"Master He, you're welcome, there is no shortage of money where life is concerned, in the future you and your mother will have money for whatever you want to buy." The old man spoke.
"Yes, Mr. He, just accept it. The children will have to pay more attention to you in the future." Xu Laosan also advised from the side.
He Jie replied: "Then thank you senior, but this five taels is a bit much, two taels of silver will be enough for us mother and son's monthly expenses and pen and ink will do."
The old man replied: "Brush, ink, paper and inkstones are all paid for by my family for the use of the academy, Mr. He doesn't have to bother, five taels of silver is five taels of silver. The academy in the town is also five taels of silver, and I believe that Mr. He is no worse than any other teacher."
The village chief said to the children gathered around: "Come on, all of you, come over here and greet your teacher."
The children have come forward, both male and female, some timid children have been pulling their mother's sleeve, afraid to come forward, but the adults around them are anxious, which can give the teacher a good impression, immediately drag the children to the front, and the other children are now together.
"Greetings, teacher."
The children greeted in unison, their eyes looking at the teacher with some curiosity.
He Jie was a little surprised to see a boy and a girl, and the old man immediately explained it to He Jie.
He Jie was stunned after hearing this and said with some admiration: "Old man, you are an open-minded person, and you are really admired by the younger generation."
The old man was also very proud. Being admired by a scholar with a great reputation is not something that just anyone can achieve. He said: "It's all for the benefit of the children. In our village, boys and girls are equally loved by their families."
He Jie's first impression of this village was immediately different. He could see on the faces of the villagers that they were sincerely willing to let their girls learn and read. This village was really different. He likes it very much, and he does not think that girls are necessarily inferior to boys. He once met a lady whose knowledge made him feel inferior to her.
The old man introduced again: "This is the village chief of our Xujia Village. If you have anything, you can contact him."
He Jie cupped his hands and said: "I've met Village Chief Xu, I'll be troubling the Village Chief to take care of me from now on."
The village chief immediately smiled and said: "Master He is being polite. You should, you should."
Many villagers were not aware of Mr. He's previous affairs. Although they were curious that he seemed to be in his twenties but did not have a wife, this was a private matter and they could only wonder in their hearts, but they could not ask rashly.
The old man said: "At noon, Mrs. He and Mr. He will come to my house for lunch, along with the two shopkeepers, so we'll have a good drink at noon."
"Okay, I haven't had a drink with you for a long time, so I'll be disrespectful." Shopkeeper Tong said.
"By the way, we also prepared some gifts, but we almost forgot to take them out." Shopkeeper Tong said.
Then instructed the young man who drove the carriage to move out a large pile of high-quality paper, as well as pen and inkstones, dozens of them, from the carriage.
Shopkeeper Hong said: "Of course I didn't come empty-handed. I also bought some useful books for children."
The fellow carried out two bundles of books from the wagon half a man's height, all of which were initiation books for children just starting school.
The old man said: "I was saying that I'd have the eldest and the rest of them go to the town to buy these at Mo Baoxuan this afternoon! I didn't expect you guys to send them over instead! I'll take them then, and thank you both for your kindness."
When the village chief saw these things, his eyes lit up and he quickly called a few villagers to move these things into the school.
A few men who moved things carefully moved these pens, inks, paper, inkstones and books, which they considered extremely precious, into the school. In their eyes, these were precious things. They had never touched them, only seen them. The students in the town held the book and shook their heads while reading. They never thought that one day their children would have such an opportunity.
The old man said: "Let's go home and sit down to talk."
The old man took He Jie's mother and son and the two shopkeepers, and the village chief along with them.
The remaining villagers also dispersed, exhorting some words to their children as they walked, just asking them to study hard and listen to the teacher's words.
The old man brought people home, and Mrs. Wang asked Mrs. Jin and Mrs. Yin to cook more delicious dishes for noon. Mei Niang also went to the kitchen to help.
The old man also introduced everyone in his family to He Jie and his mother.
Mother He is a few years younger than Mrs. Wang, but she looks much older and thinner than Mrs. Wang.
Mrs. Wang stepped forward and took Mother He's hand, and said enthusiastically: "Sister, from now on, stay at ease, and talk to us if you need anything, and don't be shy about it."
"Many thanks old madam, we mother and son already owe you a lot, how can we bother you." Mother He said.
"And don't call me old madam, just call me older sister! Also, there's nothing to be embarrassed about, if there's anything in the future, just come to the Xu family and look for me! We'll all be considered neighbors from now on, it's only right to help each other out." Mrs. Wang stated.
"Aye! Thank you so much older sister." Mother He's eyes grew a little sour when she finished speaking.
"Now that Mr. He's illness has recovered, sister, you don't need to be anxious, just enjoy your happiness in the future!" Mrs. Wang said.
"Ai, speaking of Jie'er's illness being cured, there's nothing else I can ask for, but Jie'er has been alone till now and at his age, the kids should be several years older!" Mother He sighed.
"With Mr. He's knowledge and appearance, you won't have to worry about it in the future. It's just that the fate has not come yet, so you can relax and don't worry." Mrs. Wang said.
"Actually, after my family Jie'er passed the exam, many matchmakers came to propose marriage, but Jie'er rejected them all because he concentrated on studying. I also thought that Jie'er was not young at that time, so I didn't try to persuade him, something happened to the family later, and Jie'er suffered from a cough. Who would marry off their daughter and suffer the pain? Now that I think about it, it was lucky that they didn't harm those girls." Mother He said.
"Aye! Things in the world are constantly changing. Who can imagine what the future will be like? Now that you, mother and son, have gone through a catastrophe in your lives, the days to come will be safe and smooth." Mrs. Wang said.
"Well, I hope so!"
After everyone chatted for a while, another uninvited guest came to the Xu family.
The old man also didn't expect Master Qian to come to Xujia Village and immediately went out to greet him.
"Greeting, old man. Please forgive me for disturbing you today." Mr. Qian said with a smile.
"Wherever you are, you are most welcome, please come in." The old man said with a smile.
As soon as Mr. Qian entered the main room, he saw several people sitting inside. He was a little stunned. After seeing shopkeeper Tong, he immediately realized that they were probably here to congratulate him.
The old man introduced everyone present again, and after everyone greeted each other, they sat down again.
"I heard my family Xuedong come back and say that the school in Xujia Village had been built, and I specially came over today to congratulate you, and prepared some things that the children could use, and just now they have already been sent to the school." Master Qian spoke.
"Thank you very much, I've made Master Qian spend a lot of money, so stay here for lunch today!" The old man said.
"Okay, then I'd rather be respectful than obey."
Master Qian's family is in the tea business, which is also passed down from his ancestors, and has accumulated a lot of customers, coupled with the fact that Master Qian is a very business-minded person, and the business is also run very well by him.
Those who do business in the town naturally know Shopkeeper Tong and Shopkeeper Hong, and they all know each other. Shopkeeper Tong also has business dealings with Mr. Qian, and the tea used in the tea in the restaurant is also bought from him.