Chapter 4

Are you free? Of course there will be.

 Apart from the scattered time, in the cold winter months when heavy snow blocks the mountain every year, the villagers of Huisheng Village have to hide at home to avoid the biting wind and snow, so there is plenty of time.

 The longer the winter, the longer the free time.

 If you can't even go out the door, what else is there to be busy with? The villagers of Huisheng Village are used to gathering a few families together to escape the cold winter.

 In this way, the need for heating resources such as firewood is greatly reduced.

 With more people, everyone can chat together and pass the time.

 They can fully utilize this time to study.

 If they were asked if they were willing to learn to read and write by Old John, they would definitely agree without hesitation.

 But if they were asked if it was Du Mingna? No one answered for a while.

 Du Mingna is still young.

 That's not a problem.

 Du Mingna is the son of Viscount Hall.

 That's the problem.

 Even if he was kicked out of the house, so what? Isn't there still a blood relationship? Du Mingna didn't hear anyone answer, and he didn't care, just smiled slightly.

 "You don't have to answer me now.

 Since I promised, this promise will always be valid.

 Whenever you want to come and study, you can.

" Old John also smiled and said, "Yes, there's no rush, take it slow.

 Daniel, is the little girl you're holding your daughter?" When Dora was mentioned, even Daniel, who didn't want to look at Du Mingna, showed a simple and happy smile.

 "Yes, Old John, isn't my daughter lovely? I think Dora is the best gift God has given me!" Someone next to him teased him.

 "Dora is the best gift, what about Winnie?" Daniel's expression stiffened for a moment, then smiled even more brightly.

 His tall and sturdy figure lost its threatening aura.

 "Winnie is of course too! My daughter and her mother are the best gifts God has given me!" "Oh, Daniel, it seems you have a good wife.

" Old John chuckled and sighed, then said, "Alright, Daniel, I don't have time to catch up with you today, I still have to tidy up the house.

 Gus, you and them go back first.

" Daniel gave Du Mingna a subtle glare.

 "Go back? Old John, why don't we help you tidy up together? You have to take care of the pampered young master and tidy up the house, aren't you busy enough?" Du Mingna maintained his smile.

 It's okay, these people have prejudices against him now, that's normal.

 They just met, and he has also stood up for Viscount Hall.

 Besides, he is still weak.

 Not yet fifteen, his body has not fully developed.

 Even if his physical fitness is considered outstanding among his peers, he is definitely not as good as Daniel and his group of strong men.

 If he had Qi or magic, he could still strike back at Daniel and the others.

 Oh, but he has to cultivate to at least the second rank.

 Haven't you heard Old John say that Daniel can deal with second-rank magical beasts with his physique alone? Magical beasts vary greatly in individual strength, just like there are geniuses and mediocrities among humans.

 In general, group-dwelling magical beasts have weaker individual combat capabilities, often not as good as a knight of the same rank, but in group combat, they can easily defeat a knight of the same rank.

 Solitary magical beasts are sometimes similar to knights of the same rank, and some are stronger than knights of the same rank.

 Magical beasts excel in having powerful physical bodies, while knights excel in having more weapons and equipment as humans.

 As for magicians, they are basically superior to magical beasts of the same rank.

 Whether group-dwelling or solitary magical beasts, they are no match for magicians of the same rank.

 But magicians are too few.

 It is precisely because of their rarity and power that magicians can have a high status.

 While Du Mingna was pondering, Old John had already declined Daniel's offer to help.

 Old John claimed that he had already tidied up almost everything, and the house was not big.

 If a few more people crowded in, it would be difficult to work.

 Everyone sat still, the hall could accommodate twenty or thirty people, but now it was empty.

 It could be crowded a bit more, accommodating dozens of people.

 However, it was more convenient with fewer people for work.

 Ges was leading the group away.

 Old John suddenly stopped him and asked, "Ges, you still live in the same house as before, right?" Ges turned around and replied, "Yes, why?" The villagers were trying to build a sturdy stone house, which was not an easy task.

 They were continuously thickening the outer walls.

 Unless the house posed a safety hazard, they would not consider moving.

 "Alright then," Old John nodded, "I'll come find you if I need anything.

 The young master and I have an empty house with nothing in it.

 We need to borrow some things from you first.

" Daniel, who had stopped with Ges, snorted at what Old John was saying and left with his daughter in a hurry.

 Ges smiled and replied, "It's my fault for forgetting.

 Simpson left with everything from the house.

 I'll bring over some old furniture later.

 It's all old stuff.

" He paused and glanced at Dumina.

 "Young master, please don't mind.

 Our conditions are simple, and even if you're not used to it, we can't offer anything better.

" Dumina smiled immediately.

 "Village Chief Ges, where are you from? I'm new here, and having something to use is already satisfying.

" He then changed the subject abruptly.

 "If possible, I'd like to ask Village Chief Ges for help.

" Daniel and the others walked away.

 Ges seemed easy to talk to, but of course, it was because Old John was present.

 Dumina didn't mind informing Ges of the things he needed for setting up a school now, so Ges could help prepare.

 He needed to have everything ready within three days.

 Whether he told Ges now or later to Old John, the result would be the same - Ges would gather the items for him.

 The only difference was that if he told Ges earlier, he could complete the task sooner and receive the reward.

 He could also move on to the next main task quickly.

 Who knew what he could get from the mysterious reward box from the system? It would be good if it could help deal with the monster attacks.

 If not, he needed to hurry and do more tasks to earn rewards.

 If teaching others to read and write could be a side task, that would be great.

 Unfortunately, after telling Ges, Daniel, and the others that they could learn from him, the system did not respond.

 He didn't know if the system truly didn't support this side task or if someone had to become a student at his school for the side task to be activated.

 But regardless of whether the system gave him side tasks or not, as long as Ges, Daniel, and the others were willing to learn, he was happy to teach.

 After all, these were the people of his territory.

 If he couldn't even recognize characters, wouldn't it be embarrassing? Of course, he had already hit rock bottom now, and no one would care even if he performed poorly.

 But as a person, regardless of whether others cared about him, he had to care about himself first.

 Even in the lowest point, he had to see the stars and aim for them, rather than let himself sink.

 Crossing over to another world, with or without the system, Dumina would do his best to do something.

 Others only had one lifetime, but he had two, whether this lifetime was long or short, it was enough.

 He strived to live a fulfilling life.

 As for having the system, it just made him have his own goals and motivation faster, and gave him more hope and confidence to shine in this new world.

 Dumina mentioned everything he needed, even the plaque.

 Ges couldn't read, so he couldn't inscribe the plaque for him.

 But Ges could find suitable wooden boards for him, and he could write the characters himself.

 Dumina gestured the length and width of the plaque.

 "It's this size, Village Chief Ges, do you remember?"Above it, you can write the five words 'Grey Rope Village School'.

" Gus stared blankly at Du Mingna gesturing by the door.

 He had just heard Du Mingna make a request in a roundabout way, and he was not pleased.

 He had to control his temper like Daniel in order to endure it.

 But after hearing Du Mingna's request, Gus suddenly found it quite reasonable.

 Du Mingna was not asking for expensive things, just small and inexpensive items.

 Like the tables and chairs Du Mingna mentioned, Gus could easily find them in the miscellaneous room.

 In recent years, many villagers had moved away from the village, further reducing the declining population of Grey Rope Village.

 In recent years, the population of Grey Rope Village has stabilized.

 Those who have not left are unlikely to leave.

 With fewer villagers, the empty houses where villagers used to live have become storage rooms for valuable items for those who still remain in the village.

 Other items like firewood are stored in sheds.

 Gus now thought of a set of tables and chairs in an empty stone house next to his own, which a family had used as a dining table before.

 The long table could seat ten people when squeezed together, and there were enough chairs to match, perfect for Du Mingna's living room.

 Such a large table couldn't be moved by one person, so he could ask a few villagers to help move the entire set of tables and chairs.

 As for the tables and chairs to be placed in the room, it was also easy to handle, as they were old furniture that could be used temporarily.

 Gus was worried that giving these items to Du Mingna might not please him.

 But then he thought, what good would it do to give Du Mingna perfectly matched tables and chairs? It was better to just give them as they were, to show some goodwill sooner rather than later.

 Gus also did not like the Hall family.

 But he thought more deeply.

 Du Mingna said he had been kicked out of his home, but what if the Viscount Hall regretted it one day and brought him back? If Du Mingna returned home, he would just be a teenager, still very thin and weak, physically no match for the villagers.

 What would be the point of a group of strong men taking out their anger on such a child? Not to mention the reputation of Old John.

 And the school Du Mingna mentioned...

 Gus had never been to school.

 At most, when he went to the city to sell things, he had seen the schools from afar, knowing how clean and beautiful they were, completely different from their way of life.

 He envied those who could go to school, feeling a pang of jealousy in his heart.

 If Du Mingna could really set up a school here...

 Gus suppressed his excitement, quickly reviewed Du Mingna's requests in his mind, made sure nothing was missed, and went to ask for help from other villagers in the village.

 There was no suitable plaque.

 He found a piece of wood, chopped and shaved it, and soon had one ready.

 Without going through the process of embryo making, patching, scraping, and painting, it might not be durable, but it could definitely be hung at the door for now.

 Paint was expensive and not available in the village, so even if Gus was willing to do more, he couldn't make it.

 The furniture used by the villagers was made from cut wood, at most polished a bit, but with limited precision.

 Over time, the wood could warp and splinters could appear, often pricking the villagers.

 As Gus went back to work, Old John also worked hard, saying he would quickly clean up the room, leaving Du Mingna standing idly by the cart.

 Hmm, perhaps he could consider how to teach literacy? He had no textbooks, only a few pieces of knowledge in his head.

 He could easily access this knowledge himself, but teaching it to others was not so easy.

 In his past life, school textbooks may have many problems that still need continuous improvement and adjustments with the changing times.

 However, he must admit that the quality of those textbooks is very high, and anyone who diligently completes twelve years, even just nine years, will benefit greatly.

 From the perspective of basic education, it really achieves top-notch quality.

 But Du Mingna cannot rely on the textbooks from his past life.

 Firstly, he doesn't remember too much.

 Secondly, the world has changed, so how can he just transplant the enlightenment knowledge from another world? He still has to work hard on his own.