The koi wife dressed as the male protagonist of the imperial examination

Chapter 177 Raising the Bar

So after the old man Li had a meal and said goodbye at the patriarch's house, the patriarch Li started to operate this matter.

To be able to be the leader of a clan, even a small clan like their Li clan has some talent.

There is no need for the old man Li to say anything, the main thing is that Li Sanlang agrees, which is the key point, and the chief Li can let go of the next thing.

And because of Li Sanlang's generosity and selflessness, this matter can be done more beautifully.

The school in Hongqiao Village was originally built by the old scholar to benefit the people in the village with his own efforts. He just put a few tables and chairs in an empty room of his house.

Since Li Sanlang is willing to use the rent attached to the field as the money for the Li Clan's study, it is natural to build a big house in their Hongqiao Village and use it as a school.

Oh, no, it's the ethnology of their Li clan.

A house was built right next to the Li Family Ancestral Hall. The big tiled house with green bricks and two courtyards is fundamentally different from the adobe houses of most people in the village.

Moreover, unlike ordinary farmers who start a house and complete it in three to five days, this house took a full 20 days to build.

Except for the Li family, those with other surnames were like the old Fang family, and the family also sent a strong labor force to help build the house together.

Because of the hard work of many people, the construction of this house is particularly eye-catching, especially the plaque that the patriarch personally hung on the lintel after it was completed.

"Red Bridge Academy".

This was also the name Li Xiuping had chosen from the very beginning, and it was written on the paper. It was only after the house was built that old man Li gave it to the patriarch.

The Li patriarch couldn't help but look at Li Xiuping even more differently, and said that all these things have been arranged before going to take the test, that kid is really a talent.

Even the money for building the house was provided by Lao Li's family.

Although it has been said, Master Juren accepts the surrender of villagers and squires, and the rent paid is only [-]% of the original tax.

After all, this year is only the first year, so naturally no money has been received yet.

And the patriarch is just a good name, in fact, the whole clan has no spare money, so the money for building the house was actually paid in advance by the Li family.

Even the money for going to the county seat to ask for a husband was paid in advance by the Li family, so if you do a good deed, you can just do the whole thing.

Although both Li's father and Li's mother were very heartbroken, and these might cost them all their savings, they all seriously implemented it when they thought that this was San Lang's entrustment.

Let alone old man Li now, even Mrs. Shi knows that the reputation of his son as an official scholar is very important to him after he goes to Beijing for the exam.

From the beginning of building this house, the patriarch told the villagers about Li Sanlang's intention.

After the school was officially completed, everyone in Hongqiao Village and the surrounding area knew that this school accepted all the poor children in the vicinity to study.

There is no need to do postgraduate training, you only need to bring rice for your lunch every month.

As soon as the news was released, let alone Hongqiao Village, it caused a sensation in all the towns and villages.

Hearing that this is the selfless dedication of Master Juren, everyone was excited and praised;

As expected of a master Juren, he has a noble moral character, which is different from their ordinary country folks!

This is a great thing, and for old man Li, it is also a rare feat in his life.

On the day when the academy was completed, the patriarch asked him to speak to the crowd on behalf of Saburo. Old man Li will never forget the scenery of that day in his life.

Although, ahem, he practiced countless times in private and still felt a little stage fright that day.

After being at a loss in front of the crowd for a long time, he was able to speak.

But every time he recalled the scene of that day afterwards, he was still emotional.

On the surface, Hongqiong Village only has one more official school, at least there is no need to worry that the children in the village will not be able to study after the old scholar stops teaching and educating people.

In fact, it's not just that, the significance of Hongqiao Academy to the whole village is even more far-reaching.

For example, when the Li family built such a school with money and effort, the village chief gritted his teeth and called on the villagers to rebuild the road from the school to the entrance of the village.

Now this road is spacious and flat, not only is it much more convenient for children who go to school every morning, but occasionally there are horse-drawn carts passing by.

As a result, more vitality has been brought to the villagers.

Afterwards, old man Li often returned to his hometown, and in the name of going to the fields, he often went to the school for a stroll.

Even if some of the students inside didn't know him, they just greeted the "grandfather" politely when they met, Old Man Li felt very proud.

All this was told to Li Xiuping in the family letter written by Da Mao and Er Mao together.

Li Xiuping was very pleased, finally, he could do something serious for his parents and fellow villagers.

It was a letter from the Fang family to Fang Qingqing that was sent to the capital together with the Li family's family letter.

Call it a letter, but it's just a piece of paper.

Unlike Da Mao and Er Mao who have been studying in the county school for several months, the children of Fang's family in Hongqiao Village also got the honor of Master Juren this year, not Shu Xiu.

So, you can go to the school to study.

Including Fang's second child's two daughters, as soon as he gritted his teeth, old man Fang decided to send all the children to the academy.

Just like what Yaomei said, you can copy back the books you need, it’s nothing more than spending some money on pen, ink, paper and inkstone.

Let the children learn how to read and count, even if they can't go to the exam to get fame in the future, anyway, the road ahead will be much easier in the future.

But Daniu and Erniu are not as good at learning as the children of Lao Li's family, and they are not as good at writing letters.

In a few words, the matter was made clear, mainly to tell Fang Qingqing that Daniel was engaged.

Fang Qingqing was stunned at first, but that was her nephew, a generation younger than her.

Now, so early, are you engaged?
It was only later that she remembered that the eldest sister-in-law was actually older than her, and now she was only engaged and not yet married, and the children in the country were already married early.

Mr. Xiao Lang got engaged at the age of fourteen or fifteen, and the process of discussing marriage dragged on for a year or two. It is normal to get married at the age of sixteen or seventeen.

Daniu's letter told my sister-in-law that he is now engaged. Grandpa and grandma said that they will wait until next year to choose a good day to get married. I don't know if my sister-in-law and uncle will be there.

If Li Xiuping can pass the exam this time and stay in the capital as an official, he doesn't know how long it will be before he can return to his hometown to visit his relatives, and Fang Qingqing can't guarantee this.

Maybe when they return to their hometown next time, her eldest nephew is already married and a child is about to be born.

Thinking about Fang Qingqing's funny, she and Li Xiuping are not de facto husband and wife yet.

On the contrary, Daniu's letter also mentioned his betrothed partner, which was what surprised Fang Qingqing, and he was still an acquaintance.

It turned out to be Dr. Yu's granddaughter, and the old doctor took the initiative to mention this marriage, otherwise, given the current situation of the old Fang's family, Fang's mother would not dare to have such a high vision.

Even though Dr. Yu is just a wandering doctor, he still has a lot of status in the hearts of the villagers. Mrs. Liu was surprised when the matchmaker came to the door at first.

"Speaking of which, this marriage is also in your favor. With you as a master and son-in-law, the old Fang's family has raised the threshold for marriage."

(End of this chapter)