Teaching Literacy

Zhou Siliang squatted beside Manbao and sighed repeatedly, "Younger sister, did I offend you?"

Manbao nodded, "You offended our whole family."

Zhou Siliang fell silent for a long time and said, "I really have changed." Do you believe me?

Although she didn't believe him, Manbao still nodded and said, "I believe you." "So, Siliang, you need to work hard to repay the money you owe to the family and your brother and sister-in-law."

Zhou Siliang slumped his shoulders and said, "Farming doesn't make money."

Manbao disagreed, "Many people farm. Our parents farm, our brother and sister-in-law farm, and the Bai family also farms."

"But they have good land."

"For hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands of years, the land has always remained unchanged, nurtured by people, hasn't it?" Manbao confidently asked Keke. She comforted Zhou Siliang, "Don't worry, Siliang." "You just need to cultivate the land, and when the time comes, I will help you with my brothers." In the future, I will tell my father that all the land you cultivate will be yours. "You can slowly earn money, and if you can't repay it, you still have your son."

Zhou Siliang: ...

Manbao had everything planned out and said, "Even though your son will have to repay your debts, he will still inherit more land than his older brothers." He will definitely be willing. "In fact, I also want the older brothers to cultivate their own land, so they can pass it down to their descendants in the future."

Zhou Siliang: "Manbao, you think a lot."

Manbao said, "Of course, the teacher emphasized the importance of thinking long-term and not just focusing on immediate concerns." I just thought of something. Why is the Bai family wealthy?

Zhou Siliang: "Because they have a lot of land."

"Yes, because they have a lot of land, enough to hire many people to help them farm." "They just need to stay at home and count money," Manbao said ambitiously. "If our family had a lot of land, could we become wealthy landowners like the Bai family?"

Zhou Siliang turned and walked away.

Manbao tried to warmly persuade him, "Siliang, don't leave." "I haven't finished speaking."

Zhou Siliang didn't want to listen to her anymore.

Clearing the land was very tiring, involving almost entirely physical labor. Every day when Zhou Siliang returned home, he just wanted to sit on the ground and not move. After eating a simple meal and taking a quick shower, he would lie down in bed before it got dark.

Zhou Siliang touched his sore shoulders and back, shedding tears of regret for the first time. He truly knew he had been wrong.

While Zhou Siliang was crying in the room, Manbao took the opportunity, while it was still light outside, to gather her friends and teach them how to read.

Zhou Wulang and Zhou Liulang were also curious and crowded around to watch.

Manbao first taught them the names of their village and township, and then their own names. She said, "This is what the teacher taught me." He said I should memorize them so that if I ever get lost or kidnapped, I would still remember where my home is and what my name is.

Feng Shi couldn't help but interject, "Children speak without thinking. What if the wind blows it away?" Little sister, please don't talk nonsense. How could you possibly get lost?

Xiao Qian, on the other hand, said, "This is a good idea. Hurry and have the children memorize it." Even Zhou Wu and Zhou Liu should remember. "When you visit the county town in the future, make sure not to get lost."

"Big sister, Zhou Wu and Zhou Liu are almost grown up." Who would kidnap them?

"You never know," Xiao Qian said, "It's a peaceful time now, but there are people everywhere. What if someone with audacity kidnaps Zhou Wu and Zhou Liu and forces them to do hard labor?" "It's not unheard of."

Feng Shi was surprised, "Has something like that happened?"

"It has indeed," Xiao Qian said, jumping up to her younger sister and looking at her with bright eyes. She knew she liked to hear such stories and smiled, "It happened when I was a child." There were two brothers from our village; one was in his twenties, and the other had just come of age. The brothers went to the county town to find work and got separated from their fellow villager. As a result, they were kidnapped. Their families thought they were dead. After several years, the younger brother returned alive, but he was in terrible condition. He said he had been locked in a stone quarry, chiseling stones every day, and only given a piece of bread. Many people died from exhaustion and starvation. Otherwise, why do you think every time we went to the county town, several brothers would go together? "It's all from past incidents."

Manbao looked at Zhou Wu and Zhou Liu, feeling conflicted. "Zhou Wu, Zhou Liu, maybe you shouldn't go to the county town."

Zhou Wulang and Zhou Liulang were a little scared, but when they considered the substantial profits, they couldn't resist agreeing.

Old Zhou Head lit a pipe and said, "Second son, take Zhou Wu and Zhou Liu to the county town tomorrow and teach them the rules of etiquette."

Zhou Erlang agreed.

Manbao curiously asked her father, "Dad, are there rules for walking?"

"Of course, when your brother returns tomorrow, let him tell you."

Manbao was eagerly looking forward to it.

Since they were all learning to read for the first time, it was impossible for them to recognize too many characters, so Manbao only taught them the names of the village and three characters.

Everyone gestured with sticks on the ground, and Xiao Qian and the other two sisters-in-law, noticing that the children were not running out to play after dinner, smiled with relief.

Xiao Qian and Feng Shi were about to ask the eldest and second daughters to wash the dishes, but when they turned around and saw them squatting on the ground, drawing so seriously, they hesitated. Xiao Qian still pulled Feng Shi and said, "Forget it, let them play together."

In the past, washing dishes and other chores were typically done by the eldest and second daughters. Although Feng Shi was not very happy about adding another task, she nodded in agreement after seeing her happy daughter.

Teaching a few characters was at least better than not knowing where they lived.

Manbao taught earnestly, and the students learned diligently. When it got too dark to see, Manbao threw the sticks, and they all started playing games together.

The Zhou family rarely asked Manbao what he had learned at school because they didn't understand it. Every day when Manbao came home, her family only asked if she had been bullied. Once they knew she hadn't, they didn't inquire further.

Was there even a need to mention Manbao's academic success?

She was definitely doing well. In the hearts of the Zhou family, was there anyone in the whole village smarter than their youngest sister?

Didn't Mr. Zhuang prefer to take her as a disciple even if she didn't follow the rules?

The Zhou family was relaxed, but the Bai family had a contrasting perspective on Baishanbao.

As soon as Baishanbao returned home, before he even sat down, his mother, Mrs. Zheng, pulled him aside and asked if he had been in a fight that day.

After receiving a negative response, she inquired whether he had bullied anyone. Upon another negative response, she asked if he had been bullied. When she found out he hadn't, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. As for her son deliberately stepping into a puddle and getting his shoes and pants wet, that was a minor matter.

She had the servant bathe and change her son's clothes, and then gave him a bowl of ginger soup before taking him to see his grandmother.