Chapter Thirty-Three: The School

  When Li Qing woke up, it was almost noon. The heavy snow that had been falling for several days finally stopped. Looking out the window, everything was covered in a thick layer of silver and white. On the eaves of the houses, between the branches of the trees, icicles hung down, sparkling with a faint light, some long, some short, some thick, some thin, all different. Occasionally, a gust of wind would blow by, and the snowflakes would swirl around in the air, only to settle back into the blanket of white, leaving no trace behind.

  In the distance, there were neat shouts of soldiers training, and smoke from cooking also began to rise. In this era, having three meals a day was quite luxurious, and most people still had only two meals a day. At this time, they should be preparing for their first meal. Li Qing picked up a handful of snow from the windowsill and rubbed it hard on his face, making his slightly aching head feel a bit clearer. He had been too indulgent these past few days, and he scolded himself mentally. If he let himself relax too much, Li Qing was worried that he would become lazy, but for now, they had only taken the first step in their long journey of ten thousand miles.

  In front of the gate, the guards had already swept away the snow, revealing the ground that had just been compacted and was now extremely hard due to the freezing. Yang Yidao and Tang Hu were among those practicing martial arts there. Although it was very cold, this group of men were all stripped down to their undergarments, with steam rising from their bodies as they loudly shouted while practicing.

  For ordinary soldiers, Li Qing did not have high personal requirements, but rather emphasized battlefield discipline and the spirit of fearlessness and bravery. However, for his own bodyguards, it was naturally better to have higher individual martial arts skills. This group of men were originally selected from the army and, with Yang and Tang supervising their training every day, they seemed to improve with each passing day.

  He hastily put on his clothes and thought to himself that he should first go somewhere to take a look, whether it was to the newly built campus to see the new recruits training or to Xu Yunfeng's place to check on the land allocation work.

  As for Xu Yunfeng and Lu Yiming, Li Qing was quite satisfied with the two of them. They were indeed good hands at internal affairs. He had proposed an idea and a way of thinking, and in a short period of time, they came up with practical plans and steps. The county government's team was basically filled with new people, as most of the original county officials had either died or run away. Although many of the new recruits were illiterate, they made up for it by being down-to-earth and hardworking, without the oily hypocrisy of the old officials. Compared to before, Li Qing preferred the current team.

  He opened the bedroom door, and a gust of cool wind blew in. Li Qing couldn't help but shiver, tightening his grip on his clothes, and let out a bitter laugh. This damned era didn't even have down feathers! What was stuffed inside this interlining was unknown, it wasn't very warm at all! Frowning, he thought for a moment, down feathers probably originated from ancient India or Arabia, and were transmitted to the Central Plains. Down jackets? Dream on!

  When Li Qing came out, the guards all rushed up to pay their respects. Li Qing smiled and waved his hand, indicating that they should go about their own business. The guards saw the general standing on one side and actually became more diligent.

  Yang and Tang did not dare to slack off, they quickly dressed and stood beside Li Qing. "Sir, are you going out for a walk?" Yang Yidao asked: "Or should I wait on you after dinner before going out?"

  Li Qing laughed and said: "Anyway, it's already this late, let's go to the military camp later and have a meal with the soldiers!"

  "General, you really care about your soldiers," Tang Hu said with admiration. "I've been a soldier for so many years, but I've never seen a high-ranking general like you eating with the ordinary soldiers all the time."

  Li Qingdao said: "What's so strange about that? Don't forget, not long ago, I was also just a small Yunqi Lieutenant. Now even you are all Zhenwu Lieutenants."

  Tang Hu opened his big mouth and laughed: "That's right, at that time I was blinded in one eye, thinking I wouldn't live long, but Tang Hu had good luck, unexpectedly met the general, not only survived, but also had a smooth official career. Anyway, from then on, my life as Tang Hu was sold to the general."

  Yang Yidao deeply resonated with that, at that time he also thought he was doomed to die, and having today's encounter, every time he thinks about it in the still of the night, he feels it's somewhat unbelievable. Now he has brought his wife and daughter over, the whole family is harmonious and happy, and he is even more grateful to Li Qing.

  Three people chatted idly as they walked towards the old camp, and after a while, Li Qing suddenly heard a clear and crisp reading voice of children coming from somewhere, "Where is this reading sound?"

  Yang Yidao smiled and said, "General, you've been busy for the past few days, but do you know that this is an order from County Magistrate Xu? There are many children in the old camp now, so we built a school and invited two teachers to teach them how to read. Anyway, with ample supplies in the old camp, these children don't have to dig holes and catch sparrows like before. Mr. Xu said that he wants to put a halter on these little wild horses, and after a few years, they will become the hope of Chongzhou!"

  Li Qing nodded repeatedly, unexpectedly Xun Yunfeng had such foresight. At this time, reading was still a very luxurious thing, not to mention other things, just the pen, ink, paper and inkstone, how could ordinary people afford it? Now that Chong County has money, it's possible for the county to pay for these children to start their education.

  "Just the other day, Chong County organized a county government office, and almost all literate people were swept away. Even slaves were asked one by one, and all literate people had been selected to work in the county government and military camps. But where did this teacher come from?" Li Qing was puzzled. Whether it was Chong County or Changsheng Camp, they were both in the initial stages of development, and everyone was busy with no time to spare, so where did they find idle personnel?

  Tang Hu laughed and said: "General, you don't know, these two gentlemen are not gentlemen."

  "What kind of talk is this? What Mr. isn't a Mr.?"

  Yang Yidao said on one side: "These two gentlemen are women, General."

  Li Qing was even more surprised: "A girl? A girl who can read?"

  Yang Yidao smiled and said, "General, it turns out we're old acquaintances. Do you know who those two women are? They're the two women we rescued from Wan Yan Hu's golden tent. Who would have thought they were literate women? According to County Magistrate Xu, these two women must be of noble birth."

  Li Qing suddenly became interested and said: "Oh, what are their names?"

  "Those two are actually sisters, the elder sister is called Qingfeng and the younger sister is called Jiyue. Sir, would you like to take a look? I think those two young ladies have quite good knowledge, especially the elder sister Qingfeng. I saw her handwriting, although I'm an uneducated person, but that handwriting looks beautiful to me! I also sent my daughter there to study." Yang Yidao chuckled and said: "If my wild girl can recognize a few characters, wouldn't she be able to find a good husband in the future?"

  Li Qing was somewhat amused and annoyed, this Yang Yidao, sent the girl to school, fortunately he himself was just thinking of praising her a few words, unexpectedly rooted in here, however, for these two women, Qingfeng and Xiyue, he really came with interest. In this era, reading is not easy, women's reading is even more difficult, unless it is an official or a wealthy family, they will not let these two women go to school. But since they have returned, why don't they go home? Instead, they want to suffer in Chong County?

  As they spoke, the three of them arrived in front of a wooden house. Perhaps to allow the children to study more quietly, this house was chosen to be not far from Li Qing's residence. Although it was on the outskirts, the guard was still relatively strict, and one could occasionally see patrolling soldiers walking by. If something really happened, a shout would surely be heard from Li Qing's side. This place, ordinary people wouldn't come here, after all, this is where the old master of Chong County lives.

  Li Qing understood at a glance, and in his heart, he couldn't help but praise Xu Yunfeng for being meticulous. This house was indeed built in the style of the old camp, with rough-hewn, sturdy, and massive logs that had been slightly trimmed, leaving some bumps on the surface. The gaps between the logs were carefully nailed shut with wooden boards, apparently to prevent the children from catching a chill. Through the window, dozens of children sat on small stools, their hands placed on their knees, staring intently at the female teacher sitting at the front desk, which was made from roughly hewn and barely planed giant tree trunks.

  Two women, one holding a book volume, were solemnly and laboriously collecting the children's recitation, while another sat on the side, copying something onto a piece of paper. It seemed to be a handwritten manuscript for the children to take back home. These children's families couldn't afford ink, paper, or brushes, so they probably just pasted up the characters written by their teacher and could only practice in the snow.

  A big fire was burning in the house, crackling and popping, making the room warm. Along with the sound of children reading aloud, Li Qing suddenly felt a sense of pride.

  Li Qing stood by the window, looking at the woman through the wooden lattice. That day, he had only caught a glimpse of her in passing, but today, as he gazed at her more closely, he couldn't help but feel great admiration. It seemed that the phrase "national beauty, heavenly fragrance" was indeed true. The woman didn't wear makeup or dress up intentionally, with a plain face and a simple hairstyle tied back with a thin string, but her skin was as white as jade, her lips were red and her teeth were white. As she led the students in reading, her voice was melodious and pleasant to listen to. Although she sat with her back to him, it couldn't conceal her slender figure. The woman sitting with her back to him, although only showing a silhouette, must also be beautiful since they were sisters.

  It's really a pity that beauty is short-lived. Li Qing couldn't help but let out a deep sigh. If it weren't for this war, these two women would probably be playing happily in the depths of their boudoir, dreaming of a beautiful future. How could they be working so hard in this cold and frozen moment? Look at the woman copying books, her hands are frozen bright red, she puts down her pen from time to time and blows on her hands, Li Qing can't help but feel a pang of sympathy for these delicate women.

  Li Qing's sigh, although not loud, coincided with the moment when the children paused in their reading, making it sound particularly clear. The woman reading was startled and looked up to see Li Qing by the window. She was taken aback, stood up, and said to the children: "Kids, today's lesson is here. Everyone go get the handouts and practice at home. Tomorrow the teacher will be checking."

  The children all cheered and stood up, after all they were still young and it was time to have fun. Seeing the teacher had spoken, they hastily stood up one by one, took the temporary stickers, and shouted as they ran out of the door.

  As he saw the children walking away, Li Qing strode into the house. At this moment, both women stood up to greet him, "General Li!" The two women bowed deeply.

  Li Qing carefully looked at the woman who was copying the book and found that she was also extremely beautiful, and looked very similar to the woman who was reciting the book.

  "This humble girl is Qingfeng, and this is my sister Jiyue; we have met General."