuang, is signing up. He’s eight this year, and we’ll deduct the tuition from his wages.”

Hu Zhaodi smiled and nodded. “Alright, Grandpa Ji, please write Zhuangzhuang’s name down.”

Hu Tieniu’s face broke into a simple, happy smile. “Great! Zhuangzhuang will be able to go to school now. I hope he’ll grow up to be as capable as you, Zhaodi.”

A nearby villager tugged at Hu Tieniu’s sleeve. “Are you crazy? The tuition is six taels for a whole year! When the Xiaosonglin house is done, where are you going to earn that much to pay for school?”

Hu Tieniu shot the person a look. “Go away, you’re the one who’s stupid, not me! Once the house is done, I can follow Zhaodi and help grow medicinal herbs. If I follow her, who’s worried about earning the six taels for tuition?

“Look at the Ji brothers—ever since they started working with Zhaodi, they walk around with their heads held high.”

“Do you know why?” Hu Tieniu added, puffing out his chest. “That’s called confidence!”

Having said that, Hu Tieniu straightened up, proudly showing off his newfound confidence.

He may not have believed in Hu Zhaodi at first, but after seeing her sell a single ginseng for six hundred taels of silver yesterday, he knew things were different.

Six hundred taels! He could never hope to earn that much in a lifetime.

But with Zhaodi, things were different.

While he didn’t expect to make six hundred taels, earning enough for his child’s tuition wouldn’t be a problem.

Hu Zhaodi gave Hu Tieniu a thumbs up. “Uncle Hu, thank you for trusting me. Don’t worry, I won’t let you down.”

Without hesitation, Hu Tieniu boldly said, “Of course I trust you.”

Hu Zhaodi smiled, genuinely pleased.

“Grandpa Ji, you stay here. I’ll head to the money exchange in the county.”

The old scholar nodded. “Alright, go ahead.”

“Zhaodi, wait a moment!” A villager called out.

Hu Zhaodi turned to the villager. “What’s the matter, Uncle?”

“I…” The villager hesitated and then bit his lip. “I want to sign up my son, Zhaodi, but I don’t have any silver right now. Can the tuition also be deducted from his wages?”

“Of course, just have Grandpa Ji write your son’s name down.”

“Ah, thank you, Zhaodi.”

“No need to thank me.”

Hu Zhaodi turned and left.

The villagers who had been hesitant about signing up for the private school watched her departing figure with mixed feelings of doubt and hesitation.

Hu Tieniu, clearly pleased with himself, raised an eyebrow. “What are you all waiting for? If you want to sign up, do it quickly. If not, go home.

“Zhaodi’s already gone to the money exchange. You can wait to collect your wages!

“Ah! I feel so good today—oh, it’s because Zhuangzhuang’s going to school!

“Great! Zhuangzhuang will be able to read and write. Hahaha…”

The villagers couldn’t help but twitch their mouths at Hu Tieniu’s blatant teasing.

The villagers cared about their dignity. No one liked seeing their own children fall behind others.

Especially the boys.

Hu Tieniu continued to tease. “Why are you still standing here? The tuition for the private school is six taels of silver a year.

“Six taels of silver is enough to buy grain for two years. Go on, go home!

“If Zhuangzhuang passes the exams and earns a degree, that’s a great honor for the Hu family!

“If he doesn’t pass, I’ll send him to the county to find a comfortable job, sheltered from the wind and rain.

“Ah, just thinking about it makes me feel so good.”

A few villagers, under Hu Tieniu’s pressure, gritted their teeth and signed their children up for school.

Meanwhile, Hu Zhaodi was on her way to the county.

This time, she didn’t just purchase plenty of stationery; she also exchanged a large amount of silver at the money exchange.

Not every villager was willing to send their children to school, and Hu Zhaodi wasn’t going to force them.

As long as they helped build the school, she would still pay them their due wages.

After finishing her business, Hu Zhaodi went to buy two sets of new clothes. She had grown taller without realizing it, so it was time for a change.

Though the clothes she had bought earlier were worn, the fabric was still good, and she could wash and pass them down to Ji Heying.

Before returning to the village, Hu Zhaodi also stopped by Fumanlou to tell Han Dongsheng when she planned to begin the construction of the house.

Before dinner, Hu Zhaodi returned to the Ji family.

As soon as she entered the courtyard, she heard the excited voice of the old scholar.

“Hu Tieniu really knows how to rile people up. Thanks to his provocations, sixteen children in the village have signed up. Including the Ji family’s children, that makes twenty in total.”

When Hu Zhaodi heard this, she smiled.

There were about a hundred households in the village, and twenty children had signed up for school—this was indeed a pleasant surprise.