Chapter Eleven: Rules for Teachers

  The sky was still dark, Song Jiu was having a spring dream at home, in the dream, he was affectionately with a white-clothed girl, suddenly woke up by a knock on the door.

  Song Jiu turned over in bed, not wanting to get up, and continued to indulge in his dreams. Another knock at the door finally woke him up. He changed his clothes with a sense of shame, thinking that he had grown up, and so had Song Jiu. Shouldn't he find a girlfriend?

  He's a bit out of touch with the times.

  "Wait a minute," he called out to the person outside the door.

  He drew a bucket of well water, washed his face, and thought about the scene in his dream again. He didn't know whose daughter that woman he saw yesterday was. Alas, even if he knew, judging from her clothes and demeanor, she was probably from an even better family than the Lius, so how could she possibly look at him with favor?

  The door opened, and Song Jiu stood there in a daze.

  There were over a hundred people standing respectfully behind Old Man Hu.

  "What's wrong with you, Hu Xing?"

  "Xiao Jiu, I'm at my wit's end." Old Hu said with a worried and gloomy face.

  Let him sing, this era's laws are imperfect. For example, the dowry of Zhujiapu was left at Song Jiu's door, what could Song Jiu do? The Zhu family had money, but they didn't dare to provoke these barbarians, so they reported it to the authorities. The government sent yamen runners over, and Hu Lao Da glared at them: Did we steal? Did we rob? Did we beat anyone up?

  In order to grab a living, they had a group fight several times on both sides of the strait. He also entered Kaifeng Prefecture three times. What's the big deal about being an official?

  This matter was quite sensational, and even Zhao Kuangyi, the prefect of Kaifeng, personally came to mediate. The yamen runners could only tell Zhu's family that they couldn't handle it, so they had to resolve it themselves.

  Don't even mention the depressing Zhu family. In desperation, he took out money to beg Hu Lao Da, who glared at him with wide eyes: "What's the point! Our family has never seen money before!"

  The Zhu family was yelled at from dusk till midnight, and now someone came to continue yelling, but that's the Zhu family. Hu Lao Da had no relationship with them and they didn't get along. It's different for fellow villagers. After all, Hu Lao Da is a straightforward person with a cold face and a warm heart. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been elected as the leader by the laborers. There are several people who can fight in the river, why did they choose Hu Lao Da?

  To select people who learn arithmetic and simple accounting, as well as recognize characters.

  The river is poor, and the most learned one was Mr. Songjiu's private school teacher when he read books, who taught more than a dozen disciples, but he also didn't have the ability to take the imperial examination. At that time, the number of jinshi (imperial scholars) recruited by the Song Dynasty each year was small, and the number of juren (recommended men) was not many. It was the original Songjiu, replaced by the current Songjiu, who couldn't pass the exam even if he took it again!

  When it comes to learning, Song Jiu should be the first, and then Guan Zhang's dividend meeting will have more. Song Jiu repeatedly advocated that having knowledge means having wisdom, having a crane, and being able to turn Bian River into Huangjin River. Originally, several quotas were set internally, but in the end, many people came to beg Hu Lao Da, this group of women brought their children over, Hu Lao Da couldn't beat them, scolded them, and was helpless. So he simply took them all to Song's house and handed them over to Song Jiu to solve.

  Song Jiu looked at these women and also felt disappointed.

  A good man does not fight with a woman. Which of the women in the river is not fierce? Moreover, so many women are gathered together.

  He stroked his chin whiskers, looked at these women, who were not purely "old ladies", but also "young ladies". The rest were young men and boys, the older ones in their twenties, the young ladies being their wives, and some boys as young as thirteen or fourteen years old, the old ladies being their mothers.

  Over a hundred people, half men and half women. The men's eyes held yearning, confusion, and expectation, while the women's eyes showed eagerness, flattery, and pleading, but none of it was genuine. If you were to reject them, these women would immediately "reveal their true nature".

  Song Jiuyi said in a low voice to Hu Lao Da: "Was it intentional?"

  "Xiao Jiu, I didn't mean to, just a few people managing the account would be enough, why so many?"

  So many people are blocking the entrance, it's not going to work. As soon as dawn breaks, the alley will be open to traffic. Now even the alley is completely blocked. Song Jiudao said, "You all come in first."

  The living room was too crowded, so they were invited to the courtyard. Song Jiu paced back and forth. Every step he took, more than a hundred pairs of eyes followed him. After pacing for several hundred steps, Song Jiu finally yielded: "I can accept your request, but I have a few conditions. First, each month, five guan will be deducted from the dock's income. Second, I want to invite another teacher; otherwise, it would be difficult for me to teach so many people alone. Third, you all need to bring your own writing materials. Fourth, I must make it clear that I myself have not passed the imperial examination and become a scholar-official, so I will only teach you practical knowledge. Perhaps in the future, you can become an artisan, an accountant, or a manager, or even open your own workshop. However, do not expect to participate in the imperial examination, nor should anyone else."

  Not opposed to the imperial examination, but these people are not children, even at the age of 13 or 14, they can do some chores at home. The family is poor, if they focus on the imperial examination, it will make their life more difficult. This also happened to Song Jiu in the past. He replaced the previous Song Jiu, who was 98 years old. In this era, he started to be independent early, but what about the Song family? His parents died, and the Song family's foundation is not shallow. For example, the Song family's house is comparable to the Liu and Zhu families in terms of residential area. However, when he reincarnated, what was the situation like? It was empty and poor. Originally, they had more than a dozen slaves and servants, including several injured soldiers under his father's command, and a shop. But after his father died, from his mother to Song Jiu, they gradually went bankrupt.

  This is what happens when you read books to death.

  Being a craftsman, an accountant or a housekeeper is better than begging for a living on the riverbank. "Yes," they replied in unison.

  "The fourth condition is to enter my door, you must follow several conditions: respect your elders, be filial to your parents, be friendly and brotherly with your siblings, care for the weak, do not steal or cheat, do not bully the weak, do not deceive or swindle. To be a person, one must be honest, courteous, self-cultivating, prudent, clear-minded, sincere, and virtuous. Honesty is being true to one's word, courtesy is being respectful and humble, self-cultivation is learning from mistakes, prudence is thinking carefully before acting, clear-mindedness is not being afraid to ask questions when unsure, sincerity is being careful in one's actions, and virtue is having a noble goal and striving for it. Knowledge is the key to unlocking wisdom, but without moral character, the deeper the wisdom, the greater the harm. Therefore, I have written many times that one must first learn to be a person before doing things. The order is: cultivate oneself, govern one's family, govern the country, and bring peace to the world. If you cannot do these fifteen things, then do not come to study."

  All fifteen articles of the Master's Code are personal moral standards. Not one of them mentions the country, talking about patriotism is useless, these people are like Song Jiu, they can't even take care of themselves, how can they possibly take care of the country, it's pointless to talk about it.

  Pragmatism has been carried by Song Jiuzhou to an extreme, including moral standards.

  But these people didn't understand, they only knew that Song Jiu was letting their children and husbands be good people, not too approving or disapproving, each indicating that it could be done.

  It's not that simple.

  Song Jiuyou said, "Hu Xingtou, you've put me in a difficult position. However, there's one thing you must do for us. So many people have come to learn, but what are they learning? We can't just teach them to recognize characters; we also need to teach them some classics and books. The books are expensive - even a small booklet costs several hundred wen, or several strings of cash. There are many classics, and it's not necessary to study all of them, but at the very least, you should learn the Nine Classics: Zhou Yi, Shang Shu, Shi Jing, Zuo Zhuan, Li Ji, Zhou Li, Xiao Jing, Lun Yu, and Meng Zi. To have a complete set would cost a significant amount of money, and only a few people would benefit from it. The other villagers might not be willing to accept this. However, since our dynasty is promoting education and culture, and the river area is one of the most notorious areas in the capital city, I believe that if we promote education and moral guidance, the imperial court will definitely be very pleased. You must lead people to request this from the county magistrate of Kaifeng County. If he doesn't agree, you can even make a scene at the Kaifeng Prefecture's Dalisi Temple."

  "In the middle," Old Hu said excitedly.

  In the past, going to a government office was about fighting and quarreling, but now it's about literature and elegance.

  "Well, these are the conditions, and there are some minor issues. With so many people to teach, I need to prepare some materials. You call someone to help out a bit. At the same time, you all also need to bring your own stools and desks."

  Start recording names.

  There were sixty-three students in total, with the youngest being thirteen years old and the oldest twenty-three years old. Song Jiu had a bit of a headache, it turned out that he was four years older than him.

  "Go back, all of you," Song Jiu said to those women, remembering the names. Confucius said that only petty people and women are difficult to raise, and the women in the river are even more terrifying. Hu Lao Da is afraid, and he himself is even more afraid. These women walked away one by one with satisfaction, and Song Jiu pulled Zhu San up from the bed.

  Zhu San tells stories in the tile every day and doesn't return until the third watch. At this time, he is sleeping soundly, rubbing his eyes in protest.

  "Brother Zhu, never mind the book, something big has happened."

  Song Jiuyi plans to open five courses: classics, mathematics, physical science, accounting, and practical skills. The last four courses are not feasible for Zhu San, but he can invite Zhu San to teach the classics course. The income from storytelling is not high, and it's hard to say how much money will be earned. A gentleman would be ashamed to talk about profits, so Song Jiuyi didn't ask, but he believes that the monthly income won't exceed five guan of silver.

  Song Jiuyi's original plan was to focus on the imperial examination, specifically the ten essays on the Analects and the ten essays on the Spring and Autumn Annals and the Book of Rites. However, there are other subjects, including the Nine Classics, the Five Classics, the Kaiyuan Ritual, the Three Histories, the Three Rites, the Three Commentaries, the Study of the Classics, the Study of the Laws, and the Nine Schools.

  Among these, the Nine Classics is the most important. Zhu San can teach students while also reviewing his own coursework. Song Jiuyi has given up on the imperial examination, but Zhu San hasn't. His family has arranged a marriage for him, but he keeps putting it off, saying that if he doesn't pass the exam, he won't get married. It's likely that this is just an excuse, and even if he reviews his coursework, there's no guarantee that he'll pass the exam.

  What can storytelling achieve? Will the imperial examination test knowledge of "The Tale of Lu Meiniang", "The Story of the Lute Player", or "The Legend of the Guest with the Curly Beard"?

  Zhu San Yi's spirit lifted, and he said: "Song Xian Di, how is the monthly rent calculated?"

  In the river, biased, rent trample, Zhu San alone, only rented two rooms, monthly rent is only one hundred and twenty cents, Song Jiu laughed and scolded: "Brother Zhu, can't you also be a master who doesn't spend a single hair?"

  At that time, the treatment of teachers was not high, with a monthly salary of only about one or two yuan, and although they had a good reputation, their lives were very poor. However, different people have different treatments, and the scholars of the Song Dynasty are still very valuable. Zhu San, relying on his identity as a scholar, can also get this five yuan.

  After fooling around for a while, they came to the courtyard.

  Sixty-three students were still standing in the courtyard waiting for Song Jiu, Zhu San was a scholar, these people also respected him very much. Without learning, first knocked down one side of the mountain wall of the back house, connecting two rooms together, making it a classroom. What is practicality? It's teaching these students to learn hands-on skills, studying to apply what they've learned, rather than just reading books.

  Then make a large blackboard and a lot of chalk.

  The money wasn't too much, so Song Jiudian paid for it. With many hands, they quickly made a small blackboard and started making more, without mentioning learning. The cost of learning is also high in this era, and it's not possible to let students learn calligraphy on the sand table like Ouyang Xiu did. So they switched to using blackboards. Occasionally, they would also learn some brush penmanship, but don't expect them to be as good as Wang Xizhi, who dyed his own pond into an ink pool - that's not an ink pool, it's just one copper coin after another. With 63 students, no family can afford it.

  Song Jiu and Zhu San were having breakfast, these students had all eaten and come over early, each one doing their work.

  It's almost noon, and the classroom is all set up.

  First teach them to read and write, what kind of future these students will have, no one can predict, but for now we must pick out some clever ones to manage the accounts. Managing accounts requires arithmetic skills, but it's not enough, they must also recognize some characters, clearly record the names and numbers of various goods.

  However, new trouble arrived, and the first one was not a student, but rather Zhu San.

  Making chalk, even this backward chalk, is not that simple. After adding water to the lime, it must be settled and filtered to remove unnecessary impurities, made into blocks, and dried in the sun. The chalk made in the morning can't be used yet, but Song Jiu had already prepared some chalk.

  Moreover, Song Jiu also purchased some anti-mosquito masks, for which he spent more than 800 wen. But then Zhu San had a problem, letting him write brush pen characters, better than Song Jiu's, yet when did Zhu San ever write chalk characters? Zhu San treated the chalk as a brush and started writing on the blackboard...