Chapter 59 Part 1

The Yang family has no other relatives. The only relative that Grandpa Yang and Yang Shifeng had was Yang Shifeng’s second uncle, who lived next door, but due to some conflicts, the communication between the two families stopped. So, Yang Shifeng’s family spent the whole New Year at home, eating, drinking, and chatting. Compared to the previous years, this year was the liveliest.

Grandpa Yang was very happy when he found out that Shiyi was going to build a school in the village. He frankly said to Shiyi that building this school would definitely benefit the people in the village. Grandpa Yang took the initiative, helping to build the school’s desks and chairs. Shiyi was also very enthusiastic. She drew the blueprints for him, and then Grandpa Yang worked hard on the desks and chairs throughout the year. Xiao Shitou was a primary school apprentice of Grandpa Yang. He was also busy helping Grandpa Yang; he would deliver the wood and a glass of water to Grandpa Yang just like a hardworking little bee.

Yang Shifeng, on the other hand, would think about what kind of delicious food he would cook to make Shiyi want to eat every day. Every time he tries to cook a dish, if Shiyi could eat it, he would be happy all day. If Shiyi can’t eat it, he will immediately study other dishes. 

After Shiyi saw him work hard like this, she was more willing to cooperate with him, so she kept trying all types of dishes Yang Shifeng cooked throughout the Chinese New Year. Although she still didn’t have much appetite, she didn’t lose any more weight, and her body improved a lot.

The Yang family welcomed the New Year with all of them busy doing their things. When the first month came, Shiyi’s plan to build the school would also be put on the agenda.

The first thing they need to build a school is manpower. Since many people in the village were willing to work, they didn’t worry about this matter. Yang Shifeng immediately went to the village head to tell him about the school they planned to build.

The village head’s hair was mostly white, and his face was wrinkled. He looked very old and didn’t have the same spirit as before. However, after listening to what Yang Shifeng said, his cloudy eyes lit up immediately, and he couldn’t help asking. “You’re not joking, right? Is it true? “

Yang Shifeng nodded seriously, “I am not joking, of course, it’s true. Shiyi wants to build a school with her own money. In the future, all of the people in these 8 villages can send their children to school. Moreover, the tuition fees are very low. If you don’t have money, you can use food to offset it.”

How could the village head ever think that, in this poor village, surrounded by mountains, there would be a school for children who wanted to learn? It’s like listening to a fantasy story, but the difference is—this is real. The village head was so excited that his eyes turned red, and his depressed face became radiant with excitement. He kept saying, “Good, good, really good.”

Yang Shifeng shook the village head’s withered hand and said, “Village head, the new year is over now. Shiyi wants to start building the school now. She wants to talk to the villagers about this and ask them to help build the school. Anyway, we don’t have any farm work in the new year. “

The village head nodded again and again, “That’s for sure. Building a school is a big event. It’s a great thing for each of us. In the future, the children of every family can read and write. We all have to thank Doctor Shiyi for doing this. Now that Doctor Shiyi has made an effort, let the people in the village do it. We should contribute to this. There are many strong workers in the village. If we do it together, we can build it soon.”

The village head immediately beat the gongs and drums and held a meeting with the villagers. Everyone in the village gathered in the field at the east end of the village and told everyone about the purpose of the meeting. Needless to say, it caused a sensation for everyone, and they immediately began to chatter.

“Is it true? Can we also have schools here in the village? Aren’t they only in the town? “

“Wouldn’t it be necessary for a very knowledgeable master to come to our village to teach the children? Will our village also have educated people in the future?”

“Can all our children go to school? Won’t they also become literate people after that? “

After discussion, someone mentioned the tuition. “However, studying is very expensive. We farmers can’t afford it. What’s the use of building a school in the village? “

Yang Shifeng also heard that some people in the crowd were worried about the high cost of tuition. He stood up and explained: “Fellow villagers, the reason why we are building this school was to let the children in our village know how to read and write so that they won’t be illiterate when they grow up. In the future, their jobs won’t be limited to just bending over and planting crops all day. After the children study for two years, even if they don’t continue to study, at least they can write their own names and know-how to calculate accounts. By studying, they won’t be deceived by others when they explore outside. We hope that all the children in the village can come to study, but we also know that not all of the people in the village can afford to pay so much money to enroll their children in school. Therefore, you can rest assured that our school will not charge such expensive tuition. We only charge 30% of the tuition fee offered by schools in town. If you don’t have any money, you can use food to pay for the tuition fee. “

When the villagers heard what he said, they were surprised. 30% of the tuition fees offered in schools in the town! This is cheaper by a lot! Even if the farmers were poor, they could still afford this 30%. Not to mention, they also accept food as payment. Such a good thing must not be missed by the children. Even if they can only learn for a year or two, at least they won’t be ignorant anymore. As Yang Shifeng said, they won’t be cheated when they explore outside in the future.

Everyone is excited now, especially those who have children at home. They have been thinking about sending their children to school for two years.

When the village head saw that everyone was so excited, his smile deepened. He raised his hand and closed his hand in a gesture to make everyone quiet. Then he said the next important thing that needed to be mentioned. “Doctor Shiyi has paid for the cost of building the school. Now, we are only waiting for it to be built. However, building the school requires labor. I think this is a good thing and will only benefit the whole village. Everyone should contribute their own efforts. So, if you have the strength, you can help build the school if you have nothing to do at home. Well, it can be considered as contributing to the school. Does everyone think it’s okay? “

“Okay!” As soon as the village head’s voice fell, there was a warm response. Many men took the initiative to stand up and said that they would help build the school. The women also agreed on behalf of their husbands. Building a school is a big event. It’s a glorious thing to be able to build a school by hand. What’s more, it’s a very beneficial thing for every family.

In this way, more than half of the strong laborers in the village came forward and said that they would participate in building the school.

With this large number of laborers, it won’t take long for the school to be built. Yang Shifeng took several strong laborers from the village to the town to buy green bricks and tiles for the school.

In fact, houses in the village were usually built with adobe, which can be covered with mud outside, and the roof is made of straw. However, Shiyi feels that adobe houses are not good-looking and unsafe, and the school for children should be strong. Moreover, the school shouldn’t be too shabby, so she decided to build a brick house. Anyway, she has enough money in her hand.

Building the school can be started immediately after buying the green bricks and tiles. Most of the villagers have built their own houses, and many skilled workers specialize in building houses. Therefore, there is no need to worry about doing the work. Shiyi only talked about the school’s layout and design with the workers, and they soon understood the ins and outs of the blueprint and started to do their work.

The labor force amounted to a hundred or so strong men. Although there were no machines in this era and everything was done by hand, their speed in doing things was still very fast. The foundation was dug in two days, and the wall was built on the ground two days later.

Shiyi would go to the construction site every afternoon to have a look. It was like she was taking a stroll. After all, even if she’s pregnant, she shouldn’t stop exercising. It would be bad for her health if she did nothing all day.

T/N: Hi!! You know what, fvck schedule, let’s do some mass release cuz I’m in a good mood today.