Chapter 19: Launching Adult Literacy Classes

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Today, the palace guards announced a major event: the city would soon launch literacy classes for mine workers. Anyone who had worked in the mines was required to attend, and those without jobs could also sign up, but they couldn't drop out midway.

Every demon in the city signed up. No one would turn down the opportunity to learn to read and write for free.

The literacy classes were temporarily set up in the city. Demons from outside the city could also attend by presenting a temporary ID issued by the palace. In the future, young demons under sixteen from outside the city could also use temporary IDs to come into the city to study.

This new rule faced no opposition from the city's demons. They owed their current good life entirely to the Queen, and they trusted her decisions.

Yin Jixue bit the cap of her pen as she worked on compiling the adult textbook. It wouldn't be filled with fairy tales like the children's textbooks but would instead focus on stories with life philosophies.

She hadn't read many stories herself, and she certainly couldn't use modern ideologies to teach demons about selfless dedication. She had to rack her brains for news stories she had come across.

She didn't expect these demons to graduate from the literacy classes and start sacrificing themselves for others, but at the very least, she hoped they would learn to abide by the law. If she could achieve that, her mission would be accomplished.

If fifty adult demons successfully graduated from the literacy classes, she would receive the system's reward: "Barren Land Wheat Seeds."

Currently, Heicheng has no criminal code. Everything was based on the Demon King's decrees—whatever he forbade, the demons wouldn't do.

Right now, everyone was poor, and all the demons were on the same starting line.

However, as the city developed, imbalances would inevitably arise. Demons who started working earlier or had specialized skills would quickly accumulate wealth, leading to a host of issues.

Therefore, educating adults was preparation for establishing a city government and recruiting civil servants to assist the palace in handling trivial matters.

As for the criminal code, Yin Jixue had no expertise. If there was nothing to reference temporarily, she would have to wait for the Demon King's return to discuss it. Her modern perspective on criminal law wouldn't fit this era, and she was well aware of her values.

Yin Jixue compiled three textbooks: one for basic literacy, including strokes and pinyin; another for philosophical stories, with each character accompanied by pinyin; and the last for numbers, covering basic arithmetic and multiplication tables.

The pinyin she used was borrowed from modern Chinese. While compiling the textbooks, she had several illiterate guards test them, and pinyin came out on top.

Of course, the demons' written language was universal and no different from that of the Yin Dynasty. It was said that the Demon King also knew ancient demonic language, which was only passed down to successive Demon Kings.

Since pinyin was more convenient, she decided to adopt it.

"Finally done. This was more exhausting than my humanities exams," Yin Jixue said, stretching. Recently, with the constant snowfall outside, her initial excitement had waned. She found it much more comfortable to stay in her warm palace bedroom, curled up under the blankets with a book.

She had delegated all palace affairs to Fengxiu and Ruoshui. For more challenging matters, Tengshe and Gouchen would step in. Nothing could separate her from her cozy blankets.

She was dressed in casual homewear—a white top and long pants made of silk, smooth against her skin, resembling modern pajamas, though not quite the same.

She called Fengxiu and handed her the textbooks to deliver to the two teachers. "I won't go out. You can check them for me. If there are no issues, just come back."

Recently, the Queen had been sleeping more and going out less, with her appetite declining. Fengxiu was worried but could only obediently accept the task and leave, silently praying for the Demon King's early return.

"Gousheng's mom, hurry up! Let's go grab a good seat!"

A woman's voice called from outside. Gousheng's mom patted her son's head and picked up the lunchbox. "Eat on time at noon. Three drum beats mean it's mealtime. Your dad and I won't be back in time to cook."

Gousheng thumped his chest confidently. "Mom, our teacher said we should handle our things. Don't worry, I'll be fine at home alone!"

Gousheng's mom straightened her clothes. Though they were patched in many places, she walked out with confidence.

"Don't worry, Gousheng's dad has already saved us seats. I asked him to save one for you," Gousheng's mom said, linking arms with her friend as they walked to the literacy class.

The classroom for the literacy class was a newly built empty room, grand and towering, located in the city center. In front of it was a wide plaza, and the steps leading up to it numbered thirty.

Originally intended to be a comprehensive service hall and a leisure plaza for city residents, it was temporarily being used for adult classes.

The desks and chairs inside were borrowed from the school. As long as the mines were closed due to snow, the literacy classes would be held, and the children would have a break.

The large classroom was tiered. Gousheng's dad had secured seats in the front row, right in front of the blackboard and lectern that took up half the wall.

Soon, Mr. Zhongshang and Mr. Nan Lü walked in one after the other. Mr. Zhongshang carried a square box containing several white sticks—Gousheng's dad recognized them as the "chalk" his son had mentioned.

Mr. Nan Lü held the textbooks, and standing at the classroom door was a maid from the Queen's side. Everyone instinctively straightened their posture.

"Hello, everyone. I believe you all know me. I was your children's teacher before, and now I'll be your teacher. I hope you're all here voluntarily to learn. I'm sure none of you parents want to fall behind your children."

After Mr. Zhongshang's opening remarks, Mr. Nan Lü took over for the first lesson.

The first lesson was teaching pinyin. The strange pronunciations led to many amusing moments among the parents, but no one had time to pay attention to others. No one wanted to fall behind their children.

Mr. Nan Lü had already familiarized himself with pinyin, thanks to Yin Jixue's recommendation. However, he and Mr. Zhongshang had initially believed that children's natural talent made such aids unnecessary, so they hadn't adopted them.

Teaching adults was different, so they had to start with the basics.

"Today, we taught five syllables. In the afternoon, the parents had a math class. I got so engrossed that I ended up learning along with them."

Fengxiu was reporting the day's observations to Yin Jixue. The parents were enthusiastic learners, though a bit slow. Mr. Nan Lü's patience was truly commendable.

Yin Jixue, wrapped in a blanket, blinked her long lashes. "Let me test you. What's four times seven?"

"Twenty-eight!" Fengxiu answered quickly. She had memorized the multiplication table as soon as it was introduced.

Yin Jixue praised her, "Smart! Fengxiu, you could be a teacher too."

Fengxiu quickly declined, "No, no. I just like the multiplication table. I couldn't possibly be a teacher."

Teachers were those who imparted knowledge and solved doubts. She wasn't worthy of such a role.

Yin Jixue's eyes curved like crescent moons. "Why not? Fengxiu, you know so much. You're more than qualified to be a teacher."

She didn't plan to limit the adult classes to just reading and writing. Ultimately, literacy was about improving their lives and ensuring they weren't easily deceived.

Those skilled in mining could teach and share their experiences. Fengxiu, as the Queen's maid, could teach how to be an excellent servant. Mr. Qinghe, skilled in painting, could also teach, and even the blacksmiths could offer classes.

She didn't just want to lift them out of poverty; she wanted them all to master a life skill.