The river murmured as it flowed quietly into the distance. It meandered and the sun shone brightly. Jianjia became the academy, educating people for a hundred years. The sound of reading echoed in the fields, like a fantasy Between the Clouds and the Water.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, who had stayed in Zhuangzi to watch other people's competitions, heard the sound of reading coming from the academy as soon as they walked to Between the Clouds and the Water. All the children in Zhuangzi went to the academy to study, except for those who joined later and those who were too young.
The old man found some teachers and divided them into several subjects. Zhang Xiaobao didn't let the Jianjia Academy teach the things written by Wang Juan. Those things would be learned in Zhuangzi after school.
Similarly, he didn't teach some subjects related to medicine and technology in the academy. The technical subjects were taught in specialized engineering schools, and the medical subjects were taught in specialized hospitals. When the Yaowang Mountain was settled, he would set up a medical school. It would be best if he could pull in a few doctors from the medical school in the capital.
The sound of reading echoed in the academy not far from Between the Clouds and the Water. The people eating Between the Clouds and the Water, as well as the villagers, didn't find it noisy. Some even stopped to listen carefully, as if it was a pleasant thing to hear others read.
The old man was old, so he woke up earlier. He was doing the Eight Animals Exercise in the small pavilion. When he saw Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, he made a few gestures and walked to the main restaurant Between the Clouds and the Water. He wanted to eat with Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan.
"Grandpa Bi, some people have come in the past few days. How many students have you accepted? There are some new faces in the academy. "Wang Juan walked forward and asked the old man.
"I've taken in eleven people. Four of them are from good families, and the other two are recommended by my old friends. Tomorrow, when those people arrive, I can choose some more. I can't be like what you think, where I'll only take in those who are rich.
Also, we agreed that the Zhang family would pay for their food, clothing, and housing. We can't be lacking, especially their food. Even if we don't eat meat every day, we should at least add an egg. I've seen the food that the children in your farmstead eat. It doesn't have to be that good. It's fine if they don't have enough milk. "
The old man pointed in the direction of the academy and said to Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan didn't expect to collect tuition fees, and they wouldn't specifically accept rich students. They wanted to train more people and expect their help in the future. Of course, they would take care of small things like food, clothing, and living expenses.
Wang Juan followed the old man upstairs and said, "Grandpa Bi, don't worry. We don't lack money. We promise to have a meat dish every day, but it can't be too good. According to the boxed lunches we sell now, in the morning, there will be a bowl of porridge, or soy milk, tofu pudding, two tea eggs, vegetable steamed buns or deep-fried dough sticks, and two small pickles.
For lunch, there will be two vegetarian dishes and one meat dish. There will be rice, steamed buns, and egg soup. In the evening, there will be two vegetarian dishes and two meat dishes. They will rest for a while after eating and continue to study. Those who don't study will only have two vegetarian dishes. They will do whatever they want after eating. Those who study will have a bowl of fish soup before going to bed in the middle of the night.
In terms of living, there will be three seasons of bedding a year. In spring, summer, winter, and autumn, there will be no need for that. There will be two sets of clothes a season. If they wear out, they can mend it themselves or buy it.
We will take care of the ink, paper, and inkstone. There will be a fixed amount every month. If you need extra, you can ask. Those who are good at learning will be given more. They can also copy books while they are studying in the academy. We will give them different amounts of money according to the thickness of each book they copy. After all, they have to practice themselves.
That is to say, as long as they are willing to learn, they will not only not lack things, but also save some money. Those who are rich don't care. If they feel that the food in the academy is not good, they can eat outside. Between the Clouds and the Water is only a few steps away.
They can also buy their own clothes, but they must be made according to the uniform style of the academy. They also have to embroider the words of the academy on their clothes. They are not allowed to go home or make trouble outside. They can choose to live in the academy's house, which is free. They can also rent a courtyard Between the Clouds and the Water.
But they are not allowed to come out after a certain time at night. Grandpa Bi, do you think this is okay? We've done everything we can. "
The old man did not expect that Wang Juan would say so in detail. It seemed that her family had mentioned this when they came out. He thought for a while and asked, "What if someone is sick?"
"Of course, we have to treat the sick. This is free. We can't use hundred-year-old ginseng for every illness. We can just give them ordinary medicine. If it's too good, it depends on how well they are learning. If they are ranked first in the academy, we can give them hundred-year-old ginseng."
Zhang Xiaobao continued. It was normal for people to get sick, but it was not right to use the best medicine on anyone who got sick. If someone really got sick, there was nothing that could be done.
"That's good. Then your family will have to spend a lot of money." The old man was satisfied. It was enough to treat the sick. He did a little calculation. If there were 200 students in the academy, the Zhang family would have to spend four strings of coins a day, especially on those meat dishes.
In a year, they would have to spend at least 2,000 strings of coins, including clothes. After all, there was also the money for copying books. Copying books was indeed a way to learn.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan also knew this. But they had to spend money for a long-term plan. It was the same for the medical school in the future.
Wang Juan said to the old man at this time, "It will cost a lot of money. In summer, there will be crystal sugar mung bean porridge and sour plum soup. In addition, there will be ice when it's too hot. In winter, there will be charcoal and coal. Every one of them will have to spend money. And there will be tea to refresh them at night. We plan to give each of them half a kilogram of tea leaves a month.
According to our method, they can only drink it themselves. They are not allowed to sell it. Ordinary tea will do. We can't let them drink tea that costs dozens of taels of silver. "
The old man was even happier. In this way, if the students in the academy did not study hard, he would drive them away mercilessly.
"Your family will spend a few years of money first. When they are successful in the future, they will definitely repay your family. No one dares to go against you. As long as you tell them about the academy, no one will continue to be friends with them. What do you want to eat this morning?"
The old man also understood that the students who graduated from the academy would be good to the Zhang Family and Wang Family in the future. The money would not be wasted. It was a win-win situation.
"Drink milk, eat cake, and a few fried eggs. Ask them to fry a big goose egg." Wang Juan said to the waiter waiting at the door.
The cake was baked in the oven that used to bake fish fillets. Milk was not available all the time, so they could eat it when they got there.
After a while, the waiter served the food. In addition to the few things that Wang Juan said, there were a few pieces of baked ham and some pickles.
This way of eating was only seen in some restaurants owned by the Zhang family. Many people were not used to it, especially the cake. It was good to eat as a snack, but when it was eaten as a main meal, they always felt that it was not full. It was not as good as steamed buns.
The old man had gotten used to it these days. He was a little fatter than when he first came here. His weak body had also recovered. Now he did not need to eat a fixed amount for a meal. He could eat a little when he wanted to. He could eat more than one meal a day and eat less every meal. There was a set of special recipes for him.
"What do we have to compete in the academy?" The old man asked Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan as he ate a piece of salted fish wrapped in egg white and fried in flour.
"Painting, calligraphy, poetry, and political criticism. These four are all in the academy. As for the couplets, we can put them outside and compare them while we look at the scenery. Grandpa Bi, we should ask them to make more couplets. At least when they are writing poems, they should compare them. Also, the archery competition is at the foot of the mountain."
Zhang Xiaobao talked about the competition. Couplets were usually not valued. It was difficult to compare couplets outside and it could be used to test people. After this competition, people who were at a disadvantage in couplets would often use them. They did not have to wait until the Song Dynasty to develop it. It was not known whether the Song Dynasty existed or not.
In fact, the most important thing was that Zhang Xiaobao wanted to let the people in Zhuangzi who had learned the couplets recited by Wang Juan take advantage of him.
The old man did not know about Zhang Xiaobao's narrow-mindedness. He felt that this arrangement was not bad. He nodded and said, "Then let's do it this way. It is said that many of the people who came have no food to eat. You have to take care of them."
"That's not a rumor. It's just like that. Some people have already come over. Every day, the people who sell boxed meals at the farmstead will prepare a meal for them. They can choose any dish they like, three vegetarian dishes and one meat dish. Some of them are even preparing to teach children in school."
Wang Juan drank the last mouthful of milk and picked up the cold water beside her to rinse her mouth.
The old man did not say much about this. The world was so big that it was impossible to take care of everyone. When they were studying, they did not do much work. When they were in the family, they would be short of labor. Those who studied for a few years and finally got the status of a tribute to the village, but when they came to the capital to take the exam, they did not even have the money to go back home.
Most of the time, some families had their own internal schools and found people to teach their children. Ordinary families couldn't do that. They had to borrow books. Under such circumstances, it was very rare for ordinary families to be able to produce talented students.
The fact that the Zhang family could arrange something for Zhang Zhong to do was a good deed. Plus, they could set up an academy. When the time came, even if Zhang Zhong did make some mistakes, as long as it was not a rebellion, he could get away with it. Even the Emperor had to consider this.
When the three of them were eating, a waiter ran in and said to Zhang Xiaobao anxiously, "Young Master, bad news. Someone jumped into the lake."
"Jumped into the lake? Even if he wanted to jump into the lake, he shouldn't jump into the lake Between the Clouds and the Water. There are so many other places. Let's eat first. "
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