"… Ahhh, ahhh, wa … Wu … Ugh …"
Intermittent sounds were heard, accompanied by the sounds of insects in the summer. This was the sound of a child crying.
In the small classroom by the ridge, a little girl stood there, crying as she felt that she was about to anger the beautiful teacher in front of her to death.
The little girl was seven years old this year. Her clothes were patched and not clean. She was small and skinny. Her hair was yellowish due to drying and was tied into two braids at the back of her head. She was malnourished. This was the reason why many little girls were called silly girls later on. She didn't want to cry, making a few sounds. Then, she wanted to hold it in so she made a few more sounds, tears covering her entire face.
Yuan Jin 'er frowned as she stood there, her mouth slightly agape as she stared at the little girl speechlessly.
"Why are you crying?"
"What is there to cry about?"
"The teacher didn't hit you!"
"Ughhh …"
"Min Chuyi!"
"Ugh!"
The little girl froze, her eyes wide as she stood there in fear, tears flowing. After a moment, "Wu wu wu …"
"I'm so angry, take your hand out!"
Teacher Yuan waved her ruler and the young girl was so frightened that she quickly stretched out her right palm. She was then slapped ten times by Yuan Jin 'er. She used the back of her left hand to cover her mouth and the palm of her right hand was red from the slaps. She stopped crying because her hand was blocked. When she was done, Yuan Jin 'er pulled down her left hand that was almost stuffed into her mouth and said to the side, "I'm so angry! Ning Xi, bring her out to wash her hands! "
"Aunty, don't be angry …"
"Call him Mister." Yuan Jin 'er glared at him.
"Mister Yuan." Ning Xi, who was just five, shrunk her head, putting her hands together and bowing to Yuan Jin 'er. "We are going out."
He pulled the girl named Min Chuchu and ran away. When they reached the door, he pulled up her sleeve and blew on her right hand. "Does it hurt a lot?"
The little girl had tears in her eyes, nodding and shaking her head.
"It won't hurt if you blow on it …"
Not far from the classroom, there was a small stream. The two children walked towards it. In the classroom, Yuan Jin'er turned her head. A group of children were sitting upright and still. They were so scared that they did not dare to say a word. The two twins at the back of the classroom even subconsciously leaned against each other on the small bench. In their hearts, they felt that the teacher was very scary, very scary, so they had to study hard …
Yuan Jin'er subconsciously put her hands on her hips and sighed. Today, she was wearing a light white dress with a lake-green floral pattern. The style was simple and elegant, and the way she casually put her hands on her hips was also very interesting. But in the eyes of the children, it was just evidence that their teacher was scary.
"Okay, let's continue reading: Dragon Master, Fire Emperor, Bird Officer, Human Emperor. The first writing was to wear clothes … "
The group of children hurriedly followed, "Dragon Master, Fire Emperor, Bird Officer, Human Sovereign. The first writing was to wear clothes … "
"That's right. Dragon Master was the ancient Fuxi Emperor. He named the officials after the dragon, so later people called him Dragon Master. And Fire Emperor was the Shennong who tasted hundreds of herbs, also called Yan Emperor …"
Jin'er's clear voice came from the classroom. Little Canghe had just been established not long ago, so it was easy to talk about classes. At first, Zhuo Xiaofeng and the others wanted to learn some knowledge from the sage books, so Yun Zhu helped to explain them in her free time. She had a gentle personality and was very patient in her explanations. When the parents of the few children in the valley saw her, they also hoped that their children would have a chance to study, so they formed a fixed place.
Until last winter, the number of families moving into the valley gradually increased, and there were many children of the right age to study. So, Ning Yi officially became the head of the school. There were two teachers in the school. One was an old teacher who was originally a storyteller, and the other was Yun Zhu's help. But at this time, Yun Zhu was pregnant and her belly was getting bigger. After some persuasion, Jin'er was pushed over in January and February.
Just like that, Jin'er was in charge of a kindergarten class in the school, teaching a group of children. After the beginning of spring, when the snow melted and the ice melted, Ning Yi advocated that even girls could learn and understand some principles. As a result, some girls were sent in. After all, the development of Confucianism at this time had not yet reached the level of Neo-Confucianism, which was severely overdone. After all, the development of Confucianism at this time had not yet reached the level of Neo-Confucianism. After all, people did not reject girls learning some things and understanding some principles.
It was just that Jin'er's personality was not as gentle as Yun Zhu's. In fact, the girls who came out of the brothel and reached the stage of being the head prostitute of the brothel were glorious, but they had suffered a lot when they were young. There was no warm education in the brothel. It was nothing more than a high-pressure policy to eliminate them batch by batch. Only when they gradually showed their aptitude could they be treated better.
Jin'er had shown a lot of patience, but these children who came from poor families had not seen much of the world. Sometimes, they were so dumb that they did not even know how to speak. Jin'er's attire in Little Canghe was extremely simple, but in the eyes of these children, she was still as beautiful as a goddess. Sometimes, when Jin'er glared at them, the children would blush and feel that they had done something wrong. Then, they would burst into tears and cry loudly, which would inevitably cause them to be punished.
Fortunately, after the beating, they would be able to do better.
It was just that this group of children had been taught by Yun Zhu for two months. Up until now, he couldn't shake off the impression that Teacher Jin 'er was very, very beautiful, but also very, very fierce.
Sometimes, Jin'er felt wronged. But in front of a group of children, there was no need to show it. She could only continue to teach the Thousand Word Classic with a cold expression.
While the class continued, the boy and the girl had already washed their hands and faces by the stream outside. The girl called Min Chuchu was a refugee from the mountains in winter. Her family was not well off. Even though she was seven, she was malnourished and very timid. She was very nervous at everything, but if there were no strangers around, she was good at picking vegetables, doing chores, and carrying firewood. She was a head taller than the young Ning Xi but looked more like the little sister beside her.
After washing their hands, the two quietly approached the wooden hut that served as the classroom. Min Chuchu followed the voice in the classroom and exhaled, "Push … the … throne … to the country, there is Yu … Tao Tang. Hang the people … punish the crime … Zhou … Fa … Yin Tang … "With Xiaoning Xi's encouragement, she subconsciously clenched her fists to encourage herself. Even though her words were still light, she finally finished.
Ning Xi nodded and then said in a small voice, "Push … to the country, there is Yu Tao Tang, this is the story of Yao and Shun …"
"… What are Yao and Shun?" Min Chuchu asked in a small voice. Towards the end, she became slightly shy.
"Ah … it's two emperors …"
"Then … what is an emperor?" The little girl hesitated for a long time before asking again.
"Uh, emperor …" The little boy's lips touched, a bit dumbfounded …
The sun was dazzling and hot. Cicadas chirped incessantly in the trees. It was just entering May. When it was almost noon, the day's classes had ended. The children bowed to Mr. Jin'er one by one and left. The little girl who had cried earlier also came over shyly and bowed, saying thank you in a low voice. Then she went to the back of the classroom and found her rattan basket. She didn't dare to wave goodbye to Ning Xi and slowly walked away with her head lowered.
The children in the valley were either from military families or poor families. Min Chuchu's parents were poor farmers near Yanzhou. When the Xixia people came, the whole family ran away in a daze. His grandmother ran back for the only iron pot in the house and was killed by the Xixia people. Later, when they encountered the army of Little Canghe, the family of three was left with only the clothes they were wearing. Not only were they thin, but they had been sewn and mended for many years. The little girl was almost frozen to death in her parents' arms.
Their family didn't have many belongings. Once winter came, the only way to survive was to hide in the house and warm themselves around the fire pit. When the Xixia people came and burned their house, they actually cut off all their means of survival. The army of Little Canghe saved them and took them in. They even gave them some medicine to help the little girl get rid of the cold.
This kind of poor people also knew how to repay kindness. After living in Little Canghe, the taciturn Min couple never cared about being dirty or tired. They did all kinds of work. They were people who had been through hard times. With enough nutrition, they were more capable than many of the soldiers in the Wu Rui Camp. Because of this, Min Chuchu got the opportunity to go to school soon. When she got the good news, her father, who was usually quiet and expressionless, stroked her hair and choked with tears. The little girl, on the other hand, knew the importance of this matter. Since then, she often got nervous and never got used to it.
To be honest, compared to Teacher Jin 'er's angry eyes, she actually hoped that her teacher would keep hitting her hand. Hitting the hand actually made her feel better.
The children who came here to study often went to collect some wild vegetables in the morning. Then they came to the school to eat porridge and a coarse grain bun. This was the school's free food. The morning class was a rule set by Ning Yi. It couldn't be changed because the brain was more active at this time and it was more suitable for studying.
When school was over at noon, some people would eat the half-baked bread they brought. Some people would carry their baskets and continue to pick wild vegetables nearby. They would also look for gophers and wild rabbits. If they could find them, it would be a big harvest for the day.
Of course, Min Chuchu didn't have lunch. Even though Mr. Ning once told her father that children should eat more at noon to help them grow better in the future, the family who only ate two meals a day for a long time still couldn't understand such a luxury. Even though the food given to them in the valley was not enough, it could at least provide lunch for three people in the family. But the Min couple just quietly put away the food and put it aside.
Once, Min Chuchu heard his parents secretly discussing whether they should return the food or not. After staying here for nearly half a year, they were worried about the plight of the valley. It was said that there was not much food left in the valley. At the same time, they were also worried that the valley might be invaded by the Xixia people. The poor people with simple ideas couldn't analyze too many things. But this kind of place that didn't bully people, gave them food and new clothes, and even cared about whether their children had enough to eat, was like heaven for them.
They were afraid that one day this place would no longer exist. Later on, the food was not returned, and his father did more things every day. After coming back, he felt a little satisfied. His mother would occasionally mention, "Mr. Ning is such a powerful person. He won't let anything happen here, right?" There was hope in her words. To them, they were never afraid of being tired.
The child gradually left. Jin 'er took a small bag with books in it and carried Ning Xi. Ning Xi squirmed in her arms. "Auntie, I want to walk by myself."
Jin 'er glanced at him, pursed her lips, put him down and held his hand. After the two of them walked out, the female soldiers nearby also followed.
"You've grown up. How does it feel to stay with that girl? "
"… She's so stupid."
"Oh." Jin 'er nodded. "Yes, she is very stupid."
"Auntie, what does the emperor mean?"
"The emperor. Well, the ancient books say that the emperor is the top and the emperor is the bottom. Up and down means heaven and earth. This is what it means in the beginning … "
"Then why is the emperor the top and the emperor the bottom?"
"The ancient books say it, the ancient books say it's the most important. How would I know? Find time to ask your father. But now, the emperor is a high official, a very, very high official, the highest official … "
Walking out of the fences around the classroom, the mountain road stretched downwards. The children were running excitedly, the girl with the basket was one of them. Although she was small, she wasn't slow. But when Ning Xi looked over, the girl turned back too. She didn't know if she was looking at them. Ning Xi held Jin 'er's hand and turned, "Auntie, they are going to pick wild vegetables and firewood, can I help too?"
"Go … If you go, I'll have to send someone to follow you again …" Jin 'er turned and looked at the female soldiers behind, "How about this, ask your father. But, I'll go back to accompany my sister today. "
"Oh." Ning Xi nodded. "I wonder if she cried again today. Girls all like to cry … "
The little girl with the wicker basket on her back and the group of children had already run into the distance. Further away in the valley, rows of soldiers were training, letting out shouts. Jin 'er and Ning Xi walked towards the courtyard on the side of the hill. The mountain breeze was cool. There was a huge tree in the courtyard and the swing on the tree was swaying with the wind. There was a room diagonally outside with an open window. In front of the window, the husband and father was writing something. Yuan Jin 'er and Ning Xi saw a man standing outside the courtyard. He was a soldier from Wu Rui Camp. Yuan Jin' er had some impression of him. His name was Luo Ye, he formed a small group in the army called Huayan Society. Maybe he was here to see Ning Yi.
Ning Yi usually didn't work here and would only call people over when it was convenient. It was probably lunch time now.
Xiaoning was playing with rocks under the roof.
"Ah, she didn't cry." Ning Xi was happy that she didn't hear the usual crying in the courtyard. She let go of Jin 'er's hand. "I'm going in to see my sister."
Seeing her brother return, Xiaoning stood up from the ground. She was about to speak when she thought of something. She put a finger to her lips and shushed him. Then she pointed at the room behind her. Ning Xi nodded and the two of them tiptoed into the room.
Jin 'er nodded at Luo Ye who was waiting outside and pushed open the door.
After a while, Ning Yi stopped writing and opened the door to call Luo Ye in.
It was the second of May. Everything in Little Cang River seemed normal and calm. Sometimes, it would even cause people to suddenly forget the great changes that were occurring in the outside world.
In the study, he asked Luo Ye to sit down. Ning Yi poured a cup of tea and took out some snacks. He asked with a smile, "What is it?"
"I've thought about the grain problem in the valley for many days. I might have a way and I want to discuss it with Mister Ning in private."
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