vrcanaries Chapter 139 Construction of the Clan School Begins
Chapter 139 Construction of the Clan School Begins
In the following days, Xiao Siyue stayed at home with her family.
That day, the family received a reply from Xiao Qinian.
In the letter, Xiao Qinian said that he wanted Grandpa Xiao and the others to build the clan school first, and he promised to find a teacher before the clan school was completed.
“Grandpa, since that’s the case, why don’t you go talk to the clan chief about this matter first, and get the location decided as soon as possible so we can start construction?” Xiao Siyue was thinking about whether she could finish building the clan school before they returned.
"Yes, I'll go right away." Old Master Xiao handed the letter to Xiao Siyue and immediately went to find the clan leader.
Village Chief's Home
"Dayong, what brings you here?" the village chief asked as he saw Grandpa Xiao approaching with a smile.
"Brother, I'm looking for the clan chief."
"Oh, my dad is inside. What do you want with him?" The village chief thought Old Master Xiao was looking for him.
"Let's go inside and talk."
Once inside, the clan chief reclined on the kang (a heated brick bed), humming an unknown tune, and seemed to be in a very good mood.
Upon seeing Grandpa Xiao arrive, he stopped humming, "Da Yong is here."
"Clan Chief, I have something to discuss with you." Old Master Xiao clasped his hands in a fist salute to the clan chief.
"What's wrong? Sit down and tell me."
After sitting down, Old Master Xiao said, "I came here today for two reasons. My family's Qinian wrote to say that he wants to build a clan school in the clan so that our Xiao family's children can study."
"What?" The clan chief immediately sat up from the kang (a heated brick bed) upon hearing this.
"I mean, our family is going to build a clan school so that our children won't have to go to school in town anymore," Grandpa Xiao said again.
"This... does your Qinian really have this idea again?" The village chief was also a little excited.
Grandpa Xiao said, "Yes, Qinian said that the money for building the clan school will be paid by my family. After that, all the children in the clan can study for free, and he will also find a good teacher."
"Dayong, your Qinian is a fine man. Even after becoming an official, he hasn't forgotten his family," the clan chief sighed with admiration.
"Clan leader, we are also members of the Xiao family. Now that Qinian has become successful and an official, he naturally will not forget the clan. This is what he should do," said Old Master Xiao modestly.
"Hey, tell Qinian to rest assured, we will manage the clan school well in the future, and we will also make it clear to the children that they will not forget the kindness of your family," the clan chief said solemnly.
Upon hearing this, Old Master Xiao did not stand on ceremony any further, as he had no intention of doing good deeds anonymously.
“Clan chief, we hope that the girls in our clan can also go to school,” Grandpa Xiao said again. This was something Xiao Siyue had told him before, and he thought it was feasible.
"I'm afraid many people will be unwilling to accept this." The clan chief hadn't expected Old Master Xiao to have such an idea.
“Why not? It’s a good thing for girls to study. Our Qinian even found a tutor for Yue’er.” Old Master Xiao said.
"Your family even hired a tutor to teach Siyue?" the clan chief asked incredulously.
"Yes, it's good for girls to get an education. You should talk to the villagers. Even if girls can't take the imperial examinations, they can still learn to read and write. Besides, education helps them understand principles. If they are educated, our Xiao family's future daughters will be more respected by their husbands' families and won't be bullied."
After Grandpa Xiao said a lot, the clan chief and village chief softened their stance. Yes, if they did that, the girls from the Xiao family would be sought after by many families.
"Dayong, I will discuss this matter with a few elders," the clan chief said after a moment of contemplation.
When Grandpa Xiao saw this, he knew the matter was almost settled. The clan chief's words carried a lot of weight in the entire clan.
"Dayong, you just said there were two things. What's the other one?"
Grandpa Xiao sat up straight and said, "There's another thing. I see that our ancestral hall is a bit dilapidated, and I'd like to renovate it."
The clan chief naturally understood that Old Master Xiao meant they would contribute money, and he was very pleased.
"Good, good, Dayong, your family is very good." The clan chief got up from the kang (a heated brick bed), walked to Old Master Xiao's side, patted Old Master Xiao's shoulder, and said "good" several times.
"Clan chief, where is the clan scholar in question?"
"This?" The clan chief thought for a long time but couldn't come up with an answer.
“Father, I think we should build it over by the ancestral hall. It’s in the center of the village and there’s a lot of space there,” the village chief said.
“Hmm, that’s possible,” the clan chief said after thinking for a moment.
Upon hearing this, Old Master Xiao realized that it coincided with their previous thoughts.
"In that case, I'll head back now, clan leader. Once the location is chosen, let's begin construction. I'll find someone right away." Old Master Xiao bid farewell to the two and returned home.
After Grandpa Xiao left, the clan chief and his son sighed, "Da Yong's family is a good one. We should ask them for advice in the future. If our clan wants to rise again, we still need to rely on their family."
"Dad, I know. The village's current lifestyle over the past few years is all thanks to their family. No one will forget that."
"Okay, go find a few clan elders and come over so we can discuss how to build the clan school as soon as possible."
I'll go right away.
After Grandpa Xiao returned home, Xiao Siyue asked, "How is Grandpa?"
"Yes, it should be successful," Grandpa Xiao said happily.
Xiao Siyue was very happy. She knew that the idea of valuing sons over daughters was very serious in this era, and she was worried that the clan chief and the others would not agree. Now she was relieved.
Although we can't directly change the girl's fate, we can do what we can.
Two days later, construction of the clan school began. Everyone in the village knew that the Xiao family was building the clan school, and the villagers were very happy and spontaneously went to help.
"The Qi family is truly righteous. They've built a clan school, so my children won't have to go to the town head's every day anymore,"
"That's not all! I heard that children in our clan won't have to pay tuition for school anymore,"
"What, is this true?"
"Of course it's true. I heard it from the village chief. This will save our family a lot of money. We have three children." Although their lives are much better now, education is really expensive. They have to live frugally to support their children's education.
"Of course, we have several children in our family too,"
"Oh, you wouldn't believe it, I also heard that Qinian's family wants their daughters to go to school too,"
"How can a girl go to school? Isn't this ridiculous?" one person said angrily, his beard bristling and eyes wide.
“What’s wrong with girls? Girls can get married to good families if they study.” The person who said this clearly loved his daughter dearly, and immediately retorted upon hearing this.
"That's right. Look at how people choose wives; they all want someone who can read and write."
Seeing so many people contradicting him, the man could only leave silently.
The girls in Xiaojia Village were overjoyed. They never imagined they could go to school. Many girls were determined to study hard and were very grateful to the Xiao family for giving them this opportunity.